First pictures of the upcoming BlackBerry Shield!
Jun 25th
BBNews.pl has secured some images of the upcoming BlackBerry Shield. For those of you who don’t already know, BlackBerry Shield will give users the ability to remotely protect their device if it is lost or stolen. There are also some additional functionalities. Hit the jump for further details.
Here’s a list of BlackBerry Shield’s functions that can all be executed remotely:
- View Current Location - Track your device based on the GSM transmitter and or GPS signal
- Loud Ring - Make your BlackBerry ring even if its set to vibrate
- Display a Message - Show a customized message on your home screen, even if your device is locked.
- Lock Device - Lock your device and optionally set a new password.
- Wipe Device - Permanently delete all data from your device.
BlackBerry Shield users will also have the ability to backup/restore data wirelessly from the device itself. All in all, BlackBerry Shield’s features are very similar to those of SmrtGuard, which can be kind of pricey. If BlackBerry Shield turns out to be friendly with battery usage and memory consumption, it be a win for most. SmrtGuard currently offers some additional features but they probably won’t be worth the money for the general population. BlackBerry Shield it also in its very early stages, so there will definitely be more features to come. There’s no word on any ETA for BlackBerry Shield or how it will be implemented. Stay tuned for further details.
Via: BBNews.pl
RIM Surpasses The 100 Million Mark
Jun 25th
We all know Blackberry’s popularity grows substantially each year. It’s becoming as much a staple in a teenager’s quick typing hands as it is in the hands of your average CEO. In the wake of growing competition from Google’s Android platform and Apple’s iPhone, its popularity and ubiquity has stemmed from its almost untouchable security features and email capabilities.
But have you ever wondered how many devices RIM has shipped out to date? They cover almost every continent and have partnerships with almost every major carrier worldwide (both CDMA and GSM alike).
Today RIM released their 1st quarter results and the numbers are staggering. Below are some of the key highlights:
- Revenues are up 24% over the same quarter last year to 4.24 Billion dollars.
- Earnings per share increased 41% year over year to $1.38
- Blackberry smartphone shipments grew more than 43% over the same quarter last year to 11.2 million and RIM shipped its 100 millionth Blackberry smartphone during the quarter.
- Blackberry subscriber account base grew approximately 60% over the prior year to 46 million, with 4.9 million net new subscriber accounts added in Q1.
Co-Ceo Jim Balsillie was quoted saying:
“RIM achieved significant earnings growth and shipped a record 11.2 million devices during the first quarter, including its 100 millionth BlackBerry smartphone. We continue to be focused on growing our business globally and we believe that the range of exciting new Blackberry products being released in the coming months will create significant opportunities to accelerate RIM’s growth in the second half of the fiscal year.”
We are all well aware of the “exciting new products” to come as most have leaked online already. Good to see RIM is doing well in the face of iPhone adversity.
Read the full press release via RIM here.
Follow me on twitterApple responds to iphone 4 reception loss: You’re holding it the wrong way..
Jun 24th
Engadget got the skinny from Apple on the iPhone 4 reception issue. Surprisingly Apple acknowledged the issue but basically stated that it is user error. Apparently, if you cover the bottom left corner of the iPhone 4 with your flesh, bridging the gap between the notch will cause signal degradation or loss. See Apple’s official statement after the jump.
Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.
Sounds kinda crazy, huh? Somehow Apple completely missed this issue while constructing the iPhone 4. There’s no way they would have pushed more than 600,000 devices out with this issue. All in all, making the bezel double as the antenna, may not have been such a great idea. Using a bumper has been found to alleviate this issue but that’s really more of a band-aid than a fix. You shouldn’t have to use a bumper or case on your phone in order for it to work properly.
The release of the white iPhone 4 has already been delayed until Mid-July for unknown reasons. Apple obviously isn’t going to halt shipments of iPhone 4′s altogether. Do you think Apple will fix the antenna issue or just stick with their answer listed above?
Via: Engadget, Gizmodo
US Cellular Confirms BlackBerry 9670 and Bold 9650
Jun 24th
US Cellular has confirmed by press release that they will be offering the BlackBerry Bold 9650 in early August and a “BlackBerry flip Smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard”.
We’re not sure what the 9670 flip will be branded as, being that it’s RIM’s first QWERTY flip device. Possibly a ‘Bold Flip’? Who knows? The one thing we do know is that the 9670 has a hate it or love it design. Personally, I think is looks pretty nice when the device is closed, yet pretty ugly when opened. I’m really not a fan of flip or clam shell devices, but there is a market for them. I’m sure the 9670 will sell loads more than the Pearl Flip.
