BlackBerry

RIM to lower price tiers for BlackBerry apps

BlackBerry users should start to see lower prices for mobile apps, thanks to BlackBerry 10.

To push its upcoming mobile OS, Research In Motion is kicking off a new global pricing plan in its BlackBerry World store.

As described in a RIM blog post yesterday, the new pricing tiers used in the store will incorporate currency exchange rates and value-added tax requirements. The idea is to make sure that app prices stay consistent and competitive across the globe.

The new pricing tiers will first reach the U.K. and Europe, affecting the British pound and euro. RIM promises it will … Read more

RIM girds for big Super Bowl ad

RIM really needs to makes waves, and good ones at that. The company hopes a splashy Super Bowl spot will do the trick.

The long-awaited launch of BlackBerry 10 software, along with the heavily anticipated phones meant to run it, is less than a week away. That hasn't stopped RIM from pushing for more buzz, though. It just distributed communication via e-mail that it plans to run a big-budget ad during the upcoming Super Bowl as well.

Unfortunately RIM hasn't released any teaser footage or even pictures of what we can expect. The mobile device maker made it … Read more

Lenovo considers possible bid for RIM in smartphone boost

PC manufacturing giant Lenovo may be mulling a bid for Research In Motion as part of efforts to bolster its own smartphone unit.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the PC maker -- currently ranked second only to HP, according to the latest IDC figures -- is "assessing potential acquisition targets and strategic alliances," as it seeks to expand its post-PC business.

In an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Lenovo's chief financial officer, Wong Wai Ming, said that the company was "looking at all opportunities," adding: "We'll … Read more

BlackBerry Enterprise Service updated for BB 10 smartphones

Research In Motion has released a new version of its mobile device management software, BlackBerry Enterprise Service.

The software, available to download from today, is designed to manage devices running BlackBerry 10, as well as rival devices running iOS or Android operating systems. The release will also play a key role in the potential success of RIM's forthcoming BlackBerry 10 handsets. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 "supports our existing line of devices, BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and soon to be released BlackBerry 10 smartphones," Pete Devenyi, senior vice president of enterprise software at RIM, told ZDNet.

In addition to … Read more

RIM CEO says licensing of BlackBerry 10 'conceivable'

Research In Motion will launch devices running BlackBerry 10 at the end of the month, but the handset maker is still playing with the idea of licensing its new operating system to other manufacturers.

When asked whether RIM might license the new platform as Microsoft did with Windows Phone, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins told German newspaper Die Welt that it's not out of the realm of possibility.

"Before you licensed the software, you must show that the platform has a large potential," he said, "First we have to fulfill our promises. If such proof, a licensing … Read more

RIM launches final BlackBerry 10 'Portathon' event

Research In Motion will hold its apparently final BlackBerry 10 "Portathon" this weekend.

Running from 9 a.m. PT today to 8:59 p.m. PT tomorrow, the event will allow developers to port their applications available on other mobile platforms to BlackBerry 10. Each approved app will net the developers $100, up to a maximum of 20 applications. To sweeten the pot even more, RIM will enter all developers who submit five or more apps into a drawing for a free BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device.

RIM has been running Portathon events for the last several weeks … Read more

BlackBerry 10 nets 15,000 apps in under two days

Research In Motion's BlackBerry 10 application marketplace will have thousands of more programs, thanks to two events the company ran over the weekend.

The events saw RIM net 15,000 app submissions for BlackBerry 10 within a period of 37.5 hours, according to Alec Saunders, vice president of developer relations. The events were called Portathons, with one focusing on the BlackBerry 10 Community and the other on Android developers. In both cases, developers were urged to port their previously developed applications to BlackBerry 10.

RIM has held similar events in the past. The company does so to get … Read more

Vodafone's BlackBerry users endure outage

Research In Motion's BlackBerry service is experiencing problems in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Vodafone has confirmed, with many unable to access data services on their devices.

Some BlackBerry customers are not able to receive their e-mail or communicate over instant messaging. According to Reuters, Vodafone is working "closely" with RIM to restore the service as quickly as possible.

The problem comes only a couple of weeks away from the long-awaited BlackBerry 10 launch, in which the Canadian smartphone maker will release the next-generation platform and smartphones on a bevy of networks.

It's not clear … Read more

BlackBerry 10 to be carried on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

With BlackBerry 10's big debut coming at the end of this month, three major U.S. carriers have confirmed that they will carry devices on this new platform, according to Reuters.

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile USA all said that they plan to support BlackBerry 10 handsets on their networks.

"We're extremely optimistic that it's going to be a successful product and our business customers are extremely interested in it," T-Mobile USA chief executive John Legere told Reuters.

Verizon's chief executive Lowell McAdam also confirmed the carrier will support BlackBerry 10 devices. And … Read more

RIM promises budget-friendly BlackBerry 10 phones

Budget-conscious BlackBerry fans won't be left out of the upcoming switch to BlackBerry 10, according to a Research In Motion executive.

RIM Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben told Fierce Wireless at this week's Consumer Electronics Show that the company plans to hit all "price points" with the new devices set to launch later this month.

Boulben said that RIM expects to eventually hit all levels of the market including high, middle, and low. The company expects to release at least six new BlackBerry 10 devices in 2013. The first devices are expected to be an all-touch … Read more