The smartphone war has heated up over the last few years. While there were plenty of smartphones and PDAs out there in the wild well before the launch of the original iPhone, we all know what happened to the market the moment the iDevice hit the scene. And now, as our smartphones get smarter, and there’s further integration with our favorite social networking sites –like Facebook–, it’s come to TechCrunch‘s attention that the social networking giant is now currently working on their very own, low-end phone.
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Reportedly, Joe Hewitt and Matthew Papakipos have been drafted into the project of building the “Facebook phone,” and “are secretly working on the project” right now. All of this is coming down the pipe from a “source who has knowledge of the project,” as all of these things usually do. Facebook is apparently concerned with the presence that Apple and Google have in the market, and the way that they have so eloquently integrated social networking into their devices. We’ve seen how well that Android integrates the service, and there’s apps in the App Store to make sure that your contacts in your iPhone are synced, too. Apparently, Facebook sees these companies as competitors now. However, the report suggests that Facebook would actually market their phone in the lower-end, where it wouldcost something like $50 or less. We’re not sure that’s necessarily a direct competitor to the iPhone or any high-end Android device.
There’s plenty of questions in here. But, as Facebook quickly clarified, they aren’t working on a phone. However, it looks like they went out of their way to put a “not going to happen” sticker on this rumor. Most companies would have just said something along the lines of “We do not comment on rumors,” or something to that effect. But, no, Facebook’s PR team managed to put a lot of effort into their denial, saying that Facebook is continuously finding new ways to integrate their services, but that they are notworking on a phone.
Both Hewitt and Papakipos have worked in the mobile space, and we imagine that if anyone anywhere near Facebook would be named in this report, it would be them. But, does Facebook really see an opportunity to make a super-cheap device that integrates your contacts into Facebook, despite the fact that many people out their already have a device that does exactly that? If TechCrunch is accurate in their speculation and sources, then it looks like within the next year or so Facebook will pop out their own “Facebook phone.” Will the masses race towards it like the company would certainly hope they would? Guess we’ll just have to wait and find out. Let us know in the comments what you think of a Facebook phone.
Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIM) today announced support for Wi-Fi calls plus greater support for voice over internet protocol (VoIP) for enterprise-wide unified communications.
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Alan Panezic, RIM vice-president for platform product management, said the firm had been working to integrate Blackberry smartphones with corporate private branch exchanges (PBXs) for a long time.
Blackberry Mobile Voice System 5 enabled a company worker to use his or her deskphone number and extension on their Blackberry and to make and take calls over Wi-Fi and cellular connections as if they were seated at their desks, he said.
The facility was available to firms that use the open Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Cisco’s Unified Communications Manager 6.1 and higher. “If they’ve got 6.1, they’ve got everything they need,” he said.
Panezic said RIM was working with PBX suppliers worldwide to certify their systems with MVS 5. He named three, but asked to keep their names confidential until they had completed the certification process.
Panezic said the certification programme was particularly strict. “We are messing with dial tone here, so users have a right to expect that it works,” he said.
RIM was also speaking to telecoms systems integrators and value added resellers worldwide to ensure that customers didn’t have to go it alone. “Many of the customers who are interested in this announcement are global players,” he said.
Calls made through MVS 5 were routed through the corporate PBX, giving the firm control over policies with full security (via support for the 802.n wireless security protocol) and features such as least-cost routing for local and international calls.
The system allowed firms to enhance the performance of workers while they were out of the office by providing them with office-like communications facilities, Panezic said. read more
Almost 40 percent of BlackBerry users would switch camp to an Apple iPhone, a recent study into smartphone brand loyalty shows. Google’s Nexus One is almost as desirable, according to the study by Crowd Science (PDF link), which shows that a third of the BlackBerry users polled were willing to switch their device for the Android-based phone.
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BlackBerry is still the most popular smartphone brand in terms of market share, Crowd Science’s study shows, but many Research In Motion devices users would be more than happy to move to a different smartphone platform if given the chance.
The study also found that the majority of smartphone users claim to use their devices for both business and personal purposes. BlackBerry users were the most likely (7 percent) to use their smartphone for business purposes only. But wait, there’s more!
Blackberry wont say what caused the eight hour service interruption but independent technicians believe this is an internal problem.
Blackberry users: welcome to wireless hell. Blogs and twitter sites are flooded with rants-
“Oh blackberry how I loathe thee,” one person writes. Another said, “I might just have to switch from a Blackberry to iphone– I hate to say it.”
