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RIM introduces new BlackBerry 7 Curve smartphones

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Hot on the heels of the BlackBerry 7 Bold and Torch smartphones last week, Research In Motion (RIM) has introduced the new Curve – also based on the BlackBerry 7 operating system.

New BlackBerry 7 Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 from RIM

New BlackBerry Curve 9350 / 9360 / 9370

The new BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones will be available from carriers in Canada this month and from other carriers around the world come September. The GSM model to look out for in Singapore is the Curve 9360.

These new models are designed to address a large and important segment of the global mobile phone market where customers are looking to upgrade their existing feature phone or existing BlackBerry Curve with an affordable, easy-to-use, full-featured and socially-connected smartphone.

“The new BlackBerry Curve smartphones … offer a significant performance upgrade with an unmatched mobile social experience for the millions of feature phone users in the market as well as our existing Curve customers,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

The new Curve features the classic BlackBerry Qwerty keyboard reputed for enabling fast, accurate finger-typing, and an optical trackpad for easy, one-handed navigation. GPS and Wi-Fi support are also included, as well as a 5MP camera with flash and video recording for instant sharing on social networks. The microSD/SDHC slot supports up to 32 GB memory cards for additional media storage.

In addition to supporting the new BlackBerry 7 OS, the new Curve feature a range of powerful hardware enhancements including upgraded processors, displays and memory, and built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that is enabling many exciting capabilities, including the ability to pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone.

The latest release of BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) is pre-loaded and now extends the real time BBM experience to a range of other apps, such as Foursquare, allowing users to easily interact with each other from within the ‘BBM connected’ app.

The updated Social Feeds (2.0) app has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts, and favorites 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 utilizing push notifications. Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones also delivers a deeply integrated experience including use of real time push notifications and Social Feeds integration.

Here are the main specifications of the new BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370.

Tags:Curve, launch, RIM, smartphone
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.

RIM marries apps with social networking by launching BBM6

Saturday, July 30th, 2011

Just as Facebook has apps and games on its social networking platform, Research In Motion (RIM) is allowing BlackBerry apps to leverage the extensive BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) network and its social networking features – in its newly released BBM6.

BBM allows BlackBerry users to communicate and interact with each other with ease The BBM platform hosts one of the largest mobile social networks in the world. BBM version 6 (BBM 6) provides support for “BBM connected” apps, allowing users to easily interact with each other from within the BBM connected app.

With a BBM connected game app, users can invite their BBM friends to join them in a game and then chat with one another in real time while the game is being played – without having to leave the game app.

New functionality

Some of the additional functionality users can expect to see with BBM connected applications include the ability to:

Share app experiences with friends – When users discover a new BBM connected app they likes, they can instantly let their friends know about it. Users can simply select a BBM contact directly within the BBM connected app they are using.

Have a BBM chat within apps – Users can simply pull up their BBM contact list directly from within the BBM connected app and start chatting. The functionality can enable everything from enhanced social game play to collaboration through productivity apps.

Discover apps through friends – Users can also discover new apps by viewing the list of apps that are posted to a BBM friend’s profile. They can also click on an app within the list, and instantly download it from BlackBerry App World.

The BBM 6 software is available for free download. A selection of BBM connected apps are already available on BlackBerry App World. Some Asia-based developers who have integrated BBM6 into their apps include:

“BBM6 represents an incredible opportunity for developers to leverage the viral nature of the BBM service,” said Alistair Mitchell, VP, BBM Platform & Integrated Services at RIM.

Koprol – A location based social networking app now integrates with BBM6 to enable users to chat with people nearby.

Elasitas – The creator of several gaming apps has integrated BBM6 chat functionality into its Menoo, Gamemachi and MiMoMachi apps.

Bouncity – The location based gaming company has integrated BBM6 into its app to enable users to simply share what they are doing with their social network.

Tags:Apps, BBM, BBM6, BlackBerry, RIM
Posted in App, BlackBerry, Gadgets, Launch, Phones, RIM, Software | 3 Comments »

New Facebook app for BlackBerry PlayBook

Friday, July 29th, 2011

Version 2 of the Facebook for BlackBerry Playbook app is now available in the BlackBerry App World storefront. The free app, produced by Research In Motion, include new features such as Facebook Places, viewing of Facebook Events, the ability to view “Likes”, and privacy control on status updates.

Facebook Places lets you share where you are, what you’re doing, and the people you’re with. If you grant permission, Facebook Places uses location-based technology on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to inform you about nearby Places.

Whenever you check in to a Place, you can tag a friend and post a comment. If your friends have also activated this feature, you can see where they’re are checking into. For nearby places, you can check out the Place’s page to see the people you know who has been there and the comments that they’ve posted.

Facebook Places is also integrated with Bing Maps so that you can view the location of a Facebook Place on a map and get directions by clicking on the map image.

Facebook Events allows you to view upcoming events and birthdays, and receive notifications of new invitations that have been generated through Facebook. You can view event details like time, place, guest list and RSVP or write on the event Wall, if those features have been enabled by the event organizer.

With the Facebook app, you can now see the names of friends that liked your post and tap those names to launch their profiles.

The app allows you to specify that people who can see each update you share. Simply click the lock icon in the lower-right corner of the status publisher to select who you want to make the status update visible to before posting it.

Tags:app, Facebook, Playbook, RIM, tablets
Posted in BlackBerry Tablet OS, Gadgets, Launch, PlayBook, RIM, Tablets | No Comments »

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