Category: Blackberry

Developers Submit 15K BlackBerry 10 Apps In Less Than Two Days

Research In Motion reported that developers submitted 15,000 applications for its new BlackBerry 10 operating system during a virtual Community Port-A-Thon event running over the weekend. This is an impressive number and only confirms the interest in building apps for RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS.

“37.5 hours in, we hit 15,000 apps for this portathon,” BlackBerry Development Head Alec Saunders tweeted. “Feel like I’ve run a marathon.”

The Port-A-Thon, which kicked off at noon ET on Jan. 11, awarded developers $100 for each eligible mobile app or game approved for BB 10. Developers who submitted between five and 10 approved apps were also given a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device; in addition, the first 10 developers with 10 approved apps were given a paid trip to BlackBerry Jam Europe 2013, taking place in Amsterdam early next month.

Frank Boulben, RIM’s CMO, recently noted that “at launch we will have more than 70,000 apps available. RIM is 16 days away from officially unveiling BlackBerry 10 and the two new BB 10 smartphones.

[Fierce Mobile Content]

January 14, 2013
BlackBerry 10 Promo Slides Show Up Online

Image Courtesy : RapidBerry

Some of the first promotional material for the upcoming BlackBerry Z10, which we believe the final name to be, has emerged online. It shows off many of RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry 10 features, including the unannounced but highly-suspected BBM Video, which looks an awful lot like FaceTime. It has been said these slides are the official retail marketing for BlackBerry 10, but we’d surely hope RIM would do a way, way better job.

RapidBerry also got its hands on photos of the white and black versions of the upcoming device, and these high-quality stills really show the thoughtful design of the phone and the interesting UI design. These device images are clearly quite old, though, as the app icons are placed in the old, boxy wrapping that has since been updated. The Twitter icon uses the deprecated design, and BlackBerry World is still called App World, though it is cited correctly in the slide headline. These were likely slides shown to carriers or partners.

All of the leaked photos are down in the slideshow so check them out if you’re curious about the upcoming BlackBerry 10 smartphones and the BlackBerry Z10 in particular.N

As we get closer to January 30th, more of these glimpses into BlackBerry 10 will probably get out, and we can’t wait to see the finished result.

[Rapid Berry, Mobile Syrup]

January 11, 2013
BlackBerry 10 Demoed on Z10 At CES

It’s coming — soon. But we wouldn’t miss one last opportunity to see BlackBerry 10 before it is announced on January 30th. There are still plenty of features of the OS that we haven’t yet seen and RIM is doing a good job of keeping some secrets under wraps until launch day.

Forbes got a great look at the almost-finished OS running on the Dev Alpha B hardware, which we believe to be quite similar in specs to the finished hardware, which we know as BlackBerry Z10. As we’ve seen before, the exciting things (that have already been revealed) are the keyboard, the Peek and Flow gestures for notifications, and the centralized Hub where all your important content is stored.

As we’ve heard before, the keyboard has heat-mapping which will learn over time where you most commonly hit keys in error and adjust accordingly to increase accuracy.

We’re getting excited as Launch Day approaches, and can’t wait to try out the device for ourselves. What do you think? Does this whet your appetite for the upcoming BlackBerry 10 phone?

[Mobile Syrup, Crackberry]

January 9, 2013
BlackBerry X10 Pictured Next To BlackBerry Z10

Earlier today RIM’s BlackBerry 10 full QWERTY/Touch device leaked online. The image showed an updated look to the Bold 9900. Now, a post on 4Chan reveals the all-touch “BlackBerry Z10? sitting in between the full QWERTY/Touch – rumoured name is the “BlackBerry X10.”

There’s a white version and a black version, however the white version seems to have a different style as it’s missing the chrome frets. So it could be the Dev Alpha C that RIM gave 1,500 developers.

The new update to RIM’s mobile firmware is slated for official release on 30, January, 2013. RIM is on the path of comeback. It aims to take on its rivals like Google Android and Apple iOS with the new Blackberry 10. It is largely hoped by the company that the new firmware can bring back its lost reputation in mobile market. In his words about the firmware, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins instills his hope about BB 10 and its future products.

