RIM CEO's Respond To Apple's Antenna Statement

If you thought Nokia was pissed off at Apple's conference held by Jobs on Friday, they weren't the only ones. RIM co-CEO's Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie have issued a statement of their own. With both of them having big mouths and big egos in the wireless industry, they directly responded to Apple's Friday press conference on antenna issues with very strong words. Apple also made it rather personal for RIM because it used the Bold 9700 as a demonstration device in its attempt to prove that signal loss was a problem for phones and manufacturers from all companies, not just them, but Mike and Jim aren't pleased by Jobs' actions. Bottom line for RIM's statement says that RIM puts a lot of energy, money, and time into avoiding dropped call issues and that you don't need to use a case for any of their phones to work properly. Oh SNAP! Check out the full statement below:

"Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple's claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public's understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple's difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM's customers don't need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple."

HTC "Gold" With Windows Phone 7 Rumored To Release In November

An online phone comparison site Omio, said they got the scoop on some key UK handsets that are set to debut in the second half of 2010. Supposedly the news is a fresh leak from an unspecified UK retiler, the roadmap contains info on phones such as the HTC Vision, being released next to the previously unheard of HTC Ace all arriving alongside the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 in October, while November will be the month HTC's first Windows Phone 7 device will be released together with the QWERTY-blessed Nokia E7 and Samsung i8700 Cetus.

Other informtion released included the Nokia E7 which is probably the QWERTY equipped Symbian^3 smartphone that we have been hearing of and that has been labeled the N9 or the N8-001/N8-002 by some. This phone has an aluminum body, like the N8 does, together with a tilting AMOLED touchscreen. Slotting into the Eseries line-up would have made far more sense given Nokia's move away from Symbian^3 in their Nseries devices.

As for the Windows Phone 7 HTC phone, the device is tipped off to be the HTC gold. Although there are no details as to specs at this point many people are excited. The HTC Vision is the phone whose info was leaked earlier this week and nobody seems to know what the HTC Ace is. Finally, Samsung's i8700 Cetus is similarly mysterious but te name suggests that it runs the company's wave-themed bada OS.

Omio says they are 100 percent sure of the source and time will definitely help confirm that pretty soon. It is already July as of right now so the first of the handsets should already be on route to be released soon. More information can be found including the Nokia E5-00, Nokia X6 8GB, Samsung i5500, Sony Ericsson W20, BlackBerry Curve 9300, Nokia X2, Sony Ericsson Hazel and Yendo, and the Nokia N8 at Omio's blog. Are you excited about any of the new phones that are said to be coming out?

Share your thoughts an comments below. As usual stay tuned for more info by following us on Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feeds.

Blackberry Shield – RIM’s Device Tracking and Security Service

A while back we had heard about something called BlackBerry Shield, a new app/service from RIM to offer some simple security features, like tracking your device's GPS location, wireless backup, remote wiping, etc.

BBNews.pl managed to get a hold of a handful of screenshots of the security service. Check out the screenshots below displaying various functions, both from the device and browser:

[gallery]

BlackBerry Shield will use the new ID system launching with App World 2.0, presumably to log in through the web interface. There are no specifics on a release date, but BlackBerry Shield will be entering testing very soon, and will be available to BIS customers for free.

You can stay tuned for more news and info by following us on Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feeds.

T-Mobile Confirms Father's Day Sale For New Family Plan Members

U.S wireless phone carrier T-Mobile has officially confirmed that they will be offering free phones to all those who sign up for a family plan on June 19th as a Father's Day special. The company said "Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m., new customers will be able to get a free handset of their choice by signing up for a "family plan," ... Current T-Mobile customers can convert a single-user plan into a family plan by adding at least one user, or adding lines to a family plan they already have. You can get up to five free phones with a single family plan, though each will come with a two-year contract."

The deal seems to include all higher-end phones, including the BlackBerry Bold 9700, HTC myTouch 3G Slide, and the new Android Garmifone. All of which usually retail for around $200 with a 2-year contract. The company did mention that some phones will require a mail-in-rebate in order to be free but it still is a pretty good deal. T-Mobile USA Chief Operating Officer Jim Alling expects the promotion to appeal to both existing and prospective customers.

