Smarter Apps Brings Google+ To BlackBerry

Own a BlackBerry? Feeling left out of the Google+ game when you need to waste time while standing in line...or to put it more productively; need a way to broadcast your message instantly no matter where you are on the new social network by Google? The Smarter Apps dev team has taken the initiative and created a native Google+ app for BlackBerry devices.

Disclosure - I must let BlackBerry users know that you still won't get the full capabilities from using this app either as compared to the official apps by Google (it's only a beta). Missing but being worked on features include instant upload and Google Messenger capabilities. On the flip side, users can take advantage of uploading photos from your library or snapping a new pic to add to an update, something that's not possible via the mobile browser version of Google+.

Until HTML 5 truly takes off and developers look to creating equally immersive web apps exclusively, there's nothing like a native app that hooks users into your platform. So check out Google+ for BlackBerry in the App World and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Original Source

Blackberry App Development

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Hands-On: Same Experience on Steroids

RIM's PlayBook OS 2.0 brings some new (and much-needed) features to the tablet, while keeping the same basic user experience.

Research In Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 is a fairly extensive upgrade to the PlayBook’s software, but the resulting user experience isn’t radically different from the one offered in the tablet’s original version. Certainly PlayBook OS 2.0 includes a number of features demanded by users ever since the 7-inch tablet made its debut in April 2011. With the upgrade, PlayBook users now have access to built-in email, calendar and contacts apps. A new “reading view” for the Web browser offers a streamlined way to read online news articles or Websites with large amounts of text. For BlackBerry owners, an update to BlackBerry Bridge (a feature that lets users view BlackBerry content on the PlayBook’s larger screen) lets them use their handheld as a wireless keyboard and mouse for the tablet. In a bid to appeal more broadly to consumers, PlayBook OS 2.0 also comes with a Video Store (complete with movies for rent or purchase) and Music Store. However, the business users who constitute one of RIM’s strongest customer segments might better appreciate the newfound ability to integrate their social-network data with their calendar and contacts, not to mention rich-text tools with email. But if anything’s going to spur PlayBook sales, it’ll be a robust apps ecosystem. To that end, RIM has been encouraging developers to build apps for the PlayBook. In turn, a larger ecosystem comes with a significant side benefit for the company: Given how its upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system will rely on the same QNX code base as the PlayBook, any apps built now for the tablet will port over easily (at least in theory) to the smartphones due sometime in late 2012. And BlackBerry 10 will need all the apps it can get, if it wants to compete toe-to-toe with Apple’s iPhone and the large family of Google Android devices. With all these features now in place, the PlayBook certainly feels like a more complete device. Those who liked the PlayBook before the update can take comfort in a familiar-but-enhanced interface. But it’s still up in the air whether potential owners will opt for the PlayBook—no matter how newly robust—over an iPad or Android tablet. Original Source Blackberry App Development

WordPress Releases BlackBerry PlayBook App

i

Maintaining a WordPress blog on the go just got easier for those who own a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
That's because the official WordPress for PlayBook app was released on Tuesday in the BlackBerry App World. With the app, WordPress bloggers can write posts, upload photos and videos, edit pages, and manage comments. Both WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress (2.9.2 or higher) sites are supported.

"The 7-inch screen on the PlayBook makes an excellent home for the all-new Dashboard [user interface], giving you quick access to everything in your WordPress install," Danilo Ercoli, mobile wrangler at Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and the new app, wrote in a blog post Tuesday.
Users can access the Dashboard quickly, from anywhere in the app, by simply tapping a button in the top right of the screen. The app also allows users to write posts in landscape or portrait view with a "new and improved post editor," Ercoli added. In addition, those with a WordPress.com blog can access the Read feature, which allows users to follow their favorite blogs.

WordPress for PlayBook is currently available as a free download in the BlackBerry App World. As of Wednesday, the app was receiving 3.5 out of five stars and had been reviewed 15 times.

To download the app, users will first need to update their device with the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, which was also released on Tuesday and includes a number of new features like built-in email, calendar, and contacts. It also allows the device to use Android applications that have been submitted to BlackBerry App World and features better integration of social-networking services like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
For more, see PCMag's full review of the BlackBerry PlayBook and the slideshow below.

Original Source

An E-Mail App Arrives for the BlackBerry Tablet

OTTAWA — Research in Motion, the company that introduced wireless e-mail to the world, on Tuesday finally brought e-mail to its tablet computer, the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The e-mail application is one of several additions to the second version of the PlayBook’s operating system, which became available as a no-cost download early Tuesday morning. There was considerable surprise last April that the PlayBook, the company’s answer to the Apple iPad, initially could send or receive e-mails only by being connected to a BlackBerry phone. 

The much-delayed upgrade that corrects that omission also allows the PlayBook to run some apps developed for devices that use Google’s Android operating system. And it includes some novel features for automatically integrating information and messages from social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, with its e-mail, calendar and contact apps. 

With the software upgrade, owners of BlackBerry phones will also be able to use the familiar keyboard on their handsets as a physical keyboard for the PlayBook through a wireless connection. 

While several analysts welcomed the arrival of the new operating system, they were also skeptical that it would make RIM a significant force in the tablet computer market or inspire consumers to wait for a new, and also delayed, line of phones that will use similar software. 

“It probably puts a couple of fingers in the dike,” said Mike Abramsky, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, a unit of the Royal Bank of Canada. “While many of the updates are nice, albeit late, there isn’t much to differentiate it from Android and iPad tablets.”

Tero Kuittinen, a senior analyst at M.G.I. Research, said that the changes would not be sufficient for the PlayBook to compete successfully with the third generation of the iPad, which is expected in March, or devices like Amazon’s Kindle Fire. 

“Nothing matters anymore; it’s over,” he said. “It’s going to be fairly impossible for RIM to do anything.”

