The voice of the BlackBerry community.
During the Etisalat controversy, one company that has been really helpful in determining exactly what is going on is SMobile Systems. They have sent me a technical analysis of the “upgrade” which I think the BlackBerry community would be interested in reading.
Click through for a technical analysis of the Etisalat software update
RIM has put out an official document entitled “RIM Customer Statement Regarding Etisalat / SS8 Software”. The document confirms that Etisalat did not release what they called a “upgrade” and that the software was in fact harmful to your device. According to the document:
RIM confirms that this software is not a patch and it is not a RIM authorized upgrade. RIM did not
develop this software application and RIM was not involved in any way in the testing, promotion
or distribution of this software application.RIM further confirms, in general terms, that a third party patch cannot provide any enhancements
to network services as there is no capability for third parties to develop or modify the low level
radio communications protocols that would be involved in making such improvements to the
communications between a BlackBerry smartphone and a carrier’s network.
The above statement is very reminiscent of the article we posted on BlackBerry Cool, regarding what applications can and cannot do on a BlackBerry. The article was written after a company claimed they developed an application that makes the network faster, but it was clearly snake oil.
In the document, RIM also warns about updates that are pushed via SMS or WAP. According to RIM, if there is ever a need to update software, RIM distributes using standard channels, such as OTA and direct downloads. ” RIM does not use SMS or WAP push as an official distribution channel for these types of official BlackBerry software updates.”
It’s too bad we can’t trust our carriers. You would think that they would be content with the hundreds of dollars we give them each year.
Download the official document released by RIM.
Consider reading RIM’s document on Protecting the BlackBerry device platform against malware (PDF).
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Texts From Last Night is a great site. There is something funny almost every day and it’s worth a daily check just to pick your spirits up a little. Most of them are NSFW, but now that we can get updates to our BlackBerry with their free app, it’s no longer an issue.
The app lets you view all the latest TFLN, and you can even search them by area code to see how degenerate your city is that day.
Download the Texts From Last Night Application for free.
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The dictation service market for BlackBerry is growing fast. Companies such as MyCaption, Phillips and now BigHand, are offering voice-to-text solutions.
BigHand are leaders in voice productivity for the legal community, and their latest application for BlackBerry, will surely save law firms time and money.
This dictation service application allows users to record, edit, and send voice files using their BlackBerry. The application securely sends the dictation to an outsourced transcription service, with the user able to prioritise important items, track the progress of work, and then receive transcripts back via email.
A new Twitter client has hit the BlackBerry world, this one by Handmark. TweetCaster, is a free* Twitter app that is available exclusively for BlackBerry.
The user interface looks fairly clean, and it comes with all the basic Twitter functionality. Some of the features you’ll find with this client include:
• Ability to toggle between multiple accounts
• URL shortening
• Picture sharing
• One-step @reply and retweet capabilities
• GPS locator to find Twitter friends near you
• Real-time trending topics list
TweetCaster is currently the only Twitter application for BlackBerry smartphones offering the ability to toggle between multiple accounts.
Download TweetCaster by Handmark for your BlackBerry from tinyurl.com/TweetCaster. (*They’re asking for a Tweet in exchange)
This economy is providing a great deal of opportunity for companies looking to acquire technology and profitable ventures that add to the books. Nortel is a company that has been in financial dire straits for years, and they are having a bankruptcy auction on July 24th, 2009, where RIM has been barred from making bids.
Nortel’s CDMA and Long Term Evolution Access businesses are up for auction, but RIM has been told it could be qualified for bidding only if it promised not to submit offers for other Nortel assets for a period of one year. In seeking to impose this condition, Nortel and its advisors were fully aware of RIM’s desire to purchase other Nortel assets as part of a solution to retain key portions of Nortel’s business under Canadian ownership. Despite repeated efforts, Nortel, its advisors and its court-appointed monitor have rejected RIM’s repeated attempts to engage in meaningful discussions.
A preliminary review, reveals RIM would be prepared to pay in the range of US $1.1 billion for the assets. This is a great deal for Nortel, which could use the cash, and it’s a great deal for RIM, which could use the CDMA and LTE technology to improve BlackBerry devices and infrastructure.
Jim Balsillie said “RIM is extremely disappointed that Nortel’s world leading technology, the development of which has been funded in part by Canadian taxpayers, seems destined to leave Canada and that Canada’s own Export Development Corporation is preparing to help by lending $300 million to another bidder. RIM remains extremely interested in acquiring Nortel assets through a Canadian ownership solution that would serve the dual purpose of keeping key wireless technologies in Canada and extending RIM’s leadership in the research, development and distribution of leading edge wireless solutions, but RIM has found itself blocked at every turn.”
Nortel is a failing company while RIM is both profitable and a source of Canadian patriotism. At this point, we should consider government intervention to move this deal ahead.
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