Hasta La Gadget!

Nothing warms our hearts quite like the thought of corporate suits and government workers pumping out the tunes of Iris DeMent and Amy Martin as they scurry throughout their busy days. As we’ve previously speculated, a new service for BlackBerry Messenger — dubbed BBM Music — has now become real official. For $5 per month, users may keep up to 50 songs in their personal library, which is kinda reminiscent of the wistful days filled with 128MB MP3 players. Fortunately, it gets better. A social component allows you to add BBM Music friends, which gives you access to their current 50 songs, too — and serves as a real incentive to grow your social circle. Once you get bored of your jam selection, up to 25 songs per month can be swapped out for new ones, and your current library can be stored locally on the handset. The new service begins today in closed beta for residents of the US, Canada and the UK, but more countries will be added down the road. Curious if yours made the list? Just hop the break for the full PR to find out.

Continue reading BBM Music gets official for BlackBerry owners lusting after Spotify

BBM Music gets official for BlackBerry owners lusting after Spotify originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry's new line of Curve phones feature NFC and HTML5.

Research in Motion announced three new BlackBerry smartphones late Monday evening, adding more Curves to the company’s lineup.

The new Curve 9300 series will run on the BlackBerry 7 operating system, which features HTML5 optimization, the latest version of BlackBerry Messenger, and built-in support for Near Field Communication. The phones will come loaded with the premium version of Documents To Go, a mobile-based document reader, and BlackBerry Protect, which allows owners to locate their lost or stolen phone using GPS.

The phones will also feature a 5-megapixel camera for both photo and video, and a microSD slot expandable up to 32 gigs of memory.

Since its debut in 1999, BlackBerry phones have been the preferred smartphone for the business-minded thanks to its dedicated email-friendly keyboard. Once a market leader, BlackBerry phones have slowly bled market share after Google and Apple introduced Android and iOS-powered smartphones to the public.

Though BlackBerry 7 OS is a brand new operating system for RIM, the company plans to switch to the new and improved QNX operating system some time in 2012. And unfortunately for BlackBerry buyers, QNX won’t roll back to older phones. So essentially, the phone you purchased around Christmas could already be out of date come the new year.

All three new Curve models — the 9350, 9360 and 9370 — will be available in Canada in August, and roll out in other countries in September. Pricing and carrier details have not been announced.

Want to get your BBM on in style without spending a fortune on RIM’s latest trio? Say hello to the new 11mm (0.43 inch) thin BlackBerry Curve, now official in 3 variants — the dual-mode GSM / CDMA 9370, the GSM / UMTS 9360 and the CDMA-only 9350. These long rumored handsets feature an 800MHz CPU, 512MB RAM, a tiny 2.44-inch HVGA+ (480×360 pixel) display, a five megapixel EDoF camera (with LED flash and VGA video recording), Bluetooth, WiFi b/g/n with UMA, GPS / aGPS and NFC. While there’s no sign of that new-fangled touch screen technology, you’ll find BlackBerry 7 under the hood, along with a 1000mAh battery to keep it ticking all day long, 512MB of built-in storage (1GB on the 9370) and microSD card support (up to 32GB). RIM is still mum on pricing, but the new BlackBerry Curve is “expected to be available from carriers in Canada this month and from other carriers around the world beginning in September” — including Vodafone, based on the video (and PR) after the break. We’ll have a hands-on later today so stay tuned for more.

Update: It’s official, the BlackBerry Curve 9350 will be coming to Sprint on September 9th for a perfectly reasonable $80 — provided you’re willing to sign a two year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. We’ve tacked on the PR after the break.

Continue reading RIM launches new BlackBerry Curve (video)

RIM launches new BlackBerry Curve (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Torch 9810 available on AT&T today for $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 21:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot on the heels of releasing its new device arsenal, RIM is prepping to roll out a brand spanking new BlackBerry App World. Scheduled to launch Monday, version 3.0 features a retooled interface for quick perusal of apps, games and themes — if the beta release is any indication. Another added feature is the My World storage folder that keeps all of your downloads on the home screen and lets you wirelessly reinstall them should you accidentally delete one or upgrade devices. Sure, there are rumblings that the BB music service will be a part of this release, but as Reuters reported, that announcement isn’t expected until early September. Although, this update would complete the new smartphone trifecta rather nicely: new device, new OS and new app store. Well done, RIM, now if you could just get your advertising in order, you’ll be all set.

RIM to unleash redesigned BlackBerry App World 3.0 on August 22nd originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 02:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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