Hasta La Gadget!

The BlackBerry PlayBook may be noticeably lacking a calendar app of its own (at least for now), but it looks like RIM could soon have more scheduling options than ever — it’s just acquired fellow Canadian company Tungle, which specializes in syncing your calendar across platforms. At the moment, that’s done with either the company’s web application, or its iOS or BlackBerry app (an Android version has also been promised), which also let you share your calendar with folks inside or outside your company and, of course, tie it into your various social networks — so you can learn about the person you’re having a meeting with, for instance. As you might expect, however, RIM is staying mum on exactly what it has in mind for the company, and it also isn’t divulging any specific terms of the acquisition. Head on past the break for a video demonstrating how the current service works.

Continue reading RIM acquires Tungle, might soon bridge your calendar across platforms

RIM acquires Tungle, might soon bridge your calendar across platforms originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the past six months, Android’s appeal has grown while desire for iOS and Blackberry devices shrinks. Source: The Nielsen Company

What type of smartphone are you planning on purchasing next?

If you answered Android, you are now in the majority.

According to surveys conducted by Nielsen for January to March 2011, 31% of consumers plan to make their next smartphone purchase an Android handset. 30% said they’d be getting an iOS device. Those numbers are up for Android since July to September 2010, when only 26% were planning on an Android for their next purchase and 33% wanted an iPhone.

A number of solid Android handsets have been released so far this year, with attractive features like 4G connectivity, large 4-inch+ displays, and speedy processors. And with the addition of in-app billing and the Amazon App Store, Android’s historically underwhelming app ecosystem is looking more appealing for both app developers and their app purchasing audience. Sales for Android devices like the HTC Thunderbolt have reportedly been strong, often outpacing that of the iPhone 4.

But iOS wasn’t the only smartphone to decline in popularity. Research in Motion’s BlackBerry also felt the pinch, with consumer favor for the OS dropping from 13% in 2010 to 11% in the first quarter of 2011.

Smartphone market shares as of March 2011. Source: The Nielsen Company

Not surprisingly, the current shares in the smartphone market reflect that same relationship as these consumer-preference scores. Android handsets dominate with 37% of the market, iOS is currently the second most popular with 27%, and RIM is third with 22%.

But consumers are fickle. Will the release of the next iPhone flip those numbers in Apple’s favor, or will Android gain a large enough foothold that it will dominate for the foreseeable future?

Apparently, those young’uns just love their BBM. According to a report by the research group Mobile Youth, young folk (read: those of you between 15 and 24) are increasingly abandoning SMS in favor of instant messaging apps, with texting expected to drop off 20 percent over the next two years. The main culprit? BlackBerry Messenger, which now boasts over 39 million users, many of them living outside the US. In fact, it’s in the UK, Indonesia, South Africa, and Brazil — all popular markets for BBM — that Mobile Youth expects texting to dwindle the most. And if BBM is to blame, well, that drop-off could be just the beginning.

Shocker! Instant messaging gains popularity as TXTing declines, BBM to blame originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to the latest episode of the The Engadget Show, in which we change things up just a little bit. Everything starts with a trip to the New Mexico desert for a ride on the Shredder, love child of a tank and a skateboard. Next, Tim and Associate Editor Jacob Schulman sit down with RIM’s Ryan Bidan to talk about the BlackBerry PlayBook. Then, Tim has a chat with Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally about the future of transportation, and just what’ll be driving you in to work in 20 years.

After that, Engadget founder Peter Rojas joins Tim and Managing Editor Darren Murph to look at a plethora of tablets. Favorites are chosen, lines are drawn, and allegiances pledged. There’s also talk of Amazon’s next play in the tablet space, the death of Flip, and what’s up next for GDGT.

It’s an action-packed show and it’s ready for you. What are you waiting for? Watch it now! The video stream is above, or download the show in HD below!

Hosts: Tim Stevens, Darren Murph, Jacob Schulman
Special guests: Ryan Bidan, Alan Mulally, Peter Rojas
Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm
Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger
Edited by: Danny Madden
Music by: Sabrepulse
Visuals by: Paris and Outpt

Shredder segment music: Minusbaby

Taped live at AOL Studios

Download the Show: The Engadget Show – 020 (HD) / The Engadget Show – 020 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show – 020 (Small)

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The Engadget Show – 020: RIM’s Ryan Bidan, GDGT’s Peter Rojas, Ford CEO Alan Mulally, lots of tablets, Shredder test-drive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM’s PlayBook is currently available in a Wi-Fi only version. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Research in Motion previously said its PlayBook tablet would be available on Verizon, but Verizon isn’t ready to hop on board just yet.

Verizon Wireless has yet to decide whether it will offer the BlackBerry PlayBook to its customers, according to a company spokesperson.

“We are still evaluating the Blackberry Playbook and have not made a determination as to whether or not we’re going to distribute it,” Verizon Wireless spokesperson Brenda Raney told CNET in a statement.

Verizon’s indecision conflicts with previous statements made by RIM. In an interview two weeks before the PlayBook’s debut, RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis confirmed to Wired.com that a Verizon 4G LTE version of the PlayBook would be released over the summer, along with AT&T and Sprint versions of the tablet. The BlackBerry PlayBook launched on Tuesday in its Wi-Fi only models.

In separate statements issued to Wired.com, both AT&T and Sprint confirmed that 4G versions of the PlayBook would be released on each carrier’s respective network this summer.

RIM did not immediately return a request for comment.

The PlayBook has had its share of stumbles in the weeks leading up to its debut. Early reviews from tech journalists were lukewarm at best (including our own), citing a lack of crucial features like native e-mail, calendar and contact apps and stability issues with Adobe Flash-based content.

Problems also arose between RIM and AT&T earlier this week as the BlackBerry Bridge app — which lets users connect their PlayBook to an existing BlackBerry smartphone, in order to check email and access the phone’s data connection — was unavailable for download through BlackBerry App World for users who have AT&T-carried BlackBerry phones. AT&T stated it had just received the app, and had to test it before approving it for AT&T customers on App World.

Day one PlayBook sales estimates, however, suggest the tablet’s outlook may not as grim as analysts expected. As many as 50,000 PlayBooks were sold on Tuesday, according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky. The number includes pre-ordered devices, which accounted for about half of the first day sales. Abramsky forecasts 500,000 PlayBooks shipped by the end of May.