PinStack.com - BlackBerry News

Verizon BlackBerry Curve 8530 Now Available

azstar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:05:38 GMT

The BlackBerry Curve 8530 has made it's way to Verizon and is now available for purchase, $99 online after rebates. Available in Black or Smoky Lavendar, how many of you are picking up this first trackpad BB to hit VZW?

Specifications

Dimensions: 4.29" (H) x 2.36" (W) x 0.55" (D)
Weight: Approximately 3.7 oz. including Battery
Standard Lithium Battery (1150 mAh)
Usage: Up to 270 minutes of talk time OR
Standby: Up to 252 hours

Features

Dual�band 800/1900 MHz CDMA/EV�DO Rev 0 networks
256MB Flash Memory, 128MB RAM
BlackBerry� Device Software v5.0
Display: Clear, High Resolution, 2.5" (dia.) color display TFT LCD (320x240 pixel). Supports over 65k colors
Full Backlit QWERTY Keyboard w/Trackpad Navigation
microSD� memory card support: up to 16GB
2.0 Megapixel Camera, 5x Digital Zoom and Video Capture
WiFi Ready (802.11 b/g)
Stand�alone and Assisted GPS

[verizon]

Pearl Lovers, 9100 Pearl is Coming!

azstar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:55:27 GMT

I know quite a few users who love the small candy bar size and style of the Pearl and with the last update being the Pearl Flip 8220 fans of the original have been wondering if an update to their favorite style BlackBerry would ever arrive. Fear not suretype lovers, the BlackBerry 9100 Pearl possibly codenamed Striker is on the way! There's not much info yet like specs, but as seen in the pics, like the newer devices the trackball has been replaced with the trackpad and it has been updated in style to match the latest devices. Anyone excited about this?

[via crackberry]

Facebook App updated to version 1.7.0.22

automan69 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:27:38 GMT

The Facebook application just got an update it jumped from 1.7.0.18 to 1.7.0.22.
Hopefully this fixes a lot of the issues the application has been having. The current one has been performing really slow. You can pick up the latest by going to mobile.blackberry.com or www.blackberry.com/facebook on your BB browser.

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Rumor:BlackBerry Touchscreen Slider on the Way

srl7741 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:08:55 GMT

Hot off the Rumor Blackberry Mill is the idea RIM may be working very hard on a new Blackberry form factor.
IntoMobile has posted an interesting article. I'm posting in hopes it's TRUE and 2010 will be the year RIM makes some needed change. Make the jump to read more or revisit some other Stackers thoughts on this topic. Here

BlackBerry Internet Service hit with data outages worldwide

srl7741 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:32:45 GMT

If your a Blackberry BIS users this may have effected you. Post below if your experiencing outages and your location for other Stackers to keep track of what may still be down.

We�ve been receiving multiple reports that BlackBerry Internet Service, or BIS, is down for many people � possibly worldwide. Initially, we thought the outages were only affecting certain carriers, but users from multiple carriers have reported a service interruption for what seems to be a few hours now. Naturally, we�ll keep you updated as we receive more news, but for now we�re not quite sure what�s causing this outage as it seems to be possibly affecting BlackBerry users on a global scale and we have numbers of around 75-80% in terms of users affected. Is there anyone out there currently experiencing data issues? Let us know in the comments!

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AT&T Curve 8310 FREE -- Today is Last Day

cherrichiodo — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:26:10 GMT

I am guessing AT&T is trying to make room for new heavy hitter 9700 Bold and just announced today Curve 8520 -- Today is the last day to sign up for a new Curve 8310 on AT&T w/FREE overnight shipping.

read more

New BlackBerry Curve 8520 Joins AT&T Smartphone Lineup

cherrichiodo — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:21:27 GMT

Not quite the Bold 9700 announcement (rumors of a November 22nd launch, available for Corporate users today), AT&T announces the Curve 8520 ...

