RIM Showcases New BlackBerry 7.1 OS AT CES 2012

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA–(Marketwire – Jan. 9, 2012) – (CES 2012) – A wide range of software improvements await BlackBerry® 7 smartphone customers at the BlackBerry® booth (South Hall 3 Booth # 30326) at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2012). Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) is showcasing the new BlackBerry® 7.1 OS as well as updates to the BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger), BlackBerry® Traffic™ and BlackBerry® Travel™ apps. The new OS and app updates make seizing and sharing the moment even easier.

BlackBerry 7.1 will begin rolling out from carriers around the world beginning today and over the coming weeks1. The new releases of BBM, BlackBerry Traffic and BlackBerry Travel will be available on BlackBerry® App World™ beginning today.

“BlackBerry 7 delivered a next-generation platform for our customers around the world and the range of software updates announced today build upon the strengths of that platform to further enhance the mobile experience and make life easier, from managing daily tasks to planning big adventures,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

Life Is Better Shared

The BlackBerry 7.1 OS incorporates a new feature called BlackBerry® Tag that can change the way BlackBerry users share information and content. By simply tapping their NFC enabled BlackBerry® smartphone against another NFC enabled BlackBerry smartphone, users can make sharing easier than ever. They can instantly invite a friend to BBM, exchange contact information, documents, URLs, photos and other multimedia content, and they can also pair their BlackBerry smartphone with an NFC enabled Bluetooth® device.

Support for BlackBerry Tag is just one of a number of enhancements in the updated BBM app (version 6.1) being released today. Additional features allow users to personalize their experience even more with support for animated avatars (animated GIFs)2, a dozen new and fun emoticons to spice up conversations, and the ability to customize chat bubbles with different colors. In addition, the new BBM app allows users to add customized personal messages of up to 160 characters in their online Profile, more than double the length supported in previous versions. Users can also now set the picture for their BBM avatar directly from the camera app – simply snap a picture and select “Set as BBM Display Picture” from the menu.

Make Things Happen

With BlackBerry 7.1, users can be productive from virtually anywhere. They can now turn their BlackBerry smartphone into a mobile hotspot that can be shared by up to 5 Wi-Fi® -enabled devices, including laptops and tablets3. The 7.1 update also supports carrier implemented Wi-Fi calling services (UMA/GAN where available), allowing users to make Wi-Fi calls from their BlackBerry smartphone that don’t eat into their airtime minutes.

Getting to any location is now so much easier with the new BlackBerry Traffic (version 3.0), a free app from RIM that is being released today. BlackBerry Traffic determines a user’s estimated time of arrival (ETA) based on current traffic conditions, and now includes hands-free turn-by-turn voice guidance.

Planning, booking, managing, and sharing travel activities are also easier than ever thanks to the updated BlackBerry Travel app that is being released today. The new version adds support for contextual deals, such as offers for hotels and car rentals, or for arranging limo services to and from the airport. BlackBerry Travel can automatically keep track of a user’s bookings and schedule and quickly notify them if their flight is delayed or cancelled, and can then help them find a new flight right away. The automatic trip scanning feature pulls the travel details into the app, allowing the user to see all their travel updates in one place.

Seize the Moment

Sometimes it’s nice when someone (or something) does the thinking for you. The Universal Search capability has again been enhanced to help users find what they are looking for. It now includes an auto-suggest feature that intelligently filters Bing® search results to offer users a variety of relevant Web sites based on their search terms.

Love a good deal? Now finding and taking advantage of them is so much easier thanks to BlackBerry® Maps – an essential app that comes preinstalled on BlackBerry smartphones and has been enhanced in the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update. When users launch the new BlackBerry Maps application they can discover special offers, coupons, and discounts from nearby vendors. Users can immediately act on the deals presented to them by clicking to call the vendor or clicking to get the best route to the location where the deal is offered4.

Customers with a BlackBerry Curve 9360 or 9380 smartphone will find a nice surprise with the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update in the form of an FM radio. The FM radio circuitry is already built in to the Curve 9360 and 9380 models and BlackBerry 7.1 provides users with a new app that allows them to tune in and enjoy local FM radio stations. Listening to the FM radio does not require a data plan or use data services.

