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New BlackBerry app: Traning with Messi

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

This US$1.99 app is for fans of Lionel Messi. All funds collected with the application will be used to support charity projects embraced by the Leo Messi Foundation.

BlackBerry smartphone app "Training with Messi", US$1.99 from App World.

This is the official game of Leo Messi and is available for download from BlackBerry App World.

It is released by Fundacion Leo Messi and can be played on BlackBerry smartphones.

Train with Leo Messi, complete rewarding achievements and share everything with friends through Facebook and Twitter.

The best ranked player will get a chance to visit and meet Leo Messi face to face during an event organised by the Leo Messi Foundation.

Tags:Apps, BlackBerry, Messi, RIM, smartphone
Posted in App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Gadgets, Phones, RIM, Software | No Comments »

Twitter app for BlackBerry smartphones update version 2.1

Friday, December 16th, 2011

Update version 2.1 of the free Twitter app by Research In Motion (RIM) is now available in BlackBerry App World, incorporating multi-account support and sharing via BBM.

Update v2.1 of Twitter app for BlackBerry smartphones features multi-user support.

The Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones v2.1 app is available for users running BlackBerry OS v5.0 and up.

Multi-account support integration with Social Feeds is available for users running BlackBerry 6 OS and up.

The updates include:

Easily share Tweets with BBM Contacts and Groups

Multi-Account Support – Have up to five accounts on your Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones app. Switch between accounts and cross-post Tweets and Retweets from one account to another without switching the current account view.

Enhanced “Share with BBM” functionality – Easily share Tweets with BBM Contacts and Groups.

View multiple Twitter accounts in a single timeline – View a stream of Tweets from up to five Twitter accounts in the Social Feeds timeline, or opt to filter individual Twitter accounts.

Post a Tweet to multiple Twitter Accounts – Publish a Tweet to one or more Twitter accounts simultaneously using Social Feeds.

Tags:Apps, BlackBerry, RIM, smartphone, Twitter
Posted in App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Phones, RIM, Software, Twitter, Utility | No Comments »

Pure white BlackBerry Bold 9900 for Christmas

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

Ready for a white Christmas? Check out the white Bold 9900 when it becomes available this Saturday.

Pure white BlackBerry 9900 from Research In Motion

The Pure White BlackBerry Bold 9900 was launched today and will become available in Singapore on 17th of December, Saturday – from all RIM’s authorized partners.

Sporting a brushed stainless steel frame, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone yet at only 10.5mm, and the first to include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications).

It is powered by BlackBerry 7.

The white BlackBerry Bold 9900 joins a slew of smartphones introducing white versions for this Christmas. Many of these have a white backing with dark front face.

The pure white BlackBerry Bold 9900 will be white throughout.

Since the popularity of the white iPhone from Apple, white versions of other smartphones have become something of a special edition.

I remember when the black BlackBerry Bold 9900 was initially launched in 18 August 2011, one of the questions asked whether there would be a white version.

Francois Mahieu, Head of Product Management for RIM in Asia Pacific with the Bold 9900.

Francois Mahieu (left), Head of Product Management for RIM in Asia Pacific with the black Bold 9900.

Mr Francois Mahieu, head of product management for Research In Motion (RIM) in the Asia Pacific had mentioned during the launch party that there were no plans at that time to sell a white version, although it could be considered.

So RIM does respond to popular market demand – which is a good thing.

Tags:9900, BlackBerry, Bold, RIM, smartphone, white
Posted in BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Bold, Gadgets, Launch, Phones, RIM | 1 Comment »

BlackBerry DevCon Asia: Day 2

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

More breakout sessions for detailed presentations and discussions between BlackBerry developers and experts from RIM and partners.

Breakout sessions during DevCon Asia fostered interaction and engagement amongst the BlackBerry developer community.

The breakout sessions were organized along several parallel tracks and covered a wide spectrum of topics, from technical issues to commercial and monetizing topics.

The sessions are listed below for both days:

“Ask the Experts” track

Ask the Experts: Developing Enterprise Applications
BlackBerry WebKit and BlackBerry WebWorks Platform Development
Go-to-Market Strategies
BlackBerry Platform Services
The BBM Social Platform
Java Development for BlackBerry 7
BlackBerry Tablet OS Development

(more…)

Tags:BlackBerry, DevCon, DevCon Asia (Singapore), RIM, smartphone, tablets
Posted in App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Events, Gadgets, Operating Systems, Phones, PlayBook, RIM, Seminars, Software, Tablets | 1 Comment »

BlackBerry DevCon Asia: Day 1

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

The conference kicked off with a general session to update developers on the latest developments around the BlackBerry platforms, followed by multi-tracked technical, practical and insight sessions that zero into the details.

BlackBerry DevCon Asia in Singapore Suntec from 7-8 December, 2011.

The break-out sessions were helmed by specialists from Research In Motion (RIM) and its partners and delved into wide ranging topics from technical issues to commercial and monetizing approaches.

