Showing posts with label BlackBerry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BlackBerry. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

BlackBerry Bold 9900 delayed?

BlackBerry-Bold-9900 The Boy Genius Report has reported that the latest handset from RIM, the BlackBerry Bold 9900, will be delayed until September even though the initial launch was slated for summer of this year. We've yet to hear back from RIM to confirm this, however, so stay tuned for any updates.


The Bold 9900 has a similar design to the older Bolds, but with a sleeker and thinner form factor. The display is also now a capacitive touch screen, designed to take advantage of BlackBerry OS 7 that brings support for augmented reality apps via a built-in magnetometer.


It also offers a 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, NFC technology for mobile payments, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording, 8GB of internal memory, and more. The Bold 9900 is a quad-band GSM device with compatibility with HSPA+ networks, while the Bold 9930 is the dual-mode version with both CDMA and GSM support.


Boy Genius Report also reported a rumor that BlackBerry OS 7.5 will be the last major OS release before QNX on


Cnet

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

BlackBerry Desktop for Mac gets beta PlayBook support

RIM gave Mac users their first shot at desktop syncing Wednesday by adding BlackBerry PlayBook support to Beta Zone users of its Desktop Software for Mac. The 2.1 release adds two-way media syncing, including photos and videos, without having to use Wi-Fi network sharing like before. Regular features like backups aren't currently available.


The app isn't widely available but should be reach more users soon. RIM had already promised a public version of the app in the summer but so far hasn't narrowed down a release. Windows users have had an updated desktop app since launch.


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Electronista

Thursday, May 26, 2011

BlackBerry PlayBook reaches UK on June 16

The RIM BlackBerry PlayBook will reach the UK on June 16. It is listed on the Carphone Warehouse for pre-order, while users can register their interest for the device with Best Buy. The UK pricing of the device matches the iPad 2 pricing for each of the three Wi-Fi configurations. The 16GB model is selling for £399, the 32GB will be available for £479, while the 64GB model will be £559.


blackberryplaybook


RIM is continuing to pitch the device as delivering deep multitasking and offering users the whole web with its support for Adobe Flash Player. It is also targeting its loyal BlackBerry users and tempting them to pair their BlackBerry smartphone through its BlackBerry Bridge software, which delivers the email functionality on a larger screen, in lieu of a native email client that remains absent. RIM is also touting its camera hardware as well as the devices ability to output video at 1080p via its built-in micro-HDMI port.


The device has received mixed reviews on launch, with most reviewers praising the hardware, but finding the software experience to be somewhat underdone.


Electronista

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

10-inch PlayBook due for holidays, BlackBerry 7 delayed?

RIM may make a concession to Apple on size and have a larger 10-inch BlackBerry PlayBook on shelves this year, according to tips picked up during BlackBerry World. While few details were available, it would be out by the holidays. BGR speculated that it would be less a sequel to the seven-inch model and more an alternate version.


blackberryplaybook


The design could be a hedge in the event the current PlayBook doesn't sell. RIM has cast the seven-inch screen as ideal for portability and having been inspired by the size and appeal of a Moleskine notebook, but Apple chief Steve Jobs publicly dismissed the size entirely. He noted that the three-inch difference amounted to losing more than half the usable screen area and forced compromises in the interface and what apps could do.


In the meantime, RIM may face a looming crisis as phones running BlackBerry 7 might not ship until well after BlackBerry World. Originally rumored to ship in June or July, the Bold 9900 and 9930 now might not ship until mid-August. Other phones like the BlackBerry Touch and Curve Touch wouldn't be unveiled until DevCon on October 18, according to the tip.


The decision to rush the PlayBook to compete with the iPad, and the subsequent efforts needed to patch in missing features, may have been the primary factors behind the delay. Executives were reportedly unhappy that it took away from BlackBerry 7 and have had to redress the balance to get development back on track.


Delays of that magnitude could prove dangerous for RIM. It would not only see the Bold 9900 ship after numerous Android flagships, like the Evo 3D, but could put it within weeks of the next iPhone's unveiling and have any new phones overshadowed. A similar effect for the original Bold ended up costing RIM as the iPhone 3G shipped first and drowned out publicity for its competitor.


