Selasa, 12 April 2011

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community


BlackBerry PlayBook Haiku Twitter Contest Starts Tomorrow – 20 Free PlayBooks!!!

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 06:41 PM PDT

BlackBerry PlayBook Haiku Contest

RIM is really going all out with what I think is their first Twitter contest. They have posted on their Twitter account about a PlayBook Haiku contest that starts tomorrow with two periods with two chances to win one of 20 BlackBerry PlayBooks (10 for each set of dates). The contest is open to the US and Canada. The contest looks like it will be fun especially since the BerryReview team has come up with 20+ entries in the last hour!

The only trick is that RIM seems to be packing on the rules with this contest as you can see from the terms and conditions page. I am not sure why there is a form on that page since it clearly says you enter via Twitter but I guess you also need to agree to their terms and conditions? Here are some of the rules boiled down:

  • There will be one contest invite from April 11th-15th and another from April 25t-29th
  • RIM will be giving away 10 BlackBerry PlayBooks during each period (20 total)
  • You need to write a fun BlackBerry related Haiku  and send a tweet to the @Blackberry account with "#PlayBookHaiku" in your message
  • The haiku should have three lines of original poem text with the standard 5-7-5 syllable breakdown with each line separated with a space, period, comma, or slash
  • Contest entries are limited to 10 per person per contest period. If you try to break that by using multiple twitter accounts and such you will be disqualified.

And you thought the rules ended there? Check this out. Your Haiku:

  • must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement;
  • must not contain brand names or trademarks other than those owned by Sponsor;
  • must not contain material that is hateful, tortuous, defamatory, slanderous or libelous;
  • must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age;
  • must not contain sexually explicit material or material that is obscene, indecent or inappropriate, as determined by Sponsor, or that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations in any state, province or territory where the haiku is created; and
  • must not contain any unauthorized third party owned material, including, but not limited to, trademarks, logos, and the like.

My favorite part would be if RIM legal realizes that this contest is asking customers to violate their own trademark usage rules. That is because according to RIM's draconian Trademark Usage Rules you have to do ridiculous things like always having to say BlackBerry® smartphones instead of BlackBerrys.

So what are you waiting for? Get cracking on your 10 haiku's if you want to win one of these free PlayBooks BlackBerry® PlayBook®® Tablets®®®! :)

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


Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 9:41 pm. | BlackBerry PlayBook Haiku Twitter Contest Starts Tomorrow – 20 Free PlayBooks!!! | 7 comments |


BlackBerry Bold 9780 OS 6.0.0.534 Found Online

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 04:11 PM PDT

imageThe BlackBerry Bold 9780 got some love today in the form of a new OS leak. We now have OS 6.0.0.534 courtesy of Rroyy over at CrackBerry Forums. We don't know much about this build other than it is an East Asian build so you will need to copy over languages from pervious versions if you need support for them. Let us know how the OS is in the comments if you install it!

Rroyy was kind enough to post it up to:

HotFile
RapidShare
DepositeFiles
HotFile 2nd
zShare
Uploading
MegaUpload

Warning: This OS will not install on any other BlackBerry besides the one mentioned above and is not an official release.If you do not know how to upgrade your BlackBerry OS please start by reading this step by step guide.Don't forget to delete the vendor.xml file located in c:program files>common files>research in motion>apploader to install it on a different carriers device. Don't forget our usual warnings: do not download and install these updates if you don't know what you're doing. Incorrect procedure or just bad luck could render your BlackBerry inoperative or unstable

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


Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 7:11 pm. | BlackBerry Bold 9780 OS 6.0.0.534 Found Online | One comment |


CONTEST: Win 1 of 25 Themes from Tattooz BlackBerry Themes

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 02:35 PM PDT

tattooz_logo_350

Tattooz has been creating some great themes for a while now,. He started when he first got his Tour and has kept on going, constantly creating new ones, and updating old ones.  He has been gracious enough to allow us to run this contest to WIN a coupon for one of his themes.

