BlackBerry Bold 9700 — the top accessories

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 might just be the best BlackBerry ever made. If you have one, rest assured that you made a good choice. But with these accessories, you can make it just a little bit better…

BlackBerry Charging pod (£24.99)
Deadly simple, but guaranteed to make your BlackBerry Curve 3G an even more central part of your day-to-day life, this charge dock will transform your Blackberry Curve into an integral part of your desk. Specially designed for your phone, theBlackBerry charging dock doesn’t even have to connect to your phone’s USB port, traditionally used to charge your phone.

Spare Battery and RIM charger (£24.99)The BlackBerry is a road warrior — a rugged design and reliable email service make the BlackBerry Bold 9700 the perfect companion to a long journey. Being a smartphone, that battery won’t last forever though. With a spare battery at hand, you can double the longevity of your BlackBerry. You can also get a separate battery charger, so that you won’t have to charge youe battery while it’s in the phone.

Zagg InvisibleSHIELD screen protector (£17.99)
With an iconic body design and ergonomics well-suited to typing on the physical Qwerty keyboard, you don’t want to add too much bulk to the BlackBerry Bold 9700. The Zagg Invisible SHIELD will protect your whole phone without adding any bulk whatsoever. It’s a plastic screen protector designed to cover your whole BlackBerry Bold 9700, apart from the touchy-feely bits like the optical trackpad. All the protection, none of the inconvenience.

BlackBerry Presenter (£129.99)
The new BlackBerry Presenter is one of the most ambitious BlackBerry accessories ever, but it’s working to please a pretty small crowd. It connects to your BlackBerry and lets you play any Powerpoint (ppt) files through a projector or onto a monitor — just hook up the Presenter using the DVI or S-video output. Having a video out box for your BlackBerry, to play vids on your TV, would be fab, but sadly the Presenter can only play PPT files. Good for business types, not so great for everyone else.

Silicone case (£10)
If the idea of the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD, a screen protector for your whole phone, is a turn-off, why not grab yourself a conventional silicone case? It’s an ultra-cheap way to get protection for your phone, and won’t add too much bulk to the BlackBerry Bold 9700 either. If the black and silver design of the 9700 is a bit sombre for your tastes, you’ll also find silicone cases in every hue under the sun. Or all the neon day-glo hues you’ll find in the highlighter section of your local stationery supplier, anyway.

16GB microSD card (£30)
BlackBerry OS 6 gives you a few more important reasons to boost your BlackBerry Bold 9700′smemory banks with a massive microSD card (don’t worry, even massive cards are the same size as tiny ones). First there’s the newly re-designed media player, which looks almost as good as the iPhone’s MP3 player, and even better is the built-in Podcast app, which lets you find, subscribe to and download all your favourite podcasts.

From:fonehome.co.uk

Tips to Speed up the BlackBerry Browser

The BlackBerry Browser is not slow by any means, but you can make it significantly faster than it currently is by performing a few tweaks.

Start by turning off images. To access this setting, launch the Browser, press the Menu key, select Options, select Browser Configuration, uncheck the box in front of Show Images, and uncheck the box in front of Use Background Images. Press the Escape key, select Save, and then enjoy a faster browser.

Ten Tips and Tricks to Extend your BlackBerry Battery Life!

Looking to maximize your BlackBerry battery life? We’ve got TEN simple tricks you can use that will help to ensure you are getting the most out of your much needed battery power. While BlackBerry Smartphones have historically been known for their awesome battery life, we’ve seen the natural battery life take a hit on some of the new BlackBerry 7 Smartphones to hit the market. For example, on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 the battery was reduced from the predecessor Bold 9700 from a 1500mAh battery to 1230mAh. With less juice to work with and a bigger display and faster processor to power, if you’re a power user you *could* be finding that your old habits put you into the low or dead battery zone before the day is done.

So if you’re finding yourself low on power sooner than you’d like to see and are looking to extend the battery life on your BlackBerry Bold 9900, Bold 9930 or other OS 7 device, there are plenty of settings you can tweak and battery-healthy habits you can form to get the job done. From dimming the backlight to tweaking up some network settings, a little bit goes a long way. These tips work for improving battery life on OS 6 and lower devices as well (although menus may be a bit different) so if you’re looking to get the most our of your BlackBerry battery, keep reading for our top ten tricks to improve battery life on your BlackBerry Smartphone.

Spotify App Comes to BlackBerry App World

BlackBerry users finally have an easy way to experience Spotify on their platform of choice. Spotify’s app for BlackBerry is finally available through the platform’s App World.

