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BlackBerry DevCon Asia registration open now

Friday, September 9th, 2011

Registration for BlackBerry DevCon Asia in Bangkok is now open. Taking place on 7-8 December 2011, BlackBerry DevCon Asia will be held at Centara Grand at CentralWorld in Bangkok, Thailand. Rates range from $150 to $250 USD.

Discounted rates are available for attendees who book early, as well as for those who qualify for the Academic Rate:

Early Bird Rate	$200 USD	Expires Friday, November 4, 2011 at 11:59pm ICT
Regular Rate	$250 USD	Expires Thursday, December 8, 2011
Academic Rate*	$150 USD	Expires Thursday, December 8, 2011

*Academic passes do not qualify for the Early Bird discount/offer or the Alumni discount. Students and Faculty members must apply to devconasia@blackberryconferences.net with proof of current enrollment or employment.

Those who had attended BlackBerry DevCon Asia in January 2011, BlackBerry DevCon 2010, or BlackBerry DevCon Americas 2011 qualify for the $50 USD Alumni discount.

The Alumni discount will automatically be deducted from the current registration price. To be recognized as Alumni, interested registrant must use the same email alias they used when registering for the aforementioned conferences.

Each package gives participants the following:

Access to the BlackBerry DevCon Asia General Session
Access to Breakout Sessions
Access to Expert areas during open hours
Admission to the Welcome Reception
Admission to the BlackBerry DevCon Party
Admission to the Mobility Pavilion during open hours
Lunch, and breaks during the conference dates
Complimentary access to Conference Wi-Fi® internet
Access to BlackBerry DevCon On-Demand, the online portal for conference content and sponsor information, until the start of the next BlackBerry DevCon Asia
Registration gift upon check-in onsite

During the conference, each breakout session will be presented by Research In Motion (RIM) experts and developer community members.

The various sessions will explore the BlackBerry development platform, BlackBerry Platform Services, and best practices, focusing specifically on the topics below:

Java Development for BlackBerry 7
WebKit and the BlackBerry WebWorks Platform Development
BlackBerryPlayBook Tablet OS Development, including Native SDK, Adobe AIR and Adobe Flash, and Android Player
BlackBerryPlatform Services and the BBM Social Platform
Tips and tools for debugging and optimizing your apps
User interface and user experience tools and best practices
Developingquality enterprise applications
Marketing and distributing your applications

Tags:Bangkok, BlackBerry, DevCon, RIM
Posted in BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Events, Prices, RIM | 2 Comments »

BlackBerry App World 3.0 out of beta and available now

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

BlackBerry App World 3.0 is now out of beta and available for all BlackBerry smartphone users.

BlackBerry App World is free and works on BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry® 5 OS (Device Software) or higher.

BlackBerry App World is free and works on BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry 5 OS or higher.

The BlackBerry App World 3.0 storefront makes discovering and downloading apps, games, and themes easier than before. Users can personalize their BlackBerry smartphone, find the hottest games and entertainment and get apps to stay connected with the people who matter.

New features include:

Sleek New Design – The BlackBerry App World experience has been enhanced to help users discover the latest and greatest apps and content, starting right on the BlackBerry App World home screen where rotating spotlight banners show off all that’s new and exciting.
New Channels – Apps, Games, and Themes now have their own channels so users can get to what they want even faster.
Introduction of My Account – My Account makes managing BlackBerry ID and payment options easy with direct access to all account information from the home screen.
New My World Features – My World gives users a streamlined view of their apps and status, and now at a glance, in addition to seeing which apps are installed and uninstalled, users can manage subscription content and services. When new updates or subscription renewals are available for apps, users will be notified using push technology.
App Social Sharing – when a user finds an app they can’t live without, they can share it directly from the app details screen through BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger), Facebook®, Twitter™, email and SMS
Evolved App Details Screen – At a glance, users can get a quick summary, check out reviews and star ratings, take a look at screen shots, and more
More Search Options – Quickly find apps with a Search Bar now appearing on the storefront home screen and search results are presented across Channels as well as My World. Search Bars are also within each Channel and users have the ability to filter by App Name, Price, Rating, Newest, Best Match, or Popular

Tags:App World, Apps, BlackBerry, RIM, smartphone
Posted in App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Launch, Phones, RIM, Software | 1 Comment »

Main specifications for the BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

The new BlackBerry Curve smartphones was unveiled by Research In Motion (RIM) two days ago. The Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 will be available in Canada this month and in other countries in September 2011.

BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360/9370 Here are the main specifications of the three new BlackBerry Curve models. The physical appearances and basic specifications are common across the three models except for the networks supported.

All are based on the new BlackBerry 7 operating system.

