Blackberry Storm 2 Video

Here is a nice overview video from Blackberry on the Storm 2.  At this point it is pretty hard to deny this device is official.  As a fan of Blackberry, I just hope to see it on other carriers.  The idea around a touch screen Blackberry really is a good one and the Storm 2 seems to be slimmer and sleeker.  For the business user, there really is no alternative to the efficiency of a Blackberry. However, a touch screen one can just be a little more fun.

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Blackberry Desktop Manager for Mac's Available October 2nd.

The long awaited release of Blackberry's Desktop Manager for Mac will finally be here this Friday October 2nd. As proven in a recent article in Fortune Magazine, Blackberry is still the leader in corporate devices, even among mac users.  This is especially true in the self employed space where users own Macs but carry a Blackberry for its image of "business swagger."  Thankfully these individual no longer have to wait.  If I am honest, PocketMac wasn't all bad because it certainly let me sync contacts.  However, desktop manager is going to be even better because it should allow for tethering for internet sharing.  Enjoy...

Blackberry 9700 Next Gen Bold Video

Here is a hardware walk through of the Blackberry 9700.  I am happy to see the the charging port and 3.5mm jack on the left side of the device.  That is the one complaint I have about the Tour (9630).  After years of Blackberry use, I can just not get used to the charging port and audio jack residing on the right side.

Check it:

9700 Overview Via @Salomondrin from Bla1ze on Vimeo.

Blackberry Storm 2 (9550?) Hardware Look.

Here is a video of the Storm 2 from Blackberry. Now I am certainly not a genius but as I remember most CDMA Blackberry models end "30". For instance the "9630" and "8830". He seems to be right on for the GSM version since most of those do end in "20". As with everything we will have to wait to see what actually comes to market for RIM.

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T-Mobile's Blackberry 8520 Get Unboxed...Early

Here is a video of the new 8520 from RIM getting the unboxing treatment. I am sure you already know what comes in the box but its always fun to get a look at something new.

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T-Mobile and RIM Introduce the BlackBerry Curve 8520

Nice new blackberry device, the Curve 8520, with dedicated media keys and out of the box Mac compatibility. This means you can use your phone for really business use and a media player. Can your iPhone do that? Of course, My Tour can do that already but without the trick buttons on the top.

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O2 gets Blackberry, iPhone, and the Palm Pre: Hey thats not fair

Hello from London...As I was searching the internet for the best SIM card rates in the U.K., I decided to have a look at o2's website. To my amazement, I had totally forgotten, that O2 was the exclusive provider of the iPhone in the U.K. Additionally, they recently announced they were going to be the first to pick up the GSM Palm Pre. O2 is also the only U.K. carrier to offer pre-paid Blackberry plans. Great job to O2 for seemingly domminating the hardware market across the pond. If I am a British cell phone fan, I am hoping my company uses O2, thats for sure.

Sprint Blackberry Tour Available July 12th

Sprint and Blackberry fans, your next device is right around the corner. Sprint plans to make the Tour available on July 12th. I must say I am very happy they decided to launch the same days as Verizon. Better value, same device, same day, next question.

Gwabbit currently the #1 Paid Blackberry App

I was able to see Gwabbit in action at WES and let me tell you, it works very well. It seems like someone should have thought of this a long time ago, but congrats to the folks at Gwabbit for completing something so obvious. This is one of those "power user" applications that a lot of people just aren't going to be able to live without.

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Best Blackberry App Ever Just Got Better: Viigo Tango Release

I have said before that Viigo is the one Blackberry app that I could not live with out. They just got better with support for twitter, audio podcasts, and more. If you have a blackberry and don't have Viigo, you are missing out. No they don't pay me to say that...

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Blackberry and iPhone App: Wine Pairings

Always good to check out new apps for you mobile phone. A new one for those wine enthusiasts out there for what wine to pair with the food you are going to eat. She should also look into voice overs for audio books.

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Viigo Video Walk Through: The Best Blackberry App of All Time

I am a huge fan of Viigo and use it all the time to update/read blogs and with Twitter and Facebook. If you are a Blackberry user, and don't already use Viigo, you will after watching this.

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Sprint Launches Blackberry Tour (9630), techTIMMY rejoices

I have always said, there are two camps in wireless technology. Those who are Blackberry users and those who are not. Even the iPhone gets lumped into the "non-blackberry" category with all other devices. When it comes to a true business power user, there just isn't any other alternative to a Blackberry.

