|
|
Today is definitely a BlackBerry Tour day. The handset is already available for pre-order from Verizon Wireless in two versions, with or without a camera. And if you're currently residing in Canada, you should know that the Tour is going to be available from Bell on July 17.
The phone will be available for $699.95 if you don't want another 3-year contract or for $249.95 if you do want the new contract.
via BGR
I'm not sure the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 is the best choice for anyone right now especially since the Tour is coming soon. Verizon Wireless is nevertheless selling the phone as of right now and it can be yours for $79 after a $70 mail-in rebate and a new two-year contract. The phone is available both online and in store and if you're not looking for an iPhone or a Pre right now then a Flip phone from Berry might be the phone for you.
via Verizon
Well that's certainly not going to happen anytime soon. The President's cell phone choice is clear and everyone in the business knows how Obama loves his BlackBerry. But from there to trying to sell a phone by using the President it's a long way to go. The ad reads:
Obama have BlackBerry, I have BlockBerry.
Better get yourself a BlackBerry instead of this BlackBerry Storm wannabe. The phone has features like a 460MHz processor, a 3.2-inch touchscreen, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G and EDGE connectivity and Windows Mobile 6.1. How much would one cost? About a dolla'? Not that anyone is buying...
via clonedinchina
Although not official yet the BlackBerry Messenger is going to get an update soon. The PIN-based messaging system will get some important upgrades like: Avatar support, GPS location integration, Proximity sensor, Homescreen support and Set conversation subjects.
In other words you can now set your own avatar picture just like you would do in other instant messaging apps. Friends will be able to see you on the map and you will also know if you're close to each other that's going to be obvious too. All we need to do now is wait for the messenger update to be available!
via BGR
Pictures of the Blackberry Tour 9630, originally called the Niagara, have been circulating for a while now but specs have been no where to be seen. Fortunately, our friends over at MobileSyrup have gotten their hands on a full spec sheet for the device:
Size (L x W x D): 112 x 62 x 14.2 mm
Weight: 130 grams
Memory: 256 MB internal Flash memory
Expandable Memory: microSD located under the battery door cover
Battery: 1400 mAh removable/rechargeable cryptographic lithium cell
Battery Life: TBD
Keyboard: 35 key backlit QWERTY
Display: High resolution HVGA 480×360 pixel
Camera: 3.2 MP camera, flash auto focus
GPS: Assisted, autonomous and simultaneous GPS enabled with preloaded BlackBerry Application for e911 capabilities
Media Player: Video format support MPEG4; Audio format support MP3, AAC AAC+ etc
Bluetooth: Bluetooth V2.0; mono/stereo headset, hands-free, PBAP
Headset: 3.5mm stereo headset capable
USB Port: Enables charging and high-spead data synchronization via USB "A" to micro USB "B" cable
Network Support:
Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900MHz
GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks
Single-band: 2100 MHz
UMTS/HSPA networks
Dual-Band: 800/1900 MHz
Apple is getting ready to launch a new iPhone and RIM's response seems to be a new BlackBerry Storm. The Storm 2 has been confirmed by Alain Segond von Banchet, RIM's Channel Sales manager in the Netherlands. The phone should arrive in late 2009 or early 2010. Isn't that too late? The new handset will launch with KPN which must mean the second Storm won't be a Vodafone exclusive.
What novelties will the Storm 2 bring us? A new touch input method which should be better than what we've seen so far. We're guessing that other things are also going to be added by RIM because just a new input method will not suffice in this tough business.
via tweakers.net
The BlackBerry 9630 Niagara is the next hot Berry out there and everyone is talking about it. The video clip above is nearly not long enough to describe all its features but it's a start. The phone is scheduled to arrive later this year from Verizon Wireless and we're probably going to see it arrive around the world from other carriers too. What do you think so far? What's the hottest BlackBerry phone for you? The Niagara? The Storm? The Bold?
