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BlackBerry 10 phones get the Amazon Appstore in the US
If you're a BlackBerry-toting American, you're about to get a ton of Android apps on your plate. As promised, BlackBerry has started the US rollout of an update that gives all BB10 devices access to the Amazon Appstore, saving you from having to sideload some of the Android titles you can't live without. You'll also get better anti-theft protection and a "fresh look" that includes faster access to common tasks.
How would you change Blackberry's Z10?
With the advent of touchscreen smartphones, BlackBerry lost its position as king of the mobile world. In response, the company bought QNX and hibernated, plotting a reinvention centered around BlackBerry 10. When the business emerged with the Z10, everyone knew that this was the device that the company's future relied upon -- and we know how that ended up. When we reviewed it, we found that every element of the hardware was solid, adequate and pleasing. Unfortunately for BlackBerry, nothing stood out as being better compared to the devices that launched in its stead, nullifying any attention the handset's big launch had garnered. It's been just over a year since the Z10 launched, so we thought we'd ask all of you what it's been like living with this device. Hop over to the forums and let's chat some BlackBerry.
Verizon's BlackBerry 10 phones are finally getting their 10.2.1 updates
A few lucky Verizon BlackBerry buffs got the long-awaited 10.2.1 update back in January, and now Big Red is starting to push that new build to all its Z10, Q10 and Z30 owners. The new version number doesn't sound all that impressive, but the changelog is heftier than the label lets on: there's loads of UI tweaks to dig into, to say nothing of an offline reading mode, better support for group messaging and FM radio functionality... if you've got a Q10 or Z30. BlackBerry also made it easier to install Android APKs, if you're into that sort of cross-platform witchcraft. Verizon is the second major US carrier to make this update available (T-Mobile took the gold this time), but there's still no word on when AT&T and Sprint will get their respective acts together.
BlackBerry's BB 10.2 OS update brings notification previews and Priority Hub to Z10 and Q10 devices 'this week'
Before today, the only way to enjoy BlackBerry's BB 10.2 OS was to buy the company's new Z30 flagship. But, as the company previously promised, that software update's ready to trickle down to all BB 10 users and should be hitting devices "starting this week." BlackBerry's said that the OS update won't be available from all carriers though, so depending on your wireless operator allegiance, you may or may not see that update notification. When it does arrive, Z10 and Q10 owners can look forward to the new BB Priority Hub which organizes your communications according to importance, message previews throughout the UI and lockscreen, and the ability to reply directly to BBM notifications. If you need some hand-holding for the update process, you can check out BlackBerry's how-to at the source link.
Inside look at BlackBerry reveals failed 'SMS 2.0' push, qualms over Z10 launch
We're familiar with much of BlackBerry's history, but there are a few unanswered questions: why did Jim Balsillie resign his board position, for example? And why did the Z10 launch ahead of Q10, to disastrous results? Thankfully, The Globe and Mail has addressed some of these mysteries through a detailed exposé. We now know that Balsillie left the board after BlackBerry axed an "SMS 2.0" plan that would have replaced carriers' text services with BlackBerry Messenger. Thorsten Heins wanted the company to remain focused on hardware, according to the newspaper. As for the Z10? Heins reportedly prioritized the all-touch phone over the objections of board members like Mike Lazaridis, who saw the Q10's keyboard as necessary for standing out in a crowded market. There's even more to the story than these two revelations, so you'll want to visit the source link if you're wondering just how BlackBerry ended up in such dire straits.
BlackBerry starts selling unlocked Q10 and Z10 phones through its US site
It has been possible to snag an unlocked BlackBerry Q10 or Z10 in the US for a while if you've been willing to search around, but you now won't have to. BlackBerry has quietly begun selling unrestricted GSM variants of the two smartphones through its US site at prices of $449 for a Z10 and $549 for a Q10. Either device remains LTE-capable, and both should play nicely with AT&T and T-Mobile. The direct sales aren't likely to attract many converts, but they should help American fans who may have a tough time finding a BlackBerry in stores.
BlackBerry loses a billion dollars in three months, blames it on failed Z10
BlackBerry has just reported a $935 million hit in Q2 due entirely to what it's calling a "Z10 Inventory Charge" -- in other words, a loss associated with creating a stock of flagship handsets that subsequently failed to sell. Echoing Microsoft's catastrophic write-down due to unsold Surface RT inventory, this single loss was enough to wipe out much of the company's quarterly revenue of $1.6 billion. When added to a further loss due to corporate restructuring, it resulted in a final GAAP loss for BlackBerry of $965 million. It's hard to gauge exactly how many of the newer BB 10 handsets (namely the Z10 and Q10) sold during the quarter, but BlackBerry admits that "most" of the 3.7 million units that reached end users were older BlackBerry 7 devices, so the figures can't be pretty. For his part, Thorsten Heins says he's "very disappointed" with the results, but he claims the company saw growth in enterprise server (BES 10) customers and he insists there's still a future in that side of the business -- a future that could soon belong to someone else.
