Kamis, 31 Maret 2011

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community

Last Day to WIN a BlackBerry PlayBook in Our Rewards Contest!

Posted: 31 Mar 2011 02:46 AM PDT

PlayBook_Angle_1I can't believe another month has gone by and we are only weeks away from the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook on April 19th. Today is the last day of our March Rewards contest with a BlackBerry PlayBook up for grabs. The contest is still going on until midnight tonight with a BlackBerry PlayBook (base model) when it is publicly available or a $500 Amazon/PayPal gift certificate as the prize. With all the news on the PlayBook this is a great way to get one for free when it comes out!

As many of you know every comment, forum post, and tip submission you make on BerryReview during the month of March 2011 will be counted as an entry to win. That means every forum post or comment you contribute increases your chances of winning! You must be registered and logged in to BerryReview when leaving comments for them to be included in the contest and the winner will be chosen by the BerryReview staff in the beginning of March.

You can check out all the details and official rules in the announcement post. If you have any questions comments leave a comment on that post. So what are you waiting for? Today is the last chance to win this months PlayBook!

Start a New Forum Discussion Visit the forums

PS: The last three months of PlayBook giveaways have been awesome. We are taking suggestions on what we should try to do for next month since the PlayBook launches in April! Let us know in the comments what you would want to see as a prize!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, March 31, 2011, 5:46 am. | Last Day to WIN a BlackBerry PlayBook in Our Rewards Contest! | Leave a comment |


Zinio Bringing Popular Magazines to the BlackBerry PlayBook?

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 03:06 PM PDT

portability_bgZinio

Yesterday we pointed out a picture on RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook site showing a then unknown app with popular magazines featured. Having no idea what the app was I decided to open up to floor to our readers to figure out what it was and it looks like we have it figured out. The BlackBerry PlayBook render of the app looks exactly like Zinio.

In case you have never heard of Zinio (I hadn't) they offer up popular digital magazines and books through their service. From what I can tell Zinio offers National Geographic, Rolling Stones, Harvard Business Review, and Popular Mechanics which are shown in the rendering on RIM's site. What really clinches it is that their latest Zinio Reader4 beta is built on Adobe AIR which should be super easy for them to port to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

So it looks like we will probably hear an announcement about the PlayBook getting Zinio soon. What do you think?

Thanks to Tenniscpa and Michael for pointing this out!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, March 30, 2011, 6:06 pm. | Zinio Bringing Popular Magazines to the BlackBerry PlayBook? | 7 comments |


Poll: Does your BlackBerry Knowledge Influence the People Around You?

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 01:04 PM PDT

4e550_blackberry_4120734521_9d95281ff0

I was out at the mall yesterday, and happened to run in to an old classmate from college at the Bell store, and saw him looking at a 9780 and an Atrix.  I immediately had to go and talk to him and ask what his needs and wants were for the phone, and whipped out my 9700.  I obviously told him about all the pro's and how I have had my 9700 since release and it’s been flawless, and the 9780 was an upgraded version of my great phone.  How OS6 has made the BlackBerry a more competitive smartphone, and the push technology makes them excellent communication devices.  Now the Atrix is a good phone as well, but showing him hands on how my 9700 worked helped him seeing the phone first hand.

I didn't stick around to see what his decision was, but later on Facebook I got a pm with his PIN, and with this I am asking, has your BlackBerry knowledge and addiction influenced people around you to get a BlackBerry, theme, apps or accessories?  I know that I now have siblings, friends, and extended family addicted… do you?

Also, with the launch of the PlayBook, have you swayed people to hold off on a tablet purchase? Have you examined the strengths and weaknesses of the PlayBook versus the Ipad (1 and 2) as well as the many Android tablets becoming available. Have you adapted to the mentality that the PlayBook is for everyone, even though RIM is pushing it as the first business oriented tablet, seeing how many of us adopted BlackBerry’s for personal devices while they are mainly business oriented.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Fubaz for ©BerryReview, March 30, 2011, 4:04 pm. | Poll: Does your BlackBerry Knowledge Influence the People Around You? | 10 comments |


Leaked BlackBerry Enterprise Software Roadmap for 2011

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 09:44 AM PDT

BES Enterprise roadmap 2011 RIM

RIM is really shaking up their enterprise offerings the past year or so. They threw in BES Express for free, worked with Google Apps, and are rolling out a "Cloud BES" solution. Lucas @N4BB scored a slide showing what is supposed to be the Enterprise Roadmap for BlackBerry solutions in 2011. We don't have much confirmation on the rumor beyond the releases that already happened but some things are interesting:

