Archive for the ‘RIM’ Category

TODAY! New BlackBerry Curve 9380 arrives in Singapore

Saturday, February 11th, 2012

The Curve 9380 is the first BlackBerry Curve smartphone with a touch display. Check with Telcos for plans and pricing.

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is available in Singapore TODAY!

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is available in Singapore TODAY!

The sleek and stylish all-touch BlackBerry Curve 9380 smartphone is powered by BlackBerry 7 OS, which delivers a faster and richer user experience.

The 9380 is the first BlackBerry Curve smartphone with a touch display.

The 9380 is the first BlackBerry Curve smartphone with a touch display.

It also includes the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, and comes with a variety of personal and productivity apps out of the box.

“The new BlackBerry Curve 9380 comes with a sleek new all-touch design that features a larger display that enhances web browsing, games and multimedia,” Hastings Singh, Vice President, South Asia at Research In Motion.The new BlackBerry 7 OS introduces an enhanced browser that provides a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience.

It also offers optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences.

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

Here is the specs sheet for the BlackBerry Curve 9380.

Here is the specs sheet for the BlackBerry Curve 9380.

In addition, the BlackBerry Curve 9380 includes built-in support for Augmented Reality and NFC, allowing users to connect with the world around them in fresh new ways.

With the Wikitude Augmented Reality application, users can find nearby BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) contacts in real-time, read reviews about restaurants close to them, or get the story behind an interesting landmark and points of interest.

NFC enables many new and exciting capabilities, including the ability to make mobile payments, pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone.

Gift ideas for a melodious Valentine’s Day

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Planning to enjoy some romantic music during Valentine’s Day? Here are some gift ideas from a selection of stuff that I’ve covered in my blog previously.

Valentine's Day doodles by Suelyn Howe

Valentine's Day doodles by Suelyn Howe

First off, some doodles from Suelyn Howe that you can print out for use as your Valentine’s Day gift tag or card.

Bose OE2 (S$219) and OE2i (S$269) available in Singapore.

Bose OE2 (S$219) and OE2i (S$269) available in Singapore.

Now the audio gizmos. For improved depth and clarity, check out Bose’s new on-ear headphones, the OE2 (S$219) or OE2i (S$269), which deliver better audio performance than their predecessors and feature an updated look and stylish design.

Powered by BlackBerry 7, 10.5mm, NFCTo listen to music from a smartphone, check out the Pure White BlackBerry Bold 9900 (prices vary with Telcos), which is incredibly sexy and sleek.

With the unique white colour, she is sure to stand out in a crowd and always be looking for reasons to pull her phone out of her handbag.

Long evenings chatting on the phone to the boyfriend (that’s you) and BBM flirting (with you) will now be done in style!

For both listening to music and talking to you on the smartphone, check out the Bose Series 2 Bluetooth headset (S$249).

The headset assures conversations remain clear and natural – even in challenging environments, or when surrounding noise levels change suddenly.

Bose Bluetooth Headset Series 2 (S$249)

Bose Bluetooth Headset Series 2 (S$249)

For streaming music and movies, check out the Seagate GoFlex Satellite.

Seagate GoFlex Satellite 500 GB wireless mobile storageIt is the first battery-powered external hard drive to wirelessly extend the storage capacity of any Wi-Fi enabled device such as your Bold 9900, iPad or any other tablet and mobile device.

Couples can stream their favorite videos, music and pictures from their GoFlex Satellite (S$299) straight to their mobile device.

With 500GB (or 300 HD movies), the GoFlex Satellite allows you to connect up to three devices simultaneously.

What’s even better – if you are on a road trip or in a café and you have no internet connection, the Satellite will still work as it creates its own Wi–Fi network.

Timeless Love – a local movie supported by RIM

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

Local production “那个夏天” will premiere in Singapore on March 8, 2012 (Gala on March 6). The Chinese movie was partly sponsored by Research In Motion – BlackBerry smartphones and Playbook tablets were used in the movie.

BlackBerry users include Aloysius Pang, Kimberly Chia and Dasmond Koh (below).

BlackBerry users include Aloysius Pang, Kimberly Chia and Dasmond Koh (below). Photo provided by Dasmond Koh.

