WebProNews

Tag: Blackberry

  • BlackBerry Ditched by U.S. National Transportation Safety Board

    The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is looking to replace all of its BlackBerry devices with iPhone 5’s. The agency posted a notice to the Federal Business Opportunities website seeking firms that can handle the the transfer of the agency’s devices.

    The NTSB stated that the switch away from BlackBerry was due to the devices “failing both at inopportune times and at an unacceptable rate.” From the agency’s justification document:

    The NTSB requires effective, reliable and stable communication capabilities to carry-out its primary investigative mission and to ensure employee safety in remote locations

    The agency is contracted with Verizon Wireless to provide it with wireless service, and it currently deploys some iPads to employees. It’s decision to use the iPhone 5 instead of Android devices came partly because of that the iPad use:

    The iPhone 5 has been determined to be the only device that meets the dual requirement of availability from the existing wireless vendor and is currently supportable by existing staff resources. The NTSB also anticipates the benefit of synching of the iPad devices and the iPhone devices, allowing users to seamlessly transition between the use of multiple platforms while retaining the same applications and capabilities.

    Research in Motion (RIM) has been losing large enterprise clients at a disturbing rate this fall. In September, Yahoo announced it would be giving free high-end smartphones – but not BlackBerrys – to its employees. Government contracter Booz Allen announced last month that it’s 25,000 employees will be transferred to Android or iPhone devices, and the U.S. Department of Defense is looking to hire a contractor to manage hundreds of thousands of Android and Apple devices.

    RIM is currently hanging its hopes of revitalizing its business on the January 30 launch of its new BlackBerry 10 platform. Analysts, however, are not convinced the new OS and devices will be enough to bring the company back to the dominance it enjoyed five years ago.

    (Via AllThingsD)

  • BlackBerry 10 Is Set To Launch On January 30

    RIM is in a bad place, and the company’s last hope lies in BlackBerry 10. It seemed strange then that the company would delay the launch until after the holidays when most consumers are buying new phones. Even then, we were left with an ambiguous early 2013 launch window, but now we know that BB10 will be out before the end of January.

    RIM announced this morning that BlackBerry 10 will be available on January 30. The company plans to hold multiple launch events in countries around the world on the date. The launch events will feature not only the new BB10 platform, but the public unveiling of the first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones as well.

    “In building BlackBerry 10, we set out to create a truly unique mobile computing experience that constantly adapts to your needs. Our team has been working tirelessly to bring our customers innovative features combined with a best in class browser, a rich application ecosystem, and cutting-edge multimedia capabilities. All of this will be integrated into a user experience – the BlackBerry Flow – that is unlike any smartphone on the market today,” said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of Research In Motion. “Thanks to our strong partnerships with global carriers and a growing ecosystem of developers, we believe our customers will have the best experience possible with BlackBerry 10. We are looking forward to getting BlackBerry 10 in the hands of our customers around the world.”

    It appears that RIM will be able to hit its launch date as BB10 is already in testing with carriers around the world. It’s unknown which carriers will actually be offering BlackBerry phones at launch, but RIM has over 50 carriers lined up so far. RIM’s CEO Thorsten Heins also told CNET that early response from carriers has been good.

    The handsets have also recently achieved FIPS 140-2 certification which makes BB10 ready for deployment within government agencies. RIM points out that this is the first time a BlackBerry product has been certified before launch. It might be all for naught, however, as government agencies increasingly look to Android and iOS.

    It sounds like BB10 will be gearing up for a good launch in January, but not everybody is so confident. Just last week, an analyst with Pacific Crest said that BB10 would be DOA when it launches. Other firms, however, are saying that RIM may be able to pick itself back up.

    We won’t know anything for sure until early next year though. RIM is obviously going all out with the launch, but will consumers buy into it after a holiday of buying up new devices? Will consumers actually want to wait out deals like a $99 Nokia Lumia 920 or offers of cheap Android devices in favor of a device that may or may not fail? It’s a gamble that’s too hard to call. RIM’s investors must be hoping the company knows what it’s doing.

  • Analyst Predicts BlackBerry 10 Will Be ‘DOA’

    BlackBerry 10 is going to turn everything around for RIM. It’s going to propel the beleaguered smartphone manufacturer back into relevancy. At least, that the story that RIM’s executives would have you believe. The truth is that we don’t know exactly how the market is going to react to the launch of BlackBerry 10 early next year. One analyst isn’t too optimistic.

