UK adults prefer iPhone, teens pick BlackBerry

Research firm Ofcom recently released its annual Communications Market Report that surveyed 2,073 adults and 512 teenagers in the United Kingdom. The results revealed that 32% of adults preferred using the iPhone as their primary handset while 37% percent of teens chose to carry a BlackBerry smartphone. Ofcom didn’t reveal whether it was cost or feature sets that drove the preference, however. The firm also found that 37% of adults considered themselves “addicted” to their smartphones while 60% of teenagers admitted being addicted. What was the most visited website on a smartphone? Facebook clocked in 43 million hours of usage in December 2010 alone, according to the firm.

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BGR

Gist for BlackBerry Gets Big Update & Support for More Countries

RIM purchase Gist a bit back as a way to create a social address book for BlackBerrys. Quite a few people were excited about what this could mean but it keeps on getting better. Gist just released a new version of their app (For OS 6.0 only) that first of all expands the app beyond the US and Canada. It is now available in :

• Australia
• India
• New Zealand
• Nigeria
• Philippines
• Singapore
• South Africa
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom

They have also bulked up the app which now allows you to connect to Twitter, Facebook, and Google Apps (Including Gmail, Google Apps, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts) to bring all of your contacts to one place in one app.

You can pick up this latest version of Gist in App World now[qrcode pix=180]http://nhcbba.com/downloads/Gist[/qrcode]

Thanks to everyone that sent this in!

via: bbreview

WeatherPro now available for BlackBerry

Regardless if you check the weather for travel plans, work or your daily excersise routine, a good weather app is a must-have on our BlackBerry device for a lot of us. WeatherPro by MeteoGroup, has been a top selling Android, Windows & iOS application for a while and now they have decided to show us BlackBerry users some of that love too. WeatherPro for BlackBerry 1.0 provides a 7 day forecast for more than 2 million locations. With updates every three hours you will always have access to the very latest weather, no matter where you are in the world.

With WeatherPro you can get animated worldwide satellite images and radar for much of Europe and the United States. WeatherPro for BlackBerry 1.0 supports radar for Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Denmark, the Baltic States, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the United States. WeatherPro is $4.99 and currently available for the following BlackBerry devices: 89xx, 9000, 93xx, 95xx, 96xx, 97xx & 9800.

For more information / download WeatherPro for BlackBerry 1.0

O2 not carrying BlackBerry PlayBook due to 'end to end customer experience'

Although today is launch day for the BlackBerry PlayBook in the United Kingdom, one major carrier won’t be taking part in the fun. O2 has decided to pass on the tablet and simply won’t be selling the device. The company has been reaching out to customers to let them know stating “unfortunately there are some issues with the end to end customer experience”. While there are no plans to sell the PlayBook for now, it doesn’t totally rule out offerings in the future for this or other RIM devices. So unfortunately if you were looking to O2 to snag your PlayBook today, you’ll have to venture elsewhere to pick one up.

Source: Engadget

Poynt for BlackBerry Launches in the UK

UK BlackBerry users will be happy to know that, the very well known BlackBerry Application, Poynt has now launched for the PlayBook in the UK. So all you PlayBook users, who just bought your PlayBook today, head over to AppWorld and download Poynt for PB.

CALGARY, ALBERTA–(Marketwire – June 16, 2011) – Poynt Corporation (“Poynt Corp.” or the “Company”) (TSX VENTURE:PYN), a leading provider of mobile local search services, today announced the launch of their award-winning mobile application Poynt for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet in the United Kingdom. Poynt’s availability on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet today coincides with the launch of the device in the United Kingdom.

• Check out Poynt for BlackBerry PlayBook[qrcode pix=150]http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/38577?lang=en[/qrcode]

via:bbos

Jabra recommends Bluetooth headsets in lieu of brain tumors

Following the World Health Organization’s revelation last week that cell phones are “possibly carcinogenic to humans based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless phone use,” Jabra has issued an easy fix: instead of putting a cell phone to your ear and possibly getting a brain tumor, use one of its Bluetooth headsets. Jabra says its headsets emit 800 times less radiation than cell phones — just 0.0025 watts max output compared to 2 watts max from cell phones. In a Jabra-sponsored survey, 61% said cell phone radiation only concerned them “a little bit” or “to some extent” and 25% said they were not at all concerned. But when informed that using a Bluetooth headset has been scientifically proven to drastically reduce exposure to radiation, more than half of the respondents said they would use a hands-free device. Hit the break for Jabra’s press release.

