Posted on June 9, 2008, at 8:29 am .
BG has done it again, leaking another exclusive picture of a nascent BlackBerry. This time, it’s the BlackBerry Thunder, which Boy Genius tells us is a dual mode (EV-DO Rev. C and GSM HSPA for international travel) touchscreen BlackBerry coming exclusively to Verizon Q3 of this year. Although it’s a mock-up, BG wouldn’t post it unless it was legit. Also, surprise surpise, it looks exactly like the one BG furnished when he originally broke the story during WES — it’s almost like he knew.
Post a comment and tell us what you think of the words touchscreen and BlackBerry being wrapped together in one nice, neat little package.
(via BoyGenius Report)
Posted on April 4, 2008, at 11:44 am .
CTIA started off with a bang this year, announcing the BlackBerry 8330 across three carriers, the latest CDMA BlackBerry since the 8130 over Christmas. The majority of BlackBerrys (and handsets in general) run on GSM networks, but with these devices toting EV-DO capabilities for blazing data transfer, and with enhancements to voice service on the way, CDMA is a solid choice for carriers. Of course, a big part of the impetus is on manufacturers like RIM to make devices which support the underdog technology, without which service providers have nothing to show customers. What do you think? Is RIM showing CDMA enough love? The Curve’s been out since early last summer, and only now, on the brink of a new generation of 3GSM BlackBerrys, are the likes of Verizon, Telus and Sprint getting their hands on it. Maybe we’re lucky that CDMA is getting a bone thrown their way at all, but would it be that hard to squeeze out a Wi-Fi BlackBerry for CDMA users, or would it not even be worth RIM’s trouble? Give us your take on the CDMA/GSM debate and win three BlackBerry skins of your choice from DecalGirl, and the recently-launched Guitar Hero 3 Mobile!
Last week’s winner behind the jump!
Posted on January 29, 2008, at 12:38 pm .
Vodafone has announced its release of the GPS Pearl, including support for Sat Nav, which offers traffic reports, points of interest and directions. As ever, Brits will be enjoying some great prices, as the BlackBerry 8110 will be available for free if you sign up for any £25 plan over 18 months, or £34 over a year. This release follows a steady line stemming from Spain, but rumors continue to trickle in of seeing this GSM device in North America soon. If you’re looking to pick one up, head on over to Vodafone’s online store.
Posted on January 16, 2008, at 8:36 am .
Not too long ago we posted on a data traffic monitor called MiniMoni, which has now finished off its beta run and gone live. Luckily, the program is still free and still offering a lot of help to us poor saps with a limited data plan. Keep in mind that MiniMoni is only for GSM BlackBerrys right now, but I bet if you guys give some support, a CDMA version might follow in good time.
Posted on January 8, 2008, at 7:17 am .
Another gem from the leaked Voda slides: the BlackBerry 8110, due out by the end of January on Vodafone. CDMA carriers got a bit of a heads up with the 8130 for the holidays, and the 8110 would bring GSM providers up to speed, if it weren’t for the lack of 3G. Still, a GPS Pearl is nothing to sneeze at, and should bring some joy to the folks who have salivating for the 8130 for the last few months but were locked into GSM service.
Posted on January 6, 2008, at 4:02 pm .
So that shot from the other day was, in fact, legit. Leaked Vodafone docs show that this new device due out in May will be packing quad-band GSM, HSDPA, GPS, Wi-Fi, a 2.0 megapixel camera, a 624 MHz processor, a 480 x 320 screen (up from the current 320 x 240 standard), and a 1500mAh battery (up from the 8800’s 1400 mAh). As for carrier, the Rogers logo has been spotted on it, so we can expect it in Canada soon, too. The stats match up previous 9000 series info. Based on these specs, the only 8800-series device that might survive is the 8830 for those who happen to hop on CDMA networks – GPS, Wi-Fi and a camera all in one device really does blow everything else out of the water. In fact, if we’re just running on the slideshow, the possibility of this one being an inaugural 9000-series device still seems entirely possible. What do you guys think? The BlackBerry 8900 or the 9000? One way or the other, this thing is sounding pretty sweet.
Posted on December 21, 2007, at 12:52 pm .
Okay, you can drop the booing and hissing, we know it would suck, but it’s all gossip until the thing comes out. Keep in mind that this is just for the first iteration of the series, the BlackBerry 9000, and that the previously-rumored 9100 should still have 3G. Outside of that, the rumors are also telling us the 9000 will be packing quad-band GSM/GPRS, QWERTY keyboard, support a, g and b flavours of Wi-Fi, and a 480 x 320 screen like the 9100. Nothing’s been said for sure about a touchscreen, and I’m partial to the idea that it’s just wishful thinking on a lot of people’s parts.
Posted on November 22, 2007, at 8:20 am .
According to a study by 3G Americas, GSM market share has grown 9% in the last year, totalling up to 62% of the market. In Latin America and the Caribbean alone, that penetration hit a wooping 78%. CDMA, on the other hand, has dropped in subscribers by 2.5% to 193 million subscribers. The report also notes the broad strokes of this year in GSM worldwide:
400 UMTS/HSDPA devices launched by manufacturers.
193 UMTS networks commercial; additional 71 networks planned or in deployment.
152 commercial deployments of HSDPA in 67 countries.
148 joint EDGE/UMTS networks; 244 commercial EDGE networks in 128 countries.
17 HSUPA networks now commercial, with many more expected in 2008.
Posted on November 19, 2007, at 4:40 pm .
The FCC has released the docs and testing information for the BlackBerry 8120, giving us hope, however vain, of a North American release. The recently-cleared instruction manual for the BlackBerry 8120 doesn’t reveal too much that’s new about the Wi-Fi, GSM Pearl. UMA (voice handoff to Wi-Fi) is working soundly, making T-Mobile’s Hotspot@Home a likely target for the new device.
Posted on November 13, 2007, at 10:00 am .
Trimble has announced today three new programs for GPS users on a GSM network. First up is AllSport GPS which tracks a regular exercise route and calculates how many calories you’re burning, how much time you take, and all sorts of fitness-related info. Next is Geocache Navigator, which is geared towards playing a location-based game. Geocaching is basically a GPS treasure hunt where players plant waterproof containers in isolated locations and post the coordinates in online communities. Finally, they’ve got Trimble Outdoors, which lets you plot outdoor trips as well as upload associated multimedia onto Google Earth. That’s quite the package on the whole, but it’s a bit of a let-down that this is all for GSM users only. Right now they’re all available for month-long trials and should be available for $39.99/year or $5.99/month by the end of November.
