BlackBerry unveils Thinnest Smartphones

Research in Motion has unveiled two new BlackBerry Bold smartphones and BlackBerry 7 OS, in addition to announcing new Facebook and video chat apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones look like the most competitive offerings RIM has had in years. RIM has upgraded the aging processor on existing Torch and Bold phones to 1.2 Ghz, added 8 GB of onboard memory, support for 720p HD video recording and support for 4G HSPA+ networks.

The 9900 and 9930 phones are also the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones yet - each measuring just 10.5mm thick. RIM has also added bells and whistles like dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC support, and the classic BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard in addition to a touch LCD screen.

This is the most competitive offering that RIM has produced since 2008. The design, while still classic BlackBerry, is thinner than in the past and the processor and onboard memory requirements are no longer embarrassingly passe.

As for the new BlackBerry 7 OS, RIM says that it features a better browser (with better HTML5 support), the ability to keep personal and corporate content separate and built-in productivity apps.
Sight unseen, we're still not convinced RIM can compete against the latest crop of Android and Windows Phone devices -- not to mention the next iPhone. Still, the newest BlackBerry Bold at least looks like a step in the right direction.

According to RIM, BlackBerry 9900 and 9930 will be available later this summer.

Paid Apps at BlackBerry App World start at $2.99

Research in Motion (RIM) has provided more information about its BlackBerry App World. Users can sign up to receive an e-mail notification when the store is ready to go live.

RIM has said that the app store will work with all BlackBerry smartphones running OS version 4.2.0 or higher, including the BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry Pearl, BlackBerry Storm, and BlackBerry Bold. Devices with trackwheels are not supported.

The store will feature free apps, but paid apps start at $2.99. Users will also have access to a MyWorld feature, which will house all purchased applications.

"In the event a user runs low on storage space, wipes their device or moves to a new device, the user can use MyWorld to re-download the applications they've previously paid for without having to re-purchase them," RIM said.

There is no storage limit on how many apps you can place in MyWorld, or how many times you can re-download apps to the same device. However, if you're switching BlackBerries, you can only re-download MyWorld contents to a different phone three times per year. Applications cannot be stored or run from an SD card.

At launch, the app store will be available in the US, Canada, and the UK. It will initially only support English-language apps, but French, Italian, German, and Spanish will be available in future releases.

Developers from around the world are invited to submit applications to BlackBerry App World, except those located in the Belarus, Myanmar, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and the Syrian Arab Republic.

There is a $200 application fee for developers to complete registration.

BlackBerry Bold Overheating in Japan -Battery not the root cause

Research In Motion (RIM) has ruled out faulty batteries as the likely cause of keyboard heating up during recharging of its BlackBerry Bold smart phones sold in Japan.

Japanese mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo had stopped sales of BlackBerry Bold after about 30 users reported the keyboards heated up during recharging. DoCoMo has sold around 4,000 Bold units in just 7 days. The phone is designed to provide access to DoCoMo's 3G network and also includes Wi-Fi and GPS navigation capabilities.

Initially, it was reported that the overheating of the BlackBerry Bold was related to battery problems. However, RIM said that the battery wasn't the source of the problem. RIM has said in a statement that while "analysis of the devices in question has allowed [RIM and DoCoMo] to rule out a battery problem, the root cause remains under investigation."

"This issue appears to be specifically limited to the BlackBerry Bold devices sold in Japan since last week and sales of BlackBerry Bold devices in other countries are unaffected by this matter," RIM said in a statement.

It is suspected that the problem could be related to software or customization of the phone for the local market, where the device has seen problems in the past.

"The temperatures appear to have remained within the safety range of regulatory standards." Whatever the problem may be, RIM has to fix it quickly, otherwise it may lose a significant market share.

NTT DoCoMo stops BlackBerry Bold sales

Japan's biggest mobile phone operator, NTT DoCoMo Inc has stopped selling Research In Motion's BlackBerry Bold. DoCoMo has taken this step because the phone can overheat while the battery is being recharged.

DoCoMo said it has sold about 4,000 high-end BlackBerry Bold phones, and about 30 users have complained the phone's keyboard area had heated up. The company has informed that it has received no reports of users getting burned or of phones catching on fire.

On this matter, RIM has said, “This issue appears to be specifically limited to the BlackBerry Bold devices sold in Japan since last week and sales of BlackBerry Bold devices in other countries are unaffected”.

Further, RIM has ruled out battery problem, while the root cause is still being investigated.
NTT DoCoMo Inc had started selling the BlackBerry Bold in Japan last week.

RIM alliances with Redington India for BlackBerry Distribution

The Canadian leader in wireless communications, RIM (Research In Motion) has partnered with Redington India to set up national retail distribution channels.

The motto of the alliance will be to strengthen market position as well as to increase the availability of RIM’s flagship product BlackBerry across India.

The current BlackBerry smartphones and service plans will be available via retail and modern trade outlets in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, NCR and Pune.

The alliance has even further plans to increase the retail supply of BlackBerry smartphones, which will increase the availability of the BlackBerry Pearl series, BlackBerry Curve series and BlackBerry Bold smartphones across India.

BlackBerry launches Bold to compete with iPhone

The proposed launch of the iPhone is creating waves in the mobile handsets market. Most mobile companies are introducing products to compete with the iPhone. The RIM is launching Blackberry Bold to take on the iPhone.

The Blackberry Bold is a 3G that sports high end features with a LCD display of 480X320 resolution. It has a full QWERT keyboard and is powered by a 624 MHz processor with 1 GB of internal memory. The device is Wi-Fi compatible and has a 2 megapixel camera. A mini SDHC media card can be used to boost the storage to 8 GB. Navigation by using BlackBerry Maps is another available feature.

The phone is likely to be available during September. The pricing of Blackberry Bold is not yet disclosed.