Electronista

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

RIM BlackBerry script review

Getting Started:

To try to understand what is happening within the inner bowels of rim circle is certainly difficult, but given the disease of the competition, which continuously eat up their piece of the pie slice in the smartphone market, I wonder how he will be able to fully retain other companies outside their comfort zone. While some may believe that rim is open to deaf ears in relation to their line of smartphones, we have seen, actually adapted to the Canadian company more recently to change the nature of the game to better position themselves in this competitive business environment.


In fact, the torch was actually BlackBerry 9800 fresh change of pace, but as we have seen, was not quite polished new experiences, which we hope will be openly embraced by the public. Apparently stubborn attitude, rather repeated the branded goods of consumers, that we cannot keep pace with the fast pace nature of platforms of competitors. As we all know any missed opportunities, there is always when we look back to see what could be done to change the result – and that is exactly what seems to happen with RIM companies.


Move beyond their traditional comfort space, depending on a new venture rim untested waters with their BlackBerry scenario. Baptized as the first "professional tablet, RIM marketing much attention throughout the bread and butter of enterprise customers with this, however, a time when their telecommunication services increased standards ever so high from the competition. Of course, the cost of the entry script $ 499.99, without a doubt, stay competitive, especially when it has a ton of modern advanced specifications, but eventually it comes to performance and functionality to determine the value to true. Faced with uncertainty in the face, just may be the device to mark the rebirth, which desperately look for both rim now – let us wait and see if their BlackBerry scenario!

Package contains: RIM BlackBerry PlayBookmicroUSB CableWall ChargerNeoprene SleeveCleaning ClothGetting CardSafety product launched and information booklet
Design:

At this point there is no argument that there is a lack of variety in tablet plans – which is clear from our firm, you are accustomed to see., however, manages to escape as Blackberrys scenario a decent elegant Tablet PC with a simple design approach and solid construction. Or boring or beautiful, rectangular size script look very simple appears from a cursory glance, especially with the facade evenly size hard disk lines and rounded corners. Fortunately we adore the unblemished clean look thanks to the soft touch Matt age back miracles to prevent pollution and wreckage. We are also surprised to see some weight (14.11 oz), which accompanies this relatively thin (thick 0.23) tablet, however, mainly contributes to solid construction. In relation to some of the other plasticy 7 "tablets out there on the market, with Blackberrys scenario manhandles easily nearly every way thanks to balanced design and premium high feeling.


The rim is certainly not the hassle of Grace's scenario with a screen, high-quality, and rightly so absolutely mesmerized with great brilliance. Accompanying the mere glow is logical resolution 1024 × 600 pixels, if you do not have anything against bending, giving sufficient details for all from an overview of the deck. Of course, gives high pixel density measurement enough weight on just about everything to deliver certain sharp visualizations, enlightening the eyes. And to complete the detailed stature, is none other than the natural appearance of color production seems to be threatening juicy and glossy appearance palette. Finally, is still visible even under the most demanding conditions outdoors under the Sun – and it requires only about 75% brightness. Surprisingly, there is no denying the fact that the concern scenario probably one of the best monitors yet elegant grace of a Tablet PC.


Keep a slim profile, there is in fact very few buttons, snaps to the way borders scenario – turn contributes overall net Conveniently placed dead see. center on the top edge of the Tablet PC is a series of slightly raised buttons for functions through Tablet – these include volume up, down, and pause/play the keys. Even if we accept the reasonable amount of feedback from them, they are much like the nearby exclusive power button super small and near dead. In fact, it is undoubtedly the worst power button you have come across with a Tablet PC. In addition, found 3.5 mm jack headphones and microphones also at the top and.

Located near the left and right side of the screen to the scenario is speakers who provides stereo output, while the 3 front-facing-megapixel camera and sensors, LED indicator lights mounted above the view.

