BlackBerry OS 7 promises faster performance and gains features including 720p HD video recording.

This post was updated at 8:21 a.m. PT.

Research In Motion kicked off its annual BlackBerry World conference with the unveiling of the BlackBerry 7 operating system, which will ship on the company's new RIM BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry Bold 9930.

RIM said that its revamped mobile OS is a "performance driven" platform and promises easier navigation through its Liquid Graphics interface, as well as faster, richer graphics performance and browsing. The latter is enabled by a revamped BlackBerry browser that includes a just-in-time JavaScript compiler and HTML 5 video support.

BlackBerry 7 OS also brings support for new technologies, including NFC (near field communications) and augmented reality applications. Voice-enabled search and 720p HD video recording also make their debut on the new OS.

The new Bolds and the BlackBerry 7 OS will launch this summer, but unfortunately, RIM said current devices won't be upgradeable to the new OS due to hardware restrictions.