June 4 - 8:35am EDT   Rogers Wireless today kicked off the launch of both its version of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 and a service to match. The candybar smartphone adds Wi-Fi to the original formula and on Rogers is used for the company's newly formalized Home Calling Zone VoIP service. Based on Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) like T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home in the US, the feature lets users make calls from a Wi-Fi access point with the added ability to bridge calls: a phone conversation starting from either the cellular network or a Wi-Fi spot will hop to the other network without disrupting the call. [full story]

May 1 - 2:50pm EDT   Research in Motion has likely already picked out the name for its touchscreen BlackBerry, say those investigating the company's web practices. The site address BlackBerryStorm.com has already been registered by a confidential party as of late 2007 and has since by followed by registrations of several international and mobile domains, suggesting an active attempt by RIM to secure the names before an official launch. [full story]

April 28 - 2:30pm EDT   In spite of attempts to blur distinctions, BlackBerry and iPhone owners are still fundamentally opposed when it comes to what they like about their phones, according to new research from ChangeWave. Research in Motion's attempts to focus on media functions with the Curve and Pearl have still resulted in most customers preferring the phones for e-mail, with 56 percent of users citing BlackBerry line's signature "push" mail as their primary desire. Nearly all other features were distant concerns, with ease of use, the keyboard, and size all cited by less than 10 percent of the responding group. [full story]

April 23 - 11:10am EDT   AT&T today became the first American provider to pick up the BlackBerry Pearl 8110, RIM's first version of its narrow phone design to supply built-in GPS navigation on a GSM network. Like the 8130 for CDMA networks, the 8110 provides live position updates in real time; in AT&T's version, the new Pearl is targeted at the TeleNav-based AT&T Navigator service and uses the feature to supply driving directions without permanent map downloads. The upgraded handset is also the first from AT&T to run a custom Yellow Pages app for finding and using contact information. [full story]

April 21 - 12:55pm EDT   Three of the most dominant smartphone makers in the US are all suffering from low supply of their devices at the same time, Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt says in a new investor's note. In addition to the still ongoing iPhone shortage, McCourt also observes that Research in Motion's standard BlackBerry Pearl has not been reliably available at retail at AT&T since March and may only begin to offer the Pearl 8120 to home users by April 24th at the earliest. [full story]

April 10 - 4:00pm EDT   A rebate sheet from AT&T for the spring retail season seems to have leaked on the Internet on Thursday, revealing that the cellular carrier will replace the Pearl 8100 with the new 8110. Buyers who opt for this phone will be eligible for a $50 rebate card from AT&T. Furthermore, the form indicates the phones must be purchased before May 11, meaning the new Pearl should hit shelves well before then. The other new phone to AT&T on the form is the Pantech C520, the Breeze, with a $30 rebate. [full story]

April 9 - 2:25pm EDT   Both Palm and the BlackBerry's creator, Research in Motion, are likely to feel a continued squeeze on their bottom lines as a result of the iPhone, according to separate investment notes from Needham & Co. The financial researchers note that both smartphone producers are most likely to feel added pressure because of the emergence of the consumer smartphone market, which doesn't share the same values as the business market. Services such as near-instant "push" e-mail are only a small factor for most home users, according to analyst Charlie Wolf. While that feature has helped the BlackBerry cement its position in the workplace, most home users are equally concerned ... [full story]

April 4 - 3:55pm EDT   Rogers may offer its own take on a Wi-Fi calling solution in the near future, say multiple tips sent to Crackberry. The service would be known as Rogers Home Calling Zone and would replicate many of the features found in services such as T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home; devices that support Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) would be used to offer unlimited calling from any Wi-Fi access point and could seamlessly bridge to the cellular phone network and back to avoid interrupting calls. [full story]

April 1 - 7:00am EDT   T-Mobile on Tuesday morning became the second carrier in North America after AT&T to carry the BlackBerry Pearl 8120. In its new trim, the phone's distinctive Wi-Fi is used to support T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home and potentially saves money on calling; users can place calls for free from any Wi-Fi hotspot, including any official T-Mobile location. The phone adds all the improvements that come along with the upgraded Pearl, including the 2-megapixel camera, externally accessible microSDHC card slot, a full-size headphone jack, and better construction. [full story]

March 13 - 9:05am EDT   Marking the addition of one of the few Wi-Fi equipped home smartphones in its lineup, AT&T today released the BlackBerry Pearl 8120. Based on the same updated Pearl shape as the 8130 on sale at Sprint and Verizon, the 8120 adds 802.11g Wi-Fi that supplies much faster Internet access than the phone's usual EDGE service whenever the phone is within range of a hotspot; unlike the Curve 8320 at T-Mobile, however, the new AT&T Pearl lacks support for automatically bridged VoIP calls. [full story]

March 11 - 5:50pm EDT   Puretracks, with labels Universal, Sony BMG, Warner, EMI, and various independents under its belt, is offering a new DRM-free mobile music store and service for BlackBerry smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM). As the latest company to take a stab at Apple's music download dominance, the new music service competes directly with Apple's WiFi iTunes store for the iPhone and iPod Touch and will work with the BlackBerry Pearl, BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry 8800 series smartphones. Using compressed DRM-free AAC/AAC+ file formats, Puretracks Mobile Edition will be unveiled March 12 at the South By Southwest (SXSW) event in Austin, Texas. A full version of the mobile ... [full story]

December 14 - 3:50pm EST   Alltel has begun shipping its version of the BlackBerry Pearl 8130, the first CDMA-capable Pearl. The candybar design has all the features of the full version including true GPS, which can be used either through Resarch in Motion's own BlackBerry Maps feature or through a subscription to a service like TeleNav. Unlike Sprint or Verizon models, though, its music can be sideloaded through a custom program dubbed Jump Music instead of Windows Media Player or manually copying files, helping to justify the phone's microSDHC slot and cards over 8GB. [full story]