20,000 Jamaican teachers to get BlackBerry smartphones in new partnership with RIM

Research In Motion has teamed up with the Ministry of Education to provide approximately 20,000 teachers in Jamaica with Blackberry smartphones for the new academic year. The Canadian High Commission is supporting the initiative, which is aimed at improving communication and increasing technology awareness.

Under the partnership with RIM, the company will be making two of its newest technologies available to teachers – the Blackberry Mobile Voice System, which will reduce costs by having one phone extension for multiple numbers; and the Blackberry Pushcast to enable distribution of content such as PowerPoint presentations, videos, or audio files.

IMO Launches Multi-Protocol Instant Messaging Client

 

Imo.im has launched their multi-protocol instant messaging app for BlackBerry. Also available on Android and iPhone, imo is a web-based communications service that enables users to hold text, voice and video chats across multiple instant messaging protocols.

The Beta app currently supports MSN, Skype, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Facebook, AIM/ICQ, Jabber, MySpace and Hyves with more features being added in the coming weeks. This web-based instant messanging suite supports concurrent sessions so you can be logged in on the desktop and on your phone simultaneously.

Appearing in BlackBerry App World soon,

imo is currently available as an over-the-air download.[qrcode pix=180]https://imo.im/blackberry[/qrcode]

via: bbcool

BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac updated to v2.1.1.7

Research in Motion is rolling out updates left and right, with Facebook for BlackBerry, foursquare for BlackBerry, official instant messaging apps, and BlackBerry Travel updates all available in the last week. Today is the day for all of you Mac users out there, as BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac was just updated to v2.1.1.7 . You can grab the update by heading to the website at the link below, or you can open up Desktop Manager and check for updates to get the download prompt. Thanks for the tip Mike M!

Download Desktop Manager for Mac.

via: cb

AT&T intros $50 unlimited GoPhone plan

On Tuesday AT&T officially announced that its customers can now sign up for a $50 unlimited GoPhone plan that includes unlimited text, talk, and web for $50 per month. AT&T’s GoPhone option does not require a contract and it also allows customers to text Mexico, Canada, and 100 other countries at no additional cost. AT&T’s new pricing is a considerable drop from the original$60 per month GoPhone option, which just provided unlimited talk and text.Read on for the full release.

Prepaid Calling Just Got Better: Nationwide Unlimited Talk, Text & Web Plan Now Available for $50

AT&T Customers Can Save More Than 20% With No Long-term Commitment Starting June 26

Dallas, Texas, June 21, 2011

Key Facts

• Consumers can sign up for an unlimited talk, text and web nationwide GoPhone^® plan for $50 per month starting on June 26 with AT&T* — a savings of more than 20%.
• Plan includes unlimited text and instant messaging to Mexico, Canada and 100 additional countries.
• Customers can apply this new GoPhone plan to quick messaging phones such the Pantech P7040p, available for purchase on the same day for $59.99.
• Available to new and existing GoPhone customers with a feature phone.

Customer Benefits

AT&T GoPhone customers can now take advantage of a new unlimited talk, text and web nationwide plan for $50 per month. Unlimited text and instant messaging to Mexico, Canada and 100 other countries are also included at no additional cost.

GoPhone service can be purchased at AT&T company-owned retail stores, online at att.com/gophone and thousands of authorized retailers nationwide. Smartphone customers can choose unlimited talk and text for $50 and select one of three data package options from $5 to $25.

Earlier this month, AT&T announced the new Pantech P7040p, a stylish quick messaging phone, would also be available on June 26 in company-owned retail stores for $59.99. With a full keyboard, the Pantech P7040p is ideal for maximizing the value of this new plan.

Quotes

“As summer approaches, consumers want a plan that provides even more value as they connect with their loved ones in the U.S and abroad,” said Judy Cavalieri, vice president, Voice and Prepaid Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “GoPhone provides customers a unique opportunity to experience the dependability and availability of AT&T’s national wireless network with no long term commitment.”

GoPhone Portfolio

AT&T offers a wide selection of plans and handsets for prepaid customers – everything from feature phones to smartphones with no long-term contract, credit check, or deposit. In April, AT&T launched LG Thrive™, the first Android smartphone available for GoPhone customers. Smartphones require a separate data package to access data/web services.