So what is your take on the sale? Do you or anyone you know plan on taking up T-Mobile's offer? Leave a comment below!

Flash Expected On 250,000 Smartphones By End of 2012

While in the middle of fixing a large security deficit on its desktop software, Adobe has been talking about its future in the mobile industry. According to Adobe, Flash Player will be featured in a quarter billion handsets by the end fo 2012, including 53 percent of all the smartphones shipped that year. Those are pretty confident words for a company that has yet to ship Flash Player 10.1 in even one of the many new handsets out in the market at the moment, but we are reminded that Android 2.2's leading position will be quickly followed by BlackBerry OS, Symbian, webOS, and Windows Phone 7 supporting the full Flash experience. Whether all the platforms wil allow the company to obtain enough momentum to produce an install base of 250 million, we aren't sure. What we do know is that many users and developers want Flash and have been trying to get it in multiple ways, such as Smokescreen and Flash In A Pinch. Lets see how things pan out in the future and whether or not Adobe lives up to its expected quota.

The Most Popular Apps On iPhone OS, BlackBerry, and Android

We found an interesting chart from Neilsen, where they were analyzing the most popular apps on each smartphone platform. Generally, the same apps are popular, amongst those are Facebook, Maps, Pandora, and the Weather Channel apps. The biggest difference amongst the different platforms is that Apple has a high percentage of users who utilize the iPod/iTunes apps as well whereas the Android and BlackBerry platform users seem to have no good equivalent therefore are lacking in that department. This makes sense if you think about Google's somewhat recent acquisition of Simplify Media. Check out more of the statistics over at Neilsen by clicking here.

iPhone vs. Android In Today's Smartphone Market

In times where getting swept up in Android mania is easy, we can't forget that Google's mobile platform is still in its infancy. Then we get numbers like the ones shown in the charts below - showing iPhone OS owning 28 percent of the US smartphone market and closing in on RIM's leading 35 percent. It helps us realize that Android handsets still account for less than one in every ten smartphones owned by Americans today despite the fact that it collected 28 percent of all consumer smartphone purchases in the first quarter of 2010. Google's OS was only able to climb up a small percentage which proves that there is much room for improvement.

Information which we found particularly interesting was the high rae of loyalty among iPhone OS and Android users, with 80 percent of the former and 70 percent of the latter expressing a preference for the same OS in their next phone, both of which brought shame upon Microsoft and RIM's numbers, which were a mediocre 34 and 47 percent respectively. The report finds Android and iPhone users are more similar to each other than anyone else, an uncomfortable fact for both parties to deal with probably. Drop us some analysis in the comments below.

BlackBerry 6 Walkthrough Shown As Well As Bold 9800 Slider Pics

More information was recently revealed about the the Blackberry Bold 9800 slider with a lengthy review of the upcoming BlackBerry OS 6.0 on video as well. The video is in Chinese, but everything seems pretty self-explanatory, and this video probably won't be taken down to a DMCA notice. The source confirms that there is no SurePress, and he pictures show it's got a T-Mobile SIM cad in there, which might be a hint at carrier availability beyond AT&T. Previous info suggests that the BlackBerry Bold 9800 will have 4 GB of on-board storage, 512 MB of RAM, an HVGA display on parr with existing BlackBerrys, and it will include Wi-Fi 802.11n. You can check out the video below:

Some key times and features for the video can be found below:

• 1:58 - Homescreen lampshade pushed down and brought back up


• 2:07 - SMS app


• 2:48 - Multitouch selection


• 3:12 - Contact apps


• 3:33 - Today page


• 3:58 - Calendar


• 4:24 - Phone app's new look


• 5:23 - Options menu


• 5:43 - The new "Launch"


• 6:25 - Music app makeover


• 8:19 - Video app


• 9:06 - TwitterBerry


• 9:39 - Pictures


• 10:18 - Ringtones


• 10:38 - Podcast app


• 13:51 - Brickbreaker


• 14:25 - Autoanswer app


• 14:34 - New "Toolkit"


• 15:15 - Feeds app

RIM Welcomes AT&T’s Tiered Data Pricing

U.S. wireless carrier AT&T this morning announced two new smartphone-data pricing tiers for its wireless customers and eliminated its former unlimited data option. The new data packages are $15 a month for up to 200MB of data; and $25 a month for 2GB. The new pricing tiers go into effect on June 7, and they must also be bundled with a voice and messaging plan. AT&T claims that 65% of their users currently use less than 200MB and 98% use less than 2GB. (More specifics on the AT&T changes are available on the carrier’s site.)