Gregory Wade, Regional Managing Director, East Asia, RIM

Delivering the keynote address was Gregory Wade, Regional Managing Director, East Asia, RIM.

He revealed there were more than 1,000 registrants for the DevCon Asia event in Singapore.

Wade quoted a GfK report that for the first half of 2011, BlackBerry was the number one smartphone in multiple countries in Asia, including Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

He said that more than 3 million BlackBerry fans were engaged on social media channels in Asia.

Alec Saunders then updated developers of BlackBerry Jam – RIM’s initiative to provide a one-stop-shop for all BlackBerry developers to assess a wide array of developer resources.

Alec Saunders, VP, Developer Relations & Ecosystems Development, RIM

Saunders is the VP, Developer Relations & Ecosystems Development at RIM.

The initiative was announced at the BlackBerry DevCon Americas in October. Since then, a BlackBerry Jam communities have sprung up all over the world linking experts, partners and developers for all to be more successful on the BlackBerry platform.

George Staikos then delved into the new BlackBerry platform – previously named BBX but now renamed to BB10. Staikos is the VP, Web Technologies at RIM.

BlackBerry Jam Communities around the world

He also described the two choices of runtime environments available for developers. The Native runtime environment was for “spectacular” performance whereas HTML5 will enable the dream of “write once deploy everywhere”.

RIM will return DevCon Asia to Thailand in the future.

Whilst the native environment will serve as the bridge between POSIX based systems and BlackBerry 10 and allow rapid porting of native applications, HTML5 is the mass application platform for the future.

The cross-platform, cross-device HTML5 can serve as the bridge between BlackBerry 6, BlackBerry 7 and BlackBerry 10 and is the obvious choice for modern application development.

BlackBerry is therefore fully committed to HTML5.

Tags:BlackBerry, DevCon, DevCon Asia (Singapore), Playbook, RIM, smartphone, tablets
Posted in BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Events, Figures, Operating Systems, Phones, PlayBook, RIM, Seminars, Tablets | 3 Comments »

BBX is now BB10 – or BlackBerry 10

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

RIM has rebranded the next generation platform for its smartphones and PlayBook tablet to BlackBerry 10.

RIM's new platform for BlackBerry smartphones, tablets and embedded systems.

Research In Motion (RIM) has been barred from using BBX as the name of its new mobile platform during DevCon Asia in Singapore from 7-8 December, 2011.

RIM has rebranded BBX as BB10

A US District Judge ruled in favour of software company Basis International Ltd who filed for a temporary restraining order. It holds the “BBx” trademark for its own software.

District Judge William P. Johnson wrote in his ruling that consumers are “likely to be confused by RIM’s use of BBX in connection with RIM’s goods and services”. – Albuquerque, New Mexico.

George Staikos, VP, Web Technologies at RIM announced the rebranding during DevCon Asia.

Basis of Albuquerque had threatened legal action in October after RIM initially unveiled BBX as its new platform for smartphones, tablets and embedded systems.

According to itworldcanada.com, RIM had said at that time that it did not believe the marks are confusing since the two companies were in different lines of businesses.

Let’s just hope that CBS television network does not take issue with RIM over any confusion between the mobile platform and its own version of BB10 – the tenth season of the American reality television series Big Brother 10, which ran in the summer of 2008.

Tags:BB10, BlackBerry, DevCon, DevCon Asia (Singapore), RIM, smartphone, tablets
Posted in BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Phones, PlayBook, RIM, Seminars, Software, Tablets, Tech news | 3 Comments »

Second BlackBerry DevCon Asia moved to Singapore

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Originally to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, the second Asian conference for BlackBerry developers has been moved to Singapore instead.

BlackBerry fans will be congregated at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre over the original next two days from 7-8 December.

BlackBerry DevCon Asia in Singapore from 7-8 December 2011 at Suntec

Due to the flooding and rain in Bangkok, Research In Motion (RIM) has relocated the event to Singapore. The dates remain the same. RIM will be reimbursing fully those registrants who cannot attend the event in Singapore.

A packed and multi-tracked programme awaits BlackBerry developers at DevCon Asia.

RIM says that plans to return the DevCon Asia conference to Bangkok in the future.

Participants will get apprised of the future of the BlackBerry platform, such as plans for the BBX unified operating system for both BlackBerry smartphones and tablets; and hands-on advice from experts on development issues – both technical and commercial.

I will be attending this event, which is much anticipated by BlackBerry developers, to tap the pulse of the BlackBerry community in Asia. Attendees will get a free 16GB PlayBook tablet, as well as a free copy of Adobe’s FlashBuilder 4.6 (while stocks last).

Tags:BlackBerry, DevCon, DevCon Asia (Singapore), RIM
Posted in App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Events, Gadgets, Operating Systems, Phones, PlayBook, RIM, Seminars, Software, Tablets | 2 Comments »

ZoukOut with BlackBerry apps

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Are you one of 30,000 heading out to ZoukOut at Siloso Beach this Saturday night? You may find some of these BlackBerry apps handy to survive the 14-hour party.

