Hasta La Gadget!

RIM’s BlackBerry Developer Conference is going down this week in San Francisco, and as you might expect from a developer-focused event, there are a handful of newsy items that’ll affect the development community first and consumers down the road. Here’s a roundup of what’s what:

• WebWorks development platform. From what we’ve heard of this so far, it’s basically a quick way for web devs to get into the BlackBerry app game by offering a tightly-integrated platform for HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript code with hooks to native BlackBerry OS functions and a packager for turning them into “real” BlackBerry apps.
• BlackBerry Messenger Social Platform. RIM’s historically held BBM very, very close to the chest, but it’s starting to open up a tad with this particular announce. Don’t look for BBM on other platforms (yes, we know that’s what some of you were hoping to hear), but third-party app developers will now be able to tap into the system for sending and receiving messages, files, user profiles, and invitations. Interestingly, the company is pitching it as a platform for multiplayer gaming, using BBM as a conduit to move information between devices in real time.
• BlackBerry Advertising Service. Google bought AdMob and Apple bought Quattro, but RIM’s taking a more democratic approach to its advertising platform, allowing both “simple” and “rich media” ads to be served from a handful of providers “with only three lines of code.” It’ll be a 60 / 40 revenue split between devs and RIM.
• BlackBerry Payment Service SDK. This one’s launching in beta this week, bringing third-party in-app payments over credit card, PayPal, and carrier billing (available on AT&T right now, more carriers by the end of the year). It’ll be out of beta before 2010’s out.

Nothing on the so-called BlackPad so far, but at any rate, seems like this roundup is great news for anyone looking to slide some content into App World over the next few months.

RIM announces WebWorks development kit, in-app payments, ad platform, and BBM API originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fancy the idea of having Big Brother track your handset if it goes missing, but aren’t so keen on owning an iPhone, ponying up for MobileMe and signing a deal with AT&T? Fret not, fretful one, as Verizon Wireless has just launched an extension of its Total Equipment Coverage program that essentially provides the same services, but for VZW-branded BlackBerry, webOS and Android phones. The full list of compatible phones is down there in the source, and the best news is that the Mobile Recovery app is offered free of charge to those already ponying up $10 per month for TEC. When enabled, it will allow users to remotely lock the device, sound an alarm (solving the infamous “couch cushion” dilemma) and wipe contacts from the phone. If a recovery proves unsuccessful, the carrier will supposedly provide you with a next-day replacement, but we’ve got an idea that there are quite a few lines of fine print to read beforehand. At any rate, it’s a lovely option to have — particularly if you’re already paying for TEC — and it’s available to download and activate as we speak.

Continue reading Verizon’s Mobile Recovery: like ‘Find my iPhone,’ but for VZW Android, webOS and BlackBerry handsets

Verizon’s Mobile Recovery: like ‘Find my iPhone,’ but for VZW Android, webOS and BlackBerry handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM, come on, guys, you’re killing us here! We don’t know exactly what the story is yet, but there’s a BlackBerry in the wild now with model number 9570 — and it looks exactly like the existing Storm2, which lines up nicely with BGR’s insistence earlier this week that the Storm3 is very much a warmed-over Storm2 with BlackBerry 6 and some minor spec bumps. In terms of strategy, we guess this would line up with the Bold 9780 we’ve been seeing around the block, which looks almost exactly like a Bold 9700 — but in terms of customers understanding that this is a new product, it looks like a recipe for disaster. Of course, this might not be known as the Storm3 when (and if) it’s released — they might stick with the Storm2 or call it something like Storm2 Plus or Storm2.5 — which might make more sense since we still don’t know what that other spy shot of a completely different device is. Sure, we have no doubt that a few people would be interested in a refreshed Storm2, but would it be enough to justify the R&D and marketing costs?

BlackBerry 9570 is definitely a refreshed Storm2, but is it called the Storm3? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last night I received an e-mail from Virtualization firm Citrix stating that the company, “confirmed today that [it] will support the upcoming Blackberry Black Pad when it ships.” Odd, I thought to myself. I’m pretty sure RIM hasn’t actually announced the thing.

There has been a rumor floating around for several months now, that Research in Motion is set to reveal a BlackBerry OS-based business tablet to break into the consumer tablet space currently dominated by Apple’s iPad. The product has yet to come out of the rumor stage, however. I wondered if it was possible that I had missed a major news cycle somewhere along the way–or perhaps I was simply losing my mind.

I contacted a Citrix spokesperson, who told me,

The product has not yet been announced. However, I wanted to give you a head’s up that Citrix is committed to support the device when it is released (Citrix already supports the iPad, iPhone and other mobile devices). Let me know if you’re interested in learning more or speaking with Citrix on this topic.

The question, then, was whether Citrix was simply trying to drum up some press based around a product that, for all intents and purposes, might as well be vaporware (the spokesperson did, after all, manage to get that little plug for the company’s other products)–or whether the company knew something the rest of us didn’t. After all, it’s not unusual for a company to give a third-party the head’s up on a product before it’s official announced. What’s a bit more unusual, however is when that third-party lets that information slip first.

Look, we know that every new BlackBerry model is going to bear a striking resemblance to the model it replaces — that’s just how RIM does things — but isn’t this getting a little out of hand? The BlackBerry 6-equpped Bold 9780 has been leaked a few times at this point, but we’re seeing it now for the first time totally unshackled from Mr. Blurrycam’s surly bonds… and yeah, if you had any doubts as to whether it was a dead ringer for the 9700 it’ll likely be replacing, you can put those doubts to rest. Of course, when you’ve got a keyboard as good as the Bold series does, sometimes it’s best to leave well enough alone, we suppose — just makes that lucrative early upgrade market a little tougher to tap.

[Thanks, Dion]

BlackBerry Bold 9780 in the wild one more time, still looks exactly like a 9700 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 01:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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