Hasta La Gadget!

RIM may be banking on the release of BB10 and new devices to rejuvenate the flagging brand, but the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) isn’t waiting around, opting to end their contract after eight years together. ICE stated that RIM “can no longer meet the mobile technology needs of the agency,” and that it intends to purchase over 17,000 iPhones for its personnel at a cost of $2.1 million. Android was also interviewed for the role, but the agency decided that currently, Apple’s closed ecosystem was the best choice, offering “reliable, mobile technology on a secure and manageable platform.” While this isn’t the first group (or likely, the last) to drop the Blackberry, we’re wondering if the remaining million government customers in North America will stay loyal after this official stamp of disapproval. We imagine employees from other agencies might also care to make a case for switching — nothing to do with free iPhones, of course.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Apple, RIM

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement drop Blackberry for iPhone, employees get early Christmas bonus originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Any BlackBerry 10 developers sufficiently entranced by their Dev Alpha units can now make good on the work they’ve accomplished so far. As promised, RIM is accepting app submissions for the platform ahead of its launch early next year. Fast-acting teams who jump in today should see their titles at the front of the queue when BlackBerry App World starts supporting the modern platform. They’ll have to focus on full-touch hardware rather than mixed QWERTY and touch devices, however. There’s no guarantee that RIM will see a flood of apps after opening its doors, but the company reminds us that there’s incentives to move quickly — 10,000 incentives, in fact.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM

RIM opens BlackBerry 10 app submissions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interbrand likes to give the world’s top companies a brand value, or a mix of their on-the-ground fiscal performance with an estimate of the premium they can ask through name alone. While there are a lot of traditional names in the consulting company’s 2012 list, the surprise this year is just how aggressively technology has invaded the top of the charts. It’s a good year to be a part of the mobile ecosystem: a very profitable Apple was by far the fastest grower and clinched second place in the list behind only Coca-Cola, while Kindle Fire creator Amazon (20th place) and Apple’s frequent rival Samsung (ninth) also shot past brands as big as Disney and Toyota. A special nod goes out to 69th-place Facebook, whose IPO this year and its recognition put it past companies like Porsche almost overnight. Not everyone in technology came out a winner — Microsoft, Nokia and RIM were among those that took a bruising — but Interbrand’s rankings hint that it’s better to be making tablets than designer handbags.

Filed under: Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, Amazon, RIM, Facebook

Interbrand: Apple, Amazon, Samsung fast becoming brand darlings, ousting crusty traditional labels originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 08:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple is all too used to the rumor cycle affecting its sales: the company just saw a dip in sequential iPhone shipments this spring as customers waited for what would ultimately become the iPhone 5. If you believe ComScore’s US smartphone market share estimates, though, Apple wasn’t the worse for wear this August. While the iPhone was in the doldrums this spring, it jumped almost a whole point versus an already positive July to hit 34.3 percent; we’re wondering if last-minute discounts played a part in keeping iPhone 4S sales healthy. Google didn’t have much to fear and saw Android climb to 52.6 percent, even if its ascent wasn’t as rapid as that of its Bay Area neighbor. RIM took the brunt of the losses and dipped to just 8.3 percent of the market in what’s increasingly a two-horse race, although Microsoft’s Windows Phone held its ground at 3.6 percent.

The wider US cellphone market tells a familiar story, with Samsung on top. There’s signs that the narrative is very close to changing, however: LG and Apple are now close enough, at one point’s difference, that Apple could seize second place by the time we see ComScore’s figures for September. Before interpreting Apple’s performance as some sign of a wider reversal of fortune, just remember that most of its challenges are on the world stage. There’s no guarantee that the Android-focused markets beyond American borders have been as receptive to iPhone price drops and updates.

Continue reading ComScore: iPhone grew to 34 percent US share in a pre-iPhone 5 world, Android still on top at 52 percent

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

ComScore: iPhone grew to 34 percent US share in a pre-iPhone 5 world, Android still on top at 52 percent originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those of us who’ve used a BlackBerry PlayBook will be familiar with the inevitable first-boot tutorials showing how to navigate the swipe-driven interface before we’re let loose. Thanks to a series of demonstration videos leaked by BlackBerryItalia, it’s apparent that we won’t escape that educational process on BlackBerry 10 devices, either. The four clips show the basics of what we know the gesture experience will be like on full-touch L-series phones, including the signature BlackBerry Peek to check notifications and the unified inbox. Anyone looking for a direct clue as to what production BlackBerry 10 hardware will entail might be frustrated, mind you — the rendered phone appears to be a placeholder rather than the L-series or a Dev Alpha B, and the device name is censored in an attempt to protect the source. That said, the clips provide a very straightforward explanation of the new interface concept and give us one more indication that RIM is closer to launch.

Continue reading BlackBerry 10 L-series tutorial videos surface online, give a literal peek at the future (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM

BlackBerry 10 L-series tutorial videos surface online, give a literal peek at the future (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 08:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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