Research in Motion may not open up its BlackBerry Messenger service as previously thought. Rumors that the BBM service would expand to Android handsets and iPhones, as evidenced by a photo of a beta app, are in doubt following the replacement of Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie by chief executive Thorsten Heins, according to an unnamed source speaking to the Wall Street Journal.
Research firm IDC has published its latest smartphone market-share report, finding Android and iOS to be responsible for eight out of 10 smartphones shipped in the first quarter of 2012. Android captured 59 percent of all sales, while iOS took 23 percent of the 152 million smartphones shipped in the first quarter. Linux phones maintained the same small share held for four quarters. Symbian and Blackberry shipments continued to drop precipitously.
The US International Trade Commission has ruled that a patent involved in Kodak's lawsuit against Apple and Research in Motion is invalid, according to AppleInsider. In particular an administrative law judge has quashed the 6,292,218 patent, Method for Live View Display and Digital Camera Using Same, on the basis of claim 15 in the document. Kodak will reportedly appeal the decision to the full commission, a necessary step if it intends to continue suing Apple and RIM for infringing the patent.
RIM on Tuesday announced it has partnered with TomTom to bring the latter's HD Traffic service onto the former's smartphones. BlackBerry apps including Traffic, Maps, and Locate Services will get TomTom's touch, and even developers will have access to mapping and traffic for integration into their own apps. HD Traffic provides real-time traffic information to platforms.
A majority of US mobile subscribers are now choosing smartphones over other kinds of handsets, according to new numbers out from Nielsen. Smartphones currently make up 50.4 percent of handsets, up from 47.8 percent in December 2011. Nielsen's report also looked at the most popular operating systems among smartphones, finding that Android was by far the favorite at 48.5 percent of smartphones sold in March. iOS came in second with 32 percent, while RIM's BlackBerry OS was in third with 11.6 percent.
A rummaging through the source code of the dev alpha handset RIM distributed to developers at its BlackBerry World event last week has revealed 7 new codenames for upcoming BlackBerry handsets. According to N4BB, J. Duke from the OSBB site found a reference to Nevada, Winchester 2, Colt, London, Blackforest, Nashville, and Naples in the viewable file system. The London was reported on before and is the second version of the dev alpha phone, with Colt the name for the first-revision of the device.
Canadian smartphone maker RIM reveled that 80 percent of NFC phones sold during the first quarter of 2012 in the UK are its own. In an interview with the Inquirer, RIM's senior director of sales and operation Gerry Kelliher revealed the information, though didn't discuss other market, but the UK numbers represent a bump from the 72 percent in 2011. The company began incorporating the radios that can be used for wireless payments since August of last year because it believes in the technology and its consumer adoption.
Speaking at a BlackBerry World press conference, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has admitted that the company has no plans to offer BlackBerry 10 updates for existing devices that run the BlackBerry 7 OS. The company has yet to announce a consumer device that will be powered by the new OS, though developers will be able to test apps on the Dev Alpha handset.
Thanks to The Canadian Reviewer, an image of the previously rumored 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook has emerged at a BlackBerry World breakfast function. As yet, no release date has been confirmed for the device.
At its currently ongoing BlackBerry World 2012 conference, RIM revealed a guarantee for developers as a motivation to get them to create apps for its upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS. According to Engadget, the Canadian smartphone maker will make up the difference between $10,000 and the money a certified app made from sales in App World, though this only applies for its first year of existence. Also, the app will need to generate at least $1,000 on its own.
A second, more official image of the recently leaked BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha unit surfaced on Tuesday. The image is accompanied by some specs, with the smartphone sporting a 4.2-inch touchscreen with 1280x768 resolution. The handsets are expected to be distributed to developers for the BlackBerry 10 platform at the BlackBerry World conference that started in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday.
Research In Motion has finally previewed its BlackBerry 10 software, which will power the company's Dev Alpha handset before arriving on other devices. In an attempt to maintain the traditional BlackBerry pedigree, the new OS focuses on productivity and brings a new virtual keyboard that mimics the company's characteristic hardware keyboards.