  • SharePoint 1.0 general availability is "on hold since Nov RTM" whatever that means
  • BES 5.0.3 is still showing a late March or April release
  • BES Express 5.0.3 seems to be coming later in late May 2011
  • Some sort of BES for Google Apps is coming in the beginning of September which looks like part of the "Cloud BES" we have heard of before
  • A unknown Contrail 1.0 rel;ease is scheduled for sometime in November. No idea what it is but it may be something to do with the cloud BES solution

Here are two product slides to accompany the roadmap:

bes enterprise roadmap 2011 RIM2

bes enterprise roadmap 2011 RIM3

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, March 30, 2011, 12:44 pm. | Leaked BlackBerry Enterprise Software Roadmap for 2011 | 2 comments |


BlackBerry OS 7 “Highlander” to Meld OS 6.1 and QNX Together

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 08:41 AM PDT

There can be only one Highlander BlackBerry OS

We have been hearing so much conflicting information on the upcoming BlackBerry OS 6.1 and OS 7 making it hard to break fact from fiction. We just heard from one of our sources who passed along the gist of CTO of software, David Yach, keynote at RIM's internal RDX dev conference today. Here are some highlights from his keynote though he kind of jumped around a bit:

  • A big portion of the talk is focusing on the benefit RIM will get from centralizing processes and tools. (what RIM's COO of product engineering, Thorsten Heins,said yesterday)
  • One of the key reasons OS 6.1 is falling behind schedule is miscommunication between teams in the critical path of the project
  • He didn't focus on the problems as much as how RIM is going to solve them by easing conflicts in the critical path

The second part of the keynote is where things got interesting talking about OS 7 and OS 6.1:

  • There is a new project "Highlander" using the concept from the movies "There can be only one"
  • This project is taking the best features from OS 6.1 and the QNX OS to make OS 7. This seems to be where the rumors about OS 6.1 having a QNX core are coming from
  • RIM is "very happy" with OS 6.1 but it struggling with losing the features users love
  • OS 6.1 is almost 10 years old and has pushed its limits
  • Still they are very happy about the "Liquid Graphics" in OS 6.1 adding a WOW factor to BlackBerrys
  • This new OS 7 will also be the OS for the Playbook down the road. Seeing the theme of  "there can be only one" ?
  • RIM is still in the "early stages" of OS 7 with a target of 2012

I am really loving the Highlander references and think RIM should actually give their OS builds a name. For example, OS 6.0 could be Phoenix… :) So what do you think of the info passed along? It is second hand so its hard to analyze properly but still I am really excited to see RIM has a plan for 2011 and 2012. Here is to hoping they execute it correctly!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, March 30, 2011, 11:41 am. | BlackBerry OS 7 “Highlander” to Meld OS 6.1 and QNX Together | 27 comments |


AGF Ballistic Built For BlackBerry PlayBook Case

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 08:03 AM PDT

2_200x200_playbook_tj_largeRecently I reviewed the GRT Shell case for the BlackBerry 9800  from AGF  and yesterday they let us know that they have cases for the 8500 and 9300 curves. The one thing that interested me the most though was the mention of the Ballistic Tough Jacket (TJ) for the soon to be released PlayBook. We know that RIM is releasing some cases and other accessories for the PlayBook but is is nice to see other 3rd party vendors working on them too.  This means that early adopters of the PlayBook won't have much problems finding accessories for it. That is one of the main problems I usually ran into when there is a new device in the market.

 

Note: The case is not yet available but you can sign up here for updates.

Product description:

The Ballistic Hardcore (HC) The Ballistic Tough Jacket (TJ) offers three layers of advanced protection.  It includes a rigid screen cover that also doubles as a kickstand to provide the optimal viewing position.

Ballistic is proud to introduce our Ballistic TJ (Tough Jacket) Series Case for the BlackBerry Playbook, with not one, not two… but THREE layers of protection! The first and outermost layer is made of soft TPU which will help absorb the shock of a drop. In addition, this first layer, is co-molded onto layer number 2, which is made of a tough impact resistant polycarbonate. Layer number three, which is the inner-most layer, made of a soft silicone. This layer also includes our Ballistic Corners™ which means all four corners have extra shock absorption where you need it the most! Also included with this amazing case is a front cover attachment to help protect the screen during travel. The cover can also be removed and placed on the back of your case to be used as a kickstand for your Playbook!

