Hasta La Gadget!

RIM’s current CEO Thorsten Heins has been very candid about his company’s plans and past, but he has usually given the impression that the company wouldn’t even consider deviating from its one true vision of a BlackBerry OS future. Although BlackBerry 10 is very much the center of RIM’s universe today, Heins has revealed to The Telegraph that his firm’s eyes did stray briefly — at one point, it “seriously” investigated Android as a platform. The company ended up backing away after deciding a “me-too” strategy didn’t fit the productivity-obsessed BlackBerry crowd, the executive says. RIM decided, like Nokia, that it couldn’t differentiate enough in Google’s ecosystem. There’s still some time to go before we learn whether or not the gamble on the in-house OS pays off. If Heins’ comments still leave you dreaming of what might have been, though, don’t worry: at least a few companies are providing their own visions in a slightly more tangible form.

Filed under: Cellphones

RIM chief: we looked ‘seriously’ at Android, didn’t want to join the herd originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM just can’t seem to avoid staff shakeups. Hampus Jakobsson, The Astonishing Tribe founder and a key factor in BlackBerry 10’s interface design, has signaled that he’s leaving the smartphone maker. He cites an itch to launch another startup as the impetus behind the move, although he hasn’t said what he’ll be doing. We can certainly tell that Jakobsson is aware of the climate in which he’s leaving — the veteran has been quick to note that others at RIM are taking his role and that he doesn’t expect an upheaval as he heads through the door. There’s at least a grain of truth to the reassurances, we’d say. With BlackBerry 10 devices appearing in January on RIM’s current schedule, most of the hard work on the software will likely have already been done. Nonetheless, we’re sure some fans will be disappointed that a guiding light won’t be around to influence any followups.

[Image credit: Media Evolution, Flickr]

Update: We’ve learned that Jakobsson had been a Director of Strategic Alliances at RIM since TAT was acquired; while the company he brought into the fold is clearly working on BlackBerry interface design, he hasn’t been guiding the work himself. The departure still has an impact — it’s just at the corporate level rather than in design.

Filed under: Cellphones

TAT founder Hampus Jakobsson leaves RIM for startup land (update: not as much of a blow) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 06:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last we heard, all notions of a 10-inch PlayBook had been shelved, with rumors suggesting that RIM wanted to concentrate on its BB10 plans and next-gen smartphones instead. However, we’ve just received these images from Tinthe, showing off something that looks very much like the bigger BlackBerry slab. A handful of photos, comparing the tablet to the existing 7-incher and an iPad, were sent in by forum member quang3g, who appears to be involved in BlackBerry sales.

Looks-wise, the hardware’s largely unchanged, aside from the bigger footprint and a screen ratio that appears closer to the iPad competition, rather than the widescreen shape that arrived on RIM’s first tablet. According to the brief teardown shot, there’s a potent 7,250 mAh battery housed in the still-slim 10-inch frame, while it’s worth noting that the tablet also includes a SIM holder and cellular radio — though there’s not enough meat here to discern whether it deals in 4G or 3G (HSPA+) radio waves. While we wait for the official word on the existence (or cancellation) of this flavor of PlayBook, you can take a skeptical sideways glance at several more pictures of the tablet at the source below.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Mysterious 10-inch BlackBerry PlayBook appears in Vietnam originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 03:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like the New York Times is signaling the death knell for RIM, albeit subtly. In a move that surely underscores the withering faith content companies have for the once beloved platform, the venerable Sulzberger-backed news organization has pulled all support for its DealBook Reader and NYTimes app for BlackBerry as of July 23rd. Users that attempt to access that application in the days since will find a stale content list that no longer updates and are being urged, instead, to visit the paper’s mobile site for a “more complete… experience.” And as if the ailing Waterloo-based company hadn’t suffered enough indignity, it’s been cast out of the developer pen alongside WebOS, joining PalmPre users on the reject list. Not to worry though, the Times crossword app has yet to get the axe — that’s got to be some consolation, no? You can check out the NYT’s official line on its decision at the source below.

[Thanks, Dhruv]

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

New York Times ends support for official BlackBerry, WebOS apps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 17:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all know things aren’t exactly looking bright over at RIM’s Waterloo HQ, but, thankfully, that’s not keeping the company from taking care of its current and very valuable customer base. How so? Well, earlier today the BlackBerry maker announced its official Video Store application is now live in Canada’s App World, giving the PlayBook crowd a hub to buy / rent “thousands” of movies and TV shows. Obviously — similar to iTunes and Google Play on their respective slates — folks will also be able to preview content before taking the plunge, and as a Berry rep told us, there should be no problem with streaming videos to a high-def television via the the tablet’s HDMI output. Video Store Canada, as it’s known by its formal name, is up for download now at the source link below.

Filed under: Tablet PCs, Software

Video Store application for BlackBerry PlayBook now available in Canada originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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