Previously believed to be Samsung, BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion admitted responsibility for the paid flashmob outside a Sydney Apple store. The faux mob was a phase in a viral marketing program for the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS.
BlackBerry owners will soon have a new option for streaming music wirelessly from their handsets to a range of audio devices. RIM has set a release date for the BlackBerry Music Gateway, an accessory that relies on NFC and Bluetooth technology to stream from smartphones and tablets to home and car stereo systems. The device will begin shipping in June for $50.
Nokia's plans to shed its Vertu brand have reportedly come closer after a leak [free reg. required]. Uncredited tips to the FT had one of Nokia's Finnish neighbors, private equity firm Permira, reportedly in talks to buy the luxury phone badge for about €200 million ($264.9 million). A competing equity group, EQT, had discussed the idea at one point but would have stalled.
The BlackBerry 10 developer device RIM plans to give away next week at BlackBerry World has been spotted days in advance. A CrackBerry forum poster got a quick, power-off look at the experimental smartphone, which is a relatively simple, brick-like design reminiscent of the BlackBerry PlayBook. Other than seeing both front and back cameras, little was discernible without turning it on.
BlackBerry users will now be able to quickly share their locations, thanks to today's update to the Foursuare app. The update (BlackBerry App World) implements NFC (near field communications) on certain BlackBerry models, such as the Bold 9900, to let users simply tap their handsets on NFC stickers to share their locations.
IHS iSuppli posted an estimate that suggested Apple may have kept its frontrunner position in smartphones in the earliest quarter of 2012. Although Samsung hasn't officially published smartphone shipments, researchers believed that it had shipped 32 million devices, putting it behind Apple's 35.1 million iPhones. If true, the gap would be wider than in the fall, when Samsung's reported 35 million to 36 million was close to Apple's 37 million.
According to information buried in the documentation for BlackBerry.net, the BlackBerry Curve lineup will soon receive an addition in the form a previously-unannounced handset. Users of the Crackberry forums have discovered documentation suggesting that the BlackBerry Curve 9310 will be released in the near future on Verizon's network.
Previously photographed for T-Mobile's UK website, the speculation over the upcoming Blackberry Curve 9320 is over. The specifications of the phone have been revealed by Vietnamese mobile-centric website Sohoa, with the phone already confirmed for India and the UK sometime next month.
The first BlackBerry 10 phones are now expected to be announced in mid-August with a planned release date in mid-October, according to a source quoted as "reliable" by enthusiast site N4BB. The prediction falls in line with reports from Research In Motion (RIM) itself that the first BlackBerry 10 devices would ship in the "later half" of this year. Some developers attending BlackBerry Jam early next month in Orlando are expected to receive "reference" phones for testing that do not reflect the true design.
The newest installation of Rovio's popular game series, Angry Birds Space ($3, BlackBerry App World) arrived for RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on Tuesday. Previously, the game was erroneously posted as available on April 10 of this year, though the link was quickly removed. Now, the zero-gravity bird slingshot game is available to all PlayBook owners except those in South Korea and Brazil.
Canadian provider Bell on Tuesday introduced its Push-to-Talk service, based on the provider's 4G-branded service that offers HSPA+ download speeds of up to 21Mbps. It also launched a new rugged handset that can take advantage of it with the Sonim XP5520 Bolt. Bell's Samsung Galaxy S II 4G and BlackBerry Curve 9360 can also take advantage of the network and PTT service.
AT&T posted results for its first quarter of 2012 that showed it still being defined by the iPhone. The carrier sold 5.5 million smartphones and noted that it activated 4.3 million iPhones, roughly a quarter more than Verizon's 3.2 million. While AT&T sold 5.5 million smartphones, the actual ratio of new iPhone sales wouldn't be definite, as a small number of iPhone activations would have come from older phones being switched to new users.
The total mobile user base is significantly less oriented towards Android than phone market share would suggest, according to research. An InMobi study saw iOS extend a slight lead in North America based on ad impressions, going from an 0.6-point lead at 33.1 percent in the fall to a 2.7-point gap at 36.8 percent in the winter. It had Apple, not Google, growing faster for at least the past several months.
