Posted on August 3, 2010, at 3:32 PM .
The ban on BlackBerry in the UAE has been a hot topic lately and RIM has a few statements on the topic that are interesting. RIM hasn’t directly discussed the ban in the UAE due to the confidential nature of talks with governments, but reiterated some key points about the platform that indirectly address the issue.
RIM has come out saying the BlackBerry network was set up so that “no one, including RIM, could access” customer data, which is encrypted from the time it leaves the device. It added RIM would “simply be unable to accommodate any request” for a key to decrypt the data, since the company doesn’t have the key.
The BlackBerry network is designed “to exclude the capability for RIM or any third party to read encrypted information under any circumstances,” RIM’s statement said.
The location of BlackBerry’s servers doesn’t matter, the company said, because the data on them can’t be deciphered without a decryption key.
“RIM assures customers that it will not compromise the integrity and security of the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution,” the statement said.
So it looks like RIM will not budge on compromising their security and any government looking to get access is simply out of luck.
Posted on August 3, 2010, at 3:03 PM .
Rogers is getting on board with the BlackBerry Torch official announcements along with AT&T and Bell Mobility. There aren’t any details about pricing and availability just yet, but it’s good to know that two major Canadian carriers will have the device. Hopefully this device hits more carriers soon because there are a ton of BlackBerry users looking to convert.
Posted on August 3, 2010, at 2:35 PM .
Bell Mobility has officially announced the BlackBerry Torch 9800 with BlackBerry 6. The device from bell will have access to Bell services such as TV, radio, Remote PVR, Visual Voicemail, GPS Navigator and more. There are no details about a launch date or pricing, but it’s likely to be similar to the AT&T announcement. We’ll keep you posted when we know more.
Posted on August 3, 2010, at 12:39 PM .
The App World team has sent out a notice to developers that the 9800 “BlackBerry Torch” is now listed under Supported Devices in the Vendor Portal and is automatically included as part of the ‘Supports All Devices’ option. The problem with this is that all developers who have selected this option must now change the status of their application if it doesn’t support the 9800. Here are the steps RIM recommends:
- If you selected ‘Supports All Devices’ for a given application, please confirm that the submitted release does in fact work on the 9800. We will begin vetting these applications on the 9800 immediately and will require all tests to pass for the application to remain in App World.
- If you did not select ‘Supports All Devices’ but your application supports the 9800, please add it to the appropriate bundle or create a new Release to support it. The 9800 will be running an OS version of 6.0 and should be taken into consideration when configuring your file bundles.
- If your application is not supported by the 9800, please update the information on the Vendor Portal and only select devices that your application supports.
Continue reading ‘BlackBerry App World Warns Developers to Change Device Support Details’
Posted on August 3, 2010, at 12:10 PM .
Today, RIM officially launched the BlackBerry Torch 9800, the first slider form factor BlackBerry. The Torch features a capacitive touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and the new BlackBerry 6 OS, which includes a powerful WebKit browser.
Here is a quick walkthrough of the device’s features:
- Brand new form factor – Touch/QWERTY combination smartphone
- BlackBerry 6 – Featuring:
o Context-sensitive pop-up menus for more relevant options
o A new WebKit browser for faster and more robust performance
o Integrated social feeds including the ability to update multiple social networks from a single screen
o Engaging multimedia experience
o Universal Search to uncover results throughout your smartphone – from Contacts, Apps, data and the Web
- Sleek design with a touch-sensitive trackpad located on the front face of the device
- The first BlackBerry smartphone to include the new BlackBerry App World pre-installed, supporting carrier billing through AT&T, making it easier for customers to discover and purchase applications
- 3.2″ 360 x 480 capacitive touch screen display
- Vivid 5.0MP camera with flash, auto focus, image stabilization and geo-tagging
- Support for 3G networks (HSDPA)
- 512MB Flash memory, 4GB on?board memory, microSD/SDHC memory card slot (4GB card included, cards up to 32GB supported)
- Built?in GPS and Wi?Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
- Network Support
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- HSPDA/UMTS: 800/850/1900/2100 MHz
- Approximately 4.4” x 2.4” x 0.57” (closed), 5.8” x 2.4” x 0.57” (open)
The BlackBerry Torch will be available for AT&T customers on August 12th in retail stores, as well as online at www.att.com/blackberrytorch. The device will also be available at Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Radioshack. The Torch will cost $199.99 with a 2-year service agreement on a qualifying rate plan and a data plan is required.
Posted on August 3, 2010, at 11:43 AM .
We’re here at the BlackBerry Torch AT&T launch announcement in New York. This the biggest launch event that RIM may have ever organized. All the US TV news networks are here as well as a small force of laptop-wielding independents. The conference is about to begin, more to come shortly.
