Mobile connected device adoption picked up among women and older consumers in the second quarter of 2011, according to new findings from market research firm Nielsen. In the second quarter last year, tablets and eReaders were owned largely by those under the age of 35.
Continue reading Nielsen: Tablet and eReader adoption accelerated among older users, women in Q2
The unreleased devices keep on getting OS updates but now we have unannounced devices getting them at the same time. Ashley pointed out that the BlackBerry Curve 9360 now has OS 7.0.0.244 available. Not much most people can do with this OS but if you guys are looking for one of these prerelease devices let us know.
You can pick up OS 7.0.0.224 for the BlackBerry Curve 9360 @ fileserve.com
Warning: This OS will not install on any other BlackBerry besides the one mentioned above and is not an official release.If you do not know how to upgrade your BlackBerry OS please start by reading this step by step guide.Don’t forget to delete the vendor.xml file located in c:program files>common files>research in motion>apploader to install it on a different carriers device. Don’t forget our usual warnings: do not download and install these updates if you don’t know what you’re doing. Incorrect procedure or just bad luck could render your BlackBerry inoperative or unstable.
Via: bbreview
In the rough and tumble debate surrounding the mobile phone’s ability to cause cancer, both sides agree that our young ones — indeed, some of the heaviest users — could be at an increased risk for cellular-induced tumors. According to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the radio emissions from mobile devices penetrate much deeper into the brains of children, and in the case of little tykes ages five to eight, their noggins will absorb twice the energy of the average adult. This, combined with their developing nervous systems, has brought concern for the welfare of our youngest mobile-savvy citizens, and led to a European study of nearly 1,000 (informed?) participants. Data was gathered over a four-year period, which relied upon self-reporting methods, where youngsters were found to not talk very often, and typically sent text messages instead — big surprise, right?
While long-term risks remain unknown, the researchers conclude that “a large and immediate risk of cellphones causing brain tumors in children can be excluded.” In other words: little Suzy won’t begin sprouting cancer cells overnight. While you doting parents may find comfort in the latest research, you might consider stopping short of giving the mischievous rascal an unlimited voice plan. After all, gossip still spreads best at the school yard.
[Image courtesy Derek Olson (flickr)]
Given the current parade of bad predictions for the BlackBerry from the inside baseball crowd, it’s exciting and refreshing to see that out in the real world many still see BlackBerry surviving beyond next Thursday. Yoritex has announced that they have produced a Medical Network HUB. This is the first USB-connected hardware accessory for BlackBerry smartphones, which allows making over 50 different medial and non-medical measurements via plug-in accessories which Yoritex makes. It provides full mHealth service on real-time transmit data basis.
Keep reading for the full press release.
Continue reading Yoritex has produced Medical Network HUB for BlackBerry smartphones
A new research study published by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) suggests that cell phone use directly increases crash risk among U.S. drivers. The group studied 350 scientific papers that were published between 2000 and 2010 on highway safety. Distractions, which include cell phone use, are responsible for between 15% and 25% of all crashes, including minor fender benders all the way up to fatal accidents. The report also said that there is “no conclusive evidence on whether hands-free systems [are] less risky than hand-held use,” and that results of several tests “imply dialing a cell phone increases crash risk more for a short time while a cell phone conversation increases crash risk less for a longer time.” As you might expect, texting is an even larger risk since it requires that a user look at his or her phone for a longer period of time. “Despite all that has been written about driver distraction, there is still a lot that we do not know,” Barbara Harsha, a GHSA executive director. “Clearly, more studies need to be done addressing both the scope of the problem and how to effectively address it.”
Nielsen recently released some statistics showing games as the most downloaded app category. Users on iPhone and Android tend to download games and apparently most BlackBerry users are similar to feature phone users in that they tend to play what’s preloaded. This speaks volumes to the fact that there is still a significant number of BlackBerry users out there that don’t know or care about App World and are using the device simply for communication. It also shows that RIM needs to do a better job of both promoting App World or updating the device with better game preloads.
According to the research, the average mobile gamer plays an average of 7.8 hours a month. Those with iPhones tend to play around 14.7 hours each month while those with Android devices play around 9.3 hours per month. Just behind the Games category is the Weather app category, with 60% of users saying they have downloaded a weather app over the past 30 days. In third place is social networking apps, with 56% of users having downloaded one in the past month.
Although the Games category is the most popular when taking into account all smartphones, it probably isn’t the most popular on BlackBerry. In general, BlackBerry users played the least amount of games, and it’s possible that social, weather and utilities would fair better than games.
For more charts and info, head over to the Nielsen blog.
via:bbreview
Night Hawk Computers Blackberry Alliance 