Blackberry News

The week isn’t half way over and RIM already has two big announcements under its belt. Earlier this week, the Waterloo company announced the January 2013 launch event for BlackBerry 10, and today the company confirmed it is rolling out an update to its popular BlackBerry Messenger service.

BlackBerry Messenger 7 will be a free update and will include a new WiFi voice calling feature called BBM Voice. As its name implies, BBM Voice lets BlackBerry users make WiFi-based voice calls to other BBM users...

Research In Motion has been trying its hardest to stay relevant as it loses market share by the day. The Waterloo company told people months ago that it wasn’t releasing BlackBerry 10 phones until the start of 2013. Now, many of us expected that date to be somewhere in the month of January, but this might not be the case. According to Jefferies analyst Peter Misek, claims that RIM will not release any of its upcoming BB10 devices until March.

Misek told Forbes, “We had hoped for a January launch but...

Its no secret that RIM is working on two BlackBerry 10 devices that’ll launch in early 2013. RIM confirmed it will be announce the handsets in January 2013, and several leaks claim to show the devices in the wild. The latest image to hit the rumor mill comes from TechCrunch and allegedly shows a BB10 device sitting next to an iPhone 5.

As shown in the leaked photo, the BB10 handset appears slightly wider and about the same length as the iPhone 5, which is enclosed in a transparent-colored bumper. Eyeballing...

RIM has officially taken the wraps off of the BlackBerry Curve 9220 and 9320 devices, rumored to be coming soon to the US and UK markets. The Curve 9320 features RIM’s socially-driven BlackBerry OS 7.1, the Curve’s customary 2.44″ 320 x 240 display, a 3.2 megapixel camera, 1,450mAh battery, FM Radio, microSD slot, and QWERTY keyboard. The Curve 9320 stands out from the rest by featuring a hard BBM button on the side of the device, granting Curve 9320 owners quick access to the popular messaging feature.

When RIM showed off the camera enhancements built into BlackBerry 10, many in the tech community were impressed. After all, the technology takes successive photos, and allows you to pick parts of the image from each photo and merge it into one finished product, which can come in quite handy if one of the people in your photo blinked during the capture.

This wasn’t the first time we’ve heard of such a technology. Back in February, a company called Scalado demoed a similar camera technology, Scalado Remove,...

We’ve been waiting some time for our first glimpse of a QNX-powered BlackBerry smartphone, and today we’ve got our wish. This handset is apparently code-named London, and is due for a June 2012 release date. While it’s not suffering in the looks department, there’s a lot of good stuff going on under the hood too: the BlackBerry London reportedly has a dual-core 1.5 GHz OMAP processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB local storage, 8 megapixel camera on the back plus 2 megapixel camera on the front. While we don’t have any...

You might remember that there was talk awhile back about RIM’s well-known instant-messaging client, BBM, would be making its way to Android and eventually iOS. The first signs of such an app have just surfaced, showing the standard BlackBerry Messenger profile page, but not much else. The app icon doesn’t look great right now, but BBM for Android is still in testing (albeit late stages, according to the source). Native Android notifications are reportedly working well, but the full extent of BBM features aren’t...

AT&T wasn’t the only one kicking off a new BlackBerry this weekend. Sprint also unloaded their Bold 9930 and Torch 9850 as planned yesterday, selling ‘em for $199.99 and $149.99, respectively (both on contract and after mail-in rebates.

The two of them are fairly similar when it comes to specs; they both have 1.2 GHz processors, 768 MB of RAM, sharper displays than ever before on a RIM handset, magnetic compasses to support augmented reality apps, and finally OpenGL support for 3D graphics....

BlackBerry Bold 9930
BlackBerry Bold 9930 boasts the thinnest design and widest QWERTY on a BlackBerry smartphone for $249.99 (excluding taxes) with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement. At just 10.5mm thick, the BlackBerry Bold 9930 smartphone is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone ever. It features a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display, the widest QWERTY keyboard available on a BlackBerry smartphone and a trackpad for easy navigation. BlackBerry Bold 9930 also offers...

After some whispers of a launch, RIM’s instant messenging client BlackBerry Messenger has been updated to version 6.0. Since this has been in beta for awhile now, we’re already well-acquainted with many of the features. First and foremost is BBM Social connectivity, which lets third-party apps interact with BlackBerry Messenger contacts and profiles. A perfect example might be the Foursquare which was recently updated to show your last check-in on your BBM status. A bunch of other apps are also going to be compatible,...

