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Bold 9650 spied running BlackBerry 6
RIM has already gone on record saying that the CDMA-equipped Bold 9650 has been mercifully tapped for a BlackBerry 6 upgrade "subject to carrier certifications in the months ahead," but where's the proof, RIM? How do we know you're not just spouting a bald-faced lie? Okay, okay, we don't doubt BlackBerry 6 is coming for the 9650 owners out there, but it's still nice to see a few shots of a Verizon-branded model with the new code in the wild. Word on the street is that it's running really slow right now, so it might be a while until they iron out enough kinks to get it to retail -- but who knows, maybe we can count on a leaked firmware or three in the meantime.
BlackBerry Curve 3G (9300) is officially BlackBerry 6 ready
The cart left the gate on Thursday and here comes the horse: the official BlackBerry Curve 3G (model 9300) announcement just landed in our inbox. So in addition to sporting (800/850)/1900/2100MHz or 900/1700/2100MHz HSDPA data, quad-band GSM, WiFi, and GPS, we now know that if you buy this BlackBerry 5 device today you can upgrade to BlackBerry 6 "in the coming months." Assuming your carrier can get its act together, of course.
RIM launches BlackBerry 6 platform
It's been teased since WES back in April -- but with the launch of the Torch today, RIM had to come clean with all the details on its thoroughly refreshed BlackBerry 6 operating system, too. Besides the obvious name change from "BlackBerry OS" to simply "BlackBerry," the software features countless updates, most notably new universal search functionality, social network aggregation, WiFi-powered media sync with your desktop music collection, and an all-new (and desperately needed) WebKit-based browser with support for HTML5. Thankfully, RIM has also committed to bringing BlackBerry 6 as an upgrade to at least a few recent models -- the Bold 9700, Bold 9650, and Pearl 3G, to be specific -- "subject to carrier certifications in the months ahead." Follow the break for the full press release and video teaser.
BlackBerry Torch is official, launching August 12th on AT&T for $200
It hasn't been announced just yet -- we're expecting that shortly at a New York event today -- but the long-rumored BlackBerry Torch (née 9800) just went live on AT&T's site offering the opportunity to sign up for a notification when you can buy the thing. Major features include a 5 megapixel cam with flash, full QWERTY on a portrait slide, 802.11n support, and -- of course -- BlackBerry 6 with an all-new browsing experience and a host of other features that should help position RIM within earshot of its less-stodgy rivals. You've also got 4GB of storage onboard paired with a 4GB microSD card in the box, 512MB each of ROM and RAM, a quadband 3G radio that'll travel well around the globe, a 480 x 360 touchscreen display (same resolution as the Bold 9700) measuring 3.2 inches, the typical optical trackpad down below, and an interesting new Media Sync feature that'll let you sync your media library right over WiFi -- something various third parties have tried over the years, but has rarely been offered as an out-of-the-box capability. Interested? It'll hit AT&T and third-party retail locations and websites on the 12th of the month for $199.99 on contract. Follow the break for RIM's introductory videos and the press release. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]%Gallery-98749%
BlackBerry users running out of loyalty: 50 percent plan to defect to iPhone or Android
Nielsen has its own angle on the smartphone numbers game out today, and the results vaguely resemble the numbers from Canalys. Perhaps more interesting than the ever present market share tug-of-war (Nielsen pegs Google, RIM, and Apple at 27 percent, 33 percent, and 23 percent in sales to new smartphone subscribers, respectively) a note on brand loyalty turns out ugly for BlackBerry: while 89 percent of iPhone owners plan on getting another iPhone, and 71 percent of Android buyers plan to re-up, only 42 percent of BlackBerry owners plan to stick around. The defectors are pretty evenly split, with 29 percent planning to go iPhone, and 21 percent to go Android. That compares to 2 and 3 percent in the iPhone and Android camps planning a move to BlackBerry. We'll see if BlackBerry 6 can solve this little problem for RIM, but the few tweaks we've seen so far seem hardly capable of stemming the flow.
BlackBerry Bold 9780 caught on video running OS 6
This new Bold 9780 is really looking like the real deal, isn't it? The phone, which includes some ultra-minor aesthetic tweaks over the 9700, along with 512MB of RAM to handle the new BlackBerry 6 OS, has been described on paper, caught on camera, and now has gotten the requisite video walkthrough. The video, obtained by Driphter.com, includes some nice WebKit browsing, with fast page loads but some slightly sluggish scroll speeds. Of course, this is still pre-release software, so we'll see where we end up when BlackBerry 6 starts landing on these RAM-bumped devices for reals. Video is after the break.
Latest BlackBerry 6 preview proves that the more things change...
To say RIM has a lot riding on BlackBerry 6 is an understatement. With new kids on the block like Android and iOS stepping in with lustworthy apps and attractive UIs, the BlackBerrys have been sitting in a corner BBMing everyone else at the party trying to convince them of its sustained utility. Regardless, the latest tease on the BlackBerry Blogs shows off some of the "fresh, but familiar" elements that are getting polished in the jump from OS 5 to OS 6. While some features do have us intrigued -- its implementation of universal search, for example -- other headlining changes to the otherwise staid homescreen have us begging for more. New "views," toggled from a space right under the notification bar, are essentially glorified folders, and the "quick access area" is much like the functionality offered by years-old "Today"-style themes for the handset. Don't get us wrong, the refinements definitely help, but at the end of the day we just hope it isn't RIM trying to put lipstick on a pig -- guess we'll find out when we get a commercial release to really bite into. [Thanks, Jason K]
RIM shows off BlackBerry 6 multimedia experience, in pictures
While there's still no (official) word on when we'll get any BlackBerry OS 6 hardware, much less that 9800 Bold, RIM has seen fit to provide us another glimpse at the software front. This time round we're looking at multimedia features, including the photo gallery, a brand-new podcasts app and YouTube, alongside extra camera controls (including a face detection mode) and roundabout confirmation that at least some new BlackBerries will support pinch-to-zoom. Oddly enough, there's no video showing off the new multimedia functionality, just a set of stills, but we suppose RIM realizes it's all been done before and Crackberry addicts will take whatever they can get right now.
