Blackberry Phones

Following the much delayed BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 update, the tablet finally has a native email client, other PIM apps and a larger selection of apps thanks to its Android player. Research in Motion is now looking to further boost interest in its debut slate, and it has announced the BlackBerry Mini Keyboard for those users looking for a physical keypad option on top of the virtual one.

The accessory retails for a lofty $119.99 and is available for pre-order starting today, with shipments going out on March 23rd. The concept of the keyboard is similar to the competition. It includes a multitouch trackpad for browsing, a keyboard for easy input and a battery that last up to 30 days. Unlike the ASUS Transformer Prime, RIM’s accessory does not have a docking feature and is just a carrying case with an integrated Bluetooth keyboard. RIM’s video demonstation follows below.

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Research In Motion is reportedly working on two new BlackBerry PlayBook tablets that are currently scheduled for release in 2012. BlackBerry watcher N4BB claims that while RIM had initially scrapped plans to produce a larger PlayBook tablet, the vendor now plans to release both a 10-inch and a new 7-inch tablet this year.

RIM’s new 7-inch model will feature embedded 3G connectivity when it launches in April according to the report, and the 10-inch BlackBerry tablet will reportedly include support for 4G LTE networks when it launches in December. The site also reiterates that RIM currently only has one BlackBerry 10 smartphone slated for 2012, which BGR exclusively reported earlier this month, and it states that at least two more low-end BlackBerry Curve models will launch this year as well.

The BlackBerry Playbook is not exactly the best selling tablet in the market right now, let alone having it fly the best seller flag for manufacturer RIM at the moment. In fact, RIM has gone so far as to offer the Playbook for free to enterprise customers, which is not always a good thing as it reveals your position to your rivals in the market that you are clearly having issues clearing up your inventory, and while the Playbook has not gone the way of the HP Touchpad, it is still a worrying sign for the Canadian company.

At least RIM still supports the BlackBerry Playbook with updates, and while the most recent update will not introduce Blackberry smartphone synchronization capabilities to your tablet, at least it will still fix several issues as listed below.

• Updated version of Adobe Flash Player version 11.1 and Adobe AIR 3.1
• Daylight savings time updates for time zones in the regions of Latin America, Australia and Central America
• Updated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi software to help to improve connectivity
• Fixed issues some users were experiencing with account payments in the BlackBerry App World storefront
• Improved synching when restoring applications with BlackBerry Desktop Software

Have you updated your Playbook already?

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Research In Motion on Thursday reported its earnings results for the fiscal second quarter. Revenue and EPS both missed estimates; the vendor reported revenue of $4.17 billion and earnings of $0.80 per share. RIM had previously forecast revenue of between $4.2 billion and $4.5 billion and earnings of between $0.75 and $1.05 per share for its August quarter, and Wall Street expected second-quarter revenue of $4.47 billion and EPS of $0.88. Net income in the second quarter totalled $329 million. RIM also had projected handset shipments to reach between 11 and 12.5 million units, but missed there as well — the company shipped only 10.6 million BlackBerry phones in its August quarter.

RIM still managed to push its subscriber base past 70 million for the first time, up 40% year-over-year. As for RIM’s QNX tablet, PlayBook shipments fell well below expectations; the company only shipped 200,000 units during the device’s first full quarter of availability, less than half of analysts’ expectations (700,000). RIM shipped 500,000 PlayBooks in its previous quarter. The company’s stock fell 11% immediately following its report. Full press release after the break. RIM’s full press release follows below. Read more

Research In Motion on Thursday announced that its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has become the first tablet device to be certified for use by the U.S. government. The company’s slate has received FIPS 140-2 certification according to RIM, and it is currently the only media tablet to have been awarded this certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology at this point. FIPS certification is required in order for a device to be considered for use by the U.S. government. “RIM is pleased to announce that the BlackBerry PlayBook is the first tablet approved under FIPS for use within the U.S. federal government,” said RIM’s Senior Vice President of Security Scott Totzke in a statement.

“This certification demonstrates our continued commitment to meeting the needs of security-conscious organizations and enables the U.S. federal government to buy with confidence knowing that the PlayBook meets their computing policy requirements for protecting sensitive information.” RIM’s full press release follows below.

BlackBerry PlayBook Becomes First Tablet Certified for U.S. Government

BlackBerry PlayBook Wins ‘Best in Show’ Award at FOSE 2011

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) announced today that it has received FIPS 140-2 certification for the new BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, making the BlackBerry PlayBook the first tablet certified for deployment within U.S. federal government agencies. No other tablet on the market has gained FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is required under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA).

“RIM is pleased to announce that the BlackBerry PlayBook is the first tablet approved under FIPS for use within the U.S. federal government,” said Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Security at Research In Motion. “This certification demonstrates our continued commitment to meeting the needs of security-conscious organizations and enables the U.S. federal government to buy with confidence knowing that the PlayBook meets their computing policy requirements for protecting sensitive information.”