The Niagara is the future BlackBerry 9630 which should arrive from Verizon Wireless in the future. It will have support for CDMA 1x, EV-DO Rev. A, GSM, GPRS, EDGE and UMTS. Unfortunately there's no WiFi support in this Niagara. The phone might arrive in May or June but we definitely need confirmation. And we could use some pricing details too. Considering that the Pre and possibly the third-generation iPhone are also coming out around the same period, which one would you choose?
via BGR
Need a new Flip from RIM? Well the Pearl 8230 Flip is right around the corner as it seems that Verizon is ready to launch it soon. We have no news on pricing and availability dates yet but we're counting on Verizon to let everyone know soon about their intentions with the 8230. People say that test units are out which might indicate that the official launch is near. Would you buy the 8230 Flip?
via crackberry
The G1 has been launched only in the USA and UK so far. That means lots of potential Android customers around the world haven't been able to consider buying a G1 yet. And T-Mobile is going to start launching the device in other European markets. That's a good start right?
The Netherlands, Austria and the Czech Republic are getting the G1 on January 30 while Germany is getting it on February 2. Poland will also receive the smartphone but at an unannounced yet date.
We don't have all the price details yet but we do know that in Germany the G1 will cost 1 Euro with a two-year contract.
We knew this one was happening folks! The BlackBerry 8900 Curve is ready to appear from T-Mobile. If you don't like the Bold or the Thunder then the 8900 should definitely interest you. And today we are more than pleased to announce you that the 8900 is definitely happening in February as expected, but a week earlier that people said it would. The launch date has been moved to February 11 from February 18. That means you only have to wait about a month to get it. Now we only need a price for it!
A variety of IM programs are free with the purchase of the Storm 9530, including AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, and Gtalk. A pair of wired headphones comes standard with the Blackberry Storm 9530, but Blue Tooth also works quite well. Retail pricing for the Blackberry Storm 9530 starts at around $599 by itself, but the phone can be purchased at a lower price if a commitment is made to a specific Verizon plan.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=eee2b41b-94f1-46c8-bfa4-407b6572de95)
Sprint hasn't had any new Berries in quite a while. The carrier missed out on the Storm and the Bold although it did launch its iDEN Curve a while ago. But if you happen to be a Sprint customer with a hidden passion for RIM's BlackBerries then you are in luck. The company will launch the BlackBerry Niagara in Q1 2009. Or so the people say.
The Niagara is a CDMA version of the Bold and it features a full-QWERTY keyboard, 480x360 display, EV-DO Rev. A and aGPS support, WiFi and a 3.2 megapixel camera. Since it's just a rumor for now we don't have any details regarding actual arrival dates and pricing.
via BGR
Are you a Blackberry fan? Cause I know I am! I totally dig the cool way RIM have allowed us to mix pleasure with business when it created these highly new intelligent handsets. The only problem is there are now too many to choose from. How do you know what the best pick is eventually? Do you happen to have an old one and would like to swap it with a brand new one over the holidays, but just don't know which one to pick? The Storm is really amazing with its features and functionality, and all that is achieved without the usual QWERTY keyboard. The Curve 8900 which is a definite upgraded version of the former Blackberry phones is a dependable smartphone for anyone that would like an old fashion keyboard to play with.
Take a quick glance at this video, where the two are being compared and it might help you solve your dilemma. It could be a little longer but then again size doesn't matter, does it?
The folks over at PureMobile.com sent us a BlackBerry Pearl Flip for review.
The first time the phone was turned on, it took nearly 1 minute, 35 seconds for the BlackBerry OS to boot up.. After navigating through the initial setup (language, date/time, and introduction to using the QWERTY keyboard on the Pearl), I finally reached the main screen.
The Phone
Let's start with a phone call - from the main screen, I simply started dialing the numbers. Now I don't know if there was an issue with this particular phone or it's an issue with all Pearl Flips, there's a definite delay between the time the key is pressed and the keypad tone is played back. It's a minor thing, but for someone used to Nokia phones pretty much all my mobile life, it was kind of annoying.
