The QNX BlackBerry Colt Plot Thickens With More Rumors

We first heard rumors about a QNX BlackBerry Colt super-phone not to long ago. The rumor then was that current dev versions are running a single core 1.2Ghz processor that everybody seems hung up on. It also would not be supported on BES at launch and will instead use ActiveSync and pack a 4.3″ screen. The main catch was that this device was coming in Q1 of 2012. Now the Dutch website Tweakers.net (via Engadget) claims to have heard from sources that the QNX based BlackBerry Colt may even come by the end of the year or Q4 2011 according to their trusted industry sources. It supposedly will also have a resolution of 900px+ or so whatever that means and run the same 1.2Ghz Qualcomm snapdragon processor as the 9900. They also created the mockup you see above.

So anybody want to start throwing more fuel into the rumor mill? Let us know if you spot anything else!

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via:bbreview

BlackBerry Management Center Set to Launch in Mid-August

In case you have not been paying attention RIM has been cooking up their BlackBerry Management Center for a few months now. They have been beta testing their latest small business product and so far people are really liking it. It lets small businesses manage BlackBerrys without a BES server by linking their BIS accounts together along with BlackBerry Protect. That way one central administrator or administrators can manage the business or family BlackBerrys and make sure they are backed up and have the correct settings. You can also centrally control the BlackBerry Protect settings that let you find or wipe lost phones.

 

RIM sent out the email below to beta participants who were kind enough to forward it along. The current tentative date for BlackBerry Management Center to launch is Mid August and hopefully RIM will be able to pull that off.

RIM Running Enterprise BlackBerry Innovation Webcast Series

It is always interesting to see how RIM engages their enterprise customers which is why their latest BlackBerry Innovation webcast series that started yesterday is interesting. They promise that through the series “You’ll discover new and innovative knowledge about the BlackBerry solution and the all new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.” The first webinar yesterday covered QNX and the BlackBerry Tablet and the next three webinars also cover the PlayBook. Next weeks webinar takes an “Enterprise-Deep Dive” into the BlackBerry PlayBook which should be interesting to hear.

 

RIM really has quite a bit more to say about the PlayBook once native email and PIM come. They will also come with IT Policies and the need for being able to manage BlackBerry PlayBooks once they start storing enterprise information and have 4G connections.

Check out the full listing of Webinars or simply check out the snapshot below:

Upcoming Webcasts – Date & Time (EST)

QNX® and BlackBerry® PlayBook™ Tablet. June 1, 20112 pm

BlackBerry® PlayBook™ in the Enterprise-Deep Dive June 7 , 20112 pm

BlackBerry® PlayBook™: Deployment Opportunities June 9, 201112 pm

BlackBerry® PlayBook™ Security June 15, 20112 pm

BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution: Today and Tomorrow June 21, 20112 pm

The Office of Tomorrow with BlackBerry June 23, 20112 pm

Getting the Most out of Enterprise Collaboration June 29, 20112 pm

WorkFlow in the Enterprise July 6, 20112 pm

Bridging The Gap: Business & Personal July 13, 20112 pm

Building Simple, Effective Applications July 20, 20112 pm

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via:bbr

AT&T Offering Free Calling to Japan Until March 31st

With the devastation in Japan just a few days behind us it is heartwarming to see companies step in to help. A few readers let us know that AT&T is offering free calling to Japan from March 11th to March 31st. AT&T Wireless postpaid customers will not be charged for long distance or text messages to Japan from the US or Puerto Rico. Residential wired customers will be able to get up to 60 minutes free too but you will have to call in to be credited for them.

A nice move on AT&T’s part to help families and friends with loved ones in Japan. Check out the details in their press release.

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Google Voice Number Porting Goes Live for All!!!

Just last week Google was teasing their Google Voice users by doing a soft test of their number portability feature. We are happy to report that Google has now taken that feature live for ALL current Google Voice users. New users will get the feature within the next few weeks. Google admits that this is one of their most requested features though some people prefer to have two numbers to screen calls.

 

For those of you who have always wanted to port your number to Google Voice just visit the Settings page at www.google.com/voice and click on “Change / Port” next to your Google Voice number. The process takes 24 hours and costs $20 payable by Google Checkout obviously. Keep in mind that porting your number will cancel your cellphone service plan. Check out the rest of the Google porting FAQ at this link.

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Via: BR

RIM Confirms NFC BlackBerrys with Latest Job Posting

You can really learn quite a bit about how RIM operates from their own sources like job postings and their very active LinkedIn page. Earlier this month we had RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsillie talking about NFC (Near Field Communication) saying that “we’d be fools not to have it in the near-term, and we are not fools.” There is even speculation that it will fill the “Module Cavity” in the upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook and other BlackBerrys which was confirmed by the WSJ.

In case you don’t know what NFC is here is a simple example. Think of being able to pay for items at the grocery store just by tapping your BlackBerry against a sensor. Kind of like the new credit cards that you just push against the register sensor. This can also be used to easily transfer contact information and other “near field” solutions.

The latest ad for an “IOT Specialist – Near Field Communications” on RIM’s website hints that RIM is moving fast on this one. Here is a description of the position:

The successful candidate will be responsible for investigating complex system level issues raised during IOT Testing for Near Field Communication software features supported on RIM’s BlackBerry handhelds. Responsibilities involve setting up and maintaining the IOT test environment, developing test cases and test scripts, as well as writing and carrying out NFC IOT test plans and NFC pre-certification test plans.