Blackberry won’t say what caused the eight hour service interruption but independent technicians believe this is was internal problem. Blackberry’s system crashed while it was being updated with new messenger software.
RIM is encouraging anyone who downloaded or upgraded blackberry messenger since december 14th to upgrade your software again. To download blackberry messenger newest version, 5.0.0.57 click http://blackberry.com/messenger
This was the second outage is less than two weeks.
Research In Motion Ltd. said some of its customers in North America are experiencing delays receiving emails on their BlackBerry devices.
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In a statement, the smart-phone maker said customers “may be currently experiencing delays receiving email” but phone services and PIN-to-PIN messaging aren’t affected.
The company apologized for any inconvenience and said technical teams are working to resolve the problem, but it didn’t say what caused the problem or when a resolution is expected. The Toronto Star earlier reported that some BlackBerry customers in North America have been without email service since at least 3:15 a.m.
RIM has experienced several service outages in recent years, including North American-wide outages in April 2007 and February 2008. The latest problem comes as RIM gets set to release its third-quarter results Thursday after the market close.
It was a year ago this month that the RIM BlackBerry Bold was launched and I purchased one from AT&T while on a business trip (see my first impressions). The Bold had the BEST QWERTY keyboard available at that time, but that came at the price of width so the phone was a bit chunky. We now see RIM making some design improvements with the BlackBerry Bold 9700 that is launching first with T-Mobile and AT&T here in the US. I have spent a couple of days with the T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700, check out my image gallery, and think it may be the best front facing QWERTY BlackBerry device on the market. I was quite impressed with the BB Tour, but the lack of WiFi in today’s smartphone market is really unacceptable. The T-Mobile BB Curve 8900 is also an excellent device, but the Bold 9700 adds 3G.
The BlackBerry device I recommended for T-Mobile customers before today was the Curve 8900 and this is still a very good device if 3G is not a need for you on your BlackBerry. Honestly, the BlackBerry browser is not that great and I think people with BB devices are focused on email, which works quite well with just an EDGE connection. The Bold 9700 adds 3G and a bump up to 624 MHz processor with the trackball changed to an optical touchpad, which you may or may not like. There is not much more that RIM can do with these BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard devices, but it is great to finally see a 3G model on T-Mobile.
Specifications: The specifications for the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 include:
* Quad-band GSM/EDGE:1900/1800/900/850 MHz * Tri-band UMTS: 2100/1700/900 MHz * BlackBerry OS 5.0 * 624 MHz processor * 256MB ROM * microSD card slot with SDHC support (256MB card included) * QWERTY keyboard and trackball * Integrated GPS/A-GPS receiver * 802.11 b/g WiFi with support for T-Mobile UMA service * Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support * 2.44 inch 480×360 pixels 65k colors display * 3.2 megapixel camera with flash light and auto focus * 3.5 mm headset jack * 1500 mAh battery
The differences between the original BB Bold and BB Bold 9700 are as follows:
* Bold has 1GB internal flash ROM and Bold 9700 has 256MB * Bold has a/b/g WiFi and Bold 9700 has b/g WiFi * Bold has a 2 megapixel camera and Bold 9700 has a 3.2 megapixel model * Bold has a larger 2.75 inch display and Bold 9700 has a 2.44 inch display * Bold display has a resolution of 480×320 and Bold 9700 has a resolution of 480×360
The original Bold was quite a powerful device, but RIM’s ability to make thedevice a bit more consumer friendly (3.2 megapixel camera and higher resolution screen) and much slimmer should appeal to new BlackBerry owners.
The BlackBerry Storm2 is slated to go on sale at Verizon Wireless stores and online Wednesday for $180 after a rebate and with a new two year voice and data plan, Verizon and Research in Motion Ltd. announced today.
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The companies confirmed that the new model includes new SurePress “clickable” display technology and built-in Wi-Fi capabilities. Some early reviewers lauded the upgrades, noting the touchscreen problems with the original Storm device.
One reviewer, Walter Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal, said he found “typing was much improved” with Storm2, though he added, “I doubt it will satisfy lover of physical keyboards.”
In fact, customers buying the BlackBerry Tour at a Verizon store last July also reported concerns with the original Storm’s touchscreen and were converting to a physical keyboard a result.
The Storm2 has a 3.25 inch display, with 3G connectivity that will allow phone calls in more than 220 countries, and data access in more than 185 countries, the carrier said in a statement.