All set for 30th January then!

December 25, 2012
Blackberry Z10 Rumoured Specs

BlackBerry 10 is coming to spotlight. Slated for official release early next year, RIM’s new software may be the company’s final attempt to stay alive in mobile market. Things are not much good for Research In Motion. Google Android, Apple iOS and Microsoft Windows Phone are dominating the mobile and tablet segments with Android having over fifty percent market share in the U.S.

Rumours surfaced a couple days ago that the all-touch BlackBerry 10 device might go to market with the name of “BlackBerry Z10.

Little is known about the actual all-touch device, only that it will be powered by RIM’s new “mobile computing platform” BlackBerry 10. The screen resolution has been confirmed to be 1280 x 768, have LTE connectivity and that it’ll come with an HD camera.

Various hi-res pics and a video surfaced online that might give a greater insight into what we can expect the Z10 to look like. CrackBerry has done a fine job at dissecting all the rumours and have created a list of potential specs: 1.5GHz dual-core processor LTE, 4.2-inch display (1280×768) with a 356ppi, 8MP camera that shoots 1080p HD videos and a 2MP front-facing camera, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, HDMI and a 1800mAh removable battery.

December 24, 2012
Leaked : Blackberry 10 QWERTY/Touch Smartphone Backside Image

The BlackBerry 10 leaks just keep on coming. Just a day after a leaked image suggested that the official name of the BlackBerry 10 L-Series smartphone might be “BlackBerry Z10,” a newly-leaked shot posted by NerdBerry shows the backside of the QWERTY/Touch. Not too many details are known and it’s unclear if this is the actual device or a Dev Alpha C that 1,000 developers were recently given.

The N-Series has previously had its keyboard photographed and also appeared as a render in a leaked promo video, but this new image gives us a look at the actual phone in the wild. It’s only the rear of the phone, so all that we can see is a rear cover that looks somewhat similar to the one found on the all-touch L-Series/Z10, but with an added fret divider like one found on the phone’s keyboard.

Just 40 days more to go till it all unveils!

December 22, 2012
RIM Reports Fiscal Q3 2013 Results: Revenue of $2.7 Billion And Lower Subscriber Numbers

BlackBerry maker RIM has announced its third quarter results for the three months ended December 1, 2012. The company reported the revenue of $2.7 billion with GAAP net income was of $14 million, or $0.03 per share diluted, including a $166 million favourable tax settlement. The cash increase was of approximately $600 million to $2.9 billion while the cash flow from operations was approximately $950 million.

The company plans to invest heavily in marketing in the coming quarter, with high expectations for its BlackBerry 10 launch on January 30th. The first handsets are planned for sometime in February, though specific dates are not yet known.

RIM subscriber base now sits at 79 million, down over a million from the previous quarter. Though specific numbers have not been provided, the net loss is likely due to continued purging of the BlackBerry platform in North America, with significant gains in Africa and the Middle East. The company sold 6.9 million smartphones and 255,000 PlayBooks this quarter; that’s 500,000 fewer smartphones and 125,000 more tablets compared to last quarter.

RIM cash balance has increased to $2.9 billion this quarter as it continues to iterate on its Cost Optimization and Resource Efficiency (“CORE”) program. Although the company expects another net loss in Q4, CEO Thorsten Heins is bullish on the BlackBerry 10 launch. “More than 150 carriers are currently completing technical acceptance programs for the first BlackBerry 10 products,” he said in a statement.

December 21, 2012
Twitter 4.0 Now Available for BlackBerry Smartphones

Twitter v4.0 for BlackBerry smartphones is now available on the BlackBerry App World storefront. This is good news for the 80+ million users out there as it includes the “Connect” and “Discover” features that is present on iOS and Android.

Changes Include :

– Enhanced navigation bar – With Twitter v4.0, you will enjoy an enhanced navigation experience, keeping you connected to your friends and content that matter.

