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Research In Motion has revealed a new budget-level BlackBerry smartphone in its range, running the BlackBerry 7.1 operating system. The Curve 9315 will roll out later this month on January 23rd for T-Mobile in the United States, a week ahead of the phone manufacturer's BlackBerry 10 launch events.
According to information buried in the documentation for BlackBerry.net, the BlackBerry Curve lineup will soon receive an addition in the form a previously-unannounced handset. Users of the Crackberry forums have discovered documentation suggesting that the BlackBerry Curve 9310 will be released in the near future on Verizon's network.
Canadian provider Bell on Tuesday introduced its Push-to-Talk service, based on the provider's 4G-branded service that offers HSPA+ download speeds of up to 21Mbps. It also launched a new rugged handset that can take advantage of it with the Sonim XP5520 Bolt. Bell's Samsung Galaxy S II 4G and BlackBerry Curve 9360 can also take advantage of the network and PTT service.
The total mobile user base is significantly less oriented towards Android than phone market share would suggest, according to research. An InMobi study saw iOS extend a slight lead in North America based on ad impressions, going from an 0.6-point lead at 33.1 percent in the fall to a 2.7-point gap at 36.8 percent in the winter. It had Apple, not Google, growing faster for at least the past several months.
RIM out an end to at least one rumor on Wednesday with the BlackBerry Curve 9220. Its new entry smartphone is the first to have a dedicated BlackBerry Messenger key. Hitting the side-mounted BBM button launches the app from wherever the user is in the OS, making it easier to respond to a message or share something as soon as it shows.
Dutch company NXP BV has filed a lawsuit against Canadian smartphone maker RIM for allegedly infringing on six of the company's patents. The firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of NXP semiconductors and wants compensatory and triple damages, though the numbers aren't revealed. It also seeks a stop of the sale of devices that infringe upon these patents, which include the BlackBerry Torch, Curve, and Bold, as well as the PlayBook tablet.
RIM chief Thorsten Heins during a call discussing the company's tough quarterly results gave some reassurances that the company was still on track with its first BlackBerry 10 phone. The device was still due for late 2012. Carrier partners were interested in both the new platform and keeping RIM as a partner, the CEO said.
RIM and T-Mobile have reportedly scheduled an event on March 15 to highlight "the latest and greatest T-Mobile BlackBerry technology." The invitation does not shed light on a specific device, however it does highlight BlackBerry OS 7 alongside the vague "What's Next" tagline.
RIM said Wednesday that BlackBerry 7- and 7.1-powered devices have earned a coveted FIPS 140-2 certification. The standard means they can now be used by the US and Canadian governments, as they meet stringent security stipulations as outlined by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA). The current devices that comply include the Bold 9900, 9930, and 9790; the Torch 9850, 9860, and 9810; and the Curve 9350, 9360, 9370, and 9380.
An extremely detailed RIM roadmap has leaked to BGR that shows even more than what was shown yesterday. Along with confirming the 1.5GHz, 3G- and NFC-equipped PlayBook refresh, the scoop shows that the BlackBerry Curve 9220 and 9320 will make BlackBerry Messenger a central feature. Both will have a built-in BBM key on the side, making a return to chat a one-button feature.
Verizon on Thursday began offering the BlackBerry Curve 9370, as expected. The handset supports both Verizon's native CDM as well as world roaming through quad-band GSM for voice as well as GPRS and EDGE data networks. NFC carries over.
A purported roadmap for RIM's top-level 2012 strategy may have been uncovered on Monday. As portrayed by N4BB, RIM would have a "3G+" (likely HSPA+) version of the existing BlackBerry PlayBook design due for its one-year anniversary in April. The previously hinted-at 10-inch PlayBook would be coming with LTE for 4G, it said, but wouldn't arrive until December.
Verizon may be on the edge of replacing a large swath of its device line if a rumor floated on New Year's Day is an indicator. Among other withdrawals, a lone source for The Verge had Verizon stopping shipments of the Motorola Droid 3 in January. The exit would likely be in prep for the delayed Droid 4 launch the following month.
