Samsung ChatON client for BlackBerry

Earlier this morning, we were wondering as to when BlackBerry Messenger for Android would officially hit the market, and since there were no forthcoming answers, it was time to exercise some patience. Samsung seems to be moving faster in this aspect by announcing the availability of their Samsung ChatON client for BlackBerry devices, which would more or less “complete the collection” as ChatON is already well and alive on iOS, Android and Bada platforms. The only missing party? Windows Phone. First unveiled by Samsung in August 2011, ChatOn advertises itself as a new multi-platform mobile messaging service that can send text, images and video clips not only between the company's Android- and Bada-powered smartphones, but also onto other platforms. With BlackBerry next in line to receive ChatON, one can make an intelligent guess that a Windows Phone version is not too far off in the horizon. Would you use a service like ChatON, or do you prefer to stick to other solutions like WhatsApp?

RIM: BlackBerry apps are more profitable than Android apps

Research In Motion executivess took the stage during BlackBerry DevCon Europe on Tuesday to clear up a few facts about the company's success with its BlackBerry App World marketplace. RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins said BlackBerry App World is now home to more than 60,000 applications, which is a fraction of what's available in the Android Market or iTunes App Store, and that BlackBerry devices are among the most popular smartphones purchased in the United Kingdom. RIM's vice president of developer relations Alec Saunders also said that there are 174 million app downloads per month, or about 6 million applications downloaded per day, The Verge reported. Saunders argued that RIM's BlackBerry App World has 43% more daily downloads per app than Apple's own iTunes App Store and he said App World can be more profitable as well - BlackBerry apps supposedly earn about 40% more than their Android counterparts, and 13% of BlackBerry developers have made more than $100,000 from their apps. In addition to the app figures, Saunders and Nokia's head of Qt announced that RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook OS now supports the Qt developer framework, originally intended for Nokia devices.

WhatsApp for BlackBerry gets refreshed, here's a first look

The most popular and successful multi-device communication platform is without question WhatsApp. More of a text messaging replacement than straight BlackBerry Messenger competitor, WhatsApp has been the number one service people rely on to communicate across iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone devices. We were sent a preview copy of the new version of WhatsApp for BlackBerry smartphones, our exclusive first look is after the break.To start, the entire app's user interface has been refreshed, and it really looks strong. It's clean, it's sophisticated, and it's one of the better interfaces on a BlackBerry product that we've seen. The app contains the same basic 5 tabs that you're used to - chats, favorites, contacts, status, and settings - but it's done in a way that feels natural and light. There's a really intuitive context button on the right of the top tab bar, and it changes based on what tab you're on. If you're in the chats tab, the button changes to allow you to start a new chat, if you're on the favorites tab, it changes to refresh favorites button, a search option on the contacts tab, add a status on the status tab, and add a friend on the settings tab. I have noticed a couple little issues using this pre-release version on my BlackBerry 9900, though. The touch area for the tab buttons at the top of the interface are a tad small and I have tapped a contact's name and started a chat instead of changing to the tab I aimed to switch to. Additionally, the rows that list your favorites or contacts are very narrow, and while that works fine for navigation with the trackpad, not the best possible spacing for touch selection. All in all, the app gets a very welcome refresh, and the best multi-platform communication service gets even better. It should be available tomorrow directly from WhatsApp's beta site, and in BlackBerry App World soon after.

RIM responds to claim of BlackBerry 10 software problems

RIM has responded to an exclusive BGR report published on Thursday in which our source claimed BlackBerry 10 was delayed not because the vendor was waiting for a new LTE chip, but because RIM's developers have not yet been able to resolve many of the issues plaguing the new OS. "RIM made a strategic decision to launch BlackBerry 10 devices with a new, LTE-based dual core chip set architecture," RIM told AllThingsD. "As explained on our earnings call, the broad engineering impact of this decision and certain other factors significantly influenced the anticipated timing for the BlackBerry 10 devices. The anonymous claim suggesting otherwise is inaccurate and uninformed. As RIM has previously explained, and as Mike Lazaridis reiterated on the earnings call, we will not launch BlackBerry 10 devices until we know they are ready and we believe this new chip set architecture is required to deliver the world class user experience that our customers will expect. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply false." Contrary to RIM's statement, our source indicated that the company has not yet been able to get core features like email and BlackBerry Messenger working as desired on BlackBerry 10 smartphones, and that it is “pushing this out as long as they can for one reason, they don't have a working product yet.”