Spotify was already available on the BlackBerry platform, but now users can download it right from App World. In the past users had to download the app through the web browser instead. Now anybody with a BlackBerry 5 or later device can go into the App World and download the music streaming app.

Unfortunately, the BlackBerry Spotify doesn’t have all of the features of the iOS version of the 

app. That means it doesn’t have the new radio feature. Because the radio feature it nowhere in the app BlackBerry users still need to pay for Spotify for the service to work. A Spotify Premium subscription costs $9.99 per month, though Spotify does offer 48 hour free trials for first-time app users.

Some might find it surprising that Spotify spends the time creating apps for BlackBerry, but the service also has apps for other platforms like Windows Phone, WebOS, and even Symbian. Spotify doesn’t want to appeal only to iOS and Android users, Spotify’s goal is to become the ubiquitous music streaming platform. Releasing apps on every platform helps the company reach that goal.

However, we’d like to see the company bring at least the iOS and Android versions of the apps to feature parity. The Android version recently received a massive facelift, but the iOS version remains the only mobile version with the radio feature. We understand that creating similar apps on every platform imaginable is tough, but we can still wish for feature parity between at least two of the six apps, right?

From:gottabemobile.com

RIM says first BlackBerry 10 device will not have a physical keyboard

TORONTO — The first BlackBerry device running Research In Motion Ltd.’s new operating software will not have a physical keyboard, only a touch-screen one.

The BlackBerry 10 software will be offered on devices with physical keyboards in the future, but RIM spokeswomen Rebecca Freiburger declined to say when. RIM is expected to start selling BlackBerry 10 touch-screen devices this year.

 

Many corporate users have stuck with the BlackBerry solely because of its physical keyboard, given a perception that it’s harder to type emails on a touch screen. The BlackBerry 10 system has already been delayed about a year, and with additional delays to get a physical keyboard, those people may not be willing to wait any longer, especially as the iPhone makes greater in-roads in corporate settings. Those users may simply get the new iPhone expected this fall.

RIM’s hopes hang on the BlackBerry 10 system, which is meant to offer the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience customers now demand. The Canadian company is preparing to launch the new software later this year, just as North Americans are abandoning BlackBerrys for iPhones and Android devices.

Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Financial, called it puzzling that RIM isn’t leading with its strength by releasing a keyboard BlackBerry first.

“The physical keyboard is the most dominant item that separates out Research In Motion from its competitors,” Gillis said. “If you are not playing to your historical strengths you may find it more difficult to get traction.”

Gillis said there is a spot in the market for RIM but the company “just got to get it together.”

But Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said BlackBerry 10 is all about touch and closing the gap with Apple, so people should not be surprised that the initial model will have only a touch screen.

“They are going to build a BlackBerry device with a keyboard, but it’s just going to take longer,” Misek said. “Maybe it will come a month or two after, but frankly it might be already too late.”

RIM once dominated the corporate smartphone market but failed to adapt to the emerging “bring your own device” trend, in which employees use their personal iPhones or Android devices for work instead of relying on BlackBerrys issued by their employers. As the movement caught on, the iPhone made the BlackBerry look ancient.

RIM’s future is far from certain as its flagship devices rapidly lose market share to flashier phones. With more than $2 billion in cash, bankruptcy seems unlikely in the near term. But RIM’s U.S. share of the smartphone market fell sharply from 44 percent in 2009 to 10 percent in 2011 according to market researcher NPD Group.

RIM said Wednesday it has started laying off employees as part of a restructuring plan aimed at saving about $1 billion this year.

From:washingtonpost.com

More Hands On Video of BlackBerry 10 Features on the Dev Alpha

Since RIM first showed off some sweet features of BlackBerry 10 at BlackBerry World they have not really been allowing the press to take any videos of it in action. They have allowed the press (specifically in London) to play with the device and take pictures but not video. David pointed out to me that they seem to have allowed CNET along with The Verge and Engadget to actually take a video of the BlackBerry 10 features we saw previously but with a slightly different context. The items shown in the video, flow/peek/keyboard, are the same but its worth checking out:

BlackBerry 10 in action

With all the news about Microsoft Surface and Apple's iOS 6, you may have completely forgotten about Research In Motion (RIM). Once, it was the reigning mobile-device king; now, its BlackBerry 10 software is the ailing company's last hope for survival.

