Hasta La Gadget!

What’s anticipated to be a testy shareholder meeting for Research in Motion kicked things off in a fairly status quo matter, with 10 directors being confirmed as part of the struggling smartphone maker’s board. That list includes CEO Thorsten Heins and founder Mike Lazaridis. The elections, one attendee noted, were “not an overwhelming approval,” with 14.8 percent and 19.1 percent of votes withheld for Heins and Lazaridis, respectively.

Thorsten Heins, Mike Lazaridis elected to RIM board during shareholders meeting originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rogers’ LTE network is old enough to mark its first birthday. Unless you happened to live in one of the seven largest cities in Canada during that time, however, you’ve largely been left out — that status indicator on the Rogers version of the One X may as well have been a subtle form of mockery. To the delight of our friends up North, the carrier has detailed a much more aggressive LTE rollout for the rest of the year: a total of 28 more cities will get that sweet 4G nectar in the next few months. Most of these expansions will blanket the southern half of Ontario, but major cities in the Prairies, Quebec and the Maritimes will all get their fair share. Arguably, the most important upgrade is coming to RIM’s home base of Waterloo; when the company is virtually betting its future on likely LTE-ready BlackBerry 10 devices, having widescale LTE to test against is a slightly important prerequisite. The full city list is available after the break.

Continue reading Rogers details 28-city LTE upgrade for rest of 2012, RIM’s hometown included

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Rogers details 28-city LTE upgrade for rest of 2012, RIM’s hometown included originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 22:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has the unenviable task of, well, being the CEO of RIM. Still, in spite of some gloomy numbers, the exec thinks the company is on the right track. Heins told CBC Radio that, since taking over, the company has been implementing changes that are helping Research in Motion transition to BlackBerry 10, adding that “there’s nothing wrong with the company as it exists right now.” Heins told the Metro Morning radio show, “This company is not ignoring the world out there, nor is it in a death spiral,” adding, “Yes, it is very, very challenged at the moment – specifically in the U.S. market. The way I would describe it: we’re in the middle of a transition.” It’s a transition from which, Heins insists, RIM “will emerge successfully.” What’s more, Heins also has an op-ed in today’s Globe & Mail, where he mostly reiterates that stance and flatly says “don’t count BlackBerry out.” You can find it at the source link below.

RIM’s Thorsten Heins denies company’s ‘death spiral,’ predicts successful transition to BlackBerry 10 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM gave the impression when it unveiled the BlackBerry Curve 9320 and 9220 that its lowest-cost Curves were doubtful prospects for the US. Thankfully, that’s been proven wrong by Boost Mobile, which just launched the 9320’s CDMA cousin, the Curve 9310. The message-manic BlackBerry comes to Sprint’s prepaid network with its BBM key intact as well as BlackBerry 7.1, a 3.2-megapixel camera and that all-important low price: at $100 contract-free, it’s one of the cheapest ways to leap into smartphones in the US. To top it off, Boost is throwing in a very tantalizing BBM Unlimited plan. The deal offers unlimited calling, text messaging and (naturally) BBM; although it starts at $45 per month, it gradually dips down to a very reasonable $30 per month if owners pay their bills properly for six months. Both the Curve 9310 and its companion plan will be available July 10th, giving us time to find the needed spare change under our couch cushions.

Boost Mobile takes BlackBerry Curve 9310 to the US, spices it up with $30 unlimited BBM, voice and text plan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spotify’s been available to a certain segment of the BlackBerry population for some time now, but as of today it’s become an official listing on RIM’s app store. The app, which exited beta last December, hasn’t changed — there aren’t any UI or performance tweaks in tow, simply a more convenient means of accessing the application without having to redirect to a dedicated mobile site. You can hit up the source below to start your download, but bear in mind you’ll need a premium account to take advantage of the company’s streaming service on-the-go.

Spotify now official on BlackBerry App World for compatible handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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