BlackBerry Journal

Video: BlackBerry Playbook for Business

Horangi7 — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 13:44:02 +0000

[Viewing on your BlackBerry? Watch it here]

Here is a look at the first video of the BlackBerry PlayBook specifically with business in mind, the previous video that have been more on the consumer side.

Leaked OS: BlackBerry Pearl 9100/9105 – 6.0.0.481

Horangi7 — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:49:20 +0000

OS 6.0.0.481

OS 6.0.0.481 for the BlackBerry Pearl 9100/9105 has been leaked and available for download at the links below. Remember to back up your data before loading.

Download OS 6.0.0.481 for the BlackBerry Pearl 9100/9105:

This is not an official software release and is not supported by Research In Motion or your carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk. BlackBerry Journal is not responsible for any malfunctions that may occur.

Source: n4bb

Twitter for BlackBerry 1.1 Launches in BetaZone

Horangi7 — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:01:26 +0000

RIM has launched a new update to Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones that adds features users have been asking for – including geotagging, which allows users to identify their location with their tweets; new language support; cleaner interfaces; new notifications and more. Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones v1.1 is a beta download available through BlackBerry Beta Zone (www.blackberry.com/beta).

New Twitter for BlackBerry v 1.1 features include:

Geo-tagging
You asked for it during the Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones 1.0 Beta Program, and now it’s been implemented! You now have the option to attach your location based on neighbourhood and city to any tweet, and view others’ geo-tagged tweets in BlackBerry Maps. (Note: To enable geo-tagging please follow these steps within the Twitter app, Menu > Options > Add location to tweet)

Push @Mentions
At your request, we have implemented push support for @mentions. Now you can easily stay up-to-date on who is mentioning you at any given time!

Tweet Count Notifications
Another popular feature request has been included in the form of tweet count notifications. Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones 1.1 lets you know the number of new tweets that are waiting for you to view, integrated right into the tweet notification. How convenient is that?!

#Topic Autocomplete
Similar to the functionality of @User autocomplete, you can now easily tweet #Topics with the help of the #Topic autocomplete feature. Simply begin typing the #Topic you are looking for, and Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones 1.1 will auotcomplete the topic based on your previous tweets and #Topic selections.

DM Redesign
If you make use of the Direct Message (DM) functionality then you’ll definitely notice the DM redesign in this version of Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones. Direct Messages has been renamed to Messages to align with the online Twitter experience. We’ve also redesigned the Messages interface to follow a threaded conversation style similar to BBM.

Screen Refresh
It’s now easier than ever to refresh your Tweet timeline while using a touch-screen device! We have implemented a new pull-to-refresh feature which allows you to simply pull down on the top part of your touch screen and release for your updated Twitter messages list. Refreshing has never been easier!

Refreshed Twitter Branding
Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones 1.1 graphics have been updated to align with the new look of the Twitter brand – more specifically, the classic Twitter ‘T’ has been replaced by the Twitter bird.

Twitter for BlackBerry 1.1 runs on BlackBerry Device Software 4.5 or higher and requires a data plan.

Demo of BlackBerry PlayBook Stereoscopic 3D

Horangi7 — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:25:14 +0000

[Viewing on your BlackBerry? Watch it here]

Here is another TAT concept demo to come out of Mobile World Congress 2011. In this video it shows the BlackBerry PlayBook outputting stereoscopic 3D visuals. This is showing off the 1080P HD visual, micro HDMI output, and multi-touch support. Whether or not your wearing 3D glasses or not it is pretty impressive none the less.

Source: Inside BlackBerry

Leaked OS: BlackBerry Curve 9300 – OS 6.0.0.461

Horangi7 — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:29:43 +0000

OS 6.0.0.461

Another OS 6.0.0.461 has leaked, this one is for the BlackBerry Curve 9300. If your ready to update your OS, you can grab it at the link below. Remember to back up your data first.

Download OS 6.0.0.461 for the BlackBerry Curve 9300

Source: bbh-plus

Leaked OS: BlackBerry Bold 9780 – OS 6.0.0.461

Horangi7 — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:23:26 +0000

OS 6.0.0.461

For all of you BlackBerry Bold 9780 owners, OS 6.0.0.461 has been leaked online and ready for download at the link below. No real information as of yet as to what has been added or fixed.

