Posted on July 25, 2008, at 4:20 pm .
First up, sorry for the lateness. The aforementioned server issues slowed production, but no worries- we still recorded and have a heaping two weeks’ worth of news for you this episode. The BlackBerry Thunder and iPhone 3G were both huge news items last week. There are lots of numbers on the ‘net to refute the iPhone’s hype, while the BlackBerry faithful are sticking to their guns and holding out for the BlackBerry Bold. Some more pictures of the BlackBerry Thunder have also floated up, showing off the on-screen keypad and media player, as well as a massive false start by Expansys. This week a lot of stuff was ramping up to a BlackBerry Bold launch, primarily in the form of OS 4.6 software.
Check out links to all the relevant news after the jump, as wells as options for streaming and downloading the BlackBerry Cool Podcast.
Click here to listen to the BlackBerry Cool Podcast: Episode 34
Posted on July 25, 2008, at 9:36 am .
While those of us packing proper BlackBerrys might not give two sniffs what BlackBerry Connect is up to, a recent move to keep the service off of upcoming Nokia E71 and E66 models could say a thing or two about Nokia and RIM’s current relationship. “Our approach is to make email a mass-market proposition for everybody, not just for the corporate boardroom group of individuals where BlackBerry has established itself,” said Nokia’s UK Managing Director Simon Ainslie. This could very well become a growing issue and threat to BlackBerry Connect’s viability as RIM becomes a concern for other manufacturers. Despite this potentially souring relationship between RIM and Nokia, it does go to show that the big dogs are getting just a little nervous about what BlackBerry’s up to.
(via MobileToday)
Posted on July 25, 2008, at 8:53 am .
We’re still holding our breath for an announcement from Rogers today, but rumour has it that the BlackBerry Bold will be out in Canada on August 12th., putting us right on time with the AT&T delay. T-Mobile Germany had also changed their release date from July to August, so it looks like this is a widespread deal. I still think that that the recent OS 4.6 Desktop Manager and Java Desktop Environment are an indication that the Bold would not have been ready for the end of the month. Still worth the wait, no?
(via Pinstack)
Posted on July 25, 2008, at 8:26 am .
As if you needed any further indication of Sprint’s downward spiral, they’ll be selling off 3,300 of their towers for $670 million to TowerCo. As bad as that sounds, TowerCo will actually be leasing these towers back to Sprint – think of it like outsourcing all of the gritty back-end work. Of course, with someone else handling all of that, it means that Sprint won’t have to keep all the tower maintenance crew on their end anymore and will probably lose a fair number of employees that TowerCo will be replacing. What do you guys think – savvy saving on Sprint’s part?
(via Engadget)
Posted on July 25, 2008, at 7:40 am .
Two chargers were launched by Duracell today, offering BlackBerry users a full hour’s worth of talk time and the equivalent in data use. The PowerSource Mini is packing two miniUSB ports, in case you’ve got a RAZR that needs charging at the same time, and can charge its lithium-ion battery through your car, AC outlet, or even your computer. It’s a little bulkier than your standard charging cord, but hey, for an extra charge on the go, I think I could make some room. Duracell also kicked off My Pocket Charger which runs on two double-AAs rather than a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and has the added benefit of supporting microUSB in case you plan on picking up the BlackBerry Kickstart or BlackBerry Javelin whenever they come out. If you’re interested, the PowerSource Mini is going for $49.99 and the Pocket Charger for a more affordable $14.99.
Posted on July 24, 2008, at 6:40 pm .
As you can tell from our Zumobi hands-on impressions post, the mobile widget application can be quite the memory hog by BlackBerry standards (highly understandable considering what it provides) and has been a little troublesome for members of the BlackBerry Nation rocking, ahem, less-than-new devices. However, our friends at Zumobi aren’t ones to rest in times of need, and have put together a video of handy memory management tips so your BlackBerry is running clean and your Zoomspace is quick.
Check out the video above (compiled partially from tips offered right here on BlackBerry Cool), but make sure to post your own memory management tip in the comments. Special thanks to the lovely Beth for compiling the video!
Watch the BlackBerry memory management video after the jump
Posted on July 24, 2008, at 3:35 pm .
BlackBerry Cool writers have the privilege of being in constant contact with a variety of wireless industry players. Naturally, we often get in heated or hilarious discussions over recent news. We’ve decided to start posting some of the more interesting conversations, in the hopes that it will spur greater debate. Our test run is a hearty debate over the value of a CDMA carrier switching to GSM, how long until 4G becomes anything more than a ‘wet dream’ and myths about call quality. Enjoy, and please post a comment with your thoughts.
Note: My interlocutor was uncomfortable with being identified, so let’s just call him Fake Ted Rogers.
Fake Ted Rogers: Isn’t saying Bell/Telus is going to GSM kinda like saying Verizon should?
Douglas Soltys: Well, different countries mean different biz scenarios.
Fake Ted Rogers: I’d like to see what the subs are for Tel/Bel compared to Rogers. As in the states Verizon has more than AT&T.
Douglas Soltys: Some would say that Verizon is run much better than Tel/Bel.
Continue reading BBCool’s compelling conversation with Fake Ted Rogers
Posted on July 24, 2008, at 11:14 am .
We’re wrapping up our Zumobi giveaway tonight, so head on over to our contest, drop your name and e-mail in the form, and you could win one of ten $50 gift certificates to Amazon. Haven’t heard of Zumobi? Well, they’re an up-and-coming free widget platform for your BlackBerry. Already running on Windows Mobile, Zumobi promises to bring content-filled tiles to your handheld which you navigate by zooming in and out on a four-by-four grid. Want to give it a shot? Head on over to http://get.zumobi.com/bbcool on your mobile browser to get going.
Posted on July 24, 2008, at 10:56 am .
OS 4.6 software is getting fast-tracked in order to prepare for the imminent BlackBerry Bold launch, now with the updated Desktop Manager available from Vodafone Germany. With the 4.6 BlackBerry Java Desktop Environment released just yesterday, it’s hard not to think that some of the issues delaying the launch of the BlackBerry 9000 are getting resolved. If the OS is solid enough that the JDE and Desktop Manager can be offered publicly, I think we can look out for a release real soon. T-Mobile Germany was one of the first to throw out some pricing, and Vodafone had one of the earliest sources of Bold pictures, so at very least Germans have good reason to get excited. If software’s not enough of an indicator, there’s also a batch of presale German BlackBerry Bolds to be shipped August 6th to get your hopes up…
(via BerryReview)
Posted on July 24, 2008, at 8:43 am .
The excessively long Canadian spectrum auction has finally wound up, and the results not only netted the government a healthy $4.2 billion (about three times more than they were expecting), but also brought some newcomers out to play. As expected, incumbents Rogers, Bell and Telus grabbed bits of the wireless spectrum available for sale, but Globalive, owner of the Yak brand, also picked up $442 million-worth of airwaves. Canadian anti-monopoly laws which force existing carriers to rent out their towers to other providers could favour Globalive in their upcoming service, due as early as next Easter. It sounds like they also understand the current situation with Canadian wireless rates: “Canadians are unhappy about the costs, the complexity of the billing. I can speak for myself as a consumer. I’m confused by my bill.” said CEO Anthony Lacavera. Hopefully these guys will be offering some BlackBerrys when they’re ready to go.
(CBC via Engadget)
