Articles tagged with: blackberry

So, you're waiting patiently for the 3G iPhone - how about a 4G BlackBerry? The Boy Genius Report, which has a pretty good track record on these things, has unearthed what it claims is a forthcoming touchscreen BlackBerry 9500, dubbed the Thunder.

BGR's mock up (pictured) shows it sporting a similar form factor to the iPhone but with four physical buttons to Apple's one. It's a clear challenge to Apple's baby - and it has a major ace up its sleeve; 4G, which BGR predicts will be of the LTE (Long Term Evolution) variety that promises speeds of over 100Mbps. That's more than 13 times slicker than today's fastest HSDPA networks.

The catch? There may not be actually be a 4G network for it to use when it rolls by in 'Q3 of this year' as BGR claims. It's also expected to be a Vodafone exclusive, which should make up a bit for that O2 iPhone thingy.

With all the buzz about the 3G iPhone (latest ETA: June) Blackberry maker, RIM, has been largely ignored. Not for long though, according to the NY Times, the Canadian firm is busy working on its own answer to the iPhone, codenamed the A.K. No, not an homage to the Kalashnikov, but its so-called 'Apple Killer'.

In an interview with Mike Lazaridis, the RIM chief executive remained tight lipped but the NYT says its spoken with two outside developers writing software for "a touch-screen BlackBerry," that RIM engineers privately refer to as the A.K.

All Lazaridis himself would say is that, “I wouldn’t underestimate the amount of research we’ve done on user interfaces and technologies. We are not afraid to reinvent ourselves.”

Sounds like an iPhone challenger to us. Watch this space.

Its last attempt at a mobile phone - BT Fusion - may have been a flop, but BT is apparently about to move back into mobile services with a Blackberry-esque handset that will be happy both out and about and back at home with a BT Wi-Fi Home Hub.

The Times reports that BT will use one of HTC's devices and Vodafone's 3G network. Handset candidates could well be the RIM/Palm lookalike HTC S620 (pictured), or the newly launched HTC Touch Diamond.

The BT launch event is tomorrow, so we should have more news then.

It seems the rumours of a clamshell BlackBerry have been confirmed. Pictures of the flip phone - codenamed Kickstart - have appeared on the Boy Genius Report, which states: "This isn’t fake, this isn’t a hoax. We’ve known RIM is planning to launch a flip phone within the year, and we now have the pictures to prove it!"

Google has introduced its answer to GPS - My Location technology. It uses data from mobile phone masts and algortihms developed by Google to provide users with an approximate location. A beta version of My Location is now being shipped with version 2.0 of Google Maps for mobile. Google says that My Location is intended to complement GPS, but adds that fewer than 15% of mobile handsets expected to be shipped in 2007 will have built-in GPS. Other advantages claimed for My Location include, the ability to work indoors (where GPS coverage can be patchy), a faster response than GPS, and lower battery drainage. Google stresses that My Location does not gather personally identifiable information. My Location is designed to work with a wide range of handsets including, all colour BlackBerry devices, Symbian 60 (3rd Edition) devices, most Windows Mobile devices, newer Sony Ericsson devices and some Motorola devices. 

If you're patiently waiting for RIM's next generation BlackBerries, then we have good news. The Canadian firm is apparently all set to launch the first of its new crop, the BlackBerry 9000, this Monday.

The Boy Genius Report has it on good authority that it'll be unveiled on the first day of this year's Wireless Enterprises Symposium, dubbed the "biggest BlackBerry event of the year", in Orlando - including working models for those lucky enough to be there.

O2 is preparing to launch the Xda Stellar, a 3G PDA with built-in GPS. It’s the first Xda to offer integrated Sat Nav (although users will need to purchase a sat nav pack) and a full Qwerty keyboard. Powered by Windows Mobile 6, it supports Microsoft Direct Push Email, BlackBerry, Connect and Good mobile solutions. It also includes video telephony, a business card reader, MP3 player, 3-mega pixel camera and WiFi.  Users can create, edit and save Microsoft Office documents, access PIM information and sync their device with a laptop. The Xda Stellar also has expandable memory up to 32GB. The Xda Stellar is due for launch in early December and O2 plans to offer a series of price plans.

[O2]

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion said it will work with Eatoni Ergonomics to develop a new text keyboard technology.

The two companies signed an agreement in which Eatoni, a company that specialises in designing hardware and software for keyboards, would grant RIM a license to use its technology. RIM made an equity investment in Eatoni in return.

The pact stems from a settlement agreement between the two over a lawsuit and counter-suit related to patent infringement.

"The parties met in accordance with the court's mediation process and common goals were identified, which led to the settlement," RIM and Eatoni said in a statement.

The two companies' claims have been mutually dismissed and further details of the pact are being kept confidential.

As predicted last week, RIM's new BlackBerry has arrived, right on cue, with a heady cocktail of HSDPA, Wi-Fi and GPS. Called the Bold (aka 9000), it's also the first BlackBerry to get RIM's latest OS with its high-contrast 'strip' interface and a higher-res 480x320 screen, making it as sharp as the current iPhone's.

Speaking of which, the Bold comes with Media Sync, a new app that'll load tracks onto the BlackBerry's memory card direct from iTunes. The new OS also means a much improved web browser, with added support for CSS, Javascript and video streaming. And, as ever, there's a bog standard 2.0mp camera.

It will be coming here courtesy of Vodafone but there's no release date yet. Looks like 3G iPhone already has some competition.

Windows Mobile, Palm OS and Symbian smartphone users have been able to watch streaming video on their handhelds from a SlingBox for some time, but the BlackBerry has so far been denied. No more -- Sling Media will announce a BlackBerry version of its SlingPlayer Mobile application next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

There's no word on which BlackBerry models will be supported yet, but the application will be demonstrated using the Wi-Fi-enabled Pearl 8120 . SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry will be available later this year for £19.99 and a 30-day demo will be available.

[Sling Media]