Bad news from BlackBerry: 4,500 jobs to be cut, expected Q2 net operating loss of over $950 million
Things haven't been going well at BlackBerry for awhile, what with lackluster adoption of BB10 and the hardware running it, and rumors that massive layoffs are coming before the end of the year. Today, the company confirmed the latter rumor, announcing that it will lay off around 4,500 employees as a part of a plan to reduce its operating expenditures by half over the next year. The plan's necessitated by an expected Q2 2014 net operating loss of almost one billion (955-995 million) dollars, driven primarily by the lackluster sale of its BB10 phones -- the company will take a pre-tax charge of $930-960 million which can be attributed mostly to the failure of the Z10 to sell. BlackBerry expects revenue for Q2 to be $1.6 billion, which is roughly half of the $3.1 billion it pulled in last quarter. Needless to say, the financial outlook for the company isn't good, and some changes are in order. In the near term, the Z10 will be priced " to make it available to a broader, entry-level audience," leaving the Z30 as BlackBerry's all-touch flagship. To try to turn things around in the long term, the company's going to refocus on its enterprise offerings and will reduce its device portfolio from six devices to four, with two high end and two entry level phones. And, don't get it twisted, the days of BlackBerry courting mainstream consumers is all but over -- its future phones will be aimed at the "enterprise and prosumers."
Refresh Roundup: week of September 2nd, 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!
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 12th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought leaks of a smartphone that tips the scales with a 6-inch screen, an alternate ego to the oft-leaked Sony 'Honami' and the return of unlimited data to a certain AT&T MVNO. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of August 12th, 2013.
BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 get the green light from the Department of Defense
Some good news for the phone makers in Waterloo: the US Defense Information System Agency is OK-ing BlackBerry's first two BB10 handsets for use on Department of Defense networks, confirming that the phones have all the necessary security measures in place. With the governmental go-ahead, the DISA's building out an infrastructure to support 10,000 Q10 and Z10 handsets by fall -- a number expected to triple by year's end. More info on the approval after the break, including some understated gloating from BlackBerry.
BlackBerry might re-try the Porsche Design thing with leaked P'9982
Those canny folks at Tinhte may have revealed yet another previously unknown handset, this time from BlackBerry. A leaked image appears to show a Porsche Design version of the Z10, packing what looks like a carbon fiber shell and other touches from the design house. Tinhte says the device would also run a custom version of BlackBerry 10 and cost $2,000 or more, while N4BB claims it'll be called the P'9982 (punctuation and all). Though the pictures look convincing enough, information about the naming, OS and price is purely speculative -- you might need an entire salt shaker to swallow it whole. Check the images for yourself at the source.
Refresh Roundup: week of July 22nd, 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.
Twitter for BlackBerry 10 updated: revamped UI, multiple account access and more
Suffice it to say, the BB10 crowd hasn't exactly been pleased with the current Twitter app on the platform -- a quick look at the BlackBerry World reviews pretty much sums up the frustration. Now, hoping to alleviate some of those troubles, Twitter's releasing version 10.2 of its application, which brings a hefty amount of improvements to folks with a Z10 or Q10. The app now displays a redesigned UI that makes it easier to browse, as well as other new features including access to DMs and multiple accounts, the ability to save photos being shared, an overhauled Discover tab and more enhancements to search. We have a feeling BlackBerry 10 users will certainly appreciate today's beefy update, so do let us know in the comments below if you're enjoying it thus far.
BlackBerry Z10 prices slashed across the board: $99 at Verizon and AT&T, $49 on Amazon
Looking for an excuse to try out BlackBerry's latest flagship? Here's one: now it's cheap. Folks willing to sign up for a usual two year agreement can score the BlackBerry Z10 for $99 at both AT&T and Verizon or a mere $49 at Amazon. The price drop is most likely designed to spur sales in the wake of the Canadian company's $84 million loss last quarter. "Now is the right time to adjust the price," a BlackBerry spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal. "It's part of life cycle management to tier the pricing for current devices to make room for the next ones." In other words, BlackBerry needs to move its existing stock before it can sell the public on a second-generation device. Either way, the Z10 is a steal at $49 -- unless you're in one of the regions that's simply giving them away.
BlackBerry 10.1 arrives for Z10 on AT&T
We doubt that many of AT&T's BlackBerry users want to buy a Q10 just to get BlackBerry 10.1, and today they won't have to: the upgrade is rolling out now to the network's Z10 owners. The OS update is similar to what we've seen elsewhere, adding Skype support and HDR photography as well as improvements to both the Hub and notifications. Z10 users should get BlackBerry 10.1 over the air, although those who prefer to update the wired way can visit the source link for a download.
Refresh Roundup: week of June 24th, 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 shipped just 2.7 million BB 10 handsets last quarter (updated)
BlackBerry got off to a roaring start with with the Z10, which shipped a million devices in its first three weeks on the market and led many to predict there'd be at least 3 million shipped this quarter (the first full quarter of Z10 availability). That turned out not to be the case, as the company said during an earnings call for Q1 2014 that it managed to get just 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 OS handsets out the door, despite the Q10 having joined the Z10 on shelves for a good part of that period. Those figures make up just 40 percent of its handset numbers, meaning most of the 6.8 million phones it shipped consisted of cheaper last-gen products. They refused to break those numbers down between the Q10 and Z10, so that's all we have to go on at this point -- but taken with its announcement of an $84 million loss, it's far from encouraging. Update: Apologies, folks. Our original headline said 2.7 million were sold, whereas in fact the figure indicates shipping numbers. The post itself is unchanged and accurate. For reference, BlackBerry's actual sales to end users lagged behind shipments by around 30 percent when they revealed the previous set of figures back in March.
Refresh Roundup: week of June 17th, 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!