Learn more about GoPhone offerings at http://www.att.com/gophone.

via: BGR

Wikitude augmented reality browser comes pre-loaded on the new BlackBerry Bold 9900

You may or may not have heard of Wikitude but — if you have plans on picking up a new BlackBerry Bold 9900 then you’re going to start seeing a lot of the their augmented reality application. Wikitude will come pre-loaded on the device when it launches. Right now, we’ve not had a chance to go hands-on with the app but here is what Wikitude had to say about the launch:

“The Wikitude team is very excited to see its AR browser as part of BlackBerry’s new device proposition” said Martin Herdina, Wikitude’s CEO. “BlackBerry’s Super Apps concept is the perfect environment for Wikitude to show its full potential as it seamlessly integrates with other applications on the device”.

“Combining Wikitude with the overwhelmingly large user base of BBM around the world creates a completely new form of social interaction. This is the very first time that instant messaging is rolled out in AR on such a large scale” says Andy Gstoll, Chief Marketing Officer at Wikitude.

Using the browser is rather easy — just load it up and point your finder around to see integrated overlays within the app itself. Wikitude will fully integrate the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) allowing you to interact with their BBM contacts and meet new people in augmented reality as well share info from various places such as YouTube, Twitter and more.

Source: Wikitude

BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 Beta Offers Location Sharing to Groups

BBM 6.0 has recently landed in BlackBerry Beta Zone with a few subtle improvements. We had seen a glimpse of BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 sporting some new chat bubble colours, but it doesn’t look like it’s included in this particular build. They have updated the UI with new branding, and improved responsiveness, along with new options for viewing incoming SMS messages in BBM. There’s also a few changes in how you send calendar events, if you tend to use BBM for that sort of thing instead of e-mail. The biggest addition is the ability to share your GPS coordinates with a group – particularly handy when you’re trying to get everybody to get together for an event.

BBM is an instant messaging client specific to BlackBerry smartphones (though there are rumours of it making the jump to Android). Its main selling point is that you get sent, read, and typing notifications, features that third-party developers have been eager to emulate in their own cross-platform instant messaging clients. Of course, there’s added security and speed with BBM since everything is pumped through RIM’s servers in Waterloo, Ontario.

If there’s something in particular you would like to see in BBM 6.0, the BlackBerry Beta Zone has a new feature voting mechanism, along with all of the usual feedback venues.

Head on over to sign up and try it out.

Android and iPhone Getting BlackBerry Messenger?

You might have heard that the BlackBerry PlayBook will be able to run Android apps, but what about the other way around – what if Android ran BlackBerry apps? Rumour has it that this is exactly what’s happening; RIM is supposedly aiming to bring the legendary BlackBerry Messenger client to not only Android, but the iPhone and iPad’s iOS down the line as well. RIM had recently put the legal screws to Kik Messenger, which was offering a kind of cross-platform BBM service, and seeing as the legal action surrounded patent infringements, it would be safe to assume RIM had similar plans of their own (though there was also some concern about Kik illegally mining personal data).

BlackBerry Messenger on Android and iOS will apparently be a more stripped-down version, so don’t expect the fancy stuff like file transfers or groups, but basic instant messaging with read/unread notifications seems likely. No mention of timing, except for sometime this year, and pricing is equally up in the air; free, one-time fee, or subscription models are all possibilities.

Is this a smart move on RIM’s part? The exclusivity of BBM to BlackBerry smartphones has been a big selling point, and giving it away to the competing platforms may obliterate what little reason anyone has to pick up a RIM product. On the other hand, if RIM can be tantalizing enough with their app and rope people into using BBM to the point of becoming a necessity, then they’ll be in a position to convince folks to switch teams. The larger strategic message this would send is that RIM is losing faith in their own application platform, and is looking to use the competition to their advantage. The QNX operating system of the BlackBerry PlayBook will take some time to mature if it wants to offer anywhere near as many apps as Android, let alone iOS; in the meantime, RIM could easily take advantage of Google’s openness, even if in the process they’re making significant additions to the Android ecosystem with apps like BBM (and who knows what else… BIS e-mail?). As far as iOS is concerned, I couldn’t imagine Apple being cool with RIM horning in on their app market to woo loyal iPhone owners to the black side, but I’m sure Google would be hunky-dory with the idea of getting their tendrils into another manufacturing partner.

RIM hasn’t been shy about cross-platform work in the past – you may remember the BlackBerry Application Suite for Windows Mobile. It didn’t exactly take off, but that had more to do with WM’s puny share than RIM’s product. Maybe another go at that strategy with a more popular smartphone OS isn’t such a bad idea… what do you guys think? Just remember to take it all with a grain of salt – there’s no hard and fast evidence of RIM making this move just yet, though the source sounds pretty confident about Android getting BBM.

