Blackberry Phones

When Research In Motion released its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, the device had its fair share of problems. RIM promised an operating system update that would address these problems but the launch was delayed by several months. A new report from N4BB claims the official release of the PlayBook 2.0 update is set for February 21st, just over a week later than the company initially planned. The PlayBook OS 2.0 update will include native email, calendar and contacts apps, but unfortunately native BBM will remain absent from the tablet and can only be accessed through BlackBerry Bridge.

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As you’re sure to know, things have been quite hard for RIM as of late. While they do still have a large dedicated customer base for their BlackBerry smartphones, competing entities like Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android have been chipping away at the Canadian company’s market share on an increasing basis. Luckily, RIM has let us know that they do have tricks up their sleeve in the form of their QNX based platform powering devices like the BlackBerry PlayBook.

While we’ve known that the smartphone version of this platform won’t be dropping for quite some time, we didn’t know exactly how long it will take. Unfortunately, RIM’s Mike Lazaridis has just come forth to let us know that smartphones running BlackBerry 10 won’t be out until the end of 2012. Apparently, the problem focuses on chipsets needed to produce these phones not being available until this time period.

Will it be too late for RIM by then? Will Apple and Google already be too far ahead? We’ll have to wait and see.

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Hot on the heels of releasing its new device arsenal, RIM is prepping to roll out a brand spanking new BlackBerry App World. Scheduled to launch Monday, version 3.0 features a retooled interface for quick perusal of apps, games and themes — if the beta release is any indication. Another added feature is the My World storage folder that keeps all of your downloads on the home screen and lets you wirelessly reinstall them should you accidentally delete one or upgrade devices.

Sure, there are rumblings that the BB music service will be a part of this release, but as Reuters reported, that announcement isn’t expected until early September. Although, this update would complete the new smartphone trifecta rather nicely: new device, new OS and new app store. Well done, RIM, now if you could just get your advertising in order, you’ll be all set.

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Despite Research In Motion’s largest-ever global launch currently underway with BlackBerry 7 phones, RIM may be rushing to get its first QNX-powered smartphone out the door ahead of schedule. Dutch website Tweakers.net cites anonymous sources in claiming RIM is aiming to launch the BlackBerry Colt later this year instead of in the first quarter of 2012 as expected. BGR exclusively revealed the BlackBerry Colt as RIM’s first QNX device earlier this month, and we said internal prototypes of the phone currently feature a single-core processor.

Our source also suggested that future Colt owners would require a new version of BES as the device will be incompatible with current versions of RIM’s enterprise system. Tweakers.net reaffirmed our report that the Colt’s chipset only sports one core, and the site pegs its clock speed at 1.2GHz. The report also claims that the QNX phone will feature a 4.3-inch touchscreen with what should be RIM’s highest-ever smartphone display resolution. No other new details were provided in the report, and little else is known at this time.

Sprint on Monday announced that it will launch Research In Motion’s latest CDMA smartphones — the BlackBerry Bold 9930 and the BlackBerry Torch 9850 — on Sunday, August 21st. The Bold 9930 is RIM’s brand new touch-and-type flagship smartphone, which launched on rival carrier Verizon Wireless this morning at the same $250 price point. The Torch 9850 is an affordable full touchscreen smartphone that picks up where RIM’s Storm lineup left off. Both smartphones feature Research In Motion’s latest BlackBerry 7 OS and are part of the largest global launch in RIM’s storied history. Sprint’s full press release follows below.

BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9850
Available for Sprint Customers on Aug. 21

Powered by the next-generation BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry® 7, a performance-driven operating system designed to deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity, BlackBerry® Bold™ 9930 and BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 will go on sale in Sprint Stores, Sprint Business Sales, Telesales at 1-800-SPRINT1 and online at www.sprint.com beginning on Sunday, Aug. 21.

BlackBerry Bold 9930

BlackBerry Bold 9930 boasts the thinnest design and widest QWERTY on a BlackBerry smartphone for $249.99 (excluding taxes) with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement.

At just 10.5mm thick, the BlackBerry Bold 9930 smartphone is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone ever. It features a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display, the widest QWERTY keyboard available on a BlackBerry smartphone and a trackpad for easy navigation. BlackBerry Bold 9930 also offers Near Field Communications (NFC) support for a secure exchange of information between NFC-enabled devices over a very short distance.

BlackBerry Torch 9850

BlackBerry Torch9850, the first all-touch BlackBerry smartphone for Sprint customers, will cost $149.99 (excluding taxes) with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement, after $50 mail-in rebate via reward card1.

