BlackBerry App World hits one billion downloads, finally

BY BILLY STEELE
POSTED JUL 13TH 2011 08:08AM



Discovered a world of possibilities lately? Someone has, as the BlackBerry App World has just soared past the one billion download mark. It took a smidge over two years for the company to claim the milestone, if you count both smartphone and PlayBook tablet purchases. Android Market took about the same amount of time to reach the mark, but has soared to greater heights since, while Apple has averaged nearly a billion downloads per month in each of the last six months. A number of factors have likely led to the relative snail's pace in the BB storefront, including the outfit's rocky relationship with developers. In what can be seen as a morale booster, the company has begun a video series that allows seasoned RIM aficionados to offer their rationale for working with the mobile OS. Perhaps this will, in theory, help expedite the milestone conquering -- only time will tell.

Article Source: Engadget

RIM Recalls Some 900+ Blackberry Playbook

According to Engadget, the store, Staples received 1,000 faulty Blackberry Playbook's.



Now, we don't expect Staples (or any other stores that may be affected) to contact all of you that purchased a Playbook, so, luckily for you, Engadget have compiled a searchable database of all the serial numbers, so you can simply look and see if you're Playbook is one of the affected, just hit the link below.



source: Engagdet

MacMall Selling Blackberry Playbooks Running Honeycomb...

Or at least they was.
The MacMall site had the usual big hitters on site, Apple TV, Motorolla Xoom, and what was a Playbook running Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).
What was an evidential mistake, was promptly taken down and replaced with the Playbooks OS, but not before we got a snapshot of the mistake.

Question, though, why the photo got on there in the first place...



The corrected mistake

Source: MacMall

Blackberry Playbook Review

After what seems like a lifetime, the Blackberry Playbook is here. Sort of. the OS  is not yet complete (Engadget reporting this is their third update), so not everything is finished, but as to what's still broke, the outcome remains to be seen, and with no native email client or BBM on launch, we'll let you decide the Playbooks fate. Hit the link below for Engadgets review.

<<Blackberry Playbook Review>>

Blackberry Playbook Videos

Following our report on the Playbook's Android compatibility, we thought we'd put some videos up of Blackberry's Playbook (not running Android). Taken from the DEVCON Show, and a video from Slashgear.











source: notebooks.com  and Slashgear

Blackberry Playbook Android Compatibiliity [update]

You may have heard the news of RIM's Blackberry Playbook supporting a numerous array of developer support (Android, Adobe Flash (previously announced), AirPlay and Unity games developers, C/C++) as well as it's own Blackberry smartphone community. Android, you say? Yes, Android. 

Cut down, the Playbook will be able to play Android Apps, although via a certified emulator. The key problem here, is that developers need not programme apps specifically for the Playbook. That might not sound too bad, but anyone who's tried to play smartphone apps on a tablet will know that the outcome isn't always too great. 
But again, the underlying problem is that if the Playbook will play Android Apps, there is no need to develop apps for the Playbook. Ever. Blackberry's aren't known for there masses of apps, whilst Android is the second highest count of apps available on market (iOS being number 1). 
So, you spend all this money on a Blackberry tablet, yet you're playing Android apps. Also, this highly odd inclusion doesn't really say much for RIM's confidence of the Playbook taking on Apples reign of the tablet world.


[UPDATE]

We have a statement from RIM's co-CEO Jim Balsillie, who, in a nutshell, says the Android inclusion is too "tick the thousands of Apps box". He also said that anyone wanting to play high performance apps, gaming etc, will want to create custom Playbook apps via QNX developer kit. See the full statement below, but we've got to say, RIM aren't painting the Playbook in the best of lights.

"First of all, what we announced is Gingerbread. This is not Honeycomb. I don't know what the number of Honeycomb apps is, but it's not very many. Whereas Gingerbread they've got lots of them. You've got the volume of the handset apps, so if you're looking for the tonnage of apps, or some kind of long tail stuff, you've got it.

At the end of the day, people are going to want performance. You're just not going to get things like gaming and multimedia, you're not going to get the speed going through a VM interface. If you want content, or Flash type stuff, or you're looking at AIR-type, evolving web-type assets, that's what you're going to do.

There's no compromise here. You've got the tonnage of apps. And you've got the performance. Do I think the tonnage is overplayed? Yes. 

But if you think it's about having a couple hundred thousand apps, there you go.

Do we believe it's about super high performance? Yes. Do we believe it's about full web fidelity? Yes. These are concepts that were really relegated as not technically possible, which we're doing here. This is a no compromise environment.

If you want to work on Android, great. Do we think people will want to migrate web assets? Yes. Do we think they're going to want super high performance native assets with the SDK? Absolutely. You think they're going to want to use their Flash based stuff for an offline Flash/AIR type environment? Yes.

