The Daily Roundup for 02.01.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Back to BlackBerry: one editor’s 30-day trial run

BlackBerry 10 for 30 days

I confess, I’m intrigued by BlackBerry 10. Surprised? So am I. It’s been easy to pre-emptively count BlackBerry out of the smartphone wars based on its performance over the last two or three years, but there’s an element of mystique and personality that have made me quite curious to give the new OS a shot. While Wednesday’s BB10 launch answered a lot of questions, it also raised a lot of new ones. Most of the mysteries revolve around its ecosystem, hardware quality, competitive advantages / disadvantages and if the platform can persuade Android and iOS users to switch. As a former Pearl and Curve owner, I want — nay, need — to determine for myself how well BlackBerry’s latest effort holds up against its rivals. Thus, I have decided to use the BlackBerry Z10 as my sole device and daily driver for thirty days.

From now until March 3rd, I’ll experience nearly every aspect of BB10: the UI and its learning curve, its performance and battery life, BlackBerry World, the highly praised virtual keyboard and how well it can handle my work load. I’ll even use the phone at MWC, a major international trade show in which I’ll be even more dependent on my mobile than usual. Throughout this process I’ll be documenting my thoughts, feelings and emotions and deliver them in a regular series of weekly posts. By the end, we’ll see whether or not BB10 can win my heart; is it a suitable replacement for the average iOS or Android user, or does the company still have a difficult path ahead of it? Time will tell, and I’m eager to find out.

Note: If you want to keep updated on my posts, be sure to use the “BradBerry” tag!

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Distro Issue 76: Will a duo of phones and a new OS bring BlackBerry back to life?

Distro Issue 76 Will a duo of new phones and a new OS be enough to bring BlackBerry back to life

After delays and a software preview, RIM BlackBerry finally pulled the wraps off of it’s new hardware and operating system that we’d been looking for the end of January to bring. In this week’s edition of our e-publication, we take a look at all of the wares that the Canadian company unveiled in order to determine if it’s enough to reinvent the outfit. We also rundown the history of the unit formally known as Research in Motion to paint a complete picture of the road leading up to this week’s proceedings. Of course, there’s more than just BlackBerry stuffs to peruse. Hands-On visits NAMM 2013, Weekly Stat tallies up earnings season and we get cozy with the Pebble Smartwatch. There’s plenty of time for a bit of weekend reading, so head to your favorite repository to snag the goods.

Distro Issue 76 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store

Distro in the Windows Store

Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

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Source: iTunes, Google Play, Windows Store

BlackBerry Link now up for grabs to sync your BB10 device and computer

Blackberry Link now up for grabs for desktop syncing of BB10 devices

If you’ve managed to score a BlackBerry 10 device already (meaning you’re likely speaking the Queen’s English), you’ll be able to sync it up with your desktop as soon as you can cable them together. BlackBerry Link, the new name for Blackberry Desktop software, is now available for download everywhere (including the US) to backup and sync content like pictures, audio and video. Legacy handsets running version 7.1 of the OS or earlier will still require the previous Desktop app, but Playbook tablets running BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 will also work with the latest version. Hit the source to grab it, and don’t forget add another revision to your RIM BlackBerry vocabulary.

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Via: Crackberry

Source: Blackberry (UK)

40 Per Cent of BB10′s Apps are Wrappered Android Conversions

Turns out BlackBerry’s proud claim that the new BB10 phones are launching with 70,000 bespoke apps was a bit of a lie—with one of the company’s own men admitting that up to 40 per cent of these are frantic Android port jobs. More »

Are You Going to Buy a New BlackBerry?

So, you’ve read about the new BlackBerrys in exhaustive detail. One big questions remains, though: are any of you actually going to buy one? More »

BlackBerry Q10 flashes pearly whites in brief debut

Blackberry Q10 flashes pearly whites in brief sortie

A previously unseen BlackBerry Q10 in alluring white made a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it appearance at last night’s BlackBerry 10 Experience event in New York. Crackberry was on hand to snap a few photos before the 3.1-inch, dual-processor toting device went back into the pocket of BlackBerry CMO Frank Boulben. The color certainly lends it a heaping dose of James Bond-esque elegance, to our eyes — as for our other thoughts on the physical-key toting handset, check our recent hands-on.

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Source: Crackberry

BlackBerry’s Best Trick: Nailing Work-Life Balance

Today BlackBerry demoed what it’s calling BlackBerry Balance, a clever way of separating one’s personal and work lives in one device. You don’t see it as much these days but carrying two phones—one for business, one for pleasure—was commonplace not too long ago. I remember having a BlackBerry 6200 alongside my Sidekick 2; and I’m sure a lot of you remember those days as well. More »

Editorial: Engadget on BlackBerry 10

Editorial Engadget on BlackBerry 10

January 30th has been circled on our calendars for quite some time. It’s the day that Research in Motion (now known as BlackBerry) officially pulled the curtains away from its next-gen BlackBerry OS — aka BB 10 — revealing all of its secrets to the world after no less than 15 months of development. Don’t underestimate the importance of this move; this is just the beginning of BlackBerry’s battle to remain relevant in the mobile industry. Now that BlackBerry 10 devices are ready to spend time in the public eye, what does our editorial staff think about the products — as well as BlackBerry’s future? Engadget sounds off about BlackBerry 10 after the break.

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BlackBerry’s Most Important Phone Isn’t Its Flagship

BlackBerry announced two phones today, but it’s clear which is the favorite son. The Z10 looks like a winner; it’s got brains and body enough to face the iPhones and Galaxy S IIIs of the world head-on. It’s got a release date and a price. It’s a phone any company would be proud to call a flagship. In fact, its only downside is that it’s totally irrelevant. Whoops! More »