For more information about the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update, visit www.blackberry.com/bb7. For more information and to download the new versions of BBM, BlackBerry Traffic and BlackBerry Travel visit BlackBerry App World at www.blackberry.com/appworld.
The BlackBerry 7.1 OS update is subject to carrier certification. Please check for availability with your service provider.
The animated avatar feature is supported on BlackBerry smartphones running OS 5.0 and higher.
Mobile hotspot feature requires BlackBerry 7.1 and may require an additional data plan. Please check with your service provider.
Please check with your service provider for availability of this feature.Source BlackberryRocks

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BlackBerry Malaysia - Mobil Tour

BlackBerry Malaysia has been going around the Klang Valley to give away prizes and meet up with BlackBerry fans! The video above shows a bit of what has happened on the tour so far. Be sure to let us know if you make it to one of these events!

BlackBerry Mobil Tour Schedule :

• Saturday 17th March - e@Curve
• Sunday, 18th March - Sunway Pyramid, Ground Floor, Orange entrance
• Monday 19th March - Monash University (10am - 2pm), Puchong Avenue, opposite IOI mall (5pm-9pm)
• Tuesday, 20th March - Berjaya Times Square, entrance at Starbucks

Visit http://www.blackberry.com.my for all tour locations.

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Report: RIM Confirms BB10 for PlayBook

Research in Motion will make its upcoming BB10 operating system available for its PlayBook tablet, Tech Radar reported Thursday. RIM, which released PlayBook 2.0 for the 7-inch device last month, is expected to launch the QNX-based BB10 OS alongside a new slate of BlackBerry smartphones sometime this fall.

"We've said publicly a number of times that our first BB10 handset will be available towards the end of 2012, and that's still firmly the case," Tech Radar quoted RIM vice president of product management Rob Orr as saying. "At some point after the launch we'll bring BB10 to our PlayBooks, yes."

PlayBook 2.0, which added native email and other features to RIM's tablet that were missing when the device was first released last year, is also a QNX-based operating system. RIM picked up the microkernel-based OS in its 2010 acquisition of QNX Software Systems and the Canadian smartphone maker has reportedly had a tougher go of integrating QNX with its in-house BlackBerry software platform for an array of mobile devices it plans to release.
 

RIM has certainly had its share of troubles in recent times—long-time co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie stepped down in January following a string of disappointing quarterly performances and underwhelming product launches. The initial PlayBook launch last April was largely panned because the tablet lacked support for the mobile software and services structure that for years had made RIM's BlackBerry handsets so popular in the market, particular in enterprise environments.

But the on-schedule release of PlayBook 2.0 is at least a strong indicator that RIM has finally succeeded in wrestling its two OS properties towards friendlier terms with each other, a pretty important feat because BB10 will further blend QNX and the BlackBerry OS to create a single, integrated mobile operating system that RIM will use for all of its devices going forward.

Orr told Tech Radar that about half of PlayBook users installed the PlayBook 2.0 update on the day of its release, calling that a "really positive" development for RIM Perhaps, but unfortunately there aren't all that many people using PlayBooks in the first place. And these days, even encouraging news from the struggling company is bound to inspire the skeptic's standard lament of "too little, too late."

Source Pcmag

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RIM Announces BlackBerry 10 Jam Conference

RIM let me know they’ve announced a new event targeted at developers called the BlackBerry Jam Conference, or BlackBerry 10 Jam. This event will be held on May 1-3 in Orlando, Florida as a concurrent conference to BlackBerry World. Developers who attend the BlackBerry 10 Jam will get a first-hand look at what the new OS offers. Here’s the description:

"BlackBerry® 10 Jam is where app developers will meet in May to learn about the innovations coming to the BlackBerry 10 developer platform. This special developer conference will bring you over 80 breakout sessions, instructor-led labs and roundtables focused on HTML5, Native, Adobe® Flash® & Adobe® AIR®, and Android™ development platform. We will give you the opportunity on day three to share best practices, success stories and demos with other developers, key influencers and BlackBerry experts through collaborative and fun sessions."

