RIM may break a longstanding policy against apps for non-BlackBerry platforms if a job listing is an indicator. The position for a Senior iOS Mobile Developer wants someone who can design and write enterprise iPad and iPhone apps. As proof that apps themselves are important, any potential hire has to show examples of published App Store titles.
A hybrid of new data collected by both IDC and Bloomberg has shown that the BlackBerry is no longer the top-selling smartphone in Canada. Despite a home zone advantage, RIM was outsold in all of 2011, at 2.85 million iPhones to 2.08 million BlackBerrys. The result was a stark reversal of 2010, when RIM had shipped about 500,000 more smartphones; RIM had been shipping five times as many phones in 2008, when the iPhone 3G was just new to the country.
Apple would like to integrate Facebook more deeply into its products, CEO Tim Cook suggested at Apple's annual shareholders meeting today. "Facebook: friend. We do a lot with them, our users use Facebook an enormous amount...I've always thought that the two companies could do more together," Cook commented during the meeting's Q&A session. "We've integrated Twitter...It's been great for Twitter, but it's been great for our users." He also noted that iMessage traffic has been "incredible" so far.
In a surprise step, Apple on Thursday gave developers a preview version of OS X Mountain Lion, the next significant update to the core OS. The new version is directly influenced by iOS 5 and includes Notification Center, Reminders, Notes, Game Center, and Twitter integration, with iCloud syncing where it's relevant. AirPlay Mirroring is also new to the Mac and shares exactly what's on screen through an Apple TV.
A flaw in the iMessage protocol that causes it to continue to route messages to an iPhone even after its SIM has been removed and deactivated has gotten the attention of Apple in a very direct way: a customer demand to be compensated for the problem, which the company has allegedly done. TheNextWeb reports that an unnamed customer who had her iPhone stolen but which continued to receive iMessages has now received an iPod Touch as compensation.
Some OS X 10.7.3 users are reportedly suffering from an odd application crash bug. Affected people will see apps crash often, with the unusual twist of error messages that feature the word "CUI" stamped over them. A 9to5Mac source claims that the company has already sent out an email to a v10.7.3 test group, asking them if they've run into the problem and requesting bug reports if so.
RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins has continued his interviewing with hints the company might not be as closed to the possibility of BlackBerry Messenger on other mobile platforms as once thought. He told CrackBerry that he was still committed to the core BlackBerry platform and there weren't immediate plans, but that the company "should never rule this [possibility] out." The company did have staff exploring the possibility, but it would only go ahead if it was logical.
A flaw in iMessage has been allowing stolen iPhones to continue receiving and sending messages for their original owners, even after a remote wipe, reports note. Although iMessage is also nominally associated with a person's Apple ID, changing a linked password and/or email address may have no effect. It's believed that iMessage may be pulling old phone numbers from a cache, and using that data to manage messages. Switching a SIM card to a new iPhone may in fact take iMessage traffic with it.
An as yet unverified rumor asserts that Apple's "Back to the Mac" philosophy will continue with two more key additions. A 9to5 tip had both AirPlay Mirroring and iMessage in development. Although code references have alluded to iMessage coming to iChat, Apple was supposedly working on both a stand-alone app and an integrated client to determine which was better, possibly the same strategy used for FaceTime.
The promised BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 update might not arrive until February if rumors from within RIM prove true. Despite promises by company CEOs that the update would be available soon after it was shown off at BlackBerry DevCon last week, BGR understood the tablet wouldn't get native e-mail and other basics until mid-February, possibly February 17. RIM's problems overcoming the one-device limit inherent to the BlackBerry has reportedly proven tougher to overcome than once thought.
Facebook has posted a significant 1.5 update to Facebook Messenger (App Store) to put it more on par with iMessage. Apart from more explicit iOS 5 support itself, the app now has live typing notices much like its Apple counterpart. It gives quicker access to those who message frequently and makes distinctions between those who are online at the desktop versus mobile.