AT&T announced today it will introduce the best value in its BlackBerry smartphone portfolio with the addition of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 from Research In Motion.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a stylish, easy-to-use, compact smartphone offering the best value for consumer and business customers looking for BlackBerry service. The smartphone features a full QWERTY keyboard and touch-sensitive trackpad for easy typing and navigation, built-in Wi-Fi and an advanced media player, plus dedicated media keys, smoothly integrated along the top of the handset, for a convenient way to control music and videos. The handset also provides global connectivity via phone, email, text, IM, picture messaging and social networking, with Facebook and My Space applications preloaded.

The sleek, new device houses a high-resolution 320x240 display a 512 MHz processor, 256 MB of Flash memory, and a 2 megapixel camera equipped with video recording.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone will be available in the coming weeks for $99.99 after mail-in rebate. (Pay $199.99 and receive $100 AT&T Promotion Card. 2-year agreement on a min. $69.99 plan required.) AT&T smartphones require the purchase of a monthly data plan. Other monthly charges apply.

Quote:

"AT&T was the first choice for BlackBerry in the U.S. and we continue to expand our offering of BlackBerry products to suit the different needs of business and personal users," said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "The BlackBerry Curve 8520 offers the best value by combining the essential features of a BlackBerry smartphone with access to AT&T's network, which includes best coverage worldwide, as well as the nation's largest Wi-Fi network."

BlackBerry maker takes fight to rivals

cherrichiodo — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:09:10 GMT

Research in Motion is under attack in the smartphone arena from Apple's iPhone and a host of Google-inspired Android devices so Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive of the company that makes the highly successful BlackBerry, has decided to take the fight to the opposition.

He came to the San Francisco Bay Area this week, home of its rivals, for a developer conference with the aim of proving RIM could match them in the still hottest part of the mobile market.

Read more

TwitterBerry Evolves: Introducing OpenBeak

cherrichiodo — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:36:46 GMT

I have been following Jason from TwitterBerry (THE first Twitter app for BlackBerry) for quite some time. I was delighted to find out he was attending the BlackBerry DevCon and though we didn't get to meet up, Jason let me know he had a big announcement coming this week.

OpenBeak is a mobile client for posting updates to Twitter. It works over the data network, so you don't need to use SMS. OpenBeak is the evolution of TwitterBerry, and gives a name that allows the app to grow beyond both the Twitter platform and BlackBerry smartphones.

Features include:

Post updates to Twitter, including a character countdown from 140 characters
One-click access to view friends timelines, replies, your favorites, your own timeline, and the public timeline
Post pictures to Zannel, TwitPic, Twitgoo, or yfrog
Take a picture with a one-click embedded camera (BlackBerry Device Software version 4.6+)
Reply to tweets from each timeline view
Send and receive direct messages
Mark tweets as favorites
Notification icon that indicates the number of unread messages, like new emails or missed calls (BlackBerry� Device Software version 4.6+)
Cache all avatar images to internal memory, thus saves network access and helps faster loading
Search Twitter with a keyword or from a list of currently trending topics
Active text recognition of @usernames and #hashtags
New Setup wizard
Two modes of list views: a "fixed height" view and a "variable height" view

Over the next week, all existing TwitterBerry users will be prompted to install OpenBeak.

Download OpenBeak here

BBDC: EA Mobile Need for Speed Demo Utilizing OpenGL

cherrichiodo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:10:40 GMT

EA Mobile demo'd their race car mobile game for BlackBerry, Need for Speed, utilizing the new OpenGL support, which will only be available on the Storm2.

BBDC: New Theme Studio replaces Plazmic CDK + selling themes in App World

cherrichiodo — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:06:10 GMT

Yesterday, RIM announced at the BlackBerry Developer Conference, the launch of the NEW BlackBerry Theme Studio. If you haven't had the chance to download it, be sure to check out the screenshots in this post for more information on new features as well as what you need to do to get your themes up for sell in BlackBerry App World. Theme Studio offers a bit more in features that we did not see in the Plazmic CDK (i.e., screen transitions, ability to change and customize more including the outgoing call screen, add gradient or images to cursor/menus). I had the opportunity to sit in on "Personalizing the BlackBerry Smartphone Experience: Themes for Beginners", hence the attached screenshots. Pay special attention to the requirements for submitting your themes to App World. You must own 100% of the rights to all elements within the theme itself and RIM assured me that they will be checking. Unlike selling your themes on outlets such as Handango and Mobihand, RIM will be testing/QA'ing your product before it is available on App World.

