The voice of the BlackBerry community.
It’s great when companies take the time to make their software available for the latest and greatest BlackBerry devices and TeleNav have done just that. The above video shows TeleNav GPS Navigator on the T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700 as well as some thoughts about the device.
We’re also giving away 3, 1 year subscriptions to TeleNav GPS Navigator. Just comment what you think of the Bold 9700 and we’ll select 3.
UPDATE: Thanks for participating everyone. The winners will be contacted shortly.
Sensobi is a cool free app that lets you know who is falling off your radar. Before calling a contact, Sensobi will let you know when you last spoke and what it was about. The latest release of Sensobi, version 1.5.494, features real-time notifications, as well as a face-lift on their UI.
You can sign up for the free beta from their site, or grab it OTA from http://share.sensobi.com/
A new app circulating the blogosphere, Blurts, gives you important notifications from your BlackBerry, to your PC. Whenever you get a call, email, or SMS notification, you see it on your desktop, which stops you from having to reach in your pocket and check your BlackBerry.
Blurts Pro Features:
Blurts costs $4.99 until November 15th (regularly $5.99).
Another application worth trying, that does the same thing, is Elertify. Elertify also costs $4.99 until November 15th but it has a speech component which Blurt does not seem to have. This might make Elertify a better deal, but we’ll have to give you a head-to-head review soon.
The Sprint BlackBerry 8530 has been announced by Sprint and while we don’t have pricing and release dates yet, there is still some interesting news embedded in the press release.
According to the press release, “Sprint’s BlackBerry Curve 8530 will offer BlackBerry App World for instant access to thousands of applications. Sprint has employed an open Internet approach, and the Sprint Application Developer Program has been providing tools for third-party developers, since Sprint first launched the Wireless Web on its phones in 2001.”
These two statements are vague but seem to suggest that Sprint will be offering both App World, and their Sprint branded content. Sprint isn’t saying much about how they will offer BlackBerry App World, but hopefully it will come fully preinstalled. Sprint is also very vague about how they will deploy content created in their Application Developer Program. Ideally, it would go into App World, but it’s more likely it will be made for preload. Overall, I’m hoping carriers stop trying to compete with App World and just let it be the place where BlackBerry users go to get all their apps.
The subject has been brought up countless times: will Microsoft ever buy RIM? Surely, if you ever spoke with Jim Balsillie or Mike Lazaridis, the idea would be out of the question, but who knows?
National Bank analyst Richard Tse thinks it’s a possibility, saying that if shares in RIM keep falling, investors should consider it a possibility.
Talking about the Microsoft buyout, Tse says: “Sticking with Microsoft, sure Windows Mobile 7 is on its way but wouldn’t RIM be able to offer what they’ve strived to get beyond their OS and Office – another wedge into the enterprise. We sure wouldn’t rule this out.”
Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek is upgrading RIM’s status to Buy from Hold, as recent channel checks with global carriers and partners suggesting the company had a healthy June. Although share price has lost nearly a quarter of its value since last month, the summer tends to be a slow season for the smartphone market.
That being said, BlackBerry sales with AT&T grew in the double digits month-over-month in June. With the launch of the BlackBerry Tour 9630, as well as the upcoming BlackBerry Gemini 8520, RIM is releasing more devices that has convinced Mr. Misek that RIM isn’t losing any momentum.
Even under lacklustre consumer spending conditions, Peter Misek is more comfortable with the company’s risk/reward profile now that the stock is trading at roughly 14 times Canaccord’s forward 12-month earnings projections.
RIM has demonstrated an ability to grow in very difficult conditions due to its stronghold in the enterprise and strong carrier relationships, the analyst said.
Canaccord’s price target for RIM remains at US$95 per share.
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In a recent survey, forty percent of smartphone users who don’t already own an iPhone said they would switch to the Apple handset for their next purchase, nearly three times the percentage of non-Blackberry users who would switch to a BlackBerry.
The online survey was conducted May 19 to June 8, by market researcher Crowd Science and found that only 14 percent of non-Blackberry users wanted to switch to that family of devices.
There are a few problems with the nature of this survey which should be pointed out. First of all, iPhone fans have a greater presence on the Internet. A quick view of Google’s most searched terms places iPhone above BlackBerry which could mean that Apple fans are skewing these numbers. Secondly, we can’t be sure of the validity of those filling out the survey. Did they really not own a smartphone? Did the survey use geo-targeting to ensure they were in the North American market? These could all make the survey less valid.
In the end, RIM will be saturating the market with a wider variety of handsets, and therefore is better positioned to capture a larger share of the smartphone market. While you may love the new iPhone, and it is getting a lot of hype, remember that there are many types of smartphone consumers and the iPhone can’t satisfy them all. RIM on the other hand, can offer a smartphone for every user, be it the Power User and their Bold, or the introductory user and their free Pearl.
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Kuwait now has access to the full range of BlackBerry services. VIVA, Alcatel-Lucent and RIM have announced the launch of devices such as the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Bold as well as service with BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Internet Service.
Based on its distribution agreement with RIM, Alcatel-Lucent is leveraging its strong local presence in the region to provide VIVA with end-to-end support services for the BlackBerry solution. With Alcatel-Lucent managing integration and deployment, VIVA can focus on delivering customer facing services, enabling the operator to quickly meet market demand.
This trend is indicative of the Middle Eastern strategy with carriers and RIM. While the Middle East provides ample opportunity for low end devices and prepaid solutions, the majority of Middle Eastern countries are getting the “luxury line” of BlackBerry devices such as the 8900 and Bold. I’m curious to see if carriers begin selling Pearl devices in these regions.
New Canadian legislation is forcing Internet service providers to make it possible for police and intelligence officers to intercept online communications and get personal information about subscribers, in a “timely” manner without a warrant. This personal information includes names, address and internet addresses.
The bill will allow law enforcement officials to obtain transmission data that is sent or received via telephone and require telecommunications companies to keep data related to specific communications or subscribers if that information is needed in an investigation and requested via a preservation order.
While it is important for police and government officials to prevent the spread of illegal materials such as child pornography and arrest those involved in serious illegal activities, one must wonder how technically viable this bill actually is.
Regardless of whether the carrier allows the interception of voice and data coming from your BlackBerry, your device can be very easily encrypted, making it impossible to listen in. One such product that will do this, is G&D’s mobile security card. With this security card you can save data and have it encrypted in case of theft. The card also provides you with secure email, device protection and even voice encryption. With companies such as G&D, this legislation is quickly rendered obsolete.
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