RIM Releases BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.7

Owners of a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet PC from Canadian handset vendor Research In Motion now have a new flavor of the BlackBerry Tablet OS available for download for their devices, namely version 1.0.7.

The new operating system iteration was made available for users today, with a variety of enhancements and improvements included into the mix.

Among them, we can count support for a number of 15 new languages, including: Basque, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Galician, Hungarian, Bahasa Indonesia, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese Brazilian, Portuguese European, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, and Turkish.

The release notes for the new OS flavor show:

- Enhanced Support for Saving Attachments – The BlackBerry Bridge app offers you more flexibility around where and how you save attachments for viewing and editing. You can now save an attachment to a removable SD card, or to your BlackBerry smartphone’s internal flash memory.

- ZIP Attachment Support – The BlackBerry Bridge app now gives you access to ZIP files received as an email attachment. While bridged, you can now download a zip file from an email to your smartphone SD card and then extract compressed contents for viewing or editing on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

- Portrait Support in Pictures App – With BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.7, pictures that you’ve taken with your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or transferred from your PC can now be viewed in either portrait or landscape formats for the layout that best fits your needs.

- Pinch to Zoom in Video App – Use the pinch gesture to zoom in on the finer details of your favorite video content, just like you would with a website or picture today – all while the video continues to play.

Those who would like to download and install the new OS version on their tablet PCs should know that the process can be done over the air.

Users who purchase a new device will be automatically upgraded to the BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.7 as part of their device setup process.

As soon as the new OS flavor is available for download, existing BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users will be informed on its availability and will be prompted to download and install it. The notification will appear on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet status ribbon.

At the same time, the mobile phone maker announced that users can also perform manual checks to see whether the new software is available for their devices or not. This can be done from the Settings Menu under Software Updates.

BlackBerry Torch 2 (4G) at AT&T in August

Mobile phone carrier AT&T is expected to bring to the market new high-end handsets as soon as August is here, some of the latest reports on the matter suggest.

Among them, we can count the yet-unreleased BlackBerry Torch 2 smartphone from Canadian maker Research In Motion.

The new device was already rumored a few times before to be on its way to the market before the summer is over, but no specific info on when it might arrive emerged before.

However, a recently leaked screen shot of AT&T's upcoming lineup of devices shows that the new device might be released next month, one year after the original Torch handset landed on shelves.

On top of that, the smartphone is listed with “4G” next to it, suggesting that it might arrive with support for the wireless carrier's HSPA+ network.

Some suggest that BlackBerry Torch 2, which sports the model number 9810, should include only HSPA 14.4Mbps connectivity capabilities, though it remains to be seen how things would actually turn out.

This is not the first time the smartphone is rumored to be on its way to AT&T, nor is it the only new BlackBerry smartphone that RIM would have in store for us in the coming months.

However, in addition to the Torch 2, the wireless carrier is also expected to launch a series of new Android-based mobile phones, some of which were already made official. 

Before this month is over, the wireless carrier should bring to the market the LG Thrill 4G handset, as well as the HTC Status, both of which were already unveiled to the world, the former as the LG Optimus 3D, while the latter as the HTC ChaCha.

At the same time, the aforementioned leaked screen shot mentions the Pantech Pursuit II, which is expected to land on shelves on July 16th.

Since nothing was officially confirmed on this, we'll take the info with a grain of salt for the time being, but stay tuned to learn more on the matter.

RIM to Release BlackBerry Superphone Soon

If you thought that only handsets running under Google's Android operating system could be called superphones, you were wrong.

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion is reportedly gearing up for the release of a superphone of its own, some of the latest rumors on the Internet suggest.

The company should soon bring to shelves a BlackBerry device that would easily stand in line with some of the high-end phones on shelves today, including those running under Android.

Based on QNX, the said device should arrive on shelves with a large 4.3-inch touchscreen display into the mix, capable of delivering a 900+ resolution (most probably 960 × 540 pixels, a qHD resolution).

The upcoming mobile phone might arrive on the market either with a 1.2GHz application processor inside, the same single core that was packed with the recently released Bold 9900, or with a dual-core CPU, the same as the BlackBerry PlayBook.

For the time being, no specific info on when would the mobile phone arrive on the market has emerged, but chances are that it might be released during the next several months, as RIM will try to catch up with competitors.

