December 5th, 2012

BlackBerry Curve 9320 Allegedly Explodes On A Boy’s Bed, Setting It On Fire

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An 11-year-old boy named Kian McCreath from the UK says that a BlackBerry Curve 9320 exploded on his bed after being removed from the charger, leading the bed to erupt into flames and burn the boy’s legs. RIM is preparing to launch a full investigation into the matter once the family provides the phone and the charger accused of this tragic accident.

According to her interview with the Belfast→ Read More

November 30th, 2012

Two Reasons For RIM To Be Cheerful: U.K., Spanish Teens Still Love BlackBerrys (Well, They’re Cheaper Than iPhones)

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BlackBerrys are still wildly popular with a certain cash-strapped sub-set of mobile users in parts of Europe: namely teenagers. A wide-ranging research report looking at mobile users’ habits in France, Spain and the U.K found that BlackBerry penetration amongst teenagers in the UK and Spain was two and three times higher respectively than the overall “mobile media user” population. → Read More

November 29th, 2012

Desperately Seeking Developers: RIM Offers Appcelerator’s 390,000 Titanium Devs Incentives To Port Apps To BlackBerry 10

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BlackBerry 10 devices are still months away from being launched but RIM is ramping up the noise about its next gen platform. In its latest play, it’s hoping to woo app-building platform Appcelerator’s 390,000 Titanium cross-platform mobile app developers to port their apps to BlackBerry10 — offering a variety of incentives. → Read More

November 19th, 2012

This BlackBerry 10 Handset “Leak” Looks Awfully Staged

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If you were wondering what the opposite of Apple secrecy is, look no further than RIM.

In what was clearly a staged PR stunt disguised as a leak, CEO Thorsten Heins and Vice President Andrew Bocking were spotted at a Lakers game openly using, not just carrying, what appear to be BlackBerry 10 devices. As in, waving them around and taking pictures while professional-grade cameras and lenses… → Read More

November 14th, 2012

Here’s A BlackBerry 10 Device Next To An iPhone 5

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RIM is launching BlackBerry 10 in February 2013 with several devices. Little is known about these handsets but the pic here shows the touchscreen model next to an iPhone 5. Tantalizing, I know. → Read More

November 13th, 2012

RIM To Sell BlackBerry 10 Smartphones Beginning In February

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RIM will reportedly start selling smartphones based on its new BlackBerry 10 operating system beginning in February, 2013, the month after it officially announces them January 30 at an event announced yesterday. That’s according to RIM COO Kristian Tear, who followed up with that information after the company announced BB10′s public launch. → Read More

November 12th, 2012

BlackBerry 10 Launch Event On January 30, 2013 To Detail First Two BB10 Smartphones

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RIM has announced today that it will be holding a launch event for BlackBerry 10 on January 30, 2013. This will take place simultaneously at multiple locations around the world, and will include the unveiling of its first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones, along with details of their availability. Those devices, as has been previously reported, will include one touchscreen handset and one with a… → Read More

November 10th, 2012

RIM Plans To Woo Would-Be BlackBerry 10 Game Developers With Money And Hardware

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As work on BlackBerry 10 continues behind closed doors, Waterloo-based RIM is gearing up to make yet another attempt to woo would-be BlackBerry 10 developers to its cause.

This time though the company has its eyes set on a specific kind of dev — come November 16, RIM will offer up cold hard cash to game developers who create a game for (or port an existing game to) BlackBerry 10. → Read More

November 8th, 2012

BlackBerry 10 Security Certified For U.S. Government Use Ahead Of Launch — But Still No BB10 Devices Til Q1 2013

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BlackBerry users may not be able to download the latest Angry Birds incarnation, but at least they can look forward to being able to use forthcoming BlackBerry 10 devices in government agencies and regulated industries in the U.S. and Canada. RIM has announced its as yet unreleased next gen OS, BB10, has been granted FIPS 140-2 certification, ahead of the BB10 launch next year. → Read More

November 1st, 2012

Move Over BlackBerry: Pentagon Opens Up The Possibility Of Adding iPhone Or Android Devices

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The U.S. Government will now be looking into solutions for provisioning iOS and Android devices in addition to those featuring RIM’s BlackBerry OS, according to a new report from Reuters. That means RIM will no longer have the exclusive contract for smartphone devices at the U.S. Defense Department, though it will remain another option. → Read More

October 15th, 2012

Working 9 To 5 For BlackBerry 10: RIM Opens Developer Workspace At EMEA HQ To Help Accelerate App Development