The device includes 2Gbyte onboard storage and a microSD/SDHD memory card slot with a 16GB card included. The Storm2 also runs BlackBerry OS 5.0, which the companies said will provide typing accuracy improvements and more uses of animation.
There is a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and video recording ability. A removeable, rechargeable battery is designed for 5.5 hours of talk time and 11.2 days of standby time.
The new Bold 9700 has a more pocketable design and better camera than its predecessor.
BlackBerry Bold 9700 Repair Coming soon - Dr. Cell Phone
GSM BlackBerry users who felt snubbed by RIM’s recent releases, like theStorm 2 and Tour 9630 on Verizon, can finally get in on the new device action. RIM took the wraps off BlackBerry Bold 9700, an update to the popularBlackBerry Bold 9000, which debuted last year on AT&T. Sporting a slimmer design, better camera (3.2-megapixels as opposed to the 9000’s 2-megapixel shooter), slightly better display, the Bold 9700 is an ideal upgrade for those looking to ditch their 8300 series Curves.
Measuring 4.3-by-2.4-by-0.6-inches thick, the 9700 is much more pocketable than the 9000. It is lighter, as well, weighing 4.2 ounces (down from 4.8 ounces). It still has the leatherette back, but it is minimized on this new version. This is a good thing; we found the original a bit gaudy due to its excess of leatherette.
Another welcomed design tweak is the addition of touch-sensitive trackpad instead of a trackball. In my short hands-on time with the 9700, I found the pad very responsive. Anyone who has owned a BlackBerry knows the issues with the trackball: It gets dirty, gets stuck, and sometimes falls out. The touch trackpad also gives the Bold the sensation of a touchscreen device, particularly when you’re using it to swipe through pictures.
The Bold 9700 has a similar keyboard as the original with sculpted keys and thin metal dividers akin to a guitar frets. This design is meant to eliminate finger slippage and enhance the keyboard’s usability. The original’s keyboard felt roomy and ergonomic, somewhat in part to the handset’s measurements. With a narrower keyboard, I am curious to see how the comfortable the 9700’s will be.
The Bold 9700 has the same 624 MHz processor as the 9000, so I can assume the Bold 9700 will be as speedy as the 9000. Like its predecessor, the 9700 has Wi-Fi and built-in GPS. The T-Mobile version supports UMA-calls over Wi-Fi-but the AT&T version won’t. RIM says the Bold will be available from T-Mobile and AT&T in the beginning of November. Pricing has not yet been announced, but when the Bold debuted last year, it had the hefty price tag of $300.
Dr. Cell Phone, an industry leader in cell phone repair, has announced a Blackberry Nationwide Repair Center. Dr Cell Phone offers extensive Repair Services for all the models of Blackberry phones.
Dr. Cell Phone, an industry leader in cell phone repair, has announced a Blackberry Nationwide Repair Center. Dr. Cell Phone has taken enormous strides to provide all Blackberry customers a reliable and safe place to have their phones repaired. “The Blackberry Nationwide Repair Center is a great idea. Everybody at my company uses Blackberrys. It’s great that a cell phone repair company is opening Blackberry Nationwide Repair Center,†said John, a frequent customer at Dr. Cell Phone from Raleigh, North Carolina.
Blackberrys are commonly used among business professionals who find it easy to organize both their work and personal life through a cell phone. Blackberry has maintained their status as an industry leader in cell phones through the release of the Blackberry Bold and the Blackberry Storm.
According to wirelessandmobilenews.com, the Storm has improved dramatically in terms of speed and performance because of the 4.7 version update. An issue that may arise with the Blackberry Storm is a cracked screen. This is not because RIM made a phone that breaks. It’s because of the touch screen. Touch screen phones are sensitive and exposed much more than your ordinary flip phone.
Dr. Cell Phone’s Blackberry Nationwide Repair Center specializes in all Blackberry repairs including major repairs such as a cracked screen. They also repair charging ports, housing replacements, trackball repair, cracked glass or lens, and a bleeding LCD.
BlackBerry models
“From my 70 year old mother to my 16 year old daughter, my entire family has a Blackberry. Dr. Cell Phone’s Blackberry Nationwide Repair Center is the best place on the market to get technical support for your Blackberry,†said John.
For more information on Blackberry repair visit www.drcellphone.com or call 1-877-349-7297. You can also email Dr. Cell Phone at repairs@drcellphone.com.