I'm just not interested in these sort of religious application tonnage issues. I really think we put that issue to bed. And if you think the whole world's going to want to develop for Gingerbread, fine. Do I think that's going to happen? Then why is there a different environment for a tablet? And you know about the performance issues and you know about the app volume issues, cause it's tough. And that's why QNX matters. 

That's why people are saying, Is this stuff going to go more in the browser and HTML 5 and more native? These are going to be strong trends. But if you want these app players for different VMs -- and don't forget we have 25,000 BlackBerry 6 apps. So, at the end of the day, we believe this is going to be about performance. It's going to be about enterprise greatness. Things like multi-threaded capability, symmetric multiprocessing. We believe it's about an uncompromised web. We believe it's about enterprise security. True multitasking, not with suspension -- and that matters because you're going to want to run these things in the background. 

But I'm out of the religious war on tonnage, which I'm delighted."

Blackberry Playbook Release and Price...

Well, all the speculation surrounding the Blackberry Playbook have come to some actual light. RIM have released a Press Release (which you can find at the bottom of this post) that sheds light on availability and price- at least in Canada and the US. Still no word on when us Brits can get our hands on the tablet.

It does seem, however, that RIM are following the "aim high" game that tablets seem to be playing, for the Playbook is considerably more than originally rumoured.

Starting at $499.99 for a standard 16GB WiFi model, right up to $699.99 for a 64GB version.

We'll bring you more as we get it, but it seems the Playbook has missed a trick with the high pricing. Still, us Brits can still hope...

Press Release:

RIM Announces Retail Channels for BlackBerry PlayBook

BlackBerry PlayBook to be available in over 20,000 Retail Outlets in the U.S. and Canada

Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced plans to make the highly-anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet available in more than 20,000 retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada.

"The BlackBerry PlayBook is an amazing tablet that is already being widely praised as a multi-tasking powerhouse with an uncompromised web experience and an ultra-portable design," said Mike Lazaridis, President & Co-CEO, Research In Motion. "Given the high level of customer interest in the BlackBerry PlayBook, we are particularly pleased to be working with such an amazing lineup of retail partners."

The BlackBerry PlayBook delivers professional-grade, consumer-friendly experiences that redefine the possibilities of mobile computing. This ultra-portable tablet looks and feels great, measuring less than half an inch thick and weighing less than a pound. It features a vivid 7-inch high-resolution display that is highly-responsive with a fluid touch screen experience. It also offers industry leading performance, uncompromised web browsing with support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, true multitasking, HD multimedia, advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a robust development environment.

The BlackBerry PlayBook with Wi-Fi will be available in three models and will feature a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $499 in the United States and Canada. The lineup of retailers and wireless carriers currently expected to carry the BlackBerry PlayBook in the United States and Canada includes the following companies*:

United States

AT&T
Best Buy
Cbeyond
Cellular South
Cincinnati Bell
Office Depot
RadioShack
ShopBlackBerry.com
Staples
Sprint
Verizon
BlackBerry from Wireless Giant

Canada

Bell
Best Buy
Chapters / Indigo
Costco
Future Shop
Mobilicity
MTS Allstream
Rogers
Sasktel
Sears
ShopBlackBerry.com
Staples
Telus
Tbooth Wireless
The Source
Videotron
Walmart
WIND Mobile
WIRELESS etc.
WIRELESSWAVE

BlackBerry PlayBook Specifications

7" 1024x600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen
Ultra-portable at less than a pound and less than one-half inch thick: 0.9 lbs (425g) and 5.1" x 7.6" x 0.4" (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
1 GHz dual-core processor
BlackBerry® Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
MP3, AAC and WMA audio playback
Support for high resolution video playback (H.264, MPEG4, WMV)
1080p HDMI output
Dual 1080p HD cameras for video conferencing and video capture (3MP front and 5MP rear)
1 GB RAM memory
Up to 64 GB internal storage (16, 32 and 64 GB models)
GPS, Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), 6-Axis Motion Sensor (Gyroscope), Digital Compass (Magnetometer)
Stereo speakers and stereo microphones
Wi-Fi® (802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity
Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support


Best Buy Begins Accepting Orders For BlackBerry PlayBook today

Minneapolis, MN and Waterloo, ON - Customers eagerly awaiting the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet can begin placing their orders today. Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) and Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), a preferred retailer for the BlackBerry PlayBook, today announced the pricing and launch date for the highly anticipated tablet in the U.S. and Canada.