RIM has released new versions of their official Facebook apps for smartphones and the PlayBook tablet today, and there’s a handful of new features to enjoy. One thing RIM is pushing hard these days is BBM integration, so Facebook 2.0 for smartphones now lets you share news items with BlackBerry Messenger contacts, as well as invite new contacts when PIN numbers are detected within the app. Chat was added awhile back, but is now accessible from the messages app, just as if you were sending a text message or an...

When it comes to RIM’s smartphones these days, most eyes are on the recently-announced BlackBerry 9900 Bold, but there are still a bunch more of OS 7, NFC-packing handsets in the works. Among them is a big-screen touch slate code-named Monaco or Monza (depending on GSM or CDMA model). Recently, it’s been rumoured that 9850/9860 will be going to market as the Volt, and failing that, it may default to the established Torch brand. Though Storm is the classic name RIM has given to their touchscreen slates, those devices...

This morning, RIM wrapped up their relatively short beta phase for the official Twitter BlackBerry client, and within the next 24 hours, will be available in App World for downloading. The update to 2.0 mostly revolves around an interface reshuffling, so there’s not so much room being taken up at the top of the screen, but there are some functional additions too. The search bar is now more streamlined, so you can check for hashtags, usernames, real names, or tweets nearby containing that text. Direct messages...

A few months ago, RIM pulled a growingly popular app, Kik Messenger, from BlackBerry App World, revoked their access to the software development kit, and sued them for patent infringement. Kik Messenger basically aimed to deliver BBM-style functions, namely notifications for received and read, across multiple smartphone platforms. Today, a document outlining their defense against (and the nature of) RIM’s case has come to light. You can take a look at the whole PDF, but here’s the short, non-legalese version.

As expected, RIM has acquired Gist, a company that offers an e-mail and meeting service which ranks and prioritizes incoming messages, as well as offers web-based contextual info about who’s contacting you. Gist figures out who’s most important to you based on how often you interact, and farms up data from blogs and social networks so you know what’s going on with people before launching into your correspondence. There are obvious applications here that aren’t too dissimilar from the Priority Gmail Inbox on Android,...

RIM introduced, BlackBerry Travel, a new native travel application for its BlackBerry handsets. The BlackBerry Travel application will compete with other travel applications like WorldMate which has a similar feature set, but is not integrated into BlackBerry OS 6. The native Travel application from RIM has a full set of features for mobile jet-setters including:

* Itinerary Management: The Travel application automatically imports itineraries and booking confirmations from your inbox into the travel...

Today at Mobile World Congress 2011, RIM announced two new 4G-ish varieties of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. In the second half of the year, there will be one PlayBook that runs on LTE and Wi-Fi, and another that runs on HSPA+ and Wi-Fi, in addition to the WiMAX version headed to Sprint.

The rest of the specs on either version stay the same: the 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, the 5 megapixel camera on the back and 3 megapixel camera on the front, the dual-core 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, and new operating...

We had heard a rumour the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet would be able to run Android apps by using the same version of the Dalvik virtual machine as Google’s operating system. Now three more supposedly trusted sources are confirming that it’s real, and should be made available to PlayBook owners in the second half of the year, though the interoperability will be through something other than Dalvik. The idea isn’t so far-fetched; one software developer is already offering software called Alien Dalvik, which will let...

A quick BlackBerry OS update for those lovely Brits out there on Three UK. Turns out that OS 6.0.0.448 has gone OFFICIAL on us for not only the BlackBerry Torch, but the Curve 9300, Bold 9700 and Bold 9780 as well. Yes, that’s a lot of official OS update goodness.

As per usual, no changelog is available. However, do keep in mind that the release has the official blessing of Three UK, so it’s gotta be good, right?

That said, if you download and install, be sure to backup your device...

Nevermind Brickbreaker, the BlackBerry PlayBook is going to launch with some real games. EA Mobile has announced that racing game Need for Speed Undercover and classic puzzle title Tetris will both be included on the PlayBook at launch.

