RIM posts job listing for ‘WebKit Developer,’ gets one step closer to a real browser

Needed some more evidence that future BlackBerrys may be getting a much needed improvement in the browser department? You got it. Following up on the news that Research In Motion has acquired Torch Mobile (developers of the WebKit-based Iris browser), the Candian phonemaker is now looking to fill the position of “WebKit Developer,” according to a job listing. The posting calls for a number of skills which would come in handy whilst creating a next-gen browser for the BlackBerry OS, clearly calling for someone with hands-on experience coding… WebKit style. Look, if you love Canada and hate the BlackBerry browser, here’s your chance to make the world a better place. What are you waiting for?

[Thanks, Daniel M]

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RIM posts job listing for ‘WebKit Developer,’ gets one step closer to a real browser originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Storm 2 Review: Improving, But Still Mostly Cloudy

Take the BlackBerry Storm. Now imagine a phone that’s basically exactly the same, but does everything better. That’s the Storm 2.

It’s the same phone, essentially, just refined in nearly every way. It’s not the Storm reinvented, it doesn’t shoot lasers, and it’s not going to kill anything. It’s just better than before.

Sure, Press Me Anywhere

SurePress, RIM’s “the whole screen’s a button!” touchscreen technology, lives on. But now it’s four buttons. Four piezo-electric buttons that live under the screen, to be precise. What that means for you is that wherever you press on the screen, it feels way more localized, like the screen’s only being pushed in exactly where you click it. Before, it was like the whole screen was on a see-saw.

The re-balancing of the screen lets you go far more smoothly and efficiently from one letter to another while typing, rather than waiting for it to pop back up every time. A software change—which is available for the first Storm too—enables true multitouch typing (for two fingers, but that’s enough). You can actually take advantage of the new screen and type much faster than you could on the original Storm. In other words, the mechanics of SurePress actually work now.

The entire build of the mechanism is less janky too—the giant chasms between the screen and the rest of the phone begging for turkey jerky bits to get sucked like a gaping maw have been closed, and the four main buttons are now a seamless part of pushscreen. Oh, and one clever touch is that the screen’s dead stiff whenever the phone’s off—if it doesn’t press down, you can tell the phone’s off (though it does mean one less thing to fiddle with).

SurePress, while vastly more usable and comfortable now, is still flawed as a touchscreen navigational concept: It’s predicated on literally putting an obstacle in front of you that has to be smashed in every time you want to do something. It’s not an optimal experience. And it ultimately fails in what it supposedly sets out to do by “separating navigation from confirmation,” to use RIM’s verbiage: To make you type more accurately. It just makes you type slower and wonder why you can’t use the Storm’s quite dandy touchscreen like any other touchscreen, since the keyboard and screen are otherwise great.

Speed Isn’t Everything

The Storm 2 is quicker all around. The response of nearly every element is just so much springier than the first Storm—I’m talking versus the launch software to be clear, since frankly, that was the last time I used the Storm. Apps pop up instantly most of the time, hang-ups are a rare occasion, the accelerometer kicks in quickly to rotate the keyboard, and it moves with the kind of speed you expect it to. The phone feels way more like it should. This extends in some respects to the browser, too, which seems a little more capable—though by no means as stacked as a WebKit browser. I wish the camera was faster to start up though; it’s still sluggish most of the time.

There are a few slight visual tweaks to the OS since last year as well that make it more look more polished (I’m very surprised I noticed). For instance there’s a more matte, almost Apple-like gradient for highlighted items, like in Messages. Icons are a little more sober, which reflects the darker, slightly more understated look of the phone itself. My favorite software tweak is probably the true QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode, instead RIM’s SureType system that previously foisted in front of your thumbs. It’s better than Android’s—and HTC’s reskin of Android’s on the Hero—though not quite as good as the iPhone’s.

While it’s got a speed boost and a bit of extra iconographic spitshine, it is still fundamentally the same experience—the Storm 2 touchscreen interface still feels like it was designed by people with physical keyboards soldered into their brains. From the grand scheme of the UI, the standard BlackBerry setup re-jiggered for touch rather than a ground-up design, to the BlackBerry apps that clearly aren’t designed with Storm in mind, there’s a definite sense of non-belonging with the Storm 2, like when all of the puzzle pieces don’t quite fit together and you jam them together to make it work anyway. In other words, it tries real hard to be a touch phone and a BlackBerry, but it doesn’t do either of them exceptionally well.