Spotify's BlackBerry app has exited the test stage and is now available to supporting hardware. Users can visit Spotify's mobile site from their browser to download the app, with Spotify offering a 48-hour free trial. After this period, they will need to either sign up for a 30-day trial or pay for the Spotify Premium subscription, which costs $10 per month in the US.
RIM has usually tried to chase the high end of the smartphone market when it adds a touchscreen: the Storm, the Torch, and the newest Bold phones are all aimed at the same crowd as the iPhone and top Android hardware. With only a limited amount of success, then, it's taken a fresh strategy of bringing a touchscreen to the Curve line for the first time. We'll see in our review of the BlackBerry Curve 9380 if shrinking down and aiming for cost has given RIM a chance at carving out a lead in a young category.
Canadian BlackBerry smartphone maker RIM maintains it never gave carriers permission to install Carrier IQ software on its devices and has now detailed how users can get rid of it. T-Mobile installs the software on three BlackBerry handsets, including the Bold 9900, the Curve 9360 and the Torch 9810. Users need to download an app called IQ Agent, which will also detect and remove other third-party apps.
A leaked memo to T-Mobile staff has confirmed that it and possibly other carriers are contradicting RIM's policies on phone tracking. Although BlackBerry designs leave RIM without Carrier IQ, TmoNews saw word that the Curve 9360, Torch 9810, and Bold 9900 all have the diagnostic app loaded inside. While not necessarily suggesting that RIM was misleading, it does show that the company has given away control to the carriers.
A new FCC filing has virtually confirmed that the BlackBerry Curve 9380 should reach T-Mobile. After clearing a version with 850MHz and 1,900MHz 3G friendly to AT&T and most Canadian carriers, the agency has greenlit a version with WCDMA band IV, or the 1,700MHz band T-Mobile USA needs for 3G. A needed Safety and Product Information document from the FCC also confirms that there are two models, the REA70UW being the regular GSM version and REB70UW being T-Mobile-friendly.
Canadian carriers on Thursday became the first in North America to get a pair of new smartphones. Bell now has the Galaxy W, Samsung's mid-tier Android 2.3 phone. It raises the bar for entry smartphones through a 1.4GHz single-core processor, a 3.7-inch LCD, 14.4Mbps 3G data (not 4G as claimed), and 4GB of internal space with a microSDHC card slot for more.
RIM has made the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 official. The long-rumored and oft leaked devices are said by RIM to be “available from various carriers around the world over the coming weeks.” Specific launch dates will be forthcoming.
A newly discovered listing at the FCC indicates a new BlackBerry 7 handset may be around the corner. While only the REA71UW designation is revealed, it doesn't specifically and readily identify a handset, leading some guesses. The listing does reveal AT&T 850/1,900MHz 3G network support and the choice of OS.
RIM's budget touchscreen BlackBerry, the Curve 9380, has been given some of its first definitive signs of a holiday release and a carrier through a spotting in a Telus staff holiday catalog. In addition to confirming one of the first providers, MobileSyrup's copy confirms a handful of details, such as its 3.2-inch screen and its focus on "youth" and smartphone newcomers. The hardware could be cheap to own on Telus as it will qualify for the BlackBerry Social plan for those who just need BBM, mail, and other essentials.
Verizon could be releasing three new Android smartphones to the market in the very near future based on leaks. Although there is no direct evidence, Engadget spotted a rebate form from the carrier which lists the Samsung Illusion, Casio G'zOne Ravine 2, and BlackBerry Curve 9370 as being part of an upcoming rebate promotion. The timing of the rebate period varied, but ended at the furthest on November 28.
AT&T caught up to other US carriers on Tuesday with belated additions to its BlackBerry line. The carrier plans to pick up both the Bold 9900 as its headlining BlackBerry and plans to sell it for $200 on November 6. Another long-promised phone, the Torch 9860, is due the same day for $100.
RIM had the distinction of providing the first phones to use a SIM card that support MasterCard's NFC-based PayPass tech for short-range wireless payments. Both the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the Curve 9360 can, with the right apps, pay at a store just by tapping a receiver. The account will be attached to the SIM card, not the phone, and let users swap phones with the same account, although it may create issues with switching carriers.