RIM states that they are welcoming this new change since they say it will translate into savings for BlackBerry users. We have not gotten an official confirmation from AT&T stating BlackBerry users will also be able to use these new plans since traditionally AT&T charged $29.99 for personal BlackBerry plans and $44.99 for Enterprise BES compatible plans unlike the regular smartphone plans that were $20-$30.

RIM claims that BlackBerry users on average use about 54MB of compressed/optimized bandwidth which could mean that many BlackBerry AT&T users will be able to cut their plans in half. As per RIM:

These new pricing plans will translate to savings for BlackBerry customers due to the industry-leading efficiency of the BlackBerry platform. Thanks to RIM’s longstanding focus on wireless data efficiency and investment in related technologies and infrastructure, the BlackBerry platform is significantly more efficient than other mobile platforms and this leads to a major advantage for users with tiered pricing plans

Jim Balsillie, RIM’s Co-CEO had the following to say about AT&T’s change:

AT&T’s strategic pricing move is great news for BlackBerry smartphone customers,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “We envision a day when all mobile phones are smartphones and we believe AT&T’s new service plans, together with RIM’s leading portfolio of BlackBerry products and services, will help attract a much broader range of consumers.

We wonder if additional U.S. carriers will follow suit and start to offer competitive data-pricing plans.

Share your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for more by following us on Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feeds.

McAfee Aquires Trust Digital To Boost Mobile Security

McAfee, the computer and software security company has recently acquired Trust Digital, a company that provides security software to mobile phones.

Trust Digital provides enterprise smartphone security and management for government organizations as well as several companies. Many IT organizations use Trust Digital to secure and manage their inventory of smartphones.

It's been a tough year for McAfee. In the latest quarter, the company's profits fell by 30%. Part of the reason was lackluster follow-through from the sales organization. But of course, McAfee also suffered from a botched anti-virus update that crashed some customers' computers.

With the acquisition, McAfee is looking to boost its offerings, specifically integrating Trust Digital’s policy and device management into its ePolicy Orchestrator product. The company is looking to target the larger smartphone market by supporting mobile operating systems including iPhone, Android, WebOS, Windows Mobile, and Symbian. In a statement, Trust Digital CEO Mark Shull, said:

Business users are thrilled by the capabilities of iPhones, smartphones and tablets and are quickly adopting them as their handheld computers, but their IT counterparts must now find tools to effectively secure and manage them. The integration of Trust Digital with McAfee will enable enterprises to rapidly deploy new mobility devices such as smartphones across diverse mobile environments cost effectively and with the highest level of security. Together, we will enable IT to say yes to the iPhone and Android.

McAfee plans to use Trust Digital’s technology to help businesses secure and deploy applications on smartphone devices. Smartphone security is a hot topic right now, especially with a number of companies raising considerable amounts of money to scale security operations as businesses look beyond the BlackBerry.

The companies said they expect the acquisition to close by June 30.

Stay tuned for more info by following us on Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feeds.

