BlackBerry Cruiser makes an appearance at the 2011 CACP

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

Windsor Ontario will be a safer place to live for the next couple of days; and it’s not because of the 2011 CACP (Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Conference) running from August 21st to the 24th. Mobile Innovations is showcasing their MPA (Mobile Police Assist)for the BlackBerry Playbook. We last saw a PlayBook equipped 2011 Dodge Police Interceptor concept car in mid-July, when Kevin gave a walkthrough…after he tried to steal a BlackBerry Bold 9900. Michelle gave us the first glimpse of it on July 7th. The video above doesn’t show off anything about access to the Canadian Police Information Centre or the rooftop message boards but it did have a sweet paint job.

“The really big difference with our new Mobile Police Assist for BlackBerry PlayBook compared to its BlackBerry smartphone counterpart is that it offers a complete in-vehicle dashboard-mounted touch screen solution, as opposed to a complete in-hand solution for smartphones,” explains Mobile Innovations President Gary Bauer. “In smaller vehicles, a tablet is cheaper and better than a laptop. All of our clients are asking us about what we can do about putting PlayBooks in their cruisers to round out their secure mobile data capability which together make a powerful all-in-one mobile solution. We can’t wait to take them on the road.“

Personally, I love the paint job on this model; every police car should have BlackBerry PlayBook emblazoned on their sides to strike fear in the hearts of criminals everywhere! If you want to check out the MPA demo, you can find them at the CACP Booth 625 in Caesar’s Windsor until August 24th. Press release after the jump.

 

Mobile Innovations & Blackberry Cruiser at the CACP 2011

Windsor, Ontario – August 22, 2011 – Mobile Innovations announced today Mobile Police Assist (MPA) for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet on showcase at the 2011 Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) Conference taking place this week – August 21 to 23 — in Windsor, Ontario. Mobile Innovations President Gary Bauer is at the conference to personally demonstrate MPA’s powerful in-vehicle records and data management capabilities in an equally powerful 2011 Dodge Charger police cruiser outfitted by D&R Electronics with BlackBerry PlayBook.
Mobile Innovations has partnered with D&R Electronics which specializes in storage & mounting systems, on-board IT, lighting arrays and rooftop message boards for police vehicles. As a BlackBerry® Alliance Partner, Mobile Innovations worked closely with D&R to put together a functional concept vehicle solution featuring the new BlackBerry PlayBook for this year’s CACP annual conference. MPA for BlackBerry PlayBook is slated for general release in early 2012 after a tour of two Dodge Charger concept police cars across North America throughout the remainder of this year.
Like MPA for BlackBerry smartphones, MPA for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet provides data access and entry for the NICHE RMS police records management system, the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), GPS mapping and tracking, as well as dictation for a total mobile law enforcement solution. Each BlackBerry PlayBook armed with MPA software provides its user with a secure, comprehensive and cost-effective alternative to more costly ruggedized laptop solutions typically used today.

“The really big difference with our new Mobile Police Assist for BlackBerry PlayBook compared to its BlackBerry smartphone counterpart is that it offers a complete in-vehicle dashboard-mounted touch screen solution, as opposed to a complete in-hand solution for smartphones,” explains Bauer. “In smaller vehicles, a tablet is cheaper and better than a laptop. All of our clients are asking us about what we can do about putting PlayBooks in their cruisers to round out their secure mobile data capability which together make a powerful all-in-one mobile solution. We can’t wait to take them on the road.“

Mobile Innovations is a privately held company dedicated to enhancing law enforcement with the most advanced mobile data products available. Based in Niagara Falls, Canada, Mobile Innovations also has operations in Toronto and works with over thirty agencies across Canada, the United States and in the United Kingdom. Mobile Innovations is a RIM Alliance partner with six years of service developing and deploying advanced mobile solutions for BlackberryTM.