“Timeless Love” is produced by Noon Talk Media and was shot mostly in Bintan. This youth romance and motivational movie is co-directed by Mediacorp Artiste Dasmond Koh (许振荣) and veteran director Lim Koong Hwee (林坤辉).

Directors Dasmond Koh (许振荣) and Christopher Lim (林坤辉)

Directors Dasmond Koh (许振荣) and Christopher Lim (林坤辉)

The cast includes Cynthia Ruby Wang (王心如), Joshua Ang (洪赐健), Aloysius Pang (冯伟衷), Kimberly Chia (谢静仪), Xu Bin (徐彬), Josephine Chan (陈映珍), Eugene Lim (林建辰) and Michelle Tay(郑荔分).

Morgan (Aloysius) visits a fictitious island where his grandmother (Wang) had her first love in her youth that didn’t quite work out.

He is accompanied by his friend Sky (Xu Bin) and trailed by paparazzi Uri (Eugene) who meets and falls in love with Xiao Wei (Kimberly) – a sweet and jovial girl who is the sister of the owner of the island, Eden (Joshua).

Morgan goes in search of his grandmother’s story while Uri and Xiao Wei falls for each other.

But history threatens to repeat itself as Uri discovers that his is stricken with terminal illness.

The relationship is put to the test as Xiao Wei discovers his secret identity.

The movie revolves around the six youngsters, with a theme of friendship and love.

Timeless love, "那个夏天"

Timeless love, "那个夏天"

Why “Timeless”?

奶奶在年轻时,和他的初恋情人在一个岛上邂逅,续而相恋的经历,让她一生无法忘怀。

当年,Eden(现今岛上的年轻岛主)的爷爷,把一只表送给了和他热恋中,向海洋的奶奶。

不久后,Eden的爷爷发现自己患上了绝症。

因为不想成为心爱的人的负担,他毅然和向海洋的奶奶分手。

备受打击的奶奶,把表抛进了大海后,离开了小岛。

Eden的爷爷也因此在岛上立了个规矩,凡是到岛上来的人都要交出手表。

因为这个岛是不应该有时间的!

Dasmond Koh, Kinberly Chia and Aloysius Pang will be sharing how they use their BlackBerry devices in their daily lives and during the movie making.

RIM launches BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Three months after Research In Motion (RIM) and Microsoft released the open beta version in more than 30 countries, the general availability of “BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365” has been launched in over 50 countries today.

RIM launches BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365

RIM launches BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365

BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365 is a new service for business and government organizations that extends Microsoft Exchange Online to BlackBerry smartphones and allows customers to manage their BlackBerry deployments in the cloud.

“This new cloud-based option allows customers to cost-effectively support mobility across their organizations and easily manage and secure their BlackBerry deployments,” said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management and Marketing at RIM.The service is available at no additional charge to current enterprise subscribers of the Office 365 suite or standalone Exchange Online and works with BlackBerry smartphones on business or consumer data plans.

BlackBerry Business Cloud Services offers advanced administration and flexible smartphone self-service features to support an organization’s BlackBerry deployment in the cloud.

Managed service providers, systems integrators, carriers, resellers and other partners can also use the cloud service to manage BlackBerry deployments on behalf of their customers.

Key features remains the same as the open beta version and include the following:

  • Wireless synchronization with Microsoft Exchange Online email, calendar and organizer data from a BlackBerry smartphone
  • BlackBerry Balance technology, which presents a unified view of work and personal content on a BlackBerry smartphone while keeping the content separate and secure
  • An intuitive web-based console for IT administrators to provision, manage and secure BlackBerry smartphones from anywhere
  • Online access to employee self-service smartphone security functions, allowing users to easily reset a device password or remotely lock or wipe a device in the event of loss or theft

Customers can go to www.blackberry.com/cloudservices to get started.

Management shakeup at RIM

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

BlackBerry maker – Research In Motion (RIM) – has named Thorsten Heins as President and CEO of the company.

Mike Lazaridis remains Vice Chair of the Board while Jim Balsillie takes on a Director role at the company. This is effective immediately.

