20,000 JAMAICAN TEACHERS TO GET BLACKBERRY SMARTPHONES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RIM

Research In Motion has teamed up with the Ministry of Education to provide approximately 20,000 teachers in Jamaica with Blackberry smartphones for the new academic year. The Canadian High Commission is supporting the initiative, which is aimed at improving communication and increasing technology awareness.

Under the partnership with RIM, the company will be making two of its newest technologies available to teachers – the Blackberry Mobile Voice System, which will reduce costs by having one phone extension for multiple numbers; and the Blackberry Pushcast to enable distribution of content such as PowerPoint presentations, videos, or audio files.

Users will benefit from closed user group (CUG) service, whereby calls between the teaching population and the Ministry will be free of cost; instant messaging with other smart phone users; and panic button for automatic calls to the police, fire department, and other emergency services.

The project is slated to last for a maximum of three years initially with new devices being issued after the first two years, and an option to extend it following review of the program at that time. They are also looking into using the smartphones to input grades and student attendance data into the Ministry's database management system. Kudos to everyone involved, this will be a great partnership.

Source: Jamaica Information Service

Research In Motion Introduces New BlackBerry 7 Smartphones!!

Press Release

Research In Motion Introduces New BlackBerry 7 Smartphones
Largest Global Launch of BlackBerry Smartphones Ever With More Than 225 Partners Around the World

WATERLOO, ONTARIO-- (Aug. 3, 2011) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced plans to launch 5 new BlackBerry® smartphones based on the BlackBerry® 7 Operating System (OS). RIM, in conjunction with carriers and distribution partners around the world, is rolling out two new BlackBerry® Bold™ models and three new BlackBerry® Torch™ models, all running the powerful new BlackBerry® 7 OS.

The launch of this family of handsets will be RIM's largest global launch ever and more than 225 carriers and distribution partners have already commenced or completed over 500 certification programs for these 5 new handsets.

Featuring RIM's next generation of hardware and software platforms, these five new BlackBerry 7 based smartphones offer users a variety of designs to choose from and deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity.

The new BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and 9930 are RIM's thinnest smartphones ever, each offering a large keyboard and brilliant touch display. The new BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810 smartphone builds on the popularity of the BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 and combines a large touch display with a convenient slide-out keyboard. The BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 and 9860 introduce an all-new, all-touch design featuring the largest display on a BlackBerry® smartphone to date.

"This is the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO of Research In Motion. "The BlackBerry solution offers a best-in-class mobile communications experience that customers love and we think they will be thrilled by the faster performance, enhanced browsing and richer multimedia delivered by these powerful new BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Torch smartphones."

Next-Generation BlackBerry 7 OS

BlackBerry 7 introduces a next generation BlackBerry browser with a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience that is among the best in the industry. Combining the dramatically improved performance of the advanced WebKit browser engine together with the powerful hardware enhancements found in the BlackBerry 7 based smartphones delivers browsing results that are up to 40% faster than BlackBerry® 6 based smartphones and up to 100% faster than BlackBerry® 5 based smartphones*. Additional enhancements to this next generation BlackBerry browser have also optimized zooming and panning for smoother web navigation and optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences.

RIM's new BlackBerry 7 based smartphones also feature Liquid Graphics™ technology, with each smartphone combining a dedicated high-performance graphics processor with a blazingly fast CPU and stunning high resolution display to deliver a highly responsive touch interface with incredibly fast and smooth graphics.

In addition, BlackBerry 7 based smartphones continue the tradition of delivering the world's best mobile communications experience with a highly refined and integrated suite of phone, email, messaging and social apps to keep users connected and productive throughout the day. Recent enhancements include the newest release of BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) which now extends the real time BBM experience to a range of other apps (see separate announcement on July 28, 2011). The updated Social Feeds (2.0) app has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts, and favorites all in one consolidated view. The new Facebook® for BlackBerry smartphones (2.0) app introduces features like Facebook chat and BBM integration that makes it easier for users to connect with their Facebook friends in real time.

BlackBerry 7 OS also includes a number of other pre-loaded applications and integrated functionality for increased productivity and collaboration right out of the box. The Premium version of Documents To Go is now included free of charge, offering users powerful document editing features as well as a native PDF document viewer. BlackBerry® Protect is also pre-loaded**, offering customers the peace of mind that personal data can be backed up and secured in the cloud. BlackBerry® Balance (announced May 2, 2011) is now integrated in BlackBerry 7, allowing users to enjoy the full BlackBerry smartphone experience for both work and personal purposes without compromising the IT department's need for advanced security and IT controls. And further, the popular universal search capability has been enhanced with support for voice-activated search, so users can now simply speak to begin searching their device and the web for information.

A New Performance Driven Platform

RIM's line up of next generation BlackBerry smartphones are built on a new performance driven platform powered by the latest BlackBerry software and hardware. In addition to supporting the new BlackBerry 7 OS, each smartphone also features a range of powerful hardware enhancements including a 1.2 GHz processor, HD video recording, 24-bit high resolution graphics, and advanced sensors enabling new augmented reality applications such as Wikitude that can be seamlessly integrated with BBM 6 – all designed to deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity for users around the world.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones with Touch Display and Keyboard

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 series is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone yet (at only 10.5mm) and the first to offer the perfect union of a high performance keyboard and touch display integrated within the iconic BlackBerry Bold design. The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 are also the first BlackBerry smartphones to include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that is enabling many new and exciting capabilities, including the ability to pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone. Distinguished by its beautiful design, amazingly effective keyboard and brilliant touch display, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 series is crafted with premium materials including a brushed stainless steel frame that puts the finishing touch on a truly outstanding smartphone.

