blackberry

RIM: 'BlackBerry 10 is a game changer'

BlackBerry-maker RIM may be facing continued losses and deep uncertainty as it readies its first BlackBerry OS 10 smartphone, but if nothing else, the company has a sense of humor.

And some musical know-how among its ranks. Today's BlackBerry 10 Jam session for developers kicked off with a music video spoof of Tom Petty's "The Waiting," substituting Petty's original lyrics for those describing BlackBerry 10's progress.

"It's not quite ready yet," Alec Saunders, RIM's vice president of developer relations crooned from the projector. "Android and iOS, they're no … Read more

RIM loses its head of global sales in a new blow

Already on shaky footing, Research In Motion is being dealt another blow. After 14 years of company loyalty, the company's London-based head of global sales is moving on, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Patrick Spence was with the company since 1998 but had only been in his current position as SVP and managing director of global sales and regional marketing for the last 10 months, according to The Next Web.

This shakeup comes at a bad time for RIM. It is struggling to bring back lost market share and sales for its once popular BlackBerry devices, but it'… Read more

Create ringtones in Windows

Custom ringtones are yet another way of personalizing your mobile device. With a wide selection, you can set a different alert for each person that contacts you. Another reason to change ringtones is if you're not a fan of any that came with your device (or you're tired of them) and just want to hear something different.

Fried Cookie's Ringtone Maker is a free and awesome application that will allow you to make ringtones for any of today's popular phone brands. Whether you're sporting an Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, or Windows Phone device, this program will … Read more

BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha: Shape of RIM's future phones?

ORLANDO, Fla. --The BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha test phone that RIM showcased at BlackBerry World 2012 will never be sold to consumers, but it likely represents how the company's flagship handsets will look, feel, and handle. … Read more

BlackBerry 10's bold new features explained

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Here at BlackBerry World 2012, it's make it or break it time for RIM, but you wouldn't guess that from all the exited faces roaming the halls and conference rooms. Perhaps I'm exaggerating, but with the unveiling of the Dev Alpha device and more details of BlackBerry 10 OS, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins did try to dispel dour moods. … Read more

No new devices, but RIM talks up its virtual BlackBerry keypad

ORLANDO, Fla. -- BlackBerry maker Research In Motion officially took the wraps off its new BlackBerry 10 software here at the company's annual meeting with customers, developers, and press. And it showed off some key new features, including an improved virtual keypad with added smarts for easier and more accurate typing.

Today, at its BlackBerry World confab, CEO Thorsten Heins took the stage to officially introduce its BlackBerry 10 software to developers. And in his first keynote at BlackBerry World as CEO of the company, he came to tell the faithful that BlackBerry 10 is on the way and … Read more

RIM plans to open its first Middle East retail store in Dubai

With slumping sales in the West, Research In Motion has plans to go to the East. The BlackBerry maker is in the process of opening retail stores throughout the Middle East starting in Dubai, according to Bloomberg.

"We're getting the first one up and running and then we'll be looking at other cities across the Middle East -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar," Sandeep Saihgal, the managing director of RIM's Middle East business, told Bloomberg in an interview earlier this week.

The Dubai store in the United Arab Emirates will be the flagship shop and Bloomberg … Read more

Smartphones now account for half of all mobile phones

Market research firm Nielsen today announced that half of all mobile phone subscribers in the United States now own a smartphone.

According to data compiled through February 2012, smartphones have grown to account for 49.7 percent of all mobile phones, up considerably from 36 percent just one year ago. What's more, in the last three months alone, two-thirds all handsets purchased were smartphones.

Neilsen also tracked which mobile platforms are popular. Of the handsets sold in the last three months, Android remains the top draw for new buyers with 48 percent of the market, but it's followed … Read more

Hey, what's wrong with a small iPhone?

Is a bigger iPhone a better iPhone?

The iPhone rumor du jour this week was about a big screen. In fact, "iPhone 5" rumors going way back almost invariably cite a bigger screen. Sizes run the gamut from 4-inch screens to 4.2-inch to, now, 4.6-inch.

The iPhone currently has a 3.5-inch screen.

And that's just fine with me. A smartphone should be as small as possible. Certainly not BlackBerry Curve small but not so big that it isn't compact. It's a phone, after all.

The brave new big-honking-iPhone world that Reuters claimed is coming (… Read more

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