Jim B had some pretty awesome news that he snuck into his Mobile World Congress keynote this morning. During the keynote, he said “many, if not most” BlackBerry handsets in 2011 will have NFC support. RIM hasn’t clarified as to how the funds will be processed, or what sort of access developers will have in terms of APIs, but the statement shows that RIM is on the right track. The idea of being able to swipe your BlackBerry at the cash rather than fumble around in your wallet sounds awesome. Countries like South Korea already have a huge adoption of this kind of technology and it will be great to see Western adoption.
Mobile World Congress 2011 is going strong with announcements and yesterday we learned that Adobe Flash 10.2 will be available for the BlackBerry PlayBook (as well as Android Honeycomb). We’re hoping that this update will have a positive impact on battery life and overall user experience, as the update will support Stage Video which apparently can deliver better video quality while making more efficient use of the processor and memory.
According to the press release:
“Stage Video decreases processor and memory usage while enabling higher frame rates and improved video quality. Test results show up to 80 percent CPU savings when playing back video in 1080p on Windows® and Mac OS. Stage Video support for mobile devices will be available on Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” and BlackBerry Tablet OS. Existing H.264 video content on the Web will benefit from Stage Video on mobile platforms without any changes to the content.”
At Mobile World Congress, a member of RIM’s BBM team gave a brief overview of what users and developers can expect in the upcoming BBM 6.0, which is embued with the BBM Social Platform tools. The presenter also gave some interesting stats about BBM including: Continue reading ‘BlackBerry Social Platform and BBM 6.0 Features Looking Good’
RIM has some decent PlayBook news coming out of Mobile World Congress including confirmation that we will see two new variants of the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook in the second half of 2011. These new PlayBooks support LTE and HSPA+ high speed wide area wireless networks. After this announcement, we now have confirmation that there will be four PlayBook variants with support for WiFi, WiFi +WiMax, WiFi + LTE and WiFi + HSPA+. In addition to the WiFi and 4G connectivity, each tablet can also support:
1. Bluetooth tethering
2. Mobile hotspots (ie. a MiFi™, smartphone or other portable device equipped to act as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot)
3. BlackBerry Bridge
BlackBerry Messenger is an incredibly powerful app, not in the features it offers, but in its ubiquity. There is so much potential for an IM platform with so many millions of users. RIM has announced the BBM Mobile Gifting Program, a service for carriers that allows users to use their post-paid or pre-paid account to conveniently, securely and instantly approve and pay for airtime, apps or other carrier services requested by another BlackBerry subscriber.
The service makes for some really interesting interactions on BBM. There are so many different use cases such as families giving out airtime minutes, friends exchanging and gifting apps, and more. Read more about the platform at the press release below: Continue reading ‘RIM Introduces the BlackBerry Messenger Mobile Gifting Program’
The International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) is now accepting entries and it’s a great opportunity to showcase your BlackBerry game. The event will conclude at Mobile World Congress 2011 with a new 1 day seminar. At the event, you will have the chance to participate in panel discussions where operators, handset manufacturers, developers and publishers will exchange ideas on the future of the industry. Prizes will be handed out across a range of categories such as the Operators’ Choice award, the People’s Choice Award and the prestigious Grand Prix.
