One in five applications running on BlackBerry 10 are actually Android apps, according to a company executive. Martyn Mallick, vice president for global alliances and business development, revealed that 20-percent of the company's 100,000 app catalog for BlackBerry 10 uses an Android emulation engine in order to function.
Being more responsive to customers' concerns than previously, BlackBerry has updated the BlackBerry 10 OS to version 10.0.10.85. The update is available at some carriers now, and the Canadian company will be working closely with carrier partners to provide it to al users "over the coming weeks."
In an interview on Thursday in Waterloo, Canada, BlackBerry chief executive Thorsten Heins said that the company is considering licensing its smartphone operating system to other phone manufacturers. The program is intended to get low-cost devices running the new BlackBerry 10 operating system to increase market share.
The BlackBerry Z10 has gone on sale in the United States earlier than anticipated. Virtual operator Solavei, an MVNO that uses T-Mobile's network, is offering the smartphone through a deal with GSM Nation, where potential customers can pick up the Z10 for $1000 unsubsidized, and use it on Solavei's contract-free service.
BlackBerry will not launch the new BlackBerry 10 line of products in Japan, citing the cost of modifying its operating system to accommodate the Japanese language, Nikkei Business Daily has reported. Over the last two years, BlackBerry's market share has plummeted to 0.3 percent from five percent. Japan is nevertheless considered a major market, with 24 million smartphones in circulation in the country.
BlackBerry has launched a new developer-specific smartphone designed to aid in creating BlackBerry 10 apps for devices with a physical keyboard. The BlackBerry Z10 Dev Alpha C was also announced at the same time as updates to the WebWorks SDK and the Ripple Emulator at the BlackBerry Jam Europe event held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Sensing a change in the corporate marketplace since they last ruled the roost, BlackBerry today announced the first app for iOS and Android based on a feature of their BlackBerry 10 platform called "Work Space." The app essentially allows smartphone owners to "split" their device into two profiles: a group of apps for personal use, and a group for work that can be administered remotely without interfering with the personal "side." By keeping the two sets of data separate, the solution is marketed as promoting user security.
After much anticipation, BlackBerry has finally unveiled its new Z10 and Q10 smartphones. Electronista stopped by the company's Toronto launch event to take a closer look at both devices, the first to take advantage of the new BlackBerry 10 OS and of critical importance to the company's survival in the smartphone arena.
The BlackBerry 10 operating system has been demonstrated heavily at the BlackBerry global launch event. Shown on the company's two new smartphones, new features of the software were shown on-stage, including a number of lifestyle applications for communication, as well as work-centric apps.
BlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion, has revealed two new smartphones at it's global press events. The BlackBerry Z10 is the touchscreen-only device that was previously leaked, while the Blackberry Q10 is the first with a physical keyboard, with both running on the newly-launched BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system.
Research in Motion has put its new BlackBerry World storefront online. The phone manufacturer's online store now stocks a number of apps, music, and videos for purchase and download, ahead of the company's global launch events for its BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system and, most likely, new BlackBerry smartphones.
A video showing the BlackBerry Z10 has surfaced online, with the smartphone being compared to the iPhone 5. The Z10, previously seen in leaked photos, is shown to be a physically larger handset compared to Apple's offering, and though Research In Motion's device isn't running on finalized software, various operating system features are directly compared in the YouTube clip.
Research In Motion is considering selling its hardware production arm after the launch of BlackBerry 10, as one of a number of potential actions. RIM CEO Thorsten Heins said that a strategic review could lead towards the sale, or potentially offering licenses for its software to other manufacturers, opening the door to non-RIM BlackBerry devices in the future.
Training materials for the upcoming BlackBerry 10 devices have leaked online. The manuals, claimed to be from carrier Rogers, give a few more details about the future Research In Motion flagship smartphone, including its "Best in class HTML5" browser, and an expected 70,000 apps and 20 million songs expected to be made available at launch.
A pair of recent Research In Motion events has led to an additional 15,000 apps being made available for users of its BlackBerry 10 devices, when they launch at the end of the month. The Android Port-A-Thon and Community Port-A-Thon, designed to allow developers to create BlackBerry 10-compatible versions of their apps for cash and prizes, reached the total within 38 hours, according to RIM vice president of developer relations Alec Saunders
RIM has received a boost with the major carriers including Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile all confirming that they will be offering BlackBerry 10-powered devices on launch, reports Reuters. Executives from each of the wireless powerhouses were hopeful, and also indicated continued business interest in RIM’s devices for enterprise deployment. If RIM is to enjoy a second coming, after rapidly falling to the wayside following the rise of the iPhone and Android devices, carrier support will play a critical role if it is to have a future.