Now you can get an amazing handset, with all the features you would need, full international parody, and on the Sprint network (click, the case for Sprint article).

Here is the official press release from Sprint:

The New BlackBerry Tour Smartphone Launches on America's Most Dependable 3G Network to Create a Powerful Mobility Tool for Those on the GoThe BlackBerry Tour smartphone from Sprint offers access to America's most dependable 3G network, plus 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM support for international roaming

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 16, 2009-- With the new BlackBerry^® Tour™ smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) available from Sprint (NYSE: S) on America’s most dependable 3G network¹, staying connected won’t be a worry domestically, or when you travel around the world.

The BlackBerry Tour smartphone is a powerful mobility tool that operates on Sprint’s nationwide 3G (EV-DO Rev. A) network domestically. It also roams on other high-speed wireless networks around the world for reliable voice and email communication without missing a beat.

The BlackBerry Tour is a sophisticated smartphone that enables customers to be more productive and better equipped to manage both their busy personal and business lives. It is ideally suited for those who want to stay socially connected, and lets you share moments through pictures and videos via MMS and instant message on popular IM services or BlackBerry^® Messenger. It also offers easy access to your favorite social networking sites like Flickr^®, MySpace and Facebook^®, and you get smooth integration between the BlackBerry Tour smartphone and your Facebook events and friends giving you a great view of what’s happening both personally and professionally. This is the most powerful business smartphone in Sprint’s line-up with instant access to emails, calendar, contacts, robust business applications and location-based services, leveraging the best performing networks both domestically and abroad.

“The BlackBerry Tour is a sophisticated and powerful smartphone that will enable customers to be more productive and better equipped to manage their busy business and personal lives; and global travelers can rest easy knowing Sprint has a solution to keep people connected wherever their travels may take them,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “Particularly compelling for world travelers will be the performance enabled by combining the new feature-rich BlackBerry Tour with Sprint’s 3G network and some of the world’s other most robust voice and data networks.”

No one has a larger voice calling area than Sprint. The Nationwide Sprint Network (inclusive of roaming) reaches more than 304 million people in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with a Sprint calling plan that includes roaming. Additionally, the Sprint 3G Network, the nation’s most dependable 3G network, is faster in more places than AT&T’s 3G network², and Sprint has more than 20 times the coverage of T-Mobile’s current 3G network, based on square miles.

The BlackBerry Tour smartphone comes with a vibrant high-resolution display (480 x 360 at 245 ppi) plus intuitive trackball navigation, a large, full-QWERTY keyboard, corporate and personal email with attachment viewing, calendar, integrated address book and up to 16 GB of expandable memory with a microSD/SDHC card.

It also includes a 3.2 MP camera with variable zoom, auto focus, flash and image stabilization able to capture crisp pictures and video. It comes pre-loaded with the Sprint Music Store, Sprint TV^®, Sprint NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, and features an advanced media player for playing video and music files, plus a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth® stereo headsets (A2DP/AVCRP). The BlackBerry Tour smartphone also has built-in GPS and supports location-based services.

The BlackBerry Tour will be available at Sprint stores, www.sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1 later this summer for $199.99 with a new line of service or eligible upgrade, two-year service agreement and $50 instant rebate and $100 mail-in rebate. Additional savings may be available to business customers through their Sprint account manager.

For more information on BlackBerry Tour smartphone, visit www.sprint.com/tour or www.blackberry.com/tour.

International Travel

The BlackBerry Tour operates domestically on the Sprint 3G network, and globally on 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GSM/GPRS networks where Sprint has international roaming agreements. With this handset, Sprint customers have the power to make or receive phone calls in more than 185 countries and access BlackBerry^® data services including email and Web browsing in nearly 150 countries.

International Service Plans

Sprint offers clear value and simplicity with its Worldwide BlackBerry^® service plan. The Worldwide BlackBerry plan gives customers unlimited BlackBerry email and Web access in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other locations using CDMA technology, and with GSM/GPRS carriers abroad where Sprint has applicable roaming agreements. The plan is available for $69.99 per month, or just $40 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges) as an attachable to Simply Everything^SM, Everything Data, Everything Data Family or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data.