    Bloomberg reports that James Faucette, a Pacific Crest analyst, has weighed on the potential of BlackBerry 10. He expects “the new OS to be met with a lukewarm response at best and ultimately likely to fail.” In short, he believes BB10 will be DOA.

    Despite the doom and gloom, RIM isn’t doing that bad these days. The company is still posting losses, but its second-quarter losses weren’t nearly as bad as analysts had predicted. The reduced losses coupled with RIM already testing BB10 with carriers has some analysts cautiously optimistic.

    Two firms – Cormack Securities and Scotia Capital – have raised their respective ratings on RIM’s stock. Paradigm Capital’s Gabriel Leung also came to the company’s defense by saying that RIM has “significantly improved its ability to attract developers to build apps for the BB10 ecosystem, which we view as a key catalyst for success.”

    So, who’s right in all of this? We can’t know for sure until it launches, but it is highly unlikely that RIM will be able to capture a large chunk of the market. That’s not to say BB10 will be a failure. It could do very well and help turn RIM’s fortunes around. The company just shouldn’t be looking to take on iOS and Android. At best, RIM should settle for a decent, instead of distant, third place position.

    If all else fails, RIM can license the BB10 software to third-party OEMs. Samsung could probably cook up a nice BB10 handset that would sell well enough.

  • Android Made Up Three-Quarters Of All Smartphone Shipments Last Quarter

    Android Made Up Three-Quarters Of All Smartphone Shipments Last Quarter

    Google’s Android OS has grown a lot since its humble beginnings in 2008. Some may have thought that it couldn’t beat iOS, but its spread across multiple devices from multiple OEMs has insured its success. That success can be plainly seen in smartphone shipments during the third quarter.

    The latest report from IDC has found that Android was on three out of every four smartphone shipped during the third quarter. In actual numbers, that comes out to 136 million Android phones shipped over last few months. There were only 181.1 million smartphones shipped in the third quarter which puts Android on 75 percent of all smartphone shipments.

    Chart: Worldwide Smartphone OS Market Share, 2012Q3Description: IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker provides smart phone and feature phone market data in 60 countries and 8 regions by vendor, device type, air interface, operating systems and platforms, and generation. Over 20 additional technical segmentations are provided. The data is provided four times a year and includes historical and forecast trend analysis. For more information, or to subscribe to the research, please contact Kathy Nagamine at 1-650-350-6423 or [email protected] detail about this tracker can be found at:http://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=37Tags: Samsung, Apple, Mobile Phone, Smartphone, IDC, tracker, Q3 2012, mobile phones, 3Q 2012, market share, galaxy, iPhone, Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Phone, Linux, 2012Q3, AnniversaryAuthor: IDCcharts powered by iCharts

    “Android has been one of the primary growth engines of the smartphone market since it was launched in 2008,” said Ramon Llamas, research manager, Mobile Phones at IDC. “In every year since then, Android has effectively outpaced the market and taken market share from the competition. In addition, the combination of smartphone vendors, mobile operators, and end-users who have embraced Android has driven shipment volumes higher. Even today, more vendors are introducing their first Android-powered smartphones to market.”

    So we know that Android is doing incredibly well, but what about the rest? IDC found that Apple shipped 26.9 million iPhones during the quarter which accounted for 14.9 percent of the entire smartphone market. IDC says that the iPhone 5 and lower prices on older models helped Apple reach 57.3 percent growth over third quarter iOS shipments last year.

    BlackBerry and Symbian both saw losses across the board with both operating systems only accounting for 7.7 million and 4.1 million smartphone shipments respectively. IDC notes that Symbian in particular may no longer be in the running in 2013 as Symbian smartphone manufacturers are moving to other operating systems like Windows Phone 8 and Android.

    Speaking of Windows Phone, Microsoft’s mobile operating system saw the largest growth over the same quarter last year. Windows Phone was on 3.6 million devices sold during the third quarter compared to 1.5 million devices sold during the same time last year. That’s a growth rate of 140 percent. It may be growing, but Windows Phone still only makes up two percent of the entire market share for smartphones.

    Regardless of your allegiance, the smartphone is the real winner today. IDC notes that smartphone shipments have increased 46.4 percent over the same time last year. The continued proliferation of the smartphone and other mobile devices may just help put more computers in the hands of those who need them most.

