RIM had their (much delayed) announcement for the new version of their OS and new flagship phones this morning (http://tremolo.edgesuite.net/blackberry_experienc... - skip it, just watch the videos below). There are probably a lot of users who either think this is what's gonna save RIM (err, BlackBerry now) and others who think this just re-affirms BlackBerry's done for. No one had posted a discussion for it yet, so I thought I'd start things off. Z10 Phone I like the...
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http://www.hiddenacreswa.com/gourmet/images/blackberry_jam.jpg http://www.blackberryos.com/bbos-images/2012/blackberryjamamericas2-n30.jpg BlackBerry Jam is happening in San Jose currently and there is new features of BlackBerry OS10 being revealed. I am going to get you up to speed on some new features, as well as my opinions. -Flow/Peek. From within any app, if you swipe up from the bottom you can see all the notifications you have along the left side. From there if you swipe to the right it...
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The short question, as per the title- do you recycle your old gadgets? The long story: At the beginning of July, I found myself faced with an odd situation. I realized I had kept (read: hoarded) a bunch of my old cell phones. Each in a different state of disrepair, none of which I would consider properly working or repairable I knew it was time to let go. Now, I knew I wouldn't be able to pull any significant cash from them so I started to look into various routes of recycling. There are...
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According to a new study by Nielsen, two thirds of all new cellphone buyers are picking up smartphones instead of basic or feature models. Given that carriers are heavily subsidizing smartphones, with some now in the free tier, that may not be a big surprise. And smartphone market share is likely to keep going up. Back in February, according to Nielsen, smartphone and feature phone ownership levels crossed paths at 50%, with feature phones headed down, and smarties moving up....
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I'll preface this by saying I am a fan of RIM, even in today's dark ages for them. My primary phone is a BlackBerry and I still have justifiable reasons for staying with them. I totally understand why most people use iPhones and Android devices though. Rumours today (links at bottom) point to two BlackBerry 10 devices on the horizon. There is the device that is similar to the BlackBerry Dev Alpha with 1280 x 768 resolution at a "retina" 356ppi, and a traditional keyboard based device with a 720...
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With BlackBerry World going on right now, a lot of exciting info is coming out of the RIM camp. Developers that attended the event got a "BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha" device that is sporting a 1280 x 768 high definition display stretched across a 4.2 inch screen. This seems to show that RIM is going the same direction as the Android market in terms of screen size and resolution. It also suggests that RIM is going to put the physical keyboard on the backburner. They proudly demoed their new...
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I am just curious as to the evolution of users' cell phones over time. I realize this may date some people on the discussion, but it should be interesting to see. My cell phone history is this: Starting in 2004 Motorola T720 (1 year) Nokia 6101 (1 year) Sony Ericsson K790a (3 years) Sony Ericsson X10 and BlackBerry Bold 9700 (16 months of dual phones) BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100 (1 month before unfortunate water damage) Sony Ericsson X10 (for another 5 months) BlackBerry 9790 (1.5 months and counting) My ...
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Last night when the news broke that RIM's co-CEO's were being replaced by Thorsten Heins, the company's COO, I commented on Twitter that this was a "first step to saving that troubled company." Removing Balsillie and Lazaridis was absolutely the right move; despite having built RIM up from nothing, they were clearly not capable of navigating an industry that had changed dramatically in just the past few years. What's disappointing is that there is no indication that RIM's new leader is going to...
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Interested in new developments from RIM? Link to video: http://www.blackberrydevcon.com/americas/webcast
You can also follow along with our friends at Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/18/blackberry-devcon-americas-2011-keynote-liveblog/?sort=newest&refresh=120
I was thinking about the many consequences of the HP Touchpad meltdown we all just witnessed, and I am thinking the biggest consequence may be one that doesn't end up affecting HP at all. That consequence is to scare consumers away from taking a chance on any but the two established options for tablets, Apple and Google, and thereby establishing them as an immovable duopoly for the next three to five years. Some may point out that the problem with the TouchPad in the first place was a lack of...
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My mom who is middle aged and wants to switch to a smart phone. Knowing her she NEEDS it to be simple and very reliable. I was thinking iPhone because it is just that... simple and fast. Any other phones or OS's we should consider?
It looks like RIM wants to get into the digital media player market. This is some interesting news, considering yesterday's events (see open letter to RIM senior management and how they need to focus on only a few projects). On one hand, I find it rather confusing as to why they'd work on an Apple TV competitor in the consumer market. On the other, I could see something focused for corporations / presentations / meetings to be somewhat useful (perhaps they want it to be something that could...
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This is pretty crazy! It reminds me of the Stephen Elop / Nokia "burning platform" letter earlier this year (see: http://gdgt.com/discuss/thoughts-on-nokia-s-dilemm... ). It's a pretty intense read! What do you think? Via: http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/30/open-letter-to-black... Posted below: ---- To the RIM Senior Management Team: I have lost confidence. While I hide it at work, my passion has been sapped. I know I am not alone...
