With QNX, RIM Can Bypass Carriers for BlackBerry OS Updates…In Case You Didn’t Know

As 2012 draws near on the horizon, RIM will soon make a monumental change. This impending change will mark the end of the traditional java-based BlackBerry OS and usher in QNX as the new platform for phones and other devices. The java-based OS’ required carrier testing before getting approved and later pushed to BlackBerry customers. This has caused serious delays in the release of OS packages and even devices (supposed reason for BlackBerry 7 delay). With QNX, RIM has sought to end this vexatious problem.RIM was able to split the QNX OS within itself to separate the network stack. Thus, carriers do not have to evaluate the entire OS package itself. The network stack is also exchangeable, and only a change with the network stack would cause the carrier to re-evaluate the OS package. Consumers should then be able to receive critical updates as soon as RIM is ready to release them. By ridding themselves of the middle-man, RIM should generate more efficiency and consumer satisfaction.

Updates to the QNX OS will also likely have a standard of Over-The-Air (OTA) for devices across the board. We have seen this already being used for updating the BlackBerry PlayBook. It should then be painless for consumers to quickly update their QNX BlackBerry ‘Superphone’. Essentially, breaking users free from the need of BlackBerry Desktop Manager. What other features would you like to see implemented in QNX?

via:n4bb

GPS system threatened by signal interference

Bruce Buls

Bruce Buls

The battle between makers and users of GPS equipment and a proposed wireless broadband system has heated up. The controversy stems from a conditional waiver granted by the Federal Communication Commission in January to LightSquared, a privately held company, for the terrestrial use of the mobile satellite spectrum (MMS) immediately adjacent to the frequency band used by GPS receivers.

LightSquared wants to establish a network of 40,000 ground stations to broadcast extremely powerful broadband wireless signals that could severely disrupt GPS signals, according to the Coalition to Save Our GPS, which represents a wide variety of industries and companies. In a statement on its website, the coalition states: “LightSquared plans to transmit ground-based radio signals that would be one billion or more times more powerful as received on earth than GPS’s low-powered satellite-based signals, potentially causing severe interference impacting millions of GPS receivers — including those used by the federal agencies, state and local governments, first responders, airlines, mariners, civil engineering, construction and surveying, agriculture, and everyday consumers in their cars and on handheld devices.”

A Technical Working Group including representatives from LightSquared and GPS manufacturers ran a series of tests with more than 100 GPS devices over a five-month period following the FCC’s action in January. The TWG’s report was filed with the FCC on June 30. The official comment period ended Aug. 15.

According to the coalition, “TWG’s test results conclusively demonstrate that LightSquared’s initial proposal would cause harmful interference to all types of GPS receivers tested.”

The Coalition also disputed LightSquared’s claims that using only the lower portion of its proposed MMS band and the use of filters on GPS equipment would solve any potential interference problems.

 

Workboat.com

 

AT&T’s 4G LTE network goes live in Chicago; images reveal impressive speeds

AT&T’s 4G LTE network went live this past weekend in the Chicago area, and initial speed tests reveal impressive download speeds. AT&T has yet to announce the availability of LTE service in Chicago or any other launch market, but BGR has obtained exclusive images and speed test results from a source who has tested the network there. Ahead of an official launch, AT&T 4G LTE service is likely to be available only intermittently during testing, though it is also possible that Chicago has been soft launched following the launch of AT&T’s first two 4G LTE devices last week. Read on for more.

 

Guardly Mobile Personal Safety app now available for BlackBerry smartphones

A new application just released today is the Guardly Mobile Personal Safety application. Guardly is the first mobile personal safety service that instantly connects you to friends, family & authorities in just one tap. Here’s a brief overview of what the app can do:

• You feel that you’re being followed, so you launch Guardly. After a short countdown sequence, an emergency alert is sent to your safety network via phone, email & SMS text. This includes a link to your current location.
•  Since your default group was set to autodial 911 if no other selection was made during the countdown sequence, Guardly then dials 911 for you. (Note: this setting can also be disabled on-the-fly)
• While you’re on the phone with 911, you switch back to Guardly to send instant message updates to your safety network using the Guardly Connect emergency response website.
• Your pursuer is getting closer, so you take a few pictures that are automatically shared with your safety network. As you start walking, your location updates are shared automatically.
• As an additional deterrent, you activate the loud siren. Your pursuer realizes that you’re not an easy mark, and moves on.

You can read the latest press release here and then head on over to BlackBerry App World and download the Guardly Alerts application. It’s a free application with the following features:

• Emergency alerts: Send location-based emergency alerts via voice call, SMS and email to your personal safety network

Sign up for Guardly Connect ($1.99/monthly or $19.99/yearly) and you’ll also have access to the following options:

• One-tap activation: Guardly alerts two safety networks simultaneously – a user’s personal safety network by voice, SMS and email, and 9-1-1 or any other emergency phone number
• Contact collaboration: Users can collaborate with emergency contacts in real-time by conference call, instant messaging and map-view showing nearby locations of responders
• LocationAssure™: Guardly uses GPS, cell-tower triangulation and WiFi hotspots to find a user’s real-time location for the entire duration of an emergency incident, even if the user is on the phone with 9-1-1
• NetworkAssure™: Built-in intelligence to detect network failures and wait until a signal is present to transmit data and make calls to 9-1-1 to ensure users are connected to their safety network
• Auto-dial emergency services including 9-1-1
• Photo sharing: Users can share photos with their personal safety network instantly and securely

More information / download Guardly Alerts[qrcode pix=180]http://nhcbba.com/downloads/Guardly_Alert[/qrcode]

BlackBerry Music Rumors Continue to Surface

If you have been following some of the recent headlines, you would have seen mention of the new BlackBerry Music service.  Our friends over at CrackBerry posted some new details about the service today.