This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen Need for Speed on a BlackBerry, either; it was one of the demos RIM used when they first launched OpenGL on the BlackBerry OS. Need for Speed has also done the rounds on iOS and Android. Tetris is no doubt easier to port between...

We saw a glimpse of the Poynt application running on the BlackBerry PlayBook at CES, but how would you all like an extra taste? Although the app is still a work in progress prior to the tablet’s launch, everything looks polished and functioning; just like the smartphone app for BlackBerry, you can look up people by name, phone, or address, search for businesses in the Yellow Pages, look up nearby movie times and see their reviews, and scope out restaurants in your neighbourhood. It looks like the gas prices feature...

Attention Canadian BlackBerry users! If you’re tired of punching out those long-winded messages while you’re away from your desktop… it looks like the folks at Nuance are here to rescue you.

Earlier today, it was announced that BlackBerry Dragon for Email is now available in Canada. Awesome! With this free app, you can quickly and easily dictate your emails in the most natural way possible… by speaking. The app integrates nicely with your native mail client. Just open your email, turn it on and start...

In a survey cross-referencing smartphone use with ethnicity, Nielsen found that Hispanics and Asians were the most likely to own a smartphone (45% each), followed by African-Americans (33%) and finally Caucasians (27%). In terms of those recently buying handsets, Asians have been buying the most of the last six months (60%), then Hispanics (56%), African Americans (44%), and Caucasians (42%). Overall, Nielsen concluded that U.S. smartphone penetration in the U.S. sat around 31%, with OS preference pretty evenly...

RIM’s ongoing negotiations with the government of India regarding lawful interception of BlackBerry data have hit a bit of a roadblock. RIM has already gone on record and said that they can’t access anything on BlackBerry Enterprise Servers, but the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said that they still insist that some kind of surveillance solution is provided. He didn’t go so far as to threaten a BlackBerry ban, likely because of the progress RIM has made so far with BBM.

The problem that India, and...

Alright, I won’t hate on BlackBerry too much, but I’d be kidding myself if I pretended that the Torch 9800 was a pretty big disappointment for many BlackBerry fans when it was announced. At the time, most new smartphones were launching with 1GHz processors and ridiculously high-resolution screens. The Torch 9800, on the other hand, looked antiquated by comparison and the new OS 6 was still a bit clunky. But if you’re a die-hard BlackBerry fan, preferably a rich one as well, you can pick up one that is blinged...

To cap off the busy week in BlackBerry leaks, some profile shots of the BlackBerry Bold code-named Dakota, the refreshed Torch 2, and the new Curve “Apollo” have been slipped out. The Dakota looks considerably thinner than the old 9000, while keeping its definitive wide and beautiful look. We can see the back of the Apollo now, which doesn’t seem to have a flash, despite it being listed in the leaked specs. The Torch 2′s exterior doesn’t seem changed in anyway, but it’s fresh enough to not need any refinements....

We heard yesterday that the BlackBerry Storm 3 was going into production, but on top of some fresh pictures and a full spec sheet, the disheartening news that it’s not landing until September 2011 came out today.

* 1.2GHz processor
* 3.7-inch 800 x 480 capacitive display
* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
* Tri-band UMTS/HSPA
* 5-megapixel camera with 720p video recording
* 8GB eMMC (storage for apps and data), 512MB of RAM
* microSD slot
* Magnetometer

New Canadian carrier Mobilicity launched the BlackBerry Bold 9780 today to replace the 9700 they’ve had since launch. For $499.99 off-contract, you get a better camera (5 megapixels) more app memory (512 MB) and all of the goodies of OS 6 (like universal search, WebKit browser, and improved user interface). Most of the other specs are the same, like Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, and a 2.4-inch HVGA display.

It’s good to see that Mobilicity is keeping their BlackBerry lineup fresh, but I would hope that they’ll...

At CES 2011, OtterBox has launched a new series of cases for the iPhone 4 and BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 (or either 8500 model) to join their Commuter, Impact, and Defender lineups. The new Reflex Series includes within it an elastic TPE rubber cushion at every corner which actually lets your phone bounce when it hits a hard surface, according to designer Adam Wibby. Both cases separate easily at the middle for docking access, or other tasks like replacing the battery. The idea of a collapsible buffer was inspired...