Outgoing Co-chairs and Co-CEOs Jim Basillie and Mike Lazaridis

Outgoing Co-chairs and Co-CEOs Jim Basillie and Mike Lazaridis

Heins was also appointed to RIM’s Board. He joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007 as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering and became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales in August 2011.

I believe Heins does not have time on his side, given BlackBerry’s rapid loss of market share to rival Android devices and Apple iOS products.

“We have a strong balance sheet with approximately $1.5 billion in cash at the end of the last quarter and negligible debt. We reported revenue of $5.2 billion in our last quarter, up 24% from the prior quarter, and a 35% year-to-year increase in the BlackBerry subscriber base, which is now over 75 million.” – Thorsten Heins, new President and CEO of RIM.RIM’s market share of smartphones in the US declined from a market leading 44% in 2009 to 10% in 2011, according to market researcher NPD Group.

BlackBerry has been growing outside of America but it is facing similar challenges from its competitors in those markets as well.

Coming from within RIM instead of outside, the natural question will be whether Heins will be doling out “more of the same” at RIM.

I’m not sure having been in RIM since 2007 is necessarily something that will be seen as positive for Heins.

Investors will be keen to know if he had his own ideas but could not act on them because he was not the CEO.

Heins will have a very short time to show how different he is from his predecessors, that he has his own vision and roadmap to bring RIM back to its previous success.

Thorsten Heins, new President and CEO at RIM

Thorsten Heins, new President and CEO at RIM

I’m hoping his “I don’t think that there is a drastic change needed” spiel during his first press conference as CEO is merely paying due respect to his predecessors.

The succession plan was submitted by the two Co-Chairs and co-CEOs, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. RIM’s Board of Directors acted on their recommendations after conducting its own own due diligence.

Investors had forced RIM to consider a change in company leadership in 2011 and was stalled with the company’s promise to study the matter.

RIM promised a resolution in January 2012 and I’ve been wondering if they were going to make the move, after their closed-door meeting in mid December.

Mike Lazaridis, who co-founded RIM with Doug Fregin in 1984, has become Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of the Board’s new Innovation Committee.

As Vice Chair, he will work closely with Mr. Heins to offer strategic counsel, provide a smooth transition and continue to promote the BlackBerry brand worldwide.

Barbara Stymiest, who formerly served as a member of Royal Bank of Canada’s Group Executive and has been a member of RIM’s Board since 2007, has been named the independent Board Chair.

John Richardson, formerly Lead Director, will remain on the Board.

Prem Watsa, Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings, also was named to the Board, expanding it to 11 members.

Roundup of BlackBerry updates from RIM during CES

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Upgrades to BlackBerry 7.1 (dates TBC) and BBM6.1 (available now), and Visa certification for BlackBerry smartphones.

The BBM6.1 upgrade is available now in BlackBerry App World.

The BBM6.1 upgrade is available now in BlackBerry App World.

The updates were released by Research In Motion (RIM) during CES 2012.

BlackBerry 7.1 upgrade – dates TBC in Asia

For users of the latest BlackBerry 7 smartphones, some of the features of the BlackBerry 7.1 OS upgrade are described below.

Keep smiling with the free BBM6.1 upgrade.

Keep smiling with the free BBM6.1 upgrade.

With the addition of BlackBerry Tag, users of NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphones (incl. Bold 9900, Curve 9360 and Curve 9380) can instantly invite a friend to BBM, exchange contact information, documents, URLs, photos and other multimedia content, as well as pair their BlackBerry smartphone with an NFC enabled Bluetooth device.

Turn your BlackBerry smartphone into a mobile hotspot that can be shared by up to 5x Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including laptops and tablets.

Free upgrade to BlackBerry Messenger 6.1

Free upgrade to BlackBerry Messenger 6.1

Universal Search has been further improved to help users find what they are looking for. The enhancement includes an auto-suggest feature that intelligently filters Bing search results to offer users a variety of relevant Web sites based on their search terms.

Customers with a BlackBerry Curve 9360 or 9380 smartphones will find a nice surprise with the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update in the form of an FM radio.

BBM6.1 upgrade – available now in BlackBerry App World

This upgrade offers support for animated avatars (animated GIFs), a dozen new and fun emoticons to spice up conversations, and the ability to customize chat bubbles with different colors.