RIM officially trots out BlackBerry App World 3.0 to 7 OS devices

Better late than never, ey? RIM finally got with the program and rolled out their official version 3.0 upgrade to BlackBerry App World. The updated application portal had already been available to Beta Zone members early last month and was slated for an August 22nd debut, but apparently missed that release window. We've already seen the cosmetic improvements the Waterloo-based company's brought to the app hub, with a redesigned home screen, refreshed icons, MyWorld downloads folder and the ability to share apps via your choice of social messaging service. The service still lacks the compelling selection of rival OS app markets, but hopefully the company's renewed focus'll bring more devs to its 7 OS club. If you're rocking a BB handset, drop us a line below and let us know your take on RIM's refresh.

source:Engadget

BlackBerry App World 3.0 beta now available

Research In Motion announced on Friday that BlackBerry App World 3.0 is now available for download from the BlackBerry Beta Zone. The updated app store offers a number of improvements, including the ability to search for applications directly from the new home screen. Users will be able to sort search results by name, price, rating, release date, best match and most popular. RIM also added quick access to “Games” and “Themes” subcategories directly on the new home screen. “Spotlight banners” will showcase hot new applications that RIM wants to highlight, too. Finally, users can choose to share new applications via Facebook, Twitter, BBM, SMS or email.
source: Boy Genius Report

RIM BlackBerry App World 3.0 beta adds home screen search, social media features

How better to celebrate your billionth download than with a brand new app store? RIM just rolled out App World 3.0 beta to its Beta Zone users, bringing with it a redesigned home screen created to "let you quickly find what BlackBerry app, game or theme you're looking for." Seems a bit overdue if you ask us, but better late than never, as the idiom goes. There are also new home screen icons for Games and BlackBerry Themes - the store's two most popular categories. (Yes, Themes really is one of the two most popular categories... behind Games, we hope.) You can also flick between app summaries, screenshots, and reviews from one screen, and share links to your favorite apps over Twitter, Facebook, email, SMS, and BBM. You may find it difficult to get too excited about an app store update, but for those of us who use BlackBerrys despite the occasionally less-than-stellar app experience, anything RIM can do to streamline the procurement process is more than welcome.
source: Engadget

RIM Unveils An Armada Of BlackBerry 7 Phones, Claims It's Third Largest BlackBerry Launch In History!

In fact, it is the first batch of BlackBerry 7 phones that RIM released. Interestingly, two of the devices are all-touch based carrying the BlackBerry Torch 9800 legacy forward with their hybrid form factors while the other, the BlackBerry Bold, certainly is the first candybar genie from the Bold series to sport the new OS.

First in the series, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 features a large 3.7" screen with a display resolution of 800×48- pixels, a standard BlackBerry physical keyboard that slides smoothly from under the incredibly beautiful screen, and of course 1.2 GHz of sheer bit-crunching machine under the hood.

The CPU is flanked by 768MB of RAM. A 5 megapixel camera enables 720p HD video recording and impressive image shooting. This makes it the first of BB7 phones the first to feature HD-video recording.

RIM also announced BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry Torch 9860. The BlackBerry 9850x9860 features a 3.7"capacitive touch display, same core-hardware under the hood as the BlackBerry 9810, a 5 megapixel HD camera, high-speed 4G internet connectivity and the fast and improved Wikitude browser.

The devices are set to launch on a number of carriers including AT&T which is marketing the BlackBerry Torch 2 as the first 4G BlackBerry phone available through its network. Users can take advantage of high-speed internet connectivity to browse the web, remain connected to their social networks, shop online and do much more.

Other interesting features include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, onboard GPS, digital compass, 8 gigabytes of onboard storage with support for up to 32GB of expandable memory using a microSD card, HSPA+ connectivity and much more.

Features include a 24-bit high resolution display, a 1.2 GHz processor, 720p HD video recording, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, social networking integration and much more.

The AT&T BlackBerry Torch 9810 will hit the shelves in August while the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the BlackBerry Torch 9860 will be available in the market subsequently after the former launches.