BlackBerry Storm 3 detailed in training slide: same look, more RAM?
For those of you hoping that RIM could pull off a handset capable of challenging the incredibly slim and futuristic tree-borne Android handsets in the touchphone hardware arena, you'll have to dream past the Storm 3. From the looks of it, we'll be getting a fairly minor "refresh" of the Storm 2, according to our tipster, with upgrades more designed to accommodate BlackBerry 6 than anything. As seen on the slide, the phone will double the Storm 2's RAM with 512MB, the camera will be bumped up to 5 megapixels, and the WiFi is being shifted to 802.11n -- a spec RIM is already rocking on the Pearl 3G, so not unprecedented. Outside of BlackBerry 6 and that (supposedly) blazing new WebKit browser, we're probably most enthused about the "coming soon" 3G mobile hotspot functionality, something that's made our Android handsets invaluable as of late. We were already hearing the Storm 3 and Curve 3 (another refresh, says our tipster) were holiday possibles for Verizon, and the bottom of this slide points to an "___ember" month.
BlackBerry 6 teased again in new official video
There have been rumors that the first volley of BlackBerry 6-powered devices could launch as early as last month -- but seeing how we're still empty-handed, we may as well enjoy more high production value video pimping the biggest new features, right? RIM has published another official YouTube spot on BlackBerry 6 today showing off goodies likes aggregated social network integration, universal search, and -- of course -- the all-new WebKit-based browser coming out of last year's purchase of Torch Mobile. Interestingly, this latest video continues RIM's trend of showing 6 running only on full touchscreen phones; we can't fathom that they'd abandon the form factor that made them famous, of course, but it's becoming more and more obvious by the day that we're going to see this launch on the rumored 9800 or something very similar to it. Follow the break for the full video.
BlackBerry Bold 9800 slider coming next month as an AT&T exclusive?
We've still got thousands of unanswered questions (well, maybe not thousands, but definitely dozens) about RIM's upcoming BlackBerry 6 platform -- and it's starting to look like we might be answering those questions at retail by way of this Bold 9800 slider that's been making the rounds lately. BGR claims that the handset is lining up for a mid- to late-June release on AT&T, with the carrier having placed a substantial million-plus unit order to lock it up as an exclusive for some undetermined length of time (much as Verizon has managed to do both with the Storm and the Storm2). We hate to point out the obvious, but from a PR perspective, June's not the best month to be announcing and / or releasing anything that isn't an iPhone -- and when you look at the 9800's form factor and the baby steps that BlackBerry 6 seems to make toward boosting consumer appeal, we don't think you can make an argument that this is a sufficiently different market segment the same way you could with, say, the 9700. In other words: we wouldn't be shocked to see this date slip a bit, assuming the rumor pans out.
RIM converts BMW's iDrive into 'a remote control for your BlackBerry' (video)
If there's one thing business types love more than their BlackBerry, it's their BMW -- or so we're told. It makes all sorts of sense, therefore, that the two companies would partner up to help the things they sell communicate with each other more effortlessly. Using Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile), BlackBerry devices can now beam emails and contacts over to BMW's iDrive dash system, where the driver can listen to his messages via a text-to-speech option or make calls using the car's speakerphone. The first supported handset is the newly minted Pearl 3G, and we're told this functionality will come as an integrated part of BlackBerry 6. To see how it works on a 335is, click past the break for the video. [Thanks, Horatiu]
RIM shows off BlackBerry 6 on video
While RIM's WES 2010 keynote is still ongoing, the company's YouTube channel has kindly released the first teaser video for the incoming BlackBerry 6 operating system. There's a lot of movement on screen -- so much, in fact, that it's almost like RIM really doesn't want you to see the OS at all. We did catch sight of a Cover Flow-aping music organizer, an onscreen keyboard engaging in some threaded messaging, Facebook and Twitter clients, and even the briefest of glimpses at that famed WebKit-based browser. Interaction in the video is done via touch, but you'll naturally be able to utilize the new interface on more conventional, touch-less devices as well. Skip past the break for the moving pictures.
Live from RIM's keynote session at WES 2010!
Though WES technically kicked off yesterday, the show gets really real this morning with RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis' keynote speech to attendees -- the vaunted (and somewhat ominously-named) "General Session." We think we're going to see the first glimpses of the company's upcoming BlackBerry 6 platform here, so stay tuned -- things could get interesting!
BlackBerry 6 coming in third quarter of this year
RIM's co-CEO Mike Lazaridis just announced in an analyst call today that the company's next platform -- coined BlackBerry 6 -- will be available "in the next calendar quarter," which we take to mean the third quarter of 2010. We weren't able to see a video preview of the platform that was shown to analysts attending the event, but the demo apparently showed a touchscreen interface; a follow-up question from the audience confirmed that it'll be available for both touch and non-touch devices, though. Interestingly, Lazaridis said that the company's all-new WebKit-based browser is part and parcel with 6, pointing out that the rendering engine will have implications throughout the platform and the apps that run on it, not just on the browser alone; in other words, we wouldn't expect a release of a WebKit browser from these guys for OS 5.0-based devices. Speaking of OS 5.0, the intention is that every device in RIM's portfolio will eventually run 6, but not everything in the market today will necessarily be upgradeable -- Lazaridis says that they'll "do [their] best," but he's not making any guarantees. More on this as we get it.
