Tag: blackberry beta

BlackBerry Cool Roundup for the Week of March 22nd

Posted
by
Kyle McInnes
on March 26, 2010, at 12:28 PM
in Editorials, Spotlight and Top-Story
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2 Comments

This was a great week for the BlackBerry Nation filled with OS leaks, new apps, and some good news on the BIS side of things. The BlackBerry Beta Zone launched this week and it’s a great opportunity for the general public to get access to invite-only beta apps. This means you can get an advanced look at the latest BlackBerry Messenger, Desktop Manager, or even OS builds. I’ve heard most of the apps will be available to anyone, but OS builds will be selected based on device and carrier conditions. So if you’re an early adopter, this program is perfect for you.

Speaking of first party RIM apps, we also got some insight on a official BlackBerry apps such as Twitter, Facebook and the yet to be announced BlackBerry Shield. My personal thoughts on RIM’s approach to developing software was outlined in an editorial I wrote this week, and if you’re a developer I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Something that wasn’t mentioned, which I’ll say now without creating a new post, is that BlackBerry Shield will be announced at WES. While it won’t launch for some time later, we do know it will be part of the press announcements. Click through after the jump and get caught up on a week of BlackBerry news.

Speaking of WES, don’t forget to sign up for Zenprise’s Smartphone Support Story contest where they’ll be giving away a free ticket to WES 2010. If you submit a story by video, and you win, they’ll also cover the cost of your flight. Check it out at Facebook.com/Zenprise.

Continue reading ‘BlackBerry Cool Roundup for the Week of March 22nd’

Get Invite-Only Beta Apps From the BlackBerry Beta Zone

Posted
by
Kyle McInnes
on March 24, 2010, at 12:01 PM
in News
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5 Comments

RIM has introduced the BlackBerry Beta Zone, a site for invite-only beta programs that is now available to the general public. Currently, RIM has the App World test center available to the general public, but the number of applications is pretty sparse, and not exactly the most exciting apps. Also, the Beta Zone will solely feature RIM products such as upcoming versions of BBM and official apps such as the BlackBerry Twitter client.

Here are some beta programs that you can get access to via the Beta Zone:

  • BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 maintenance release for the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8520 and BlackBerry® Curve 8530 smartphones. This program will be open to members who live in Canada and will be capped at 1000 participants.
  • BlackBerry Messenger 5.0.1. This program will be open to all members.
  • BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.2. This program will be limited to invited organizations only. Stay tuned for more information in future posts on recommending organizations for beta program invites.
  • BlackBerry Beta Zone. This program will be open to any members. This program will be about the BlackBerry Beta Zone itself. It will not include any product software.

Head over to the BlackBerry Beta Zone for more information, or check out the Inside BlackBerry post for more details.

Skyfire BlackBerry client official announcement this summer

Posted
by
Kyle McInnes
on May 27, 2009, at 8:28 AM
in News
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5 Comments

Skyfire has released their 1.0 version for Windows Mobile and Symbian, and they’re one step closer to a BlackBerry beta. The BlackBerry alpha is officially acknowledged in their press release, and the only official word from Skyfire is that they “will have an announcement this summer.”

If you have a WinMo or Symbian phone, you can get an idea of what the BlackBerry client will be like by downloading it from get.skyfire.com.

Over one million consumers have installed and used the Skyfire browser in just under five months, making it the fastest growing downloadable mobile browser in North America.

So far, the official line from Skyfire is vague but promising:

Skyfire has plans to bring their browser to more smartphones and recently launched a Private Closed Alpha program for the BlackBerry platform. The company will announce plans for a Public BlackBerry Beta at a later date.

This step will offer an approximate twenty-one million BlackBerry users the opportunity to finally be able to access the PC web on their phone.

Click through to learn about Skyfire 1.0 and get some insight into the BlackBerry client

Skype still coming to BlackBerry in May?

Posted
by
Kyle McInnes
on May 19, 2009, at 9:23 AM
in News
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39 Comments

Today is May 19th and the BlackBerry community is still eagerly awaiting their Skype applicaiton. The lite version of the Skype client will be available as a free Beta download for the Bold and Curve models.

The lite version of Skype delivers core Skype capabilities to BlackBerry, including:

* Make Skype-to-Skype calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world
* Send/receive instant messages to/from individuals or groups
* Make Skype calls at low rates to people on landline or mobile phones
* Receive calls to your online number on Skype
* See when your Skype contacts are online/available to chat

Anyone else wondering when it will actually appear?