Sessions and labs are dedicated to:

• BlackBerry® Native SDK – a C/C++ environment with support for open source libraries
• HTML5+BlackBerry® WebWorks™ – HTML5 tools with an added layer for app enhancement through BlackBerry WebWorks
• Adobe® Flash® – The AIR® SDK for BlackBerry allows developers to build apps with Flash+AIR tools
• Android – the Android runtime will run applications that have been packaged from APK files to BAR files and submitted to BlackBerry App World™

For more info go to blackberryjamconference.com or Inside BlackBerry Developer’s Blog.

Source blackberryrocks

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RIM acquires Paratek to boost BlackBerry

Weeks after Research In Motion's shakeup, losing two co-executives and gaining a new CEO, the company is beginning to make some changes. The latest is acquiring Paratek Adaptive RF, which designs and manufactures adaptive radio frequency front-end components for cell phones.

"Watch out providers of mobile phones," General Partner of Polaris Venture Partners Alan Spoon, which is a lead investor in Paratek, wrote in a statement today. "Integrating Paratek's technology into mobile phones is a game changer."

Spoon writes that Paratek technology will allow Blackberry users to upload and download large amounts of data faster--making for longer battery life--and a new antennae design will make phones smaller and thinner. Additionally, Paratek's "Tunable RF" technology reportedly improves user experience by reducing dropped calls.

Along with the technology, RIM is also bringing on board Paratek's team of engineers and executives.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not revealed.


Source cnet

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VIDEO: Proton P3-21A teased on TV3′s Buletin Utama

It’s all heading towards the much-awaited launch of Proton’s P3-21A sedan – according to Proton MD Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin, the car will be launched by the end of this month.

Of course, that means that there’s still time to tease the vehicle, and the latest run is via video, with the car being featured in a TV3 Buletin Utama snippet. The clip does the beguile bit via the usual silhouette play, but there are glimpses of details, like with the engine start/stop button, paddle shifters, steering wheel-mounted function controls as well as a distinct framing of the front and rear light assemblies.

Bookings for the car are set to begin nationwide from March 14, which is also the day that the company kicks off its five-day POWER OF 1 event at Bukit Jalil. Reports elsewhere say the model is expected to be launched in Indonesia and Thailand by this year and in Australia next year.

Source Paultan.org

Picture :-

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RIM Surpasses 25 Million Global Fans In Social Media - Go #TeamBlackBerry!

#TeamBlackBerry surpassed 25 million fans across all BlackBerry social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, Google +, LinkedIn, the Inside BlackBerry Blogs and other global and regional social networks! All regions have set new milestones for fans and followers in the new year, further supporting why BlackBerry ranks among the top brands in the world in social media.

#TeamBlackBerry Social Media Fans by Geographic Property

• Europe Middle East and Africa: 2.2 million+
• Latin America: 4.4 million+
• Asia Pacific: 4.2 million+
• Corporate / North America: 16.3 million+
• Total: 27.1 million fans and followers globally 

BlackBerry Social Media Rankings

• #2 in The Vitrue 100 -- Top Social Brands
• #5 in World's 50 Most Valuable Brands in Social Media (Sociagility+ Interbrand)
• #9 in Ad Age's Top 200 Social Media Brand Rankings
• #10 in Ad Age's The Brands with the Top Relationships on Facebook
• #15 in Mashable's Top Brands on Twitter

Source blackberryos

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RIM To Launch Second Generation Of BBM Challenge Council

RIM’s last BBM Challenge was a success and they just let me know they’re going to start up round two with a second generation of the BBM Challenge Council. This council will include some of today’s top celebrity influencers like Whitney Port, Hope Solo and others. According to RIM, “millions of youth tuned-in and thousands participated”.

This generation, called The BlackBerry Challenge Council Project, will be led by popular comedic actors/producers Streeter Seidell and Amir Blumenfeld (best known for MTV’s Pranked and CollegeHumor.com). The two comedic actors will challenge today’s youth to compete in a series of five challenges over three months presented through webisodes. With the help of special celebrity guest cameos, including Greyson Chance and Leighton Meester, each Challenge Council webisode will examine a misconception or myth about BlackBerry smartphones and ask participants to help correct it.  The webisodes will also highlight core features of the latest line of BlackBerry smartphones such as their social music capabilities and faster web browsing. Winning entries will be awarded prizes including tickets to exclusive events and all-inclusive trips or experiences with their friends.