CNET sat down with RIM principle architect Gary Klassen — a fancy title for a Grand Poobah of software design — at the BlackBerry Jam developer conference in New York. Klassen treated us to yet another sneak peek of BlackBerry 10, running on the Dev Alpha developer handset. This time, however, RIM allowed us to shoot a quick video of what we saw.

Best Tablet For The Money: Shortlisting The Best In The Industry

The new wave of tablets is taking the mobile computing industry by storm which took form with the introduction of the Apple iPad about two years ago. Many competitors challenged the reign of the original iPad and were somehow able to pose a serious threat to the leading brand.

By capitalizing on the shortcomings of the earlier tablets, manufacturers such as Samsung, Asus, HP, and Research In Motion (RIM) continue to push the envelope by introducing their own line of tablets.

With dozens of mobile devices to choose from, successfully picking the best tablet for the money requires some detailed information on the most noteworthy products.

BlackBerry Jam preserves fruits of new GUI flavour enhancements

BlackBerry's rocky road of technology evolution has continued this month with a

UK developer tour event aimed to silence a few critics, preview the forthcoming BlackBerry 10 platform and showcase the Cascades user interface design tool.

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) stated that 500 developers registered to attend the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour event in London last week.

NOTE: BlackBerry 10 is the forthcoming BlackBerry operating system for RIM mobile handheld smartphones and tablets based on the QNX Unix-like real-time operating system for embedded systems, which was acquired by RIM in April 2010.

RIM says it has done nothing less than "transform the developer experience" with BlackBerry 10, creating a platform for developers to use the native (C/C++ with Cascades and QML development) and web (HTML5 with BlackBerry WebWorks) development environments.

Prototyping jam recipe

Each qualified developer received a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device to enable them to test the apps they develop -- see image below.

Out since May 2012 this year, each programmer will also have been pointed to the BlackBerry 10 developer toolkit for native and HTML5 software development.

BlackBerry Playbook playing nice with iOS apps: video

Everyone knows that Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Playbook hasn’t fared that well in the tablet space, but there are still those loyal to the BlackBerry tablet, and might like to know that an iOS developer has now managed to get some iOS apps to play nice on the RIM slate, and we have video evidence of those iOS apps running on the Playbook for your viewing consideration below.

The iOS apps running on the BlackBerry Playbook video comes our way courtesy of the guys over at Ubergizmo by way of Crackberry, that the developer says is an iOS player of sorts that allows iOS apps to run on the BlackBerry Playbook, showing Super Monkey Ball, Tom Tom, Sushi Cat, iFart, and Tiny Tower.

Apparently the developer businesscat2000 likens the project to WINE, and how it runs Windows apps on Linux, which doesn’t perform hardware emulation, but rather relies on a custom set of APIs. Although one has to remember that although this has proven his work, the implementation is quite a way from perfect, notably when the application itself relies on CoreData frameworks or Apple’s UIWebView.

What is BlackBerry OS?

If you find yourself browsing casually through a 3 store, wherever you are in the world, you will not have failed to notice that, for business users especially, one of the most prominent and popular 3g phones is the infamous BlackBerry, developed by the Canadian-based telecommunications equipment firm “Research in Motion” (RIM).

BlackBerry devices have been around for many years, but what makes this versatile little range of smartphones tick? The answer is the BlackBerry Operating System (OS), the fundamental program installed on all these devices, which loads when you switch it on and then manages the running of all the other programs (or apps) on the phones. BlackBerry OS enables multitasking with smooth and highly responsive efficiency.

A word about multitasking might be useful at this point. In actual fact, most PCs are not really “multitasking” when users have opened several programs at once; instead, what usually happens is that a single program, the one the user is actively engaged in at any moment, is active and then becomes inactive when the user flips to another program. There is nearly always a time delay involved in switching from one program to another, even if it is quite small. However, the BlackBerry OS dispenses with all that by being genuinely multitask-capable, it really does allow several programs to run simultaneously without compromising on performance. Instead of suspending other processes while the user focuses on one, it allows all of them to “take turns” at running and it does so at such a high speed that they all appear to be running in parallel.

BlackBerry Curve 9320 Review

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 may not be the BlackBerry Smartphone that is hitting the headlines at the moment due to it being a low end, budget device but that doesn't mean it will not be popular. In fact, here in the UK it is quite possible that the 9320 may be 2012's best selling Smartphone?

For the last two years RIM have claimed the title of most handsets sold in Great Britain and with the youth of today all carrying a BlackBerry, the Curve 9320 is the perfect successor to the Curve 8520 and 9300 that have proved so popular.

