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 1, 2009, at 6:30 pm .
Aerize has just released WiFiX for BlackBerry. WiFiX is a bit more powerful than it seems; it can reroute connections to and from any connection. For example: WiFi <> BES <> BIS <> TCP/IP <> WAP, so it can actually enable usage of many programs without the need for a BlackBerry Data connection (BES/BIS). Since it can import and export settings it is highly configurable for the future.
We are actually using Google Maps and a bunch of other apps on BlackBerry with only WAP data connections. Furthermore, it will enable WiFi when the user has NO mobile data plan at all.
Try or Buy Aerize WiFiX for $9.99
Posted on September 14, 2009, at 10:29 am .
RIM has always had problems with WiFi on a BlackBerry device. When comparing a BlackBerry to the iPhone on WiFi, the iPhone makes the BlackBerry look slow and jittery. RIM recognizes that there are a lot of improvements to be made with the pan and zoom functionality on the browser, and says the issue lies on-device, and has nothing to do with the NOC.
There are 2 issues at play here:
First, the on-device RAM needs to be improved in order for pages to load faster and for the device to have a better browsing experience.
Second, the BlackBerry is too conservative with power management. RIM puts the WiFi radio to sleep too quickly in order to preserve battery life, and this affects the WiFi browsing experience.
In recent videos posted by Salomondrin, we see the the Bold 9700 browser experience on WiFi compared with 3G. While it’s not obvious if the reviewer had all the necessary criteria for a proper comparison, the two devices load at approximately the same speed. WiFi should be much faster than 3G and if they are loading at approximately the same rate, this suggests that the issues may not have been fixed on upcoming devices.
If this is not the case, RIM needs to get these videos ripped from the Internet asap. Personally, I’m expecting the WiFi issues to be resolved with the Bold 9700 and the Storm 2, rather than have to wait for the next generation of devices.
When comparing the Bold 9700 and the Storm 2 on WiFi, the Bold 9700 actually does really well. Scrolling through a page doesn’t produce the same jitters as previous devices do. This is leaving me to believe that RIM has made some advancements in making the device better on WiFi.
So I’ll leave the question to the readers.
You have seen both videos, do you think the WiFi browsing issues have been resolved?
Posted on September 1, 2009, at 10:03 am .
The latest BlackBerry to surface has been named the Essex. The device is the next iteration of the BlackBerry Tour aka the BlackBerry Niagara aka the BlackBerry 9630.
The Essex looks just like the Tour in size and the major adjustments are in form factor, as well as a couple features such as WiFi will be added.
As with many BlackBerry devices, one of the first things you’ll notice is the keyboard. The Essex has opted out of the Bold style keyboard and chosen a chicklet style Curve keyboard. The BlackBerry community is fairly divided on Curve vs the Bold keyboards, so it makes sense for RIM to change it up and offer both alternatives.
The Essex will also come with the new trackpad, which at this point we have to assume will come standard with all BlackBerry devices that once had a trackball. Again, the device will be a World Phone, capable of roaming between CDMA and GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS networks.
There is also a rumor that this device will be heading to Sprint, which was loosely confirmed when a Sprint exec said we will see a WiFi enabled Tour this year.
Tour owners, how do you feel about RIM launching this device so soon after you bought your 9630? Is WiFi, a trackpad and a new keyboard layout something you would have liked on your device?
UPDATE: I’m going to concede that the keyboard might actually be the same. When you put the two devices side by side, it looks like the keys are a little more separated in a Curve fashion, but it could easily just be the lighting. I’m sure we’ll see more pics coming soon which will clarify.
[Via]
Posted on May 15, 2009, at 11:18 am .
Leaked pictures of the BlackBerry Storm 2, aka the BlackBerry Odin, have surfaced on CB, and have since been taken down. The device is looking really nice. With the flurry of complaints surrounding the released BlackBerry Storm, many users are worried the BlackBerry Storm 2 will be the phone they wished they’d originally purchased. This is very much going to be the case.
This leak is both bad and good news for RIM. The leak confirms a new BlackBerry Storm is on way, which will help generate a buzz until launch date, but it will also have a negative impact on the already launched BlackBerry Storm sales.
The upcoming BlackBerry Odin is rumored to feature GPS, WiFi and work on a GSM network. Rumors have claimed that the device offers a “new approach to text entry,” but from the pictures we aren’t seeing anything revolutionary.
Click through for a recap of details and more pics
Posted on April 7, 2009, at 9:27 am .
There is a rumor going around that the BlackBerry Storm 2 will be hitting Verizon this September. The next version of RIM’s touchscreen device will have WiFi which should be really helpful to the various apps coming out for the device.
The BlackBerry Storm’s touchscreen is apparently getting improved as well. I’m not sure what the improvement is yet, but if I had to guess, I would say it won’t be anything revolutionary but more evolutionary. I’m personally expecting more of the same functionality but slightly improved.