Renault Frendzy Concept Car Packs a BlackBerry PlayBook

 

While QNX has been showing off their concept cars with BlackBerry PlayBook integration its always nice to see others warming up to the idea. Renault just released a new concept car design called FRENDZY which is meant to be a commercial business vehicle which can double as a comfortable passenger car. It brings the “Office on Wheels” by adding the BlackBerry PlayBook into the dash. Check out the video below:

 

Desktop Video Link | Mobile Video Link

Oddly the PlayBook is put in portrait mode which makes for an interesting docking situation that seems to be more design than function. Still it could be interesting to see cars that already run QNX working to use the BlackBerry PlayBook as a central console. Here is the press release:

Check those pesky OBD-II trouble codes from anywhere with your BlackBerry

  

Whether you are a full time mechanic, or just a hobbyist, keeping track of all the different OBD-II codes for various vehicles is a nearly impossible task, and while not everyone wants to keep their laptops handy with them, odds are you do have your BlackBerry with you. If this is the case for you, then we have just the app for you, OBD-II Trouble Code Lookup, which allows users to access nearly 11,000 diagnostic trouble codes while on the fly right from their device. Simply select the make of your vehicle (over 20 brands recognized currently), and the code that you have, followed by pressing the search and just like that you are finding out what is going on. The application will create a pop up that tells you what the issue is, then give you an option to dismiss the pop up, or search the web which will give you even more information on the issue. If you are into cars, and like to get hands on and do things yourself, this is a must spend $1.99 for you.

More information / download of OBD-II Trouble Code Lookup

via:cb

Keep safe in the car with Speed Limit Alarm

Ever start driving down the highway, music blasting, windows down and next thing you know you look down and you are going 15 to 20 over the speed limit? Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one, sometimes it is to easy to get in the zone, and want to just go without checking the speedometer, but gone are those days. Speed Limit Alarm is a great app for any BlackBerry lover who spends a lot of time in the car, and the concept behind it is quite simple. The application contains a built in analog speedometer which users can set the speed of the designated roads (prior to begining your journey to keep it safe) and if your vehicle reaches this speed and exceeds it the device will beep alerting the driver they have exceeded the limit. For 99 cents this is a great safety application that should be installed on every BlackBerry to ensure that while on the roads you are alert and aware of your speed easily.

More information / purchase of Speed Limit Alarm from AppWorld [qrcode pix=170]http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/23331?lang=en[/qrcode]

 

via:cb

Audi Introduces Roadside Assistance App for BlackBerry

Audi has released an application to help customers connect directly to Audi roadside assistance from their BlackBerry smartphones. The app provides an easy solution for Audi owners to take advantage of their free roadside assistance packages when needed. Audi Roadside mixes the use of pre-registered owner info, GPS from the device and an easy phone UI to help solve problems quickly when using the app.

Features include:

• Vehicle registration – Drivers simply provide their Audi’s vehicle identification number (VIN) and some basic personal information to register the App with their customer information on file. This provides Audi Roadside Services your specific details when you request service, and greatly shortens the time it takes to dispatch service.
• Audi Roadside Assistance – With a few simple steps, the driver selects the type of service they require (e.g. jump start, fuel delivery, tire change or tow) and the App locates the driver via the smart phone’s GPS capabilities. The assistance request is sent to the Audi Roadside Assistance dispatcher as the call is connected to enable the dispatcher to provide faster service. Once the dispatch is complete, the App captures and conveniently stores the dispatch details, including the name of the roadside provider en route to the customer and estimated time of arrival.
• Dealer Locator – For convenient access to dealer information, the App allows users to search for dealers nearby or within a given city. The App displays the dealer’s name, location, hours of operation and phone number. With one touch, the user can display nearby dealers on a map or immediately call the dealer. This is particularly helpful when a service appointment is required immediately.

The Audi Roadside app is available as a free download for most devices in BlackBerry App World.

More information/download of Audi Roadside

Corvette Multi Media Head Unit Powered By QNX

QNX has been around for quite a while building OS for a large variety of electronic devices from simple to complex systems such as a nuclear power plant. This week here at the BlackBerry world had two cars a Jaguar and a Corvette. QNX powers the multi media head unit on both of these vehicles. We got a chance to sit get a demo from one of the QNX guys on the corvette. The head unit can be used for streaming music from apps like Pandora, check the weather, and when you pair a BlackBerry PlayBook to it can control the AC system on it among other things with a PlayBook app. The car also has a cool looking dashboard that displays quite a few things on it.  check out the video below.

From what we are told QNX builds the system but car manufacturers usually customize the feel and look they wan for the vehicle.