The BlackBerry PlayBook with Wi-Fi will come in three models, featuring 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage at $499, $599 and $699 respectively. It is scheduled to be available from all Best Buy stores and Best Buy Mobile stores in the US, as well as Best Buy and Future Shop* stores in Canada, on April 19. Customers in the US and Canada can place their orders beginning today by visiting their local Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile or Future Shop store or by ordering on-line (after 8am ET) at:

U.S. – www.bestbuy.com/playbook

Canada - www.bestbuy.ca/blackberry or www.futureshop.ca/blackberry

"Previews of the BlackBerry PlayBook have generated tremendous excitement and we know that customers are eager to get their hands on one," said Craig McLennan, Regional Managing Director, North America, Research In Motion. "We share that excitement and we are very pleased to announce that customers can begin placing their orders with Best Buy today."

"Tablets are becoming a bigger part of our business everyday and the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook will heighten the level of excitement in this category," said Scott Anderson, head of merchandising for Best Buy Mobile. "RIM has a tremendous history of producing great mobility products for our customers and we are excited to help launch the BlackBerry PlayBook."

BlackBerry PlayBook is the world's first professional-grade tablet. It features an ultra-portable design and delivers industry leading performance, uncompromised web browsing with support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, true multitasking, HD multimedia, advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a robust development environment.

BlackBerry PlayBook specifications:

7" 1024x600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen
Ultra-portable at less than a pound and less than one-half inch thick: 0.9 lbs (425g) and 5.1" x 7.6" x 0.4" (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
1 GHz dual-core processor
BlackBerry® Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
MP3, AAC and WMA audio playback
Support for high resolution video playback (H.264, MPEG4, WMV)
1080p HDMI output
Dual 1080p HD cameras for video conferencing and video capture (3MP front and 5MP rear)
1 GB RAM memory
Up to 64 GB internal storage (16, 32 and 64 GB models)
GPS, Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), 6-Axis Motion Sensor (Gyroscope), Digital Compass (Magnetometer)
Stereo speakers and stereo microphones
Wi-Fi® (802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity
Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support



source: geeksmack

Blackberry Playbook Finally Dropping In April?

A surge of yet more rumours are making the rounds concerning the Blackberry Playbook. This one, stating the elusive Playbook will be retailing in Sears come April. According to source's, there's an email been sent from Sears Canada, claiming they will be taking pre-orders on March 10th (so Friday) and be shipping them out on April 12th.

We'll keep you posted.

source: Crackberry via Engadget

HP Hits Out At Blackberry Playbook

It's Not Immitation, He's A Very Naughty Boy-

HP have called RIM's Blackberry Playbook's UI "a fast immitation of webOS". When you consider the facts, it's not a far off claim, but people have been crying out for various nods of webOS to appear on iOS for quite some
time, yet RIM have taken nearly every aspect of webOS, it could, in respect, be easily confused for a webOS tablet. Jeff McDowell of RIM replied to the claims with "when you're trying to optimize user experience that juggles multitasking, multiple apps open at once and on a small screen, you're going to get people landing on similar kinds of designs."

As they say, immitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Why can't they just get along, eh?

source: engadget

TAT Developed Apps For Blackberry Playbook

The Astonishing Tribe (TAT) have demo-ed some apps for the Blackberry Playbook, which include a scrapbook app that takes advantage of four-fingered multitouch, weather app dubbed "Aura" that makes use of the PlayBook's accelerometer -- both of which are simple to use. Also on display was fairly impressive media player that can be used when the tablet's connected to a TV via its HDMI port -- it will not only let you view videos, but play games and even view 3D content as well. All the apps were made to show how easy developers will be able to create apps for the Playbook. Check the embedded videos below to see for yourself!









via: Enagadget
source: IntoMobile, Blackberry Developers Blog

Blackberry Playbook [update]

According to RIM's press release, the Blackberry Playbook will come in four incarnations; WiFi + LTE and WiFi + HSPA+ models joining the previously announced PlayBook with WiFi and PlayBook with WiFi + WiMax.


You can check out the press release after the break, and we'll bring you more news as we get it.

PRESS RELEASE

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, BARCELONA, SPAIN – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced plans to launch two additional BlackBerry® 4G PlayBook tablets during the second half of 2011, featuring support for LTE and HSPA+ high speed wide area wireless networks.

"The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is already being widely recognized for its superior performance, rich web experience, enterprise readiness and deep support for web standards and open development tools. We are now building on the BlackBerry PlayBook's many advantages with support for additional 4G networks that will allow enhanced business opportunities for carriers and developers and unparalleled mobile experiences for users," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

RIM's family of upcoming BlackBerry 4G PlayBook tablets will deliver professional-grade, consumer-friendly experiences that redefine the possibilities of mobile computing. These innovative tablets will each provide users with an ultra-portable design featuring industry leading performance with real-time multitasking and symmetrical multiprocessing, uncompromised high-fidelity web browsing including support for Adobe® Flash and stunning HD multimedia, as well as advanced security features and out-of-the-box enterprise support.

