Verizon BlackBerry Z10 launching March 28th, pre-orders begin March 14th

Verizon BlackBerry Z10 launching March 28th, preorders begin March 14th

It was AT&T’s turn earlier this week, and now it’s Verizon’s. Big Red has confirmed that its edition of the BlackBerry Z10 will be in stores on March 28th, just a week after it surfaces at its first major US carrier. Pricing will remain the same $200 on a contract, although Verizon has a decided edge for fans of variety: it’ll have an American exclusive on the white model, albeit with conspicuous branding. Pre-orders start March 14th at both Verizon itself (starting from 8AM) and Best Buy, so those who’ve embraced Hubs and Peeks can commit to a Z10 very quickly.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Source: Verizon

BlackBerry Z10 coming to AT&T March 22nd for $199.99, pre-orders open tomorrow (update: Best Buy)

STUB BlackBerry Z10 coming to AT&T March 15th for $tktk

The BlackBerry Z10 has already been available in various parts of the world — and will soon be delivered to T-Mobile business customers in the US — but most consumers within the 50 states are still exercising a bit of patience. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear that American hopefuls will have to wait too much longer, as AT&T has announced that the flagship ‘Berry will be available for pre-order on March 12th for $199.99 on a two-year commitment, and should be ready for purchase in retail stores and online beginning March 22nd.

Update: Best Buy says it will also take Z10 pre-orders starting March 12th, in addition to carrying the phone on launch day.

Filed under: , , , ,

Comments

Source: AT&T

Back to BlackBerry: closing time

Back to BlackBerry closing time

Time’s up. I’ve now had a full month to call the BlackBerry Z10 my very own and use it as my everyday device. I’ve had the opportunity to use it in every likely scenario, including a nine-day trip to Spain for Mobile World Congress. Now comes the moment of truth: have I become a BlackBerry convert? Is the Z10 my new daily driver?

Unfortunately, it’s not. But before the BlackBerry fan base breaks out the torches and forms mobs, this isn’t a denunciation of the phone or its OS. Quite the opposite, in fact. I decided to pursue this experiment for a few reasons: it’s the best way to learn a brand-new operating system, I genuinely am interested in how well it handles regular day-to-day use and a month gives me plenty of time to form a solid idea of the platform’s potential and future. Is it possible to have a great deal of admiration for a phone while simultaneously rejecting it as my daily driver? Yes. After the break I sum up the highlights of BB10: what works, what doesn’t and what simply needs a little nudge or two.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

German government buys 5,000 BlackBerry Z10s, bucks the BYOD trend

German government buys 5,000 BlackBerry Z10 phones, locks them down tightly

Most of the worry about BlackBerry’s market share has centered around its once-certain corporate and government clientele: when even stodgy institutions have either embraced Bring Your Own Device policies or have switched platforms outright, nothing has seemed safe. The company may be clawing back some stability through a newly approved deal with Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security. The government agency has reportedly agreed to buy 5,000 BlackBerry Z10 phones for its staff, all of which will be locked down with Secusmart protection for data, messaging and voice. We wouldn’t call it a full comeback when there’s been just a few weeks for such deals. Still, the purchase is a very public endorsement for BlackBerry at a time when it’s not clear that large-scale customers will remain faithful.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Source: AllThingsD

The Weekly Roundup for 02.25.2013

The Weekly Roundup for 12032012

You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 7 days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Comments

First BB10 update addresses battery life, low-light photography, third-party app performance and more

First BB10 update addresses battery life, low-light photography, third-party app performance and more

BlackBerry 10 has been out in the wild for almost a month, and today early adopters will begin receiving the first update to the new platform: version 10.0.10.85. Battery performance has been addressed, and over 60 “optimizations” should help lengthen the time between charges. Other changes of note are the “improved performance” of third-party apps, and that the camera should now produce superior low-light snaps. In-browser video playback has also been tweaked, and importing online contacts should work better, as should call logging in the BlackBerry Hub. Finally, the new software is supposed to fix issues with Gmail calendars. BlackBerry says the 150MB OTA update is available on some carriers right now, and will roll out to everyone “over the coming weeks.” Head to the source for the full changelog.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

Via: PhoneArena

Source: BlackBerry

Back to BlackBerry: international travels

Back to BlackBerry week 3

Dropping a smartphone is an absolutely horrifying experience. And on my first day in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, it happened to me with my BlackBerry Z10.

As much as I hate to admit, it was a dumb move on my part. Unfortunately, tragedy can strike with as simple an act as brushing one’s elbow across the table, and that’s all it took for me to knock my smartphone right onto a hard surface — facedown in a perfectly horizontal position. If you’ve ever been through such an accident, you know the few seconds it takes to pick up the phone and survey the damage can be incredibly nerve-wracking and one of the most suspenseful moments of your life.

I’m happy to say that this particular story has a positive ending, as I turned the phone over to see if I would need to call BlackBerry HQ in a panic. To my shock, it was completely fine. There wasn’t a single scratch or ding, and the touchscreen was just as responsive as ever. It would’ve been a different story had it fallen onto a concrete floor, but this still significantly increased my opinion of the Z10’s durability.

Had my Z10 come face to face with concrete, I would’ve been in a nasty predicament. Not only would I have had to pause or put the kibosh my 30-day trial run with the BlackBerry Z10, but I’m also on the other side of the world in a foreign country. While getting a new phone isn’t impossible, it’s expensive, time-consuming and frustrating. Yep, this was how my 10-day international adventure began, but how well has it gone for me since?

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

BlackBerry exec allegedly confirms a new BB10 tablet will launch in 2013 (update: not true)

BlackBerry exec allegedly confirms a new BlackBerry 10 tablet will launch in 2013

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.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Via: Unwired View

Source: Know Your Mobile India

Enyo arrives to Windows 8, WP8 and Blackberry 10 with version 2.2

Enyo arrives to Windows 8, WP and Blackberry 10 with version 22

Enyo originally came along from HP to help developers create resolution-independent webOS apps, but since version 2.0, it’s become platform agnostic. While support for Windows 8 and WP8 through IE10 has been around for awhile, version 2.2 now brings packaged app creation for those OSes along with Blackberry 10 at the highest Tier 1 support level. The platform still requires native “container” software to package apps, with Enyo advising Visual Studio for Windows 8 and Cordova for WP8 and Blackberry 10. The company’s swatted a few bugs and added contextual popups too, so if you’re looking to get your JavaScript on, hit the source.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: Enyo

MLB At Bat 2013 app warms up for spring training, starts pitching in BB10’s bullpen


MLB at bat 2013 app warms up for spring training, starts pitching in BB10's bullpen

For some, the change of the season is marked not by calendars or climate changes, but by the beat of sports fandom. Rest easy, baseball fans: spring is finally here. Naturally, Major League Baseball is heralding in the weather by updating its MLB At Bat app for 2013 spring training, touting new features for Android and iOS users alike. The apps updated team pages, retooled navigation and classic games library are universally available to both Android and iOS users, but the iPhone will score an enhanced and searchable video library and an exclusive home screen customization feature. MLB promises to pipe in more functionality before the season opens, however — including mobile access for BlackBerry 10 users. What hasn’t changed? The price, of course: Android subscribers will need to pony up $20 for the year, while iOS retains its $3 monthly subscription plan. Of course, MLB.tv Premium subscribers get full access, gratis. Slide past the break for the official press release.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: MLB