Download BlackBerry Theme Studio here

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BBDC: Tune Into the BlackBerry Developer Conference Blogs

azstar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:06:04 GMT

The Conference Blogs are Now Live!

Follow the conference blog and stay updated with all the news and happenings at the 2009 BlackBerry� Developer Conference. The bloggers are looking forward to sharing their conference experiences!

Tune into the General Conference Blog to hear from RIM experts. Or read the Event Messages Blog for important conference messages, including any session room or time changes.

Go to http://www.blackberrydeveloperconference.com/blog to read the posts online, or download the Mobile Conference Guide on your BlackBerry smartphone from BlackBerry� App World� and get the blogs while you�re on the go.

BBDC: RIM Announces BlackBerry Application Platform Enhancements to Foster

azstar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:08:31 GMT

RIM Announces BlackBerry Application Platform Enhancements to Foster Rich Content Development

Open GL ES Support, Java GUI Builder and Theme Studio to Help Developers Generate Dynamic User Experiences

2009 BlackBerry Developer Conference � San Francisco � Research In Motion today announced enhancements to the BlackBerry� Application Platform that will further enable developers to rapidly develop rich content and applications. The enhancements include support for OpenGL� ES for the development of 3D games and graphics; an upcoming Java� GUI builder for the rapid development of user interfaces for BlackBerry applications; and BlackBerry� Theme Studio for the creation of themes for BlackBerry� smartphones.

�We are making it easier than ever for developers, hobbyists and content providers to build graphic-rich experiences for BlackBerry smartphones,� said Alan Brenner, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Platform at Research In Motion. �These new features will help drive a multitude of engaging themes, games and applications for BlackBerry smartphone users.�

OpenGL ES Support Enables 3D Games and Graphics for BlackBerry Smartphones

With OpenGL ES support, Java developers will have the ability to build 3D games and graphics for BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 5.0 and higher. The OpenGL ES support is available through an update of the BlackBerry� Java� Software Development Kit (BlackBerry Java SDK). A beta version of the BlackBerry Java SDK 5.0 including OpenGL ES support is available at http://na.blackberry.com/eng/develop...e/javasdk5.jsp

GUI Builder for BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse to Simplify User Interface Design

An upcoming GUI builder integrated into the BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse will make it faster and easier for Java developers to build user interfaces for BlackBerry applications. Developers will be able to rapidly create and localize complex user interfaces with a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) view and drag and drop capabilities. The Java GUI builder will also allow developers to easily preview their user interface design on different BlackBerry smartphones.

The GUI builder for the BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse will be previewed this week at the 2009 BlackBerry Developer Conference (www.blackberrydeveloperconference.com). It is expected to be available in mid 2010.

New BlackBerry Theme Studio Enables Easy Theme Design, Illustration and Animation

RIM is also announcing the availability of BlackBerry Theme Studio � a free suite of theme design, illustration and animation tools that make it easier to create custom interfaces (themes) for BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 4.2.2 and higher, including the new BlackBerry� Storm2� and BlackBerry� Bold� 9700 smartphones.

BlackBerry Theme Studio includes:

- BlackBerry Theme Builder � a design tool for customizing a smartphone�s user interface, including the home screen layout, fonts, icons, message list colors, cursors, dialog boxes and home screen application icons.

- BlackBerry Composer � an illustration and animation tool for creating animated SVG graphics that can be used to add animation to theme buttons and backgrounds as well as animate web sites and applications for BlackBerry smartphones.

BlackBerry Theme Studio 5.0, which replaces the previously available Plazmic Content Developer�s Kit�, features the ability to import Adobe Photoshop files to BlackBerry Theme Builder, add ringtones and build screen transitions such as zooming, sliding, wiping and fading within themes. Ringtones and screen transitions are supported for BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 5.0 and higher.

