IDC’s latest report shows Research in Motion in the in the top 5 of all mobile handset makers in the world. RIM has been in the Top 10 Smartphone Manufactuers list for some time and now, but making the top 5 handset makers in the world is a really significant benchmark. RIM is the only company on this list that manufacturers only smartphones, making the numbers all the more impressive. The smartphone market is growing at a pretty incredible rate, and it looks like RIM is well positioned to take on the growth.
Here are some quick facts about RIM from the report:
RIM shipped 10.6 million units in Q1.
Total shipments surpassing those of Motorola by nearly 2 million units.
Highest average selling prices within the group.
Key to its success in the first quarter was the popularity of its BlackBerry Curve 8520 and BlackBerry Bold 9700 across multiple markets as well as its global prepaid offerings.
Strong consumer adoption, particularly among text-crazy teens, has also fuelled demand for BlackBerry devices.
Of course the big news this week was the annual BlackBerry show WES. This year, RIM announced BlackBerry MVS 5, the Pearl 3G and the Bold 9650. We also received a demo of the upcoming BlackBerry 6, that comes with the latest BlackBerry WebKit browser. It was a great show and I recommend you scroll down to check out BlackBerryCool’s unique coverage of the show.
The latest devices look really great, and RIM’s product line seems to be on a slow and steady chart of improvement. Adoption of BlackBerrys globally is exponential, and if you’re looking for some insight into where the company is heading, make sure to listen/read everything that Mike Lazaridis said during the conference. Hit up the articles after the jump and take the weekend to get caught up. Continue reading ‘BlackBerryCool Roundup for the Week of April 26th’
Shanghai Skyline is a free theme to celebrate the upcoming Shanghai EXPO 2010. This is the official Shanghai EXPO theme so if you’re going to attend, or you want to show support, this is the theme for you. Overall, it’s a decent-looking theme with a red and black color scheme. Definitely worth a download.
Howcast have a BlackBerry app that’s now available in App World for free. The app shows you tutorial videos on everything from How to Pick a Lock to How to Jump Start a Car.
The Howcast app for BlackBerry features:
Watch the best how-to videos on the web, straight from your phone
Search for a specific how-to video on just about anything
Check out our Featured and Most Recent how-to videos
Save a video to your list of Favorites so you can watch it at any time
Recall videos that you have previously watched using the History feature
Share any video with a friend by email
According to the Howcast blog, the app is currently only available for the Bold 9700 and Storm2 9550 with a minimum of OS 5.0.0. Support for more devices is on the way.
The BlackBerry Podcast app is in the beta zone and user reviews are already being published. It seems the app doesn’t currently allow you to add your own subscriptions, and there isn’t much in the way of available content. It seems the UI is well done, and has a BlackBerry 6 style to it (might launch with OS 6). The Beta app apparently handles video really well, and the audio quality is crisp and clear.
The BlackBerry Podcast app features the ability to:
Did you know about 41% of Canadians are on Facebook? That’s a pretty incredible penetration level. Not only is Canada adopting communication technologies at a fast pace, but the entire world is becoming increasingly connected.
At a recent shareholders meeting called Next is Now, Rogers released a video that was produced with support from 76design and Thornley Fallis. The video also features music by Canadian artists Young Galaxy. The video does a great job of summarizing some of the milestones we’re passing with communication technologies, so definitely give it a watch.