The Word On The Upcoming BlackBerry Tablet

Have you been wondering about the BlackBerry tablet device you have been hearing about lately? BGR shared exclusive information gathered from multiple sources. The Blackberry tablet is 8.9” and will be strictly a “companion” device. If you are wondering what it is all about, take a look at the Palm Foleo. The BlackBerry tablet will not have any cellular networking built in, and will rely on either a Bluetooth connection to your BlackBerry or the built-in Wi-Fi radio. Additionally, we are hearing the tablet is said to be released in December, but the team working on the project is trying to get it out to the marketplace sooner than that. The device is focused around multimedia usage, things such as e-books, emailing, web browsing, photo viewing. To be honest, as a complementary device that is coming from RIM, we aren’t sure why they are trying here. Rumor also has it that RIM was working on a monochrome version of a tablet device before the iPad was announced. Basically RIM was, at least one time, trying to build a Kindle competitor. The new device seems to have its fair share of issues though as many of the RIM employees have voiced frustration over the initiative. Time will tell how RIM’s tablet turns out to be.

The Word On The Upcoming BlackBerry Tablet

Have you been wondering about the BlackBerry tablet device you have been hearing about lately? BGR shared exclusive information gathered from multiple sources. The Blackberry tablet is 8.9” and will be strictly a “companion” device. If you are wondering what it is all about, take a look at the Palm Foleo. The BlackBerry tablet will not have any cellular networking built in, and will rely on either a Bluetooth connection to your BlackBerry or the built-in Wi-Fi radio. Additionally, we are hearing the tablet is said to be released in December, but the team working on the project is trying to get it out to the marketplace sooner than that. The device is focused around multimedia usage, things such as e-books, emailing, web browsing, photo viewing. To be honest, as a complementary device that is coming from RIM, we aren’t sure why they are trying here. Rumor also has it that RIM was working on a monochrome version of a tablet device before the iPad was announced. Basically RIM was, at least one time, trying to build a Kindle competitor. The new device seems to have its fair share of issues though as many of the RIM employees have voiced frustration over the initiative. Time will tell how RIM’s tablet turns out to be.

RIM Trying To Revamp Their OS

There were four major smartphone operating systems before the iPhone release - Symbian, Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry OS. After the release of the iPhone, their user interfaces all seemed out of date in some way. Both the Palm OS and Windows Mobile have essentially been replaced with new operating systems named WebOS and Windows Phone 7. Symbian stakeholders, though, has decided that there is no need to throw out the past completely, and are instead looking toward several evolutionary upgrades to make the now open source operating system more competitive.

This week at RIM's WES conference, the company is announcing a similar evolutionary path for the BackBerry OS. Like Symbian, the BlackBerry OS has a reputation for being fast and efficient but has not kept up with many of the aesthetic and input amenities offered by more modern competitors. The challenge will be to preserve the things that users like about the platform while making changes to it. For example, while the new BlackBerry OS will be better optimized for touchscreens, reports are that it won't require one.

RIM is launching a multi-faceted plan to revolutionize the BlackBerry OS. Elements include replacing is browser with one using the same WebKit engine used in the default browsers of Android, iPhone OS, and WebOS. For all the discussion about the apps race that occurs, a solid browser experience is still important to reach a large amount of web content hat has not been made available as apps for any smartphone platform. Another is enhancing the OS to take better advantage of touchscreens after the makeover that has graced the BlackBerry Storm has proven unsatisfying. These improvements should include support fo the kinds of "physics"-based effects, gesture, and transitions we see in competitors to BlackBerry OS. In addition, the key RIM applications such as the email client and the media playback application should also see upgrades.

It's no coincidence that RIM has decided to upgrade the BlackBerry OS in an evolutionary way similar to that of the Symbian OS. Whereas Symbian has the highest smartphone market share globally, RIM has the highest share in the U.S. In contrast, Windows Mobile and Palm OS were struggling with low market share that begged a more radical approach. At least in the mdium-term RIM's approach places its OS revamp lower in the risk-reward curve than Microsoft's or Palm's rests. While RIM's significant enhancements may bring the BlackBerry experience roughly on parr with the Android or iPhone experience, it risks failing to create something beyond what competitors are doing. In contrast, Windows Phone 7's hubs and WebOS's Synergy structure offer levels of integration that cause them to stand out.

Different doesn't always mean better though. RIM has been the most successful smartphone vendor by far at combining its own software into a portfolio of devices, albeit one anchored on the familiar Curve, Tour, and Bold QWERTY candy bar form factors. As the market shifts toward touch, whether its with or without physical keyboard, proving a roughly on parr experience that doesn't take big bets on motifs like social networking may backfire. RIM is taking on many of the user experience attributes that have helped create success for Android, but it may not be enough o defend against the multi-vendor assalt of the Google-backed OS.