Main specs of the BlackBerry Curve 9360

Below are the specs of the BlackBerry Curve 9350 and 9370:
(more…)

Tags:9350, 9360, 9370, BlackBerry, Curve, RIM
Posted in BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Curve, Gadgets, Launch, Operating Systems, Phones, RIM, Specifications | 2 Comments »

RIM Announces BlackBerry Management Center for Small Businesses

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

The BlackBerry Management Center is a free online service for small businesses to centrally manage company or employee-owned BlackBerry smartphones in the cloud and protect business-related content stored on the devices.

The BlackBerry Management Centre is free from Research In Motion (RIM)

The BlackBerry Management Center is free from Research In Motion (RIM)

The service is designed for businesses with up to 100 BlackBerry smartphones that access email services from an Internet service provider (ISP) or web-based email services like Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo!

Different research studies have indicated that the use of smartphones in business environments in APAC has enjoyed the greatest growth rate around the world. The IDC Worldwide Smartphone 2011–2015 Forecast from June 2011 indicates that APAC’s 2010-2015 CAGR for smartphone shipments is expected to grow at 32.1%, more than the worldwide average of 26.4%.

Screenshot from BlackBerry Management Center

Screenshot from BBMC

According to Worldwide SMB 2011 Top 10 Predictions from IDC in March 2011, SMB IT spending is also expected to increase the greatest in Asia Pacific at 11.2%, especially in China and India. ABI Research also indicated that APAC will have the second highest business-to-employee (B2E) application subscribers for smartphones and tablets by 2016.

With the increasing popularity and potential of smartphone usage in businesses in APAC, BlackBerry Management Center is positioned to provide control and management capability at no cost for small businesses who wish to enhance productivity and efficiency while protecting their company data at a minimized IT resources requirement.

What does BBMC do?

BlackBerry Management Center will help take that worry away by allowing businesses to manage those devices so they are protected even if they’re lost or stolen. The service can be used to:

Wirelessly back up BlackBerry smartphones automatically on a daily, weekly or monthly basis to aid in the recovery of lost business-related content stored on the handset.
Protect content on an employee’s lost or stolen BlackBerry smartphone by remotely locking it and, if necessary, wiping the contents, including the microSD card.
Locate a lost BlackBerry smartphone by remotely locking it, initiating a loud ring, and displaying a message on the Home screen.
Easily restore the settings and content on a new or replacement device.
Reset a password.

BlackBerry Management Center is available today here.

Tags:BlackBerry, RIM, security
Posted in BlackBerry, Launch, Phones, RIM, Security, Software | No Comments »

First look at the new BlackBerry Bold 9900

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

Based on the new BlackBerry 7 operating system, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 was unveiled on 3 August 2011 and launched in Singapore on 18 August. It is the thinnest (10.5mm) BlackBerry smartphone to date and includes built-in NFC support.

The Bold 9900 includes the classic BlackBerry Qwerty keyboard.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 from Research In Motion (RIM) is available for pre-order with the three telcos in Singapore – SingTel, M1 and StarHub. It will be available in the shops from 1 September 2011.

The Bold 9900 sports a brushed stainless steel frame, uses the classic BlackBerry Qwerty keyboard and is the first BlackBerry smartphone to include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that will enable it to pair with NFC-enabled accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone.

The new BlackBerry 7 operating system introduces a new BlackBerry browser with a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience. The WebKit browser engine promises browsing results that are up to 40% faster than BlackBerry 6 based smartphones and up to 100% faster than BlackBerry 5 based smartphones.

Additional enhancements to this next generation BlackBerry browser include optimised zooming and panning for smoother web navigation and optimised HTML5 performance. Flash is not supported.

Main specs

The Bold 9900 is powered by a 1.2 GHz processor, features HD video recording, 24-bit high resolution graphics, and the usual suite of sensors. More specs are included below:

Main specifications of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 from RIM

Tags:9900, BlackBerry, Bold, RIM, smartphone
Posted in BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Bold, Gadgets, Phones, RIM | 2 Comments »

Singapore first to launch three BlackBerry 7 phones in South East Asia

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

RIM launched three new smartphones based on the new BlackBerry 7 operating system in Singapore today. The phones are available for pre-order and will hit the shelves in Singapore on 1 September 2011.

The three new BlackBerry 7 phones were launched in Singapore today.

The three smartphones are the Bold 9900, and the Torch 9810 and 9860. The three models offer consumers the choice between the classic BlackBerry keyboard (Bold 9900), a full touch-screen with no physical Qwerty keyboard (Torch 9860) and the best of both worlds – the Torch 9810 with both a full touch-screen and a slide-out Qwerty keyboard.

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

I played with all three models and the immediate first impression was how light they were, especially when compared with previous models. The displays were crisp and clear and the touch screen was really responsive.

