09/04, 4:20pm
BBerry Storm Delayed
Technical problems could keep the BlackBerry Storm from a crucial ship date with Verizon, a tip delivered to BGR says. Although multiple past leaks had penned RIM's first touchscreen BlackBerry for an October launch, software problems have meant the device is only now entering the technical acceptance stage that approves phones for use on Verizon's network and should spend between three to four weeks in testing before it can be sold, pushing it into mid-November.
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08/08, 2:25pm
BBerry Thunder Oct 13 Tip
Verizon already has a formal name and a release date for the BlackBerry Thunder in its system, a leak of an inventory screen at BGR shows. The touchscreen rival to the iPhone is now formally referred to as the BlackBerry 9530 and is listed as on schedule for an October 13th release. The entry would coincide with multiple rumors of an October launch and would be set just five days later than a previous leak.
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08/05, 2:20pm
iPhone Closing in on Palm
Apple's iPhone user base is likely to have surpassed Palm in earnest with the iPhone 3G launch but will face a serious threat by BlackBerry creator Research in Motion shortly afterwards, says a new ChangeWave study. A poll of over 3,500 home users in June showed Apple climbing to 11 percent of active users, up significantly from nine percent in March. The statistic is just three percent below Palm's 14 percent share of current users and on its current trend would have Apple edge out Palm by the researchers' next report.
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08/01, 2:35pm
BBerry Squeezed Out at ATT
Research in Motion and its BlackBerry smartphones on the verge of falling out of favor at AT&T in exchange for the iPhone, says an investment note from Credit Suisse's Kulbinder Garcha. The analyst notes that RIM's share of smartphone sales at AT&T, which have crested at 70 percent in June, are unlikely to remain at such high levels and instead are more likely to drop as AT&T shifts the brunt of its promotion to the iPhone 3G. The touchscreen phone remains a strong seller three weeks after launch and has already seen AT&T agree to heavy subsidies to help push its sales where BlackBerry devices are strictly in line prices at other competitors.
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07/29, 12:00pm
BBerry Thunder Oct 8 Rumor
The BlackBerry Thunder now has a specific release date and over-the-air music downloads, if a leak is found to be accurate. Research in Motion's first-ever touch BlackBerry is now purportedly due to launch with Verizon on October 8th and will have access to Verizon's version of RealNetworks' Rhapsody service. The feature may supply a technical advantage over the iPhone, which is both prevented from downloading whole songs outside of Wi-Fi and must pay per track rather than getting a flat rate for songs.
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07/18, 12:05pm
Sony Ericsson Q2 2008
Sony Ericsson on Friday reported spring quarterly results that confirm a continued drop in the company's influence. The cellphone designer today said it has largely met its lowered predictions and shipped 24.4 million phones between April and June, or a two percent drop from the same season a year earlier. Net income for the company was also near-flat at the equivalent of $9.5 million, while the firm also warned that the average selling price for one of its phones dropped from approximately $198 to $184.
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07/17, 11:45am
Canaccord on BlackBerry
The launch of the iPhone 3G have had no tangible impact on BlackBerry sales, according to a new research note by Canaccord Adams. Group analyst Peter Misek notes that the announcement of Apple's device on June 9th still led to BlackBerry maker Research in Motion enjoying a breakthrough the same month, with both sales and real activations of BlackBerries understood to have climbed between 20 to 30 percent.
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07/16, 8:45am
BBerry Thunder for October
The BlackBerry Thunder is now considered Research in Motion's top priority, if a claim sent to BGR proves true. The Canadian company is said to be putting even the imminent BlackBerry Bold lower on its priority list to ensure that the touchscreen Thunder is ready for a "huge" US marketing effort starting in September, with a release for the exclusive carrier Verizon in mid-October.
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07/13, 5:40pm
BBerry Thunder Real Photos
Research in Motion's BlackBerry Thunder touchscreen phone has at last been shown in real-world photography, courtesy of a leak by Crackberry. The device is identical to user guide drawings and other escaped images and is dominated by its touch display; four buttons underneath let RIM hide many extra software functions in menus rather than having to expose them with always-on visible buttons, as with the iPhone. The design should allow the Canadian company to implement its first touch interface without alienating most existing users.