The Storm 2 is where the Storm should’ve started, but at the same time, it’s coming into a different world than a year ago—even on its own carrier—where not breaking new ground is simply moving too slow. More than that, while the Storm is overall a good phone, unless you have a very specific set of criteria for your phone—that is, a touchscreen BlackBerry—you probably shouldn’t settle for a phone that doesn’t do the touch or BlackBerry aspects (read: typing) spectacularly. There are phones that do each of those things better. If you want a BlackBerry on Verizon, get a BlackBerry Tour, which has an awesome keyboard, if a few trackball problems. If you want a touchscreen smartphone on Verizon, you should get a Droid. At least, that’s how it’s looking so far—come back early next week for our full in-depth Droid review.

SurePress actually works now


Wi-Fi!


It’s pretty quick, most of the time


SurePress is still a mediocre concept, at best


Still doesn’t fit in as a BlackBerry


There are phones that do what it’s good at much better

First Storm 2 ad huffs and puffs for attention (video)

Given the timing of Storm 2’s launch and the Motorola DROID‘s unveiling, you’d think Verizon had all but abandoned its touchscreen BlackBerry. But lo and behold, we do have a new television spot. “Who says lightning never strikes twice” — who said it ever struck the first time? Video after the break.

[Via Gear Diary]

Continue reading First Storm 2 ad huffs and puffs for attention (video)

First Storm 2 ad huffs and puffs for attention (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Storm2 now available from Verizon for those who waited

Assuming RIM and Verizon didn’t completely scorch the earth of prospective touch-screen BlackBerry buyers, some of you might like to know that Verizon’s Storm2 9550 is now ready for purchase. As expected, the Storm2 will cost you $180 after $100 on-line discount and after you prostrate yourself to a two-year tithe. Sorry original Storm owners, neither Verizon nor RIM are offering you any kind of appeasement for your early troubles — remember, according to RIM buggy smartphones are the new reality.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Storm2 now available from Verizon for those who waited originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s BlackBerry Curve 8530 gets reviewed early

The phone you’re peering at above has more names than we’d care to count, but the so-called Aries (or the Gemini‘s CDMA’d sibling, if you please) may end up on Verizon as one of two things: the BlackBerry Curve 8530 or the BlackBerry Curve 2. The folks over at CrackBerry managed to get their hands on a unit far before this thing has even been officially released, and of course they’ve given us the rundown just as the Storm2 is stealing all of the attention over at Big Red. The WiFi-equipped handset (yeah, you read that right) was said to be “identical to the Curve 8520” with the exception of the back cover design, meaning that while solid, the device definitely felt “entry-level.” The interface was said to be satisfactorily snappy, the optical trackpad was dubbed “really great” and the web browser was still thoroughly worthless. If you really need to hear more, give that read link a look.

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Verizon’s BlackBerry Curve 8530 gets reviewed early originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behold, the BlackBerry* Watch: $150, Coming in February

Turns out those leaks about a BlackBerry Bluetooth companion watch were dead on: The Allerta InPulse Bluetooth companion watch—not a watchphone—isn’t actually a RIM product, and should ship in February for $150. So what does it do?

Think of it as an extender for your BlackBerry, or a wrist-mounted dashboard. It won’t place calls or compose texts; it’s really just there to give you a heads-up and preview whenever your BlackBerry mothership gets a call, receives a message, or has some other, being-a-BlackBerry-related news to share with you. Also, yes, it’s a watch, for telling time. It may not do a whole lot, but the hardware sounds nice:

* 1.3″ full colour organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) display
* Bluetooth® v2.0+EDR
* 150 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery
* Glass lens and full metal body
* 22mm interchangeable wrist band
* Vibrating motor
* Micro-USB port (for charging)
* Over-the-air firmware updates
* Dimensions: 51mm height x 38mm width x 12mm depth

Allerta, which totally sounds like a prescription mood drug, says the watch’ll last for four days on a single charge, which is respectable considering that it doesn’t look too hideously large. The InPulse will communicate with any BlackBerry running OS 4.3 or above by means of a free companion app. The watch, though, isn’t quite as cheap: It’ll ship for $150 in February, though it’s available for preorder now.

One thing though: This is a nice render and all and the product doesn’t smell like vapor, but why can’t we see a picture of this thing?