For more info, to enter in the BBM Challenge or just follow along, go to bbmchallenge.com.

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Video: RIM Releases Awesome New PlayBook OS 2.0 Commercial

Now that PlayBook OS 2.0 is in full effect and a large percentage of users have upgraded, RIM has released a great video outlining many of the new operating system's great features. The video takes you through many of the everyday uses you may end up performing with your tablet. Plus, it's comes with some great background music! 

Enjoy the video!!!.

-Ice-creamberry-

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DIFFERENCE THREE NEW BLACKBERRY CURVE

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE THREE NEW BLACKBERRY CURVE MODELS?

RIM announced three new BlackBerry Curve models today — the 9350, 9360, and 9370. All come with sleek and slim bodies, but they are virtually identical (save a few small tweaks in battery life and storage capacity). Check out the differences of the new trio of BlackBerry Curves below!

Specs They Share in Common
All three Curve models are super slim, coming in at just .43 inches thick and just a hair under 3.5 ounces with a 2.44-inch display and 800mhz processor. Just as a comparison, most of the Android phones you know and love these days are being stocked with 1Ghz processors and above. (Some of which are dual core, like the Droid X2), which make them lightning fast so you can expect these Curves to be a little on the slower side. Good news is that they all come with with the new BlackBerry 7 OS, a 5MP camera with flash and some other cool camera features like face detection, image stabilization, and geo-tagging. Video isn't going to be all that great, though, since it records at VGA standards (640x480). Additionally, all three of the 9300 series phones will come with NFC technology for mobile payments on the go.

Where They're Different
All of the new BlackBerry Curve models come with up to 5.5 hours of talk time, but the Curve 9350 has the most standby time (14.5 days) and media playback time — 45 hours of music and 9 hours of video. It seems that the 9360 has the least battery life of all three models, so if you're planning on playing a lot of music and videos, you might want to go with the 9350. Additionally, (not that I think this will be a dealbreaker) all three models are compatible with a number of music, video, and photo formats, but the 9350 and 9370 can also play .qpc audio formats, which are generally used for unique ring tones and voice recording. Finally, the 9370 has the most storage, coming with 1GB of on-board and expandable up to 32GB MicroSD. The 9350 and 9360 trail slightly behind at 512MB of on-board, expandable up to 32GB MicroSD. All three phones have 512MB of RAM.

Now that you know the (very minor) differences, get a closer look at the devices in the slideshow!

Source geeksugar

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Porsche Design P’9981 Smartphone

Timeless style meets best-in-class technology

The performance you demand. The power you need. Styled by Porsche Design, forged in stainless steel, finished in leather and powered by BlackBerry®. The Porsche Design P’9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry® is engineered luxury at its finest.

The world at your feet Shape 

and share your world via Augmented Reality. The Wikitude World Browser app helps you find, identify, access, and forward relevant information instantly. Read reviews on restaurants, theatres and VIP events as you find them. Discover Porsche dealerships. Explore the unexpected. With over 150 million points of interest curated exclusively for P’9981 smartphone users, the world is truly yours to mould and behold

Elegant simplicity

Enjoy faster, smoother web navigation. Your P’9981 smartphone is equipped with a full touch screen, and a wide BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard for easier messaging and enhanced technology.

Why wait for what you want? Get fast, fluid animation and instant responses from the Liquid Graphics™ 2.8” high resolution display touch screen and 1.2 GHz processor.

Stay Exclusive
Ensure your prestige is instantly recognised with a limited edition PIN series, available only with the Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry. Clearly identifiable, the exclusive PIN series will ensure you stand out from the crowd. 

For more details blackberry.com

Wowww.. blackberry Porsche. SMARTTTT!!!!.

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Biggest BlackBerry Store in Asia opens in Jakarta

BIGGEST BLACKBERRY STORE IN ASIA OPENS IN JAKARTA

PT Teletama Artha Mandiri (TAM) and Research In Motion (RIM) demonstrate commitment to Indonesia with the opening of Asia's largest BlackBerry store

Jakarta, 25 February 2012 -PT Teletama Artha Mandiri (TAM) and leading mobile devices retailer PT Erafone Artha Retailindo (Erafone), in association with Research In Motion (RIM), today announced the opening of the biggest BlackBerry® store in Asia, located at Gandaria City L1#190 A-B, Jakarta. The store is focused on providing a best-in-class class customer experience that not only engages, but also educates visitors on how to get the most from BlackBerry products and services.