Spotify answered one of its most frequent calls Wednesday by releasing a test version of Spotify for BlackBerry. The early app gives much of the same music streaming as in the Android, iPhone, and Symbian versions, including offline caching and Last.fm scrobbling to track plays. Its current version requires an SD card and won't limit caching to Wi-Fi.
RIM has revealed some basic display specs of its upcoming BlackBerry Curve 9380 and Bold 9790 to developers so they can get a head start on developing apps for the devices. Both smartphones will run on the BlackBerry 7 OS, N4BB reported. The Curve 9380's 3.2-inch screen will have a screen resolution of 480x360, just like the Torch 9800.
At the GITEX conference in Dubai, BlackBerry maker RIM revealed an upcoming BlackBerry 7 OS update will have a new feature contained within in called BlackBerry Tag. This will let users share contact info, documents, web links, photos and other multimedia content by just tapping NFC-compatible handsets like the BlackBerry Bold 9900 together. It will also allow friends to quickly add each other in BlackBerry Messenger.
The NFC Forum, an industry association devoted to Near Field Communications (NFC) tech, has just revised its specs, adding a new exchange protocol. Dubbed Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol (SNEP), it allows sending and receiving messages between two NFC-enabled devices. This is an extension of the NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF), which was only applicable to NFC tags in the past.
T-Mobile through a brief notice said it was shipping its version of the BlackBerry Curve 9360 next week. RIM's entry-level smartphone will ship on September 28 for $80 on a contract and after a rebate. Along with black, a T-Mobile hued "merlot" purple will also be an option.
T-Mobile is prepping to deliver the new RIM BlackBerry Curve 9360. TmoNews reports that marketing material is now reaching T-Mobile retail stores, a strong indicator that the phone itself should not be far behind. It had been rumored that the phone, with a price tag of $230 off-contract, would be hitting the carrier's US shelves on September 14.
RIM's first touchscreen-equipped BlackBerry Curve, the 9380, has been handled by BGR, suggesting the device is closer to shipping. The device resembles the Bold on its top half and the Torch 9850 on the bottom. The rear is very close in appearance to a traditional Curve-series smartphone.
Sprint in a last-minute update said it was moving back the BlackBerry Curve 9350 to October. The delay was only blamed on "unexpected circumstances." No exact date was given, and Sprint only planned to narrow down the timeframe closer to launch.
RIM may see a bounce back in the market simply out of carrier worries of an Apple and Google duopoly, Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu learned on Friday. After talking to carriers, he heard that networks are worried about the "growing dominance" of Android and the iPhone and were sorely looking for a third option to keep competition up. With Nokia not due to ship its first Windows Phones until September, he said, the BlackBerry could benefit simply by being a well-established company with a recently revamped phone line.
The BlackBerry Curve 9350, officially revealed by RIM earlier on Tuesday, will be coming to Sprint on September 9 and cost $80 on a new two-year contract. This will be after a $50 mail-in rebate issued in the form of a gift card. Sprint's business customers may be eligible to get the handset for $50 with an eligible upgrade or a new one- or two-year contract, and after the same $50 mail-in card rebate.
A fresh FCC listing backs recently leaked ship dates for the BlackBerry Curve 9360. The still-unofficial device will have NFC onboard, the FCC filing confirms, and launch along with a GSM radio-packing twin, the 9370. The FCC lists them as model number RDD71UW and RDC772UW, respectively.
The base level of RIM's new BlackBerry 7 line, the Curve 9360, has had launch dates for North America leaked that show it arriving in the next few weeks. First up is expected to be Bell, which should bring the phone to Canada on August 29. Although not mentioned in MobileSyrup's tip, Rogers, Telus, and their related carriers are likely to get it at the same time.
The BlackBerry Curve 9380 leaked last week has once again shown up on the web, this time in a video and thanks to Germany's MacBerry. The video, embedded below, confirms the presence of NFC hardware as well as its relative and compact size as compared to the Torch 9850/9860. The handset is otherwise likely to have a 3.2-inch, 480x360 touchscreen from the 9800-series but a faster, 800MHz processor.