The speaker on the phone was pretty crisp and clear, and the speakerphone was pretty great. In fact, the speakerphone is, arguably, better than most phones including the iPhone (on which it generally sucks). Build quality is rather nice, although when you keep it in your pocket, it seems a bit bulky - which is most likely because it's a flip. As with the original Pearl, typing on the new-ish keyboard on the flip phone is something that old-school crackberries may have to adjust to.
Contacts
How long does it take to add a contact? At the minimum, a contact with a name and phone number takes approximately 4 minutes. Reason? Here are a few UI bloopers:
Text messaging
After the contact adding episode, I was hesitant to try sending a text SMS. Thankfully, this was simpler, although when in the 'Compose an SMS' screen, when I entered the recipient's phone number (instead of selecting from a contact), it initially filled up junk characters but gave me the option to choose the number that I typed.
Synchronization
As always, sync works beautifully with the BlackBerry Desktop Manager - no questions asked. I was able to sync my contacts and email and the phone was up and running. It is also seamless to add and update your applications with the Desktop Manager.
Camera
Yes, the Pearl Flip has an on-board camera. It's a 2 megapixel one, and not too great at that. Then again, you don't want your mobile workforce to be clicking away at everything in sight, so it's probably fine.
The Browser
The BlackBerry Pearl Flip comes with both a full-fledged browser and a WAP browser. I'm pretty sure you'd like to read more about the former, so here it goes. Now, T-Mobile's EDGE network is not the best network out there, and the Pearl Flip does not support 3G, so that's the best I could use for testing. The T-Mobile co-branded browser loads the default T-Mobile page, featuring a few news sources and Yahoo! search.
The column mode available on the browser lets you see the entire page in a single column, which is convenient at times. However the browser was nothing to write home about - it seemed sluggish, and things did not vastly improve when I switched to Wi-Fi. You're better off with Opera on this one.
Business User
The Pearl Flip, despite its keyboard, is made for the business user like any other BlackBerry and therefore comes with support for adding various email accounts including POP3, IMAP, Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange. IM client support is also pre-installed, with Yahoo Messenger, MSN Live Messenger, Google Talk and AIM on board.
Extras
The phone we received had a few games pre-installed, including Texas Hold'Em King 2, BrickBreaker and Sudoku. There was also the Facebook application for BlackBerry, which failed to load with a message from T-Mobile stating that "Your rate plan does not support this feature." Obviously because I wasn't on a BlackBerry data plan but a regular data plan.
Conclusion
Overall, I liked the phone - except for the boot up time. Plus, I am still not very comfortable with SureType but with a few more days of practice, it should come easy. No support for 3G means you would have to use Wi-Fi more often - draining your battery faster.
Whack Rating: 7.5/10
Buy the Blackberry Pearl 8220 Flip (unlocked) from PureMobile
Well then iDEN fans will definitely love this release. Sprint Nextel launched the BlackBerry Curve 8350i so if you are a push-to-talk person, you should definitely check it out. This RIM smartphone will wear OS 4.6 and it will have WiFi and GPS support. It has a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0 and microSDHC support. It comes with International Direct Connect and Talkgroup support and it will get you talking to your friends in no time. The full QWERTY keyboard is right there of course and the 1400 mAH battery is removable. The phone is available for $149.99 with a two year contract and it should be your first choice when choosing push-to-talk smartphone.
Danny Bowman, president of Nextel Direct Connect said:
The BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone is the most recent example of our solid commitment to iDEN technology and our Nextel Direct Connect customers. The BlackBerry Curve 8350i smartphone is designed for customers who require instant convenient push-to-talk services to communicate with friends and family as well as with employees, customers and suppliers. The BlackBerry Curve 8350i is a premium smartphone that strikes a perfect balance between performance and usability.
via Press
Besides the Storm which created lots of buzz lately, RIM has other Berries ready for the grabbing. Such a BlackBerry is the 8900 Curve which is available from Rogers.
The smartphone features a 2.4 inch screen that senses the light around it, a 512MHz processor, quad-band EDGE, WiFi, a 3.2 megapixel camera, GPS, a microSDHC card slot, Bluetooth 2.0 and a removable battery. Yes, there's no 3G unfortunately. The 8900 Curve will cost $179.99 with an interminably 3-year long plan. Better get a Storm you say?