– New tabs with a familiar feel – Twitter v4.0 showcases the ‘Connect’ and ‘Discover’ tabs, which active Twitter users will recognize from Twitter’s website.

– Connect tab – Helping to keep those engaged conversations going, the ‘Connect’ tab shares who has retweeted, favorited and followed you, and gives you the option to filter ‘mentions’ and ‘replies’.

– Discover tab – Twitter v4.0 makes finding the latest news and trends easier and quicker. Discover new friends and favorite things to follow through ‘Who to follow’ or by browsing via ‘Categories’. Catch up on the latest buzz through viewing ‘Trends’.

– Me tab – Access messages and lists under the ‘Me’ tab.

Twitter 4.0 for BlackBerry is a free download from BlackBerry World.

December 19, 2012
RIM CMO: We Will Have More Than 70,000 Apps At The Time Of BlackBerry 10 Launch

RIM CMO Frank Boulben recently sat down for an interview, explaining that he joined RIM for “what could be the greatest comeback in tech history.”, with the Blackberry 10. Some investors bolted a long time ago and declared the company cannot return the glory they once had. However, amidst all this turmoil, RIM and their 80 million subscribers are poised to embark on what will possibly be the most talked about mobile story of 2013.

Boulben also noted that part of the road to success for BlackBerry 10 is to educate the public on “what the device is capable of, that is a fundamental aspect.” In addition, an area of concern is the number of apps that will be available at launch. RIM has already shown off Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Foursquare, but has never communicated a solid number of how many we can expect, only that there’ll be thousands available. In the interview, Boulben stated that the Blackberry 10 will have a best in class browser, a fantastic multimedia experience and “at launch we will have more than 70,000 apps available.” That is promising.

All set for 30th January!

December 18, 2012
Blackberry 10 L-Series Video Surfaces

Yesterday we saw some new photos of RIM’s first full touchscreen BlackBerry 10 smartphone, the BlackBerry L-Series and now we have a video of the device in action which you can see below.

The device looks remarkably similar to the Dev Alpha device that has been floating around for the past few months, which lends credence to the idea that it contains final hardware wrapped in a “shell,” much like what Samsung did when seeding out tester devices for the Galaxy S III.

With a soft textured backing, iconic BlackBerry logo and a subtle, cropped camera lens/flash combo, the device appears to be every bit a “miniature PlayBook,” which in our eyes is a good thing. From the front it looks like RIM has completely done away with its previous design ethic, opting for a clean, distinct top and bottom bezel and what looks like an AMOLED screen.

Like recent BlackBerry devices, the L-Series features a prominent notification light and a volume rocker with a third middle button for playback pause and resume.

December 13, 2012
New Leaked HD Images Show Off RIM’s BlackBerry 10 L-Series

For those that are still firmly in the RIM camp, a slew of new high-resolution pictures of the BlackBerry L-Series smartphone were leaked this evening. When it comes to new product leaks, we’re used to being hit with the “blurry cam” treatment. But surprisingly, these images of this Blackberry are high resolution and capture the L-Series from nearly every angle.

It certainly isn’t too terrible as far as looks are concerned, and there’s plenty to discern from the pictures alone: microSD card slot, 1800mAh battery, 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, micro USB, HDMI and a teenie-tiny microphone under the BlackBerry logo on the front of the device.

Of course, nothing is confirmed until RIM unveils Blackberry 10 devices on January 30th, 2013. Check out all the pics below.

December 12, 2012
BBM 7 With BBM Voice Now Available In BlackBerry App World

Research In Motion officially released the latest version of its BlackBerry Messenger mobile social networking service, adding new voice calling capabilities as well as expanded notifications and synchronization features.

BBM 7 first went to beta back on the 14th of November last month, with beta testers saying things like “the voice feature is easy to use and the audio quality is excellent”, with the full version now out and presumably featuring sounding even better than during the beta process.