RIM during an emergency conference call to discuss its rapidly worsening BlackBerry outage provided only some extra detail as to the nature of the issue. Along with acknowledging the messaging backlog, software CTO David Yach said there was no sign of a hack causing the problem. He was adamant that the company had been properly testing its backups and that the failure caught it by surprise.
(Update: new failure) RIM's Eastern hemisphere BlackBerry outage was restored early Tuesday morning. The company said that services had been brought back online and apologized for the drop. No cause was given, however, despite over 20 hours of outages in Africa, Asia, Europe, and hte Middle East.
BlackBerry owners on Friday were dealt more unfortunate news Friday after many reported losing access to Internet services. Both BlackBerry Messenger and e-mail faced outages, primarily in Canada and Latin American countries. RIM was "investigating" as of Friday afternoon but didn't have a cause or an estimated time for a fix.
Calls for iMessage to reach the Mac may have been answered through discoveries made Wednesday. Elements for "timeDelivered" and "timeRead" receipts are in the framework of Lion's version of iChat that aren't needed for iChat's existing support but do reflect what iMessage would need. Although not certain, MacRumors extrapolates to anticipate that iChat will eventually get active iMessage support.
Samsung in an unusual step for the run-up to the IFA show this week chose to unveil its own cross-platform messaging service. ChatON will supply group chat but also some distinctive features, such as a "trunk" of photos and videos shared in a chat that can all have comments, the option of commenting on friend profiles, and special messages with images, music, and handwritten parts. Users will even have a form of analytics with ranks for those they talk to the most frequently.
Microsoft's soon-to-be acquisition Skype on Sunday said it had itself bought GroupMe. The deal with the year-old startup gives it access to mobile group messaging. Skype has been quiet as to the exact intentions but plans to fold in the "best in class text-based communications."
Microsoft has posted a job listing alluding to plans for what it hopes is a revolutionary Windows Phone feature. A Software Development Engineer in Test would join to handel a "top secret project" inside the team. The company was deliberately secretive as to details but planned to "GO BIG! DISRUPT THE MARKET!" with whatever its plans would be.
A new study by RBC analyst Mike Abramsky suggested Apple could get rapid adoption of the core services it rolled out with iOS 5. A full 76 percent of the 1,500 iPhone owners asked were either somewhat or very likely to use iCloud. Its value as online storage was likely to partly nullify one of Android's advantages and improve the "loyalty and stickiness" of iPhone users that might have otherwise jumped ship.
An error message in the Lion version of Mail may have revealed a heretofore undisclosed new feature in Mac OS X Lion modelled after the iMessage feature coming to iOS devices with the release of iOS 5. The Spanish-language site Macquecitos reported that a reader had seen a dialog box advising the user to update a Mail plug-in to a version that was "compatible with Mail 5.0 and Message 5.0."
Google has at least at one point been developing an equivalent to BlackBerry Messenger and Apple's iMessage, an insider mentioned Thursday. Details of the system were few, but it's implied it would be much more than just the existing Google Talk and other IM apps. The WSJ clue made no mention of whether it was still active or a dead project.
Apple's WWDC Keynote, announcing iCloud, iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion, has sparked positive reaction from numerous Apple-focused financial analysts, with raised target prices between $460 and $510 per share. The analysts predicted increased sales of the iPad 2, acceptance of Apple's iCloud and iTunes Match service and the popularity of iOS 5 on refreshed hardware in the fall as part of the reason for their enthusiasm for Apple going into the remainder of the year.
Apple made clear its intentions to steal away BlackBerry users by launching its own equivalent to BlackBerry Messenger in iOS 5. iMessage offers much of the same SMS-free messaging as its RIM equivalent, even including delivery and sending receipts, group messaging, and live typing notices. Group messaging works, and conversations sync across devices so a user can start on an iPhone and finish on an iPad.
Apple today previewed iOS 5, the next version of its firmware for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The firmware represents a major overhaul, for instance completely changing the notification system to more closely resemble a mix of Android and webOS. Notifications are no longer temporary, but viewable in a Notification Center by swiping down from the top of the screen. The notifications themselves are no longer pop-up bubbles, but text that briefly swivels down while users are busy in another app.