Tattooz uses a lot of different influences, from movies,  pop culture or abstract, to pure functionality, it all stems from purchasing many themes that never exactly suited his needs.  From here, he started playing around and creating his own, and uses his love for body art for his name, Tattooz.  He has really come a long way, learned a lot and his themes just keep getting better!  You can check out more of his works in the BerryReview Store.

screenshot_2screenshot_4screenshot_5

All you have to do to win is drop a comment below, and names will be randomly drawn and the winner announced Thursday April 14th, 2011.  Even if you do not win, Tattooz sells all his themes for $0.99 and that is an outstanding value for the quality themes he creates. Also please note that his themes do not support the Torch 9800, but do work on almost every other OS5 and OS6 device.

Please register before commenting so we can properly contact you if you win.

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


Posted by Fubaz for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 5:35 pm. | CONTEST: Win 1 of 25 Themes from Tattooz BlackBerry Themes | 18 comments |


BlackBerry PlayBook User Interface Designed by Teknision

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 01:08 PM PDT

Teknision

RIM's purchase of TAT (The Astonishing Tribe) led many to believe that RIM used that firm to design the user interface for the BlackBerry PlayBook. Kyle at BBCool noticed that an Ottawa firm is actually claiming on their website to have "led the user experience design effort for the new BlackBerry PlayBook." RIM has elusively never said one way or the other but that is where assumptions sometimes cloud reality.

Teknision2

We know that RIM has used many firms in the past for design ideas and conceptualization but its interesting to see that the core UI for the BlackBerry PlayBook was driven by a different firm. Teknision mentions on their website that the "BlackBerry Tablet OS is a completely new user experience direction for BlackBerry, which will eventually extend to all RIM devices." So it looks like we will be seeing a similar UI for BlackBerry smartphones after OS 6.0. Here is what Teknision says about the PlayBook on their site:


Teknision led the user experience design effort for the new BlackBerry PlayBook. Working closely with RIM's executive team, Teknision provided creative direction, conceptualization and lead design execution for the BlackBerry Tablet OS.

As part of an extended engagement, members of Teknision's UXD team became part of the PlayBook development team to oversee the design implementation and ensure the design vision and language extends to all aspects of the PlayBook experience.

The BlackBerry Tablet OS is a completely new user experience direction for BlackBerry, which will eventually extend to all RIM devices. The PlayBook engagement resulted in several patents and near unanimous industry acclaim.

With the PlayBook launch just days away it is interesting to see where its pedigree originates from. Having played with a PlayBook I have to commend Teknision on a job well done and RIM for choosing a solid firm. What do you think of the news?

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


Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 4:08 pm. | BlackBerry PlayBook User Interface Designed by Teknision | 10 comments |


BlackBerry PlayBook Warranty Support and Repair Directly from RIM!

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:40 AM PDT

 BlackBerry PlayBook Warranty2

This is a huge move on RIM's part. Until this day RIM does not provide direct support to customers unless they purchase a RIM direct service agreement. Those agreements are usually limited to large enterprises due to prohibitive costs. Most of all support, warranty, and other issues are done through carriers with an escalation channel at carriers to RIM. This had to change for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The PlayBook is RIM's first foray into direct to consumer selling without carriers. Especially the Wi-Fi model requires that they have some sort of support channel for things like replacing batteries or bricked devices. We asked about this before but until now did not have an answer.

A leaked document that a tipster pointed out leads us to some conclusions on how RIM will handle BlackBerry PlayBook support. Here is how it is broken down:

  • RIM will provide complimentary out of the box support for 90 days after a BlackBerry PlayBook has been activated. This covers the device and in-box accessories including how-to and setup inquiries. Customers are told to contact these two numbers:
    • US:  1-877-644-8410
    • CAN:  1-877-644-8405
  • RIM will have a out of the box limited warranty and repair service directly to end users for 12 months after activation of a BlackBerry PlayBook. It will also offer an Advance Exchange or Same Unit Repair service.
  • RIM will offer additional technical support and warranty coverage for a period of 2 years following activation of the Tablet to end-users who purchase the BlackBerry Total Care Program. RIM will offer Advance BlackBerry PlayBook Exchange as a repair service solution. 
    Consumers can purchase the program anytime within the 12-month Limited Warranty period.

