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Archive for the ‘Blackberry Phones’ Category
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
Many questions still remain unanswered concerning the BlackBerry PlayBook. However as the launch of the device is less than a month away, a few more details have been released. For one you remember that when BlackBerry announced the PlayBook they emphasized that it would not be reliant on a BlackBerry smartphone for regular usage. However it seems that that might not be entirely true, at least not until the first major software update to the device.
According to an official FAQ that has been posted for Verizon’s webinar (Vodafone’s partner in the United States), the BlackBerry PlayBook will not carry native applications for email, calendar and contacts, instead PlayBook users will be required to use a BlackBerry smartphone in order to get those features. It was not detailed as to what software version the accompanying BlackBerry needs to be running in order for the feature to work. On the bright, it was mentioned that the device will eventually get native applications for calendar, contacts and email in a “future software update,” and by feature we are sure you are aware that any sort of time frame could be implied by such a statement.
That said, BlackBerry will allow the emulation of all the Android Marketplace apps, so users should not be left completely in the cold concerning relevant applications for their device though we know not how or have seen any demonstrations of say Google Maps or Navigation running on a PlayBook.
In the end it will be left up to the early adopters to decide whether or not they should take the plunge with this device. To give RIM some credit, they do have a good record of releasing software updates on time so we wouldn’t exactly expect them to pull a Samsung on us here.
Source: Engadget
Tags: Blackberry-Playbook
Posted in Blackberry Phones | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
RIM has had to make some serious adjustments in recent years thanks to the onslaught of Android and iOS and while it has been pushing more touch oriented phones in the past months as well as the BlackBerry PlayBook which is set to compete with the likes of the iPad, Xoom and Galaxy Tab, they have still been losing market share. That said, it looks like the company could be making an about face in some sorts by offering one the most popular features from the Blackberry line on its competitors operating system.
That’s right folks, according to closes sources to the company, RIM is planning to offer a version of BlackBerry Messenger for the Android and iOS platform, albeit a stripped down version. In any case however, this would be great for many individuals who were loyal BlackBerry fans until recently when they decided to defect to the camps of Android and iOS.
According to the same sources, the Android version of the software is expected to hit the Android Marketplace before the end of the year while the iOS version is slated for some time next year due to Apple’s excessive rules and regulations.
While many analysts see might look at this as a sign of defeat, if played right, RIM could not only play both sides of the game, but they could influence many users on other platforms to try their software without having to use one of their devices. If this is the case, just like Microsoft which has taken a nonchalant approach to hardware, RIM could than use the extra leverage from the new base of loyal users to market new BlackBerry products to. Of course, all this is speculation and only time will tell if the rumors were true, but at any rate the idea of BBM on another platform does sound cool.
Source: Engadget
Tags: Apple-iOS, BlackBerry, BlackBerry-Messenger, google-android, RIM
Posted in Blackberry Phones | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
RIM has been pushing out some heavy R&D in light of Android and iPhone and with the leak of its 2011 Blackberry Smartphone roadmap leaked back in January of this year, it can be seen that the company is not playing around when it comes to challenging Android and iOS not to mention the newly emerging webOS and Windows Phone 7.
Meet the Blackberry Bold Touch, codenamed Dakota. As you can tell from the above photos, the device is similar to the original Bold 9000 and the keypad has not varied that much from the previous generation’s version. The specs for the device read pretty decent and are as follows below:
- Dimensions: 115 x 66 x 10.5mm
- Radio: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; Tri Band UMTS
- Display: 2.8″ diagonol – VGA 640 x 480, resolution 287dpi
- Camera: 5mp – Flash – Image Stabilization – HD Recording (720p)
- Navigation: Capacitive Touch, Optical Trackpad
- Keypad: Wide QWERTY – Physical Send, End, Escape, Menu, Right Side Convenience Key, Volume Control
- Memory: 8GB – 768MB RAM – up to 32GB MicroSd Card
- WiFi: 2.4 GHZ b/g/n – 5GHz a/n – Mobile Hotspot
- Connectivity: Micro USB – Bluetooth – NFC
- Sensors: Magnetometer – Accelerometer – Proximity
While not the most compelling specs released, it is a huge upgrade from the previous generation Bold device specs and should have enough oomph to woo potential Blackberry loyalists who are itching to upgrade their devices.