Apparently, to focus its resources on the building of this handset, the company decided to cancel the development of a successor for the PlayBook, one that would include a 10-inch touchscreen display.

Nothing is officially confirmed on the matter for the time being, but, since this is not the first time we learn of the possible delivery of such a BlackBerry smartphone, chances are that it might all pan out soon.

Previously, RIM suggested that they were working on the porting of QNX on smartphones, and a company's official even noted that dual-core smartphones were taken into consideration.

Hopefully, Research In Motion will manage to deliver the said device sooner rather than later, so that they could once again prove competitive at the high-end of the market.

Download BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac v2.1

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has made available for download a new version of its desktop application aimed at Apple's Mac users who own a BlackBerry smartphone, the BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac v2.1.

The new application release comes with various enhancements included into the mix, and also adds support for more devices from the handset vendor, including the new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet PC.

The application was designed so as to offer users the possibility to easily sync their BlackBerry smartphones or the BlackBerry PlayBook to their Mac computers.

The new application version is available for all Macs running under OS X v10.5.7 and above, RIM announced.

With this application, users will be able to sync contacts, calendar appointments, tasks and notes, as well as to transfer data between BlackBerry smartphones, or to add or remove applications from the mobile phone.

In order to enjoy the features that this software has to offer, users will have to have iTunes v7.7.1 or later installed on their desktop machines, and to own a BlackBerry handset that runs under BlackBerry OS 4.2 or higher.

“BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac v2.1 includes media sync support for the BlackBerry PlayBook,” RIM explains.

“In addition to being able to drag and drop files directly to BlackBerry PlayBook over USB or Wi-Fi, you can now use Desktop Software for Mac to sync music, photos and videos with iTunes and iPhoto over USB.”

Version 2.1 of the BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac also provides the ability to backup the BlackBerry device, and to restore it if needed.

Syncing iTunes media between the computer and the BlackBerry smartphone is a simple task with this application, and the same applies to importing photos and videos captured with the mobile phone to iPhoto, or to moving files from a BlackBerry device to another.

The new BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac 2.1.0.24 is available for download here.

New White BlackBerry Curve 3G in the UK

Canadian mobile phone maker Research in Motion is getting ready for the release of a new version of its BlackBerry Curve 3G (9300) smartphone on the market in the UK, one that would be dressed up all in white.

The new version of the device would arrive on shelves with the same features and capabilities as the other models included, and should be available in the country exclusively via Phones 4u.

For those out of the loop, we should note that RIM already released not only a black flavor of the mobile phone, but also a smoky violet version, as well as a pink model.

However, feeling that these colors might not be enough to satisfy users' appetite for differentiation, the handset vendor decided to bring the white flavor of its BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone on the market in the UK as well.

The white variant of this device would be available for acquisition for free on monthly plans that start at £16.50 per month, at more than one carrier. Those who would like to purchase it on a PAYG basis would have to pay £149.95 for it.

The device would also be bundled with a BlackBerry PlayBook, the 7-inch tablet PC from the handset vendor (£99 with a £37 per month deal). Learn more on the available offerings here.

As a recent article on Pocket-lint notes, while pre-order availability is in place now, the device would hit shelves only on June 16th.

The BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone comes to the market with a 320 x 240 display on board, a full QWERTY keyboard, and a 2MP camera on the back.

The handset also sports 3G capabilities, along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology, built-in GPS receiver for location-based services, and more.

It comes with multimedia capabilities too, including MP3 / eAAC+ / WAV music player and MP4 / H.263 / H.264 player, as well as with support for email, Internet browsing, messaging, and other features more. The handset is powered by BlackBerry OS 5.0.

Download Nimbuzz 1.3.6 for Blackberry

A brand new flavor of Nimbuzz for Blackberry is now available for download for all owners of a smartphone from Research In Motion that like using the application to stay connected with friends and family while on the go.

The development team behind the mobile application has just announced the availability of the new release, and also unveiled the new features that were packed with it.

Among those that would certainly make BlackBerry users rejoice, we can count free avatars, along with improved Facebook connectivity.

The release notes for the new Nimbuzz 1.3.6 for Blackberry shows the following:

- A fix for the Facebook connectivity issue
- Free avatars – choose new and exciting avatars for your profile picture from N-World
- Free bots – check out how your day will be with the new Astrology bot from N-World
- Improved reconnection process – so you can spend more time online

With the release of this new version of the mobile application, BlackBerry users gained access to N-World, the place where they can find free avatars to use with the software.