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07/09, 8:00am
BBerry Thunder May Be Late
Claims of a summer launch for the BlackBerry Thunder may be thwarted by a still very rough design, says an alleged Research in Motion insider speaking to BGR. Initially pitched as a near-term competitor for the iPhone 3G, the first touchscreen BlackBerry is described as "in no way shape or form" ready for a near-term launch and has glaring bugs that include a flawed on-screen keyboard and overall interface, a touchscreen that ripples on touch, and an overly sensitive tilt sensor.
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07/07, 1:30pm
BBerry Thunder Media Leak
New reported images of the BlackBerry Thunder have been released today by BlackBerrySYNC that show an apparently reworked media player for Research in Motion's first touchscreen device. The images reveal an interface that is heavily based on the current BlackBerry software but includes an iPhone-like category picker for music, video, recording, and similar features but also has a more visual album browser and a full-screen video player.
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06/27, 12:25pm
Verizon iPhone Conspiracy
Estimates that the iPhone will become a widely accepted device are evidence of a bias from those who expect Apple to succeed, Verizon chief Ivan Seidenberg tells the Financial Times in an interview. The executive behind the carrier rebuffs notions that iPhone 3G's up-front price cut to $200 will translate to much larger sales and claims Apple's currently small total marketshare as evidence. Apple is a newcomer that has to prove itself, according to the Verizon head, who also suggests that Verizon itself can be disruptive in a shift to mobile devices from computers.
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06/25, 5:00pm
RIM Spring 2008 Sales Soar
Research in Motion on Wednesday afternoon reported what it says are record results for its spring quarter. The company's revenue spiked 107 percent year-over-year to just over $2.2 billion based largely on shipments of BlackBerry devices themselves, which made up 82 percent of the revenue between March and May. The company delivered about 5.4 million BlackBerry smartphones and notes that almost 43 percent of these were new customers. About 2.3 million new BlackBerry push e-mail accounts went live in the same period, RIM says.
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06/12, 9:45am
List BB Thunder Seawolf
Two unknown new BlackBerry models have surfaced in an XML device list and suggest the smartphone line will grow larger still in the near future, says a leak from BGR. The list mentions a device known alternately as the Seawolf or 9110 that would be a variant of the still unreleased Kickstart clamshell (the 9100) that adds GPS. Past leaks would have the device also come with a 2-megapixel camera, a native headphone jack, and the same OS upgrade as the Bold. It uses GSM and appears to be a likely candidate as a replacement or supplement for the Pearl 8110 in use at AT&T.
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06/10, 10:05am
Nokia Down After iPhone 3G
Nokia shares are no longer recommended after the launch of the iPhone 3G, analysts at American Technology Research said late yesterday. Experts at the financial group dropped their valuation for Nokia from Buy to Neutral in the belief that a raft of "third-generation smart-phone introductions" due for the second half of 2008 and early 2009 are liable to hurt Nokia without clear signs that it can match the same pace. The smartphone industry is increasingly competitive and puts added pressure on the Finnish company, which leads the world smartphone market.
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06/08, 6:05pm
BlackBerry Thunder Shot
Research in Motion's BlackBerry Thunder has been spotted in an official product shot obtained Sunday by BGR. The image confirms reports of the device being the first touchscreen smartphone from RIM but suggests the device will keep the distinctive BlackBerry keys: aside from the calling and menu buttons, it will also have left- and right-side shortcuts. RIM has dropped the trackball and expects users to scroll with their fingers, but includes a new lock button and a completely new play/pause button, suggesting the phone will have a full-sized headphone jack for playing music and videos.
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05/15, 3:55pm
WSJ Echoes BBerry Thunder
Evidence for Research in Motion's BlackBerry Thunder mounted today with claims by the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper claims to corroborate sources at BGR and says that RIM is developing a touchscreen phone with equal support for Verizon's CDMA phone network as well as Vodafone's GSM network in Europe. Both carriers will offer the device exclusively, the paper adds.
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05/13, 10:45am
BlackBerry Thunder Rumor
The first early details have surfaced regarding Research in Motion's first touchscreen device and position it as a direct answer to the iPhone, according to a rumor launched by BGR. Tentatively labeled as the BlackBerry Thunder for the public and the 9500 with its model number, the device bucks earlier expectations by dropping any signs of a physical keyboard in place of an almost entirely touch-driven interface. Only the call, answer, BlackBerry, and escape keys survive the transition, according to the claim.
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