It has been a long time since LinkedIn announced anything for BlackBerry. Considering RIM’s client base in enterprise, you would think BlackBerry would be a priority. The last time we wrote about an update to the LinkedIn app for BlackBerry, was when it supported OS 6 over a year ago.
Continue reading ‘LinkedIn’s Touch Optimized Mobile Website is the Company’s Future’
Tag: touchscreen
After I first heard that RIM was making another attempt at a full touchscreen device I got excited but then remembered that Blackberry fans felt let down with the launch with the storm, then the storm 2. Those devices definitely left a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to RIM making a full touchscreen device. However, I believe the success of the Torch 9800 played a big part in the making of the Torch 9850/9860. RIM saw that there was a market for touch screen BlackBerrys and decided to go ahead with the full touchscreen Torch. I would say that the most impressive features of this device are Liquid Graphics and the powerful 1.2GHz processor. Read on to get the full scoop on RIM’s first successful full touch screen device.
Continue reading ‘BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860 Review: The Full Touchscreen Torch’
GesturePad is a really cool app that lest you define custom gestures and assign them to tasks such as composing an email or SMS, calling a number, showing all of a person’s contact options, opening a website or launching an application. The gestures only work when you have the app launched, so it’s worth setting this app to a convenience key.
Other features of this app include:
- Unlimited number of custom gestures can be added
- Option to have a confirmation prompt after gesture
- Option to have the application close once the gesture is recognized and the action is performed
- Ability to modify or delete gestures after you have created them
GesturePad is available in the store for a very reasonable $0.99 at this link.
Patents aren’t proof that RIM will be implementing anything but they’re fun to use as talking points. A recent patent filed by RIM shows a BlackBerry using a rotating keyboard, allowing the user to go from landscape keyboard to keypad. The schematics for the device make it look pretty ugly, but a rotating keyboard could be really useful. On the Torch for example, there are moments where you wish you could type on a physical keyboard without having to use the virtual keyboard.
Do you think the rotating keyboard idea looks cool or is it just awkward?
[Tip sent in by GoRumors]
UPDATE: RIM were kind enough to send over the transcripts of the TD Newcrest event in order to clear up exactly what was said during the keynote. After reading the actual transcripts from the event, it’s clear Mike L didn’t say anything that was really definitive about the tablet market, but rather promoted a sense of uncertainty. I think the iPad definitely proved a tablet market can be vibrant, and that the market can handle some redundancy. When it comes to touchscreen devices, the transcripts show that there was definitely an attempt to pivot the conversation away from touchscreens and focus more on trackpads. When I first wrote about this, the thought was that Mike was shifting the discussion away from touchscreens and towards their competitive advantage, which is definitely the trackpad market. The 8520 has a very high customer satisfaction rating, and you could argue the trackpad is central to this. It’s a smart move for Mike to shift the discussion to these devices, which he calls a “third dimension” in user input. Overall, the original post was a little focused on a dismissal of tablets and touchscreens, and would have probably been better put as a focus on trackpads and smartphone capabilities.
Mike Lazaridis spoke at a TD Newcrest technology conference in Toronto today where he downplayed Apple’s tablet efforts and said there wasn’t necessarily a market for them. Lazaridis said these devices should be put in the context of computers and smartphones, and said if a user is asked to choose between an tablet and a netbook, the tablet isn’t an adequate substitute. Mike L believes that as smartphones become more powerful, and move closer to PCs, the need for a tablet is greatly reduced.
Lazaridis also dismissed the importance of touchscreen phones, saying that touch-only devices such as the iPhone aren’t that popular. While it’s important to appease the consumer and the carrier, who clearly want a touchscreen device, he believes most of these customers are shifting to QWERTY.
All of this news comes as we learn that RIM might be launching a tablet of their own, and they are about to launch yet another touchscreen device, this time a BlackBerry slider.
So what is Mike Lazaridis talking about? This could be an attempt to pivot the conversation about tablets and touchscreens, and move the discussion to where RIM is more competitive (eg QWERTY devices and productivity). It’s a bit of a slap in the face to Storm owners, when the top executive seems to lack faith in the product they purchased. The message should be: “Touchscreen phones provide new possibilities for interesting UIs and the input makes for some creative applications. Rest assured, RIM will do it better than the rest as we understand how to create a smartphone with real productivity and utility in mind.”
Continue reading ‘UPDATED: Mike Lazaridis Says Tablets and Touchscreen Phones Are Insignificant’
Simon put up a great post about the soon-to-be-official BlackBerry Storm 2. A RIM sales manager from the Netherlands has acknowledged the second coming of the BlackBerry Storm at the TeleVisie 2009 conference. He says it will come in late 2009 or early 2010 and hints at SureType keyboard improvement and WiFi inclusion – both of which were previously rumored.
Some analysts are guessing the new Storm will use both a touchscreen and a QWERTY keypad a la HTC Touch Pro.
Do you think the BlackBerry Storm would be significantly improved with a QWERTY keypad?
[Via]
