Hasta La Gadget!

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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Ever get the shakes sending out an angry text message? You’d better be careful if you buy a BlackBerry in the future, as RIM is trying for a patent that would telegraph all that wrath to the recipient on the other end. The technique uses a myriad of sensors, like an accelerometer, front camera or pressure sensor, to gauge just how emotional a smartphone owner might be and convey that through livelier messaging styles. Get flustered and that BlackBerry Messenger font gets big, bold and red; mellow out with a smile, and the conversation text becomes almost cuddly. Whether or not the patent is granted, let alone used, is very much an unknown. We have a hunch that RIM would rather not make BlackBerry users keep a poker face.

Filed under: Cellphones

RIM applies for patent on detecting emotion in messaging, wants you chilled while you BBM originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been said before that RIM CEO Thorsten Heins surely has one of the toughest jobs in tech. It’s a title he no doubt shares with Frank Boulben, the company’s newly minted CMO. After all, it’s Boulben who will be taking charge of the marketing for the company so badly in need of a new image. The Orange / Vodafone expat, naturally, sees very bright things ahead for Research in Motion’s future — a future that hinges almost entirely on the success of the company’s much delayed BlackBerry 10.

Like Heins, Boulben insists that all who have seen the much anticipated mobile operating system thus far have been thoroughly impressed — it’s a sentiment that we certainly can’t debate. Of course, given all of the trouble the company has run into bringing the OS to market, the number of folks who can claim membership in that exclusive club is small indeed. When the first BB10 devices finally hit early next year, Boulben’s team will be tasked with making sure that number increases significantly enough to ensure the company’s success in a field that is increasingly dominated by the likes of Android and iOS.

We spoke to Boulben about his plans to help spread the BlackBerry gospel, the time he spent as an executive at the also-troubled Lightsquared and the changes RIM must make to ensure it’s success in the future.

Continue reading The Engadget Interview: RIM CMO Frank Boulben

The Engadget Interview: RIM CMO Frank Boulben originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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