RIM Releases First BlackBerry 6.0 Teaser

While RIM's keynote is still ongoing at WES 2010, the company's YouTube channel has released the first teaser video for the upcoming BlackBerry 6 operating system. There's a lot of movement on screen, in fact, there is so much that it's almost as if RIM doesn't want you to see the OS at all. In the video we did catch sight of a Cover Flow - a music organizer, an onscreen keyboard involved in threaded messaging, Facebook and Twitter clients, and the briefest of glimpses at the famed WebKit-based browser. All of the interactions in the video is done via touch, but you'll naturally be able to utilize the new interface on a more conventional, touch-less device as well. Check out the video below:

[ad#MGN_SinglePost-Video 336x280]

RIM Introduces BlackBerry Bold 9650 Smartphone

Not only was BlackBerry Pearl 9100 officially announced today, RIM also announced the Bold 9650. So far we know this device is coming to Verizon and Sprint in the United States. Check out the key features:

• Stylish design (4.4” x 2.4” x .56” and 4.8 oz.) with glossy black finish and chrome highlights
• Large (2.44”) high-resolution display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi), able to display pictures, videos and web pages with impressive contrast and detail
• 3.2 MP camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording
• Advanced media player for videos, pictures and music, a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth® Stereo Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)
• BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*
• Easy mobile access to Facebook®, MySpace and Flickr®, as well as popular instant messaging services including BlackBerry® Messenger
• Support for BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
• Full HTML web browser, streaming audio and video via RTSP
• Built-in GPS with support for geotagging, BlackBerry® Maps and other mapping applications
• Premium phone features including voice activated dialing, speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.1).
• Support for high-speed EV-DO Rev. A networks in North America, as well as UMTS/HSPA (2100Mhz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad
• Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery for 5 hours of CDMA talk time

The Bold 9650 is a 3G and WiFi enabled CDMA device with a full QWERTY keypad and is expected to be available from carriers in the United States in the beginning of May. For more info, check out the press release below:

Official Press Release

CDMA customers get a bold new choice with powerhouse 3G smartphone that offers premium features and performance together with popular keyboard and trackpad, as well as support for Wi-Fi and high-speed 3G networks around the world

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 smartphone – the latest addition to the BlackBerry Bold portfolio of premium smartphones. Sophisticated, powerful and feature-rich, the BlackBerry Bold 9650 is a global smartphone for CDMA customers who want to stay connected, productive and entertained.

“The new BlackBerry Bold 9650 is an extraordinary smartphone that we think customers will love,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “Whether at work or at play, the new BlackBerry Bold 9650 offers a truly impressive communications, multimedia and connectivity experience.”

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone supports 3G (EVDO) networks in North America and (HSPA/UMTS) abroad and has a full-QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad and built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g), which makes it possible to talk on the phone while browsing the web or sending and receiving email. The BlackBerry Bold 9650 also includes 512 MB Flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB microSDHC cards, with a 2 GB card included.

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 fuses form and function in a striking design and, in addition to providing premium phone and multimedia features, it of course delivers the industry’s leading mobile solution for email, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking.

Other key features of the BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone include:

• Stylish design (4.4” x 2.4” x .56” and 4.8 oz.) with glossy black finish and chrome highlights
• Large (2.44”) high-resolution display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi), able to display pictures, videos and web pages with impressive contrast and detail
• 3.2 MP camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording
• Advanced media player for videos, pictures and music, a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth® Stereo Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)
• BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*
• Easy mobile access to Facebook®, MySpace and Flickr®, as well as popular instant messaging services including BlackBerry® Messenger
• Support for BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
• Full HTML web browser, streaming audio and video via RTSP
• Built-in GPS with support for geotagging, BlackBerry® Maps and other mapping applications
• Premium phone features including voice activated dialing, speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.1).
• Support for high-speed EV-DO Rev. A networks in North America, as well as UMTS/HSPA (2100Mhz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad
• Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery for 5 hours of CDMA talk time

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone is expected to be available from carriers in the United States beginning in May. For more information visit www.blackberry.com/bold.

