Posted on July 17, 2009, at 10:29 AM .
The battle between RIM and Visto has been going on for some time now. Last we heard, Visto had paid RIM for certain patent infringements but there were 21 patent claims outstanding for the US Patent Office to rule on. The patents concern email synchronization between devices and local servers.
It seems that yesterday, the two companies have come to a definitive agreement to settle all outstanding worldwide patent litigation between the companies.
The agreement includes a perpetual and fully-paid license on all Visto patents for RIM, a transfer of certain Visto intellectual property, a one-time payment by RIM of US $ 267.5 million to Visto and the parties executing full and final releases in respect of all outstanding worldwide litigation.
The settlement is expected to be completed during the week of July 20, 2009 and is subject to certain closing conditions.
Accounting for these dollars in the 2nd quarter of 2010, will involve including the payments as an unusual item to be expensed, with the remained classified as an intangible asset. This is a considerable sum of money and it will be interesting to see what effect the resolution will have on RIM’s shares.
Posted on July 16, 2009, at 2:23 PM .
Bplay has launched their BlackBerry Storm optimized site, designed to deliver a better browsing experience for Storm users. While you’re checking out the new Storm site, be sure not to miss the latest content.
New Themes/Games
Xtreme Sports Theme
Sally’s Spa
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
California Gold Rush
Click through for more cool themes and content from Bplay
Posted on July 16, 2009, at 1:51 PM .
Congratulations to Slacker! They have recently signed a partnership with Verizon to be pushed to every Verizon BlackBerry Storm. Verizon Storm owners will see a Slacker icon on their device ready to use.
A feature unique to the BlackBerry app for Verizon is that it can connect to Verzon’s V CAST service. When a song is being played using Slacker Radio and is one of the more than 4.5 million available in the V CAST Music with Rhapsody catalog, a V CAST icon will appear on the screen that will let customers easily purchase that track while it continues playing on the device.
If you’re a BlackBerry Storm user on Verizon, check it out and let us know what you think.
Posted on July 16, 2009, at 12:03 PM .
The MobileHeist is back! It’s been a while since we ran the last one and there are some incredible deals to take advantage of.
BlackBerry Cool is offering 15 great BlackBerry apps for 50% off starting today, July 16th through Sunday, July 19th. Several of these are brand new apps that, for a limited time, are available only through the BlackBerry Cool Store. For a limited time only, you can get Berry Wars, Mars Lander, Flag your Emails, Bartender Pro, Altitude, Storm MultiClock, and the latest version of RDM+ at a steal of a price. In addition to these exclusives, we’re adding a few other top sellers including: IM+ for Skype, Ace Email Viewer, Aces Solitaire Pack, Aces Texas Hold’em, Real iBerry Blocks, Full Screen Caller PictureID, Mobile Checkbook, and MemoryUp Pro.
Head over to the MobileHeist page and check out the deals!
Use this link from your BlackBerry Browser to check out the MobileHeist deals.
Posted on July 16, 2009, at 11:53 AM .
I was recently contacted by the good people at SMobile Systems, the providers of the only Antivirus/AntiSpyware solution for BlackBerry, about my article regarding malicious code found in a recent Etisalat update.
SMobile Systems have released a solution for the recent spyware-laden update sent to BlackBerry users on the Etisalat network in the United Arab Emirates.
The spyware intercepts emails and drains battery life remarkably fast. According to Chris Eng at Veracode, “the server receiving the initial registration packets (i.e. “Here I am, software is installed!”) got overloaded. Devices kept trying to connect every five seconds to empty the outbound message queue, thereby causing a battery drain. Some people were reporting on official BlackBerry forums that their batteries were being depleted from full charge in as little as half an hour.”
If you are in the UAE and on the Etisalat network, I recommend going to the SMobile Systems site and purchasing their SMobile Security Shield or Anti-Theft and Identity Protection software, which will remove the spyware, as well as any other malicious code on your device. If you have already purchased the product, all you need to do is update your software to be protected.
We are living in an age where our smartphones are becoming our personal computers, and therefore the focus of those who want to exploit our personal data in any way they can. Dan Hoffman, CTO of SMobile Systems said it best, “The truth about smartphones is that they are used in the same manner as personal computers and are susceptible to the same threats. It has become clear that smartphone users need to proactively ensure their devices contain the necessary security software to protect not only their e-mail and messaging data, but also to protect their identity and the integrity of their mobile financial transactions.”
Security Shield for BlackBerry is available for $35.41 CAD.
Anti-Theft and Identity Protection is available for $29.99 per year.