Both the left and right edges are quite clean, but you will find several link appropriately doors lining the lower part of the script. Of course, the microUSB port used for connecting and billing data engineering Tablet, but as an alternative, the three pins next to it gives faster when attached to the optional dock/charging accessories Wall fast. Finally, the only thing left to complete multimedia skill harbour of microHDMI – which makes it possible to connect to an HDTV and watch full 1080p videos stored locally on the tablet.
In addition to the immediately recognizable BlackBerry logo should be clearly printed on pure leader back surface is only the second anomaly the circular cutout to the 5-megapixel camera. Unfortunately, the competition lacks an Auto focus and LED flash to keep mainly as a monster photo taking. And much like other tablets we have seen, we are completely locked by easy access to any of the details of internal radiation – meaning, you must be served to replace the battery.


View the original article here

Sunday, May 8, 2011

BlackBerry PlayBook keyboard add-on coming soon

A conversation Pocket-Lint had at BlackBerry World with RIM's head of accessories, Bruce Winter, indicated the company is working on a hardware keyboard dedicated to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. An official confirmation wasn't forthcoming, with Winter simply stating that such an accessory is a logical addition to the device in the coming months. RIM has said in the past that a wide range of accessories beyond cases was coming.


Also, BlackBerry smartphones have traditionally had QWERTY keyboards, so a similar one for the company's first tablet had been widely expected. Competitors such as Apple and Samsung already make similar accessories for their respective tablets, and HP has had one planned for the launch of the TouchPad.


Electronista

Saturday, May 7, 2011

10-inch BlackBerry PlayBook reportedly already seen live

blackberry-playbook


First mention of a 10-inch BlackBerry PlayBook just this week has been quickly followed up by a sighting mentioned Friday. A reportedly credible traveller on a flight from Dallas to Toronto saw a device he said looked virtually identical to the seven-inch version but with a visibly better display. It was described to CrackBerry as unmistakable since it was using the same BlackBerry Tablet OS and was running Need For Speed, one of the bundled PlayBook games.


The rumor is unconfirmed but would line up with historical sightings. RIM employees have frequently been seen carrying pre-release devices on flights as engineers and executives fly back to Toronto and Waterloo from meetings with partners. For RIM, tablets are relatively new, but the launch of the PlayBook could mean staff are now comfortable carrying unreleased models.


A launch for the 10-inch PlayBook is rumored for the fall and would be a quick response to concerns that the current version is too small. RIM has claimed that the PlayBook can be an advantage for its pocketable size, but the it may be concerned that Steve Jobs was accurate about the problems associated with a seven-inch tablet. Its approach would follow that taken by Samsung, which tried out a seven-inch tablet at first but scaled up to larger sizes to hedge against customers preferring larger screens.


Electronista

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Hands-on: BlackBerry Bold 9900

Following RIM's official unveiling of its Bold 9900 smartphone, Electronista had a chance to take a closer look at the new device and an updated version of BlackBerry OS. The handset brings a variety of improvements over its predecessor, including a faster processor, thinner build, and a focus on "fluid' graphics throughout the interface. In our hands-on preview, we compare RIM's latest BlackBerry to the company's other attempts to compete with competitors' touchscreen smartphones.

Although RIM already offers touchscreen-based devices, including the Storm series and Torch, many BlackBerry purists voiced frustration with the user experience. The Storms lack a hardware keyboard for quick typing, while the Torch, despite its QWERTY slider, did not appear to be well received in the market. The company has finally decided to adapt its iconic BlackBerry form-factor with a touchscreen, rather than diverging from the classic hardware.


We liked many of the aesthetic improvements to the hardware. Like the iPhone 4, the 9900 is built around a stainless steel frame. The brushed stainless edge is paired with a weaved-glass material on the battery cover, resulting in a modern look that still retains the looks of previous Bolds. All of the new features are packed into a housing that measures 10.5mm thick, making the device much thinner than the Torch and slightly thinner than the other Bolds. The design still integrates a removable battery, though any estimates surrounding battery life remain unclear.


The company claims the 9900 integrates "the best keypad we've ever produced," and we found the design to be much better than the QWERTY slider on the Torch. Users can expect the keyboard experience to be similar to that of the existing Bold lineup, but with slightly concave key surfaces.