  • Advanced three layer protection
  • Inner silicone layer absorbs shock
  • Impact resistant hard plastic protects the phone
  • Soft rubber on the back of the plastic adds to the durability
  • Thicker Ballistic Corners for drop protection
  • Removable screen cover that can also be used on the back as a kickstand

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, March 30, 2011, 11:03 am. | AGF Ballistic Built For BlackBerry PlayBook Case | 5 comments |


RIM Extending Free Developer PlayBook Offer Until April 19th?

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:54 AM PDT

Develop_PlayBook_banner1

It looks like RIM is extending their free BlackBerry PlayBook for developers offer yet again. I think this is a great move by RIM though I have not seen the change reflected on the RIM website yet. Long time reader Marc received an email today stating:

The BlackBerry developer community has already begun developing and submitting applications for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™. Registered developers who submit a qualifying BlackBerry® PlayBook™ app that is accepted into BlackBerry App World™ prior to the initial product launch in North America (April 19th) will receive a free BlackBerry® PlayBook™. Learn how to qualify for the free BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet offer.

I am not sure if RIM changed their qualifications for the offer anymore but I expect we will hear from them soon. I think this is a brilliant move on RIM's part because it will net them many more than the 100 or so Android 3.0 HoneyComb tablet apps available now.

Keep an eye out on BerryReview for updates!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, March 30, 2011, 9:54 am. | RIM Extending Free Developer PlayBook Offer Until April 19th? | 25 comments |


ReelPortal Bringing Adobe AIR 2.5 Video Chatting to PlayBook

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:44 AM PDT

Reelportal

I noticed an interesting new BlackBerry PlayBook app show up in App World today. ReelPortal is bringing their Adobe AIR 2.5 based video chatting and conferencing app to the BlackBerry PlayBook. One of the limits on RIM's upcoming BBM video chatting service is that it will only be from PlayBook to PlayBook at first. We are counting on companies like Skype or even ReelPortal to make it cross platform.

The ReelPortal app for the BlackBerry PlayBook is not showing up in the App World webstore anymore for some reason but here is a description I snagged from App World on my BlackBerry:

ReelPortal is an Adobe AIR 2.5 based video chat and conferencing app for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™. Designed to work with multiple devices and OSes, its features include:

  • video conference with multiple friends
  • join a public room, or create your own locked private room
  • supports both P2P and client/server connections
  • Persistent connection allows switching between Wi-Fi and 3G without dropping connections
  • Use it as a nanny-cam or video monitoring system

ReelPortal is room-centric. You automatically connect to everyone in a room when you enter with no need to call them individually.

You can check out an idea of what the app looks like at www.reelportal.com

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, March 30, 2011, 9:44 am. | ReelPortal Bringing Adobe AIR 2.5 Video Chatting to PlayBook | 3 comments |


RIM Rallying the Troops at Waterloo Employee Dev Conference

Posted: 30 Mar 2011 05:57 AM PDT

thorsten_heins david_yach

One of our tipsters sent us some notes from the keynote at RIM's RDX employee only developer expo in Waterloo that started yesterday. According to our source RIM's COO of product engineering, Thorsten Heins, gave the keynote yesterday with the CTO of software, David Yach, set to keynote about OS 6.1 today. The general consensus was that Thorsten really offered a frank and candid view to attendees. Its good to see that RIM's executive management is seeing a clear picture of what needs to change. Here are some highlights:

  • RIM has a history of running late on commitments and that needs to change
  • The release of OS 6.0 ran late and that "cost" RIM
  • It looks like OS 6.1 is already falling behind schedule a bit and that is "not acceptable"
  • He doesn’t want to be late on OS release and updates anymore – Embarrassed with OS 6.0 delays
  • Lots of divergent teams working on similar projects – need focus and consolidation
  • Trying to make teams more effective without bureaucracy

All in all I am glad to see that Thorsten Heins is kicking the troops in gear for a solid OS 6.1 launch. RIM needs to get the execution down right for this release since they really need this one to be a winner out the door. Truthfully if they just sexy-fied BlackBerry 6 with awesome visuals along with the faster processors they will probably have a winner on their hands.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, March 30, 2011, 8:57 am. | RIM Rallying the Troops at Waterloo Employee Dev Conference | 7 comments |


Diposting oleh di Tidak ada komentar:
Langganan: Postingan (Atom)