Hasta La Gadget!

Worried that RIM might face any further delays of BlackBerry 10? Don’t be. CEO Thorsten Heins just confirmed at his BlackBerry Jam presentation that carrier testing for the new OS should begin this October, and that the platform launch is still slated for early 2013, as we were told this spring. As he’s mentioned in the past, Heins believes carriers are “excited” about the BlackBerry update, implying that this is what’s driving the certification process months in advance. Whether or not optimism is alive and well among providers, the news could be a relief for carriers and BlackBerry developers alike, either of which is likely keen to minimize the shift towards an Android-and-iPhone duopoly in the smartphone space.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

RIM: BlackBerry 10 carrier testing starts in October, OS remains on schedule originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 11:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re sure that many Blackberry loyalists out there are eagerly waiting for RIM to release Blackberry 10. While a specific date has yet to be given, the folks at blackberryitalia.it have managed to get their hands on some screenshots from the upcoming platform. It doesn’t reveal much but we get a look at the loading screen of RIM’s Maps app, which hopefully will do a better job compared to Apple’s iOS 6 Maps, connectivity options, some menus and also a screenshot of what appears to be a HTML5 browser test in which the Blackberry 10 device scored a pretty impressive 486, making it 14 points shy of 500 marks which is the maximum a browser can score. It’s hard to tell if Blackberry 10 will be an impressive platform that will allow it to compete against iOS and Android, but for Blackberry loyalists looking for a full touchscreen experience but with a unique Blackberry feel to it, it certainly looks like Blackberry 10 is headed in the right direction. You can head on over to blackberryitalia.it for the rest of the screenshots.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Another Blackberry 10 L-series photo has leaked online, BBM for Blackberry 10 revealed in alleged leaked screenshots,

RIM is facing its first ever quarter with zero subscriber growth, industry experts predict, as it feels the pain of the delays around BlackBerry 10 and the increasing appeal of iOS and Android. Having managed to eke out more users despite aging software until now, RIM’s customer base is expected to plateau, The Globe and Mail reports, with enterprise customers defecting from BlackBerry devices. However, some aren’t even confident that BlackBerry 10 is sufficient to stem the user defections.

“This is the first quarter we are expecting zero subscriber growth – a loss in enterprise [customers] offset by a small gain in international consumer subs,” National Bank Financial’s Kris Thompson warned. “Starting next quarter, we see the sub base in a downward spiral with Blackberry 10 potentially slowing [the losses], but we’re not holding our breath.”

RIM’s headaches can’t be boiled down to solely software, hardware, or services, but instead are a combination of all three. BlackBerry 7 devices look tired in comparison to Apple’s iPhone and recent Android smartphones, while Microsoft is making a play for the enterprise market with Windows Phone 8.

A rise in developing market adoption and a surprise degree of appeal among young users has failed to bolster subscriptions for BlackBerry Exchange Server (BES), with low-cost messaging and cheap, prepaid plans instead providing the core appeal. Most recently, RIM announced it had 78m BlackBerry subscribers worldwide, though it has not broken that number down into specific demographics.

Recent leaks suggested BlackBerry interest in the US had dwindled significantly, with stores no longer replenishing stock.  Analysts aren’t always right, of course – the recent over-enthusiastic predications around Apple’s iPhone 5 sales are evidence of that – but with little to show for the past three months, the next quarterly results are very unlikely to be positive news.

[timleine]

BlackBerry growth stagnant warn experts (and BlackBerry 10 might not fix it) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

While the full specs of RIM’s upcoming Blackberry L-series has yet to be confirmed and pricing has yet to be revealed, many are assuming that this will be RIM’s new flagship Blackberry device which could also mean that it will command a premium price. While we’re sure that many Blackberry loyalists out there would love to get their hands on the L-series, not everyone will be able to afford it but thanks to a recent set of rumors, word has it that RIM has an R-series planned as well and it will basically be equivalent to the “Curve” series for Blackberry 10.

This is expected to be a mid-ranged device and is expected to be introduced to the market in May of 2013. Specifics of the phone were not revealed, as in whether it would be following a full touchscreen design or if it will sport a QWERTY keyboard. We know that RIM has plans for both but it is unclear as to when the QWERTY design will be introduced. In any case it is speculated that the R-series will be introduced at Blackberry World in Orlando in 2013 which has apparently been scheduled for May 14-16. We’ll be taking this with a grain of salt for now, but if you’re a Blackberry fan do check back with us later for more updates.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Blackberry 10 to be rolled out in waves, South Africa and Nigeria to get top priority, BBM will be making its way onto Dev Alpha devices later this month,

RIM has big ambitions for media on BlackBerry hardware — really big. Accordingly, it just reached a patent licensing deal with Microsoft that lets it use the exFAT file system on “certain BlackBerry devices.” We have a hunch that’s a reference to future BlackBerry 10 phones and tablets rather than retrofits of existing (and likely incapable) mobile gear. The move will let any devices that do recognize exFAT handle much larger files, such as long videos, in addition to streamlining transfers between computers and other gadgets. The conditions of the deal haven’t been given out, but we suspect RIM’s negotiations with Microsoft were on more voluntary terms than those faced by Android supporters.

Continue reading RIM licenses Microsoft’s exFAT file system to stuff extra-large files into BlackBerry devices

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

RIM licenses Microsoft’s exFAT file system to stuff extra-large files into BlackBerry devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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