RIM said Monday that the new BlackBerry Messenger 7, issued in beta in mid-November, will be available for download from its BlackBerry World storefront within the next 24 hours. Optimized for devices running BlackBerry 6 and higher, with support expanding to BlackBerry 5 early next year, BBM 7 enables consumers to make free voice calls to other BBM users across the globe over a Wi-Fi connection. A split-screen feature allows toggling between messaging and voice options–users may also talk and text at the same time, enhancing business collaboration possibilities.

BBM Voice is included in BBM 7 (version 7.0.0.121) and is now available, or will be within 24-hours, in the BlackBerry App World. Next on the BBM agenda is BBM Video Chat – this will be included in the big BlackBerry 10 launch. In the meantime, RIM made a demo of BBM Voice in action, check it out below.

December 11, 2012
RIM To Start “BlackBerry 10 Ready Program”, To Give Enterprises Free BlackBerry 10 Device

RIM announced their “BlackBerry 10 Ready Program” this morning, an incentive for their enterprise customers to “prepare their environments” for the upcoming BB10 OS. RIM will be rolling out various offerings in a phased approach and will include four components: BlackBerry 10 Ready Offer, BlackBerry 10 Ready Webcast Series, BlackBerry Enterprise Server License Trade Up, and the BlackBerry 10 Readiness Services. The BlackBerry 10 Ready Offer and BlackBerry 10 Ready Webcast Series are both available today, while the other two will go live before RIM fully unveils BB10 on January 30th.

[quote]We remain committed to our enterprise customers and want to provide them with a head start on understanding the power of BlackBerry 10 and preparing their existing environments for the new mobile computing platform,” said Bryan Lee, Senior Director, Enterprise at RIM. “The BlackBerry 10 Ready Program gives customers access to a variety of services, information, tools, and special offers to help ease their transition to BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.”[/quote]

The webcast series is simple, but incredibly important. This will be the educational portion and RIM will hold weekly webcasts to share info and answer questions about the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS, plus demonstrate how enterprise customers can easily integrate BB10 when it launches.

Specifics of the “BlackBerry 10 Ready Offer” reveals that RIM will be giving out a free BB10 smartphone, but is limited to one per company and currently available to those in Canada and the United States. RIM states that more countries will follow.

BlackBerry customers with BlackBerry Technical Support at the Advantage level or higher are eligible to receive a free BlackBerry 10 smartphone. Customers will need to install and run BlackBerry Mobile Fusion (which will be succeeded by BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10), and successfully complete an exclusive online learning course to qualify. Upon the launch of BlackBerry 10, the organization will receive a free BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

RIM has 80 million BlackBerry customers and 60 million BlackBerry Messenger users. The big unveiling of BlackBerry 10 is happening on January 30th, 2013 .

[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Research In Motion (RIM) (RIMM)(RIM.TO) today announced the BlackBerry 10 Ready Program. The program is designed to address the needs of BlackBerry enterprise customers as they prepare their environments for the launch of BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10, RIM”s powerful new multiplatform enterprise mobility management solution. The program will be introduced in a phased approach with four components. Two of the components – The BlackBerry 10 Ready Offer and the BlackBerry 10 Ready Webcast Series – are available today. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server License Trade Up and BlackBerry 10 Readiness Services components will be available ahead of the global BlackBerry 10 launch on January 30, 2013.

“We remain committed to our enterprise customers and want to provide them with a head start on understanding the power of BlackBerry 10 and preparing their existing environments for the new mobile computing platform,” said Bryan Lee, Senior Director, Enterprise at RIM. “The BlackBerry 10 Ready Program gives customers access to a variety of services, information, tools, and special offers to help ease their transition to BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.”

BlackBerry 10 Ready Offer

BlackBerry customers with BlackBerry Technical Support at the Advantage level or higher are eligible to receive a free BlackBerry 10 smartphone.* Customers will need to install and run BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion (which will be succeeded by BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10), and successfully complete an exclusive online learning course to qualify. Upon the launch of BlackBerry 10, the organization will receive a free BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

BlackBerry 10 Webcast Series

The weekly BlackBerry 10 webcast series is designed to share information, answer questions about RIM”s enterprise product portfolio, and prepare enterprise customers with the tools they need ahead of launch. The webcasts will be supported in multiple languages.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server License Trade Up

RIM will be offering customers who purchase BlackBerry 10 smartphones the ability to trade up their existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server licenses on a one for one basis for free, until December 31, 2013.** The license trade up offer will allow customers to secure and manage their BlackBerry 10 smartphones with BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10. Customers will be able to access an online tool for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server License Trade Up in January 2013.