RIM's touchscreen BlackBerry Curve has been spotted live for the first time. The design, now called the Curve 9380, is a softer, more rounded cousin to the Torch 9860. CrackBerry forum poster imanysh's sighting supports the rumors of the design using a smaller 3.25-inch, 360x480 screen and BlackBerry 7.
A CrackBerry forums member, danny28, posted images of an as-yet unreleased BlackBerry Curve 9360 smartphone. The photos, embedded below, confirm that the device is indeed equipped with an NFC (near-field communications) radio. The handset is on the left in the comparison shots with the BlackBerry Bold 9700.
Canadian wireless provider Telus will get the BlackBerry Bold 9900 on August 15, a leaked inventory screen image sent in to BGR revealed. Other BlackBerry handsets, including the Torch 2 and the Torch 9860, are expected to arrive on August 15 and 22, respectively, while the new Curve (Apollo) is coming on August 29. The BlackBerry Orlando will come out on October 1, along with the Bellagio and, supposedly, the iPhone 5.
RIM dropped a strong hint on Monday that it was about to unveil more BlackBerry 7 devices. The company promsied that "new BlackBerry devices are coming with our new OS" and invited users to check back on Tuesday for details from a BlackBerry 7 Fan Night. When asked if it involved more than the Bold 9900, one follower was told only that they would "have the answers tomorrow" with a wink.
A BriefMobile source has revealed a Sprint spreadsheet that has estimated launch dates for a number of upcoming mobile devices. A new device not previously heard of is the ZTE V55 Tablet, and it's due to arrive at the carrier during the first quarter of 2012. No specs are known, however, though if Sprint will carry it, it will more than likely have a 3G radio and possibly a 4G connection as well.
A contentious study from PriceGrabber claimed that 35 percent of Americans planning to get a smartphone in the next year planned to get an iPhone 5. The July study suggested high demand and that a large part of these would come quickly. About seven percent planned to get it on launch day or within the first week, 14 percent in the first month, and 30 percent in the few months between launch and the end of 2011.
RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis at the company's annual shareholders' meeting hinted that the BlackBerry Bold 9900 was very close to a launch. He expected a launch "over the next month." The launch plans were even more aggressive than usual with 491 certification programs and 191 carriers.
A line-up of new BlackBerry handsets coming to Canadian provider Bell has been leaked and posted up on the web by TechFIBE. The leak includes the Curve 9360, the Bold 9900, Torch 9860, and the Torch 9810. All but the Curve 9360 are slated for a late August release, with the single handset due to arrive in September. The Curve is again singled out by sporting an 800MHz processor rather than the 1.2GHz CPUs of the other three.
RIM today quietly sent word that the BlackBerry App World web store now fully supports Macs. Those who visit the store can now push an app directly from the store to the phone like their Windows counterparts. Mac users previously had to get the apps directly and were given an "unsupported" flag.
Millennial Media on Wednesday showed a surprising spike in mobile ad share from companies that have mostly been pushed down until now. Android and iOS were largely static versus April at 53 percent and 27 percent, but the BlackBerry and Windows Phone platforms both increased in May. A rise in BlackBerry Curve use put RIM up one point to 17 percent of ad traffic, and Microsoft surged an unusual 92 percent.
A telling leak from Vietnam's well-known Tinhte has provided a deep, seven-minute video look into the 2011 BlackBerry Curve, sometimes known by its codename Apollo. The design is said to feel "great" in the hand with a much thinner shape and a wider-spaced keyboard. Speed is much improved on the phone, too, with the combination of the known 800MHz Marvell Tavor MG-1 chip and BlackBerry 7's graphics acceleration both leading to smoother performance, even with a much sharper 480x360 screen.
RIM on Friday braced itself for a "purported" class action lawsuit leveled against it by Holzer Holzer & Fistel. Following an investigation started by the law firm early in the week, the BlackBerry maker claimed that assertions it misled investors on the health of its phone business were "without merit." HH&F had argued that the company was hiding the impact of an "aging product line" in statements between December 10 of last year and April 28, when it warned of low BlackBerry sales.