New leaks have uncovered more of RIM's possible reorganization plans. The Reuters tip asserted that it had hired lawyers at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley, and McCloy to outline possible corporate plans. These could range from anything as simple as licensing patents to selling off parts of the company or making alliances with other companies.
Google on Friday detailed another round of sweeping consolidation that would drop even more of the servers it no longer considers vital. One Pass, its digital publication payment system, has been shuttered and its users transitioned to "other platforms." The implementation was intended to compete with Apple's own App Store publication rules and gave publishers as much as a 90 percent cut as well as access to subscriber details.
Canadian smartphone maker RIM is closer to picking its financial advisor and JPMorgan Chase & Co is the leading candidate, Bloomberg reported on Friday. A source who wished to remain anonymous said the decision may arrive in a matter of days. The company is considering a licensing deal for its tech or a strategic investment, sources indicated, and has even talked with Bank of America.
As part of the call discussing its fiscal results, Verizon on Thursday both narrowed down its shared data plan schedule and reiterated that it was still interested in Windows Phone. The shared data would be coming in mid-summer, CFO Fran Shammo said. The tier is expected to significantly reduce the cost of having more than one smartphone in a family.
RIM out an end to at least one rumor on Wednesday with the BlackBerry Curve 9220. Its new entry smartphone is the first to have a dedicated BlackBerry Messenger key. Hitting the side-mounted BBM button launches the app from wherever the user is in the OS, making it easier to respond to a message or share something as soon as it shows.
Just as Blackberry sales in the United States stagnate under pressure from other smart phone manufacturers, Research in Motion (RIM) is finishing up lease negotiation for a 1,500 square foot store in Dubai. Managing director of RIM's Middle East division, Sandeep Saihgal, stated in an interview with Bloomberg that expansion into Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia would follow completion of the Dubai store. Patrick Spence, RIM's global head of sales, amplified Saihgal's remarks by remarking that the approach in the Middle East would differ from their successful presence in Indonesia.
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison in commentary during the ongoing trial against Google revealed that he had tried to buy RIM or Palm. An internal investigation had explored the idea, which was meant to improve competition with Apple or Google. The database developer concluded that it was a "bad idea" that didn't make financial or competitive sense.
Research in Motion is bringing the BlackBerry Curve 9320 to the UK, according to a teaser page on T-Mobile's UK website. The site suggests the 9320 will arrive in the carrier's stores sometime in May.
A trio of sources leaked Monday that RIM has been looking at hiring banks to advise it on "strategic options." The Bloomberg tips had the BlackBerry designer looking for one Canadian and one international bank. The negotiation was explained more as evaluative than a definitive direction.
A new Pew study has emphasized the rift in technology adoption for the US. About 19 percent of Americans have a tablet of some sort, researches said, and as many have an e-reader. A full 22 percent of Americans, however, had no Internet access at all, a figure that has remained largely constant since 2009.
RIM could be getting close to releasing a pair of major projects based on a pair of tentative rumors in mid-week. One possible sighting emerging from TechnoBuffalo had BlackBerry Messenger being run on an Android device for testing purposes. The lone shot had few extra details, but conspicuously showed an "iPhone test" contact entry, suggesting RIM was developing for both platforms.
Samsung's ChatON messaging service now has a client for BlackBerry phones. The app, Samsung's attempt at a cross-platform messaging service, joins the existing roster of clients for iOS, Bada, and Android handsets.
RIM's former co-CEO Jim Balsillie had proposed using BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) servers to provide data for non-BlackBerry hardware shortly before he resigned his position, new leaks uncovered on Friday. The method outlined to Reuters would have let carriers offer Android and iPhone devices with cheaper data plans that limited Internet access to chat (possibly BlackBerry Messenger) and social networks, much like entry BlackBerry plans do today. RIM would presumably have made money from leasing access to carriers eager to get more smartphone customers and offload some of their bandwidth needs.
RIM has started up a BlackBerry Challenge Council in the hopes of getting rid of some stereotypes regarding the capabilities of its smartphones. The Council will host contests and produce webisodes that attempt to inform the public of the BlackBerry's real capabilities through comedy. The videos will feature MTV and CollegeHumor regulars as well as celebrities.