  • Foursquare Takes Another Step “Beyond the Check-in”

    Last month, Foursquare launched a brand new homepage that they said “reinvents local search.” Possible hyperbole aside, the new Foursquare.com opened up the service to everyone – regardless of whether you are a member of the Foursquare community. Foursquare currently sits on billions of check-ins and millions of tips from their signed-up users, and they finally made all of that “personalized” info available to everyone.

    The message was loud and clear: You don’t have be a fan of “checking-in” in order to use our service. And the goal, obviously, is to make Foursquare a serious competitor to services like Yelp and Urbanspoon in the local search arena.

    But that redesign was only available on foursquare.com. Until now, that is.

    Today the company announced that Blackberry users can now downloaded the Foursquare app and use the “Explore” fucntion without signing up. That means that Foursquare has a new mobile presence in local search that doesn’t require being a member of the service. Foursquare says that BlackBerry is the “first” to get this feature, which hints that the logged-out explore service could be coming to other platforms in the future.

    Foursquare has said the phrase “moving beyond the check-in” so many times in the past couple of years that I’ve lost count – but they are following through and taking steps in that direction. With this move, the company wants to utilize its tons of location data to craft a local search and recommendation engine to compete with Yelp, Google Places, and other similar services. By letting non-members explore their database, Foursquare positions itself as a double threat – local search engine and social network.

  • BlackBerry 10 Is Now Being Tested At Over 50 Carriers

    RIM is still on track to release BlackBerry 10 early next year. The mobile OS needs to be a hit, or RIM won’t be around for much longer. We won’t know the consumer reaction to the new BlackBerry handsets until early next year, but RIM says that carriers are already excited.

    In a statement sent to CNET, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins said that BlackBerry is now in testing at more than 50 carriers. The response to the OS and the hardware has apparently been good. Heins said that carriers are “excited about the prospect of launching BlackBerry 10 in their markets.”

    Heins is right when he says that this is an important step. It at least confirms that BlackBerry 10 is on schedule to launch in Q1 2013. It would be disastrous for the company if the launch was delayed. Getting into the testing period this early also allows RIM to make sure everything is perfect by launch. Another global outage of the BlackBerry network would not look good.

    Much like what Microsoft is trying to do with Windows Phone 8, RIM is trying to capture the consumer market with BlackBerry 10. That’s not to say it’s ignoring the enterprise market entirely though. It’s just that RIM is losing major enterprise customers everyday as more companies make the move to iOS, Android and even Windows Phone 8. The consumer market may be the only hope that RIM has going forward.

    All is not lost though. Heins makes a note that the BlackBerry enterprise teams are now presenting BlackBerry 10 devices to its business partners. The company may yet be able to get back in the game, especially if Windows Phone 8 bombs.

  • BlackBerry Loses Another Large U.S. Company

    Last month, new Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer sent an email to all Yahoo employees informing them that they would be getting a free smartphone. There was only one catch: the device could not be a BlackBerry. The idea was for Yahoo employees to use the same types of phones that their users do. Employees could choose top-tier Android, iOS, and even Windows Phones, including the new iPhone 5, but BlackBerry was cruelly and noticeably left out of the offer.

    This week, Bloomberg reported that government consulting company Booz Allen has dropped BlackBerry as its phone provider. Instead, the company’s 25,000 employees will be moved to Android or iPhone devices in the coming months, according to a Booz Allen spokesman. In addition, the company’s dedicated BlackBerry server will be decommissioned, meaning employees who bring their own BlackBerry phone to work won’t be able to access their email with the device.

    These companies are just the latest U.S. companies to ditch RIM in favor of Android, iOS, and even Windows Phone devices. It begs the question of how RIM hopes to make BlackBerry 10 a success if businesses have already given their employees iPhones or Android devices. The company is currently banking on its upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS to bring the company back to prominence in Western markets.

    The move away from BlackBerry devices also highlights just how secure other smartphone platforms now are (or at least how secure they are now perceived to be). BlackBerry was the choice of businesses just five years ago because its security features were leagues beyond the competition.

  • Twitter For BlackBerry Updated To Version 3.2

    RIM is betting their future on the success of BlackBerry 10 early next year. Such a focus on the future might leave a company’s current customers on the back burner. RIM doesn’t see it that way, however, as they continue to release updates for their current line of BlackBerry smartphones. The latest update is especially nice for the social media obsessed individual.

