blackberry

Use either volume button as a shutter release on BlackBerry 10

One of the smaller features I have appreciated in the iPhone's camera app has been the volume up key acting as a shutter release. Instead of tapping on a digital button, pressing the volume up key will snap a pic.

When I first launched the Camera app on the BlackBerry Z10, I instinctively pressed the volume up button and to my surprise it snapped a pic. The normal method for taking a picture on BlackBerry 10 requires you to tap anywhere on the screen. But with either volume key acting as a shutter release, you can avoid tapping on … Read more

How to edit an e-mail signature on BlackBerry 10

One of the first things I do after setting up a new device is to change the default e-mail signature. The default signature on new devices is usually a free advertisement for your carrier, device manufacturer, or both.

The default signature on a BlackBerry 10 device is "Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone."

See what I mean? Free advertising.

Shortly after setting up my Z10 I sought out to change the e-mail signature. I looked in the Accounts section of the Settings app to no avail. I dug through other sections in the Settings app, even went into … Read more

How to set up your BlackBerry Z10

Before you begin setting up your brand-new BlackBerry Z10, make sure you have a few minutes to spare and a speedy Wi-Fi connection available. Part of the setup process for BlackBerry 10 is ensuring that your new device is running the latest version of the new operating system.

The first time I ran through the setup process on my Z10, the update came in at several hundred MBs, with the latest update (as seen in the video) coming in at just 2MB. Of course your experience will likely vary depending on your location and wireless carrier.

If you don't … Read more

Google lobbies against patent privateering

Google has banded together with BlackBerry, EarthLink, and Red Hat in an effort to expose the deleterious, industrywide consequences of patent privateering, or the practice of companies outsourcing patent enforcement to independent legal-happy entities with no technologies of their own.

The Mountain View, Calif., company, in conjunction with the others, submitted its comments -- more like grave concerns -- on the practice in a note to the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice. The companies assert that patent transfers to patent assertion entities (PAEs), aka patent trolls, undermine patent peace, and Google et al are pushing the government … Read more

Alleged image of BlackBerry QWERTY phone leaks online

BlackBerry watchers may have just gotten a peek at the upcoming BB10 R-Series QWERTY smartphone.

A purported image of the R-series phone popped up yesterday in the BlackBerryOS forums. The image doesn't show much other than the familiar BlackBerry QWERY keyboard and screen. But further details about the new phone may have been revealed by blog site BlackBerry Empire.

An alleged sketch of the R-Series phone shows slots for a Micro SIM card and an SD card on the left side. The Micro SIM slot is a new feature for BlackBerry phones and is likely geared for travelers who … Read more

Preview BlackBerry 10 on your iPhone, Android device

There's been a lot of talk and attention regarding BlackBerry and its launch of BlackBerry 10. If all the hype has piqued your interest -- even the slightest bit -- you can catch a glimpse of the new operating system directly from your iPhone or Android browser.

To walk through some of BlackBerry 10's main features, point your mobile browser to BlackBerry.com/glimpse.

Once the page loads you'll be walked through basic gestures for navigating the OS, how to use the Hub, the predictive keyboard, BBM Video and Screen Share, and the camera's Time Shift … Read more

T-Mobile kills off the wireless contract

T-Mobile continues to rev up the changes it's got in store for customers.

The wireless carrier today seems to have finally done away entirely with contracts for wireless customers. This follows earlier moves that had allowed options including either a traditional two-year contract or no contract at all.

The shift is part of a broader transformation that CEO John Legere hinted at during his Consumer Electronics Show press conference in January, changes that are intended to make the carrier more competitive in the industry. As a distant fourth-place carrier among the national players, the company has been willing to … Read more

Why I won't be going back to BlackBerry from iPhone

My story begins back in the spring of 2010, when I first became a BlackBerry user. Two years and four BlackBerrys later, battling the urge to dropkick my phone into outer space had become a daily struggle. Reader, I gave in -- I bought an iPhone.

I wasn't the only one, either. RIM -- or just plain old BlackBerry, as it's now known -- was beset by one crisis after another, and watched its worldwide market share dip dramatically.

BlackBerry 10 launched in January and, despite being massively overdue, was supposed to revive the company's fortunes and … Read more

Google wants to 'Keep' your notes

Google wants to "Keep" your notes.

Yesterday Google introduced Keep, the new mobile and Web-based note-storing service that looks to take aim at products like Evernote. Boasting a simple, easy-to-use interface, Keep will work with Google Drive so that all notes are synced across different platforms. Users can edit their notes from either their phone or the Web and the information will be saved everywhere. You can also use voice dictation and photos to help enhance each note you take.

The BlackBerry Store has topped 100,000 apps, 30,000 of which were just added in the last … Read more