Kevin has had a chance to play around with OS 4.3 on the BlackBerry 8100 and found that it supports A2DP, a feature previously found only on the Curve and later Pearl models. As a guy who’s stuck listening to podcasts on the dinky mono earbud with his Pearl, I’m pretty excited about the news. With any luck the stereo Bluetooth support will also hit the 8800 whenever OS 4.3.1 becomes publicly available.
Tag: 4.3
OS 4.3 packing stereo Bluetooth support?
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Hayden just updated us on the status of vTap, the video search and video player for mobile. It’s now optimized for BlackBerry OS 4.3, which included streaming video support, and stretches back to the 8700. The search is pretty cool, working a lot like Boopsie in that it offers results as you type. On top of YouTube searching, they’ve also got a Wikipedia search with the same instant-return feature. The usual disclaimer follows that you probably shouldn’t be trying this out unless you’ve got an unlimited data plan, or really deep pockets. While it doesn’t look like the video search is ready just yet (just Wikipedia), we’re sure it will soon be accessible at http://m.vtap.com from your mobile browser.
If you’re an admin and aren’t attending the BlackBerry Technical Seminar, for shame. Just kidding, you’re not missing much. All of the new BES stuff was already covered at WES, like rich e-mail support, remote e-mail lookup, native attachment downloading, free/busy lookup, and the Mobile Voice System. The kicker is that most of these features will require OS 4.3.1, meaning anyone packing something older than an 8700 will be out of luck. Beyond that, the recently-announced BlackBerry Professional Service will be available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish localizations, but it will also phase out the existing BES Small Business Edition.
Check a shot of the new e-mail capabilities behind the jump…
The sharp-eyed Ronen has picked up on a knowledgebase article which outlines all the big changes in OS 4.3. For anyone not lucky enough to have picked up a new BlackBerry 8130, this should give you all the info you need.
Some of the big changes we’ve heard of before now, but here’s the round-up: enhanced SureType; wireless software updates; sending voice note by e-mail, PIN and IM; phone bass and treble adjustment; security options for locking long-distance and specific phone numbers; local search and route saving on BlackBerry Maps; video MMS support; streaming media; Media Player playlists; video recording; Bookmarks and History viewable on Browser launch; and finally, syncing address books and calendars with integrated e-mail, such as Yahoo! and (presumably) Gmail if you’re on BIS 2.4. Pretty awesome stuff!
Jibi has scoped out a new feature in OS 4.3 which allows for a clean wipe of your BlackBerry back to factory settings. Handy, simple, and most of all, it resets all of your BES security restrictions. Given, all those IT policies get reinstated once you hook up to your BES again, the new JavaLoader command does make reselling a lot easier. Presuming you have the Java Desktop Environment installed, all you have to do is pull it up in your command prompt and type in “javaloader -u resettofactory”. Easy as pie.
Now that the BlackBerry 8130 is available toting OS 4.3, the accompanying Desktop Manager is up for grabs. Vodafone is hosting the download (which is interesting since they don’t even have the 8130 yet), but the forums are reporting some slow transfer speeds, likely due to the monster truck of traffic rolling over the servers. UPDATE: You can grab the new Desktop Manager right from RIM’s site now. New features include…
Continue reading ‘Desktop Manager 4.3 available for download’
Our buddy Josep at miblackberry just got back from the Connect with the Experts conference in Madrid recently, and has a fair bit to report. Connect with the Experts is a traveling one-day seminar for technical BlackBerry professionals, with Amsterdam set as its next destination on November 8th. CWTE has given us a look at some upcoming developments for BlackBerry… First up, all OS updates will be over the air – no Desktop Manager needed. While updating, which takes about two hours, you’ll be able to keep using your BlackBerry normally without any problems. We also hear OS 4.3 is due before the end of the year and will work on the BlackBerry 8700 and later – everything else is out of luck. BES admin software will also get a bit of a facelift, available for free beta download soon. BIS users can keep their eyes open for an upgrade to 2.5 also before the end of the year, including support for Microsoft Office formats.
While the BlackBerry 8130 release date on Telus remains a point of contention, some insist that we’ll be seeing it in The Great White North before the week is out, and should be available nationwide by November 6th. Regardless of date, the new Pearl will be packing GPS, the OS 4.3, and the newly-launched Facebook application preloaded. On top of that, BBSync’s source also managed to snag the plans: $199.99 on a 3-year contract, $399.99 on a 2 year contract, and $449.99 on a 1 year or no contract. The 8130 will also be launching a limited edition Links of London set for $30 more, if you’re looking to be extra-swanky.
We’ve got some good news for the devs out there. We’ve received word that the BlackBerry Desktop Environment v.4.3 is now available for download, complete with Vista compatibility. With the JDE out, we can now keep our eyes good and peeled for a 4.3 Desktop Manager, or better yet an OS upgrade. Of course, we gotta give developers a bit of a head start to pump out the software we love so very, very much. You can check out some of the new features in the documentation.