“In this new version you have access to N-World, a place where you can find free avatars and free bots,” the Nimbuzz development team notes in a recent post on their blog.

“To access N-World on you device, you need to press the BlackBerry key-> scroll down -> click on N-World -> choose a new avatar or add a new bot to your contact list.”

At the same time, they mention that the new application flavor comes with a series bug fixes that were possible courtesy of the great feedback they received from all users of the application.

Courtesy of these enhancements, the experience users would receive from the application should be greatly improved.

The new Nimbuzz 1.3.6 for Blackberry is currently available for download via the Nimbuzz website, but should hit the Blackberry World as well, during the next week. 
Download Nimbuzz 1.3.6 for Blackberry

BlackBerry App World v2.1.2.19  Download

A new version of the BlackBerry App World client is now available for download for the owners of BlackBerry devices from Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion, bringing a fix for some of the issues that the previous release of the app came with.

The mobile client is available for free as version 2.1.2.19 now, and should be available for all BlackBerry devices out there.

The new flavor of the application is meant to fix a glitch in the BlackBerry App World 2.1.2.15 client that was released last week, and which affected BlackBerry OS 4.6 and 4.7 devices.

The issue made the BlackBerry App World icon disappear on certain mobile phones after the installation of that flavor of the application.

Here's what RIM notes in a recent post on their blog:

Last week, an update notification was sent out for the BlackBerry App World storefront v2.1.2.15.

If you are running an older OS version on your BlackBerry smartphone, specifically BlackBerry Device Software v4.6 and v4.7, your BlackBerry App World icon may have disappeared after installing the update.

We have released a fix for this and the new version, BlackBerry App World v2.1.2.19.

Although not all devices out there have been affected by this issue, a notification on the availability of the new update would arrive on all of them. The application is available for download from here.

“Users who weren’t affected by the missing icon issue may also see an upgrade notification for v2.1.2.19. The only change in this version is the missing icon fix,” the said blog post continues.

The BlackBerry App World can be downloaded either over the air, straight on a BlackBerry smartphone, as well as via a desktop computer.

What is interesting to note is that some users reported issues with upgrading from BlackBerry App World 2.1.2.15 to 2.1.2.19, mostly on devices powered by BlackBerry OS 6, though others have been affected by the issues as well.  

BlackBerry Pearl 3G Goes to India

Both the Pearl 9100 and Pearl 9105

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has recently announced the launch of its BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone in India. The smallest BlackBerry smartphone to date comes with an elegant design and packs a nice range of top-of-the-line features, including BlackBerry email, messaging and social networking capabilities.

“The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone is a marvel of engineering and design excellence. It’s as powerful as it is compact. Measuring less than 50mm wide and weighing only 93g, it still manages to pack in support for the soon-to-be-launched high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks in India, Wi-Fi (b/g/n) and GPS, along with a powerhouse processor that drives visually stunning images on the sharp, high-resolution display,” the company stated.

The specifications list of the fresh handset includes an optical trackpad for smooth navigation, complemented by dedicated volume and media keys. At the same time, it includes a 3.2-megapixel photo snapper with flash, along with a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional storage space. Built-in GPS, BlackBerry OS 5, a rechargeable 1150 mAhr battery, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, access to BlackBerry App World, and a 624 Mhz processor with 256 MB of Flash memory are other features the gadget includes.

The handheld is headed for India in two flavors, RIM added. Users will be able to choose either the BlackBerry Pearl 9100, which comes with a 20-key condensed QWERTY keyboard, or the BlackBerry Pearl 9105, which includes a 14-key traditional phone keyboard. SureType software is present on both devices, enabling faster texting through completing words as the user types.

“The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G is an ideal smartphone for people who want to take their friends with them wherever they go. It has a rich set of communications and multimedia features in an incredibly compact and sleek design, making it particularly attractive to customers who are looking to upgrade from a traditional cell phone to a powerful 3G handset. Both models enable quick and easy text input for maximum enjoyment of real-time communications applications like BlackBerry Messenger, email and social networking,” Frenny Bawa, Managing Director, Research In Motion India, said.