The combination of premium hardware features and design powered by the new and highly acclaimed BlackBerry® Tablet OS and open development tools, along with support for carriers' high speed 4G networks, will provide a high performance platform that enables a mobile services revolution.

RIM has now announced plans to offer four BlackBerry PlayBook tablets:

1. BlackBerry PlayBook with Wi-Fi
2. BlackBerry 4G PlayBook with Wi-Fi + WiMax
3. BlackBerry 4G PlayBook with Wi-Fi + LTE
4. BlackBerry 4G PlayBook with Wi-Fi + HSPA+

In addition to the Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity referenced above, each tablet can also support:

1. Bluetooth tethering
2. Mobile hotspots (ie. a MiFi, smartphone or other portable device equipped to act as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot)
3. BlackBerry Bridge


About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ:RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

source: RIM

Coming Up On Tech Beever

Coming up later today, we'll have some delicious shots and previews of the LG Opitmus Pad, Huawei S7 tablet, ViewSonic ViewPad 10Pro, LG Optimus 3D, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro, updates on the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook, Motorola Xoom to name but a few things!
They'll also be some minor changes to the site, so keep your eyes peeled.
A new feature that will hopefully be implemented thus week, is the return of Top 5's, which I think will house it's own little segment somewhere...
Plus, well hopefully have the long awaited Blackberry Torch review...

CES 2011: Day 3- Blackberry Playbook Preview (video)

Well, the lucky folk over at Engadget have been even more lucky (they're currently at CES), because the Blackberry Playbook has gotten into their mitts! Check the embedded video below, then hit the Engadget link and read up about the Playbook and perv on the delicious pics.


Video source: Engadget


As you can see, the multitasking on this beast is pretty phenomenal, Quake III, a 1080p full HD movie, music and a photo slideshow running, it's impressive stuff. But is it enough to fend off the iPad2 and the millions of other tablets out this year?
Let us know your thoughts!

CES 2011: Day 2

Day 2 of CES, and although it's early, tech is brimming from our sources mouths. So, what are you waiting for; hit the links, see the tech! We'll update the post as we get new info!

Courtesy of T3:

Blackberry Playbook: Hands On

iPad 2 Mock Up Spotted at Accessory Stand at CES

Dell Streak 7 and 10 Tablets

Motorola Atrix Launching in UK on Orange

TomTom and Nike unveil Nike+ Sportswatch

Motorola Xoom

Samsung Flexible AMOLED Display

*UPDATE


Courtesy of T3:


Best Tablets of 2011 at CES

Panasonic 3D Camcorder


Coutesy of Engadget:

PixelQi Tablet

Tegra 2 on LG Optimus 2X and Motorola Atrix

Courtesy of T3:

Samsung TX100

Samsung TX100 (video)

Blackberry Playbook *update*

According to rumours suggesting RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook may be delayed due to issues relating to its supposedly poor battery life, however, it now seems to be 'mostly' unfounded, with RIM clarifying the situation through a communiqué sent to Erictric:

"Any testing or observation of battery life to date by anyone outside of RIM would have been performed using pre-beta units that were built without power management implemented. RIM is on track with its schedule to optimize the BlackBerry PlayBook's battery life and looks forward to providing customers with a professional grade tablet that offers superior performance with comparable battery life."

To be fair, it's not an outright denial that there may be PlayBooks out there with poor battery performance, however. the immaturity of the early software on them is clearly such as to invalidate any conclusions drawn. RIM is noting that the company is still on track to complete its software optimizations and deliver its first tablet on schedule.


source: Erictric

Blackberry Playbook to cost under £300?

Prices for RIM’s upcoming tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook, have leaked online with the mooted iPad competitor pegged with a $399 (£257.08) price tag.

Apprently, the 8GB capacity model set to go on sale in the US at a smidge under the $400 mark (£253).

Consumers looking ahead to the 16GB and 32GB capacity PlayBooks are expected to pay $499 (£316) and $599 (£380) respectively. 

Although the Apple iPad starts with a 16GB offering moving up to 64GB model, prices for the current market leading tablet start at a somewhat hefty £429 in the UK.

The three BlackBerry PlayBook models will differ only in their storage capacities with each device set to come equipped with a 7-inch multitouch LCD display, 5-megapixel camera with an additional 3-megapixel front-facing camera, 1GHz processor and 1GB of RAM when they launch on a yet unknown date in the second quarter of 2011.

source: T3