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Ten years in, a look at the iPad killers that weren't
The PlayBook’s chances of outselling the iPad, or literally any other tablet for that matter, were nil. As we saw with the Galaxy Tab, tablets running Android 2.0 and up basically just acted like jumbo smartphones.
BlackBerry will shutter its app store on December 31st, 2019
While there's little doubt that BlackBerry's in-house mobile platforms are finished (the last BB10 device shipped over 2 years ago), it's now giving holdouts some not-so-subtle hints that it's time to move on. The company has announced that it's shutting down BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS services over the next couple of years. The closures will start with relatively little-used services like the BlackBerry Travel site (February 2018) and Playbook video calling (March 2018), but it will culminate with the shutdown of the BlackBerry World app store on December 31st, 2019. When 2020 rolls around, your Classic or Passport won't have an official avenue for downloading software.
Cities are collaborating on rules for Uber and Airbnb
The sharing economy,and the companies that embody it, have often waded into a fight wherever they set up shop. That's because local governments aren't nimble enough to cope with such radically new ideas, and the companies themselves often struggle with compromise. In order to smooth things over, a coalition of 10 cities across the globe are collaborating on a framework that'll provide these companies with ground rules to abide by. Bloomberg quotes New York official Wiley Norvell, who says that providing common rules will help both protect users and ensure that political voices are heard by famously regulation-averse startups.
BlackBerry's rebirth: how a fallen smartphone giant plans to remake itself
BlackBerry has stopped bleeding -- officially, at least. In a memo leaked to Reuters, CEO John Chen tells staff that three years of job cuts are over, and that the former mobile legend can start building itself back up rather than salvaging what's left of its smartphone empire. But how did it get to this point? And more importantly, how does it plan to bounce back in an era when even many of its corporate customers have moved on to Android and iOS? As you'll see in our gallery below, BlackBerry is only getting to this point after some grave errors and painful decisions -- but it at last appears to have a strategy that, while imperfect, at least acknowledges a difficult reality. [Lead image credit: AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim]
Cracking up: a brief history of BlackBerry's fall from smartphone dominance
BlackBerry is in dire straits. The smartphone maker was riding high in market share and profits just a few years ago, but it's now having trouble securing rescue money. It's yet again pinning its hopes on a new CEO who's tasked with saving a struggling industry giant. How did BlackBerry decline so quickly, though? And what might happen to the company when seemingly every option is on the table? As it turns out, BlackBerry's descent into trivial market share figures and sustained losses stems from a mixture of hubris, sluggishness and misplaced effort -- and there's no clear solution in sight.
Refresh Roundup: week of September 9th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Switched On: Played out
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. At the launch of the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 -- the first hardware devices to run on the long-awaited BlackBerry 10 operating system -- there seemed to be a silver lining for the renamed company's struggling PlayBook tablet. Confirming speculation, CEO Thorsten Heins promised a cheering crowd that the PlayBook would receive an update to a new OS. This would open the door to signature features, a more polished user interface and a vastly expanded app library. But something was amiss. The company had also announced that, to simplify app development, BlackBerry 10 would support two screen resolutions: the Z10's 1,280 x 768 and the Q10's 720 x 720. In contrast, the PlayBook resolution is 1,024 x 600. Late last month, the other shoe dropped as BlackBerry confirmed that the PlayBook would not receive the promised update, leaving it with an abandoned OS and marking the effective exit of BlackBerry from the tablet market.
BlackBerry 10 not coming to BlackBerry PlayBook tablets
If you were hoping your BlackBerry PlayBook would get a taste of BlackBerry 10, think twice. Despite earlier plans, Thorsten Heins just revealed that the newer OS isn't coming to his company's tablet due to "performance and user experience" concerns. The executive didn't discuss the long-term future of the PlayBook, but it's clear that the current model is at the end of the road. When the company's earnings are back in the red, devoting attention to a long-struggling device isn't likely to be high on the priority list.