Sprint international voice roaming rates range from $0.59 to $5.99 per minute, depending on where customers are calling. Customers making frequent calls while in Canada can take advantage of a specific service plan for $2.99 per month which allows calls to be made and received at $0.20 per minute. Additional pricing plans are available exclusively to enterprise customers.

Customers also have the option of using a third-party SIM for international voice and data services.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 49 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

¹ Most dependable claim based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the top 50 most populous markets from January 2008 to February 2009. Not all services available on 3G and coverage may default to separate network when 3G unavailable.

² Speed claim based on total network size, sq. miles, multiplied by network upload/download speed capability. User’s speed experience may vary.

³ Coverage comparison based on publicly available information as of 4/1/09 inclusive of Sprint roaming partners. Based on square miles.”

Source: Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel
Mark Elliott, 603-621-4511
mark.j.elliott@sprint.com

Weekly Funny: Jerry Seinfeld Dissing Blackberry and iPhone

I do it, you do it, so don't be mad a Jerry for saying. There is a reason they call it a Crackberry and usually it does have better info than the people I am talking to. Just Kidding...Sort of.

Check it:

The Best Blackberry Accessory Ever?

I have done some useless technology articles in the past. This is definitely not one of them. Check out this holster/charger for the Blackberry Bold. Simply Awesome. I just wish they would send me one to test out. Hint, Hint.



..as always, tell me what you think.

WES 2009 Top 5: Blackberry Symposium

There were definitely a lot of great things that one could see at WES and a huge number of blogs reviewed WES in detail. After a week at WES, all the parties ,information sessions, and demos just seem to blur together as one long keynote. So, I thought I would save you some time and just give you my "top 5" takeaways from the conference. Click the links and check them out in detail. The biggest impression I took away from WES was that Blackberry really is the only company that does an equal job of catering to the consumer and business space.

So here goes...

Top 5 WES 2009 Consumer Takeaways:

1.) Blackberry App World - The place where you go to get all the apps I am about to talk about.

2.)Viigo - Basically an RSS feed tool on steroids. With viigo, I can get access to blogs (including techTIMMY.net), weather, flight info, twitter, sports scores, stocks, podcast, and many others. Phew. This is one application on my phone that I could not live with out and replaced about three other apps.

3.) Pandora - One of the best music websites out there, but now available on Blackberry and other phones. Pandora uses data from the music genome project to select music based on the artist/song that you select. The mobile app is amazingly similar to the browser version and so therefore awesome.

4.)Shazam - Not sure what the song is playing on the radio? Launch shazam and let them have a listen. From there they will tell you what the song title and artist are. Wow.

5.) Google Maps - No longer the same old Google maps app you are used to seeing. Now they have updated the app to allow moving turn by turn directions just like other navigation apps.

Top 5 WES 2009 Enterprise Takeaways:

1.) Viigo for Enterprise - The same great info as Viigo for consumers but with back end distribution and enterprise control. Think of all the different communications your company sends out. Now imagine them collectively placed in a tool for people to read while on the go.

2.) Chaulk - Deliver trainings and compliance presentations with full management and control. Keep track of what employees have taken what trainings, wireless from their Blackberries. Now they can watch trainings and compliance presentations while on a plane or train.

3.) Entermo - Turn your blackberry into a symbol/intermec device for bar coding and inventory management. Complete with touch screen, signature capture, and a flashlight.

4.) Visage Mobile - Now you can know everything you ever wanted to know about your enterprises wireless billing. Decipher bills down to a cost center and publish wireless phone policies to employees.

5.) Blackberry MVS - Truly the next evolution in enterprise wireless. Full integration of your PBX communication on your Blackberry. Dial from Blackberry and it will look like your calling from your desk. Awesome.

Man I am getting dizzy just like last week. As you can see there were very many great parts to WES this year. And that was only my top 5.

...as always, tell me what you think.

Hello from WES 2009

Today I am attending the "biggest Blackberry conference in the world" and from what I have seen so far, Blackberry is still the leader in the wireless world. There are very many devices out there but no company transcends more carriers, countries, and segments then Blackberry. The iPhone is great but in America its one phone on one carrier. Blackberry has 50 million phones out there and let me tell you, they are a whole lot more than that. A running joke at WES is that for iPhone there's an app for that but for Blackberry the app has been there for years. So in the next few days I hope to bring some exciting news from the people at Blackberry during my time here at WES 2009. More to come...



...as always, tell me what you think.