AT&T, which has been carrying BlackBerry smartphones for over a decade, explains:

"Exclusive to AT&T customers, the next-generation 4G BlackBerry Torch 9810 is faster and more fluid with high performance hardware features and the new BlackBerry® 7 OS delivering an enhanced multimedia experience... A powerful evolution of the BlackBerry software, BlackBerry 7 OS delivers speed, efficiency and UI enhancements and enables new hardware capabilities, including HD video recording, more fluid and responsive graphics, digital compass, and augmented reality."

BlackBerry Torch 9810 is exclusive to AT&T customers while the BlackBerry Torch 9860 will be available through AT&T, Rogers, Telus and Bell. The BlackBerry Troch 9860, on the other hand, will be available through Sprint and U.S. Cellular.

RIM co-CEO, Mike Lazaridis stated that:

”This is the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history…We think customers will be thrilled by the improved performance and enriched mobile experiences delivered by these powerful new smartphones.”
source: Technology Nerd

RIM Releases BlackBerry App World 3.0 Beta, Brings Lot Of Features & Improvements!

To begin with, the new BlackBerry AppWorld 3.0 beta brings an amazing new user interface with redesigned features. The addition of a Search App Bar on the home screen is one of the several differences one may immediately notice at the first glance.

The new search from home screen feature enables users to quickly search for popular apps, games and themes right from the home screen, effortlessly. Secondly, two of the most popular App World categories including Games and Themes have been added to the homescreen as icons.

This allows the users to quickly browse through the games and themes available on the BlackBerry World right from the home screen, without having to launch the App World first and browse through the categories. Saves time and effort for BlackBerry aficionados (like us) who frequently hit the App World for interesting new themes and games.

Another interesting change is the Spotlight Banners that shows featured apps including the top 25 lists for Free, Paid, Recently Updated and New from the specified categories. The new BlackBerry World 3.0 features, among other things, the ability to share your favorite app or game, etc over social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Email, SMS, or even to a BBM contact or group in your list.

RIM has also added another new feature called My Account which allows you to easily access your BlackBerry account using your BBID. Besides, the barcode scanning feature has also been improvised.

All this and much more has been included, refined and improved in the latest build of BlackBerry World. If you are a registered BlackBerry Beta Zone member, you can download BlackBerry World 3.0 beta at no absolutely no cost (read:free).
source: Technology Nerd

BlackBerry App World 3.0 Beta now available to try

Team RIM and the 'boys in the labs' have been working on the latest iteration of the Blackberry App World, version 3.0 and it seems that they're pretty pleased with the results.

The new App World home screen design

The changes are apparent from the off with a completely redesigned home screen which has re-prioritized functionality in the form of the new App World search bar. The search system allows you to sort by app name, price, rating, newest, best match and popular, in an attempt to streamline the search process. Underneath this sits the spotlight banner; showing the latest and most popular apps, akin to both the App Store and Android Market on their respective devices and rounding off the new home screen, there are now five new icons down at the bottom which are referred to as 'top level channels'. Two of the upper three icons, 'Games', and 'Themes' denote the most popular categories typically searched on the App World and the new 'My Account' option gives users easier/faster access to things like their BBID and payment options, handy.

You can scroll sideways to see extra app info and sharing options

Information on each app has now been consolidated into a single screen which you can swipe left or right with, in order to see its summary, screenshots and reviews. The 3.0 update coincides nicely with the announcement of three new devices alongside the launch of BB OS 7 and as with the enhancements to the OS, App World 3.0 has a focus on sharing. Team BlackBerry have tried to make it easier for users to share apps with their friends, with quick access to popular social services like Twitter and Facebook or SMS, email and BBM sharing.

It's a welcome improvement that helps move the Blackberry image forward and brings its app store more inline with its main competitors. RIM still need to think about how they can drive the 'cool' factor a little harder but this design definitely brings them up to date.

If you want to try BlackBerry App World 3.0 for yourself, it's currently available on the Blackberry Beta Zone. As such it's only available in certain countries but the download is available here once you've signed up and if you want to know which countries are supported you can see the list here.

Tell us about your experiences and thoughts on the new look App World in the comments below.
source: GSM Arena