RIM also announced today that themes for BlackBerry smartphones can now be submitted to BlackBerry App World�.

BlackBerry Theme Studio is available for free and can be downloaded at www.blackberry.com/themestudio.

For more information about the BlackBerry Application Platform, visit www.blackberry.com/developer

BBDC: RIM Unveils New Services Platform for BlackBerry Developers

azstar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:05:55 GMT

Advertising, Payment, Content Push and New Location Services Will Present New Opportunities for Monetization and Innovation on the BlackBerry Application Platform

2009 BlackBerry Developer Conference � San Francisco � Research In Motion today unveiled a new services platform for developers that will enable them to streamline business processes and build highly responsive, location-aware, revenue-generating applications for BlackBerry� smartphones. The new services platform will offer advertising, payment, content push and new location services.

�The BlackBerry ecosystem is thriving and with the new services platform announced today we will help developers further monetize their applications and build breakthrough, highly responsive, location-aware applications for BlackBerry smartphones,� said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion. �RIM is continuing to provide the tools, technologies and business services that developers need to create and market even more powerful and successful applications on the BlackBerry Application Platform.�

BlackBerry Advertising Service to Create New Revenue Opportunities for Developers

The new and innovative BlackBerry� Advertising Service will enable developers to integrate advertising into their BlackBerry applications, helping them generate revenue and simplifying the business of mobile advertising. With the BlackBerry Advertising Service, RIM plans to provide developers with access to a large pool of quality and innovative ad units from trusted top tier and specialty advertising networks such as Jumptap, Lat49, Millennial Media, Navteq, 1020 Placecast, Quattro Wireless and Sympatico.ca. The service will feature ads compliant with the Mobile Marketing Association's (MMA) guidelines as well as rich media ads that will be able to deeply integrate with BlackBerry applications. Examples of this deep integration between ads and applications will include the ability to easily initiate a call from an ad, add a calendar entry or contact entry from an ad, and directly link to an application in BlackBerry App World� from an ad. The service will also include real-time, detailed, consolidated reporting of advertising across ad networks, including ad impressions, clicks, conversions and earnings, as well as integration into the Omniture Online Marketing Suite� for more advanced analytics.

BlackBerry Advertising Service and a software development kit (SDK) are planned to be available in the first half of 2010.

BlackBerry Payment Service to Enable In-Application Transactions and Streamlined Payment Processes

A new BlackBerry� Payment Service from RIM will present BlackBerry developers with new opportunities to monetize applications by selling digital content such as premium content, monthly or annual subscriptions, and additional levels or upgrades for games and other entertainment applications from within their applications. The BlackBerry Payment Service will also incorporate merchant services, including customer billing.

BlackBerry Payment Service and an SDK are expected to be available in mid 2010.

BlackBerry Push Service for Delivering Content and Alerts to Applications to Become Generally Available

BlackBerry� Push Service, which was first made exclusively available to BlackBerry� Alliance Program members earlier this year, will be made generally available to registered developers in the first half of 2010. BlackBerry Push Service allows developers and content providers to deliver time-sensitive alerts and up to 8 KB of data to applications.

More information about BlackBerry Push Service is available at www.blackberry.com/developers/pushservice.

New Location Services to Advance Location-Aware BlackBerry Applications

Adding to the GPS capabilities already supported on the BlackBerry Application Platform today, RIM will introduce three new location-based services for developers to build highly responsive, location-aware applications for BlackBerry smartphones. The three new location-based services include cell site geolocation, reverse geocoding and travel time.

Cell Site Geolocation � Cell site geolocation is a new service that will provide developers with an alternative to GPS, providing an estimate of a smartphone�s location based on cell tower triangulation. Cell site geolocation is generally faster than GPS, uses less battery power (which makes it ideal for applications that run in the background while multi-tasking), and is ideal for indoor use where the line-of-sight to satellites required by GPS receivers is not always available.

The cell site geolocation service is planned to be available in the first half of 2010. It will be supported on BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 5.0 or higher.