Available sim free from only ?130 and on contact from ?10.50 a month the BlackBerry Curve 9320 is both affordable and should be the perfect reason to keep the 8520/9300 users on Team BlackBerry.

Running BlackBerry 7.1 the 9320 doesn't have the highest specs but due to it having the most up to date software it runs like a dream.

If you are in the market for the cheapest, best communication device yet I suggest you read on.

What's in the box?

• Device
• Battery 
  3.5mm Stereo headset
• Charger with a 1.0m USB cable
• 2GB SD card
• In-Box Documentation
• Start Here Guide (lists link to Desktop Manager SW)
• Safety Information Booklet (SIB)
• Warranty Agreement
• Software Licence Agreement

BlackBerry Bold 9790 Caught On Film Ahead Of Dubai Debut?

PDATE: The BlackBerry Porsche P’9981 was revealed in Dubai today, and it definitely doesn’t look like the 9790.

RIM may be pinning their hopes on BBX, but that doesn’t mean they’re done churning out classic BlackBerrys. Case in point: the revamped Bold 9790 has been revealed in a new set of photos that doesn’t look like someone took them during an earthquake.

                         
The 9790′s existence isn’t exactly a secret, but these images (courtesy of @moha87_) represent the most up-to-date look at what RIM is working on behind closed doors. Right off the bat, you’ll notice that the new Bold (on the left) sports a funky new “home row” of keys that already seem to have polarized the BlackBerry fanbase.

The rest of the improvements are a bit harder to discern: a 2.44-inch touch display sits up front, and a 5-megapixel camera rests on the back. It runs the BlackBerry 7 OS (naturally), and finally moves the charging port to the bottom of the device. Anecdotal evidence also reveals that it feels “lighter and slimmer” than the current Bold 9700.

Interestingly, the Twitter account belongs to a gentleman named Mohammad Al Bastaki who just happens to live in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Could it be a simple coincidence that RIM and Porsche Design are holding an event tomorrow in that very city to show off their exclusive new collaboration? Maybe — it doesn’t exactly scream Porsche, but I’m half-hoping that this design takes the stage instead of the angular nightmare we saw last time.

From:http://techcrunch.com

RIM discontinues 16GB BlackBerry PlayBook

                  

Ottawa: BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) has planned to discontinue the 16GB version of its PlayBook tablet.

The firm said it was still `committed to the tablet space` and would continue to ship the 32GB and 64GB versions of the BlackBerry PlayBook.

“There is more value for our customers in the higher capacity models and as such we have decided to focus our efforts here,” RIM said in a statement.

According to The Telegraph, it is thought that the decision to cut the 16GB BlackBerry PlayBook model could be a cost-cutting measure.

The tablet computer was released last year, but has been viewed by analysts as a failure.

In January, the Canada-based firm reduced the price of all PlayBook models, cutting the 64GB version to 299 dollars in the US, less than half of its 699 dollar launch price.

In December 2011, RIM wrote down 485 million dollars on the value of its PlayBook inventory. 

From:http://zeenews.india.com

Saudi- New BlackBerry range to be on show at Gitex

(MENAFN - Arab News) Research In Motion (RIM), the makers of BlackBerry smartphone and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, will return to Gitex Saudi Arabia for the third year, which will be held at Riyadh's International Convention and Exhibition Center from Monday to Thursday. Sandeep Saihgal, MD, Middle East, Research In Motion said: "Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest growing markets for RIM in the Middle East and GITEX provides us with great opportunity to engage with our customers. BlackBerry users in the Kingdom have been early adopters of the latest trends, such as using social and instant messenger apps to interact with friends; educational apps to further their knowledge or even cultural and religious apps to keep informed and updated. We're excited to be showing our full portfolio of smartphones and tablets to our loyal customers at this year's Gitex event in KSA." At Gitex Saudi Arabia, RIM will showcase the all-new BlackBerry Curve 9220 and 3G-enabled BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphones.

Two New Retail Concept Videos From the BlackBerry Enterprising Minds

          
Awhile back the BlackBerry Innovation forum released some concept videos of how RIM would imagine future technology. While RIM never really discussed them they were quickly pulled. Now Lucas @N4BB spotted two new videos from the BlackBerry Enterprising Minds Innovation Forums dated in 2011. They were released on the BlackBerryDE YouTube channel and are in German so I am not sure exactly what their audience is.