Check the weather with BeWeather Free in order to know when to start dancing towards the shelter.

Then, Let There Be Light will turn your BlackBerry smartphone into a multicolored glowstick that you can use to signal your friends or groove to the music.

Hear a familiar track that you must get your hands on? Shazam Encore will help you identify and buy the track online.

Done with the party and looking for food? ShowNearby will tell you what’s yummy in the vicinity!

All of these apps are free and for BlackBerry smartphones. Shazam Encore is one of those free apps courtesy of RIM.

Tags:Apps, BlackBerry, RIM, smartphone, Zouk, ZoukOut
Posted in App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Events, Gadgets, Lifestyle, Party, Phones, RIM, Software | No Comments »

SingTel launches Singapore’s first e-book service

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Skoob is the first service to offer works by Singapore writers as well as study guides and educational books for local primary and secondary school students.

First e-book service to accept payments in SGD. Significant savings versus the cost of traditional paper books.

Launched by Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) today, skoob offers more than 39,000 local and international bestsellers for smartphones, tablets and PCs.

“The Singapore market has long been overlooked by e-book services from abroad. With the launch of skoob, Singapore readers finally have a service that offers local books and caters specifically to their tastes and needs,” said Goh Seow Eng, SingTel’s Chief of Digital Home.It is the first e-book service to accept payments in Singapore dollars and offers tremendous savings versus the cost of traditional paper books.

For example, fans of John Grisham can enjoy his novel, The Confession, at S$9.00 instead of S$17.07 at a bookshop.

Neil Humphreys’ acclaimed Complete Notes from Singapore is available at S$13.90 instead of S$29.90.

“It also provides local publishers and writers with a powerful digital platform that allows them to reach a wider audience,” Goh added.Skoob also offers a range of classics for free download, such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

Skoob is available on Apple and Android tablets and smartphones via a free app. It can also be enjoyed on PCs and Macs using standard browsers.

For iPad, iPhone, Android tablets and smartphones, and PCs

International best sellers from the top 6 global publishers: Random House, Penguin, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, Simon and Schuster and Macmillan

Customers have the flexibility to download books on up to five devices. Payments can be made via Singapore credit cards. SingTel customers can choose to have purchases conveniently charged to their monthly bills.

“We are continuously working with publishers to expand our catalogue. We believe skoob’s range of local study guides and educational books will be well received by school students, and we are looking to include assessment papers soon,” Goh revealed.Mr Goh said that skoob is an important addition to SingTel’s growing suite of multimedia offerings, which includes the AMPed music service, deF!ND digital concierge, ESC games service, De!ite e-magazine service, exCite web video app and mio TV.

Skoob offers titles from six global publishing houses: Random House, Penguin, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, Simon and Schuster and Macmillan.

The service carries local titles, study guides and educational books from: Popular, Marshall Cavendish, Cengage Learning, Asiapac, Flame of the Forest, McGraw Hill, Sunbear, Monsoon, Singapore Asia Publishers (SAP) and Janus Education.

Chinese language books will be available soon.

Tags:Android, Apple, BlackBerry, desk, eBook, notebooks, smartphone, tablets
Posted in Android, App, iOS, Launch, Mac OS, SingTel, Software, Windows 7 | No Comments »

New smartphone: Porsche Design P’9981 from BlackBerry

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

RIM and Porsche have joined hands to produce a smartphone that marries engineered luxury and powered performance.

The P'9981 smartphone from Porsche Design and BlackBerry.

Porsche fans can soon own a Porsche-designed product in their pockets when the P’9981 smartphone hits Porsche Design stores later this year. In Singapore, the two stores are at the Ion Orchard and Marina Bay Sands. You could also try Cortina Watch shops, which are Porsche Design dealers.

The design of the P’9981 is distinct from the usual smartphone designs from Research In Motion (RIM) – but features the popular QWERTY keypad that makes typing on the device such a breeze.

The P’9981 features a forged stainless steel frame, hand-wrapped leather back cover, sculpted QWERTY keyboard, and a touch display. This customized Porsche Design P’9981 comes with an exclusive Porsche Design UI and a bespoke Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app experience.

P’9981 smartphones will come with exclusive PINs that help owners easily identify another P’9981 user.

Technical specifications

The P’9981 features a 1.2 GHz processor, HD video recording, 24-bit high resolution graphics, and advanced sensors enabling new augmented reality applications. It comes with 8GB of on-board memory, expandable up to 40GB with a micro SD card.

The smartphone will run on BlackBerry 7 operating system, which includes its fastest BlackBerry browser to date; and a highly responsive touch experience based on Liquid Graphics technology for fast and smooth graphics.

The P’9981 includes built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communication), even as two of its BlackBerry cousins (Bold 9900 and Curve 9360) achieves the MasterCard PayPass certification.

Tags:BlackBerry, P'9981, Porsche Design, RIM, smartphone
Posted in BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Gadgets, Lifestyle, Phones, RIM, Specifications | 2 Comments »

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