Category Archives: BlackBerry

BlackBerry PlayBook to Get Huge Price Cut and Software Update

Posted by on September 16, 2011 No comments

The latest info coming from RIM included leaks of new handsets and some bad news from the financial side… now we get some info concerning the company’s tablet, the PlayBook. Turns out that the device (that shipped 200k units last quarter) will get price cuts and a software update.

The info comes straight from the RIM co-Ceo Jim Balsillie, saying that rebates will be applied to the device and an incentive program is also on its way for business sales. The same RIM official said that there’s an important update coming for this device, most likely version 2.0 of the PlayBook’s QNX OS that will be shown in action during next month’s DevCon and will be released immediately after the event.

Speculations say this update will bring stuff such as an Android player, native calendar, contacts and email, that would be a blessing for this neglected device. With a bunch of Android apps to come to the PlayBook and its own way of communication without a BlackBerry phone, what’s stopping you now from getting one?


BlackBerry PlayBook Price Reduction on Best Buy This Weekend

Posted by on September 3, 2011 2 comments

If you haven’t spent all your money on TouchPad units, then there’s a good chance you’ll spend them on a BlackBerry PlayBook unit, seeing how they’re $50 to $150 cheaper on Best Buy this weekend. Thus, you’ll pay $449.99 for a 16GB WiFi PlayBook and $549.99 for the 32GB unit.

The biggest discount applies to the 64GB tablet, that gets a reduction of $150, reaching $549.99. This means that the 32GB and 64GB are equals in term of pricing, which is always good news, right? Also, considering the promised Android support and coming QNX 2.0 that was recently glimpsed through a screenshot, things are looking up for people interested in this device.

Remember that the special prices only apply until the end of business on Monday, September 5, so hurry and get yours. More details can be found on Best Buy’s website, right here. Now how about those 4G PlayBooks?


PlayBook OS 2.0 Leaks In screenshots. Android Included!

Posted by on August 26, 2011 No comments


Well, folks, RIM is moving in the shadows, while giants such as HP are tanking… Turns out that they’ve been working on the QNX follow-up, with the result being something like the platform pictured below in screenshots. This is PlayBook OS 2.0 if not QNX 2.0…

We can’t help but notice the lack of BlackBerry Enterprise Server syncing or Internet Service, but at least you can configure Exchange/Active Sync, IMAP, POP, CalDAV and CarDAV accounts. This means that RIM will switch to the integrated mail, contacts and calendars that most tablet and OS makers are relying on… Finally!

However, there’s also a chance that the Canadian company simply didn’t enable Blackberry Enterprise Server on this unit that was pictured. Well, well, there’s also the famous green robot pictured in the far left of the image below, so Android love is here, with porting, emulation and God knows what else. Angry Birds?


QNX-Powered BlackBerry Handsets to Receive Android Application Support

Posted by on August 24, 2011 No comments

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Just as RIM has promised Android Application support on its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, Bloomberg is reporting that the same functionality will eventually migrate to the manufacturer’s future lineup of QNX-powered smartphones. We won’t see the new QNX devices until at least next year, but the move is a smart one as more and more developers flock to Android application development. The phones will run on a different version of the BlackBerry OS than does the PlayBook, which still awaits the release of its promised emulator for running apps from the Android Market. RIM might be a bit smarter to have the capability ready to go out of the box come the release of their next generation smartphones.

[via DroidDog]

Getting Your Mobile Patent Suits Straight [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted by on August 19, 2011 No comments

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Who is suing who in the mobile industry? Perhaps the above chart courtesy of Reuters will help make sense of the whole mess. Or maybe not. Just looking at all those crisscrossing lines gives me a headache.

[via Reuters]

RIM Cancels WiMAX BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet, May be Preparing 4G LTE Version

Posted by on August 14, 2011 No comments


Sprint and RIM decided not to release the 4G WiMAX version of the BlackBerry PlayBook, but worry not as this decision is actually good news. Why? Because, RIM might focus on the LTE model instead, giving up the WiMAX one.

As you might already know, the PlayBook sales didn’t meet the expectations of its maker, although it’s a pretty good tablet, as I’ve shown you a while ago. The bad thing here is that it relies on a BlackBerry smartphone to draw contacts, email and more features. With LTE on board and maybe even a hardware upgrade (ROM/RAM, CPU?), this model would be even more appealing, but if the handset dependence remains, I don’t know if people will be happy with the product…

However, there are plenty of BlackBerry handset users that will one to try a tablet out. Would you?

Related posts:

  1. BlackBerry PlayBook Announced for Sprint in 4G WiMAX Version
  2. BlackBerry PlayBook 10 Inch Version Coming at Christmas Time?
  3. BlackBerry PlayBook 3G Available Now!


BlackBerry PlayBook Android App Support Delayed Until Late Fall

Posted by on August 3, 2011 No comments

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The BlackBerry PlayBook keeps us interested for one reason and one reason alone: its promised ability to run Android applications through the use of emulation software. The RIM tablet shipped without the functionality out of the box, but an update including the Android App Player was said to be coming this summer. We have seen a leaked version of the App Player in that time, but still no official update. It doesn’t look like it’s coming any time soon, after all. According to sources speaking with Engadget, the PlayBook won’t be officially running Android applications until late into the fall. With the tablet off to a rocky start and the appeal of the feature being quite the selling point, having the feature deployed by the start of the holiday season smells a bit like “do or die” at this point.

[via Engadget]

In Russia You Don’t Use the iPad, the iPad Uses You… Now Banned

Posted by on July 31, 2011 No comments


The Russian Government doesn’t seem too keen on the best selling tablet of the moment, so the Apple iPad will be banned from official working places. Security concerns have prompted this move, according to Russian business news site RBC Daily.

The authorities are looking into alternatives such as the BlackBerry PlayBook or Android slates. Even a brand new device made in Russia is taken into account, as the security experts want to rely on a device with good data encryption, or at least better than the one on the iPad. The PlayBook has received a FIPS 140-2 certification, that allows it to be used for governmental purposes.

This is the only tablet with FIPS certification, making the BlackBerry once again a household name for environments were the state’s safety is at risk. Well, one way or the other we’ll see Android in the hands of Russian officials, since the PlayBook also has support for this platform’s apps.

Related posts:

  1. BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Ready for U.S. Government Use After Approval
  2. Apple Books Up Components for iPad Units, Causes PlayBook Delays, Partner Production Revamp
  3. BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Gets Priced, Launch Date Announced