blackberry

Alltel gets the Scoop with three new phones

Alltel added three cell phones to its growing lineup today. In addition to picking up its a red version of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130, the nation's fifth-largest carrier also added its take on the LG Rumor (the LG Scoop that we saw at CES) and the new Samsung Muse.

Alltel's Pearl is identical to not only its existing 8130 but also to the Pearls from Verizon Wireless and Sprint. Inside you'll find the full set of BlackBerry features plus a 2-megeapixel camera. Likewise, the Scoop is largely similar to Sprint's Rumor. Features on the messaging-centric … Read more

BlackBerry Pearl decked out in Porsche leather

As one might expect from its name, Goldstriker is known mostly for its custom finishes in precious metals and gems. And even though we've seen far worse in that department, its products are still--well, gold.

Yet the U.K. modder has apparently developed a sense of restraint, for it has come up with a beautifully done version of the BlackBerry Pearl in Porsche red leather, reserving platinum for the accents alone. The "Platinum and Nightfire Leather Edition" was the work of German designer Sascha Hildebrandt, according to Luxurylaunches. Even without the gold and diamonds, however, it still … Read more

Research In Motion unveils BlackBerry updates

This week, Research In Motion announced that it will roll out a series of updates to its BlackBerry platform (both to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry device software), with some big ups on the e-mail and productivity fronts.

BlackBerry OS 4.5, as it's being called, is scheduled for release during the first half of the year and includes some noteworthy features such as HTML and Rich Text e-mail support so you can see messages in original formatting and remote message search for finding e-mails, even if they've been deleted on your BlackBerry smartphone.

In addition, the … Read more

RIM upgrades the BlackBerry, but not much--the case for opening up

Though Research in Motion continues to keep the BlackBerry a frustratingly closed platform (with precious few applications--my biggest complaint about an otherwise great device/service), it is upgrading its software to add some interesting new features, the Wall Street Journal reports:

With the aim of making mobile e-mailing more like e-mailing from a desktop computer, RIM said BlackBerry users will soon be able to edit documents directly from the handheld device and to view messages in their original formatting...[RIM] also said the changes will enable users to retrieve e-mail messages that aren't stored on the device and to check the availability of a colleague before sending a meeting request.

To wait so long...for so little. At this pace, Apple's iPhone will leapfrog the BlackBerry. Already, I've noticed scads of new iPhones being used in corporate settings. But for the lack of a keyboard, I'd be on an iPhone, too.

RIM makes great hardware and decent software. It needs to recognize, however, that it's not the center of all original thinking. Once it came up with its idea and implemented it, it hasn't done much in the way of innovation.… Read more

BlackBerry roundup: Mobile photo apps

Of the photo solutions mentioned in the BlackBerry forums I've been visiting lately, SplashPhoto and Ascendo Photos were the two most-often mentioned. That's just the kind of head-to-head challenge I like, and I threw in one more, ITookThisOnMyPhone, for flavor.

Ascendo Photos Desktop ($29.95) gathers JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, and PNG photos on your PC in a crisp, smart interface. The photo organization is reminiscent of Picasa--sibling images in a folder are horizontally arranged, with folders scrolling vertically. Photos drag and drop into an emulator, which you use to center the photo and perform basic editing--rotation, flipping, and color correction. Three sizing choices determine if photos appear cropped, shrunken, or alarmingly large. A button click transfers photos from desktop to device.

On the BlackBerry, Ascendo Photos shows transfered images clearly, but not quite cogently. It requires a click too many to see your photos, and the app wastes an opportunity to corral snaps taken from the cell phone. However, there's good file information; options to save to phone or SD memory, add galleries, and assign icons; and the ability to e-mail photos.… Read more

Zagat To Go: Find food while you hoof it

For 29 delicious years, the Zagat Survey (pronounced zuh-GAT) has been compiling restaurant ratings from user reviews all over the globe to help foodies and regular people find the perfect spot for a first date, romantic meal, or celebration. For considerably fewer years, it has made its renowned services available for mobile phones.

I reviewed the trial version of Zagat To Go (see all downloads) on a BlackBerry Curve (download) and Windows Mobile Palm Treo (download).

Zagat To Go for BlackBerry may have been custom-built for BlackBerry, but features a surprisingly basic home menu that's still stuck in the … Read more

Pink and red BlackBerry Pearl 8130s spotted

Catching Verizon Wireless and Sprint off-guard, Research in Motion showed off some upcoming colored models of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 for the respective carriers at CES 2008. The red version will go to Verizon, joining the silver Pearl 8130, while the powder-pink model will land at Sprint along with the purple Pearl. No specific release dates were given, but I'd guess the launch dates aren't too far away--February at the latest.

Find It! for BlackBerry tells you where to go

Google and Microsoft haven't quite cornered the market on mobile search and directions apps, at least not yet. Infospace Find It!, built with the BlackBerry in mind, gives users multiple entry points to search businesses, people, and directions while squeezing in features not yet stocked by competitors.

To satisfy variant search methods, Find It! sorts searches by name, by category, and by maps and directions. When choosing to search by name, you can look up a business or person in or near a location. This wasn't always successful during my tests, nor was the reverse phone number lookup, a feature unique to Find It! among its better-known and more prosperous rivals. However, when Find It! did strike gold, it didn't skimp in doling it out. Upon locating an individual or business, users can click-to-call, view a map, get directions, save the entry to the address book, and see what else is nearby.

I should mention that both Microsoft's Windows Live Search for Windows Mobile and Google Maps for Mobile had their fair share of data holes--one didn't even register CNET after a search, the brute--so Find It!'s defaults are common to still-youthful mobile search.… Read more

SlingPlayer for BlackBerry coming in 2008

It's been hinted at for months, but Sling Media has finally officially confirmed that a BlackBerry version of the company's SlingPlayer software is on deck. The software--which allows live TV to be streamed from any Slingbox model--is designed for broadband-enabled (3G wireless or Wi-Fi) BlackBerry smartphones. The software will cost the same one-time $30 fee as the similar versions already available for Windows Mobile, Palm, and Symbian phones. Sling will be demoing an early version of the software on the Pearl 8120 at CES next week, and the company hopes to have it ready for public release by … Read more