In the 149sq meter store, customers can find:

A full-range of live BlackBerry products to try and test

A comprehensive portfolio of authorized BlackBerry accessories

Fully-trained staff who provide expert advice and assistance

The BlackBerry Expert Center, which provides industry-leading after-sales service (all products sold in the store come with a warranty from TAM)

Hasan Aula, TAM's President Director said, "Customers can enjoy a great experience at the BlackBerry store at Gandaria City. They can explore a complete range of products, applications and services with more than 90 live demo units accessible at the store. There is also the BlackBerry Expert Center that will assist customers with any after-sales support."

Hastings Singh, Vice President, South Asia at RIM commented, "We are very pleased to be working with TAM to launch Asia's biggest BlackBerry store in Indonesia. We are committed to supporting our partners and serving our mutual customers across Indonesia."

TAM's new BlackBerry store at Gandaria City will be officially open on 25th February 2012. Over the opening weekend (25th and 26th February), a number of promotions will be available for the first 200 customers on each day who purchase a BlackBerry smartphone or BlackBerry® PlayBookTM, including:

A discount voucher of one million IDR (Rp. 1,000,000) to be used against a second purchase of a BlackBerry smartphone or PlayBook (only valid on the same day of purchase)

Entry into a draw to win a motorcycle, folding bike or other exclusive merchandise

50% discount on all BlackBerry accessories

To celebrate the opening over the opening weekend, there will be live events at Gandaria City's Main Atrium with live music performances, games, and an exhibition.

PT Erafone Artha Retailindo will manage the operations of the new BlackBerry store at Gandaria City. Erafone currently operates and manages more than 300 outlets throughout Indonesia. With the opening of Asia's biggest BlackBerry store, Erafone aims to set a new standard in sales and after sales services in Indonesia.

About PT Teletama Artha Mandiri

PT Teletama Artha Mandiri (TAM) is an official sub-distributor of BlackBerry products in Indonesia. Currently TAM operates and manages 18 authorized BlackBerry stores and 18 BlackBerry Expert Centers in Indonesia. PT TAM is one of the subsidiaries of PT Erajaya Swasembada Tbk. (Erajaya Group of Companies). PT Erajaya Swasembada Tbk. is listed at Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) under the ticker (trading code) of ERAA.

About PT Erafone Artha Retailindo

PT Erafone Artha Retailindo (TAM) is one of the subsidiaries of PT Erajaya Swasembada Tbk. (Erajaya Group of Companies) in the mobile devices retail industry. The company currently operates and manages over 300 Erafone outlets throughout Indonesia. In October 2011, Erafone introduced its newest retail concept, Erafone Megastore, the biggest cellular retail in Indonesia, at Mall of Indonesia (MOI).

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.

blackberry asia.

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Netflix has no plans to support BlackBerry devices

Netflix has no plans to support BlackBerry devices in the future, Reuters reported Friday. That includes the recently updated BlackBerry PlayBook, Research in Motion's beleaguered tablet released in 2011.

As shown above, the company made its intentions, or lack thereof, clear in a response on Twitter to a disgruntled PlayBook owner on Thursday. Netflix is available on both iOS and Android, the two dominant mobile device platforms, as well as Windows Phone, which has a small but growing market share. Despite repeated attempts to attract the attention of developers to its AppWorld, it looks like RIM won't be able to win over Netflix.

One possibility remains: RIM has tried to make transitioning Android apps to its App World as seamless as possible, and provides a packager and SDK for Android apps as well as plugins for Android development tools. None of the tools are a guarantee that the app will work flawlessly on the BlackBerry side, but it also means that companies don't necessarily have to develop for the BlackBerry platform directly to have a presence in App World.

RIM's presence in the smartphone market has continued to fade over the last few months, capturing only 4.5 percent of new smartphone buyers in the US over the last three months of 2011, according to a study. The PlayBook has yet to meet with retail success, though the company is still behind it: version 2.0 of its operating system was released Tuesday.

via Ars Technica

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