RIM has announced that its Android Port-A-Thon will be held on January 11. The event is being held to boost developer interest and ultimately, RIM hopes, spur user interest in its forthcoming BlackBerry 10 OS. RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has promised that BB10 will launch with at least 70,000 apps and is promising developers cash and a chance to win hardware for every Android app ported.
Images of the forthcoming BlackBerry 10 N-Series handset with a physical keyboard have leaked once again, giving the best view to date of what the handset will look like when it launches some time next year. The device pictured in the new images looks largely unchanged from what was seen earlier this year in leaked press images, with a large, squarish touchscreen above the QWERTY keyboard that is the signature of the BlackBerry line. The N-Series is expected to launch after the all-touchscreen L-Series, which will debut in media events around the world on January 30.
Major phone networks in the United Kingdom have expressed their intent to support BlackBerry 10 handsets when they are released. Carriers Vodafone, O2, Three, and EE will all carry the new handsets, which are set to be on sale shortly after Research In Motion's operating system global launch event, set for January 30th.
Images showing the user interface of BlackBerry 10 have leaked online. The screenshots show not only the general layout of the software as a whole, but also a number of important features, including the new Blackberry 10 Hub, and something that looks as if Research In Motion has created their own version of voice assistant Siri.
More images showing one of Research In Motion's new smartphones have appeared online. The new images of the BlackBerry 10 L-Series device gives a close-up view of the handset, and joins previous other phone-related leaks that have surfaced ahead of the company's new operating system launch, set for January 30th next year.
Research in Motion today revealed a program of incentives to its largest corporate customers to encourage them to upgrade to the upcoming BlackBerry 10 ecosystem. RIM is offering online training, webcasts, and free trade-ups of licenses and services for many of its government and corporate clients still on the platform. The educational materials are available now, with the trade-in program commencing just before the January 30 BlackBerry 10 launch.
A list containing passwords unusable on BlackBerry 10 devices has leaked. The list, containing what Research in Motion deems to be the most obvious passwords, appears to be designed to stop anyone from using easily-guessable passwords on the operating system. Though not a cure-all to every security threat, it does add some security by forcing users to choose more secure words, phrases, or codes than they would have previously used.
Research In Motion has revealed it will make a new prototype BlackBerry 10 device available to developers. The announcement at BlackBerry JAM in Asia said that developers could apply for one of the 1,500 devices, and that recipients of the prototypes will be able to swap the device after launch for a full-production version.
Casting doubt on Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins' declaration that he expects at least 400,000 government customers in the United States to upgrade to BlackBerry 10 devices, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has revealed its plan to switch to Apple's iPhone 5. The move will take place in phases across calendar year 2013, with the ultimate intention of shifting away from the BlackBerry architecture completely.
Research In Motion is planning to launch BlackBerry 10 on January 30th, CEO Thorsten Heins has revealed. A launch event for the mobile operating system will take place in a number of countries around the world, which will also play host to the first public unveiling of two new smartphones running BlackBerry 10.
Research In Motion is preparing to offer developers rewards for porting games to BlackBerry 10. Starting on November 16th and lasting 36 hours, the Got Game Port-a-Thon will provide cash and prizes to developers who successfully put their app on the platform, with the value of prizes on offer increasing with the number of successful submissions from a participant.
Embattled Canadian handset maker RIM has scored a key win for its BlackBerry 10 OSim, gaining security clearance for use in both US and Canadian government agencies. The FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 certification is awarded to operating systems that meet the standards required for secure and encrypted data storage on devices. When RIM’s BlackBerry 10 handsets go on sale in Q1 2013, they will be permitted for use in sensitive environments immediately, also making them attractive to enterprise markets as well.
Research In Motion has begun carrier testing devices running its forthcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system, the company announced today. The Canadian manufacturer said the new OS had achieved lab entry with more than 50 carriers, and RIM still expects to launch devices running the OS in the first quarter of next year.
Research In Motion headlined the second-day keynote at the MobileCon expo in San Diego, where the company once again showed off its upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform. Chief information officer Robin Bienfait reiterated RIM's commitment to building a fresh computing platform "from the ground up," and further claimed the mobile device is "approaching the functionality and power of a laptop."
Shares in Research in Motion fell today after a Jeffries & Co. analyst predicted that devices running its BlackBerry 10 operating system would likely miss the fourth fiscal quarter and debut in March. RIM shares had dropped 3.7 percent by 11:05 EST today, and are down 4.5 percent as of 12:35 EST. RIM has made no announcement regarding any product delays.