[via BGR]

LiveProfile for BlackBerry nears release; Servers upgraded in anticipation

I have never really been into any of the cross-platform, BBM-like instant messaging services. But LiveProfile is the one that I have been waiting for. I have used it for iOS and Android and must say, it is my 2nd favorite IM client, behind BBM of course. The app features familiar sent, delivered, and read notifications, “is typing a message”, as well as a PIN system for adding friends (although you can scan your address book for email addresses of current users). You will also get the usual amenities like status updates, online availability, and file transfers. For months their site has shown it’s availability for BlackBerry as “Coming Soon” and it looks like later this week the wait will be over. The official LiveProfile Blog had this to say:

In anticipation for our BlackBerry launch this week we began to upgrade our infrastructure to handle the flood of new users.

It’s nice to see a company upgrade their servers before releasing their app, instead of crashing them and then upgrading. I really look forward to the app’s release. I dare say it is the most instant of the instant messengers out there. I just hope they don’t pull a kik. At least they don’t have any former RIM employees on their staff, that I know of. Hit the break for some pics of the app.

More information on LiveProfile’s website

Beejive IM beta updated to 2.1.2 build 8

BeejiveIM. Instant messaging anywhere. has been updated to beta version 2.1.2 build 8. We are still waiting on the change log at this time. If you have downloaded the update and see something different please feel free to let us know.BeejiveIM keeps you in touch with your friends on AIM/MobileMe, MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo!, GoogleTalk, MySpace, ICQ and Jabber… all at the same time, all on your BlackBerry. You can get a 30 Day Free Trial. www.beejive.com/blackberry

We are pleased to announce the release of BeejiveIM beta 2.1.2 build 8 for Blackberry. With this release we have fixed Facebook login issues (for OS 5.0 and above), fixed a buddy list display bug for non-vga devices, and have added improvements for chat scrolling. If you are still experiencing issues, please leave a comment in this forum with the problem along with your device modle, OS, and carrier. Thanks!  This is beta software and not a production release, bugs and defects are to be expected. Please report any defects in this forum including your OS, BB model, and carrier.

BeejiveIM Key Features:

• BeejiveIM uses your existing data plan: no per-message charges.
• Reliable and efficient networking: be connected 24/7, and it s gentle on your battery.
• Works with multiple IM networks, multiple accounts per network: AIM®/iChat, MSN®, Yahoo!®, Facebook Chat, GoogleTalk®, ICQ®, Jabber, and MySpace IM.
• Send and receive files with all IM services.
• Instantly record and send voice messages to your IM contacts.
• Send your current GPS location with a link to Google Maps, taking advantage of your BlackBerry’s location features and adding a new location-aware element to your chats.
• Customize your chat styles and colors and set different backgrounds and wallpapers.
• Show icons for all contacts in your buddy list.
• Click on real hyperlinks in chats, allowing you to browse, call, tweet, email, text, or PIN message directly from a chat screen.
• View your chat history, and email yourself logs of your past chats.
• Desktop-like instant messaging with all of your IM buddies from a single intuitive user interface.

 

Over the Air OTA
http://www.beejive.com/otabeta6.0 6.0 OS
http://www.beejive.com/otabeta5.0 5.0 OS
http://www.beejive.com/otabeta4.7 4.7 OS
http://www.beejive.com/otabeta4.6 4.6 OS
http://www.beejive.com/otabeta4.3 4.3 & 4.5 OS

Desktop Install
http://www.beejive.com/beta6.0 6.0 OS
http://www.beejive.com/beta5.0 5.0 OS
http://www.beejive.com/beta4.6 4.6 OS
http://www.beejive.com/beta4.7 4.7 OS
http://www.beejive.com/beta4.3 4.3 & 4.5 OS

Source

PingChat for BlackBerry Updated to Version 2.3.0

PingChat, the multi-platform Instant Messaging application for BlackBerry devices, has been updated to it’s version 2.3.0. Those of you who don’t know what PingChat is, it’s simply an app that lets you chat with users of other platforms such as Android and iOS devices.

Here’s what’s new on version 2.3.0:

• UI improvements
• Better contacts organization
• Bug fixes

These days it’s always good to have a multi-platform IM on you phone, not everyone has a BlackBerry right? You wanna stay in touch with ALL your friends. If you’re interested in downloading PingChat then head over to the App World.