BlackBerry Travel now available in over 40 countries

Bitten by the travel bug? Well, here is something for you and all the other keen travelers: BlackBerry Travel is now available in 45 different countries! Since its inception BlackBerry Travel has enjoyed a lot of attraction from numerous people worldwide, but to the disappointment of many, it was initially available only in North America, UK and Spain. But that should not matter anymore, as RIM has actively rolled out its application in more countries over time, effectively reaching a broad, worldwide audience.

Countries supported by BlackBerry Travel currently include Argentina, Aruba, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, British Virgin Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands.

No excuses this time not to download the application, so head over to BlackBerry App World for the download. If your country is not listed above, no worry, the application will likely find its way to other countries with time – patience is key.

More information/download of BlackBerry Travel

via:cb

Press Release: Research In Motion Makes Lead Commitment to Second BlackBerry Partners Fund

Press Release

Research In Motion Makes Lead Commitment to Second BlackBerry Partners Fund

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Feb. 14, 2011) – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) and the BlackBerry® Partners Fund today announced that RIM is making a lead commitment to BlackBerry Partners Fund II, a new US$150 million independent venture capital fund focused exclusively on mobile computing. BlackBerry Partners Fund II is expected to launch in June 2011 and will have a broader international mandate than the first Fund.

“We are very pleased with the positive impact of the first Fund on our mobile ecosystem and we look forward to BlackBerry Partners Fund II bringing additional resources and support to mobile innovators in a broader range of international markets,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

“We are very fortunate to have RIM as an anchor investor and partner in our Fund and greatly anticipate expanding our reach and the geographical scope of Fund II,” said John Albright, Co-Managing Partner of BlackBerry Partners Fund.

The first BlackBerry Partners Fund was established in 2008 in collaboration with Research In Motion, Thomson Reuters, Royal Bank of Canada and a roster of high profile investors. The Fund has made 13 investments to-date in mobile start-ups in Canada, the United States, Israel and Ireland. The Fund brings capital, resources and domain expertise to the partnerships it forms with exceptional entrepreneurs around the world who are shaping the future of the mobile eco-system.

Free Poynt App For BlackBerry Updated With New Local Events Feature Powered By Eventful

The Poynt team let me know they’ve updated their free BlackBerry application with a new feature adding more relevant local content. The new feature and carousel item is called Events and is powered by Eventful, a leading digital media company connecting 20 million consumers to local events.

The new Events feature allows users to search by performer, event or venue nearby, by event date or by category, including festivals, concerts and sporting events.  Users can then view details such as maps, photos, browse websites, view seating charts and get detailed performer information. As well, users can add events to their device calendar or send details to friends.

Poynt harnesses the power of multiple applications in one intuitive package. Users can search for businesses and retailers, gas stations, people, local weather, find movies and buy tickets, find restaurants and reserve a table, and now stay connected with local events. Poynt allows users to go one step further–mapping locations, adding results to calendar or emailing results to friends without exiting the application.

Poynt has always been one of my favorite apps. It offers a lot of very useful features whether you’re traveling and need to find something or want to discover something new in a familiar area. Very helpful app if you’re craving a slice of pizza in a random town, for example. I highly recommend it especially since it’s free!

The latest update, version 1.7.0.47, is available for download a m.poynt.com but has yet to show up in the BlackBerry App World. For more info go to poynt.com or check out the press release below.

 

 

Press Release

UPS Launches Mobile App and Mobile Friendly Website in New Countries

UPS has announced that its mobile app and website are now available to more countries including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada. The UPS Mobile App features the following:

• Track shipments
• Create shipments using the My UPS address book
• Calculate shipping rates and time-in-transit
• Find the nearest UPS location

To download the app, head over to BlackBerry App World, and you can also bookmark the mobile website at m.ups.com.