Let us know what you think of the program! That non-user replaceable battery kind of scares me but its nice to learn we will finally be able to speak to someone at RIM about our problems!

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


Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 1:40 pm. | BlackBerry PlayBook Warranty Support and Repair Directly from RIM! | 12 comments |


Contest Winners: Wrath Retro Shooter and iFrogz Earbuds With Mic

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:33 AM PDT

contest-winner1

Last week I reviewed Wrath by LoneDwarf Games and announced a giveaway. Here are the 2 winners of a free copy of the retro style shooting game:

joseph and domi994

I also reviewed the iFrogz Timbre and Ozone earbuds. Here are the winners of those highly coveted accessories:

gozaim – Timbre

captainbdsc – Ozone

Congratulations to all winners! Expect an email with further instructions.

To those who didn't win, stay tuned for more contests! Don't forget there is yet another PlayBook up for grabs this month. Learn more here.

You can also pick up Wrath for $0.99 from the BerryReview Store.

Click here for more information on iFrogz earbuds and headphones.

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Posted by jforce for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 1:33 pm. | Contest Winners: Wrath Retro Shooter and iFrogz Earbuds With Mic | 6 comments |


BlackBerry PlayBook Sales Associate Retail Training Leaks Out

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:23 AM PDT

BlackBerry PlayBook Training BlackBerry PlayBook Training2

RIM has been pushing hard to train retail associates throughout the US and Canada on the BlackBerry PlayBook before launch. They have training days and more. One of their most common resources is online training and thanks to Qwest905 on CrackBerry Forums we can check it out for ourselves at this link. (Hat tip to Piotr for pointing it out) I copied screenshots of all the slides below for you to check out. Let us know if you spot anything good and how you do on the quizzes!

BlackBerry PlayBook Training9 BlackBerry PlayBook Training3

BlackBerry PlayBook Training4 BlackBerry PlayBook Training5

BlackBerry PlayBook Training6 BlackBerry PlayBook Training7

BlackBerry PlayBook Training8 BlackBerry PlayBook Training992

BlackBerry PlayBook Training91 BlackBerry PlayBook Training92

BlackBerry PlayBook Training93 BlackBerry PlayBook Training94

BlackBerry PlayBook Training95 BlackBerry PlayBook Training96

BlackBerry PlayBook Training97 BlackBerry PlayBook Training98

BlackBerry PlayBook Training991

RIM also highlighted the preloaded apps on the BlackBerry PlayBook below:

BlackBerry PlayBook Training26 BlackBerry PlayBook Training21

BlackBerry PlayBook Training22 BlackBerry PlayBook Training23

BlackBerry PlayBook Training24 BlackBerry PlayBook Training25

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Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 1:23 pm. | BlackBerry PlayBook Sales Associate Retail Training Leaks Out | 7 comments |


BlackBerry Traffic v2.0 Coming to App World Today at 12PM EST

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 08:51 AM PDT

 bbtraffic bbtraffic4

RIM has let all of the participants in the BlackBerry Traffic v2.0 Beta Zone program know that they will be releasing an update in App World today. This new v2.0 of BlackBerry Traffic adds a bunch of UI improvements along with the "Next Maneuver" guidance we mentioned before. It sadly still does not show you this on a map while tracking your location but hopefully that is coming in Version 3.0?

Here is what RIM sent out:

BlackBerry Traffic v2.0.0.1749 will be formally released through BlackBerry App World today (Monday, April 11) at approximately 12:00 PM EST. This is the same version of software that is currently available in BlackBerry Beta Zone. We’d like to thank you all once more for contributing to the success of this latest BlackBerry Traffic release!

When it is released at 12PM EST BlackBerry Traffic v2.0.0.1749 should be available in App World at this link. Let us know when it goes live!