While the new software plugs the biggest gaps in the PlayBook, it nevertheless failed to bring all of the features found on BlackBerry phones to the PlayBook. Most notably, the upgrade lacks BlackBerry Messenger, RIM’s instant messaging service. Several RIM executives, including Thorsten Heins, the new chief executive, have repeatedly said that BlackBerry Messenger was one of the most popular and important features on its phones. The company has been vague about the reasons for its continued absence on the PlayBook. 

Compared to Android-based tablets and Apple’s iPad, the PlayBook offered relatively few apps. Its new ability to run Android apps should help overcome that disadvantage. But only Android apps that have been submitted by developers to RIM and then made available through an online BlackBerry app store will work with the PlayBook.

¶ Sebastien Marineau-Mes, a senior vice president for BlackBerry software at QNX Software Systems, the RIM unit that developed the operating system, said most Android apps would work on the PlayBook without any modification. RIM, however, restricts Android apps from performing some functions that could create security concerns. 

¶ Despite the PlayBook’s name, RIM has long said that it intended to heavily promote the tablet to corporations, governments and other institutional users. That enterprise market, as it is known to the electronics industry, was the original customer base for BlackBerry phones. 

¶ But enterprise users that want the data security offered by BlackBerry phones on the PlayBook must purchase and install additional software on their servers. Some analysts say that this can be a costly and complex process for many companies, which may limit the PlayBook’s appeal in that market.

¶ Now that RIM has eliminated some of the PlayBook’s software shortcomings, the company is still challenged to find a way to sell that tablet at a profit.

¶ After finding little initial interest from consumers, RIM increased PlayBook sales by cutting prices of different models by as much as $300. Mr. Abramsky said that the resulting prices, which are as low as $200 for some models, meant that RIM was losing about $200 on every PlayBook it sold. He estimates that just the parts used to make the devices cost the company $205 to $271, depending on the model. 

¶ RIM may, however, be forced to continue to offer PlayBooks at a loss through at least the remainder of this year. The same operating system is the basis of the BlackBerry 10 operating system that RIM’s new phones will use. The phones are expected at the end of 2012, although Mr. Marineau-Mes declined to provide any more specific details. 

Original Source

Blackberry App Development

Can OS 2.0 Save BlackBerry’s PlayBook?

 PlayBook OS 2.0 finally brings the core strength of email and messaging to RIM’s tablet.

RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet hasn’t been getting any respect, but this may soon change once BlackBerry OS 2.0 is made available.
The once promising yet much maligned slate has been ridiculed for lacking BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), native email and calendar applications.

It has been heavily discounted, dangled in front of developers as bait, and 400 of them were recently given away by Ellen DeGeneres as party favours for her live audience.

The long awaited software update does bring a slew of improvements to the PlayBook and introduces some features that should have been present a year ago when the device first launched.

PlayBook owners will finally get a native e-mail application, a Personal Information Manager app as well as a contacts app. These are business critical apps for RIM’s core users and available on most competing tablets.

PlayBook OS 2.0 also brings improved BlackBerry Bridge connectivity that will allow recent BlackBerry smartphones to be used as remote controls for the tablet for the playing back of media such as video, slideshows and presentations.
Focus is on Apps

During a demo at last month’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show), Jonathan Wong, Senior Product Manager for RIM, showed me some off the new apps.
The most impressive was Citrix Receiver, which allowed the PlayBook to run Windows applications such as PowerPoint, Office or Outlook.

Also demoed was the Android App Player that should be able to run many Google Android applications on the PlayBook and expand the library of apps for the tablet.

RIM also confirmed that they are going after the best mobile apps in other platforms and getting them ported to the PlayBook so that users will have more options to choose from.
This is great news for existing PlayBook owners, but whether this functionality will make the tablet enticing enough for new customers remains to be seen.
A Class of its Own

When the PlayBook launched a year ago, it was in a class of its own. It was a handsome, business grade device with a promising new operating system and a fast multi-core processor and a it was designed for enterprise users.

At 7-inches in diameter it is extremely portable, well-built and was nowhere near Apple’s radar as a potential threat. This was because RIM innovated and created its own space without resorting to copying the iPad like many others did.

A year later, the PlayBook may be getting smarter and more useful, but it is also facing a staggering amount of competition from all sides.
Competition has grown

Now Apple is readying to drop the hammer on its next iPad which will take the lion’s share of the attention, and profits, for months after its announcement.

Samsung has the tablet market covered from the 5.3-inch size with their Galaxy Note and all the way up to the 7-inch, 7.7-inch, 8.9-inch and 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab sizes.
Most of the other Android tablet makers are fighting it out in the 10.1 screen category but we are seeing growing number of 7-inch tablets come in at lower price points.

Cheaper Android powered eBook readers like Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Kobo’s Vox, which look almost identical to the PlayBook, also offer more functionality at a cheaper price, even if they are mainly for reading books.

RIM’s little tablet has one good chance left at making a big impression.
It is make or break time for the PlayBook, and RIM will need to rely on its loyal users to kick start interest in the tablet and its new suite of software apps.

Original Source
Blackberry App Development

Latest With The RIM Blackberry Playbook: Ad-Powered Android apps to Run Afterall

The easiest way that most thought can salvage the PlayBook tablet device out of its impending graveyard was to allow the device to run Android Apps. Their native application market just did not have enough to attract developers to it. A user would therefore have limited applications to load on the PlayBook for their various needs. RIM accepted this suggestion and went ahead to provide for Android App compatibility on the PlayBook. However, while that is a welcome change for an otherwise brilliant tablet device, the various limitations that RIM had put in place as a pre-requisite for the PlayBook to run Android Apps has led to more questions than answers.

Like the recent announcement from RIM that the PlayBook won’t run Android apps that are supported by advertisements had led many to doubt if such a move can indeed save the PlayBook from fizzling out. RIM though has stepped in to clear the air and have stated the ads can run inside of Android apps though developers have been barred from using RIM’s own BlackBerry Ad services in their bid to monetize their apps.

