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Government officials can no longer be ignorant about cybersecurity
It's sort of cute when someone you know, usually an older family member, announces that he doesn't understand Facebook or smartphones. It's far less endearing when elected officials and law enforcement flaunt their ignorance of technology and cybersecurity.
Blackberry BBM video calling comes to Android and iOS
There are lots of ways to make video calls, including Skype, Hangouts and Facebook Messenger. But if you're still wedded to BlackBerry's rapidly declining ecosystem, you can make video calls to your Android and iOS pals via beta versions of the BBM messaging app for those platforms. There is no sign-up, fee or approval required for the feature, but it will only be in Canada and the US for now, ostensibly to shake out any beta bugs. However, BlackBerry says the feature will roll out globally in July.
Dutch police seize a secure communications network
The worries about criminals using encryption might be overblown, but that changes when a secure network appears to be used primarily with that activity in mind. Dutch police have both seized encrypted communications network Ennetcom and arrested its owner, Danny Manupassa, over beliefs that the business was being used for organized crime. Reportedly, many of the 19,000-plus users used the company's modified BlackBerry phones as part of "serious criminal activity," including drug trafficking and gang murders. Manupassa himself is accused of money laundering and possessing illegal weapons.
BlackBerry CEO won't say whether he gave up encryption keys
Here's what we know, thanks to an investigation by Motherboard and Vice: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have a key that unlocks encrypted messages on every single non-corporate BlackBerry. Here's what we don't know: whether BlackBerry gave that key to the RCMP. BlackBerry CEO John Chen today penned a blog post in response to last week's revelation that the RCMP unlocked more than 1 million encrypted messages as part of an operation called Project Clemenza, which led to seven men confessing their involvement in a murder conspiracy. In the post, Chen doesn't definitively say whether BlackBerry gave its encryption key to Canadian authorities, but he mentions the benefits of cooperating with law enforcement.
DJI's pro M600 drone adapts to the camera it's carrying
DJI might be most well known for its ubiquitous Phantom series of quadcopters, but the company makes professional drones and camera kit, too. The latest addition to the pro line is the $4,599 Matrice 600 (M600), a hexacopter that adjusts how it flies automatically, depending what it's carrying. The M600 is also joined by and update to the Osmo hand-held rig, and a new version of its popular Ronin gimbal, as the company reveals its latest professional tools at this year's NAB show.
Canadian police used BlackBerry's key to unlock BBM messages
BlackBerry's big selling point is its stance on mobile security, but a report from Vice and Motherboard reveals at least one national police force were able to bypass that security. A cache of documents revealed that Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police had the ability to intercept and crack encrypted messages sent through BlackBerry's BBM service. The RCMP's findings in an operation called Project Clemenza led to seven men confessing their roles in a murder conspiracy, but over 1 million messages were captured and unlocked by a server in Ottawa along the way.
BlackBerry has two mid-range Android phones coming this year
Even though the Priv fell flat, BlackBerry is still trucking along with Android. The troubled company now plans to launch two mid-range Android phones later this year, reports The National. One phone will feature a physical keyboard, while the other will be a completely touchscreen device, according to BlackBerry CEO John Chen. While he didn't have many details to share, Chen mentioned a potential $400 price, which would be a huge discount from the Priv, which launched at $699.
BBM's paid privacy features go free
When BlackBerry phones were popular, so was BBM. The messaging app's dominance has slowly faded, however, as iPhone and Android shipments have soared. BBM is but one choice now in the App Store and Google Play, fighting against popular alternatives like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. To compete, BlackBerry is ripping out two of its premium privacy features and offering them to users for free. The first is Retract, a tool that lets you delete individual messages. Once it's been activated, the chosen text or media will disappear both from your device and the recipient's, leaving no trace it was ever sent in the first place. The second, Timer, is a Snapchat-style tool for ephemeral messaging. With it, users can set how long their text and photos are visible to the chat's participants. Neither feature is unique or new to BBM -- BlackBerry has offered both since October 2014 -- but for a long time, they were locked behind a paywall. The company launched them as free upgrades but warned they join its paid BBM Subscription after a few months. At the time, this might have made financial sense, but these days it's a difficult sell when the same functionality is available for free in other apps. To coincide with the reversal, BlackBerry has made a slew of smaller improvements to the app on Android, iOS and BlackBerry 10. These include the ability to forward messages from one chat to another, support for Android 6.0, and improved BBM Voice call quality on Android and iOS. Will these additions return BBM to the top of the messaging app heap? Probably not, but for longtime fans they'll be welcome all the same, and possibly discourage them from switching for a little while longer.
BlackBerry 10's new Facebook app lives only on the web
BlackBerry 10 is on life support, with few sales and fewer devices. It's in such a bad state that the company has switched its attention to Android, giving developers little reason to support its own operating system. Facebook jumped ship earlier this month, announcing that it would end support for its apps later this year. But wait! BlackBerry has announced a new, replacement Facebook app. Unlike the old one, however, it's just a web app. That does mean a few extra features, such as the ability to reply to comments (yes, really), but it's far from a like-for-like swap.