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From the YouTube description: "The invention of the new Blackberry Series spontanously defines the kind of friends or clique you will belong in the society. For the ladies it equals fashion and style also part of every classy girl's establishment. For the Men it's simply a means to an end. The ladies will do all it takes to own a piece or more as the guys looks for something deeper." Gather some friends, grab some popcorn, and watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3rAItM0lMw Also,...
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Firstly: I currently use a Blackberry 9650, which I love. I'd also love the Blackberry Bridge functionality from the PlayBook. But how functional would the PlayBook be if I bought a phone that isn't a Blackberry? Secondly: I'm not sure I'd buy into the TouchPad and WebOS (again) with it's developer support dwindling quickly. Is the app situation on WebOS as bad as it was last year? Third question: Is Honeycomb a viable option for tablets? I know the Xoom is basically...
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shaping up to be the perfect tablet for me. The capability to connect this with not only a BT keyboard, but also FULLY control the device with a BT mouse makes it almost the Atrix of tablets. Use it as a great multi-tasking tablet or connect to an LCD or TV and it just becomes the "brains." It works great through my Verizon iPhone hotspot and works flawlessly on the Flash sites I need to access. Much has been made in the initial reviews of the lack of a native email app, requiring the...
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And how (if at all) the Playbook interfaces with a BES (which I've just resurrected)? Or does any 'bridged' content just time out straight away? And if that's the case, does it have implications for app development regarding personal productivity? Just curious - I've been interested in this for a while and have partially cranked back up the server side of Blackberry support so that I can get going with a handset + Playbook combo, but it's not been a 'must...
What is the Blackberry R049 R049 simulator on the BB developer site? take a peek at http://swdownloads.blackberry.com/Downloads/contactFormPreload.do?code=060AD92489947D410D897474079C1477&dl=F1AE7952866F5481E5CACE226A076B2E
I'm interested to see what the overall feeling is in 2012 in regards to this. I have been a simultaneous Android and Blackberry/WP7 user over the years and I always prided myself in my Android loyalty and scoffed at those who claimed the open-ness of Google's OS hampered the overall user experience. Last month I received my first iPhone and I think I'm starting to pull a 180. I believe at this point, especially after experiencing iOS firsthand, Google should really consider pulling in the reigns...
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Who likes the Blackberry Bold 9900 keyboard better than every other BB keyboard? It seems to be a new styling of keyboard and overall makes the keys feel bigger... Who agrees it is a good thing?
I have AT&T with a grandfathered unlimited data plan but prefer Verizon's performance. I am using an iphone 3gs. Itunes frakked my music collection and I hate it. I need Exchange support, though we do have a BES in house. Security is the most important. Had a BB curve a couple of years ago it was SOOOooo Slow and I had to pull the battery so often, I installed the battery puller app.
Last week, BlackBerry suffered a 3-day outage. To try and placate affected customers, RIM is offering $100 in free downloads from BlackBerry App World.
Were you affected by the outage? Are you going to take advantage of the free apps (and does this make up for the outage)?
More info: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/12/blackberry-outa...
It's amazing how much things can change in such a relatively short period of time. Back in 2006 the big players were Nokia, RIM, Microsoft (with Windows Mobile), and Palm. Now every single one is struggling. Also serves as a reminder that no matter how high Apple and Google are riding right now, it is still a volatile business and it's not hard to imagine two or three other companies emerging in the next five years to seriously challenge them (like Facebook, for instance).
I hope to be getting a new phone within the next few months. I've been using a blackberry curve for a while and I've heard that data won't work once the device is no longer activated with a carrier, even over wifi. I was hoping to still be able to use the berry as a simple email/messaging device around the house over my wifi after I moved on to a different phone. Can anybody confirm this is true or not?
I know there was an app for Windows that let you view texts, contacts, emails, etc. that were on a BlackBerry backup (the name's escaping me right now)... but it a) was only a 14 day demo b) unable to purchase beyond that because the company stopped supporting it c) I'm on a Mac now. So, my question is: is there any way to access/read what's on my .ipd file? Thanks!
After RIM's disappointing Q2 numbers, a lot of speculation has spun up about possible buyouts. The two potential buyers I've heard are Dell and Microsoft. Any diehards in the BlackBerry camp care to comment? Would you continue to support the BB brand if it lived on under the aegis of Microsoft or Dell? I see pros and cons to both deals.
Was a big Blackberry fan for a while but I see the writing on the wall and have gone to Android. Even if RIM makes it back it will be at least two years before their hardware is relevant again. Just in time for me to get a new phone.
Ive never had any products from RIM and was thinking of pre-ordering this from bestbuy and getting my friend to send it to Japan. I'd like to know how RIMs app store works ? Is it like Webos which is region locked ?? How do you buy apps ??? Thanks
I have one of these lying around not currently on a contract and I'd like to use this as a way to use email, Twitter, Facebook, etc... at home. I actually sort of enjoy using it over my Droid X for these tasks. The problem is that its seems like nothing works just over wifi except for the Twitter app. Is this something Blackberry/Verizon does to cripple the phone if it doesn't have a data plan or do I need to change something buried in the settings?