Another sore point for developers who wish to port their apps on to the PlayBook is that they will have to do without in-app purchases. What this means is that developers either have to make available their apps completely free or for a price, either of which isn’t just the most appealing thing for the developers to opt for.
RIM had earlier announced applications that have an advertisement attached to it will not be allowed to run on the PlayBook. Developers who have developed some application and not charging the user for their effort, and rather collecting revenue from a company whose content they link to via their app, becomes a banned item for the PlayBook. RIM would surely find this restrictive clause playing against them, but as of now Playbook OS 2.0, the new OS for the PlayBook with Android App compatibility has this restriction in place.

RIM though has stated all of this won’t have too serious an effect of the PlayBook and is rather buoyed by the strong positive response that developers has evinced in creating apps for the PlayBook. As many as 6,600 developers have registered in just 6 days prompting RIM to extent the procurement process. Of course, there is also the free PlayBook offer for developers to go for.

“While Android is important to fill out the long tail of apps, the focus is on building out native and HTML5 apps,” said Jeff Gadway, RIM’s Senior Brand & Marketing Communication.

The PlayBook had its greatest limitation in the incapability to access messenger as well as calendar without it being connected to a BlackBerry Phone in real time. The Playbook 2.0 OS is supposed to correct these errors. It may have some new interest amongst gadget users.

Meanwhile in another interesting development, native Twitter and Amazon Kindle app might soon be seen making its debut on the PlayBook.

As per the Best Buy Canada’s product page: “Plug in to BlackBerry App World™ and read, write and game like never before. With thousands of apps for every use, you’ll never run out of new and exciting options. Pick up Angry Birds or Cut the Rope, read the latest magazines, or connect online with Facebook and Twitter apps. With access to Kobo and Kindle, you can enjoy new late night reading without ever leaving your living room.”

What’s not known though is when the Twitter and Amazon Kindle apps will be seen on the PlayBook device.
via gigaom

Original Source

Blackberry App Development

BlackBerry reportedly looking to launch PlayBook OS 2.0 on 21 February

Having got off to something of a torrid start - besieged by stories of discontinuation and revelations of surplus inventory inspired losses to name a few – RIM is determined to get project PlayBook back on the straight and narrow.

Step one will be the launch of the first major update to the tablet's OS, with reports suggesting PlayBook OS 2.0 will officially roll out to consumers on 21 February.

Tablet party invite

Said update had originally been scheduled to make its debut before of the end of 2011, though it was subsequently pushed back due to issues incorporating BlackBerry Messenger, better known as BBM.

It can be of little coincidence that BBM has now reportedly been pulled from the line-up, though RIM is looking to bolster the platform's existing roster of games – which includes Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies and Cut the Rope – both through native apps and the tablet's support for Android apps.

Indeed, RIM recently extended its promo aimed at Android devs – which delivers a free PlayBook to studios that submit an Android app for the platform – to 2 March, with 6,600 new developers having already signed up.

Original Source

Blackberry App Development

Microsoft Dynamics CRM goes mobile with iOS, Android, BlackBerry apps

 

If 2011 was all about integrating social media relationships to CRM software, 2012 looks like it will be all about taking relationships to the mobile realm, and mobilizing sales, service and marketing teams with powerful CRM apps.

Microsoft on Monday announced the next update to its customer relationship management product Microsoft Dynamics CRM will include a new native mobile client for iOS, Android, BlackBerry App, and Windows Phone 7.

The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Q2 2012 service update brings a cloud-based mobile CRM service that communicates with these native CRM apps for smartphones and tablets to give them the huge volumes of data and important customer graphs and metrics that are available to desktop users.

The applications allow users to access Dynamics CRM either remotely or on-premise, and include offline syncing functionality so users can keep their customer data handy even when their data connection is severed, like when they're on an airplane.

The mobile service is centrally managed, and administrators can configure the record types, forms, views, offline synchronization rules and navigation structure for the mobile application. Admins even have the ability to remotely wipe all of the CRM data from the mobile device if it's lost, stolen, or simply loaded onto the user's personal device.

Furthermore, extended CRM applications built in xRM are also integrated into Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile.

"We want to be revolutionary, not evolutionary, and the market is moving fast. Our customers are tackling CRM initiatives like never before. They can't afford to be casual. They are serious. They don't flinch," said Dennis Michalis, General Manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. "The most successful customers are innovating with mobility, using every kind of device they can deploy CRM functionality on, and they are going deeper with Microsoft Dynamics CRM flexibility for their specific needs than ever before."

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Mobile will cost $30 per user per month, and each user license includes three simultaneous mobile installs. The mobile client apps will be available on Windows Phone 7.5+, iOS 5+, Android 2.2+, and BlackBerry 6.x and 7.x.

The only tablets to support the application at launch will be Apple's iPad family.

 Original Source 

BlackBerry 9790 Receives Unofficial BlackBerry 7.1 OS Update

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 has received a leaked update to the most recent version of RIM’s mobile operating system, the BlackBerry 7.1 OS (Note: 

This is an unofficial release so proceed with caution).

The BlackBerry 7.1 OS update, which arrived in early January of this year, is already officially available to the Bold 9900/9930, the Torch 9810/9850/9860, and the Curve 9350/9360/9370.

The update brings Wi-Fi-enabled Internet calling, NFC-tagging, Mobile hotspot and FM radio support to supported BlackBerry smartphones among several enhancements and program upgrades that include BlackBerry apps  such as Maps, Messenger, Traffic and Travel.

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 arrived early in the UK on January 17 courtesy of online retailer Clove, features a 2.45in (480 x 360 pixels) touchscreen, a trademark BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard, a 1GHz processor, 768MB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, a 5MP rear-facing camera, and runs on BlackBerry OS 7 (eligible for RIM’s BlackBerry 7.1 OS update).

