Posted on February 19, 2010, at 2:09 PM .
Lots of news this week came out of Mobile World Congress 2010 and the biggest news from RIM is the announcement of BES Express. BES Express is a free version of BES, with watered-down features but a lot of the same functionality. This is big news for the SMB market, but it’s a little disappointing to the average consumer. It would be great if RIM could host these services for the growing number of consumers who don’t have a small business. The other news to come out of MWC is Mike Lazaridis talking about BlackBerry Super Apps: a concept which completely eludes BlackBerry users and seems like marketing fluff. Basically, a Super App is an app that takes advantage of all the APIs that RIM have out there. The only apps RIM have pointed to explicitly as being Super Apps are the ones they have developed, which I personally think sends the wrong message to developers.
Continue to catch up on a week of BlackBerry
Posted on February 19, 2010, at 10:44 AM .
In a series of patents filed recently, it seems RIM is working on methods for monetizing BlackBerry messages. One patent, titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INCORPORATING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT INTO A MESSAGE HANDLED BY A MOBILE DEVICE“, describes a method for examining a message and linking keywords in the message to an ad. This sounds just like what Google does in its webmail and RIM is probably going to see if it can generate some dollars from a similar service.
Another patent, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EVALUATING ADVERTISING METRICS“, describes a method for determining whether an application or user has attempted to defraud RIM’s advertising model. Personally, I think RIM could do well with a partnership with Google, instead of trying to do it themselves. Google has figured all of this out already and I bet RIM will come across some of the same problems Google faced in its early stages of development. One particular problem I see on the horizon is a backlash from people seeing ads in their BlackBerry Messages. Email is a very private service and while Google saw a backlash from their web service, I think seeing ads on your handheld will generate more concern.
What do you think, would you care about seeing ads in your email? What if there was some benefit like cheaper devices in the long run?
[Source @GoRumors}
Posted on February 19, 2010, at 10:11 AM .
Elecite’s themes are great quality and Trace is no exception. Trace comes with 5 card-style icons that take over the homescreen; great for your favorite and most-used apps. The theme has a hidden Today preview area and 7-10 customizable icons on the bottom dock for your favorites. Storm users get a weather slot, so be sure to pick up a weather app such as WeatherEye.
Check out the Trace theme from Elecite.
Posted on February 19, 2010, at 9:54 AM .
The guys at Made Simple Learning have released the complete Training Center for the Bold 9700 and the Curve 8500 series. The Training Center includes both an online book and videos. There are 134 short video tutorials and 110 videos formatted for your BlackBerry so you can watch them on the go. If you’re looking to pick up some extra tips, or you’re new to BlackBerry, these guides will get you up to speed quickly.
The Complete Training Center is available for only $29.95. Until February 28th, you can save 30% by using the coupon code 639A3FC42A.
Posted on February 18, 2010, at 2:06 PM .
ShopBlackBerry now have an app in App World. The app is a store portal for ShopBlackBerry.com where you can buy really expensive accessories. The app has a long way to go in both UI and general use and I’m not sure how many people are going to want tot buy their accessories on the go. Personally, I like seeing large pictures of an accessory, and browsing for a variety of reviews before I spend over $100 on an accessory. Check it out for yourself in the Test Center of App World.
Also in the Test Center is “Xmas 2009 with magic” which I assume is a theme but priced at $5.25. Doesn’t that seem a little ridiculous to charge $5.25 for something that is in a section for apps that are buggy and looking for feedback?
[Source]