RIM Introduces BlackBerry Pearl 9100 Smartphone

RIM's BlackBerry Pearl 9100 was officially announced at WES 2010. We've heard about the device, seen some pictures, as well as some specs but here are the key features of the Pearl 9100:

• Elegant candybar design measuring 4.25″ x 1.96″ x 0.52″ (108mm x 50 mm x 13.3 mm) and weighing only 3.3 oz (93 grams)
• 624 Mhz processor with 256 MB Flash memory
• 360×400 sharp-resolution display (238 ppi)
• Optical trackpad that makes navigation fast and smooth, plus a comfortable keyboard that enables quick and accurate typing
• Media player for videos, pictures and music (music plays up to 30 hours), plus dedicated media keys integrated along top of the handset
• 3.2 MP camera with zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording*
• Built-in GPS for location-based applications such as BlackBerry® Maps, as well as photo geotagging
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) – first BlackBerry smartphone to support ‘n’
• microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards
• Premium phone features, including voice activated dialing, speakerphone and Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including systems that support the emerging Bluetooth Message Access Profile standard) and other Bluetooth accessories
• Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
• Support for BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone**
• BlackBerry® OS 5
• Support for tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
• Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.5 hours of talk time on 3G networks

The BlackBerry Pearl 9100 model features a condensed 20-key QWERTY kyboard and the 9105 model features a traditional 14-key phone keyboard. These devices will also be available in different colors. You can ceck out the press release and more info below:

Official Press Release:

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the newBlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G, the smallest BlackBerry® smartphone yet. Despite its impressively compact and elegant design, this stylish new handset is a powerful 3G BlackBerry smartphone with uncompromising performance and top–of-the-line features, including all the industry-leading BlackBerry® email, messaging and social networking capabilities that so many people love.

“The BlackBerry Pearl 3G is unlike any other smartphone in the world and we expect a broad range of new and existing customers will be drawn to its powerful features and compact design,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “Considering the fast growing consumer interest in smartphones and the fact that more than three-quarters of the people in the global mobile phone market are still buying handsets with a traditional alphanumeric keypad, we think the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G addresses a substantial market opportunity. It allows consumers to upgrade their traditional mobile phone to a full-featured, easy-to-use and fashionable 3G BlackBerry smartphone that supports BlackBerry Messenger and many other apps while maintaining a handset design and layout that is familiar and comfortable.”

The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone is a marvel of engineering and design excellence. It’s as powerful as it is compact. Measuring less than two inches wide (50 mm) and weighing only 3.3 ounces (93g), it still manages to pack in support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks, Wi-Fi® (b/g/n) and GPS along with a powerhouse processor that drives visually stunning images on the sharp, high-resolution display. It also features an optical trackpad for smooth navigation, dedicated volume and media keys for added convenience, a 3.2 MP camera with flash for quality pictures on the go, and support for up to 32 GB of personal content.

Key features of the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone include:

• Elegant candybar design measuring 4.25″ x 1.96″ x 0.52″ (108mm x 50 mm x 13.3 mm) and weighing only 3.3 oz (93 grams)
• 624 Mhz processor with 256 MB Flash memory
• 360×400 sharp-resolution display (238 ppi)
• Optical trackpad that makes navigation fast and smooth, plus a comfortable keyboard that enables quick and accurate typing
• Media player for videos, pictures and music (music plays up to 30 hours), plus dedicated media keys integrated along top of the handset
• 3.2 MP camera with zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording*
• Built-in GPS for location-based applications such as BlackBerry® Maps, as well as photo geotagging
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) – first BlackBerry smartphone to support ‘n’
• microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards
• Premium phone features, including voice activated dialing, speakerphone and Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including systems that support the emerging Bluetooth Message Access Profile standard) and other Bluetooth accessories
• Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
• Support for BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone**
• BlackBerry® OS 5
• Support for tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
• Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.5 hours of talk time on 3G networks

The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone will be available in two models and several lustrous colors. The 9100 model features a 20-key condensed QWERTY keyboard and the 9105 model features a 14-key traditional phone keyboard. Both models include SureType® software that can complete words as the user types, making texting fast and accurate. The BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone is expected to launch with various carriers beginning in May. Check with individual carriers for details about availability and pricing. For more information visit www.blackberry.com/pearl3G.