Like every unofficial firmware, eager BB 9790 users who want to experience the new OS must read and follow all necessary precautions and guidelines before flashing.

BlackBerry 9790 owners who doubt that they can do the job must wait for the official BlackBerry 7.1 OS update here, otherwise, get the leaked 9790 version here.

Original Source

Monster launches app for BlackBerry

The app allows users to search and apply for jobs.

Online recruitment firm, Monster India on Thursday launched its mobile application for BlackBerry smartphones. The free new app is now available for download on BlackBerry App World.
Elaborating on the launch, Sanjay Modi, managing director, Monster.com (India/ Middle East/ South East Asia) said, "We are excited to launch the Monster application on a BlackBerry platform. The significant reach and popularity of BlackBerry smart phones in India provides us an ideal platform to reach out to both jobseekers and employers who want access to MonsterIndia.com
 from their handset."



The Monster application for BlackBerry smartphones provides access to all the features and services that are present in Monsterindia.com. It also supports the Universal Search feature on smartphones running the BlackBerry 6 OS and higher.

The new app enables users to search and apply for jobs, get job alerts, manage account on the move. For employers, the new app offers mobile access (to post and manage new job postings), search on the move (capability to search and shortlist relevant resumes).

What's more, the new app is a BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) connected app allowing seekers and employers running BBM version 6 (or higher) to easily share the Monster application and search results with their BBM friends.

Original Source

RIM Updates BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing, App World

Research In Motion updated a wide range of software and services this week for users of its BlackBerry smartphones.

While RIM is hard at work bringing PlayBook OS 2.0 and BlackBerry 10 to market, it isn't ignoring its current user base. This week the company updated several key services, chief among them its mobile conferencing application. Let's look at all the new software for BlackBerrys App.  
BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing Version 3.0

The newest version of RIM's mobile conferencing software adds a wide range of new features to help ease the pain of initiating or joining conference calls from your smartphone. 

New features include a "Join Now" button that is embedded in calendar appointments for one-click dial-ins. There's also a one-click Reconnect button if you're disconnected. You can schedule a conference call, complete with conference bridge details, directly from the BlackBerry Calendar in an easy two-step process. One of the coolest new features is the ability to convert email threads into meeting invites with all the participants of the email thread.  

Other new features available in version 3.0 include "tell a friend" for sharing the app through BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Twitter, email, and instant messaging.
 
Free Trials of BlackBerry Music

RIM is offering free trials to its BlackBerry Music service. Normally, the service costs $10 per month. It will be free to U.S. and Canadian users for four months, and free to British, Spanish, and Italian users for six months.

BlackBerry Music lets BlackBerry smartphone users share playlists with friends, giving each person access to all the music that's stored in their friends' libraries.
 
BlackBerry App World v3.1.1.15 Beta

RIM has provided a new beta version of App World. This new version of RIM's application store, which is only available to registered beta testers, brings alternate billing options shown in a purchase confirmation screen; submitting apps has new, easier-to-use confirmation screen; support for OS 7.1; and various bug fixes.

If you're not a member of BlackBerry Beta Zone, it is free to sign up.
 
How can companies find and fix vulnerabilities before they lead to a breach? Better yet, how can software developers identify flaws in their applications before the new software is ever deployed? In this report, Eliminating Vulnerabilities In Enterprise Software, Dark Reading offers a look at some tips and tricks for software development and vulnerability assessment. (Free registration required.)  
Original Source

Coming Soon From BlackBerry: 5 Things to Look Forward To

These are dark days for Research In Motion (RIM) and its BlackBerry brand...or at least dim ones.

The Canadian company is struggling with an increasingly negative market perception, shrinking customer loyalty as long-time BlackBerry users move on, and stiff competition from rivals, including Apple, Google and Microsoft, among other things. (Read more details on why 2012 could be a particularly tough year for RIM and BlackBerry.)

But that doesn't mean it should all be doom and gloom for RIM right now. Here are five reasons why current BlackBerry users and others interested in the brand and its future should remain optimistic in the coming months.

1) BlackBerry 7.1 OS Updates for BlackBerry 7 Smartphones
Earlier this year, RIM announced that the latest version of its BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 7.1, will be rolling out shortly via a variety of North American wireless carriers. And that's great news for anyone with a BlackBerry 7 smartphone, since OS 7.1 is a fairly significant update with a variety of cool new features.
BlackBerry 7.1 features and enhancements include Near Field Communications (NFC) and BlackBerry Tag support (read more about Tag here); Mobile Hotspot to turn your BlackBerry handheld into your own personal and portable Wi-Fi router; Wi-Fi calling, to make voice calls over the Internet and reduce the use of your monthly allotment of cellular voice minutes; a new version of RIM's BlackBerry Traffic app that offers free turn-by-turn navigation, and much more.

Some versions of BlackBerry 7.1 also reportedly feature a cool new "battery saving mode" to help your smartphone stay up and running longer.

A variety of U.S. carriers have already reportedly released OS 7.1 for select devices, including T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint. Unfortunately, only BlackBerry smartphones running RIM's BlackBerry 7 OS are compatible with the 7.1 software, so users with older BlackBerrys are out of luck.

Though BlackBerry 7.1 certainly isn't BlackBerry 10--RIM's upcoming OS that's built on a new and completely different software foundation--it's definitely worth the update, and it ought to help tide over anxious CrackBerry users until BlackBerry 10 becomes available in late 2012 or early 2013.
Find more details on the BlackBerry OS 7.1 update on RIM's Inside BlackBerry blog.

2) BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 Software

BlackBerry handhelds aren't the only RIM devices getting major software updates; RIM's PlayBook tablet is also set to receive a significant software makeover this month. BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 is expected to be released for RIM tablets sometime in February, and it contains a variety of cool new and valuable features, not the least of which is the much-anticipated Android Player for PlayBook, which will enable users to run certain Android applications on their RIM tablets.

