Posted on February 9, 2009, at 10:26 AM .
Those not from Ottawa may be unawares that Canada’s capital city is having quite a February. Not only has our soul-killing bus strike finally ended, but we’re also celebrating our annual Winterlude festival (Sens still suck though). Dave Woodbridge, BBCool’s Biz Dev guru was enjoying the festivities this weekend when he spotted a giant Rogers BlackBerry Curve 8900 ice sculpture. Embracing his inner blogger, he snapped a pic.
So last week we had a tasty BlackBerry cake, and this week a BlackBerry ice sculpture. Can someone please get working on a giant LEGO BlackBerry, please? (Close enough?, ed.)
Posted on February 9, 2009, at 9:56 AM .
UPDATE: I’m getting word from friends that happen to live and work in the Waterloo area (wink) that the ‘Gemini’ codename does not actually refer to the 3G Curve 9300 but another EDGE device. Regardless the actual codename, it is still a sexy device. If anyone can clarify the name discrepancy fully, send us a message.
Mmmhmm, isn’t that a sexy new BlackBerry to make a cold Monday in February just a wee bit warmer. The Boy Genius has uncovered one of the first BlackBerry rumors of the New Year, the BlackBerry 9300 ‘Gemini’, which can most easily be considered a “3G BlackBerry Curve.” Sounds tasty. Here’s what BG has uncovered on the Gemini so far:
* The screen will be larger than the BlackBerry 8900, and that will also include a higher resolution
* The CPU will also be beefed up. We’re not sure if this means it will include something more powerful than the Bold’s 624MHz processor or not, but we’d like to think so.
* The device is said to be silver (think BlackBerry 8830)
* The keyboard is a little more rounded than the BlackBerry 8900
* The Send/End keys are rounded instead of being flat on the sides
* Styling is not drastically different — it keeps with the 8900/Storm styling
* It of course rocks quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA
* Wi-Fi and GPS was not confirmed, but we’d say there’s about a 99.99% chance
* Camera specs were not confirmed as well, but you can bet you’re looking at 3.2 megapixels or better
No word on a release date (pretty understandable considering how recently the BlackBerry Curve 8900 was release), but BG has guesstimated a potential Q4 ‘09/Q1 ‘10 drop date. We’ll let you know as we learn more.
|via BGR|
Posted on February 6, 2009, at 8:33 PM .
We’ve got some great deals we’d like to call your attention to over at the BlackBerryCool store. If you’re looking for the best in BlackBerry software and accessories, we have everything the competition has and more. Our long list of affiliates and sponsors provides us with unique products that you won’t find on any other BlackBerry site.
Some of the gems you’ll find include: Case-Mate Backpack, OtterBox Push to Talk Defender Case, Seidio Innocell 2600mAh Extended Battery, Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: War of Two Cities, PhoneyFart and Mobile Bartender for BlackBerry.
Click thought to see some great deals
Posted on February 6, 2009, at 3:59 PM .
Late last week YouMail launched Visual Voicemail Plus, a free visual voicemail application that works on the Blackberry Pearl, Curve, Bold and Storm. I like the sound of free, and a new visual voicemail application is always worth a try, but reports are surfacing that YouMail might not yet be up to snuff. Here’s what our main man Troy had to say over at BlackBerry News:
After 24 hours it is safe to say a lot work still needs to go into the application before it is ready for prime time much like the transcription service they charge for now. Many users including myself have experienced nothing but problems with the application… Maybe with all the ad revenue from placing ads on every aspect of your messages they can now put a little more money into their projects and refine their service. Time will tell.
We’re going to give YouMail our own thorough hands-on, but we recommend that you give it a try and post a comment on your experience. If you’re not willing to take the risk, however, post a comment and let us know of your favorite visual voicemail alternative.
Posted on February 6, 2009, at 2:11 PM .
When you see Nan Palmero punching out the air like a BlackBerry-enhanced Adonis, it can only mean one thing: OS 4.5 is available for your BlackBerry. Today it’s the BlackBerry Curve 8330 and BlackBerry Pearl 8130 on the Sprint network. We have a quick rundown of new features in OS 4.5, as well as download instructions for your BlackBerry enjoyment.
OS 4.5 Features and Improvements:
OTASL (Over The Air Software Loading) This enables all future versions of handheld software to be downloaded and installed wirelessly
MMS (Audio, pictures, text, or all three in the same message)
Docs to Go (device-side Word, Excel, and Powerpoint document editing capabilities)
Sounds pretty great, right? Download instructions for BIS and BES users are after the jump. We’ve also heard that OS 4.5 will be released for the BlackBerry 8830 in a few weeks, with an 8703(!) release coming at the end of Q1.
Thanks for the tip, Rob!
OS 4.5 download instructions
Posted on February 5, 2009, at 5:31 PM .
Woah. It looks like the Ontario Securities Commission has made their decision on a possible settlement with RIM over their backdating scandal. The news is fresh as of an hour ago, so I’m just going to quote straight from Reuters:
Research In Motion Co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie will step down from the board and, along with other executives of the company that makes the BlackBerry smartphone, will repay tens of millions of dollars to settle stock-option allegations dating back to 1996.
Under the pact reached with the Ontario Securities Commission and approved on Thursday, Balsillie will pay a penalty of C$5 million ($4.1 million), while Co-Chief Executive Mike Lazaridis will pay a C$1.5 million penalty. The two men also must pay investigation costs to the regulator.
The agreement also stipulates that the two co-CEOs and RIM’s former CFO, Dennis Kavelman, will repay C$38.3 million to the company. They must also repay about C$30 million to cover the costs of a voluntary internal probe into the matter undertaken by RIM earlier.
Balsillie and Lazaridis had already paid C$15 million to offset the costs of the Waterloo, Ontario-based company’s internal review. Balsillie may not serve on RIM’s board for at least 12 months as part of the settlement, and Kavelman must pay a C$1.5 million penalty.
The OSC alleged the executives backdated and repriced stock options using dates on which the market price of RIM’s shares was relatively low. Handing out options at the lower prices had the effect of improperly enriching the recipients and, the OSC alleged, could have deprived RIM of about C$66 million.
It’s a huge chunk of change, but at least RIM can now put this whole affair behind them. You can see statements from Balsillie and the OSC after the jump.
|via Reuters|
Continue reading ‘BREAKING: RIM settles with OSC for $76 million, Balsillie to step down from board’