BBM6.1 is available now on BlackBerry App World.

BBM6.1 is available now on BlackBerry App World.

In addition, the new BBM app allows users to add customized personal messages of up to 160 characters in their online Profile, more than double the length supported in previous versions.

Users can now set the picture for their BBM avatar directly from the camera app – simply snap a picture and select “Set as BBM Display Picture” from the menu.

Read the full press release here.

Visa certifies BlackBerry smartphones for use as Visa Mobile Payment Devices

Following the approval of BlackBerry devices as the first certified smartphones of the MasterCard PayPass program, Visa has certified the BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 as compliant payment products available for commercial deployment by financial institutions.

All the new devices certified by Visa can use the built-in NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to facilitate wireless payments using contactless payment terminals.

Read the full press release here.

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 upgrade in Feb 2012

Monday, January 16th, 2012

An advanced messaging experience; innovative people-centric calendar and contact apps; and improved office productivity tools are some of the features in the PlayBook OS 2.0 upgrade.

An advanced messaging experience with a powerful unified inbox.

An advanced messaging experience with a powerful unified inbox.

Announced during CES 2012, and expected to be available in February 2012, the free upgrade will enable customers to be even more connected and productive with heaps of new features.

People-centric calendar and contact apps integrated with social networks.

People-centric calendar and contact apps integrated with social networks.

For an advanced messaging experience, a powerful unified inbox integrates with built-in messaging and social networking sites (Twitter, LinkedIn etc), as well as ‘tabbed email’ for managing multiple accounts.

You can also compose and edit messages in rich text and manage you inbox with useful new tools (for setting out-of-office alerts, signatures etc).

There are innovative people-centric calendar and contact apps that connects and feeds from your social network to make organising your day and getting in touch with people easy and fast.

Enhnaced office productivity tools such as Word To Go & Print To Go.

Enhnaced office productivity tools such as Word To Go & Print To Go.

Remote control your PlayBook using your BlackBerry smartphone, especially if your PlayBook is connected to a TV via the HDMI output – perfect for watching movies or typing out notes.

Revamped and improved productivity tools with new Documents To Go, and Print To Go application for wireless printing and enhanced browsing, plus much more.

Play Angry Birds on BlackBerry PlayBook

Monday, December 26th, 2011

It’s Boxing Day and a day of recovery from the Christmas celebrations. Check out the Angry Birds game apps from Rovio Entertainment for the PlayBook in BlackBerry App World, now available for US$4.99 each.

PlayBook owners registered in Singapore can buy the apps at S$4.99 each.

Play Angry Birds from Rovio Entertainment on the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Play Angry Birds from Rovio Entertainment on the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The popular game/series from Rovio – Angry Birds, Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons are now available on the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Angry Birds

Angry Birds on BlackBerry PlayBook

Angry Birds on BlackBerry PlayBook

The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. Use the unique destructive powers of the Angry Birds to lay waste to the pigs’ fortified castles. Angry Birds features hours of gameplay, challenging physics-based castle demolition, and lots of replay value. Each of the 288 levels requires logic, skill, and brute force to crush the enemy.

Angry Birds Rio

Angry Birds Rio on BlackBerry PlayBook

Angry Birds Rio on BlackBerry PlayBook

What happens when everybody’s favourite fierce fowl get caged and shipped to Rio? They get very angry! In Angry Birds Rio, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to the magical city of Rio de Janeiro, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to to save their friends, Blu and Jewel – two rare macaws and the stars of the hit motion picture, Rio. Angry Birds Rio will pair the physics-based gameplay of the original game with unique twists based on the film.

Angry Birds Seasons

Angry Birds Seasons Rio on BlackBerry PlayBook

Angry Birds Seasons Rio on BlackBerry PlayBook

It was a dark and stormy night … but that won’t stop the Angry Birds! Pursue the pigs through 30 levels filled with pumpkin patches, exploding jack-o-lanterns, and creepy skeletons, lit by a full moon and eerie lantern light. You’ll get some unexpected help from a BRAND NEW BIRD – he starts out small, but don’t let his looks fool you! Complete all the levels to find some special tricks and treats!

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.

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.

Released by Fundacion Leo MessiIt 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.

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.

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

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.