Additional features include "native" PlayBook personal information management (PIM) apps so users can access their e-mail, contacts, calendar and more without using RIM's BlackBerry Bridge software; improved and updated document editing functionality; a new "Print to Go" app that lets you wirelessly connect to compatible nearby printers; and an "open on" feature that lets you quickly open up files and other content stored on your smartphone or your PlayBook tablet.

RIM's BlackBerry Bridge 2.0 software also lets you employ your BlackBerry smartphone to control a PlayBook tablet and use your handheld's keyboard to type messages and text.
Read more details about PlayBook 2.0 on RIM's website.

3) New BlackBerry 7 Curve Devices

BlackBerry users may not see any new BlackBerry 10 devices until later this year, or maybe even early next year, but that doesn't mean RIM won't be releasing any new handhelds. RIM should soon announce and release two new, low-end, entry-level smartphones: the Curves 9220 and 9320.

Neither the Curve 9220 nor the Curve 9320 will likely turn many heads--they look almost exactly like the current line of Curve smartphones--but they're both solid upgrades to an already popular product line. And they're aimed at new smartphone users who may not want or need the latest and greatest devices with cutting edge features.

More specifically, the Curve 9220, codenamed "Davis," and Curve 9320, dubbed "Armstrong", both have the same display resolutions (320x240) as the earlier Curve 9300, 8520 and 83xx families of devices, according to reports. But they will both allegedly also run the BlackBerry 7 OS; the 9320 supports HSPA+ data transfer while the 9220 is EDGE only; they pack digital cameras with flash(3.2 megapixels for the 9320 and 2 megapixels for the 9220); and they both have Bluetooth and FM radio support--the 9320 also has GPS.

RIM also seems ready to continue to release additional BlackBerry 7 devices in white. The company already released a number of white Torch, Bold and Curve handhelds, and more models should be available soon, such as the Bold 9790 and Curve 9380. (I know some BlackBerry users who love white devices, but personally, I think there's just something wrong with white BlackBerrys.)

4) Additional Details on BlackBerry 10 Smartphones

RIM has released very few official details regarding the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS, formerly referred to as BBX, except for the fact that it will be built on a foundation from QNX Systems, just like the PlayBook software, and as such, it will likely be quite similar to the RIM's tablet OS.

BlackBerry 10 will feature an Android Player similar to the one found in the PlayBook OS. And the first BlackBerry 10 smartphone should arrive in late 2012, according to RIM. (Check out this concept image of a BlackBerry 10 prototype device for an idea of what the first BlackBerry 10 handheld might look like.)
Other than that, little is known about RIM's new OS, though it is clear that RIM's future in the mobile space will hinge on the success of BlackBerry 10. Current BlackBerry users can take comfort in the fact that RIM will slowly share details about BlackBerry 10 in the coming months, to tease the first device's planned late 2012 release. And RIM will probably share many details and offer hands-on demos of BlackBerry 10 devices at its BlackBerry World 2012 conference in May.

5) New or Renewed BlackBerry Focus on Consumer Smartphone Market

RIM has always been a company that caters to the business or enterprise market much more efficiently and effectively than the much larger consumer market. But if RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins gets his way that could all change in 2012. (Read more details on Heins and his background.)

"We need to be closer to our consumer user base. We're well positioned with CIOs...but in the US, we need to do a better job there [targeting consumers]," Heins said in a press conference held just after he took the BlackBerry CEO reigns. "I want us to focus more on consumers and consumer marketing. That is a major change for us. That is an element that we need to strengthen, that we need to build."

And Heins plans to quickly bring on a brand new marketing chief to lead the charge. What exactly will come from this effort remains to be seen. But you can expect to see more aggressive and high-profile advertising from RIM and perhaps more celebrity endorsements--RIM has been bringing on celebrities to tout the BlackBerry brand for years, but it never really publicized those partnerships. Perhaps the company will begin to spread the word about these endorsements.

And we could see more sports-oriented advertising, as well, in the vein of RIM's recent NHL All Star Game Skill Competition "BlackBerry Hardest Shot" event sponsorship and related PlayBook marketing campaign. (Let's just hope it doesn't come in the form of additional appearances from The Bold Team. Yikes.)
Whatever comes of this new focus on the consumer market--the new entry-level Curve devices could be the first step--the next few months should be very eventful for RIM.

Al Sacco covers Mobile and Wireless for CIO.com. Follow Al on Twitter @ASacco. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Al at asacco@cio.com.

Original Source


Blackberry App Development

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing App Updated to Version 3.0 with BBM Integration

The BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing app is one of those apps that really shows what BlackBerry can do and how it does it best. The app makes mobile conferencing easy and seamless. The app has recently been updated to version 3.0 and now includes features for sharing the app across your social networks. In terms of the app itself, there isn’t much new here, but the sharing features are decent.

The BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing app makes conferencing calling easy and seamless with the following features:

Join Now Button– The BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing app adds a button to calendar reminders on your BlackBerry that can dial you in to a call with one click. If the invite includes multiple dial-in numbers for different locations, the app can choose the most appropriate one for you (within Canada, the US and the UK only).

Reconnect – Reconnect with one click if you’re disconnected or need to drop off a conference call.

Easy Conference Scheduling – You can schedule a conference call complete with conference bridge details directly from the BlackBerry Calendar in an easy two-step process. To enable this capability, you can set your conference call profile once in the BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing app, including dial-in numbers and access codes, and then simply add the profile as part of the calendar invitation. (The moderator code is kept hidden from participants in the calendar invitation.) Many of the leading audio conferencing systems are supported.

Optimal Conference Call Number Selection – If multiple dial-in numbers are provided to accommodate participants in different regions, the application can automatically choose an optimal number to use, such as using the local number if you’re within the local calling area rather than a toll-free number; or a toll-free number if the dial-in number would otherwise be long distance. You can also select or modify a specific dial-in number manually.

