BlackBerry Bold 9930 and Torch 9850 makes appearance in CelleBrite system

BlackBerry might be on the decline when it comes to their smartphone market share, but that doesn't mean the Canadian company is going to raise the white flag anytime soon. No sir, they are still very much in the game, and intend to make a splash with a couple more new models known as the BlackBerry Bold 9930 and Torch 9850 as spotted in the CelleBrite system. CelleBrite can function as a collaborative POS (Point Of Sales) system, but it also offers the capability to allow transfer of contacts to and from wireless devices.

Several carriers already use it in their stores, and what you see above is actually a screenshot of CelleBrite that was spotted by an anonymous reader, touting the BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9850 which has already been loaded into Sprint's CelleBrite system.

Does this mean we ought to sit tight and look out for a launch date and an official announcement in the coming weeks? The answer would most probably be a resounding “Aye!”.
source: Ubergizmo

Poor RIM shares hit a five-year low

There was a time when RIM owned the smartphone space with its revolutionary push email-equipped BlackBerrys. And there are still plenty of folks who can't live without a good physical keyboard and BBM. But, despite the company's $4.9 billion in revenue and $695 million in profits from Q1 2011, RIM's stock has tumbled to its lowest price in five years. What's changed since those heady days when it seemed like there was a Pearl in every pocket? As many of you know, Androids and iPhones have carved out a big chunk of the smartphone market, largely at RIM's expense. Sure, Blackberry 7 OS is coming and the PlayBook is rolling out to help the company gain ground on Android and iOS, but only time will tell if these latest efforts from Waterloo can stem the rising tide of iPhones and little green bots.
source: 2DayBlog.com

RIM starts to accept BlackBerry OS 7 apps

RIM (Research In Motion) is seen to be accepting BlackBerry OS 7 apps now in conjunction with the announcement of their new BlackBerry OS 7 at this year's BlackBerry World event, where the new operating system version will debut when the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 series smartphones is announced alongside the same occasion. This latest version of RIM's mobile operating system will be able to support a new feature known as Device Switch, where you can back up all of your data and restore it to the similar device or a different one without skipping a beat – perfect for the paranoid androids out there who want to always tote a backup of your information just in case.

Not only that, RIM has also started to accept applications for the new BlackBerry OS 7 platform, so if you're a developer, you could start working on getting your BlackBerry 7 app ready for prime time. Will BlackBerry OS 7 be able to breathe new life into the BlackBerry range of devices and arrest their slow but sure decline where market share is concerned? Only time will tell, and of course, customer support is vital. What do you think?
source: Ubergizmo

4G Blackberry Playbook delayed until fall

Although the Wi-Fi only version of the Blackberry Playbook has been out for a few months now, we have yet to see a 4G version hit the market. The 4G Blackberry Playbook was expected to be released at some point this summer, but that is not the case according to RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis.

Lazaridis revealed today that the 4G version of the Blackberry Playbook will not be available until this fall despite previous statements made by the company. We found out when Lazaridis mentioned how excited he was that the 4G Playbooks would be arriving this fall.

RIM had initially planned on released releasing three 4G versions this summer: a LTE version for Verizon, a WiMax version for Sprint, and an HSPA+ model for AT&T. RIM also mentioned that the BlackBerry Bold 9900x9930 would be delayed until the fall as well. We will keep you updated on the status of the 4G Playbook.
source: Unwired View

Dolby sues RIM over unlicensed use of its technology

It looks like things aren't going too well for RIM. The company's latest product, the BlackBerry PlayBook hasn't exactly been flying off the shelves, and now the company has just come under fire with a lawsuit from Dolby. Dolby Laboratories has filed a lawsuit against RIM for using Dolby's audio compression technologies in its BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook without acquiring any proper licenses from the company.

Dolby filed the lawsuits in the US and Germany, seeking financial damages for past use and injunctions to stop the sales of unlicensed RIM devices in the countries. Apparently this isn't Dolby's first move against the company. It mentioned that “Litigation was regrettably our last resort after RIM declined to pay for the use of Dolby's technology”. It looks like RIM has been ignoring Dolby's requests for them to acquire licenses for some time now.