BlackBerry PlayBook is a powerful, ultra-portable tablet that fits comfortably in one hand. It has a stunning 7-inch high resolution display, offers true multi-tasking capabilities and a high-fidelity web experience. It also allows for secure pairing with BlackBerry® smartphones via the BlackBerry® Bridge™ app, which enables users to access their BlackBerry smartphone’s email, calendar, address book, memo pad, task list, BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) and browsing functionality using the larger display on the tablet.

The FIPS-certified BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is being showcased this week in Washington DC at FOSE – the largest Federal government information technology conference in the U.S. – where BlackBerry PlayBook has just been awarded Best in Show, and also Best of FOSE in the Handheld Devices category.

Source: BGR.com

In a note to investors Monday afternoon, RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Mike Abramsky reiterated an OTR Global report that Research In Motion is possibly planning to stop production of the current Wi-Fi BlackBerry PlayBook model. The Wi-Fi version of the BlackBerry tablet is the only version Research In Motion sells for the time being.

The reasons for the discontinuation of the Wi-Fi edition, Abramsky states, could be related to a pullback in production, a move that would align channel inventory with slower than expected sell-through, in addition to RIM focusing on upcoming PlayBook versions with cellular connectivity.

Following RIM’s first-quarter earnings release on Thursday, the company’s sixth-biggest investor confirmed that it is giving up on the Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry maker. “They are resting on their laurels,” said Stephen Jarislowsky, chairman of Jarislowsky Fraser Ltd., on Friday in an interview with Bloomberg. “Steve Jobs is a much better marketer than RIM,” Jarislowsky added. ”We are on the way out.

The stake has been reduced by more than 50% or even more.” As of the end of the first quarter, Jarislowsky Fraser Ltd. owned 10.2 million shares of RIM stock. Earlier on Friday, RBC Capital Markets said RIM still has some fight left in it. Sadly for RIM in this instance, it looks like not everyone agrees.

Now here’s a bit of news I’m sure a bunch of you will be happy to hear. I’ve mentioned the Blaq Twitter app for BlackBerry smartphones a few times here and there but since their last update in September 2010, they’ve basically been inactive till the release of their PlayBook app yesterday. According to a blog post by one of the Blaq developers, Ryan Hamrick, the smartphone version is not dead and will be getting a big update soon:

Long story short (or at least…less long), I recently found myself sitting here mulling over how I might break the news to you all, that while we would support the PlayBook and likely future QNX-powered BlackBerry smartphones, development for current and past BlackBerry smartphones would be ceasing.

I was just about ready.

However, that’s not the goal of this message tonight. Nope. Jerome Carty, developer of Blaq (wait, you’re not following him? I would, if I were you – @jcarty) has talked me into working with him to finish the big update that has been in the works for what seems like forever, and continuing to support the BlackBerrys you all have now.

So there you have it. Ryan didn’t make a timeframe available but I trust him and Jerome are working hard to get the update out as soon as possible. Any Blaq fans excited for the new BlackBerry smartphone version? If you want to check out the current version you can find it in the store from ALL KAPPS Software, both free and premium.

*UPDATE 2* We’ve been contacted directly by Reddy’s marketing rep to be made aware that there was miscommunication with Business Insider on the information that Raymond Reddy told to them. Reddy was also not a RIM exec, only an employee.

*UPDATE* A Raymond Reddy representative has stated that Reddy did not say the PlayBook would “fail” in the way as originally posted on Business Insider.

We aren’t sure if Raymond Reddy, former Research In Motion executive in corporate development until 2008, is trying to drive publicity for his new startup (PushLife). Or, he truly feels RIM took the BlackBerry PlayBook in the wrong direction. The reason Reddy thinks the PlayBook may be a flop:

* The PlayBook may be late. Reddy says it’s proving more difficult than RIM expected to port the traditional BlackBerry interface and experience — including the all-important email app — to the new QNX operating system used by the PlayBook.

* It won’t have many third-party apps at launch. Same reason — convincing developers to port their apps from the BlackBerry OS to QNX is a tough proposition. (Although RIM may get around this by including an Android emulation layer, according to RBC Dominion analyst Mike Abramsky.)

* The first Wi-Fi-only version won’t be able to connect to a lot of corporate BlackBerry email accounts unless the user also has a BlackBerry phone near the PlayBook and uses the PlayBook’s tethering capability.

We don’t entirely agree with Reddy, but can agree that we have mixed feelings when it comes to the Bridge feature that is required to connect your BlackBerry smartphone with the PlayBook via bluetooth. In terms of security, we think it is great and near fail safe. However, we believe the ‘slave’ function may deter possible new customers that do not want a BlackBerry smartphone. And just like any business, you want more customers for more profits for your success.

So far we feel the PlayBook is shaping up nicely and will be a home-run with current BlackBerry users, both consumer and enterprise. Although, we do believe it may have a slow start appealing to those who haven’t made the switch to a BlackBerry smartphone. Nevertheless, time will tell. Do you think the PlayBook will be a success or has it been damned from the beginning?