Source: BlackBerryCool
BlackBerry Tip: Disable Clock From Popping Up While Charging
Jun 24th
One of the somewhat annoying things about BlackBerry OS 5, it that the clock automatically pops up when a charger is plugged in. Most BlackBerry users hit the back button as soon as they plug their device into their charger or place it in the charging dock. Luckily this little annoyance can be disabled.
1. Simply open the clock application on your BlackBerry
2. Hit the menu button
3. Select ‘Options’
4. Go to ‘When Charging’ and select ‘Do Nothing’
Now when you charge your BlackBerry, your screen will not change. :)
How Tough Is The iPhone 4? [Video]
Jun 24th
Since the iPhone 4 was originally leaked, there has been much talk of the new housing/glass and how tough it REALLY is. Packed into the gorgeous titanium housing is what’s called “Gorilla Glass”, which is stated as “chemically strengthened” to be “20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic”. That’s all well and good, but as the saying goes; talk is cheap. I for one would never do this, but IfixyourI has decided to take it upon themselves to do a drop durability test on the iPhone 4 to see what kind of punishment it would take before shattering. Take a look at the video below
[Click here for mobile friendly viewing]
As you can see, after 4 drops the glass shatters at the bottom. Although, a person dropping the phone 4 times in a row (without ANY sort of skin or case cover) is both unrealistic and careless, it gives a bit of piece of mind knowing that for such an expensive sleek device it can take a beating.
[via Engadget, Source IFixyourI]
Follow me on twitterBlackBerry Tip: BBM Barcode Generator for Facebook
Jun 23rd
Although the BBM Barcode Generator was released for Facebook several months ago, I have yet to see any of my friends use it. Pretty much every BlackBerry user has their PIN listed under contact info, but why not take 60 seconds and add your BBM Barcode directly onto your homepage?
First login to Facebook from your PC or Mac. Then type ‘BlackBerry Barcode Generator’ in the search box. Go to the application, enter your PIN, choose a custom barcode color, and choose your BlackBerry device. Done. Just a little reminder in case you may have missed this.
Sales, Bills, and Challenges - Oh My!
Jun 23rd
Apple issued a statement today saying that the white iPhone 4 is more “challenging” to produce than expected. I have no idea what exactly that means, but it spells anguish for myself. White is the only way to go, and therefore, I shall be waiting.
Second, BillShrink (an independent company that finds ways to reduce bills for a variety of services) compared the new iPhone 4 with other top of the line phones. Using various stats and metrics (like price, monthly cost, and phone features), they have decided that the iPhone 4 is the best value. They, of course, factor in AT&T’s new (cheaper) data plans, which help drive the decision. Read their report here.
Finally, to commemorate the launch of iPhone 4, EA Games has made a huge selection of their popular (and expensive!) games, just 99¢. I personally picked up Command & Conquer and will be excited to play that one soon (I’ve got a few others to beat first!). A few of the games are absolute steals, being up to six bucks less! Those that frequent the App Store may have noticed that these games have taken over the Top 25 list. The entire selection will be available after the read more jump.
- COMMAND & CONQUER™ RED ALERT™ (was $6.99)
- FIFA 10 by EA SPORTS™ (was $4.99)
- MADDEN NFL 10 by EA SPORTS (was $6.99)
- Need for Speed Shift (was $6.99)
- Need For Speed™ Undercover (was $4.99)
- SimCity™ (was $2.99)
- Dragon’s Lair (was $4.99)
- JEWEL QUEST MYSTERIES: CURSE OF THE EMERALD TEAR (was $2.99)
- Trivial Pursuit (was $4.99)
- NBA Live by EA Sports (was $2.99)
- Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® BY EA SPORTS™ (was $2.99)
- BATTLESHIP (was $1.99)
- CONNECT 4 (was $2.99)
- Surviving High School (was $2.99)
- THE GAME OF LIFE Classic Edition (was $1.99)
- CLUE (was $1.99)
- YAHTZEE™ Adventures (was $2.99)
EA’s Website
Motorola Droid X on Verizon Official: $199 After Rebate, Available July 15th
Jun 23rd
After seeing the Motorola Droid X’s teaser page go live there was little doubt that we would see the handset become official very soon. Today at an event in New York City the phone was made official by Motorola and Verizon. As expected the Droid X will boast a 854×480 4.3″ screen, an OMAP processor clocked at 1GHz, 8 gigs of built in storage with an included 16gig microSD card, 512MB of RAM, HDMI out, and an 8 Megapixel camera with 720p video recording. Even with all these features the Droid X is only 9.9mm thick. Verizon has also announced the ability to tether via WiFi to five devices (just like the Palm Pre) but use is capped at 2GB for the feature and will cost an additional $20 per month.