The technologies in question are Dolby's patented technologies that provide the core of an audio compression standard widely used in mobile devices such as smartphones, portable music players and tablets. It allows devices to play high-quality audio with limited transmission and storage space. Dolby also mentioned that all other major smartphone makers have licensed the technology from them. It makes you wonder why RIM has refused to follow suit. Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted.
source: Ubergizmo

Virgin Mobile Canada To Release BlackBerry Bold 9900

Virgin Mobile Canada will launch the BlackBerry Bold 9900 very soon. The smartphone features the BlackBerry OS 7, a VGA touchscreen display, a full QWERTY keyboard, a 1.2GHz processor, HSPA, dual-band Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, a 5MP AutoFocus camera, a 720p video recording and an 8GB of on-board memory. No word on pricing or availability so far. Stay tuned for more updates. [Crackberry]

Blackberry Torch 9850 Simulator

A developer simulator for the upcoming Blackberry Torch 9850 (code-named Monaco) is now available via online. The simulator provides developers and users a chance to explore RIM's Blackberry OS 7 (formerly called OS 6.1), including a new keyboard layout. FYI, the Blackberry OS 7 features a new soft-keyboard layout, an improved browser, and the company's upcoming “slate” style Blackberry. The Blackberry Torch 9850 is expected to launch on the Sprint network sometime in August 2011. [Electronista]

BlackBerry PlayBook is now on UK sale, a Selfridges first

If you're looking for the BlackBerry PlayBook, RIM's first attempt to take a piece of the tablet market pie, then hop along to posh old Selfridges down in London's Oxford Street.

The tablet is now available at the department store ahead of a nationwide launch tomorrow, at £399 for a 16GB model, £479 for a 32GB version and £559 for a stonking 64GB of storage. It'll be available at most popular retailers.

Previously RIM announced that the PlayBook will be available in the UK and 15 other international markets around the world, with the tablet already available for some time in the US. It is handily specced, with a 1GHz dual-core processor and 1080p HD video recording capabilities, together with an all-new QNX operating system.

But it has fallen victim to some fairly middling reviews, with big competition in the Android Samsung Galaxy Tab and the iPad 2. Apple still exerts dominance over the burgeoning tablet market, although rivals like the PlayBook have some additional features, like the ability to run Adobe Flash.

What could be important for the future success of the PlayBook is an announcement by RIM that Android apps will soon be compatible with the tablet and available in the BlackBerry App world.

Although BlackBerry is still a really big name in the business world, firms realise that mobile devices can often live and die by the quality of their apps.
source: Unwired View

BlackBerry Bold 9900 coming to Virgin Mobile Canada “really soon”

It's still not clear when exactly RIM's brand new BlackBerry Bold 9900 will make its commercial debut, but Virgin Mobile over in Canada says it's ready to offer the smartphone "really soon."

Hopefully, this means in the next few weeks - despite recent rumors regarding the 9900's delay until September. Since Virgin Mobile Canada is a subsidiary of Bell, the latter may launch the new smartphone in Canada, too.

In the US, T-Mobile will be the first to release the new Bold, while Vodafone should be the first to do it in the UK.

Running BlackBerry OS 7, the Bold 9900 comes with a VGA touchscreen display, full QWERTY keyboard (like any other Bold, of course), HSPA, dual-band Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, 5MP autofocus camera, 720p video recording, 1.2GHz processor, and 8GB of on-board memory.
source: Unwired View

RIM gets the help of YOU i Labs?

The user interface is one of the most important features of any operating system, and it looks like RIM has only found out about it recently. While the company bought The Astonishing Tribe to help develop the BlackBerry PlayBook UI, it looks like they're going add another company to help out as well. The company has just been rumored to have struck a deal with YOU i Labs - an Ontario-based design firm that helped HTC in the creation of the HTC Sense UI (the only Android UI that nobody seems to hate).

Since all this news hasn't been officially announced by RIM themselves at this point in time, it's speculation at best. But if YOU i Labs is working with RIM we can expect the next version of the BlackBerry UI for tablets or smartphones to be a brand new experience. Perhaps a facelift is all RIM needs to push the sales of its phones through the roof?
source: Ubergizmo

BlackBerry PlayBook rolling out to 16 new countries soon

RIM has announced that the company's first BlackBerry tablet will go on sale in sixteen new countries over the next month, including Australia, France, Germany, India, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Its unclear if RIM has any carrier partners lined up or how much the device will retail for abroad. In the United States, Sprint most recently announced that it will begin selling the Wi-Fi PlayBook, and it also has plans to sell a 4G WiMAX version of the tablet this summer.
source: Boy Genius Report

RIM To Launch PlayBook In 16 Additional Markets

Research in Motion has announced plans to debut its in the next 30 days.