The BlackBerry Curve 8330 is a very old-school cellphone that was announced last year to Verizon, but for the folks living in Canada that couldn't purchase one in the past, can now do it thanks to Virgin Mobile. Like the saying goes: better late than never... right?
Anyhow, the handset has a ridiculous prices:
- $50 with a 3-year contract
- $330 with 2-year contract
- and finally $380 for a 1-year contract
The Blackberry Storm is instantly disappearing from Verizon stores everywhere. And Verizon is having quite a hard time keeping up with the demand. The Storm is available in stores now for $199.00 with a plan. What do you think happened if the latest Blackberry were available for $99.99?
Apparently the online retailer letstalk.com is going to sell it out there for the bargain price of $99.99.
I guess the plan is to sell a lots of units over the holiday season. You would have to pay $69.99 per month for the following two years, but hey, it must be all worth it. You should also know the whole $99.99 deal starts on December 2nd.
via BlackBerry News
In case you want to avoid those lines at Verizon Wireless stores, go online and check out the official page of the BlackBerry 9530 Storm. It's available for the same $199.99 after mail-in rebate and with a contract. I'd be curious on that stock supply. Would we be better off ordering online or should we get a sleeping bag ready in front of a Verizon store? What was your experience when you purchased your Storm today?
We were wondering what the price for the Storm is going to be, especially after we've seen those super cheap Storms Vodafone is going to offer. Thanks to Verizon's Wireless scavenger hunt which is going to take place in New York soon we can tell you that the Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Storm Price is $499. That's what the ARV is, at least according to the terms and conditions page:
Prizes: Daily Grand Prizes (50): A BlackBerry "Storm" 9500 Smartphone and a $50 Verizon Wireless gift card Approximate Retail Value ("ARV"): $549 each
So if $499 is the full price it means Verizon might just offer the same good prices Vodafone does.
via RIMarkable
If the 8220 Pearl Flip is the smartphone you'd buy this week in Canada, then go look the Pearl Flip up. The BlackBerry 8220 is going to be shipped to Rogers stores this Wednesday, October 29th. You will get if for $49.99 if you choose a three year contract bundled with a voice and data combo of $35.
We're not sure if Wednesday is the actual public release day, but if that won't happen, then check the stores in the following days. The Flip will be there waiting.
We have some good news and some bad news for all Americans that plan to get a BlackBerry Bold. The bad news is that AT&T is delaying again the official launch. The good news is that you can get it from Canada, Chile and various countries from Europe.
Mike Lazaridis, who is only RIM's CEO, said that AT&T is testing the Bold to ensure that it's sub-par 3G network can support it. And it looks like Apple's phone is to blame:
There's great scrutiny, as you might know, on that network and a certain device. So I guess everyone wants to be sure on every last test.
AT&T said the Bold is coming this year. Whatever that means. My guess is that they haven't even turn the Bold on yet.
Personally I am uncomfortable with the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220. It's a great phone but I can't but feel that RIM shouldn't have created flip Berries. Berries should be something else. Think Curve, Bold or Storm. The phone is rumored to have a price already from T-Mobile. It will cost $150 with a two-year contract or $200 with a one year contract. Rather steep wouldn't you say?
We're waiting for an official T-Mobile announcement to confirm these prices. The phone is expected to arrive this year, so flip phone lovers can already get in line for it.
Vodafone is the UK carrier which will serve Brits with Storms soon. While waiting for more information about the whole UK launch we have found some leaked pictures of the newest BlackBerry.
People say that the network selection which shows 1XEV indicating EVDO network should show GSM network which is what Vodafone has. Has this image been heavily photoshopped to make us think it's an actual photo of a Vodafone Storm? I wouldn't be surprised if someone wants some quick publicity for its editing skills.
We'll be waiting for official Vodafone news. The Storm is coming pretty soon anyway so I guess we could live without any "leaked" pictures.