    RIM announced today that Twitter has been updated to version 3.2 on BlackBerry handsets. It brings with it a number of enhancements to the the core platform that are sure to be appreciated by BlackBerry owners who have been jealous of their iOS and Android using friends.

    The first major update is the addition of the expanded Tweet details in BlackBerry in the BlackBerry app. The feature has been available in Twitter for iOS and Android since their latest updates. It may be a little late, but expanded tweets on BlackBerry look just as good as they do on the other platforms.

    Twitter has also implemented a Friend Friends feature into the BlackBerry app. This allows users to easily find friends who are using Twitter via their BlackBerry address book. It’s a good move since most BlackBerry users rely on BBM for conversations with friends. It might be a little obsolete once BB10 launches, however, as BBM integrates Facebook and Twitter conversations alongside everything else.

    As for the last update, I’m a little surprised that it hasn’t been added yet. Users now have access to the Quick Follow button that allows them to follow somebody with just a tap. It’s a feature that’s been extremely helpful on the other mobile versions of the app, and BlackBerry users will no doubt benefit from it as well.

  • RIM Releases BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 Update

    The BlackBerry PlayBook is the underdog of the tablet world. It wasn’t so hot at launch, but later updates to the software got a lot of things right. Unfortunately for RIM, the tablet has only managed shipped a little under 2 million units. The tablet does have its fans though and RIM is continuing to take care of them.

    The company that BlackBerry built announced today that the the PlayBook OS has been updated to version 2.1. It adds a number of new features to the tablet, but RIM thinks you will want to download the update for these three reasons:

    Updated BlackBerry Bridge: Now you can view, respond and compose new SMS messages on their BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet when connected to a BlackBerry smartphone over Bluetooth®. You’ll also enjoy increased performance and speed of other BlackBerry Bridge functions as well. So you can do more, more efficiently. Txt away, my friends.

    Email and PIM Enhancements: You’ve asked for it and we’ve delivered portrait support for email, calendar and contacts, giving you the option to use your tablet in either orientation to message. This will definitely come in handy for those of you who enjoy thumb typing in portrait mode like I do.

    Improved Android Application Support: Includes Multi-Window Applications, Camera Support and In-App Payments. We all love a richer app experience, and with the improvements to the Android runtime, that’s just what you’ll get. Running the applications in separate windows allows you to multi-task between Android apps easier, and in-app payments will make it easier for you to enhance your app content. Game on!

    The update also brings with it a number of enterprise features. PlayBook tablets can now enroll in the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion via a wireless connection. This means that IT administrators can now push updates over-the-air to everybody’s PlayBooks. It also now has full device encryption to protect sensitive and classified information that may be stored on the device.

    PlayBook users should be receiving an update notification today telling them to upgrade to version 2.1 of the OS. If not, you can also just go to “Software Updates” under the settings menu to get the update manually.

  • Why Didn’t RIM Show This BlackBerry 10 Promo Video?

    RIM’s big BlackBerry developers event has come and gone. We know a few of the new features coming in BlackBerry 10, but we only saw what RIM wanted us to see. What about other features that may have been overlooked, or how RIM is going to market the phone to a wider audience?

    A recently leaked marketing video obtained by Slashgear shows just that as the BlackBerry 10 is poised as being a phone for creation. The ad says that they will put the BlackBerry 10 into the hands of 10 people who will have one day to create something unique with the device. They even suggest that celebrities like Lady Gaga and J.K. Rowling create new songs and short stories using only RIM’s wonder device.

    Check out the ad below:

    I was rather dismissive of BlackBerry 10 when RIM showed off its first features earlier this week. Their public display of affection for developers didn’t help much either. That’s why it’s all the more confusing as to why RIM didn’t show this ad, or at least something similar. It does a way better job of selling BlackBerry 10 than RIM’s own light-on-details videos.

    On a side note, it should be noted that the video also gives us our first look at the BlackBerry 10 N series. We knew that it was going to feature the QWERTY keyboard of its predecessors, but we were still unsure of the exact shape it would take. I sure hope the video is real because the BlackBerry N series is looking really good. The true strength of BlackBerry has always lied in their fantastic QWERTY handsets, and the N series seems to continue that fine tradition.