RIM is launching the tablet in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Spain, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Mexico, France, Italy, India, Indonesia and Colombia.

Australia had already announced its PlayBook launch a few days earlier, with wireless carriers Vodafone, Optus and Telstra set to carry the device. Pricing and availability in the additional markets are expected to be announced closer to their launch dates.

The device come with front and rear facing cameras and a 1 GHz dual-core processor along with 1080p HD video recording capabilities. Consumers who have already purchased the PlayBook in the United States have moaned about the tablet's lack of a native email application and inability to play popular movie-streaming subscription service Hulu.

The PlayBook launched in the United States in April with an estimated 500,000 units sold, despite less than stellar reviews.
source: Unwired View

BlackBerry News for the BlackBerry PlayBook released

It looks like RIM really is serious about getting apps out for their recently released tablet. The company has just announced the release of a new app for the BlackBerry PlayBook. Called BlackBerry News, it functions as its namesake - letting people access all their favorite news sites, blogs and popular sites that use syndicated content so that all subscribed content can be accessed in one place. As long as a site has an RSS feed - you can sync it with the BlackBerry News app.

For folks who are already BlackBerry News users - the app takes advantage of your BlackBerry ID, so you don't have to re-add subscriptions again, just log in with the same ID and all your subscriptions will be automatically brought over and synced. First time users who have no idea what to subscribe to can check out some curated news feeds that are sorted in categories like: Arts & Entertainment, Business, Health & Lifestyle, News Headlines, Science & the Environment, Technology, and Travel.

Head over to the BlackBerry App World to download the app for your tablet now (free).
source: Ubergizmo

BlackBerry Playbook 1.0.5 update brings Facebook, in-app payments, and many enhancements

RIM's BlackBerry Tablet OS has just received an update to version 1.0.5. This is the OS that powers RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, so in effect this is a PlayBook update. And while not being a major update, it does bring a lot of neat enhancements and some new features.

First of all, the Facebook application now comes preinstalled. Previously, this was available in BlackBerry App World, but now it will come with the OS. The Facebook app has also been updated and now includes video uploading, message deletion, as well as Facebook Search enhancements. There's also improved access to pages, and News Feed improvements.

Next up is support for in-app payments, which the 1.0.5 update finally brings. In-app payments are all the rage these days, allowing your kids to buy silly virtual animals for loads of actual money.

Alongside these more important additions, many enhancements have made their way into this update. For example, you can now charge your PlayBook even when fully powered down. If you touch the battery indicator, a new pop-up will appear and allow you to quickly turn off, restart, or put your tablet to sleep, in addition to setting the brightness (this new pop-up can be seen in the picture above). A very useful little new feature there.

You'll also be alerted if you stick an incorrect charger into your tablet, additional languages are now supported, video chat now works behind corporate firewalls, automatic Wi-Fi hotspot detection is now active during the set up process, and finally, Headset Audio Boost gives you more volume for when you need it the most – in an airplane when you're surrounded by screaming kids who've just maxed out daddy's credit card by purchasing virtual fish and/or farm animals.

The update will reach your tablet over the air. If you're impatient, just go to Software Updates in the Settings Menu and force a manual download. If you're going to purchase your PlayBook after today, it should come with OS version 1.0.5 preinstalled, so you don't need to worry about updating.
source: Unwired View

RIM's Playbook Arrives in Australia June 20th

Research in Motion is bringing the PlayBook to Australia beginning June 20th. The tablet will be carried by Vodafone, Optus and Telstra and will come with a price tag of $579 for the WiFi 16GB model, the same as the Apple iPad 2.

The device comes with dual front and rear facing cameras, a 1 GHz dual-core processor and 1080p HD video recording capabilities. There are 32GB and 64GB versions available, but it doesn't have inbuilt 3G.

The tablet's users will need tether their BlackBerry smartphones in order to access their email and contacts.

The BlackBerry PlayBook did little to generate positive reviews Stateside, but is being marketed as the "first business-class tablet" Down Under, hoping to copy the BlackBerry smartphone's success in conference rooms as opposed to being a day-to-day entertainment device.

Although the device has quality multi-tasking applications, it has lower battery life compared to its tablet rivals and limited swiping capabilities.

The three carriers will announce prices and availability closer to the launch date.
source: Unwired View