Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re champing at the bit to separate your work life and personal life into two distinct, impenetrable entities, RIM’s got your back: it turns out that the Balance product announced a few days ago will be available in just a couple months’ time. In a recent chat with Retuers, the company’s senior VP of business and platform marketing revealed that Balance is already in testing with carriers ahead of a wide-scale launch — and furthermore, it’ll be available on the upcoming PlayBook as well. As a refresher, Balance seeks to let you do all your personal stuff on your BlackBerry while still giving the IT suits in your office unfettered access to the secure stuff — corporate email and the like — which means you can carry a single device (as long as you’re okay with that one device being a BlackBerry) where you might have previously carried two. Of course, if you’ve got a phone and a PlayBook, we suppose you’ll have two devices anyhow — but regardless, at least you’ll be able to Facebook your face off without corporate security getting in the way.

BlackBerry Balance details emerge: available in two months’ time, coming to PlayBook too originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Expanding a trial that had already been underway in a few markets, Starbucks is now rolling out its Starbucks Card mobile app nationally with payment capability built-in, meaning you needn’t reach into your wallet, pocketbook, or purse just because you’re jonesing for that midday caffeine fix. Instead, you can fire up the app — which supports the iPhone, iPod touch, and a number of BlackBerry models — and hold up a barcode on the screen to a scanner in the store, at which point monies will be automagically deducted from your Starbucks Card account and transferred back to the mothership in exchange for high-octane brew. The circle of life, as it were. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Starbucks lets you pay for that Trenta with the iPhone in your shaking, overcaffeinated hands

Starbucks lets you pay for that Trenta with the iPhone in your shaking, overcaffeinated hands originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Over the past year or so it’s become clear that there is a cure for the CrackBerry addict. For many it’s called the iPhone, for others it’s Android, while still others are getting their kicks from other platforms. IT departments worldwide are relaxing their rules and getting a little smartphone agnostic and now it sounds like RIM is thinking about finding a way to reel those newly straight-edged users back into their former habits. RIM Vice President Pete Devenyi had this to say on the subject:

BlackBerry is and will continue to be dominant in most corporations, [but] it’s not going to be the only device given the fact that consumers have the choice to bring in their own devices and IT departments are often letting them in. So there’s a question there. Do those corporations have to manage those devices differently or is there the possibility that RIM might extend capabilities to make it easier for those corporations to manage those devices as well? … If the right thing to do is to extend a subset of those [BlackBerry] capabilities to be able to manage other devices, it’s worthy of a conversation

Right now he’s just talking about device management, but if this goes forward it could be a sign of a willingness for RIM to move some of its proprietary services to other devices. BBM on Android and iPhone? We know a few people getting positively giddy at that (highly speculative) prospect.

RIM extending tools to other smartphone platforms, going cross-platform? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 09:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Things weren’t looking good for BlackBerry in India, with threats of bans that were avoided at the last minute. We knew at the time that RIM had made “certain proposals” that would enable its messaging services to stay alive in India and now, about four months later, we’re learning what those proposals amount to. Basically, RIM has created a backdoor into the company’s messaging services, a “lawful access capability” that “meets the standard required by the government of India for all consumer messaging services offered in the Indian marketplace.” That’s a little disconcerting, but if you’re pinging your connects exclusively through BlackBerry Enterprise Server you can take it easy, as RIM is keeping that service locked up tight — or, at least, that’s what it wants you to believe.

RIM opens door for Indian officials, promises to keep Enterprise Server locked up tight originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The BlackBerry seems like the smartphone of yesteryear, but leaked info on two new devices suggests that BlackBerry parent company Research in Motion isn’t giving up without a fight.

Pictures of the next generation of BlackBerry Curve codenamed “Apollo,” and another device named the “Dakota,” have been making the rounds this morning, first reported by Boy Genius Report.

The two new devices tout an impressive lineup of specs, many of which contend with the latest Android-based hardware to recently hit the market. Both have 5-megapixel cameras and NFC capability (just like Samsung’s Nexus S), Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi, and both will run BlackBerry OS version 6.1.

The new BlackBerry Curve, codenamed "Apollo," by Research in Motion. Photo by Boy Genius Report.

From here, says Boy Genius Report, the phones deviate. The Apollo (above) will be running on a Tavor MG-1 800-MHz processor with 512 MB of RAM. Its 480×360 HVGA display will sit just above its QWERTY keyboard. It’s a nice update to RIM’s middle-of-the-road smartphone offerings.

A leaked photo of the BlackBerry Dakota by RIM. Photo by Boy Genius Report.

The Dakota, however, is aimed at the higher end of the smartphone market, and it’s got the specs to back it up. HD video recording capability, 4GB of built-in storage with 768MB of RAM, a 2.8-inch capacitive touch screen and an accelerometer all make the Dakota a force to be reckoned with. And yes, it does have 3G mobile hotspot capability.

The spec lists on the devices signal RIM’s willingness to change up their existing device configurations in order to compete with current smartphone market options. As iPhones and Android-based devices have lured away BlackBerry customers over the recent past, RIM has tried to fight for its once-burgeoning customer base. Last year, the company decided to overhaul the BlackBerry’s clunky OS and browser, and has also made efforts to woo developers by supporting Flash-based content on BlackBerry devices.

No price points or release information have been made available yet.

Photo: (top)Seany/Flickr and Boy Genius Report