BlackBerry PlayBook Announced – An iPad rival?

Posted by BA on Sep 28, 2010 in Apple, BlackBerry, Competition, iPad, Playbook | 0 comments

Well this is pretty much following Apple’s footstep and launching a 7 inch tablet is really not very innovative but its a cool addition to the available tablet options. This is a very moderate start to announced the launch a very exciting product actually. BlackBerry lovers around the world are excited at the launch and we see some serious competition in the tablet market now.

It’s not only the devices but the BlackBerry tablet OS is also a big announcement at the BlackBerry Devcon in San Francisco today and those who’ve seen it are going crazy I can tell you.

The unveiling video clearly shows the camera capability, multi-tasking, flash in the browser and several other features that are definitely winning against the iPad. Though they are not the first ones to launch the lovable tablet, I’m sure they will definitely grab some market.

Features that really make me go WOW include the HDMI video output for presentations, movies and browsing, full 1080p video playback capability, dual camera for video and still photos and a dual core 1 GHz processor.

I’m sharing here some more specs of the product but if the specs are not enough to impress you, you can scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the unveiling video of the new, dashing BlackBerry Playbook tablet.

Following are the key features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook:

• 7″ LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
• BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 1 GB RAM
• Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
• Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
• Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
• HDMI video output
• Wi-Fi – 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
• Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
• Ultra thin and portable:
  • Measures 5.1″x7.6″x0.4″ (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
  • Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
• Additional features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook will be shared on or before the date this product is launched in retail outlets.

BlackBerry 9300 Curve launched in Canada

Posted by BA on Aug 10, 2010 in BlackBerry, Smartphones | 0 comments

Canada based Research In Motion announces the launch of BlackBerry curve 9300 and this 3G phone worth $399 is available on Rogers contract for as low as $79.99. RIM’s site still says “Coming Soon” in USA.

The phone looks pretty similar to Bold 9700. A quick look at the phone comparison shows that it is pretty much a BlackBerry bold 9700 with only a lower resolution screen (320×240), lower resolution camera (2 megapixel), a lower battery capacity and it doesn’t come with a holster in standard packaging.

You can see the detailed comparison of the two devices here.

BlackBerry announces the launch of BlackBerry Torch 9800

Posted by BA on Aug 3, 2010 in BlackBerry, Handsets, Smartphones | 2 comments

The day has come. BlackBerry today has announced the official launch of BlackBerry Torch 9800. This is an exciting moment that a RIM’s BlackBerry device finally comes with the modern touchscreen as well as the conventional and popular BlackBerry keyboard together in a compact slide device. And to add to the excitement, the phone has the new BlackBerry 6 OS which has been leaked and rumored about for quite some time now.

From the looks of it, it’s a BlackBerry Storm on the top and a BlackBerry Bold 9700 at the bottom. It will be available on AT&T to start with and other networks to follow.  You can find the device specs here.

BTW, it’s rumored to have a 1.2 GHz processor (not confirmed yet).

BlackBerry Apps that add value to your phone

Posted by BA on Jul 28, 2010 in BlackBerry, BlackBerry Apps, Handsets, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Smartphones | 5 comments

I must confess, I always hated BlackBerry phones but since the day I was forced to carry one, I’m stuck with it and I cant help carrying one all the time. It’s been several years now. No matter if my company gives me a handset or not, I go buy one and I keep using it for all its wonderful features.

Today I’m starting a new series of posts that will continue in days to come. I will be introducing BlackBerry apps that you can install on your phone and can do more than what you do with it today. To start off, I will be listing down the most common apps that are used with BlackBerry phones. Here starts the list:

BlackBerry Messenger
If your phone did not come with BlackBerry messenger pre-installed, install it today. This useful little app will allow you to text chat with any other BlackBerry user on planet earth totally free of cost. You can not only send text messages, you can send images, can do group chats adding more people to your conversation and can share your current status. Very useful and addictive. Download Now!

Google Talk for BlackBerry
If you use Google Talk for instant messaging, this is your companion in your pocket that will keep you online anywhere. Jus download this app and its as simple as ABC. Download Now!

Windows Live Messenger for BlackBerry
Windows live has been one of the most popular instant messaging tool on PC and now you can use it for chatting on your favorite BlackBerry phone. Download it from here.

Facebook for BlackBerry
Are you addicted to Facebook? Do you carry a BlackBerry? This is the first app you should install on your phone. This app will allow you to stay updated all the time on your BlackBerry about your favorite social networking account. You can post messages, write on walls, send photos, tag them, comment on them and much more. Your BlackBerry will can even ring every time you get a notification from Facebook (but it’s totally customizable).

Twitter for BlackBerry
If you tweet a lot or follow twitter users, you should use this official Twitter app on your BlackBerry. Everything you do on Twitter website can be done on this sleek Twitter BlackBerry client. Download.

Yahoo Messenger Client
Yahoo came into instant messaging even before Windows Live messenger existed and if you have more friends on Yahoo Messenger, you should use this client as well. This official BlackBerry client for Yahoo Messenger is simple, lightweight and a breeze to use. Download.

All above apps are officially released by Research In Motion, manufacturers of BlackBerry phones themselves and are available for free. I think the list is enough for now but i will continue to introduce more software apps that you can install on your BlackBerry and can add value to your phone.

Apple’s press conference – Nokia and RIM unhappy

Posted by BA on Jul 18, 2010 in Apple, BlackBerry, Competition, iPhone 4, Nokia | 4 comments

Apple on Friday released the video of their press conference. Steve Jobs has presented his case and made some good point and then demonstrated how other popular phones also loose signal when held tight in the user’s hand.

RIM and Nokia have objected the way their phones have been mentioned in this session. The press conference video shows three different phones that loose signal when held tight in the user’s hand, one of them was BlackBerry Bold 9700. Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, founders and co-CEO of RIM have objected by saying that Apple is dragging RIM into their self made debacle.

Jobs also mentioned in the session that you can find pictures all over the internet of Nokia phones saying “Dont touch here”. Nokia has responded to that by saying that Nokia has spent thousands of man hours researching the way people hold their phones and they have been pioneer in making internal antenna featuring phones.

In addition to leg pulling and dragging, there were some concrete announcements in the press conference as well. Apple has announced free bumper cases to solve the antenna problem so that nobody gets to touch the metal border on iPhone 4. Moreover, Apple has also waived the return fees for unsatisfied iPhone 4 customers. These two measures are good enough, why on earth they had to be drag other phones into the scene? They’ve sold all of their phones already, haven’t they?

You can watch the Apple’s press conference video by hitting this link.