Hasta La Gadget!

It seems the British government aren’t the only ones who think BlackBerry doesn’t live up to their standards as the US government may also be ditching BlackBerry.

With the BlackBerry Z10 expected to launch on AT&T tomorrow and T-Mobile next week, the US Department of Defense has reportedly ordered 650,000 Apple devices as part of its mobile device testing program. The order will give the department 120,000 iPads, 100,000 iPad minis, 200,000 iPod Touches and approximately 210,000 iPhones, which we’re sure won’t be coming out of tax payers wallets. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: US Department Of Defense Reportedly Planning On Buying 650,000 iOS Devices, Apple Patent Describes A Method To Prevent Your Phone From Falling Display First,

Things aren’t looking so great for Blackberry, if information provided to Electronista is to be believed. Back in October, word had surfaced that the Pentagon would be taking in iOS and Android devices on top of Blackberry, which has been a staple platform for many government agencies. Last month, we reported that the Pentagon would be rolling out 100,000 of the devices by next year, but it would seem things have changed, with an order of over 650,000 iOS devices pending.

The folks over at Electronista say they have received information from “well-placed sources familiar with the matter” that the Department of Defense has a pending order for over half a million Apple devices, which will go through after the sequester ends. This follows reports that Blackberry’s BB 10 handsets were given the kibosh in an effort to reduce costs.

The sources went on to break down the numbers, stating that the order will be comprised of 200,000 iPod Touches, 100,000 iPad minis, and 120,000 iPads. For those doing the math, this leaves another 200,000+ empty slots that will be filled with “various iPhones,” meaning some government workers won’t be lucky enough to score the iPhone 5. Still, this order is being placed, the sources say, to satisfy “needs that can’t wait.”

Reportedly, the majority of these Apple devices will be sent to those on the “battlefield [and] afloat,” as well as to support commands related to both. The devices left over from that will almost exclusively stay with Pentagon personnel, and whatever remains will find homes in various other locations. The blow for Blackberry comes from another source, which stated that these Apple devices will replace almost all Blackberry devices in use that aren’t BB 10 compatible.

[via Electronista]

Department of Defense to buy more than 650,000 iOS devices say sources is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
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If Blackberry’s full touchscreen smartphone, the Z10 wasn’t what you wanted and you wanted something a little familiar, chances are you are waiting for Blackberry to release the Q10. For those unfamiliar, the Q10 is a Blackberry 10 device with a familiar QWERTY keyboard layout and it should be released sometime later in April/May. Now if that sounds like what you’re after, then you might be interested to learn that the Q10 will be available in both black and white, with the black version looking pretty standard while the white version looks pretty darn striking.

The white version of the Q10 was caught on video in India during the launch of the Z10 and attendees of the event managed to get a chance to play with the device. We have to say it looks pretty good, although we admit we’re a bit worried about the white fading thanks to grime and stains, but what do you guys think? Which color will you be getting when the Q10 launches?

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The BlackBerry Z10 will be available this Friday on AT&T, marking the official launch of BlackBerry 10 in the US. We know many of you BlackBerry owners are excited about this major event, which is why your excitement will probably die down a bit after witnessing what BlackBerry released today.

A number of BlackBerry’s senior executives came together with the company’s vice president of developer relations Alec Saunders on lead vocals to perform “At Last.” Of course, seeing as it’s a video in praise of BlackBerry 10 coming to the US “at last,” a number of the song’s lyrics have been optimized to reflect some of the new features you can expect such as “Your games and apps are in the storefront … A new platform built for you.” (more…)

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BlackBerry 10 is here at last and so, of course, there’s another BlackBerry-tastic music video from VP of Developer Relations, Alec Saunders. Now that BlackBerry’s actually delivered on those promises from the first song, you can’t fault ’em for wanting to take a victory lap, even if it’s really hard to watch. More »