    We’ll undoubtedly be able to confirm the authenticity of the video and more as we approach the launch of BlackBerry 10 in January. BlackBerry Jam Asia will be going down in November as well. We may learn more at that time.

  • REO BlackBerry Is Going To Keep On Loving Developers

    RIM isn’t doing so hot with BlackBerry. BlackBerry 10 has some great new features, but most of them have already been seen on other platforms before. We don’t know which direction the market will turn next year, but things are not looking good for BlackBerry 10. Even so, the folks at RIM want you to know that they’re going to keep on loving you.

    Three RIM employees – Alec Saunders, Chris Smith and Martyn Mallick – have formed a band to craft a love ballad. It may feature the tune and general sentiment of REO Speedwagon’s 1981 hit “Keep On Loving You,” but the love in this case is being directed right at developers. Check it out:

    Th Foo Fighters being corporate shills for Apple earlier this month was bad, but I would take them over REO BlackBerry any day. In their defense, rewriting a classic ballad to express love towards developers is witty. Unfortunately, being witty won’t get RIM anywhere near the top.

    Beyond the cringe worthy promo, RIM is onto something here. They wouldn’t be anywhere without their developers. They’re going to need that developer support more than ever as they move to launch BlackBerry 10 early next year. If anything, the comments on YouTube indicate that BlackBerry fans are just as crazy devoted as iOS fans. RIM may just get through this yet.

  • RIM Announces New Features For BlackBerry 10

    Today marked the start of the BlackBerry Jam developers’ conference. This is the failing company’s last big chance to remain relevant in the smartphone world. It also marks the first public unveiling of BlackBerry 10, the company’s new smartphone operating system.

    The two main new features going into BlackBerry 10 are Flow and Hub. The two new apps are indicative of RIM finally embracing what smartphone owners want out of their devices. They offer a one-stop shop for all of their apps and communications.

    BlackBerry Flow is an activity monitor of sorts. It minimizes all of the currently running apps on one screen. It’s somewhat similar to Microsoft’s Live Tiles in Windows Phone 8. In this case, the app is contained in a small window that provides the most recent information from that app. RIM uses the example of seeing the most up-to-date BlackBerry Messenger update on the Flow screen.

    From there, users can access the BlackBerry Hub. It’s a all-encompassing message center that collects communications from multiple email accounts, BBM, social networking, and text messages. Once again, it seems like BlackBerry is taking a page out of Windows Phone here. It’s nice, however, and a much needed improvement over previous BlackBerry OS versions.

    You can check out both new features in action below:

    RIM is once again playing catch up by announcing that the Blackberry App World will begin offering music and movies. They have also redesigned App World to be easier to navigate. You can get a brief glimpse of the new App World below:

    Finally, RIM also announced a new Web browser that will be shipping with BlackBerry 10. The browser has been built around new Web technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript. It also promises faster loading and built-in sharing. One of the more unique things about the browser is that it can access on board hardware and interact with it via HTML5. Check out the demo below to see for yourself:

    Overall, RIM hasn’t shown anything groundbreaking. These are features that should have been present in BlackBerry ages ago. RIM has been constantly playing catch up with iOS and Android in the past. Now they’re playing catchup with Windows Phone. It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.

    With that being said, the browser is really nice. I hope Apple and Google get it together in pushing better HTML5 support. Being able to access hardware functions through a browser is pretty cool.

  • RIM Expected To Announce Zero Growth Later This Week

    Maybe you’ve heard, RIM isn’t doing so hot these days. Apple was able to sell 5 million iPhone 5 devices in a weekend, and RIM can only sell 8 million BlackBerry devices in a little under a year. Despite the doom and gloom, the company is still growing its subscriber base. That growth, however, may be at an end.

    According to a report from The Globe and Mail, analysts are now predicting RIM will announce zero growth during this week’s second-quarter conference call on Thursday. More specifically, they expect the company to announce a loss in enterprise customers while gaining in the international market. It still won’t be enough to offset the potentially disastrous downwards spiral that RIM may be heading toward.

    Of course, BlackBerry 10 will be launching early next year. The company is pretty adamant that this is the phone that will put them back onto the path of profitability. The analysts aren’t buying it. Kris Thompson, an analyst of National Bank Financial, said, “Starting next quarter, we see the sub base in a downward spiral with BlackBerry 10 potentially slowing [the losses], but we’re not holding our breath.”