BlackBerry OS 6.0 Leak With Images and Details

The leaks keep coming in this week, this time Boy Genius has some new images and details on BlackBerry OS 6.0 today, and there is no denying that we're looking at substantial and much-needed improvements to the platform. First, it appears that RIM's acquisition of Torch Mobile paid off with a totally new WebKit-based browser, complete with features such as tab switching, a redesigned favorites section, and pinch-to-zoom. The pinch-to-zoom and multitouch are supposedly features that are also said to be present system-wide, along with kinetic scrolling, and long pressing on the screen brings up a new modal context menu. The media player, photo viewer, and messaging apps have all also been re-done and we're told the new inbox offers Facebook, Twitter, and RSS integration. The best part of this is that BGR says it's all due out in June / July, "100%."

There are several parts that make this interesting. First off, it's obvious that this system is made for and being demoed on a touchscreen device, yet BGR says it was being shown off by an "AT&T connect." That suggests that AT&T is about to get a touchscreen BlackBerry of its own to counter Verizon's Storm sometime soon, perhaps the leaked slider? But we can't say for sure. What we can say for sure is that this is the third set of 6.0 leaks that we've seen that have content about San Francisco and the earthquake in Haiti displayed on the screen, but what this theme has to do with anything, we may never know, BUT if we could get that new browser, we'll probably stop questioning it.

Verizon V Cast App Store Launched

Verizon Wireless' V Cast App Store was quietly launched this week amid a sea of competition. Non-carrier app stores jumped from 8 to 38 last year alone Apple's App Store now boasts more than 150,000 downloadable apps and even the Android Marketplace says its inventory is in the respectable 30,000 to 40,000 range. Regardless of how far behind Verizon may be, it's clear from the company's courting of developers over the last year that it is time to give their customers access to apps and grabbing a small share of the profits.

The store has already been launched for the Blackberry Storm 2 with about 300 apps, but Leroy Williams, director of business development for Verizon's developer community last week said that the store will expand quickly.

Senior Analyst of consumer mobility for ABI Research, Mark Beccue, says there are a couple of reasons Verizon wants in on the apps game. "One would be the struggle for ownership of suscribers... It ties them more to the customer," Beccue says. While revenue is probably on Verizon's mind, it can't be on top of the list of reasons to roll out a proprietary app store. "When you look at what iPone and RIM are doing, they're almost doing this thing as a loss leader," he mentions. "I would imagine Verizon would be happy with a net-neutral outcome." Beccue noted that Verizon's strong relationships with a number of high-profile OEMs as one reason that the rollout of an apps store might go smoothly for the carrier.

The first device to get the portal is the BlackBerry Storm2, with other RIM devices (and hopefully other mobile platforms) in the coming months. The V Cast App Store is not taking the place of BlackBerry App World, so now that we have two coexisting markets on one device, it's time to see just how strong that V Cast branding is.

Bolt Browser 2.0 for Blackberry Available Now; Offers Tabbed Browsing

The guys over at Bitstream have been busy working on the Bolt browser for BlackBerry, today they have released version 2.0. This new version brings tabbed browsing to the mix.

“Each new version of BOLT becomes more exciting to announce,” said Anna Magliocco-Chagnon, president and CEO of Bitstream. “We are closely listening to our end-users through our user forum, our Twitter and Facebook pages, and their comments on blog posts and articles, and they are guiding our development roadmap in important ways. It is this close relationship we are building with our users to which we attribute our stunning growth. BOLT added 1 million new users in the last five weeks alone.”

A lot of new features have been added in Bolt 2.0, however, the most noticeable feature is true tabbed browsing.