Unfortunately, all specs are still speculated and as for a release date or price, it is beyond us. But if we did have to guess on a price, it would be between $150-$200 on contract and for a release date, somewhere between April and May of this year.
Source: N4BB
Tags: BlackBerry, BlackBerry-Bold-Touch, BlackBerry-Dakota
Posted in Blackberry Phones | No Comments »
Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
 The mobile phone industry has been invaded by new type of device: touch screen tablets. Oddly enough, these devices do look a lot like oversized smart phones –but what is more important is how they function and many would have to admit, the significantly larger screen certainly helps. Here’s a quick round up of all the ones available and ones that we know are worth looking forward to.
First is the Apple iPad. No mention of tablets is complete with this one. Not only was Apple the first on the scene (for several months, they had monopoly of the industry), but they also set a pretty good bar. The touch controls are smooth and accurate, the battery life is impressively long (10 hours straight usage), and the weight is pretty light for its size. Expect your limbs to get a little sore holding this up for hours though; the 9.7 inch touch screen does get a little weighty.
We are certainly looking forward to seeing the iPad 2 when it finally comes out. Rumors are saying that it will be sporting a smaller screen (perhaps to compete with the new Android tablets). In any case, the device is confirmed to be packed with a digital camera. The only thing missing here is Flash support.
Flash however, is present in both the BlackBerry Playbook with its QNX operating system and of course, the Android operating system. While it is not confirmed if the QNX Flash support still needs a patch, we do know that the Android 2.2 Froyo is made Flash-ready.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Motorola Stingray are current the front line tablets for the Android, with the still unveiled Stingray promising to give the iPad 2 a serious competition. While the Android lacks the massive game library of iTunes, the device shines in all other functions –especially with eBook reading as the smaller 7 inch touch screen is proving to be optimum ergonomic size for tablets.
Tags: Apple-iPad, Blackberry-Playbook, Samsung-Galaxy-Tab, tablets
Posted in Apple Phones, Blackberry Phones, Samsung Phones | No Comments »
Monday, December 20th, 2010
 Research in Motion is a very solid smart phone maker. Sure, the company has been deemed as losing to both Google and Apple in terms of being able to make the BlackBerry OS successful (considering that both the Android and the iOS are practically dominating the industry right now). But regardless of what appears to be a general perception, there is actually plenty of market demand for BlackBerry devices.
According to the financial reports for Q3 of 2010, RIM has made a solid 40% increase in profit –which is a pretty massive amount for a company that is often placed third in ranking against its competitors.
The BlackBerry brand originally made a reputation in the business market (where it still holds the top spot), by providing users with smart phones designed for many business related functions such as typing emails, document publishing and of course, database access. RIM continues the tradition by constantly updating the security and stability of their handsets.
Many felt that the transition of the smart phone from business users to the general public was going to be a tough move for BlackBerry, but the introduction of the BB OS6 which focused heavily on touch screen functions and media playback proved otherwise.
Speaking of hitting the mainstream market, RIM is poised to release a new product: a touch screen tablet. The only recently confirmed BlackBerry Playbook is a 7 inch touch screen wonder that showcases the QNX operating system designed specifically for the larger screen of the gadget. From what we have been shown, there is plenty of promise in the QNX platform –and many experts agree. Indeed, RIM’s stock value saw a significant growth after their acquisition of QNX. The Canada based company has also confirmed that the tablet will definitely be released in the UK this week.
Tags: BlackBerry, Blackberry-Playbook, Research-In-Motion, RIM
Posted in Blackberry Phones | No Comments »
Thursday, December 9th, 2010
While Mike Lazaridis has been co-CEO of Research in Motion for as long as we can remember, the most recent event that the big chief hosted has left most tech journalists with the oddest impression of the man yet.