While previous leaks detailed only two forthcoming BlackBerry 10 devices, a new leak reveals that the company may be working on a third device. Rapid Berry has uncovered what appears to be an internal document detailing the specifications of the Aristo, a previously unheard of touchscreen device running BlackBerry 10. The new device is bigger than the other expected touchscreen BlackBerry 10 device, and packs more memory as well.
The first press shots of a RIM BlackBerry 10 N-series handset with a physical keyboard have appeared in a leaked video (since pulled). However, CrackBerry managed to capture some screen shots for posterity showing a much more contemporary looking take on RIM’s traditional handset style. The N-series will sit alongside the all touch screen L-series of handsets that RIM hopes to start shipping in Q1 2013.
German site iPhone-Garage has somehow received an iPhone 5 unit and set about disassembling the device to reveal its internals. The site posted images of the teardown process, which reveals little that was not previously known about the device. It is notable that the site somehow acquired one of the new iPhones, though no information is available on how exactly the site's authors went about doing so or if the images came from another source.
RIM’s forthcoming BlackBerry 10 ‘London’ smartphone has surfaced again ahead of its official release in the coming months. The latest snapshot comes courtesy of CrackBerry, and shows a launcher screen for the first time with icons seeming to merge a ‘Metro’ look with a more traditional touchscreen icon paradigm. Among the apps shown include BBM, Facebook, Music, Pictures, Remember, Calendar, Contacts, Browser, Text Messaging and a new StoryMaker app that looks like it will produce custom movies.
Research in Motion may be able to license the BlackBerry 10 operating system to other handset manufacturers in the near future. In an interview with Bloomberg, CEO Thorsten Heins effectively confirmed that the OS could be licensed to others as QNX, the software backbone on which BlackBerry 10 is largely based, which has already been used in the automotive industry, nuclear plants and in military drones.
A leaked image of a proposed roadmap appears to show the release windows for Research In Motion's now-delayed BlackBerry 10 devices. The roadmap, acquired by BlackBerryOS.com, shows that the company plans a 4G-enabled version of its PlayBook, and a 10-inch tablet, as well as the company's previously revealed touchscreen and QWERTY handsets. The veracity of the leak is as yet unknown, but it does conform to recent news that devices running the BlackBerry 10 OS would be delayed until next year.
Following RIM’s dire Q1 2013 results, sources have revealed that a late switch to Windows Phone 8 is being seriously considered as an option, reports Reuters. In addition to announcing a record $518 million loss during its conference call, the company also announced that its comeback OS, BlackBerry 10 has been delayed yet again, now into 2013. RIM’s Board is said to be under pressure to come up with an alternative solution CEO Thorsten Heins plan to stay on its current course.
Research In Motion posted a half-billion dollar loss last quarter, and the company will be pushing back the release of its newest BlackBerry handsets to the first quarter of next year. The company released its financial statement for the quarter ended June 2 today, showing the recent operating loss and forecasting continuing difficulties in the quarters to come. The troubled device manufacturer will continue workforce reductions in the near future as it struggles to return to profitability.
Following on the heels of an image leak that was claimed to show off the first two BlackBerry 10 devices, additional images of a revamped interface for BlackBerry Messenger on BlackBerry 10 have surfaced. N4BB.com has acquired two images that appear to reveal the reworked messaging service. The UI is believed to have been redesigned to take advantage of the OLED screens said to be featured on RIM's forthcoming phones.
Embattled BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion took another hit today, as a negative report from Morgan Stanley sparked a 7.7 percent drop in the company's stock price. Morgan Stanley analysts have put forward bleak forecasts for the phone maker's future, even as the company tries to right itself in the months leading up to the release of its revamped mobile operating system, BlackBerry 10.
Leaked images and initial specs appear to shed more light on not one but two forthcoming handsets from RIM. BlackBerry news site N4BB.com has secured what appears to be an internal document showing off BlackBerry L-Series and N-Series devices. Notably, the document may give a first look at the hardware-keyboard model, promised by RIM execs after news broke that the first handset to feature BlackBerry 10 would be a touchscreen-only device.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 chief Thorsten Heins during a call discussing the company's tough quarterly results gave some reassurances that the company was still on track with its first BlackBerry 10 phone. The device was still due for late 2012. Carrier partners were interested in both the new platform and keeping RIM as a partner, the CEO said.
RIM in statements Tuesday said it was delaying its usual analyst meeting until after the BlackBerry 10 launch. Normally held at BlackBerry World, which starts early May this year, the meeting would be moved to a "separate session" after that platform was public, RIM's representative Temille Kennedy told Reuters. The decision would move it to the second half of 2012 and possibly September.