Bolt 2.0 features include:

• Perfect rendering of Web pages on any class of phone, scoring 100 percent on the Web Standard’s project Acid3 test.
• Streaming video from many of the world’s most popular video sharing websites, including YouTube, MySpace, Blip.TV and MetaCafe, as well as websites that stream videos such as CNN, ESPN and any website with embedded YouTube videos.
• Super fast download speeds.
• Copy and pasting text.
• Built-in integration with Twitter and Facebook.
• Password manager.
• Download/Upload manager.
• Ability to run Web-based applications written in Ajax, Javascript and other Web programming languages, ranging from Google docs to Mafia Wars.
• The inclusion of widgets, standalone mobile applications that are run directly from the browser, such as a weather app, calendar app, calculator, Twitter client and others. These widgets let people using any phone take part in the mobile apps revolution.
• Best of breed over-the-air data compression, resulting in faster load times and decreased data usage.
• Patented split screen viewing to make surfing complicated Web pages simple, and viewing content on the smallest of screens easy.
• Additional notable upgrades in BOLT 2.0 include a faster widget gallery with updated user interface and a server upgrade to WebKit 4.03

Download it here

BIS 3.0 rolling out on March 28th

Sources have released info regarding BIS 3.0's releasing in North America. The dates and times are as follows:

• There will be scheduled network maintenance by Research In Motion (RIM) affecting BIS customers between 0100 CT / 0200 EDT on March 28th and 0500 CT / 0600 EDT on March 28th.
• Blackberry will be performing a BlackBerry Internet Service v2.8 upgrade to BlackBerry Internet Service v3.0
• BlackBerry Internet Service subscribers may be unable to send or receive messages using their BlackBerry hosted email account or integrated third-party email accounts, view email attachments, activate email service, or request to see ""more"" text during the maintenance.
• Wireless service providers and device resellers may be unable to create subscriber accounts or provision services for subscribers.
• The estimated duration of impact is 4 hours and affects 100% of BIS customers

BlackBerry Internet Service 3.0 is the latest version of the BlackBerry Internet Service offered by Research In Motion:

• Enhancements to the Google Mail Plug-in
  
  
  • Create and delete labels from the BlackBerry smartphone

Note: The Google Mail Plug-in requires BlackBerry® Device Software 4.5 or later and a Google Mail integration, using Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), within BlackBerry Internet Service.

• Additional Language Support for Basque, Catalan, Galician, Romanian
• Increased Attachment Compatibility
  
  
  • OpenDocument Presentations (.odp)
  • OpenDocument Spreadsheets (.ods)
  • OpenDocument Text (.odt)
  • OpenDocument Text Templates (.ott)
  • Windows Media Audio (.wma)

• Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (xHTML) Support for non-thick Clients
  BlackBerry Internet Service 3.0 is designed to support xHTML for non-thick Clients, providing BlackBerry smartphone users with a richer user experience, allowing for buttons, additional fonts, and colour controls when subscribers access and toggle their user settings.
• Device Switch Revalidation
  Changes to optimize the email setup and deactivation experience when the subscriber switches BlackBerry smartphones or Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards.
• Hosted Email Address Passwords
  Allows BlackBerry smartphone users to re-claim the BlackBerry email address if their BlackBerry Internet Service account is ever deleted.
  Note: After BlackBerry Internet Service 3.0, only newly created BlackBerry email “Username/Password” accounts will be prompted to create a password, secret question, and secret answer. For information on how to create a BlackBerry email address, see KB04553.
• Send Delivery Receipts
  BlackBerry Internet Service users now have the ability to configure whether to allow sending delivery receipts or not. For more information, see KB12835.

During the upgrade process every BIS user will be without BlackBerry services, but considering it’s happening in the wee hours of the night, it’s going to be the West Coast users that are going to be affected. Either way you look at it, the gain is worth the pain as BIS 3.0 will be bringing 2-way Gmail sync, there’s no word on whether the service will be offered upon release or will be rolled out gradually over time like EMEA region. BIS 3.0 will also have the ability to add/delete Gmail labels, support for .wma and OpenOffice files.