BlackBerry 10 Readiness Services

This set of services will provide customers with a smooth migration path to BlackBerry 10. Change management and planning migration tools, and application development services will be available in January 2013. For more details customers can email [email protected].

For more information about the BlackBerry 10 Ready Program please visitwww.blackberry.com/blackberry10ready.

To register for the BlackBerry 10 Webcast Series, and to get a complete list of dates and times, please visit www.blackberry.com/blackberry10webcasts.

* Offer available while supplies last. Limit one (1) device per company. Offer currently only available for customers in North America. (Additional countries are expected to follow with similar offers.) Offer deadline: February 28, 2013. For complete details see Terms and Conditions:http://www.blackberry.com/business/blackberry-10-ready/free-blackberry-10-device/terms-and-conditions.html.

** Offer applies to BlackBerry Enterprise Server licenses only; not applicable for BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express licenses. Additional Terms and Conditions apply.

About Research In Motion

Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (RIM.TO). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “intend”, “believe”, and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by RIM in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that RIM believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause RIM”s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of RIM”s Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on RIM”s forward-looking statements. RIM has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

BlackBerry, RIM, Research In Motion and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. All other brands, names and marks are the property of their respective owners. RIM is not responsible for any third party products or services.

[/toggle_box]

December 6, 2012
New Video Gives A Closer Look At The BlackBerry 10 Camera Time Shift Feature

One of the upcoming features that RIM has embedded into the BlackBerry 10 devices is Time Shift (powered by Scalado). This gives users the ability to snap multiple pictures and easily adjust the image to make it perfect – no more closed eye syndrome. RIM first showed this off at BlackBerry World 2012 and wowed the crowd.

In a video today, RIM has posted a deeper look into Time Shift, specifically noting that the upcoming BB10 devices will come with “a great camera that allows you to take photos, full HD video. As well as a camera that solves some of the problems that you probably encounter everyday when you use a camera to take pictures.” Arun Kumar, Senior Product Manager, Multimedia at BlackBerry, said that with Time Shift you can literally go forward and reverse “in time” to make the perfect picture. You’ll be able to adjust multiple faces and basically choose a new set of eyes or change the smile. It’s a pretty cool feature and will be a solid addition to the overall BB10 experience.

Kumar also gave a bit more insight into the Blackberry 10 multimedia experience as he states that you’ll have the option to “personalize” the pictures or videos you capture, then easily sharing “your life stories with others.” This is something that has popped up online over the past number of months. Within Blackberry 10, RIM will include a picture editor capabilities that is a similar experience to Instagram.

RIM will unveil their new BlackBerry 10 OS and the two new BlackBerry 10 smartphones on January 30th, 2013. For now, check out the video of Time Shift below.

[Mobile Syrup]

December 1, 2012
BlackBerry 10-N Series Physical QWERTY Keypad Gets Photographed

The BlackBerry 10 N-Series hasn’t since seen the light of day, until today. Aside from the early marketing video never really meant for public eyes, the N-Series has escaped blurry cams everywhere but purported images of the BlackBerry 10 N-Series Physical QWERTY Keypad have made their way out now.

Taking a look at it shows the similar iconic design that we’re used to seeing in other flagship devices, namely the Bold 9900, but with the upcoming BB 10 it looks like the familiar chrome ‘frets’ will be straight, rather than curved.

The BlackBerry 10 platform and the first two smartphones powered by it will be launched on January 30, and more on the matter will become official at that time.

For BlackBerry users out there, are you likely to go with touchscreen or QWERTY keyboard?

November 26, 2012