    So what will RIM need to do to get BlackBerry back on top? First things first, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has to put on one heck of a show tomorrow during the BlackBerry Jam Americas conference. BlackBerry 10 needs the support of developers, large and small, if they are to survive.

    Once again, the analysts don’t see that happening. Mike Walkley with Canaccord Genuity points out that cheap BlackBerry devices do well in overseas markets, but the company’s more advanced smartphones aren’t selling anywhere. It’s those smartphones that developers have to support, but Walkley just doesn’t see the market supporting the BlackBerry 10 ecosystem.

    It might be high time that RIM finally acknowledges that the BlackBerry is no longer popular. Android and iOS are dominating the smartphone market, and leaving little room for anybody else. Walkley suggests that RIM “dramatically change its business model” and I couldn’t agree more.

  • BlackBerry 10 Smartphone Images Leaked Ahead Of RIM Event

    RIM is banking everything on the launch of BlackBerry 10. This is the device that will get them back in the game. The first BlackBerry 10 smartphone might be revealed next week, but a recent leak may have given us our first look at the device.

    Italian BlackBerry fan site, BlackBerryItalia, recently got a hold of some images they claim to be of the new BlackBerry L-series handset. It will most likely be the first handset to feature BlackBerry 10 early next year. Let’s take a look, shall we?

    BlackBerry 10 Leaks

    Upon first inspection, the supposed “Savior of RIM” is not all that impressive. It’s a smartphone… and that’s it. The design doesn’t seem far too removed from what we’ve become used to in the Android and iOS dominated market. It’s not a bad thing, but a little differentiation couldn’t hurt either.

    The true test, like with all smartphones, will come when we finally get a good luck at the operating system. Software sells hardware and RIM has to convince people that BlackBerry 10 is good for enterprise and entertainment.

    We’ll find out next week if RIM can recapture their old mojo at the BlackBerry Jam Americas event in San Jose. This is do or die time at the company and any screw up could be costly. Apple is raking in the dough with the iPhone 5 and Samsung is leading the Android pack. Microsoft is also showing off impressive hardware and software with the Nokia Lumia 920.

    Unfortunately, Microsoft and RIM are both in same boat here. They failed to establish themselves at the beginning of the smartphone race and are paying dearly for it. Both are offering competent alternatives to Android and iOS, but it may be too late. Relevancy fades quickly in the smartphone market, and RIM needs to prove they have what it takes to stay in the game.

    At least Microsoft and RIM signed a patent deal today. Even if BlackBerry 10 flops, Microsoft will get some licensing fees out of it.

    [h/t: CrackBerry]

  • Microsoft Licenses A Load Of exFAT Patents To RIM

    Microsoft has gotten its hands dirty in a few patent lawsuits, but the company largely prefers to license their technologies to other companies for a handy profit. That’s what the company just did today in their latest licensing agreement with struggling handset manufacturer RIM.

    The two companies announced today that they have entered into a patent licensing agreement that will give RIM “broad access to the latest Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT).” The technology in question is a modern file system that facilitates the transfer of large audiovisual media between PCs and electronic devices. In short, the new Blackberries will be using Flash Memory and want to use exFAT for larger file storage.

    So what does this mean for RIM and Blackberry fans? The new set of Blackberry phones will be caught up with the latest advances in Flash Memory. Microsoft’s General Manager of IP Licensing, David Kaefer, sums up the advantage to consumers:

    “Today’s smartphones and tablets require the capacity to display richer images and data than traditional cellular phones,” said David Kaefer, general manager of Intellectual Property (IP) Licensing at Microsoft. “This agreement with RIM highlights how a modern file system, such as exFAT can help directly address the specific needs of customers in the mobile industry.”

    This is just a standard licensing deal. There is absolutely nothing to see here. I bet many people would hope Microsoft would team up with RIM to help usher in the glorious return of BlackBerry, but it isn’t happening. It’s a shame since Microsoft’s knowhow in Enterprise software and RIM’s usually excellent hardware could really be a force to be reckoned with.

    For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how RIM manages the BlackBerry 10 launch. It’s already been hit with delays, and now won’t see the light of day until first quarter 2013. Catching up to current file Flash Memory standards probably won’t help much. I’m willing to be prove wrong though.