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 11:51 am. | BlackBerry Traffic v2.0 Coming to App World Today at 12PM EST | 6 comments |


BlackBerry PlayBook Tutorials Show Off Video Chat and OS Upgrade Process

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 08:45 AM PDT

BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat2

We have some more leaked tutorials on how to setup the BlackBerry PlayBook thanks to the CrackBerry team. The first shows off how you setup Video Chat on the BlackBerry PlayBook and clearly highlights how it uses your BlackBerry ID to find and connect to users for video or simple audio chatting. I am hoping this means you will be able to audio chat with BlackBerry Smartphones! Video chat to phones would be tricky since even the next generation devices do not have front facing cameras.

BlackBerry PlayBook OS Updates2 BlackBerry PlayBook OS Updates

The second tutorial shows off how to perform software upgrades on the BlackBerry PlayBook. The updates are about 200MB which is a bit large but it is done wirelessly which is sweet! The pictures show that you need to perform a restart after an OS upgrade but I am hearing that will be done away with in future builds. RIM clearly points this out by saying that the update checking screen will tell you the following information:

  • Software version available
  • Size of the software update
  • If the update requires a reboot
  • A description of the update

OS updates without a reboot would be sweet! Its also nice to see RIM sort of embracing change logs for OS updates. Let us know if you spot anything else in the leaks!

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Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 11:45 am. | BlackBerry PlayBook Tutorials Show Off Video Chat and OS Upgrade Process | 5 comments |


Mike Lazaridis Bewildered by “Negative Sentiment” Against RIM

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 08:34 AM PDT

Produce - apples and oranges woman

Co-CEO of RIM, Mike Lazaridis, does not usually do interviews but the New York Times managed to snag one this weekend. Mike Lazaridis usually tends to be the visionary at RIM so I always try to pick apart what he says. According to the Times it was Lazaridis who was asking the questions at the interview:

Why is it that people don't appreciate our profits? Why is it that people don't appreciate our growth? Why is it that people don't appreciate the fact that we spent the last four years going global? Why is it that people don't appreciate that we have 500 carriers in 170 countries with products in almost 30 languages?

Mike finished off by saying:

I don't fully understand why there's this negative sentiment, and I just don't have the time to battle it. Because in the end, what I've learned is you've just got to prove it over and over and over.

I really love that Mike has taken this approach. You can't always try fighting back with words. It looks like Mike is letting products like the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry OS 6.1 devices speak for themselves. Hopefully they do him proud!

I recommend checking out the full interview at the New York Times at this link. Let us know what you think in the comments!

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


Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 11:34 am. | Mike Lazaridis Bewildered by “Negative Sentiment” Against RIM | 17 comments |


RIM Simplifies Requests for Replacement Code Signing Keys

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 08:20 AM PDT

Throwingpapersintheair

Back in August of last year I ran into the issue of having to replace my BlackBerry code signing keys. RIM does not document how to backup your code signing keys and move it between computers but there are ways to do that. On the other hand first time developers sadly usually learn this the hard way. Back in August I posted the instructions on how to email RIM developer support (devsupport@rim.com) for new code signing keys but RIM let us know that they have changed it up a bit.

Here is how they describe the new process:

Obtaining replacement BlackBerry code signing keys is today easier, faster and free of charge. RIM has simplified the process of obtaining replacement BlackBerry code signing keys to better serve its developer community. The process is now automated, fast and free of charge. If a developer is in need of replacement signature keys, they can simply make a request through BlackBerry.com/SignedKeys. The turnaround is fast and no administration fee is required.

In other words RIM is simply letting you place a request for a new set of signing keys instead of asking for a replacement. Not groundbreaking but I am hoping for the day when RIM automates it! If Chase can give you a ten thousand dollar credit decision within 30 seconds I am sure RIM can find a way to give you code signing keys in the same amount of time.

I asked that RIM update the code signing page to note the change in how to request code signing replacement keys. Hopefully they will tackle making the code signing process less "scratch your left ear with your right hand" and more a simple process. For example, you need to change the version number of a PlayBook app every time you sign it. Problem is it will only accept a certain format of version numbers which is not documented anywhere… Oh and then you need to pass along a –BuildID in the code signing command which does some other magic I have yet to figure out.