BlackBerry Torch 9810 Smartphone with Touch Display and Slide-Out Keyboard

Building on the popular design of the BlackBerry Torch 9800, the new BlackBerry Torch 9810 is faster and more fluid with high performance hardware features and the new BlackBerry 7 OS delivering an enhanced multimedia experience. Featuring a large 3.2", high resolution touch display and a distinctive BlackBerry keyboard that easily slides out to allow faster typing, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 truly delivers the best of both worlds.

All-Touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 Smartphones

The BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones offer the fast, fluid BlackBerry 7 experience in a stylish new all-touch design. With a spectacular new 3.7" display, the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone, the new all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones are optimized for displaying web pages, photos, videos, and powerful gaming experiences and still deliver the real-time communication and collaboration experience loved by millions of BlackBerry smartphone users around the world.

Availability

The next generation of BlackBerry smartphones will begin to be available from carriers around the world starting later this month. Availability dates for specific devices from specific carriers will be announced in conjunction with RIM's partners.

Additional Information

For additional information please visit www.blackberry.com

BlackBerry PlayBook is Here!!!

It's been seven months of anticipation and finally launch day is here. The BlackBerry PlayBook launches today! This is of course the first installation of a BlackBerry tablet device and yes their first venture outside of a smartphone. So how will the PlayBook match up against the plethora of competitors out there, especially the current King of tablets the Ipad (based on sales figures)? Well only one true way to find out. Get out and grab one.

The PlayBook starts at $499 for the 16GB version and goes up to $699 for the 64GB version. We've been tracking reports and have heard the 64GB versions are harder to find than Steve Jobs in a BlackBerry store. Maybe they were scooped up on pre-order. Whatever the cause I know I can't wait to get my hands on one of these things...so time to stop writing and get to buying.

Sound off in the comments if you've gotten, or are planning to get a PlayBook or just tell us what you think about the BlackBerry move into the tablet market.

Video Leak!: Hands on BlackBerry 9860 codename: Monaco/ Monza

Leaked pictures, software and data sheets have been popping up all week. Here we have a video hands on of the rumored BlackBerry 9860 showing up, with some speed and a great looking GUI. With this video leak we also get a peak into how BlackBerry OS 6.1 will look and it looks good! Another point of note is the size of this device. When compared in thickness it looks super small beside the Torch 9800, and by the looks of it would rack up pretty close to the thickness of the 8900. This one looks like its gonna be a hot device, were hoping to see it launched along with a few other devices at BlackBerry World in May. Check out the video and let me know your thoughts.

Source: BBNews

BlackBerry PlayBook Demo!! (the stuff you want to see)

Training events are launching all over the US for the BlackBerry PlayBook. We got our hands on a video from an event in LA and whats cool about this demo, is that it shows pretty much what we want to see. So far most of the video demo's showed specific applications and functionality,and for the most part the multitasking capabilities/ power of the device. This video shows us some of the basics and more of everything we can expect from the PlayBook. Docs2Go, Media Player, Browsing, and personalisation options are all explored.
Point to note is that this is still a demo device, and does show some choppiness in areas, we of course expect all that to be resolved at launch. Below are a few highlights of the PlayBook as posted by the presenter in the video via CrackBerry

• No sign of video chat yet, but reps did mention it will definitely be included in the BBM on the PlayBook though there was no mention of it being there at launch.
• PIN's are going to be phased out within the next year or so and replaced with BBID - this is to push cross platform apps, messaging, and ease of use
• Presentation mode was demoed. It works by splitting the media output stream into two outputs that are independent of each other; meaning you can watch a video or load a presentation on your HDMI OUT and still browse/play/chat/message on the PB screen. Orientation, volume, brightness, etc are all independent features controlled by a Presentation Mode switch function that allows you to swap screen, toggle screens, and control the options on each screen. 
• Battery Life still unconfirmed but it was reiterated that we have a 5300mAh
• The OS constantly updates battery performance
• OS Updates are going to use a push-type system to be installed almost instantly on your device
• Doc2Go will be Premium for Free!
• The screen is very durable and hard to scratch
• Orientation Lock Feature was present on this build
• .MKV Videos will be supported via native OS soon after launch, but not initially at launch
• Flash games on the web were not supported with keyboard controls. This wasn't programmed into the OS but may be in the future.
• Power button will be fully programmable with options on what it does, kinda like your computer i.e. Sleep, Hibernate, Shut Down, Lock
• BlackBerry Bridge has not been finalized but I have verified that carrier data will not be transferred during bridging. No Texts or call logs folks. This was due to controlling security on the devices, since RIM is transferring over only their data from their end of the game, it's easier to control.
• The UI for the Bridge stuff was very polished, all updated, refined graphics and functions with even more options for stuff like adding events and such.

BB Tips and Tricks: Sharing Videos from your BlackBerry

Source: Inside BlackBerry

Have you ever captured something awesome on the video camera of your BlackBerry® smartphone and wanted to share it with others? If you haven’t had the opportunity to capture a video on your BlackBerry smartphone, let’s go through the steps now, so that you can try out the sharing options.

Device leak!! More Pics of the BlackBerry Monaco/ Monza

 

More pics and a bit more information about the anticipated BlackBerry Monaco/ Monza from RIM. If you've been keeping up you already know this will be BlackBerry's first dedicated touchscreen device to come with a trackpad option. Good news here is 1. of course the trackpad and the touchscreen which based on the new code names we don't expect to have the SurePress technology of the Storm series. I hope this means BlackBerry has shelved the SurePress which has plagued Storm users forever.

Looking forward though we can also expect this device to ship with the new BlackBerry OS6. 1 which by the looks of it has some cool icons and based on rumors should be alot faster and may offer a peak into the work BlackBerry and QNX have been doing to bring "PlayBook type" technology to smartphones.