Internally, the new BlackBerry integrates a 1.2GHz processor and a GPU to help boost graphics performance. We did not notice any lag or delay with the graphics of the UI or various apps, although the beta software sometimes experienced a delay when attempting to open certain apps. In general, we found the UI and touchscreen responsiveness to be snappy and comparable in speed to many Android handsets and the iPhone. The speed improvements were particularly apparent when browsing through websites.


Aside from the under-the-hood tweaks to BlackBerry OS, users will find higher levels of customizability and slight changes to the icons. We liked NFC integration and the new Balance feature, which provides a system for separating enterprise data from personal features. Users can also take advantage of 720p video recording from the five-megapixel sensor.


Overall, we were impressed with the wide range of improvements that have been made to the classic Bold design. It seems unusual that RIM waited this long to build a touchscreen Bold, but the offering does seems more refined than the Torch or the Storm. The 9900 is the perfect device for anyone who wants to take advantage of a touchscreen interface without making sacrifices to typing speed.


RIM promises the new Bold to arrive in summer or late summer. The device will be available in two variations: the GSM-based 9900 and the dual-mode CDMA/GSM 9930.


Electronista

Hands On with Facebook for the BlackBerry PlayBook

ORLANDO—The first tablet app for Facebook looks a lot like ... a phone app for Facebook.


Like the various Facebook phone apps, Facebook for the BlackBerry PlayBook is a smoother way to grab your news feeds and comment on photos than hitting Facebook's mobile site in your Web browser is. It supports Facebook chat, and it has a great-looking friend list. But it doesn't yet work in portrait mode, and the landscape-mode UI has a lot more white space than I'd like.


facebook-blackberry


Launch the app and you immediately see your news feed, with all the right elements: images for your friends, the updates, as well as the ability to like, comment, expand threads and jump to links. The layout, in landscape mode, lets you see three or four updates at a time, and scrolling is quick and smooth. If you click on a link, it opens, and thanks to the PlayBook's multitasking OS, it's easy to swipe back to the Facebook app.


You can enter a new status message by tying in a field at the top of the screen; you can also insert images from your camera or photo library, or paste a URL you copied over from the browser.


Click on an icon at the upper left to get six options: News Feed, Profile, Friends, Messages, Chat and Photos. They all do pretty much what you expect, except for one: if you go to your Friends list, instead of a text list of names with headshots, you see a great-looking set of pictures marching all the way across your screen with the names under them. You can also set the friends list to a vertical list with a ton of white space, but really - why?


Other icons in the top bar pop down a list of notifications, incoming chats and settings options; you can disable chat in the app, but if you want to change your Facebook account settings, it sends you to your browser.


I really like the way the app handles viewing photos. When you click on a photo, it blows up to full-screen mode; tapping on the picture throws a translucent bar across the top with like and comment options, and you can swipe to the side to step between pictures. It's a great-looking use of the PlayBook's capabilities.


The app definitely takes care of all of your basic Facebook social-networking needs. The UI tends to have a lot of white space, caused by long strings of text working their way across the landscape screen - I can't help but think it would be more convenient in portrait mode.


There's no integration of Facebook with any contacts, calendar or email, of course - the PlayBook doesn't have any of those things.


And as with all mobile Facebook apps, this one doesn't show Facebook as the platform it is. Facebook in a browser, as we know, is full of its own apps - things like Farmville and those zombie games, which are annoying, but which many people love. You're not going to get any of that in Facebook mobile apps, which is a mixed blessing depending on how much you like those plug-ins.


That all said, there's no reason not to download this app - it's free. It's definitely faster than waiting for full Web pages to load, and the interface for the friends list and photos is very handsome. All in all, a good version one. Now how about some e-mail, RIM?


PCmag

BlackBerry PlayBook to finally get video chat, Facebook app

blackberryplaybook01


RIM as part of its BlackBerry World intro detailed plans for two major apps to help round out the feature set for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The tablet is now finally getting an official Video Chat app that will let owners make two way calls between other PlayBook owners on Wi-Fi. Calls can handle both front and back cameras and, like FaceTime, can take incoming calls without having the app running.


The friends list here is tied to a BlackBerry ID but separate from regular BlackBerry contacts due partly to the lack of a native contacts app. Owners can still set the system to a "do not disturb" mode that will ignore calls when involved in something else.