Jaguar XJ with BlackBerry integration hands-on (video)

http://www.viddler.com/simple/149bcc9b/

This week at BlackBerry World 2011, Jaguar is showcasing one of its lovely XJ sedans outfitted with a prototype of its upcoming Connect and View technology which the car manufacturer is developing together with RIM, Denso, and RealVNC. Like Terminal Mode, the system allows a client running on the vehicle’s head unit to connect to a server installed on a BlackBerry smartphone. Communication is handled by VNC — a platform-independent remote framebuffer protocol, which mirrors the handset’s display on the car’s infotainment screen and maps the device’s physical buttons to softkeys. This provides control of the phone directly from the center stack of the XJ sedan but lets the company block potentially distracting apps. Audio is piped via Bluetooth while VNC traffic is routed over USB, thus also keeping the BlackBerry conveniently charged. Jaguar hopes to have Connect and View in its vehicles by late 2012. Until then, check out our hands-on video (above) and the press release after the break.

RIM rolls out SmartBuilder for small business owners

 

If you’re the owner of a small to medium sized business, you know how hard it can be to organize your employees and ensure everyone has the communication tools needed to do their job efficiently. RIM understands this problem, and wants to help you make some decisions that will ultimately result in increased productivity and growth in your company! To accomplish this goal, RIM has introduced SmartBuilder for BlackBerry.

“SmartBuilder will ask you 8 questions about your business and your goals, and will provide you with a recommendation on a possible mobile solution, including devices, accessories and apps! Let us know if you’d like us to connect with you for more details, or follow up with your usual wireless provider. SmartBuilder for BlackBerry helps reduce the research cycles around mobility, so you can focus on doing business.”

In addition to the online tool, RIM has also launched a ten-week SmartBuilder tour across the US. During this tour they’re stopping in ten different cities and hosting seminars for entrepreneurs and small business owners to discuss the BlackBerry solution and other available tools. Each seminar will have a session on Leveraging BlackBerry Solutions for Small Business as well as a Small Business Social Media guest speaker and a networking session. Not only do you get all this great help and advice, you also get to take a look at the pimped out tour vehicle above, and everyone that attends is entered to win a BlackBerry smartphone of their choice. Seminars are scheduled for Orlando, Las Vegas, Las Angeles, Boston, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Washington DC, Chicago, and Denver. You can see complete details and RSVP at the link below.

For more information and to RSVP for the RIM SmartBuilder Tour

Source: Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog/ CB

Staples Canada Calendar Shows April 15th date for BlackBerry PlayBook District Sales Challenge

Here’s an interesting photo we received on the good ‘ole NHCBBA tip line this week…. coming from Staples Canada, it seems the district managers are planning to hold a challenge on April 15th for bragging rights for the District that sells the most PlayBooks that day. And it looks like they’ll follow-up the challenge the following Friday, April 22nd, as well (I guess assuming they don’t sell out the week before and still have inventory on the 22nd).

I take this to mean two things…. a) that this means the BlackBerry PlayBook will be on sale in Canada on or before April 15th, and b) whatever district Winnipeg is in will probably win as I’ll be there picking them up by the shopping cart load (kinda want to mount a couple into the headrests of my vehicle!).

At this point, it would be real nice if Research In Motion would just give us some official release dates and pricing, so we can quit with the unofficial rumors and move onto making plans to buy one on launch day. If it falls on a weekday, who’s calling in sick for your workday?

DriveSafe with TextandDrive Pro for BlackBerry

It won’t be long before distracted driving is the world’s leading cause of automobile accidents. Shuffling through music, eating while on the wheel, putting make up on (girls) and even texting while driving are grounds for distracted driving down here in Texas. With TextandDrive Pro for BlackBerry you can listen to your messages and reply by voice. Compatible with all mobile carriers, TextnDrive also works with any hands-free devices such as speakerphones, Bluetooth headsets or built-in car systems. More button for features and benefits.

FEATURES:

– Free version: Reads emails and SMS out loud (up to 500 words)
– Pro version: Reply by Voice to your emails and SMS.
– No typing required – just SPEAK!
– Compatible with Web, POP3, and IMAP email providers
– Easy to use software – start the app and you’re ready to go
– Text-to-speech technology
– Has NO impact on the speed of your phone – does not slow it down at all!

BENEFITS

– Maintain road safety while staying productive
– Be compliant with local legislation on mobile use while driving
– Lessen accidents risks caused by emailing while operating a motor vehicle
– Save on insurance premiums by maintaining an accident-free record
– Diminish the risk of injury or death caused by distracted driving
Download here for only $3.99 USD