The successful candidate will troubleshoot test environments, analyze logs, communicate the root cause of test case failures across development teams and drive issues to resolutions, working directly with feature developers to correct software failures related to the NFC Radio software of RIM’s BlackBerry handhelds. He/she will also drive the specification of new test requirements in order to increase the effectiveness of our RIM’s internal IOT test coverage and participate into the development of automated test frameworks.

Seems like there is no question now that BlackBerrys will be getting NFC soon. Hopefully we will be seeing it sooner rather than later. I am still waiting for a bump to exchange contacts feature built into every BlackBerry or even better it should be included in every smartphone. via The Register

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Source: Breview

Who Knew There Were BlackBerry Songs?

Over the years I have heard a song or two dedicated to our beloved device. After getting sent this video below by  RIZ I decided to do some searching and see how many other BlackBerry videos there are out there. Some of them are funny and other ones make me wonder why people bothered…

(mobile link)

Check out some of the other videos and songs I spotted:

http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F4681209&secret_token=s-fmOss&

Married to Blackberry (Theme) by OmenBoy

(Mobile link)

(Mobile link)

Check out more on YouTube at this search link. Let us know if you spot any other good ones!

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Source: berryreview

BlackBerry Style 9670 Launching on Bell & TELUS in November

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Don’t you love hearing about the BlackBerry Style 9670. We are not even sure it will be called the Style but it looks like it will carry the name. The team at MobileSyrup found that Bell and TELUS will be launching the new clamshell device in the first week of November which is just around the corner.

There is no word on the prices or exact date but when this device comes stateside I am sure it will be $199. This will be the second device to launch with BlackBerry 6 and will include a 5 megapixel camera along with many of the other features found on the Torch like Wi-Fi, GPS, trackpad, Bluetooth, etc.

What do you think of RIM’s latest flip phone? Do you think the BlackBerry Style has a market or will it die a sad and unappreciated death like the Pearl Flip series?

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Via: BR

BlackBerry Swiss Army Knife (BSAK) version v1.5

Product Link >>>

The guys over at RimGeeks a program BSAK version 1.5. If you don’t know what this application does  it allows you to either nuke (wipe device) your BlackBerry, backup 3rd party apps, factory reset, launch the app loader, and now with some new features.

One of the main reasons why I like this app is that is simple to use, loads quickly doesn’t drain your pc’s memory when using it. When you save your 3rd party applications it creates an .axl  extension file making it easy to use application loader and choose which apps you want to reload. My favorite of them all has to be the device wipe or factory reset, I have used it many times in the last few days because my BES was not playing nicely and had to wipe and do factory reset. Without the help from this application it would have been a pain on a vista pc. If you don’t know what you are doing I don’t suggest wiping or using some of the advance features of this app but I do recommend it for those who simply want an easier way of backing up their 3rd party apps.

Here is a list of new updates from the developer, I included features added from version 1.4 as well

Needed:
.NET Framework 2.0
Blackberry Desktop Manager or Drivers
Before we get into the details of v1.4 we want to thank everyone for spreading are app so quickly. We have big plans for the future of this app you can expect some big changes in the future (maybe not so near). Anyways onto the new version!
New to v1.5
• Kill Processes Button added (if your having trouble connecting click kill processes to close (BBdevmgr.exe and RimDevManager.exe both started by desktop manager)
• Full System Dump (Save ALL Cods on device) (Dump CODs)
• Save button added to Read System (saves all the file names to a SystemRead.txt)
• Save button added to Read Event Log (saves Event Log to EventLog.txt)
• ACCURATE Progress Bar added to 3rd Party Backup
• ACCURATE Progress Bar added to Full System Dump
• Files now displayed as they are being saved
• Can now Save Multiple CODs at one time
• Error handling added when Read and Save COD button is pushed with nothing selected

New to v1.4
We had some fun with cosmetics in this build…
• BBSAK now has a new icon
• AutoDetect Now changes image on BBSAK to whatever phone is connected
• Read System now includes Version and Size (can be sorted, still working on size sorting)
• ALX now includes version number (displays in applications menu on phone and bbdm)
• BBSAK now closes BBDevMgr.exe and RIMDeviceManger.exe before attempting to connect (these are started by bbdm and cause issues with BBSAK)
• Added ability to Read Event Log
• Added ability to Clear Event Log

The developer does accept donations since app is free and you can pick up the latest version by going to this link.  Thanks to DavidB for sending this tip. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

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FAQ: Easily Join A Conference Call Through The BlackBerry Calendar

Jerry reminded me about a feature that was added in OS 4.6.1 that I use every once in awhile. RIM added the ability to set conference call options globally or separately for each call. This can be used to easily dial into a conference call when the reminder comes up or simply remember to call your parents or significant other with a quick click.

Thankfully Jerry was kind enough to write up how to use the feature. Although this article is a bit long, its use is remarkably simple!

If you go into your BlackBerry’s Calendar, then hit the [Menu] key and select Options, you’ll see the second option is Conference Call Options.  In the Conference Call Options, you can set a Phone Number and Access Code for both a Moderator and a Participant.  Fill in the fields with the appropriate information and save it.