Reverse Geocoding � RIM is introducing a new reverse geocoding service that converts geolocation coordinates to a specific address for use in BlackBerry applications. Reverse geocoding is available today with BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 5.0 or higher. A reverse geocoding API is available with the BlackBerry� Java� Software Development Kit 5.0 (BlackBerry Java SDK 5.0) which is available in beta at http://na.blackberry.com/eng/develop...e/javasdk5.jsp.

Travel Time � RIM will also launch a new travel time service. Using a simple API call, developers will be able to incorporate estimated travel time within their applications for almost any destination in the US and Canada. The travel time calculations will be based on distance, speed limits and aggregated traffic conditions. The service returns values for an estimated arrival time, total travel time and total distance that can be used in an application.

The travel time service is expected to be available in the first half of 2010.

For more information and updates about the new services available to developers on the BlackBerry Application Platform, visit www.blackberry.com/developers.

BBDC: RIM and Adobe to Simplify Delivery of Content/Apps for BlackBerry

cherrichiodo — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:40:25 GMT

Adobe to Deliver Support for BlackBerry Smartphones within Adobe Creative Suite; RIM to Incorporate Flash Platform into BlackBerry Platform

San Francisco, CA – At the 2009 BlackBerry Developer Conference, Research In Motion and Adobe Systems Incorporated today expanded their collaboration and announced that creative professionals and application developers will be able to use the Adobe Flash Platform technology and Adobe Creative Suite content development and authoring tools to easily create rich content and application experiences for BlackBerry smartphones.

“There is tremendous opportunity for RIM and Adobe to align our platforms to help developers create BlackBerry applications that are highly engaging and deeply integrated in order to deliver the best user experience in the market,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “We are working closely with Adobe to enable our developer communities to build rich content services and BlackBerry Widgets that leverage the latest runtime environments, APIs and network services through Adobe’s industry leading design and development tools.”

“RIM is at the forefront of driving smartphone innovation, and it’s only natural that further integrating our respective platforms will set new standards for engaging content and applications,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO of Adobe. “The expanded partnership between both companies will open up great new opportunities by making it even easier for content designers and mobile application developers to create rich and compelling content for the BlackBerry platform.”

Future versions of Adobe Creative Suite starting with Adobe Creative Suite 5 will provide the ability for designers to create optimized graphic assets, such as image and video content, from tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe After Effects, for the BlackBerry platform. These graphics assets can then be easily imported into BlackBerry application development tools, including the BlackBerry JDE Plug-in for Eclipse (www.blackberry.com/developers/java) and the BlackBerry Web Plug-in for Eclipse (www.blackberry.com/developers/web), for use in applications and user interfaces. Backgrounds, icons and images created with Adobe tools such as Adobe Photoshop will also be able to be used in the new BlackBerry Theme Studio (www.blackberry.com/developers/themes) to create compelling BlackBerry themes.

Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Fireworks and Adobe Device Central software will also be enabled to support the creation and testing of BlackBerryWidgets and web content optimized for the BlackBerry Browser. Additionally, users will be able to directly import photos and video captured on their BlackBerry smartphones and edit them using Adobe’s consumer offerings including Photoshop Elements and Photoshop.com.

The collaboration aims to accelerate the mobile application and content development workflow between BlackBerry application and web content developers and creative professionals that use Adobe tools. It will also reduce the re-creation of graphic assets and iterations that designers and developers have to go through to generate rich application user interfaces, animations, images and video content when supporting multiple platforms.

Today's news builds upon the recent announcement that the two companies are working together as part of the Open Screen Project to bring the Adobe Flash Player browser runtime to BlackBerry smartphones. The two companies will also be collaborating to adapt other key components of the Flash Platform including Adobe AIR.

RIM and Adobe are demonstrating a sneak peek of the enhanced mobile authoring workflow during the keynote address today at the 2009 BlackBerry Developer Conference. To learn more about this collaboration, developers can visit the BlackBerry Developer Zone (www.blackberry.com/developers/adobe) and Adobe Developer Site (www.adobe.com/devnet).