Posted on October 27, 2009, at 9:01 am .
Traveling while roaming can lead to some pretty incredible data charges so it’s important to stick to WiFi when possible. It’s fairly easy to get a free WiFi connection jumping between cafes, but places such as the airport are completely devoid of a free connection.
This is where having a Boingo account pays off. The BlackBerry app, which has been in beta, is now officially available from mobile.boingo.com/download. The app allows you to connect to the Boingo network from your smartphone, and use data freely.
You will have to sign up for a mobile account which costs $7.95 ($2 less than the laptop charge). At the moment, the application is only available for the Curve 8900, Curve 8320 and the BlackBerry Bold.
Posted on October 18, 2009, at 12:42 am .
Police in Bedfordshire, UK, have recently completed a project to outfit 1,100 frontline officers with BlackBerry smartphones.
By rolling out the BlackBerry solution, officers are able to increase visibility in the community and improve operational efficiency. With a BlackBerry, a frontline officer can now access operation critical applications and systems. While on patrol, the BlackBerry empowered officer as remote access to the Police National Computer (PNC), the forces crime management system, intelligence database, warrants, Police National Legal Database and its custom-built briefings application.
It is estimated that a BlackBerry saves each officer half an hour to an hour each day. This means big savings during an economic time when the UK has admitted it will have to make tremendous cuts in public spending, which will inevitably affect the police budget.
The Bedfordshire police Inspector Jim Hitch says: “I liken this to the change from Police boxes to Police radio. That was a huge step and quite expensive and had its doubters who asked why we needed radios. What we’re moving to now with these devices is a similar sort of scenario. There are people doubting and asking why we need them but I think that will become clearer and we will depend on these devices more and more and wonder how we ever did without them.”
[Via]
Posted on October 5, 2009, at 4:35 pm .
Here are some pics of the upcoming BlackBerry 9700, code-named Onyx. The black keypad, trackpad, and bezel make this model look undeniably pro.
So what do you think Bold users, do you plan on upgrading to the Bold 2, another device, or is your Bold still going strong?
BlackBerry Onyx pictures from DailyMobile.se
Posted on September 14, 2009, at 1:36 pm .
Here at BlackBerry Cool, we thoroughly enjoy making BlackBerry and iPhone comparisons due to the transition that is occurring over at RIM. As RIM is dealing with an increasingly large consumer base, the device is constantly being compared to the iPhone, and RIM must think about how it’s going to create a BlackBerry device that satisfies consumers, but remains true to its enterprise user base.
In the end, enterprise will always be a focus of RIM’s products, because it gives them a competitive edge. This doesn’t mean that RIM can’t satisfy two different types of clients, it just means they’re going to have to get creative and innovative – fast.
CNet recently published a piece regarding the switch from BlackBerry to iPhone, and then the revelation that made the author, Adam Richardson, switch back again.
According to the author, “Basically it comes down to the fact that the iPhone is really good at the stuff I do 10% of the time, but pretty poor at the stuff I do 90% of the time.”
Again, it all comes back to the fact that RIM makes an enterprise device with its core values being security, reliability and efficiency. These are the features that have the author converting back to BlackBerry.
Click through for a full breakdown of where the iPhone lacks and where BlackBerry shines
Posted on September 3, 2009, at 11:16 am .
Skyfire has announced they have received $5 million in funding. The funds will top off their Series B from existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Matrix Partners and Trinity Ventures. The company will use the funds to support new smartphone platforms beyond Windows Mobile, Symbian and BlackBerry, as well as utilizing their unique technology for solutions beyond the browser.
It’s not obvious yet how RIM’s acquisition of Torch Mobile and their plans to update the browser will affect third party browsers such as Opera Mini and Skyfire. It’s possible that once RIM updates their browser, there will no longer be a need for third party browsers, as the experience would be adequate for the general user. On the other hand, third party browsers have been innovating in the space and there is something to be said for being the first to market. There may always be a need for third party browsers to deliver a browsing experience better than that of the native browser.
Posted on August 4, 2009, at 11:27 am .
Research and consulting firm IDC have put together the top selling smartphones in the United States in the second quarter of this year. The list counts vendor sales to carriers and channels (sell-in) rather than sales to end users (sell-through). Further, these numbers are based on preliminary data; IDC will finalize its numbers at the end of this month.
RIM dominate the list holding the number 1 spot, as well as the 6th, 5th and 3rd. RIM’s device strategy, while it may frustrate developers in that it requires apps to be ported several times after development, it is definitely working from a sales perspective. In the end, RIM’s core business is to manufacture and sell smartphones, and in this regard they are clearly succeeding.
Click through for the Top 10 selling smartphones – Let the countdown begin
Posted on July 14, 2009, at 1:37 pm .
A recent study conducted by Vanson Bourne, revealed that 65 per cent of surveyed IT departments are concerned about unauthorized users accessing data if an iPhone is lost or stolen. The same study also showed 64 per cent of IT departments not put into place security steps to protect against threats targeted at the iPhone. Most cited the fact that they aren’t widely used in business as the reason.
This study shows one of the glaring weaknesses of the iPhone to service enterprise. Because BlackBerry is by far the most secure platform in the smartphone market, many organizations have turned to it to ensure the protection of their most valuable asset: intellectual property.
While Apple deserves an incredible amount of respect for implementing a hugely successful App Store, it will forever be stuck in a consumer market. That being said, I think it’s easier to shift from enterprise to consumer, versus the other way around. RIM has the opportunity to service the consumer market with fun and innovative applications, and I would be surprised if the iPhone were ever able to position itself as a viable solution for IT managers looking to remotely manage a network of several thousand devices. In fact, a quick look at the latest iPhone 3.0 software reveals that it still can’t run applications in the background.
More interesting points revealed in the study include:
- 10 per cent of IT decision makers believe that the iPhone is not as good an email tool as the BlackBerry, and they only want to manage one form of device.
- A little more than half (52 per cent) are concerned about the threat of downloading apps to the iPhone, while 40 per cent of respondents said they are worried about the threat of users downloading company data without the IT department knowing.
- Some 14 per cent of IT departments have banned the use of smartphones altogether for work purposes.
[Via]
Posted on July 13, 2009, at 11:18 am .
Steve just posted about the most recent Etisalat update having some strange code but there’s more to this update. UAE customers are upset because apparently this official Etisalat upgrade significantly reduces the battery life of the device.
“The problem came up when they sent a new batch to enhance the performance but instead they have killed all blackberry batteries by activating a process inside the phone which empties the battery in less than an hour if not charged,” complained a frustrated BlackBerry customer in the country who wished to remain anonymous.
“All our company employees who installed this batch file has been affected. They claim they are working on it, and the time frame to send a fix is said to be 7 days,” our source added.
So far, the only solution Etisalat is offering involves some basic battery maintenance. This means powering off your device, fully charging the battery, and powering on the device. In general, you should be draining the battery fully and charging fully at least once per month. There’s no word yet if another upgrade will be issued to solve the battery drainage.
Could this battery drainage have something to do with the strange “intercept” code found in the most recent update?
[Via]
Posted on July 9, 2009, at 8:50 am .
Ronen from BerryReview picked up the news that the upcoming BlackBerry Gemini 8520 will be shipping from T-Mobile in both black and white.
Back when I bought the iPhone 3G (don’t give me that look), I made sure to get the white version. Not because I thought it necessarily looked better, but because they made white the limited edition. It would be great to see more limited edition BlackBerry colors and cases being released.
The 8520 is shaping up to be an interesting device. With a cool new optical trackpad, it don’t matter if you’re black or white.
Stay tuned for the full review of the 8520.
[Via]