Convert an email to a meeting invite – Help put an end to long email threads by scheduling a conference call with email participants with just a few clicks. The sender and recipients of the email are included as meeting attendees, the email subject becomes your meeting subject and part of the email message is copied into your invite automatically. Just add your conference call details from a stored profile, click send and you’re set.

New features available in version 3.0 include ‘tell a friend’ for sharing the app through BBM, Facebook, Twitter, email and instant messaging; and access to help videos from the BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing icon on your BlackBerry.

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Blackberry App Development

Compilr Lets Developers Write Code From Their BlackBerry PlayBook

Compilr is an online integrated development environment for programming languages like PHP, C++, Ruby, Java, C# and Visual Basic. The company has recently launched a pretty cool app that lets developers to write code directly from a BlackBerry Playbook. The guys at Compilr say they’re trying to remove all the hassles around development and the best way to do that was to push the experience to the web to remove friction for developers. Considering all the development environments you sometimes need to program, this makes a lot of sense.


Since the product has launched, Compilr has grown to over 80,000 users and the company says the BlackBerry community has responded really well to the PlayBook app launch. So far, the app has been downloaded over a 1,000 times which is a testament to how many developers own a PlayBook.

What’s really going to make Compilr effective is a solid keyboard for the PlayBook. If you’re going to be doing some quick hacking, you’ll need a good input method that can keep up and the virtual keyboard probably won’t cut it. We’ve tried a few of them out and RIM will soon be releasing its own. If you’re looking for one, try this Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard by NextSuccess. For Canadians, use this Amazon link.

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Blackberry App Development

RIM: BlackBerry Apps More Profitable to Developers Than Android, iOS

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion provides its users with more than six million applications per day and the apps generate 40 percent more revenue than the Android marketplace.

Contrary to popular belief, the Canadian phone company actually provides developers would a good opportunity at making money from BlackBerry's App World, with users downloading more paid apps than for Android.

Speaking at Research in Motion's DevCon Europe conference in Amsterdam, RIM's head of developer relations, Alec Saunders, said that roughly 13 percent of BlackBerry App developers have made $100,000 or more from selling applications for the handsets, a figure that he claims to be higher than with Android and iOS developers.

After the torrid 12 months that RIM has endured, the company is reliant more than ever on its app developers to create new and innovative ways of using BlackBerry smartphones and tablets.
As technology site CNET points out: "Without a significant library of apps, RIM's current BlackBerry 7 would have an increasingly difficult time competing in the market, while its next-generation BlackBerry 10 platform would be dead on arrival."

BlackBerry 10 - previously known as BBX - will be released towards the end of 2012 and is expected to bring an all-new user interface and operating system to BlackBerry products.
Also at DevCon Europe, RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins demonstrated the 2.0 operating system for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet; this update signals a major reboot of the company, which it helps will direct the phone manufacturer in a new direction.

Heins spoke of a new philosophy called "BlackBerry Flow" which incorporates real time information from places like Facebook, Twitter and email pushed automatically to BlackBerry 10 devices without the need for users to open each individual application.

Heins said: "We want to make it effortless for the user to use all their apps and not always be having the in/out paradigm."

We can only assume he is referring to opening and closing applications to get the information you want, instead of having it all pushed to you at once.
The CEO continued: "This is the heart of BlackBerry 10. It's to be effortless in everything you do. It just flows."

BB10 has been in the works for more than two years, and Heins said that RIM has been buying "the best tech companies we could find" to develop the new operating system.

Finally, good news for any potential PlayBook buyers; with the upcoming 2.0 software update the tablet will have its own email client and calendar access without needing to be paired with a BlackBerry smartphone.

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BT develops BT Fon Wifi app for Blackberry smartphone users

App will make it easier for users of RIM's smartphone to log on to BT's Wifi hotspots

There are 3.5 million BT Wifi hotspots in the UK and Ireland

The number of BT Wifi hotspots has reached 3.5 million across the UK and Ireland, according to the Internet 

Service Provider (ISP) as it launched a new Blackberry app.

The new BT Fon app for RIM's smartphones will make it easier for BT home broadband customers to log in and was developed following the success of apps for Apple and Android users.

John Petter, managing director, consumer, said: "Millions of BT broadband customers are enjoying free access to the one of the biggest Wifi networks in the world.

"Our free apps for the Apple, Android and now Blackberry devices make getting online even easier and have already proved a huge hit with over 900,000 downloads."

Around six million BT Total Broadband customers have free and unlimited access to the company's Wifi hotspots; of which there are more than 380,000 in London, 25,000 in Birmingham and Leeds, around 20,000 in Manchester, Edinburgh and Sheffield, and more than 11,000 in Liverpool, Brighton, Bristol and Cardiff.

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Kayak pulls plug on BlackBerry app support

RIM seems to be having some trouble wooing developers to its side lately — look no further than its recent free PlayBook promotion for evidence of that — but you know things are really bad when an established company with an already-built app decides it's better to pull away its resources than continue support. Unfortunately for RIM, that's precisely what's happening: the popular travel comparison site Kayak has announced that its BlackBerry app is now flying solo, doomed to never be updated again. In a heartfelt goodbye, the company says that when the team started in 2004 they all used BlackBerrys, but now they (and their users) have moved on, so the "practical decision" had to be made. Of course, the mobile website will continue to exist, and maybe there's a chance QNX-based BlackBerry 10 will sway these guys back down the road — but it's clear that support for RIM's outgoing OS is dead and gone.

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The BlackBerry Torch 9810 4G Takes Two Spots in Amazon Top 5 Bestsellers List

 

The BlackBerry Torch 9810 has been able to successfully occupy two of the top fie spots on Amazon’s Bestseller list at Amazon Wireless.  Considering the volume of phones sold at Amazon Wireless, this is no easy feat.  Aside form the one penny price tag, is the BlackBerry Torch really that impressive?  We decided to find out.