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RIM is busy beavering away on the next generation of its mobile OS — BlackBerry 10 — but the BlackBerry-maker needs developers working in parallel making apps for its new ecosystem. So today it’s opened the doors on the first global BlackBerry Tech Center at its EMEA HQ — which provides BB10 developers with a dedicated workspace and a team of on site experts to provide developer guidance. → Read More

October 10th, 2012

At Long Last, RIM Starts Taking BlackBerry 10 App Submissions

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BlackBerry 10 is still a ways away (exactly how long is a topic of hot debate) but RIM has been busy laying the groundwork for it for months now. Aspiring BB10 developers have seen that work firsthand, and now it’s apparently their turn to contribute.

RIM announced earlier today that developers can up submit their BlackBerry 10 apps for inclusion in the company’s App World when the new… → Read More

October 10th, 2012

RIM Zeroes In On Separation Of Work And Play In BlackBerry OS 10: Will That Fly With The BYOD Generation?

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On stage at CTIA’s MobileCon keynote today, RIM’s Jeff Gadway gave on on-stage demo of the upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system. It emphasized that RIM’s goal with BB10 is to provide something for everyone: a social, entertainment platform for consumers and a secure environment to make IT managers happy. But can a mobile OS these days have its cake and eat it, too, in the way RIM envisions? → Read More

October 10th, 2012

BlackBerry 10: RIM Demos Key Features Of Next-Gen Mobile OS Ahead Of Q1 2013 Release

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BlackBerry-maker RIM demoed another pre-release build of BlackBerry 10 in London today – including showing the camera Timeshift software working in real-time, and detailing a feature which allows BB10 users to switch between a personal and work mode. The new UI is a big departure for the company – as indeed it needs to be. The word RIM continually uses to illustrate its ethos with BB10 is… → Read More

September 28th, 2012

BlackBerry 10 Touch, Qwerty Devices Leak In Video; RIM Wants Lady Gaga To Help Sell BB10

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RIM is still bathing in the afterglow of yesterday’s Q2 2013 fiscal results not being as awful as some had feared. The company remains in the invidious position of having to flog an out-of-date OS (BB7) while it tries to get its next-gen OS, BB10, ready for lift-off at the start of next year. The wait for BB10 devices goes on — but two of RIM’s forthcoming BB10 phones have surfaced online in what… → Read More

September 27th, 2012

RIM’s Fiscal Q2 2013 Results: Net Loss Of $235 Million On $2.9 Billion In Revenue, 7.4 Million BlackBerrys Shipped

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After a roller coaster of a week, RIM has just released its fiscal Q2 2013 financials and — shocker — they’re not as bad as some thought. The Waterloo-based company reported a net GAAP loss of $235 million (which equates to $0.45/share diluted) on revenues of $2.9 billion, enough to beat analysts’ grim expectatations.

Given all that RIM’s been through recently, it’s no surprise that… → Read More

September 26th, 2012

RIM Employee’s OOO Reply This Week Is Both Epic And Inspiring

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RIM is holding its yearly developers conference this week, playing host to over a thousand developers still dedicated to the BlackBerry platform. The company detailed several novel features to BlackBerry 10 scheduled for release in early 2013. And yes, there was this bad music video, too.

Anyway, a fellow TC editor strangely posted a RIM employee’s OOO reply earlier tonight. He called it both… → Read More

September 26th, 2012

RIM Employee’s OOO Reply This Week Is Both Epic And Sad

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RIM is holding some sort of developer conference this week somewhere in North America. It’s unclear what they actually announced or revealed because everyone keeps talking about this dumb music video. (If you’re having a bad day, you should really watch it. But be warned, your ears will bleed and you may want to gouge your eyes out before/during/after.)

Anyway, a friend of TC forwarded the… → Read More

September 26th, 2012

A Sign Of Hope? RIM Stock On The Rise After BlackBerry Jam Keynote Address

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RIM is no stranger to rough seas — the past few days alone have seen a service outage in the EMEA regions, news of a dwindling user base, and a new 52-week low for the company’s stock price. Naturally, one of the big themes of CEO Thorsten Heins’ keynote address at the BlackBerry Jam developer conference was “believe” in the company, and some people seem to have taken that mantra to… → Read More