  • Facebook For BlackBerry Gets An Upgrade

    Facebook For BlackBerry Gets An Upgrade

    The Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones app got a new update with some aesthetic improvements, as well as birthday and event-related enhancements.

    “One of the first differences you’ll notice in the upgraded version is updated icons,” says RIM in a blog post. “The cool feature of note here is the personalized touch, as the generic profile icon has been replaced with your most current Facebook profile picture.”

    “Facebook for BlackBerry v3.2 allows you to integrate the birthdays of your Facebook friends into your BlackBerry device calendar, providing you with a timely reminder to post a birthday message from your home screen – without even opening the Facebook app,” adds RIM. “And if this is too much or if you liked it the old way, no problem – that’s where the customization options come in handy.”

    There is also enhanced Event support, so users can view info about events an post messages to the event’s wall, as well as view profiles of invited guests and receive event notifications.

    It’s not quite the Facebook experience of the new iOS, but BlackBerry users should find an improved experience nonetheless.

  • Windows Phone May Finally Climb Out Of Fourth Place By November

    Android and iOS – the two mobile operating systems are the centerpiece of any smartphone marketshare study. They are constantly battling for market supremacy with Android taking the top spot due to its proliferation across multiple devices. While its more interesting to watch the battle between iOS and Android, we mustn’t forget the battle for third place.

    The battle for third place in smartphone marketshare is being fought by BlackBerry and Windows Phone. One is the disgraced king of smartphones that used to sit on top, but has since fallen from its lofty peak. The other is a relative newcomer after reinventing itself with Windows Phone 7. BlackBerry has been holding on to its third place spot for a while now, but that may change later this year.

    WMPowerUser looked at StatCounter’s web usage data from the beginning of the year and used some math to predict where the the market will end up by the end of November. If their predictions are correct, Windows Phone will finally beat out BlackBerry for third place. That would be big news for Microsoft as they have been struggling to get the Windows Phone brand off the ground.

    Even if they were to come in third place by the end of the year, it still would put them far behind iOS and Android. Microsoft undoubtedly knows this and that might be why they’re holding a Windows Phone event with Nokia on September 5. It’s assumed that they will be revealing more information on their Windows Phone 8 operating system. With Nokia in tow, there might even be some new hardware on hand.

    Interestingly enough, the Windows phone event is behind held exactly one week before the rumored iPhone 5 event. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft lures anybody away from the Apple and Android camps to Windows Phone.

  • 3,000 RIM Layoffs Coming Next Week

    Today it was revealed that Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry line of products, will be laying off 3,000 employees starting next week.

    Boy Genius Report (BGR) cites unnamed source in its report, which states the layoffs will take place over the coming weeks. BGR’s source stated that “people are terrified” and that some are even packing up their desks in anticipation of being let go. Workers have been told that any employees not working on BlackBerry 10 products are in danger of losing their jobs.

    RIM provided BGR with an official statement regarding the coming layoffs:

    RIM announced on June 28 that it will reduce its global workforce by approximately 5,000 over the course of the remaining fiscal year. These are difficult but necessary changes to help achieve operational cost savings of over $1 billion. RIM remains committed to ensuring that the reductions made do not impact key programs such as BlackBerry 10, customer support or BlackBerry service levels.

    The last round of layoffs at RIM took place back in June. Before that, over 2,000 employees were laid off just before the start of 2012.

    The layoffs at RIM are part of cost-cutting measures necessary due to a dismal financial outlook. The company has failed to compete successfully in the smartphone market with Apple, Google, and Samsung.

    Despite the continuous flow of bad financial news coming out of RIM for the past year, the company continues to remain adamant that it can survive. RIM is banking everything on its BlackBerry 10 products, and a product roadmap leaked in July shows the company has an ambitious product release schedule planned for 2013.

    RIM did receive some good news this week, though, when a judge presiding over a patent lawsuit involving RIM reversed a $150 million verdict against the company.

    (via BGR)

  • RIM Might License BlackBerry 10 To Multiple Handset Manufacturers

    RIM is pretty much up sh*t creek without a paddle. In fact, they don’t even have a boat. They’re knee deep in the stuff and they need to find a way out. The company is banking all their hopes and dreams on the newest version of their operating system – BlackBerry 10. Unfortunately, their own hardware might not be enough which is why they’re turning to third-party manufacturers.

