blackberry

RIM, Samsung accused of emoticon patent infringement

The latest in the everyone-sue-everyone patent war is an alleged infringement by Samsung and Research In Motion for installing emoticon shortcut menus on their mobile phones, according to tech news site Ars Technica.

A firm called Varia Holdings began the process of suing both cell phone makers on Thursday for using its "emoticon input method and apparatus" patent, reports Ars Technica. The company asserts that it owns the idea of pop-up emoticon menus, which let users easily insert a happy or frowny face without having to type out the characters one at a time.

"It is known … Read more

RIM acquires Paratek to boost BlackBerry

Weeks after Research In Motion's shakeup, losing two co-executives and gaining a new CEO, the company is beginning to make some changes. The latest is acquiring Paratek Adaptive RF, which designs and manufactures adaptive radio frequency front-end components for cell phones.

"Watch out providers of mobile phones," General Partner of Polaris Venture Partners Alan Spoon, which is a lead investor in Paratek, wrote in a statement today. "Integrating Paratek's technology into mobile phones is a game changer."

Spoon writes that Paratek technology will allow Blackberry users to upload and download large amounts of data … Read more

RIM shows off crazy collaboration app for PlayBook

Despite the aura of doom and gloom surrounding Research In Motion, the company demonstrated an amazing concept app at Mobile World Congress 2012 that could make you a believer again.

Confetti, a colorful collaboration app for PlayBook tablets, aims to make meetings more lively by adding a little flair to file and image sharing. The setup creates a virtual space for PlayBook tablets, and a demo shows that an optional cheap QVGA Webcam allows you to position PlayBooks in multiple configurations (like in a circle or together in a cluster) for enhanced interactivity. File sharing appears simple, as you can flick content from one device to another over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. … Read more

Wrap your head around this BlackBerry concept

Remember Nokia's concept phone with a flexible screen?

Well, designer John Anastasiadis has applied it to a BlackBerry concept phone featuring a display that wraps around to the back.

The additional screen real estate enables separate work spaces to be set up on the front and back of the phone. Due to the flexible screen technology, the phone is light and has the ability to differentiate between an intentional command and a hand that's just holding the phone. … Read more

BlackBerry Curve 9370 review: A tough sell

If you're strictly comparing the BlackBerry Curve 9370 to what came before, then the update for Verizon is an absolute knockout.… Read more

Halliburton to drop BlackBerry in favor of Apple's iOS

According to a report from AppleInsider, oil field services provider Halliburton has decided to drop Research In Motion's BlackBerry platform in favor of Apple's iOS for its workforce.

An internal newsletter outlined the plan for the nearly 70,000 employees who work for Halliburton in more than 70 countries. "Over the next year, we will begin expanding the use of our mobile technology by transitioning from the BlackBerry (RIM) platform that we currently use to smartphone technology via the iPhone."

After what is dubbed as significant research, Halliburton determined that Apple's iOS offers greater security, … Read more

BlackBerry London's makeover gets leaked

In November, the new look for the upcoming BlackBerry London designed by Porsche was leaked to the Web. Photos of the metallic, angular smartphone surfaced along with information about the London being the first phone to run the QNX operating system.

Today, however, new photos of quite a different looking phone were leaked, according to CrackBerry. Looking strikingly similar to an iPhone, this new BlackBerry London is sleek and black with rounded edges.

"London is about changing the game," reads the BlackBerry marketing info. "Hardware & Platform, fused into one polished experience."

The London is the … Read more

RIM's vaunted security a selling point no longer?

When it comes to mobile security, common perception is that RIM's Blackberry devices have the market locked up. But in this age of personal iPhones and Androids migrating to corporate networks, does it really matter?

We also inhabit an era of disclosing everything you do online, including sharing your live location, publicly announcing shopping preferences, not to mention making purchases with digital wallets. I argue that attitudes have shifted since the time of a RIM-dominated handset market.

Okay, let's be clear, smartphones today hold a frightening amount of personal data. From email, texts, to real-time position and Web … Read more

Vlingo adds a Virtual Assistant to your TV

LAS VEGAS--Vlingo, the virtual assistant app for all major mobile platforms, today announced that it's making its way into televisions.

Not just a voice-controlled remote for changing channels and volume, "Vlingo for Smarter TVs" can help you browse and discover new content by simply talking into your mobile device. For instance, you could ask Vlingo something like, "what comedies are playing tonight?" Then, the app would trigger your TV to pull up a listing using the database of programming made available by cable providers. Or, you could simply tell Vlingo, "watch 'The Price is … Read more