Surfing the net on the phones was a breeze, with fast loading times. The new hardware, operating system and enhanced browser has indeed made a tangible improvement.

The phones will be available from all three major telcos in Singapore – SingTel, M1 and StarHub. When queried, Mr Francois Mahieu from Research In Motion (RIM) said that for the moment, there were no plans to sell white versions of any of the three smartphones, even though he understands that it was a popular colour choice with consumers today. Mahieu is the head of product management for RIM in the Asia Pacific.

BlackBerry 9810 includes both the classic keyboard and a full touch screen.

As with Apple’s iDevices, the new BlackBerry phones support HTML5 but does not play with Flash.

In addition to supporting the new BlackBerry 7 OS, the smartphones include a 1.2 GHz processor, HD video recording, 24-bit high resolution graphics, and advanced sensors enabling new augmented reality applications such as Wikitude that can be seamlessly integrated with BBM 6.

Tags:9810, 9860, 9900, BlackBerry, Bold, RIM, smartphone, Torch
Posted in BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Bold, Events, Gadgets, Launch, Phones, RIM, Torch | 4 Comments »

BlackBerry DevCon Asia to be held in Bangkok

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Following the BlackBerry DevCon in Bali earlier this year, RIM has announced that the next DevCon Asia will be held on the 7-8 December 2011, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the return of BlackBerry DevCon Asia that is scheduled to take place on 7 – 8 December 2011 at Centara Grand at CentralWorld in Bangkok, Thailand.

BlackBerry DevCon Asia in Bangkok from 7 to 8 September 2011

BlackBerry DevCon Asia will feature keynotes from leading experts, breakout meetings and hands-on sessions that preview and demonstrate tools that assist developers to create apps.

The agenda will not only focus on technical sessions for building BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook apps, but attendees will also be able to get advice and hear about how other developers have commercially launched and make money from developing on BlackBerry.

Attendees at BlackBerry DevCon Asia will be able to join sessions that cover:

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) Social Platform
Adobe Flash and Adobe AIR
BlackBerry Java SDK 6.0
BlackBerry Services (including Payment Service, Advertising Service, BlackBerry Push Service, and more)
Business Success and Case Studies (share your app development, B2C commercialization or internal deployment lessons learned)
Other Developer Tools and Platforms
BlackBerry Native C/C++
BlackBerry WebWorks™ application
BlackBerry Web Development
Multimedia

BlackBerry DevCon is an event that caters to both experienced BlackBerry developers as well as those who are new to the BlackBerry platform. Registration will open in the second week of September 2011.

Tags:BlackBerry, DevCon, RIM
Posted in App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Events, Gadgets, PlayBook, RIM | 3 Comments »

BlackBerry App World 3.0 now available in BlackBerry Beta Zone

Monday, August 8th, 2011

BlackBerry smartphone users can more easily discover and download apps, games, and themes via the BlackBerry App World 3.0 storefront.

Users can personalize their BlackBerry smartphone, find the hottest games and entertainment and get apps to stay connected with the people who matter.

New features in BlackBerry App World 3.0 include:

Sleek New Design
New Channels
Introduction of My Account
New My World Features
App Social Sharing
Evolved App Details Screen
More Search Options

The App will likely come out of beta and be officially released about a month from now.

BlackBerry Beta Zone is the place where Research In Motion (RIM) communicates with and receives feedback from beta participants.

Members of BlackBerry Beta Zone, will have the opportunity to sign up for beta programs and be among the first to try out new BlackBerry software before it’s released to the general public.

Feedback from the beta trial helps future BlackBerry products better meet the needs of customers.

Tags:App World, Apps, BlackBerry, RIM, smartphone
Posted in App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Phones, RIM, Software | 1 Comment »

Main features of BlackBerry 7 operating system

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

First announced in May, the BlackBerry 7 OS introduces a next generation BlackBerry browser with a significantly faster and more fluid web browsing experience. RIM reports that Internet browsing performance on BlackBerry 7 based smartphones are up to 40% faster than BlackBerry 6 based smartphones and up to 100% faster than BlackBerry 5 based smartphones.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphone from RIM

BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930

Research In Motion (RIM) is launching five new BlackBerry smartphones based on the BlackBerry 7 Operating System (OS) – two new BlackBerry Bold models (9900 and 9930) and three new BlackBerry Torch models (9810, 9850 and 9860).

The improved performance of the WebKit browser engine is combined with the hardware enhancements to enable users to browse the web faster and more smoothly.

BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860

Enhancements to the BlackBerry browser have also optimised zooming and panning for smoother web navigation and optimised HTML5 performance for better gaming and video experiences.

