Posted 10/06/09 at 08:01:38 PM by Ryan Whitwam

Perhaps after seeing the lackluster selection in Blackberry App World, RIM decided to change it up a bit. The Blackberry maker has announced a new web-based Software Development Kit (SKD). The Widget SDK will utilize the Blackberry browser engine to render apps using HTML, CSS, and Javascript languages.

Existing web content can be brought to the surface easily in the form of an always-on widget. The widgets will have full access to the operating system via the Widget API. Apps would be able to take advantage of the email system to display messages, location-based services, and the Blackberry’s push notifications system, just to name a few.

The new Blackberry Widgets will be distributed via the Blackberry App World interface. Unfortunately, all the live widget running goodness will only be available on Blackberry OS 5.0 or greater. When official, 5.0 will include an enhanced browser (finally), and support for both SQlite and the Widget API.

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Posted 10/06/09 at 06:45:23 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Blackberry users will no longer have to feel let down by their inability to download music wirelessly. UK-based service provider 7digital and RIM have made good on their promise of an over-the-air music download service for Blackberry. 7digital’s application is now available on the Blackberry App World Store.

The absolutely free app provides access to 7digital’s 6 million track-strong library of DRM-free music. Users can download low-quality tracks when on the move. Such downloads are automatically replaced with high bit-rate tracks (usually 320kbps) when the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. The majority of tracks and albums are priced at $.77 and $7.77, respectively. Smartphones supported at launch are the BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Tour, BlackBerry Curve 8520 and BlackBerry Storm.

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Posted 08/13/09 at 06:28:44 PM by Andy Salisbury

According to Gartner, Inc., a business technology research company, cell phone sales totaled 286.1 million units during the second quarter of this year – a 6.1 percent decrease over the second quarter of last year. But, smart phone sales picked up considerable steam surpassing 40 million units in sales, a 27 percent increase from the second quarter of last year.

“Despite the challenging market, some devices sold well as consumers who would usually have purchased standard midrange devices either cut back to less expensive handsets or moved up the range to get more features for their money,” stated Carolina Milanesi, a research director at Gartner. “Touchscreen and qwerty devices remained a major driver for replacement sales and benefited manufacturers with strong, touch-focused midtier devices. However, the decline in average selling price (ASP) accelerated in the first half of the year and particularly affected manufacturers that focus on midtier and low-end devices, where margins are already slim.”

A great deal of this is credited to Apple’s expansion to a larger number of countries, which has had a clear effect on volume. Still though, companies like Nokia with their N97 and Research In Motion (RIM) with their popular BlackBerry line continued to dominate the number one and two positions respectively.

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Posted 04/14/09 at 09:53:25 AM by Paul Lilly

According to news and rumor site DigiTimes, Foxconn appears to be the frontrunner to produce smartphones for BlackBerry developer Research in Motion (RIM), or so say the site's un-named sources within the Taiwan handset industry.

RIM, who currently works with EMS firms Elcoteq and Celestica, wants to ramp up its output to meet its expanding global market share, DigiTimes reports. Should Foxconn snag a partnership deal, it will become the most comprehensive OEM smartphone maker on the planet, capable of producing smartphones that run on every major handset OS, including Windows Mobile, Android, Web OS, iPhone OS, and BlackBerry OS.

The deal would give second-ranking smartphone vendor RIM, who holds an 18 percent market share, a boost in its bid to compete with Nokia, the No.1 smartphone vendor.

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Posted 10/10/08 at 04:20:45 PM by Alex Castle

 

Research In Motion, maker of the Blackberry, is in a bad way. The recent economic crisis has seen their stock fall from $148 to $60 in just 4 months, Reuters reports, leaving the company on shaky footing.

At the same time, Microsoft is looking to strengthen its presence in the handheld market, an arena recently invaded by two of the Redmond giant’s key rivals: Apple and Google. There have been rumors of Microsoft’s interest in RIM for years, but  the Blackberry maker’s present financial situation has renewed and reinvigorated talk of a Microsoft takeover.

Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Adams has said “RIM is a massive strategic fit [for Microsoft]. I’m fairly certain they have a standing offer to buy them at $50.”  

It’s unknown how strongly the co-CEOs of RIM would oppose such a deal. If they resisted strongly, it’s considered unlikely that Microsoft would attempt a hostile takeover.

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Posted 09/12/08 at 06:31:11 PM by Tom Edwards

At this week’s CTIA trade show in San Francisco, Research in Motion, developer of the BlackBerry, announced the release of its first flip-design phone. Based on the candy-bar-style Pearl, the Pearl Flip 8220 will include a 240x320 primary display, a camera, music and video capabilities, and Wi-Fi. Like the Pearl, the Pearl Flip has been designed for the consumer market.  Instead of a full keyboard, the device includes two letters on each key and also has a trackball, similar to the Pearl’s. T-Mobile will be the exclusive carrier of the Pearl Flip in the United States. Although no street price or relapse date were provided at the show. It is widely expected that the Flip will be available by the holiday season.

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Posted 10/31/07 at 03:11:05 PM by Tom Edwards

Ostensibly designed for business users who can’t have a cameraphone in the workplace, the BlackBerry 8820 is, in fact, a consumer-friendly device that includes one major upgrade over its predecessor, the 8800: Wi-Fi. And while this addition allows for speedier web browsing and better connections in spotty coverage areas, it comes with one major caveat—AT&T has chosen to allow Wi-Fi to carry only data, not voice, so VoIP, isn’t a possibility. That said, the inclusion of Wi-Fi is welcomed, particularly because RIM has made searching for and logging onto a network so simple.

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