Facebook is breaking up with the BlackBerry platform
WhatsApp's earlier announcement that it's leaving the BlackBerry ecosystem was apparently only the beginning of Facebook's exodus from the platform. The world's biggest social network and its Messenger app will stop working on the BlackBerry OS, including BB10, by the end of 2016. In a blog post on the company's website, the app team said Facebook decided to "discontinue support of their essential APIs for BlackBerry." They tried to change their minds, but it sounds like Zuckerberg and his crew wouldn't budge -- the team even started a Twitter campaign in an effort to get Facebook to reconsider.
BlackBerry's Priv Android phone comes to Verizon
For power Android users who need a physical keyboard, one of the few devices left is the BlackBerry Priv. Until now, it could only be found on AT&T and T-Mobile, but it's now available on Verizon, the biggest network in the US -- for a price. While it costs as little as $700 or so unlocked, Big Red is selling it for $720 sans contract, or a hefty $30 per month over two years. However, it means that BlackBerry's first and only Android device (so far) is now available to over 80 percent of US subscribers, with just Sprint missing from the big four.
WhatsApp is dropping support for the BlackBerry platform
By the end of 2016, WhatsApp will no longer work on most BlackBerry devices, even those loaded with the company's latest mobile platform. In the blog post the WhatsApp team published today, they reminisced about their launch back in 2009, when most smartphones were either a BlackBerry or a Nokia. It was a different time, and the Facebook-owned app's developers have to cut them off, because the platforms "don't offer the kind of capabilities [they] need to expand [their] app's features in the future."
What to expect from this year's Mobile World Congress
Team Engadget is slowly trickling into Barcelona as you read this, which can only mean one thing: The beautiful nightmare of Mobile World Congress is nearly upon us. The next few days will see some of the world's biggest, most important industry players try to outdo each other with smartphones, tablets and plenty more. If that sounds like an insane week, well, you're right (and we wouldn't have it any other way). Read on for a preview of what we expect the biggest news to be.
Report: BlackBerry lays off a third of its Waterloo staff (Updated)
Citing multiple sources, Mobile Syrup reported Friday that BlackBerry has laid off roughly 35 percent of its workforce in Waterloo, Canada -- where the company is headquartered. That translates into about 1000 people losing their jobs. According to Mobilesyrup, the BB10 and Devices divisions suffered the deepest cuts with 150 members of the latter team getting sacked. A small number of workers from BlackBerry's Sunrise, Florida office were also let go.
BlackBerry wants you to know its phones are cool
People say you must love yourself in order to be loved by others, and that's exactly what BlackBerry's trying to do. The manufacturer recently posted a blog highlighting how many times its devices appeared in movies and TV shows last year, taking into account a few of the major US television networks as well as Netflix and Amazon's original content. So what were the results? BlackBerry counted at least 199 roles: 154 on the small screen and 45 for films.
Police claim to have cracked extra-secure BlackBerry phones
BlackBerry smartphones have secure messaging as a matter of course, but for some that isn't enough: there are custom models that are even more secure thanks to PGP-encrypted mail. However, it seems that these locked down models aren't quite as safe as you'd think. The Netherlands Forensic Institute has confirmed a recent report that it's capable of scooping up encrypted data from PGP-equipped BlackBerry devices. It's not discussing the exact techniques involved, but it's relying on a tool from CelleBrite to get the job done. One possibility is that investigators are guessing the password based on a memory dump, although that normally requires yanking a memory chip off the phone's motherboard.
BlackBerry is dumping BB10 for Android in 2016 (update)
BlackBerry spent years fine-tuning BB10, but its homegrown mobile OS will have to take a backseat for now. During an interview at CES in Las Vegas, CEO John Chen has revealed that the company plans to release at least one new Android phone this year. A second one might follow, but it likely depends on how well the first one sells. Chen chose to keep all the details and release dates a secret, but computer renders of what could be the company's next Android device, code-named "Vienna," were leaked last year.
BlackBerry is building software to help power self-driving cars
It's been a long time since BlackBerry was just a phone maker, a fact that was made more apparent than ever at the company's cozy CES press conference. To wit: The company just pulled back the curtain on a QNX-based software platform meant to help self-driving cars stay safe and on the road. No, seriously! While car makers often use QNX to power their in-car entertainment systems, BlackBerry's new platform should make it easier for them to collect and interpret environmental data to feed into their cars' driver assistance systems.
BlackBerry CEO says Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint will sell the Priv
For two months now, there were only two worthwhile ways to get a BlackBerry Priv in the US — you could buy one unlocked straight from the source or ink an agreement with AT&T. That won't be the case for much longer, though. BlackBerry CEO John Chen just confirmed here at CES that Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile have all signed on to sell the Priv... at some point. Chen couldn't provide any further information on when these carriers will officially add BlackBerry's latest phone to their line-ups, noting that "they all like to do that themselves". Fair enough, John.
BlackBerry will continue to operate in Pakistan after all
BlackBerry has decided to stay and operate in Pakistan. Earlier this year, when the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority asked for "unfettered access" to users' information, including emails and BBM exchanges, the Canadian phone company refused to allow back door access that would jeopardize the privacy of its customers. The government pushed back and notified local mobile phone operators to discontinue BlackBerry Enterprise Service for "security reasons". With the shut down order looming over its existence, the company decided it was better to leave the country rather than change its privacy policy.