Remember to back up your data first!

Download OS 6.0.0.461 for the BlackBerry Bold 9780

Source: bbh-plus

BlackBerry Monaco (aka Storm3) Shown on Video

Horangi7 — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:53:09 +0000

[Viewing on your BlackBerry? Watch it here]

It appears that the BlackBerry Monaco has made its way in front of the camera in this short video. The Monaco most likely will not carry the Storm since there is no SurePress on this device which is a feature of the Storm series. The Monaco which is a CDMA variant is showing off Verizon branding, and should be released with BlackBerry 6.1.

Here are the reported specs for this device:

Dimensions: Sleek, thin profile – 11.5mm thick (120 x 62 x 11.5 mm)
Processor: Qualcomm 1.2GHz Processor
Radio: Dual band CDMA, EV-DO Rev A, RX Diversity ; Quad band EDGE / Single Band UMTS
Display: 3.7″ – 800×480 resolution, 15:9 aspect ration, 253 DPI
Camera: 5 MP – Flash – Image Stabilization – HD Video Recording (720p)
Navigation: Capacitive touch + BlackBerry navigation keys + optical navigation module. One convenience key
Memory: 4GB storage + 768MB RAM + up to 32GB MicroSD
WiFi/GPS: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n + GPS + Bluetooth 2.1 EDR + Mobile HotSpot
Connectivity: Micro USB – Bluetooth – NFC
Sensors: Magnetometer – Accelerometer – Proximity
Software: Enhanced BlackBerry SW v.6.1, BlackBerry Evolution 6, Open GL ES 2.0, APIs for magnetometer and augmented reality apps

Since BlackBerry World is not until May, the device could be announced there or one has to wonder if it would emerge in the spring this year.

Source: cb

T.A.T. Shows off Scrapbook App for the BlackBerry PlayBook

Horangi7 — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:38:43 +0000

[Viewing on your BlackBerry? Watch it here]

During Mobile World Congress 2011, The Astonishing Tribe showed off a concept app for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The application “scrapbook” app, which demonstrates advanced four-finger multi-touch controls and rich graphics in the above video.

RIM Discusses Near Field Communications (NFC)

Horangi7 — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:35:03 +0000

[Viewing on your BlackBerry? Watch it here]

During Mobile World Congress 2011, RIM’s co-CEO Jim Balsillie stated that some of the BlackBerry smartphones released later this year will feature Near Field Communications (NFC). Andrew Bocking, VP Handheld Software Product Management, explains what NFC is, how it can be used and what this all means for BlackBerry smartphone users.

BlackBerry Travel App Announced and Released

Horangi7 — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:08:18 +0000

RIM has announced the release of BlackBerry Travel. If you do a lot of traveling as I do and use WorldMate, then things may look somewhat familiar to you. The BlackBerry Travel app is basically the WorldMate app with a different UI.

BlackBerry Travel enables you to search for travel options; plan and manage flight itineraries; book hotels, transportation and other activities; and tap into your social networks by connecting with friends and family while traveling – all from a single app on your BlackBerry. The app integrates with your BlackBerry email addresses to populate itineraries and send you important updates.

BlackBerry Travel packs a suitcase full of helpful features:

Itinerary Management – View, create, and edit current and future itinerary items including flight, hotel, car rental, meetings, public transportation and more
Automatic Trip Catch – Never manually enter an itinerary! BlackBerry Travel automatically acknowledges email itineraries sent to your BlackBerry email address and populates the details into the BlackBerry travel app
Social Sharing – Easily view, search and connect with LinkedIn contacts traveling to the same location
Notifications & Alerts – Receive push-based notifications and alerts for itinerary updates, flight reminders/alerts and connections information
Flight Schedules – Find flight schedules by city, airport and date
Hotel Search & Book – Search and book hotels, and rank results based on location, price and quality
Local Search – Search for local dining, shopping, nightlife and more, with access to maps, reviews and click-to-call via a Yelp-powered local search tool
Tools – Easily access world clocks, currency converters, weather, flight status updates and maps from one app!

Read the Press release below:

RIM Announces BlackBerry Travel App

New app lets BlackBerry smartphone users plan, book, manage and share travel activities quickly and easily

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Feb. 14, 2011) – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced BlackBerry® Travel, a new app that provides BlackBerry® smartphone users with an all-in-one integrated and contextual experience as they plan, book and manage their travels and itineraries while on the go.