The Facebook app provides a more optimized view of the social network that can use all of its media and live features, including photos and even 1080p video viewing. Media playback is optimized for the HDMI video out, Facebook said. Both Facebook Chat and full friend interaction should work.


Video Chat will be available on May 3, while the finished Facebook app should be available sometime later in the month.


The Video Chat component is significant for RIM, which has been criticized by many for including the dual cameras but omitting one of the more important, promised features. Apple and Google both consider video chat important on their respective tablet platforms and made sure to include it on launch. RIM is widely known to have rushed the PlayBook to stores to have a competitor to the iPad on shelves even though it lacked both video chat as well as e-mail, a calendar, and other important apps.


Electronista

BlackBerry Bold 9900 official with fast touch, 720p, and NFC

blackberryboldtouch RIM kicked off the start of BlackBerry World with its first truly modern smartphone. The Bold 9900 series is the first to have both a fixed QWERTY keyboard and focuses on an exceptionally sharp, 2.8-inch 640x480 touchscreen. The company is also aiming for its first true iPhone-like responsiveness with a 60 frames per second interface that doesn't lag input like on the Storm or Torch.


Inside, the phone is now much more powerful and carries a 1.2GHz (likely Snapdragon) processor with 768MB of RAM. It now supports HSPA+ 3G on single- or dual-mode GSM versions. BlackBerry 7 is also key to the performance: the OS speeds up RIM's slower browsing speed through a new just-in-time JavaScript compiler and HTML5 support, and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics give BlackBerry phones their first real 3D gaming experience.


BB7 also brings voice-activated Universal Search, like Android. BlackBerry Balance is now official and keeps secure e-mail as well as other corporate information separate from personal data on the phone. The technique can not only keep secret information off-limits to personal apps but lets a company remotely wipe its data off of a leaving employee's phone without touching personal content.


The phone both catches up and moves ahead in some areas for RIM by adding NFC, for making short-range wireless payments or reading tags, as well as adding 720p video recording to the five-megapixel camera. RIM's phone is its thinnest ever at 10.5mm, still a millimeter thicker than the iPhone 4, but also fits both 8GB of internal storage as well as a microSDHC card slot and a removable battery.


Bold 9900 phones should be shipping in GSM (9900) and dual-mode CDMA/GSM (9930) versions starting in the summer. Early leaks have put the launch in or near July. Check in with Electronista later for a hands-on.


Electronista

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

RIM: no Flash, Android for BlackBerry 7


RIM in conversations Monday night revealed that had no plans to support some of the features in BlackBerry 7 that it did in the BlackBerry PlayBook. The company no longer planned to support Flash on the current BlackBerry platform and would wait until the phones were sharing the same QNX-based roots as the PlayBook tablet. BB7 phones like the Bold 9900 also wouldn't qualify to run the OS and would need at least a dual-core replacement, handheld software manager Andrew Bocking told PCMag.


Accordingly, the phone wouldn't run the Android app wrapper developed to fill out the PlayBook's app library. Bocking didn't provide an explanation for the decision, though the need for app support isn't as serious on phones. BB7 already runs a form of Java but also has access to a much larger, 15,000-plus app catalog where the PlayBook has just a fraction.


More details of phones using a QNX-based OS are expected for later in 2011.


The decision to skip both could still create hesitance among some buyers and would also be a setback for Adobe. RIM signed on to support Flash in October 2009, just as 10.1 was being announced, but has only committed itself to using Flash on the PlayBook so far. RIM's current plans would put Flash on the BlackBerry at least two years after and leave Android and webOS as the two platforms sharing mobile Flash.


One of the few holdouts against Flash, Apple, has partly sided with RIM. CEO Steve Jobs argued that performance was a factor and has been waiting on desktop-like performance along with security and stability.


RIM was hoping to offset possible resistance through some of the upgrades to BlackBerry 7. The phone's native OpenGL ES 2.0 support gives it performance much closer to that of the PlayBook for 3D games and accelerated video. NFC and more advanced motion sensors also improve its standing for apps and should keep it more on par with rival platforms.


Electronista