    Speaking to The Telegraph, RIM CEO Thursten Heins acknowledges that his company can’t compete with the OEMs that put out 60 handsets a year across all the different carriers. To combat this, the company is actively looking into licensing the BlackBerry OS to these OEMs.

    It gets really interesting when Heins says that they may not license BlackBerry directly. They may go the Android route and just provide a framework in which OEMs could build upon. That means that these supposed third party phones would run a form of BlackBerry 10 with a custom firmware built on top of it.

    It should be pointed out that none of this is set in stone yet. Heins said that on top of investigating the technical aspect of it, they also have to “model this from a finance perspective.” He says that the company is working financial advisors to see where such a partnership would take the company. No matter their decision, Heins said that RIM “will not abandon the subscriber base.”

    Personally, I think it’s a brilliant move. BlackBerry is actually a pretty solid operating system. The changes being made in BlackBerry 10 make it a good fit for enterprise and consumer solutions. The major problem with newer BlackBerry models has been that the hardware was lacking compared to the competition. A Samsung-made handset with the BlackBerry OS would actually be pretty awesome.

  • Twitter for BlackBerry Update Brings Better Tweet Details

    Today’s version 3.1 update to Twitter for BlackBerry focuses on bringing more information and context to individual tweets.

    Any single tweets that you expands to see the details will now features full-res images from pic.twitter.com as well as full RIM maps whenever the tweets is tagged witha location.

    The tweet details screen is also going to show more of the conversation, as it now includes previous tweets and replies. They’ve also also a “retweets” bar under each tweets so users can get a quick look at which users have retweeted their tweets.

    Version 3.1 also brings support for right-to-left languages like Arabic and Hebrew. These languages moved out of Twitter Translation Center back in March. Users also finally have the ability to undo a retweet, just in case they get ahead of themselves or want to reverse a mistake.

    The last update to Twitter for BlackBerry (version 3.0 back in April) gave users the ability to share their previous tweets as BlackBerry Messenger messages. It also let users pull their BBM contacts’ Twitter accounts directly from their BBM profiles.

    Last week Twitter announced Twitter for Nokia, which will expand Twitter to series 40 phones giving the service a borader reach across millions more devices.

    You can download the update here.

  • Ambitious RIM BlackBerry Product Roadmap Leaked

    Research in Motion (RIM) recently delayed the release of the BlackBerry 10, surprising no one considering the number of employees it had to lay off in the spring. Today, though, it looks as if RIM still has a plan to turn its business around and make a mobile market comeback miracle.

    BlackBerryOS has obtained what they claim is a picture of RIM’s product roadmap for its BlackBerry products. The image shows that RIM will be releasing its PlayBook 4G device on schedule this fall, followed by two different BlackBerry smartphones in the first quarter of 2013. One phone, codenamed London, will only have a touchscreen, but the other, codenamed Nevada, will have the classic BlackBerry physical keyboard. A product codenamed Nashville is scheduled for release in the middle of 2013, followed by a tablet codenamed the Blackforest, which BlackBerryOS claims is rumored to be a 10-inch BlackBerry tablet. A product codenamed Naples brings up the rear of RIM’s plan going into the fourth quarter fo 2013.

    BlackBerryOS reports that the London and Nevada smartphones will launch in Europe 3 to 4 weeks before North America (which, due to the messy wireless infrastructure of the U.S., is becoming standard for smartphones other than the iPhone). They claim that Europe has been more receptive to BlackBerry, and that an early European launch will give RIM time to build hype for worldwide sales.

    All of these product launches are, of course, predicated on the assumption that RIM will still be around in the first quarter of 2013. In fact, with all of the layoffs at the company, it is hard to believe there is anyone left to finish development on the BlackBerry 10. RIM announced even more job cuts during the presentation of its first-quarter financial results. That financial report also revealed a net loss of $518 million over the quarter, and a 33% drop in revenue.

    Take all of the delays, layoffs, and dismal financial reports together, and it is not at all clear that RIM in its current state will survive the year. Even if it does survive, it will be hard pressed to get back into the smartphone market, where it has been hemorrhaging market share for years. Though this leaked roadmap shows that RIM still has confidence in its products, that confidence might be misplaced, where pragmatism should be preparing the company for an acquisition.

    (Picture courtesy BlackBerryOS.com)