Anybody else want to help me create a list for RIM on how they could make the build process for BlackBerry smartphone and PlayBook apps more streamlined? Sound off in the comments!

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


Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 11:20 am. | RIM Simplifies Requests for Replacement Code Signing Keys | 5 comments |


Adobe Making it Easier to Develop for PlayBook Android and iOS

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 06:47 AM PDT

One Codebase

Adobe is working on quite a few tools to bring to the BlackBerry PlayBook along with other platforms. They have a dream to allow developers to create one codebase and share it across multiple device platforms while just tweaking the UI and interface for each device. It is what they are calling "One Tool. One Framework. One Codebase." Right now this new Flash Builder 4.5 is only really tooled for Android devices but when it is released in the next 30 days it will be easy to target all three major tablet OS devices from one tool. You can then simply take the process from development to deployment including code signing from one place.

New Flex Mobile Project Mobile Debugger

Their first steps in that direction have already been seen in the early builds previewed of Flash Builder 4.5 that developers are seeing for the PlayBook. Their vision seems to be a bit deeper and they showed off some cool development tools. For example, through the tool you can not only see how the app will look on different devices you can even use it to deploy a debug version to a PlayBook (they showed me an Android device since they didn't have a PlayBook) and set breakpoints on the actual device. The second you end the debug session the app is removed. I wish all of RIM's tools had features like this!

Screen shot 2011-04-08 at 5.29.24 PM Screen shot 2011-04-08 at 5.29.10 PM

Adobe also announced today that they are working on a Photoshop SDK for tablets that will allow iOS at first and then the PlayBook and Android devices to interface with your desktop Photoshop. This new SDK is coming to iOS in early May with the PlayBook and other version following. The SDK will allow for apps that let you draw on the screen and import it in called Adobe Eazel. Another tool is Adobe Color Lava which lets you create custom color swatches and then their is Adobe Nav which lets you drive Photoshop tools from your tablet.

All in all it is cool to see Adobe has a vision for a mobile future instead of all the doom and gloom we are hearing about HTML5 replacing Flash. HTML5 definitely has its place but Adobe is not going down that easily. After hearing about all of this I plan on picking up the latest Flash Builder release that Adobe promised to send over. I will report back on how it works!

Check out the latest press release on Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 at this link

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


Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 9:47 am. | Adobe Making it Easier to Develop for PlayBook Android and iOS | 20 comments |


BlackBerry Torch 2 9810 aka “Jennings” Spec Sheet Leaked

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 05:58 AM PDT

 BlackBerry_Torch_2_9810_Jennings_Product_Spec_Sheet_2 BlackBerry_Torch_2_9810_Jennings_Product_Spec_Sheet_3

There was one more spec sheet that leaked out by N4BB before I took off for the weekend. We have heard about all of the specs on the BlackBerry Torch 2 but now we know that the version number will be the 9810. Just a small bump up from the current 9800. It also points out that the internal RIM codename for the Torch 2 is "Jennings." The other thing that it confirms is that the Torch 2 will come in two GSM variants with one running the regular AT&T and other 3G bands and the second compatible with AWS 1700 like T-Mobile and WIND.

Other than that it simply confirms much of what we already know like:

  • 1.2Ghz CPU
  • 768MB of RAM and 8GB eMMc
  • 14.4Mbps download speeds with HSDPA though limited to 13.4mbps due to chipset
  • 5.76Mbps HSUPA uploads
  • Mobile hotspot support

The only odd thing I noticed in this spec sheet is it seems to say the device will ship with BlackBerry News which RIM does not currently do. This device will come with both Social Feeds and BlackBerry News.

BlackBerry_Torch_2_9810_Jennings_Product_Spec_Sheet_4 BlackBerry_Torch_2_9810_Jennings_Product_Spec_Sheet_5 

BlackBerry_Torch_2_9810_Jennings_Product_Spec_Sheet_6

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 11, 2011, 8:58 am. | BlackBerry Torch 2 9810 aka “Jennings” Spec Sheet Leaked | 9 comments |


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