We were immediately encouraged that the BlackBerry Torch 9810 is powered by the next generation BlackBerry OS 7, which offers a rich feature set, impressive business on the go enhanced apps and features, superb productivity apps, and a very hearty selection of voice activated functions.  BlackBerry is already the business mobile platform of choice for millions of business professionals, and offers on the go productivity that is unparalleled in the industry.

This savvy BlackBerry device sports a powerful 1.2 GHz processor.  Now at first we were rather skeptical about the lack of dual core power, however the concern was unfounded when we experienced the high performance processor in action.  Speed was impressive, multitasking performance was perfectly smooth and fluid no matter what we threw at it, and we definitely recognized an enhanced multimedia experience.

We were also pleased to find that the BlackBerry Torch 9810 possessed integrated Liquid Graphics technology which facilitates a cohesive combination of a dedicated GPU with the CPU, resulting in an impressively responsive touch interface and best in class, smooth, and ultra fast graphics for your viewing pleasure.  BlackBerry App may usually be considered the ‘business’ smartphone line of devices, however they have indeed made sure your multimedia will be high quality as well.

Other examples of the BlackBerry Torch 9810 devices latest mobile technologies include the augmented reality feature, BlackBerry’s universal search, speech to text translation for locating files, email, or music, and search the web without typing a thing.  Their productivity features and apps deliver world class BlackBerry push messaging service, up to 10 supported business and personal email accounts, DataViz Docs To Go Premium suite for document editing, and one click access to BlackBerry App World for a huge selection of additional productivity apps and entertainment applications.

The latest BlackBerry browser features HTML5 video support, ultra fast page loads, enhanced web based gaming, and seamless zooming and scrolling fucntions.  On board GPS is enabled, and Bluetooth connectivity and data tethering are also featured.

You’ll find 8 GB of internal memory on the BlackBerry Torch 9810, expandable up to 32 GB.  Battery life is up to 6.5 hours of talk time, and the phone is a nice, compact, lightweight device that offers a more portable portfolio with its nice 3.2” capacitive multi-touchscreen, optical trackpad, and bottom sliding QERTY keyboard.  As a smartphone user who went with a great big screen and hence larger heavier phone, the Torch 9810 device’s size is rather appealing to me now.

Overall we’re giving the BlackBerry Torch 9810 a resounding applause and a big thumbs up.  Starting at just one penny, you’d be hard pressed to find a high performance device with such an impressive feature set.  The device is available in either white or black.

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Best Apps for BlackBerry, February 2012

Check out the latest and greatest in apps for your BlackBerry with our monthly app roundup.

Luko Remote for PlayBook

Turn your PlayBook into a remote control for your PC.
Luko remote allows you to turn your PlayBook into a keyboard and mouse for your PC, allowing control directly from the comfort of your chair/couch/beanbag/hammock/bed (in approximate order of comfort). Better than this, the app also comes with a file browser, so you can launch apps and specific files without having to squint at the scratchy fonts on your cathode/monitor/HDTV/projector/JumboTron (in approximate order of awesome).

Of course, this app is targeted at those with home theatre PCs, but you can still do some handy things with it, such as controlling music at a dinner/gathering/bbq/party/rave (in approximate order of musical importance), freaking out your kid brother/mother/teacher/boss/captor (in approximate order of bad-assedness), navigating through your next work presentation (well, that’s boring), or just a way to make sure you’re keeping your calorie burning under control.

The app requires you to install a server program on your Windows XP/Vista/7 PC (available here), and also that your PlayBook exists on the same Wi-Fi network. There isn’t an option to use it over 3G, but, unless you have some particularly good binoculars, I don’t really see much of a use case there, anyway.

The server is easy enough to set up with the only foreseeable hiccup being a wayward firewall.

Jewel Breaker

A great Bejewelled clone for BlackBerry, Jewel Breaker has three game modes – Standard, Timed, and Infinite – that should suit your mood and time frame. In case you’ve not played a game like this before, the object is to switch pairs of gems around in order to line up three or more.

When you do, those gems disappear, and more squeeze down from the top to fill the gap left. This, in turn, can cause combos, and every gamer loves combos.

Xploding Boxes

A graphically basic version of a casual gamer classic. Touch the cubes to have them explode, sending shrapnel in four directions. The shrapnel will cause other boxes to explode, starting the aforementioned, ever-satisfying, combo move. Different coloured boxes require a different amount of touches (whether by finger or shrapnel) to explode, turning this into a puzzler, rather than a free-for-all experiment in ballistics.

The stark graphics help in loading times, meaning you can usually squeeze a round in between answering emails, no matter how old your device.  
LocalBar for PlayBook

If you’re sick and tired of having to hook your PlayBook up to your PC just to sideload an app that doesn’t exist on the BB App World, then LocalBar will provide you with the sweet relief that you crave so much.

Of course, to get LocalBar onto your device, you’ll have to do the PC-Dev-mode-shuffle, but, once it’s on your device, you’ll be able to download and install .bar files directly from your PlayBook browser.
Original Source 

Blackberry App Development

Develop an Android app, submit it to BlackBerry App World and get a free PlayBook

RIM wants Android apps in their BlackBerry App Development World market so bad, they’re practically giving away PlayBooks to developers who submit them. What’s that you say, they actually are giving away PlayBooks?

Oh RIM, what’s happened to you?

Instead of building quality hardware, pairing it with quality software and attracting users and app developers the old fashioned way, a clearly desperate RIM is giving away PlayBook tablets to any developer who submits their Android app to the BalckBerry App World market.

You see, RIM has developed software for the OS running on the PlayBook that allows Android apps to be ported to BlackBerry with just a few simple clicks. Apparently, RIMs plans to leech from the Android Market isn’t turning out quite like they imagined. Even after drastically lowering the price on PlayBooks, RIM still can’t get rid of them. So why not give them away in exchange for apps?