Surprisingly the Droid X will come equipped with three microphones-one for noise cancellation, one in rear for video recording, and one down low for regular use. Battery life will hopefully be comparable to the current Motorola Droid by including a 1570mAh battery with the Droid X.
Unfortunately the Droid X will not come with Android 2.2 (it will come in “the latter part of the summer”) and will instead roll out with Android 2.1 and a new rendition of Motorola’s Motoblur skin. Don’t tune it out just yet, as Motorola has promised that it is much better than the version on phones like the Cliq, Devour, and Backflip.
In a move similar to AT&T’s early upgrade option for iPhone buyers, Verizon is offering the Droid X on-contract to anyone whose contract ends in 2010. Look for the Droid X on July 15th for $199 after $100 mail-in rebate.
Peep the press release after the break and take a look at the Droid X’s official page here.
July 2010: DROID X By Motorola Lands On The Nation’s Largest & Most Reliable 3G Network
DROID X Delivers More Browsing, More Connectivity, Personal HD Video and Enterprise Features – All on a 4.3” Widescreen
June 23, 2024
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID X by Motorola. DROID X does more with ultra high-speed Web browsing; a fast 1GHz processor; 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities; loads of memory; intuitive social messaging; Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 ready; and access to Android Market™, which has more than 65,000 applications, along with a host of unique Verizon Wireless applications such as NFL Mobile, Skype mobile™, V CAST Video, EA Need for Speed Shift™ and more.
“Nine months ago, we made a commitment to our customers to bring the openness of Android to the Verizon Wireless network,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Since then, we have introduced the top-selling Android phone in the marketplace today – the DROID by Motorola. DROID X takes that commitment to another level with exclusive content, faster processing speeds, and, of course, the reliability of our network.”
Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home business added, “Motorola designed DROID X to push the extreme limits of Android innovation, and enable you to do even more with your mobile device. We are breaking down barriers so that you can experience the Web the way it was meant to be and create, share and view content like never before, either in your hand or in your home. Enterprise users will also find DROID X appealing with features including push e-mail and live widgets for e-mail and calendar updates.”
DROID X gives customers a 4.3-inch high-resolution screen for viewing the latest movies and video from BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video, the newest addition to the Verizon Wireless V CAST application, which also includes access to favorite TV shows. The DROID X video capabilities let customers capture spontaneous fun, combining a dual-flash, 8-megapixel camera, HD camcorder, as well as DLNA and HDMI connectivity to download, stream and share personal HD content.
DROID X customers will also receive Android 2.2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 with an over-the-air update in the latter half of the summer. With the update, the Flash Player will allow mobile users to experience hundreds of sites with rich applications and content inside the browser, including games, animations, rich Internet applications (RIAs), data presentations and visualizations, ecommerce, music, video, audio and more.
“It has been an exciting time for Android momentum and global consumer adoption since the announcement of DROID by Motorola nine months ago,” said Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering for Google. “There are 160,000 new Android-powered devices activated daily and Android Market has grown to over 65,000 applications. Plus later this summer, Verizon Wireless and Motorola will update all the DROID by Motorola phones to the latest 2.2 software. For customers, this means great new features and improved browser performance. For developers, this will provide new tools such as cloud-to-device messaging and enhanced enterprise functionality.”
“We are excited about full Flash support coming to the DROID X and other devices from Motorola,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer of Adobe. “Flash Player 10.1, which is one of Adobe’s most anticipated releases ever, has been redesigned from the ground up to deliver the kind of highly engaging experiences that consumers now expect from their mobile devices.”
Once updated to Android 2.2, business customers will find DROID X offers the features that turn the device into a workhorse with support for both Exchange and Gmail™ for business. Corporate users can enjoy push delivery of e-mail; live widgets that stream messages to the home screen; filter widgets to differentiate work and home e-mail; corporate directory and Global look-up along with a unified calendar for Enterprise and sync with Google Calendar™. Security protocols allow remote password control and wipe via Exchange server.
Pricing and Availability
DROID X by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning July 15 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.
Customers can add the optional 3G Mobile Hotspot service to their DROID X for $20 per month. The 3G Mobile Hotspot allows customers to turn the phone into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi devices. In addition, current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID X, without penalty.
For more information on DROID X by Motorola, go to http://phones.verizonwireless.com/droid/x/. For information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
iPhone 4 Unboxing (Pics)
Jun 23rd
Everyone’s given their interpretation of how they received their iPhone 4. A day or two early doesn’t hurt the hype, either. Officially released tomorrow, our friend @gangstajew got his phone today, and went to work snapping some photos.
The phone looks incredibly sharp, and I have to say that the screen, just from viewing screenshots, blows away the Nexus One’s AMOLED screen.
Hit the break for more goodness.
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