• Users will have to download the new standalone BlackBerry music app from App World
• Once installed, there *should* be a free trial (may vary by country/carrier – but expect a month free)
• Once the free trial expires, the service will cost $5/mo.
• With the app installed, you can choose up to 50 songs of your choice. Apparently the catalog selection is pretty good!
• From there, you invite your contacts via BBM, etc. to also download the app if they don’t have it and join your music sharing network (invited contacts must pay the $5/mo. also to take part and remain part of the service).
• From there, you can listen to not only the 50 songs you’ve selected), but any of the 50 songs from your music sharing network. So if you have 20 contacts, you’ll have access to 1,000 other songs in addition to your 50. We’re not sure yet if there’s a limit to how many people you can share with, but essentially the more people in your music sharing group the more music you’ll have access to.

It is a good start for the most part, and it will be very interesting to see how this evolves, especially with competing music services like Google Music.

Source: CrackBerry.com
Image: EndGadget

AT&T enhances network in part of Manhattan you probably won't visit

If you’re walking through New York City today, you may notice that your AT&T phone just got a little bit faster. But you probably won’t. The carrier activated a new broadband cell site in Manhattan’s Turtle Bay area in Midtown — somewhere between Times Square and the Upper East Side — in a five-block area that few tourists ever visit. The company says the upgrades are part of a larger plan to enhance coverage across the nation and eventually roll out 4G LTE coverage, with help from recently acquired T-Mobile — that is if all goes well in court, of course.

 

Verizon further expands LTE network, says it now covers more than half the US population

Verizon’s latest LTE network expansion may be a tad small compared to some previous ones — encompassing 15 new markets, plus some additional coverage in ten existing ones — but it was enough to push the carrier over one significant milestone. It now says that the network encompasses some 160 million Americans, or more than half the US population. As Verizon is quick to point out, that’s a feat it managed to accomplish in just eight months.

Head on past the break for the press release with the complete list of markets covered.

AT&T’s first 4G LTE smartphone due by year-end

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AT&T senior vice president of mobility and consumer markets Pete Ritcher took the stage during the Oppenheimer Technology and Communications Conference on Wednesday, where he confirmed that AT&T will launch its first 4G LTE smartphone by the end of this year. Ritcher reaffirmed AT&T’s intention to deploy its LTE network in 15 markets covering 70 million people by the end of 2011, and it hopes to continue its roll-out on a market-by-market basis, Fierce Wireless reported. AT&T will initially only offer laptop cards alongside the new LTE network, and AT&T is expected to launch 4G LTE in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio this summer. “We are the only carrier with LTE and HSPA+,” Ritcher said. “When you don’t have LTE you will fall back to faster speeds than our competitors,” he added, noting that Verizon’s 4G customers fall back to the slower EV-DO network when LTE is not available.

Read

BGR

US Cellular Q2 results bring higher revenue, despite small customer loss

With the upcoming introduction of its LTE network and vast fall smartphone lineup, US Cellular’s a regional carrier with a lot to look forward to. But its efforts over the second quarter, paired with the hopes of a bright future ahead, weren’t enough to keep a few thousand customers from parting ways. While most of the reported figures were quite pleasant year-over-year — service revenues bumped up three percent to $1 billion, percentage of smartphones sold skyrocketed to nearly 40 percent, ARPU increased to $51.84, and total operating income shot up a whole 61 percent — the company also experienced a loss of 58,000 customers over the course of three months. The carrier doesn’t seem too worried about this particular figure, however, as it stated its excitement about the launch of its 4G service later this year. Will the bleak and cold winter become warm and toasty because of a blazing-hot network? We’re eager to find out. Hit the source link for the full quarterly earnings.

via: engagdet

Setup Android player with Android Market on your PlayBook in 15 minutes or less

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

[This post comes to us courtesy of CrackBerry Forums member HaTaX who has been doing some awesome things with the Android Player on the BlackBerry PlayBook despite its current limitations]

This tutorial assumes you’ve already installed the Android player BAR file on your PlayBook. If you haven’t done so yet, go find “sys.android.bar” somewhere on the interwebs, and then check here for instructions on installing downloaded BAR files to your PlayBook

You also need to extract the contents of the “GApps-PB-rev2.zip” to your PlayBook after the Android player has started for the first time. Extract these files to the file share on your PlayBook via the network file sharing feature. You should extract the 3 folders in the ZIP file to “\PLAYBOOKmediamiscandroid” where PLAYBOOK is the IP address of your PlayBook. Get the ZIP file to be extracted to your PlayBook here.

The key to getting this working 100% correctly is to be PATIENT! Don’t try to move any faster then the video or you may get some weirdness or your downloads will sit at the “Starting Download…” message. If that happens, restart the PB and try again.

*This stuff is all experimental, if you decide to go through these steps it’s at your own risk.*

via:cb