“The BlackBerry Travel app is set to be the next must-have tool for travelers, offering convenient push notifications and seamless integration of travel itineraries, profiles, and flight status updates into the familiar BlackBerry Calendar,” said Jim Tobin, Senior Vice President, Software and Services at RIM. “We also think the BlackBerry Travel app represents a great opportunity for travel industry leaders to work with RIM to deliver enhanced services and better travel experiences for their customers, and new revenue opportunities for travel providers.”

When a new booking confirmation or itinerary arrives in the user’s inbox, the BlackBerry Travel app is automatically updated with the relevant details, which makes travel planning and management easier than ever.

BlackBerry smartphone users can also have their calendars automatically populated with itineraries as soon as they are confirmed and, by leveraging the BlackBerry push technology, the BlackBerry Travel app can keep users informed and in control of their itineraries by monitoring flight statuses and promptly providing notifications about changes. The app can even identify potential omissions or scheduling concerns with the itineraries, such as missing accommodations or timing conflicts, and provide users with suggestions.

The BlackBerry Travel app also brings together tools that travelers need while planning on the go, including:

Hotel booking
Currency converters
Weather forecasts
Local searches

In addition, BlackBerry smartphone users can share their travel information with colleagues, friends and family over email or through LinkedIn®, directly from the BlackBerry Travel app. The LinkedIn integration allows users to search for people in their network who will be in the same city, send messages to contacts and update their status.

The BlackBerry Travel app also features a desktop component that allows users to book flights and car rentals, as well as print and edit itineraries, from their computer.

The BlackBerry Travel app was built in collaboration with WorldMate, a leader in mobile travel platforms.

“WorldMate is tremendously excited to bring its unique itinerary management, travel expertise and technology to RIM to create the next stage in mobile travel services. The BlackBerry Travel app represents a quantum leap over existing solutions in features, functionality, polish and ease-of-use,” said Jean Tripier, CEO, WorldMate Inc.

WorldMate and RIM are working together with leading travel service, content and technology partners to provide BlackBerry Travel app users with an amazing mobile experience. Travel industry leaders will be able to work within the BlackBerry Travel partner program to point users back to their mobile sites for additional information, as well as access the itinerary API in the BlackBerry Travel service to enable the delivery of up-to-date information and itinerary details.

“When United and Continental customers are travelling, access to the best, most up-to-date information is key. Integrating with BlackBerry Travel will provide customers not only that information, but the ability to quickly jump to our web sites for additional information and access to enhanced services,” said Jared Miller, managing director of self-service and emerging technology at United Airlines. “We’re excited to team with RIM and WorldMate to give the customers of the combined carrier a great option for managing their travel and information while on the go.”

“As mobile usage grows exponentially, Expedia Affiliate Network provides the technology and solutions to allow travelers to plan and purchase their perfect trip quickly and easily,” said Benoit Jolin, VP of Product and Marketing at EAN. “We’ve supported RIM and WorldMate to bring our hotel booking capabilities to BlackBerry Travel to give our users an integrated experience as they plan, book and manage their travel with their BlackBerry smartphone.”

“Working with RIM and WorldMate gives Hilton Worldwide customers a great new option for keeping track of their stays with us while on the go,” said Chuck Sullivan, senior vice president, global online services, Hilton Worldwide. “Our customers will appreciate having a place to go to quickly and easily manage their travel itineraries.”

“BlackBerry Travel is a superb tool for travelers who want the most accurate and pertinent information delivered promptly and reliably,” said Kurt Ekert, chief commercial officer, Travelport. “We look forward to working with RIM to introduce BlackBerry Travel to the corporate market and believe its integration will continue to enable our travel management company clients to serve their customers even more effectively.”

Pricing and Availability

The BlackBerry Travel app will be available as a beta download today from the Test Center category on BlackBerry App World^TM (www.blackberry.com/appworld). The app is free* and works on select BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry® 5 OS (Device Software) or higher.** The BlackBerry Travel app will be showcased at the BlackBerry Booth at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain this week. For more information please visitwww.blackberry.com/travel.

About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ:RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.