The sleek BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphone features a spectacular, new 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display, the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone, and trackpad for easy navigation.

Both smarpthones feature Liquid Graphics™ technology, a key new feature powered by BlackBerry 7 to deliver incredibly fast, smooth performance and a highly responsive touchscreen experience. They also offer 1.2GHz processors, 5MP cameras and are World Phone capable.

Key features of both BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9850 include:

BlackBerry® service with access to up to 10 supported business and personal email accounts, plus BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support for corporate email installations
BlackBerry® Playbook™ support with BlackBerry Bridge™ (Bridge is available as a free download on BlackBerry App World)
Augmented Reality using the built-in compass (magnetometer) to support augmented reality applications

DataViz Docs To Go® Premium suite preloaded, for editing Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files from anywhere
BlackBerry App World™, the official app store for BlackBerry smartphones offering customization, fun and productivity

BlackBerry 7

BlackBerry 7 introduces a next-generation BlackBerry browser with a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience that is up to 40 percent faster than BlackBerry® 6 based smartphones and up to 100 percent faster than BlackBerry® 5 based smartphones2.

BlackBerry 7 also integrates BlackBerry® Balance™, which separates personal content from corporate content, giving users the freedom and flexibility to use the smartphone for personal email, Facebook®, Twitter®, multimedia, games and other apps, while satisfying the need for corporate data to be highly secure and manageable. BlackBerry Balance works in conjunction with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which provides a number of unique IT policy controls, such as wiping only corporate data or blocking work-related content and apps from being copied or forwarded to personal contacts.

BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9850 require activation on one of Sprint’s Everything Data plans plus a required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones. Sprint’s Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM includes unlimited web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge – a savings of $39.99 per month versus Verizon’s comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and 2GB web or $9.99 per month versus Verizon’s 450-minute plan with unlimited text and 2GB web. (Pricing excludes taxes and surcharges.)

BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9850 also offer World Phone capability for international travel to nearly anywhere in the world. Sprint customers have the power to make or receive phone calls in more than 200 countries and access to BlackBerry® data services, including email, apps and web browsing in nearly 155 countries. Customers can check the Sprint Worldwide Coverage and Rates page to check coverage in the specific location they plan to travel and find voice, text, and data rates. They also have the option of using a third-party SIM for international voice and data services.

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The BlackBerry Torch 9800 might be exclusive to one carrier in the U.S., but that hasn’t stopped the floozy of a handset from making the rounds in Canada. Bell Mobility recently announced that they too will be carrying the BlackBerry Torch slider — which we knew  – beginning on September 24th. The device will retail for $199 on a 3-year contract and $599 off-contract. This brings the total number of Canadian networks launching the 9800 on September 24 to four: Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Virgin Mobile. Bell hasn’t put out an official press release yet, but we have a statement for you after the break.

Bell Mobility will launch the BlackBerry® Torch™ on September 24, and clients will be able to get the device for as low as $199.99 on a three year contract. The BlackBerry Torch will operate on the HSPA+ network, which is the largest and fastest wireless network in Canada, and reaches 93% of Canadians coast to coast in thousands of cities and towns.

The new BlackBerry Torch combines a large capacitive touch screen and optical trackpad with a 35 key full QWERTY backlit slide-out keyboard, designed to feel optimally balanced when opened for typing. It offers support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks around the world, includes the latest generation in Wi-Fi® (b/g/n) connectivity and built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging. Its 5 MP camera takes exceptional pictures with continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes and zoom, as well as video recording. It also comes with a combined 8 GB of media storage out-of-the-box, including a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that can bring the total storage memory to 36 GB for customers that want more.

The BlackBerry Torch is the first to launch with BlackBerry 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry smartphones. It features a redesigned interface, and a new and rich WebKit-based browser that renders HTML web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. The browser includes tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, double-tap to zoom that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements, and pinch to zoom.

BlackBerry 6 offers expanded messaging capabilities and RSS feeds (Social Feeds), which provides integrated access to the popular BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) service as well as Facebook®, Twitter™, MySpace™ and various instant messaging applications. The enhanced multimedia experience includes a dedicated YouTube app, and BlackBerry Podcasts, allowing users to easily discover, acquire and enjoy audio and video podcasts from leading content providers. A universal search feature, accessible from the Home Screen, allows users to search for content on the smartphone, as well as extend the search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World™, which is included and supports credit card payments.

For those of you venturing out today to pick up a BlackBerry Torch 9800 on AT&T or a Motorola DROID 2  on Verizon Wireless, we wish you good luck. Make sure to let us know if you’re successful in your quest, and what you think of your newly acquired toy.