Questions were mostly left unanswered as Lazaridis went babbling about the vaguest things regarding smart phones, direction, media, tracking launch dates and a whole other assortment of topics that really did not seem to make sense at all. Some are guessing that the man is already too tired or out of his element to have been onstage at the first place (others have the impression that this is how the man is 24-7). In any case, we would still rather listen to Mike’s ramblings than Job’s incessant finger pointing.
So what do we know about BlackBerry‘s future? Not that much, but it has been confirmed that the BlackBerry Playbook is indeed coming this 2011 Q1 –with the slight hesitation from Mike’s answer, we can only guess that this Q1 launch is barring of any unforeseen production problems.
According to the man (who was not answering any specific question at all), the future of mobile technology is in specialist devices. Just as the original BlackBerry was designed for the professional user, new smart phones are going to be designed for specific purposes: gaming, messaging, browsing, media playback and more.
While there are plenty of phone that cover all those, the more practical approach for consumers is to buy on with the features they truly need (as compared to a well rounded, non- specialist device that ends up being expensive since you also pay for a high end camera that you will hardly ever use).
In other BlackBerry related news, 3D seems like it will also be adapted by the company. While it would be odd seeing the visual effect on a messaging device, it would still be something worth checking out.
Tags: BlackBerry, Blackberry-Playbook, Mike-Lazaridis, RIM
Posted in Blackberry Phones | No Comments »
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
 Users of the Apple iOS in the UK will finally be able to enjoy the iAds system. This may seem odd as generally, not a lot of people will appreciate having more advertisements on their devices. However, the iAds system is so well implemented that the additional content has proved to actually attract more buyers when the iAds has been used in other regions.
LG Display, AB InBev, L’Oréal, Renault, Citi, Evian, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Perrier, Unilever, Turkish Airlines and Absolute Radio have all been confirmed as to have signed up for the Apple ad service.
According to a recent study by an advertising network, the Android mobile platform is able to attract as many web browsing users as the Apple iOS. This result has shown that despite the massive number of devices that Apple already has sold, Google is able to match that number. While Apple has enjoyed dominance in the field for a long period, more and more people are slowly learning to appreciate the Android OS.
This is the result of having the open source OS present in a large number of devices has help the Android –as well as the fact that Flash is supported by the platform. Apple’s lack of Flash format support has left that OS unable to satisfy the browsing needs of many users as a large chunk of web content is not viewable without Flash.
Research in Motion is supporting BBC’s special charity day by launching the Children in Need theme for the BlackBerry. The new theme give the OS a colorful new look complete with cute icons and fonts. While this may all seem like childish fun, the real feature here is an additional application that allows users of the handset to easily donate to the Children in Need charity. While users can also opt to phone in a pledge, the app can prove to be easier to access for most.
Tags: Apple-iAds, Apple-iOS, BlackBerry, google-android
Posted in Android Mobile Phones, Apple Phones, Blackberry Phones | No Comments »
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
 We are all for free speech, but when it comes to making comments about Cupertino based Apple, there are certain times when one has to wonder, is it worth the inevitable tirade?
Jim Balsillie, the current CEO of Canada based Research in Motion seems like he certainly thinks so as he stated that mobile browsing should not require the use of apps –which is obviously a remark against Apple’s heavy reliance on apps to deliver a half decent browsing experience. While we most certainly agree with Jim, and many smart phone users would also see the truth in the statement, it still feels like this is not exactly the time for this.
Balsillie maybe ballsy, but this is only fitting if he wants to have another passive-aggressive argument through media announcements against the Steve Jobs –who seems to be the frontline contender for being the most tactless big shot in the industry. We have all seen this before, with the previous Google versus Apple and the Adobe versus Apple events. And even RIM is no stranger to this –considering that Jobs practically made enemies out of every other company in the industry during the antennagate issue.
 While the arguments against Apple all hold true, the fact that the Cupertino giant is still making more money than most of its competitors is a sign that even when Jobs may be in the wrong in terms of technology, his marketing genius is undoubtedly unmatched –at the very least, Apple branded products have a definite strength of marketability that no other brand can meet.
