BlackBerry

It's been a long time coming, but AT&T customers can now expect to get their hands on the BlackBerry Q10 on June 21. The physical keyboard-toting gadget will cost the industry standard price of $199.99.

With an expertly designed typing surface that's based on BlackBerry's legendary Bold line of handsets, the Q10 features keys that are billed as 30 percent larger. In my experience with the device, I can certainly vouch that punching out messages on the keyboard is both fast and accurate.

That said, to make way for the bigger key layout you … Read more

BlackBerry has issued a security advisory notice to those who have bought its flagship Z10 touchscreen smartphone -- the first BlackBerry 10 device to launch following the company's bid for revival, back in February.

The advisory, which was issued last week, notes a bug that relates to BlackBerry Protect, its security and backup utility, rather than the phone's operating system itself. 

According to the advisory, an escalation of privilege vulnerability exists in the software of some Z10 phones that could allow a malicious app to "take advantage" of weak permissions in the in-built … Read more

No matter how slick the new hardware is or how hard BlackBerry strives to convince us that its new BB10 handsets are the cat's meow, there's still one massive stumbling block -- quality apps. Apparently even the BlackBerry faithful agree and intrepid tweakers have stepped in to fix the situation themselves.

Read on to learn how you can quickly take advantage of free BlackBerry 10 apps that others have kindly ported from Android. Best of all, the entire process takes minutes and loading apps to your Z10 or Q10 just a matter of seconds.

Gather your tools So … Read more

Updated at 10 a.m. PT with a headline change noting that BlackBerry is disputing T-Mobile's initial claim.

It looks like iOS and Android won't be able to download BlackBerry Messenger come June 27 after all.

Earlier on Thursday, T-Mobile U.K. tweeted that BBM would indeed be available for iOS and Android come June 27, even serving up an image of a BBM conversation running on a Samsung Android phone. However, that tweet has since been taken down, calling into question the accuracy of the information.

And a BlackBerry representative told CNET: "That date is completely … Read more

BlackBerry is working with other handset manufacturers to get its BlackBerry Messenger service preloaded on to their phones, according to a top executive.

"There is interest from other handset makers," BlackBerry Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear told CNET in an interview on Wednesday.

BlackBerry is on the lookout for ways to expand the reach of BBM ever since it said the service would break beyond the confines of BlackBerry and move to other operating systems. The company said BBM would appear on iOS and Android devices this summer.

Tear declined to comment on when exactly the cross-platform version … Read more

At the Telematics Detroit conference, BlackBerry demonstrated to automakers how its platform could be used to send wireless software updates to cars.

BlackBerry noted that cars are coming out with feature-rich software in the dashboard for navigation, hands-free phone calls, and audio. BlackBerry's back-end platform allows automakers to remotely update this software, potentially adding features.

The platform was built on BlackBerry's existing capability of updating its mobile handsets over the air.

Tesla and Audi already have independently deployed this capability, offering customers wireless updates to dashboard features and, with Tesla's Model S, actual driving performance software.

BlackBerry'… Read more

BlackBerry's next flagship smartphone, the all-touchscreen BlackBerry A10, will launch during the holidays, CNET has learned.

The BlackBerry A10 is the successor to the Z10, and further builds upon the company's burgeoning lineup of devices. The A10 will occupy the highest tier, moving the Z10 and keyboard-equipped Q10 to the midtier. The lower-end Q5 will continue to occupy the lower, more affordable strata. By quickly expanding its product line, the company is hoping it can better cater to consumers of varying income levels.

The A10 continues BlackBerry's push to prove to consumers and the industry that it … Read more