Madden 25 will let you move to 17 different cities, revive historic teams
In Madden 25's Connected Franchise career mode, players can take on the role of team owner and perform a number of new tasks, including relocating teams to new cities. Madden's Creative Director Mike Young told Joystiq today that the mode is designed to limit the franchise relocation option to 17 different markets. The 17 cities include Brooklyn, London, Dublin, Toronto, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Austin, Columbus, Orlando, Portland, Oklahoma City and Memphis. Additionally, some locations with an already-established NFL presence can receive a second team, such as Chicago and Houston. Players will have the option to retain their team name, logo and uniforms when moving or select from three different preset options for each city, including the Brooklyn Beats. The mode also grants players the option to reboot now-defunct teams from the NFL's history, such as the Columbus Panhandles, London Monarchs or the Houston Oilers. Players can opt to turn off the team relocation feature, disabling the option entirely. EA Sports provided us with a new trailer for the game in which Young discusses the move from Madden 13's Connected Careers mode to this year's Connected Franchise mode. Madden 25 will launch August 27 for PS3 and Xbox 360.
BlackBerry Z10, Q10 and PlayBook get DoD approval
The average consumer may be able to thumb through FCC filings to get a peek at their next smartphone, but certain government employee's hopes lie in the hands of another agency: the US Department of Defense. Good news for federally employed BlackBerry fans, then -- the company just announced that BlackBerry 10 smartphones and PlayBook tablets running Enterprise Service 10 have been added to the Defense Information Systems Agency's approved product list. Finally, DoD employees can toss out that aging BB7 handset and pick up a modern OS. Check out the company's official statement after the break.
Thorsten Heins: tablets aren't a good business model, BlackBerry aiming to lead mobile computing in five years
Holding out for a post-RIM version of the PlayBook? That waiting likely won't end any time soon. BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins used an interview yesterday to discuss the mobile environment five years out. Seems he's feeling particularly bullish about his own company's prospects. "In five years, I see BlackBerry to be the absolute leader in mobile computing -- that's what we're aiming for," he told the interviewer. "I want to gain as much market share as I can, but not by being a copycat." Not being a copycat may likely involve staying away from the crowded tablet market. "In five years I don't think there'll be a reason to have a tablet anymore," according to the CEO. "Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model." This certainly isn't the first time the exec has expressed caution about the space in the wake of the PlayBook's lukewarm reception. Heins has mentioned in the past that the company won't jump back into tablets unless it sees the potential for profits. Update: BlackBerry has since issued an official response to the interview, The comments that Thorsten made yesterday are in line with previous comments he has made about the future of mobile computing overall, and the possibilities that come with a platform like BlackBerry 10. We continue to evaluate our tablet strategy, but we are not making any shifts in that strategy in the short term. When we do have information about our PlayBook strategy, we will share it.
Phones4U taking BlackBerry Q10 pre-orders, giving away PlayBooks to first 300 customers (update)
Know what's better than a shiny new BlackBerry Q10? A BlackBerry Q10 with a 64GB PlayBook thrown in for free, and Phones4U is the place to get it. To be clear, the UK retailer has begun taking pre-orders for the BB10 handset with a hardware keyboard today, and the first 300 folks to pledge their money will get one of BlackBerry's 7-inch slates for free along with it. As for the Q10's cost, it's £36 a month on contract or £549.95 SIM-free, with the black model expected to arrive by the end of April and the alabaster version coming in the weeks after. Update: Should you miss out on the Phones4U deal (or just don't want a PlayBook), you can head on over to the Carphone Warehouse to place your pre-order and get a free Bluetooth speaker to pair with your Q10 instead.
BlackBerry exec allegedly confirms a new BB10 tablet will launch in 2013 (update: not true)
The company formerly known as RIM is currently rolling out two devices running the new BlackBerry 10 OS, and apparently that's not all it's got in store for 2013. Know Your Mobile India reportedly heard from the Head of Developer Relations for Asia Pacific at BlackBerry, during the recent Z10 launch in India, that a "BB10 tablet is definitely coming later this year." We already knew that BB10 was to be shoehorned onto the PlayBook, and the same exec confirmed that it's still in the works, so your old slate won't be left with outdated software when this new hardware arrives. We've reached out to BlackBerry for confirmation or comment, and will update you when we hear back. Update: Well, that was quick! The exec mentioned above has told us he was misquoted, and that BlackBerry has no immediate plans for a new tablet, instead focusing fully on the Z10 and Q10 for now. Sorry, folks -- no PlayBook 2 for you.