If the market actually listened to tech reviewers and industry leaders more, then maybe the RIM CEO’s remark may have a real impact. However, the fact is that none of this will ever dissuade Apple fans from buying Jobs’ creations. With the iPhone sales easily overwhelming BlackBerry’s humble figures, it will be hard to burst the Steve Jobs bubble.
Tags: Apple, BlackBerry, Jim-Balsillie, RIM, Steve Jobs
Posted in Apple Phones, Blackberry Phones | No Comments »
Monday, November 15th, 2010
Looks like 4G is taking a while to hit UK shores, while the technology is already present in several European territories, it is the US that gets to play with consumer hardware the most. HTC’s latest handset, the Mecha (also known as the HTC Incredible), sports 4G connectivity capabilities; perhaps the Digital Economy Bill can be retrofitted to consider adding in 4G standardization as well. In any case, should this handset ever make it to the UK, expect it to get a quick name change.
Moving on to more local news, it seems that the general consensus here is that tablets are impractical. With very expensive price tags and features that are already present in netbooks and mobile devices, the lure of the tablet is not that strong. After all, people are only willing to spend so much just for a bit of convenience. This however, is not to say that there are not budget friendly tablets around –but buyers should expect those to have slightly lower specs than the branded ones. Currently, the cheapest high end tablet is under RIM, the BlackBerry PlayBook.
Speaking of Research in Motion, the Facebook application for the BlackBerry OS has been updated to include new GPS features. This means that maps are already available along with the new Facebook Places feature that the social networking site is heavily promoting in order to compete against the fast growing Foursquare mobile application.
Lastly, it seems that Samsung is working on yet another Android handset. Far from the already widely spread Nexus S handset, this new phone is believed to be sporting even better features. Currently, the rumors state that the phone will have a 1.2GHz CPU, 16GB of internal memory, an 8 mega pixel camera and support for 1080p HD video. For now however, the specs are not yet final, but we can expect to hear something official before the end of the year.
Tags: BlackBerry, Blackberry-Playbook, HTC, HTC-Mecha, samsung, Samsung-Nexus-S
Posted in Blackberry Phones, HTC Phones, Samsung Phones | No Comments »
Friday, November 12th, 2010
Samsung’s successful high end Android smart phone is now available in an all white version. Carphone Warehouse is exclusively selling the white i9000 Galaxy S Android handset for a pretty reasonable price tag. For those curious about this device, here’s the quick summary of its best features: it runs on a 1GHz CPU, has a 4 inch super AMOLED touch screen display and has a 5 mega pixel snapper that also supports HD video recording at 720p.
RIM’s PlayBook touch screen tablet has just gotten its official price tag. The touch screen gadget will be available for 312 GBP, pretty reasonable for a standalone browser. While the QNX platform has yet to prove itself, initial videos show that the OS seems to provide a very consistent experience. Time will tell if the limited app library for BlackBerry would be able to stand against the iTunes and the Android Market.
Samsung’s Windows Phone 7 handsets, the Focus and the Omnia 7 are both confirmed to support tethering features. The settings are easily accessed from the phone’s menu and are counter arguments to recent criticisms that the feature is not available in the OS. However, it has yet to be confirmed if tethering is available to other WP7 phones or only to Samsung’s handsets.
Nokia’s Symbian^3 powered N8 handset has a brand new selling point: toughness. The feature was not mentioned at all in any previous advertisements, making it a surprise that we all certainly appreciate. A recently uploaded video showcasing the testing that the N8 went through before production showed just how tough the aluminum encased handset truly is.
Lastly, Apple’s iOS update is announced to be scheduled for launch this coming Friday night at 6pm. While the launch date is still hard to pin down, this appears to be the most reliable and constant bit of information that is being reported regarding the firmware update.
Tags: Blackberry-Playbook, Nokia-N8, Samsung-Omnia-7, Sasmsung-Galaxy-S-White
Posted in Blackberry Phones, Nokia Phones, Samsung Phones | No Comments »
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