UPDATE: About that! Eric from Allerta shot me an email:

Ah, it’s your right to talk vapour because we don’t have tech demos ready yet…I’m actually quite sorry about that. We’re a new CE startup, so it’s tough going from the get go. We actually have near-complete prototypes, but they’re made out of brass right now (easier to CNC mill). We’re currently in the month-long process of making molds for casting stainless steel. We didn’t want to publish too many pictures of the brass watches, in case it confused people.

Which is fair enough. They’ve posted a few of the early prototype pictures here, in case you’re curious. This is what they look like now—just keep in mind, these aren’t meant to look nice, yet:
[InPulse via CrackBerry]

inPulse Smartwatch for BlackBerry up for pre-order, ships in February 2010

Just as we’d heard, RIM decided to outsource the production of the planet’s first BlackBerry watch, but that doesn’t mean that devoted BB Messenger users won’t be hankerin’ for one. The inPulse Smartwatch for BlackBerry is being produced by Allerta, and now that it’s official, we can safely say that it’ll rely on Bluetooth in order to bring incoming emails, text messages and other alerts from your handset to your wrist (or your ankle, if you roll like that). As for specs, you’re looking at a 1.3-inch OLED display, glass lens, full metal body, vibrating motor, microUSB port and a rechargeable battery that’s good for around four days of “normal use.” inPulse users will have to install a special BlackBerry application in order to pass along information, but those hoping to use their watch to actually send messages will be sorely disappointed. It’s up for pre-order now at $149, and if all goes well, the first ones will ship out in February.

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inPulse Smartwatch for BlackBerry up for pre-order, ships in February 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon Storm2 on October 28th, BlackBerry OS 5.0 for original Storm out now

If you have an original Storm purchased through Verizon then first, our condolences. At the risk of rubbing it in (since you’re still on contract) we have to tell you that the second generation Storm2 — the full-screen BlackBerry you should have waited for — just got an official $179.99 (after $100 mail-in rebate and 2-year contract) October 28th release date as expected. Storm owners can, however, take solace in the BlackBerry OS 5.0 update now available for download that boasts several improvements including those keyboard and general usability enhancements we already knew were coming.

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Verizon Storm2 on October 28th, BlackBerry OS 5.0 for original Storm out now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Storm update landing tomorrow, bringing lots of good stuff (update: now with changelog!)

Hey, you — yeah you, the BlackBerry Storm owner over there. You listening? Good. That mythical software update we heard about just last week is obviously the real deal, and a screen grab from Verizon’s internal systems has shown up to prove it. We’re told that it should go live tomorrow (that’s October 25th for those in strange, potentially illegitimate time zones) at 6PM. On the whole, it’ll make your Storm act a lot more like the forthcoming Storm2, but specifically you can expect a “faster, more accurate and more natural text input experience, word completion, a virtual QWERTY keyboard in portrait view and enhanced sensitivity when editing, copying and pasting.” You’ll also get the ability to “enable Auto Correction as opposed to Word Completion in landscape view.” The full changelog should be coming soon, so hang tight! Oh, and cancel those plans for tomorrow night, okay?

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Update: Check out the full (purported) changelog after the break!

Continue reading BlackBerry Storm update landing tomorrow, bringing lots of good stuff (update: now with changelog!)

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BlackBerry Storm update landing tomorrow, bringing lots of good stuff (update: now with changelog!) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon launching Storm2 on October 28 for $179.99?

Say you’re North America’s largest wireless carrier — how do you go about burying a product you’re about to carry that you secretly wish didn’t exist? One creative option would be to opt out of announcing it when its manufacturer does, then quietly launch it on the same day that you’re announcing the phone you’re calling the “must-have device of the year.” Tricky, eh? Yeah, sure enough, by all appearances it seems that Verizon doesn’t plan on celebrating the arrival of the Storm2 with the same fanfare it gave the Storm, despite the fact that the new device directly addresses the biggest complaints dogging the original model. It’s a “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me” sort of situation, we suppose. Anyhow, it looks like pricing should come in at $179.99 on contract, though $100 of that comes in the form of a mail-in rebate that you’ll get on a prepaid debit card, so you’ll actually be laying out close to $300 before taxes when you march into the store on October 28. Hey, look at it this way: at least you can keep refreshing Engadget on your old Storm to learn about the Droid while you’re waiting in line for the Storm2, right?

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

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Verizon launching Storm2 on October 28 for $179.99? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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