RIM’s future is still very uncertain at this point, but a free tablet is a free tablet. Need an ereader for your kids? A $500 coaster? A chew toy for your dog (just kidding, don’t give your dog a PlayBook to chew on)? You have until February 13th to submit your app and take advantage of this generous offer.

Original Source

Verizon offers smartphone app bundle for Android, BlackBerry and Apple devices

Verizon Wireless has announced a new Smartphone App Pack bundle, which offers six different apps for the price of just one.

What makes this product offering special is that the bundle includes some of the carrier's most popular services and apps, such as NFL Mobile Premium, Verizon Video, VZ Navigator and Visual Voicemail.
Other beneficial characteristics include Usage Controls, and a Ringback Tones subscription. One novel factor of this package is its price, which is marked at $12.99 per month.

VZ Navigator and Verizon Video are both available for $10 monthly on Android, in comparison to the bundle price. Customers can enjoy the option of purchasing the Smartphone App Pack through the My Verizon app on their Android, BlackBerry App Development or iPhone handsets. Those who already have some of the apps can pick up the others for little, or no extra cost. Verizon announced that it has very little time left for promotion, but it did not give a clear idea of when is it going to end.

For the first time in history, the Super Bowl will be streamed to select smart phones via NFL Mobile, only from Verizon.

Original Source

BlackBerry woes: Technical glitch takes down app store in a day

Shortly after RIM enabled its official application store in Pakistan, BB users started downloading free apps causing an overload of traffic on RIM’s network, said a telecom official familiar with the matter. However, access to paid apps was intermittent as some users were able to purchase them while others complained they encountered problems creating a BlackBerry ID, a prerequisite for purchasing paid apps.

One user told The Express Tribune that despite creating an ID on BlackBerry’s official website, he was unable to purchase paid apps. After clicking on a confirmation link sent to his e-mail, the BlackBerry page said “the creation or modification of your of your email address is temporarily unavailable. We are working to re-enable this feature and apologise for any inconvenience. However, it further said that BlackBerry ID account was successful and you may use it to access BlackBerry services like App World.

Unlike those who faced problems with paid apps, Muneeb Gulzar, a businessman, was successful in downloading the infamous game Fruits and Ninja for $0.75.

Gulzar, however, expressed his disappointment over the shut down after a day. “If you check BlackBerry Messenger status, you will know people were happy for being gifted with the additional feature,” he said. App World made my phone feel like a turbocharged super car for a day, he said, while the shut down brought it down to a normal saloon car the next day.

The shutdown of App World rightly disappointed BlackBerry users who were hit hard by BlackBerry Messenger outages last year and were not compensated like users in other countries. One user tweeted, now that BlackBerry App World is now available in Pakistan, how do we access the free gift of $100 in credit in App World?

Whether or not BB users in Pakistan will be given $100 gift credit on the official store remains debatable but the good news for them is that RIM, in its official comment, hinted it will enable its official store anytime soon.

“We are currently still testing BlackBerry App Development World in Pakistan, but we will keep you posted on availability,” said Rabih Habayeb, Senior Account Manager at First&42nd – Dubai-based PR firm that manages media queries for RIM.

The PR firm, however, failed to give detailed answer to all the queries. However, the telecom official confirmed that the Canadian smartphone maker has opened its official app store for Pakistan.

It is only a matter of time before App World is accessible again, official said. “There are technical problems – especially pertaining to creation of BlackBerry ID – at the back end of RIM which they will nail soon,” official added.

Original Source

BlackBerry still losing market share

Research in Motion Ltd.'s share of the smartphone market continued to fall in the final three months of 2011, accounting for just 16 percent of the market now, according to Reston-based comScore Inc.    comScore Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Facebook widens display ad lead over YahooSmall Business how-to guide — Social MediaOnline retail sales changing dynamic of holiday shopping Follow this company

Its latest report shows Apple Inc.    Apple Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Apple eyes June release for iPhone 5DBJ Tech Watch for Thursday: News of Facebook IPO, Apple, Arrow and moreApple request denied to ban Samsung sales in Germany Follow this company iPhone continued to gain market share, while smartphones running Google Inc.    Google Inc. Latest from The Business Journals More small businesses tracking their carbon footprintFirst Solar, NRG power plant named best PV projectFacebook's IPO filing, by the numbers Follow this company ’s Android operating system remained the dominant player in the Smartphone market.

As of December, Android held a 47.3 percent smartphone market share, up from 44.8 percent in September. The iPhone held a 29.6 percent share, up 2.2 percent from three months earlier. Research in Motion still ranks third, sliding 2.9 percent, from 18.9 percent in September to 16 percent in December.

Smartphones running Microsoft Corp.    Microsoft Corp. Latest from The Business Journals Amazon supports same-sex marriage, following other area companiesDBJ Tech Watch for Thursday: News of Facebook IPO, Apple, Arrow and moreMicrosoft exec: Business reasons should dictate move to the cloud Follow this company 's operating system slipped from 5.6 percent market share in September, to 4.7 percent in December.

Smartphone pioneer Palm Inc.    Palm Inc. Latest from The Business Journals AMR wants to ditch pensions, 13,000 jobsAdditional top webOS exec leaves HPAnother top WebOS exec leaves HP Follow this company has now dropped completely out of the top five, replaced by Symbian, which held a 1.4 percent market share.

All categories of smartphone use rose in the three month period, with texting up 3.2 percent, downloaded applications up 5.1 percent and use of browsers rising 4.6 percent.

ComScore (NASDAQ: SCOR) says 35.3 percent of smartphone users accessed social networking sites or blogs, up 3.8 percent from September, while game-playing was done by 31.4 percent of the mobile audience, up 2.6 percent.

As of December, 97.9 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones, representing 40 percent of all mobile subscribers.

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BlackBerry App Development