                         

From:http://www.berryreview.com

RIM Announces BlackBerry Curve 9220 and 9320

No, BlackBerry 10 isn't here yet. The new BlackBerry Curve 9220 and 9320 run BlackBerry 7.1 OS, and are aimed at first-time smartphone users. With a dedicated BBM button, RIM is pushing these Curves to the more social set.

The 9220 and 9320 aren't all that different from the Curve 9370 we reviewed on Verizon back in January. This time around, there's a dedicated BBM key on the left side of the phone. There's also been a change in screen resolution, but aside from that, there isn't much new here.

                                           
Each new Curve measures 4.29 by 2.36 by 0.5 inches (HWD). The 9320 weighs 3.63 ounces, which is just a touch heavier than the 9220 at 3.6 ounces. Either way—these phones are light. Both come equipped with 1450 mAh removable batteries that should be good for up to seven hours of talk time and 18 days of standby.

The 2.4-inch, non-touch display features 320-by-240 resolution, which is actually a step down from the 9370's 480-by-360. Luckily, the keyboard looks like it has remained the same. In his review of the 9370, PCMag analyst Jamie Lendino noted, "the four-row QWERTY keyboard is slightly curved and features large, well-separated keys. The keys aren't as raised as before, but the click feel is tuned just right. If you can get your hands around a small device like this one, it's super-easy to type fast."

PayAnywhere Mobile Payments App and Credit Card Reader Now Available in BlackBerry App World

PayAnywhere brings enterprise-grade mobile credit card processing solution backed by 24/7 customer support to BlackBerry smartphone users across the U.S.

NEW ORLEANS and TROY, Mich., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- International CTIA Wireless® 2012 -- PayAnywhere (www.payanywhere.com), a leader in mobile point of sale solutions, today announced availability of its highly anticipated mobile payment application and credit card reader for BlackBerry smartphones. With a complete set of mobile payments features, around the clock customer support and an online Merchant Portal, PayAnywhere is the most comprehensive mobile payment solution available in BlackBerry App World.

              

Vendors and merchants using BlackBerry smartphones can use PayAnywhere, the payment industry's only enterprise-grade, no compromise, "pay-as-you-go" mobile payment solution suited for any merchant. Created after two decades providing credit card processing to merchants of all sizes, PayAnywhere's mobile point of sale (POS) technology helps merchants improve cash flow, boost sales and help save money with keyed transactions. 

BLACKBERRY-MAKER RIM: SALE LIKELY IN THE WORKS

Now that Research in Motion has hired bankers to evaluate strategic options, a sale of the company or significant restructuring of the BlackBerry maker appears to be a more plausible – even likely – outcome.

"Given our belief BB10 smartphones will struggle to gain traction in the highly competitive smartphone market, we believe RIM may eventually sell assets, sell the entire company, or materially change its business model to a smaller niche supplier," Canaccord Genuity analysts T. Michael Walkley and Matthew D. Ramsay wrote Wednesday in a daily letter to investors.

RIM's announcement this week that it anticipates an operating loss in the first quarter has further hurt the credibility of a company whose market valuation has deteriorated in the face of weak sales and a widely held view that BlackBerry has fallen behind innovators like its more successful rival Apple. The stock has plummeted an astonishing 93 percent since its peak in 2008, according to The Associated Press.

Speculation is rising over what RIM is actually worth and what components of its business remain attractive for potential suitors. Canaccord Genuity isn't bullish on the consumer business.

                       

BlackBerry Bold 9900 review

The good: The RIM BlackBerry Bold 9900 has a very polished design, with a svelte form factor, a sharp touch-screen display, and a wonderful QWERTY keyboard. Notable features include a 1.2GHz processor, the new BlackBerry OS 7, 720p HD video recording, and NFC support. Photo quality is excellent.

The bad: The BlackBerry Bold 9900's call quality is slightly flawed. It's also very expensive when compared with similar handsets.

The bottom line: BlackBerry enthusiasts will love the BlackBerry Bold 9900, but its high price tag will be a deterrent to many.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the GSM version of the BlackBerry Bold 9930, and has essentially the same design and features save for a few changes depending on the carrier. The Bold 9900 for T-Mobile lacks the dual-mode GSM/CDMA chipset of the Bold 9930, but it does support T-Mobile's "4G" network. As you might expect, it also includes a few preinstalled T-Mobile applications. The rest of the phone is just as we described in our Bold 9930 review--it boasts a fantastic new design, a great feature set, the latest BlackBerry OS 7, and impressive performance. Unfortunately, T-Mobile has priced the Bold 9900 at a whopping $299.99, and that's after a $50 rebate and two-year agreement.