Refresh Roundup: week of February 11th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
BlackBerry PlayBook update adds BlackBerry World rebranding, puts SMS into Bridge
It isn't all about the Z10, you know. BlackBerry just gave PlayBook owners some equal time in the sun with a new (if unceremoniously titled) 2.1.0.1526 update. The release puts the tablet through the same BlackBerry World rebranding we've seen on the Z10 along with truly functional improvements, such as support for in-app payments and the addition of SMS chats through BlackBerry Bridge. Less conspicuous audio and browser upgrades lurk underneath. While it's not the BlackBerry 10 upgrade that some would crave, the patch is proof the company still has love for its original QNX-based gadget.
Refresh Roundup: week of December 17th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
RIM loses in arbitration with Nokia, may have to pay royalties on BlackBerrys with WiFi
Nokia and RIM already have a troubled history whenever they come into contact, so it's no surprise that what truces they do have are fraying at the edges. Thanks to filings, we now know that RIM has lost a Swedish arbitration proceeding where it tried to extend a 2003 patent cross-licensing deal with Nokia to include WiFi devices; the wireless technology isn't covered, the arbitrator says, and RIM now has to either pay royalties worldwide or risk seeing its devices yanked from the market. Nokia isn't wasting any time pressuring the team in Waterloo into coughing up -- it's taking steps to enforce the decision in Canada, the UK and the US. RIM has so far turned down any comment, although it's more likely that their firm will cut a deal rather than risk a sweeping ban. Consider it another of the many hurdles for RIM to jump on the road to January 30th.
Blackberry PlayBook 3G+ now available in the UK, 1.5GHz dual-core, 32GB storage
It was over a year ago now that we first heard about RIM's plans to release a 3G PlayBook, but it looks like it is finally here, popping up on the UK BlackBerry site. Of course, since then it's gone one better and delivered an LTE version, but if you're in the UK, and want a little PlayBook action with data to go, you can order one today. Much like its LTE sibling, it comes with 32GB of memory, and gets the same faster 1.5GHz processor too. (The original was 1.0GHz.) The kicker here? The price, at around £420 (about $690 by conversion) is only £30 ($48) shy of Apple's 32GB WiFi and cellular iPad mini (at UK prices). On a positive note, while RIM might have had the 3G model lingering for some time, it did beat its arrival projections by a few months. But, with the UK now enjoying LTE, perhaps those interested in a PlayBook might rather campaign for the faster model to be added to the roster, too.
RIM's PlayBook disappearing from online retailers in the US
If you want to get your hands on RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, you might be running out of time. It seems that the QNX-based device is no longer available in the US from retailers like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, RadioShack and Staples, with Amazon and RIM's own online store being the exceptions. We're wondering if this means newer PlayBooks are in the works -- we've already seen updated 4G LTE models out in the open and recent OS updates indicate the company hasn't given up on the much-maligned PlayBook. Potential upgrades include the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS, and hardware improvements wouldn't be a bad idea (Perhaps a flip-out keyboard addition a la Microsoft Surface?). In any case, RIM might want to move fast if it wants any chance of competing in the increasingly crowded tablet space.
BlackBerry PlayBook 2.1 update goes live with SMS, portrait email
RIM's attention around its QNX-based platforms might revolve around BlackBerry 10 as of late, but don't think that it's leaving BlackBerry PlayBook users behind. A PlayBook 2.1 update is rolling out today that fills in some of the gaps left by 2.0 earlier this year. Habitual messagers can now start SMS text messages directly from the tablet when tethered through BlackBerry Bridge; they also get overdue support for a portrait view in email, calendars and contacts. If communication isn't the cornerstone of your life, you'll still find a few niceties such as Android App Player support for the camera and in-app purchases, device encryption that extends to personal data and wireless printing beyond the local network. For now, you'll have to be an owner of the original, WiFi-only PlayBook to leap on the 2.1 train today -- those who sprang for the usually carrier-bound PlayBook 4G LTE should get their upgrade within a month.