RIM’s new BlackBerry 7 based smartphones also feature Liquid Graphics technology, with each smartphone combining a dedicated high-performance graphics processor with a fast CPU and high resolution display to deliver a highly responsive touch interface with fast and smooth graphics.

BlackBerry Torch 9810

For communications, BlackBerry 7 based smartphones feature the regular integrated suite of phone, email, messaging and social apps to keep users connected and productive throughout the day.

Recent enhancements include the newest release of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) which now extends the real time BBM experience to a range of other “BBM connected” apps. The updated Social Feeds (2.0) app has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts, and favourites all in one consolidated view. The new Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones (2.0) app introduces features like Facebook chat and BBM integration that makes it easier for users to connect with their Facebook friends in real time.

BlackBerry 7 OS also includes a number of other pre-loaded applications and integrated functionality for increased productivity and collaboration right out of the box.
Documents to Go Premium on BlackBerry App World
The Premium version of Documents To Go is now included free of charge, offering users powerful document editing features as well as a native PDF document viewer.
Free BlackBerry Protect in App World
BlackBerry Protect is also pre-loaded, offering customers the peace of mind that personal data can be backed up and secured in the cloud.

BlackBerry Balance is now integrated in BlackBerry 7, allowing users to enjoy the full BlackBerry smartphone experience for both work and personal purposes without compromising the IT department’s need for advanced security and IT controls.

The popular universal search capability has been enhanced with support for voice-activated search, so users can now simply speak to begin searching their device and the web for information.

Tags:9810, 9850, 9860, 9900, 9930, BlackBerry, BlackBerry 7, Bold, RIM, Torch
Posted in BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Bold, Gadgets, Launch, Operating Systems, Phones, RIM, Software, Specifications, Torch | 7 Comments »

RIM introduces a slew of five new BlackBerry 7 smartphones

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

In its largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in its history, RIM announced the Bold 9900 and 9930, as well as the Torch 9810, 9850 and 9860.

Research In Motion (RIM) today announced plans to launch five new BlackBerry smartphones based on the BlackBerry 7 Operating System (OS). RIM is rolling out two new BlackBerry Bold models and three new BlackBerry Torch models, all running the powerful new BlackBerry 7 OS.

The launch of this family of handsets will be RIM’s largest global launch ever and more than 225 carriers and distribution partners around the world have already commenced or completed over 500 certification programmes for these 5 new handsets.

Featuring RIM’s next generation of hardware and software platforms, these five new BlackBerry 7 based smartphones offer users a variety of designs to choose from.

The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 are RIM’s thinnest smartphones ever, each offering a large keyboard and brilliant touch display.

The new BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone builds on the popularity of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and combines a large touch display with a convenient slide-out keyboard. The BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 introduce an all-new, all-touch design featuring the largest display on a BlackBerry smartphone to date.

“We think users will be thrilled by the faster performance, enhanced browsing and richer multimedia delivered by these powerful new BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Torch smartphones,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO of Research In Motion.

The BlackBerry 7 OS introduces a next generation BlackBerry browser with a significantly faster and more fluid web browsing experience. The improved performance of the WebKit browser engine is combined with the hardware enhancements found in the BlackBerry 7 based smartphones.

The new smartphones feature a 1.2 GHz processor, HD video recording, 24-bit high resolution graphics, and sensors enabling new augmented reality applications such as Wikitude that can be seamlessly integrated with BBM 6.

Display and keyboards

BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones with Touch Display and Keyboard

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 series is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone yet (at only 10.5mm) and was the first to offer the union of a high performance keyboard and touch display. The brushed stainless steel frame adds a nice finishing touch to the design.

The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 are also the first BlackBerry smartphones to include built-in support for Near Field Communications (NFC ), a new technology that is enabling many new and exciting capabilities, including the ability to pair accessories or read SmartPostertags with a simple tap of the smartphone.

BlackBerry Torch 9810 Smartphone with Touch Display and Slide-Out Keyboard

Building on the popular design of the BlackBerry Torch 9800, the new BlackBerry Torch 9810 is faster and more fluid with high performance hardware features and the new BlackBerry 7 OS delivering an enhanced multimedia experience. Featuring a large 3.2”, high resolution touch display and the distinctive BlackBerry keyboard that easily slides out to allow faster typing, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 offers users the best of both worlds.

All-Touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 Smartphones

The BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones offer the fast, fluid BlackBerry 7 experience in a new all-touch design. With a spectacular new 3.7” display, the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone, the new all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones are optimised for displaying web pages, photos, videos, and powerful gaming experiences and still deliver quality real-time communication and collaboration experience.

Availability

The next generation of BlackBerry smartphones will begin to be available from carriers around the world starting later this month. Availability dates for specific devices from specific carriers will be announced in conjunction with RIM’s partners.

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