Previously unknown firm Touchscreen Gestures has sued Apple, HTC, RIM, and Samsung this week for allegedly violating four patents for some of the simplest elements of touchscreen input. iOS devices, newer BlackBerrys, and Android devices allegedly copy methods for single taps, double taps, dragging, and scrolling. The patents had been transferred at some point from notebook trackpad developer Sentelic, although whether they were bought or handed over with hopes of a payout aren't clear.
Canadian smartphone maker RIM on Wednesday revealed it will release five newly updated apps this week that will integrate BlackBerry Messenger. They include Facebook and Twitter as well as the completely self-developed Travel, BlackBerry App World, and BBM Music. Version 3.0 of both Facebook and Twitter for BlackBerry allows users to automatically share their status or latest post with their BBM contacts from inside the app.
Apple will stay out in front of the tablet market for at least the next four years, Gartner predicted in a long-term estimate on Tuesday. The analyst group saw sales for the entire tablet market for 2012 nearly doubling, up 98 percent to 118.9 million, with Apple still in the clear majority at 73 million. While the gap would close, Apple would keep the largest piece of the market even until 2016.
RIM's Developer Relations VP Alec Saunders on Monday clarified his position on restricting sideloading on the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry 10. He noted that, rather than blocking a manual transfer of an app from PC to device, RIM would be encrypting apps to prevent bootlegged copies while still allowing legitimate sideloads from developers and end users who'd downloaded the title. He indirectly positioned it as a balance between Apple's mostly locked down view and the loosely checked Android method.
RIM's market share of the US government is going up, The company's Senior VP of BlackBerry security Scott Totzke argued in an interview held late last week and published Monday. While the enterprise was still a soft point, he noted to Bloomberg that the total number of installs was slightly growing even with cutbacks meaning fewer employees. About 400,000 units were sold to the government for federal-level workers in the past year, and 40 percent of clients had upgraded, although most of those were BlackBerry 6 given BB7's clearance in February.
The stabbing at RIM's party for BlackBerry Messenger has resulted in further tragedy as London's Metropolitan Police have reported that the victim has died of his wounds. Philip Sherriff, one of RIM's UK employees, passed on early Sunday. His attacker is believed to be Ashley Charles and has already been charged with attempted murder.
Efforts to spy on BlackBerry Messenger chats in India are almost live, officials explained Saturday. The method would be "up and running soon," India Today was told. As it worked, it would effectively require a wiretap warrant from the Union Home Ministry that would collect all communication from that individual user, catching it in an unencrypted format before it's locked down and sent through the BlackBerry Internet Service.
RIM is dropping app sideloading support from the BlackBerry PlayBook in a bid to prevent the problems that have plagued Android, the company's Developer Relations VP Alec Saunders stated earlier in the week. The company would have a "solution" for developers to do it in testing, but the end user would have to go through BlackBerry App World, much like Apple does with the App Store. He believed Android had a rampant problem with piracy, where about a quarter of material was pirated.
Removing doubts around earlier rumors of a BlackBerry 4G PlayBook, a CrackBerry forum poster revealed overnight that he had access to at least three of them. Showing both the SIM tray and the presence of a "mobile network" settings pane, user fakedeadmau5 proved that the design was fundamentally the same as the seven-inch original save for cellular hardware. He also showed a rudimentary BlackBerry Messenger app, suggesting that RIM had at least been trying to get BBM working on cellular PlayBooks after failing to get it working on Wi-Fi only.
RIM's wider executive purge is real, the company confirmed Thursday night. Along with dropping its CTO and COO last week, it explained to the Wall Street Journal that BlackBerry Messenger VP Alistair Mitchell had also left. Senior BlackBerry platform VP Alan Brenner had also left.
Reports of a stabbing at a RIM BlackBerry BBM party in London have started circulating on the Web via Twitter. A number of attendees at the event have tweeted that at least one person, and possibly two have been stabbed. Police were called and guests were informed that they were not to leave the scene, according to The Next Web.