We had heard a whisper earlier this week that RIM was holding out on a 4G BlackBerry until costs and power consumption for the related chips were lower, and from a recent interview with Mike Lazaridis at CES, we’re hearing similar logic applied to dual-core processors. When asked about why a dual-core strategy was good enough for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, but not any of RIM’s smartphones, Lazaridis cited battery life, size, weight, thickness, and cost constraints.

Although the technical logic...

We’ve finally got some extended time with the BlackBerry PlayBook and we’re pretty excited about this upcoming tablet and feel like it could be a credible competitor to the Apple iPad and the Motorola Xoom.

The BlackBerry PlayBook has all the goods on paper: a 7-inch high-resolution display, dual-core 1 GHz processor, WiFi, 4G on Sprint, Bluetooth, GPS, multiple high-definition cameras and other bells and whistles. There are only a few buttons on this device for power and volume and there’s also an...

Nielsen released a really great infographic the other day, going over a variety of U.S. media usage statistics, including mobile internet use. Among the stats they had gathered was how folks spend time on the internet using their phone, what phones were popular, which mobile video sites were the most visited, and who were sending the most texts. The vast majority of mobile internet time went towards e-mail, which took up 38.5%, followed distantly by social networking at 10.7% then news at 7.2%. They heavy slant...

RIM just launched a new program today called Built for BlackBerry, which will aim to support, promote, and certify accessories with a recognizable logo. If that sounds a lot like the Made for iPhone program, it’s because it is. The Built for BlackBerry program provides “technical, strategic and marketing support” to some of the inaugural members, like OtterBox and Case-mate; other companies that want want in should shoot an e-mail to BuiltforBlackBerry@rim.com.

RIM has provided another demo of the BlackBerry PlayBook demo to follow up on their comparison with the iPad. This time, they’re showing how various web video formats run smooth as butter in the native web browser, and how the Facebook experience is just like on a desktop, complete with chat and games.



For the more technically-inclined, RIM also posted...

An LTE BlackBerry has reportedly been in the works for about the last two years, which is roughly the length of RIM’s development cycle, but a variety of factors have apparently slowed progress to a standstill. Rumour has it that costs for LTE chips are too high for RIM, that 4G is too much of a leech on battery life for their liking, and that the initial LTE coverage won’t be enough to make it worth RIM’s while. The same source of this rumour says that the upcoming Monaco (a.k.a. Storm 3)...

A tweet from Telus has indicated that they plan on releasing the BlackBerry 6 OS for the Curve 3G 9300 in early January, though nothing is locked down for the Bold 9700. Though the tweet only confirms anything for Telus, it does give hope to other BlackBerry Curve 9300 owners elsewhere in the world.

BlackBerry 6 will offer a variety of UI improvements, universal search for local and web content, as well as a new WebKit browser to make your mobile surfing a little more enjoyable....

t’s been awhile since we’ve checked in on RIM’s issues with providing lawful interception abilities of BlackBerry data to the government of India. It sounds like BlackBerry is on track to provide a solution for the interception of consumer data by the end of January having already provided access to BBM, though RIM has clarified that the same solution currently in place for consumer e-mail cannot be used to access information sent through a BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

See,...

I’ve got a couple of late night BlackBerry OS leaks this evening. Storm 9530 and Tour 9630 users, take note.

First off we have a leak for the Storm 9530. OS 5.0.0.1041 has leaked for the device, and is available

As always, before you proceed make sure you backup your device and take all necessary precautions. Remember, these ARE leaks, so they do not have the blessing of any particular carrier. If you’re waffling on the idea or just aren’t too sure you should run with...

Shaw Wu, an analyst at Kaufman Brothers, says that the battery life on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is still not quite up to snuff, citing “a few hours”-worth of juice in its current state. As a result, he’s expecting the launch to be pushed to March or May from our previously expected February timeframe. Of the challenge, Wu said, “Keep in mind that QNX wasn’t originally designed for mobile environments but rather for devices like network equipment and automobiles where battery life isn’t as much a constraint.”

It’s been a busy year for BlackBerry, especially at this tail end, what with the PlayBook tablet and all. Before getting carried away with the fancy whizz-pow apps that the QNX-based tablet OS will offer next year, today we’re showcasing the top 10 BlackBerry apps for 2010.

