BlackBerry 10 Smartphone
The first evidence of BlackBerry 10 smartphone has leaked. BB10 is codenamed BlackBerry “London”. The image above is claimed to be a render of the BlackBerry 10. As for the hardware, both a TI OMAP5 and Qualcomm chipset are being tested (bot of them a dual-core CPU and running at 1.5GHz). We don’t really have more to say about this for now. Stay tuned for more leaks of this nature!
RIM has lately been struggling with ever decreasing smartphone sales and has been in dire need of some very big changes. Now, some much needed changes have taken place, with both Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis stepping down. The new CEO is the formed COO, Thorsten Heins.
Thorsten Heins will have some pretty big shoes to fill, and definitely needs to turn the company around to once again thrive in the smartphone sector. But will he really succeed? What will he do with the company’s next major smartphone version, currently called BlackBerry 10. Some rumors have suggested that RIM will even license the OS to other hardware manufacturers. It will be interesting to see how this turns out!
RIM logo
Wall Street Journal today wrote that Microsoft and Nokia has recently been flirting with the idea of making a joint bid for Research In Motion. They cite the usual “people familiar with the matter”. What they failed to mention is where we are today with these talks. We don’t know if they ended, or if the companies are trying to push forward. It will be interesting to see how this rumor will continue its life.
BlackBerry Curve 9380
The BlackBerry Curve 9380 was launched today in the UK. The first operator to carry it is O2. You’ll get the Curve 9380 via O2 for free on plans starting at £21.50 (24-month), or at £32 (18-mont).
The BlackBerry OS 7 running device is the first in the Curve series to come with a full touchscreen display and no hardware keyboard. The display itself is 3.2 inches with a resolution of 360 x 480 pixels. Other important features include HSDPA, WiFi, GPS, 3.5mm audio-jack, NFC, 5-megapixel rear camera with VGA video capture, 512 MB of RAM, and an 806 MHz CPU.
RIM has stared the delivery of an over-the-air update for BlackBerry PlayBook users. The new update will update the OS to version 1.0.8.4985.
The update includes the following changes:
Hit View Post for the full announcement.
Microsoft Australia confirmed today that Lync is coming for Windows Phone, Android, BlackBerry and iOS in the next four weeks. Microsoft Lync is a great instant messaging client that can talk with Microsoft Lync Server or Lync Online available with Office 365 and Live@Edu. This will surely make Windows Phone even more appealing for business users.
Skype announced today that they’ve acquired GroupMe. GroupMe currently offers calling and messaging solutions for Windows Phone, iOS, BlackBerry, and Android. Skype didn’t tell their exact purpose of the deal, but they told that this would enable them to provide “best in class text-based communications.”
Here is the blogpost from GroupMe’s official blog:
Dearest GroupMe Groupies,
We have very exciting news to share. Today, we have entered into an agreement to be acquired by Skype. Over the last few months, we had been in talks with Skype that started with discussions about potential commercial partnerships. As we got to know the core Skype team better, though, and as our conversations evolved, it quickly became evident that our visions were perfectly aligned. Both companies are focused on changing the way the world communicates, and helping people stay in touch with the people they really know. With a shared vision—an ambitious one—we decided our efforts to own real-time communications and the real life network could be best executed as one company.
This has been a remarkable year for GroupMe, and we believe that this is a big win. And not just a big win for GroupMe and our amazing investors, but also for New York City. As part of the deal, GroupMe will remain in New York, team intact, working on our standalone application. The major difference will be that we will now have access to Skype’s 175 million monthly connected users. 175 million people. That’s a very big deal.
When we first started GroupMe, we set out to achieve two major goals. The first was to solve a very simple problem we had as individuals: how do we stay in touch and coordinate with our friends better in real-time? The second was a bit bigger: how can we change the way people across the globe communicate and get together better in real life? We solved problem #1, and our efforts alongside Skype will accelerate the execution of problem #2 tenfold. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.
With all of this excitement, we want to take a moment to thank you, our amazing users. Because of your excitement about GroupMe, your inexhaustible support, and your invaluable feedback, we have been able to make GroupMe into what it is today. We simply could not have done this without you. From all of us here at GroupMe—thank you so much.
We’re going to keep working hard on making GroupMe the best way to keep in touch with your real life network. We still have a long way to go with our product and vision, and we can’t wait to show you where we’re going next.
Love,
Team GroupMe
Verizon Wireless today announced the BlackBerry Bold 9930 smartphone. It is immediately available to order via Verizon’s website, and in their stores starting August 25. The Bold 9930 will cost you $249.99 with a new two-year customer agreement
Key features of the BlackBerry 9930:
Hit View Post to see the full press release.
Windows Phone 7 is said to be the easiest mobile platform to develop applications for. You can see the development of a simple RSS reader on the video above. The video compares development for Windows Phone 7, and for Blackberry. WP comes out as the clear winner in this challenge! Get your free tools now and populate the Marketplace with your own awesome application!
