Hasta La Gadget!

With the precedent the Galaxy Tab has set, it was an open question whether carriers would embrace the WiFi version of RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook — after all, it’s a little harder to fully monetize a data plan on a device that lacks its own cellular modem. Thing is, the WiFi version is the first one that’s going to be available; RIM hasn’t given much guidance yet on when the cellular version will follow on — and RIM doesn’t have much of a distribution channel outside its carrier partners. Well, Rogers has thrown its hat in the ring today at its TabLife event in Toronto, where it has been chatting up the success of the tablets it’s sold so far (the Tabs apparently won’t stay on shelves) and noting that it will be carrying both versions of the PlayBook as they become available.

How’s that going to work from a data perspective? Well, a concurrent announcement out of Rogers seems to hold the answer. A pair of new so-called “data sharing plans” can be tacked onto your existing smartphone plan, effectively opening up your data bucket to other devices — so it’s basically like the tethering plans we’ve started to see sprout up on American networks under a different name. One oddity, though, is the CAD $20 (roughly $20) data sharing plan that allows unlimited social networking on “popular sites” above and beyond your normal bucket of gigabytes — sounds silly, but when we think about what percentage of our mobile time is spent on Twitter and Facebook, it might just be crazy enough to work. Follow the break for Rogers’ press release and a quick clip of Rogers exec John Boynton with the PlayBook mention.

Continue reading Rogers adds ‘data sharing’ plans, will carry both WiFi and cellular versions of BlackBerry PlayBook

Rogers adds ‘data sharing’ plans, will carry both WiFi and cellular versions of BlackBerry PlayBook originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PhoneSuit’s no stranger to the reload-and-refuel arena, and just months after ushering out the Primo Battery Cube, along comes this: the Primo Power Core. For all intents and purposes, this is an iPhone-sized battery pack, and it just so happens to be fully capable of charging your iPhone or iPod touch. Unlike the vast majority of alternatives, however, this 8200mAh pack can also rejuvenate an iPad, not to mention a wealth of Android smartphones, your mom’s BlackBerry, a couple of unnamed netbooks (yeah, seriously!) and practically any other handheld gadget that can be juiced via USB. The company throws in a cornucopia of tips for a range of “popular” devices, though high-drain devices like netbooks will need to make use of the 12V port. There’s an external LED charge meter to keep you abreast of how much power remains, and it can be headed to a stocking near you in exchange for $99.95.

Continue reading PhoneSuit’s Primo Power Core charges your iPad, BlackBerry, and pretty much everything else

PhoneSuit’s Primo Power Core charges your iPad, BlackBerry, and pretty much everything else originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 07:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is not a joke, in fact it’s quite official. Research In Motion has just confirmed the acquisition of Swedish UI design company TAT, which will soon be “bringing their talent to the BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphone platforms.” You’ll be familiar with TAT as the team that helped polish the original Android interface on the T-Mobile G1 as well as from more recent UI design projects — the important thing is that these guys have shown they know what they’re doing. We have to admit, pairing the rock solid foundation of the QNX-built PlayBook OS with some top-level spit-shine from a company specializing in exactly that has us legitimately excited. Who knows, maybe we’ll even see a BlackBerry with a user interface that someone other than a BBMer could love.

[Thanks, Rasmus]

RIM buys TAT, BlackBerry UI in danger of becoming awesome originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The most desired smartphone operating system amongst US consumers? It’s still the iPhone, apparently. According to new numbers from Neilsen, 35 percent of people in the US who plan to get a new smartphone prefer the iPhone. Android is number two on the list at 28 percent. RIM’s Blackberry is in third with 13 percent, followed by Windows Mobile’s six percent.

According to Nielsen’s numbers, Apple’s iOS currently dominates the US smartphone market at 27.9 percent, followed closely by RIM’s 27.4 percent. Android, the newest of the three, isn’t too far behind at 22.7 percent, thanks no doubt to the sheer number of companies producing handsets for the OS.

Windows currently has 14 percent of the market–a number that will perhaps jump in the next year, given the fact that Microsoft has finally introduced another viable mobile operating system for the first time in a while. Symbian, Linux, and Palm all trail those numbers, at 3.4-, 3.3-, and 1.3-percent of the total market, respectively.

At present, smartphones are still in the minority, comprising 29.7 percent of the total US market.

The most important thing about your next phone isn’t what carrier it’s on, how big the screen is, or even who makes it. It’s the platform, stupid. So here are the best phones on every platform. More »