September 25th, 2012

Watch RIM Evangelists Sing A Love Song To The Devs Still Holding On

Damn: Alec Saunders, VP Developer Relations & Ecosystem for RIM, has got some pipes. This little ditty, sung to the tune of Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon, is RIM’s way of saying that they still love the developers who have dedicated their lives, businesses, and livelihood to the platform. That, my friends, is a nice, honest sentiment. → Read More

September 25th, 2012

RIM Fleshes Out BB10 App World With Music, Movies, And TV Shows; Devs Can Access It “Immediately”

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BlackBerry 10 is still a ways away, but RIM VP of Business Development Martyn Mallick has revealed that the operating system’s App World storefront will sport plenty of new content very shortly. Despite the potentially limiting name, RIM’s App World will soon play home to music, movies, and television shows for the company’s 80 million users to browse and buy. → Read More

September 25th, 2012

RIM And Facebook Reveal The Native (And Slightly Buggy) BB10 Facebook App

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Disregard the buggy presentation. RIM and Facebook revealed the BlackBerry 10 Facebook application today at BlackBerry Jam. This native app looks and feels very similar to its iOS and Android counterparts. The hidden menu on the left, large photos on the mobile wall — it’s seemingly all there, just as expected.

However, RIM was unable to show off the upcoming app in detail. First, the app… → Read More

September 21st, 2012

BlackBerry Outage Strikes EMEA On iPhone 5 Launch Day: Ouch — That’s Gotta Hurt (Updated)

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A network outage has struck BlackBerry users in the EMEA region this morning — on, irony of ironies, iPhone 5 launch day — affecting BBM, email and internet but not voice or text. → Read More

September 18th, 2012

RIM Licenses Microsoft Tech For Bigger File Sizes On Flash Drives

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RIM has licensed the exFAT file system from Microsoft. This will enable BlackBerry devices to handle files larger than 4GB. → Read More

September 18th, 2012

RIM To Shut Down Tungle.Me, Team Will Focus On BlackBerry 10 Calendar App

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Last year, BlackBerry maker RIM acquired the social calendaring app Tungle.me. Since then, the Tungle team mostly focused on the BlackBerry Calendar app for RIM’s less than successful Playbook tablet. Now, the team that built Tungle is working on the native Calendar app for the upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system. → Read More

September 16th, 2012

Mayer To Yahoo!: You Can Have Any Cellphone You Want, As Long As It’s Not Blackberry

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Excuse the belated chortle here but it bears noting that Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, seems to have pushed the old maxim of a “new broom sweeps clean” all the way into the darkest recesses of Yahoo. To wit, consider the note the BI found from Mayer to her staff.

We have a very exciting update to share with you today – we are announcing Yahoo! Smart Phones, Smart Fun! As of today, Yahoo is… → Read More

August 28th, 2012

Patent Case Aftermath: Samsung Down By $12B (And Still Slumping) While Apple, Nokia, RIM All Gain

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We still have to wait and see how the jury’s ruling against Samsung over Apple patents will play out for the company in terms of actual fines, injunctions — and crucially — future device design for the handset giant. But for now the markets have spoken. Share prices for Samsung Electronics fell by 7.5% yesterday, equating to a $12 billion loss in market value. However, it looks like this was a… → Read More

August 10th, 2012

RIM: Layoffs Are Ongoing, Will Not Affect BB10

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RIM is about to layoff more employees in an ongoing effort to cut $1 billion by 2013. According to one report, as many as 3,000 RIM staffers could get the boot as soon as next week. However, RIM has not confirmed this as of yet.

RIM’s Global Corporate Communications Manager spoke to TechCrunch this afternoon and confirmed there are more layoffs on the horizon. She went on to explain that the… → Read More

August 9th, 2012

The Kicking Of RIM’s Tires Continues, As IBM Reportedly Considers Its Enterprise Unit

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The fear and loathing of RIM has been well-documented by this point. At the end of June, the company released its Q1 2013 earnings, which were more than a little disappointing, with RIM reporting its first operating loss in eight years, that it would be cutting 5K+ employees and that the release of its new BlackBerry was again being delayed — this time until the beginning of 2013.

The… → Read More

August 9th, 2012

The 32GB 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook Is Now Available From Canadian Carriers For $550

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RIM announced the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook earlier this month and it’s finally available from several Canadian carriers. The LTE tablet is slightly upgraded from its WiFi-only counterpart with a 1.5GHz CPU and 32GB storage option, but the main difference is the new LTE radio.

The 7-inch PlayBook is a pretty little package and the operating system is finally a contender. The tablet might have… → Read More