App World and the overall BlackBerry application ecosystem might seem a little scarce compared to what’s available in the Android Market and iPhone App Store, but it’s still busier than the webOS App Catalog, and definitely the Windows...

It looks like the China Mobile-bound BlackBerry 8980 is just about ready to launch. RIM has released a device simulator so that developers can test out their apps on the unannounced smartphone. The simulator itself doesn’t show a new rendering of the device (like this one dug up in the desktop software), and the OS is only 5.0, so aside from hinting at an impending release, the simulator itself isn’t that exciting.

From what we’ve been able to gather so far, the 8980 looks like...

Wind has been pushing their BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Pearl 9100 in a BOGO deal the last couple of weeks, which now seems to have been mostly to make room for the upgraded Bold 9780. It’s currently listed in Wind Mobile’s inventory, though we haven’t heard a thing in terms of an announcement.

The BlackBerry Bold 9780 isn’t much of an upgrade on the 9700; the camera got bumped up to 5 megapixels from 3, the memory increased to 512 MB from 256 MB, and it’s loaded with OS 6 instead...

Sprint went live with their over-the-air update for OS 6 on the Blackberry Bold 9650 and Curve 9330 last night. If you’ve got either and haven’t received a notification yet, you can initiate it under Options, Advanced Options, Wireless Upgrade.

Blackberry 6 offers quite a few new features, like universal search, a WebKit browser, and user interface overhaul. There’s also a new Social Feeds app which lets you post updates to Facebook, Twitter, and instant messaging clients...

As a kid, I can remember watching episodes of ‘The Two Ronnies’ on the CBC. It was a British comedy, and I loved the darn thing (this perhaps explains my love of British humor to this day). The show featured ridiculous sketches by two very funny men, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. Ronnie Barker passed away back in 2005, but Mr. Corbett must still be alive with comedy flowing through the veins, as...

Awhile back we had covered a developer initiative that Ford was spearheading for their Sync system which would allow drivers to control smartphone apps using in-car controls and voice. Today, that AppLink software went live for Ford Fiesta owners, including with it previously-unannounced iPhone support. Three apps are leading the charge here: Pandora, Stitcher, and OpenBeak, all with varied availability dates. Using AppLink you could, say, start playing a specific Pandora station, or send a tweet by hitting the...

The HootSuite Twitter/Facebook app for Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry have all been updated recently with a selection of new features. BlackBerry definitely got the most lovin’ this go-around, as now you can check in to Foursquare, Facebook Places, and take advantage of native Twitter location services using the app. Android got a few tweaks to search pages, user profiles, while the iPhone and both the others received a variety of new localizations.

HootSuite is a social networking app that started...

BlackBerry Curve 3G (9300) users, a quick OS update for you this evening… and best of all, this is an OFFICIAL release for you to load up on your device. OS 6.0.0.380 has dropped, and is available right now via StarHub Ltd.
If you decide to download and install on your device, make sure you backup and take all necessary precautions before you continue. After installation, be sure to let us know if you notice any marked changes or improvements in this build. I suspect it’s jam-packed full of the usual batch...

Rhapsody has wrapped up its BlackBerry beta and is now offering its streaming music service on App World. After signing up for a $10/month subscription, you can get access to 10 million tracks on demand over either Wi-Fi or 3G, tune in to tailor-made radio stations, listen to what’s popular, browse through categories of music, or search for specific songs. If you particularly like a song, you can also buy it for between $0.69 and $1.29/track.

Rhapsody also has Android and iPhone clients,...

This past week has been quite a busy one on the BlackBerry OS front. We’ve seen more than a few official releases and links hit us. Funny how these OS updates always seem to hit us in bunches, isn’t it? Next week could be completely quiet, only to ramp up again with a batch of leaks and releases the following week. Oh, well.
I thought I’d take a few minutes here to update you, the intrepid BlackBerry user on what you may have missed this past week. Below are download links that include the type (official...

A quick OS update this morning for the BlackBerry Style 9670 users. Sprint has just made 6.0.0.407 available for the device. Hurrah!
Last I can recall there was a leak for the Style 9670… So, if you’ve always been scared to install a leaked operating system (can’t blame you), worry not with this one. Sprint has given it their blessing and it should be good to go on your flip-tastic device. That said, as always, be sure to backup your device and take all necessary precautions before you proceed. After installation,...