The voice of the BlackBerry community.
The official launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 took place in Germany and Mike Lazaridis was there to talk about it. He called it a “remarkable feat of engineering.”
The above video gives you a quick look at the device, and then cuts over to Mike Lazaridis, speaking at what appears to be a small press event. Nothing spectacular in the video, but the 9700 looks like a really professional device.
[Via]
Simon picked up the story that RIM VP Jeff McDowell confirmed App World will be hitting France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, this month, with Brazil and India next on the list.
Congratulations to RIM legal for entering the French market, which is a relatively difficult market to enter. The US Commerical Service has echoed this sentiment, and it has portrayed the French market in a way that could be deemed isolationist.
“Enforcement of complex technical standards and lengthy testing procedures sometimes appears to exceed reasonable requirement levels needed to assure proper performance and safety, for example in the areas of electronics, telecommunications equipment, and agriculture phytosanitary standards.”
It takes several months for RIM legal to sort through the legal documents and conditions for App World to enter a new market. It took RIM legal 2 months to get App World to Britain and there are many European countries with more complicated and restrictive laws surrounding content distribution. So while getting App World around the world is a top priority, it could be a couple years before we see global penetration.
[Via]
BlackBerry Nation, assemble! The fine gents over at Smrtguard are in need of your help. It turns out that they’re looking to translate their award-winning software PeekaWho into Italian and German, but are without the requisite skills (i.e. being literate in Italian and German)!
Are there any Italian or German-speaking members of the BlackBerry Nation willing to lend a helping hand? If so, Smrtguard is willing to throw in a free copy of PeekaWho and FollowUp! for your BlackBerry, as well as a lifetime supply of appreciation.
All those interested can email support|AT|smrtguard|dot|com with the heading ‘Translate’.
While most Verizon Storm users are wondering why they would receive a text message telling them to upgrade to an OS that isn’t available yet, Vodafone Germany did the smart thing and just posted OS 4.7.0.78 on their website! You can click the link below to download and get updating – OS 4.7.0.78 should give Storm 9500 users quite a boost in stability.
Vodafone BlackBerry Storm 9500 OS 4.7.0.78 update
|via CB|
Although T-Mobile Germany tipped their hand slightly back in October when the BlackBerry Curve 8900 showed up on their website, today is still an exciting day. That’s because T-Mobile Germany and RIM have officially announced the release of the BlackBerry Curve 8900, formerly known by it’s codename: Javelin.
For those not in the know, the Curve 8900 features BlackBerry Bold-power and screen resolution in a Curve form factor, minus the 3G. The BlackBerry Curve 8900 will cost a one-time charge of EUR 4.95 with a 24-month contract on the Relax 200 Plus rate with BlackBerry Webmail S and EUR 359.90 without contract. You can read the full press release after the jump or check out some handy BlackBerry Curve 8900 reviews via the link below.
Multiple BlackBerry Curve 8900 reviews
T-Mobile Germany BlackBerry Curve 8900 Press Release
I remember the quiet days of 2005, when the BlackBerry Nation only had one or two BlackBerry devices a year to look forward to. I bet in all the BlackBerry Storm news you completely forgot about the BlackBerry Javelin, didn’t you? Well, T-Mobile Germany didn’t forget, posting the device on their site as the BlackBerry Curve 8900 with a November release date.
So should we expect a flurry of BlackBerry Curve 8900 leaks in the coming weeks before the device is officially announced?
T-Mobile Germany BlackBerry Curve 9000
(via CB)
I’m trying to refrain from making some sort of weather related pun, but it’s hard to deny the steady pour (sigh) of BlackBerry Storm information that has been finding its way on the Internet. Today we have news for our German friends, as both the BlackBerry Storm 9530 and BlackBerry 9500 have made appearances on Vodafone and T-Mobile Germany’s websites.
Vodafone Germany has followed Verizon’s lead and posted a BlackBerry Storm 9530 signup page, where interested parties can submit their email addresses for more information.
T-Mobile Germany hasn’t been as overt in their display of BlackBerry Storm information, but it’s still there. The screen cap above shows that the BlackBerry 9500 has been added to the device model compatibility check list for the T-Mobile’s Mobile Jukebox. Whoops.
For flip phone lovers who can’t get enough of the newly announced BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, we have a variety of updates for you. First, our Spanish friends over at MiBlackBerry.com have found a new Pearl Flip colour in a RIM press release: Silver. No word yet on if we’ll be able to see this colour in North America, but it sure does look pretty. Hopefully those Rogers Pearl Flip parties will shed some light on the situation.
Second, BlackBerryNews.com is reporting that “internal documents” indicate the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 will also soon be released on O2 and T-Mobile Germany. Hopefully these releases will come with some new colors as well.
(via BBN, MiBlackBerry)
More BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 Silver Screenshots
Previously available in only North America, BlackBerry Unite! has now been localized for all around the globe. Central American, Italian, German, French, Asia Pacific and Spanish versions of the software is available for small groups of up to 5 to share media, contacts, and take care of management tasks. There are plenty of small and medium businesses out there that could use some extra functionality from their BlackBerrys, and when the software is free, it’s hard to go wrong.
(BlackBerry Support Community Forums via BerryReview)
Download sites for BlackBerry Unite! behind the jump…
So, the whole Chile and Hong Kong launch yesterday was a bit of a false start, but T-Mobile Germany’s online store is looking much more promising. With a few clicks through, you can see that the BlackBerry 9000 is going for €459.95 (or $US 715) without contract. You can tell just from all the carrier activity lately that the launch is imminent, it’s just a matter of the final go-ahead. If we have any Germans in the house looking to pick up a BlackBerry 9000, swing by the store and let us know what the stock’s like!
UPDATE: It looks like T-Mobile Austria has followed suit…
Thanks Rainer!
Excited? BlackBerry Bold device specifications behind the jump!
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