Blackberry Development Talk

RIM’s new Tablet : The Blackberry Playbook – Full Specs and Press release

Oct 4, 2010 News

The Announcement :
Recently Mike Lazaridis from RIM announced their Blackberry PlayBook tablet ,Michael Lazaridis said that the BlackBerry Playbook is considered as the first professional tablet in the world. After their company made the wireless e-mail became popular, Research In Motion has never failed to become one of the leaders when it comes to the smartphone market. During the same conference, Michael Lizaridis kept on emphasizing that it is indeed the “first professional tablet.” At the same time, he said that the BlackBerry PlayBook is already compatible with the servers used by the government as well as corporations. In this way, they could use R.I.M’s new tablet to monitor and control their employees using their respective BlackBerry devices.

Detailed specs of the Playbook tablet :

• 7″ LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
• BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 1 GB RAM
• Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
• Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
• Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
• HDMI video output
• Wi-Fi – 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
• Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
• Ultra thin and portable:
  • Measures 5.1″x7.6″x0.4″ (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
  • Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
• Additional features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook will be shared on or before the date this product is launched in retail outlets.
• RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.

RIM will begin working with developers and select corporate customers next month to begin development and early testing efforts.

The BlackBerry PlayBook is expected to be available in retail outlets and other channels in the United States in early 2011 with rollouts in other international markets beginning in  Q2 2011.

Blackberry developers can register for early access of Blackberry Tablet OS SDK at http://www.blackberry.com/developers/tabletos .

Check out the full Press Release here .

Video preview of the Playbook below :

Few more official pictures:

The BlackBerry Tablet OS is Neutrino based microkernel architecture which  delivers exceptional performance, high scalability, Common Criteria EAL 4+ security, and support for industry standard tools that are already familiar to hundreds of thousands of  Blackberry developers.  The OS is fully POSIX compliant enabling easy portability of C-based code, supports Open GL for 2D and 3D graphics intensive applications like gaming, and will run applications built in Adobe Mobile AIR as well as the new BlackBerry WebWorks app platform announced today which will allow apps to be written to run on BlackBerry PlayBook tablets as well as BlackBerry smartphones with BlackBerry 6. The BlackBerry Tablet OS will also support Java enabling Blackberry app developers to easily bring their existing BlackBerry 6 Java applications to the BlackBerry Tablet OS environment.

Sounds good and Blackberry application developers need not struggle to get their existing apps on the new tablet , we do hope to see some new enterprise apps for the all new Playbook tablet soon and it also would be interesting to see the interest professional crowd shows for the tablet as a replacement for their current laptops and netbooks .

Tags: announcements, availablity, blackberry phones, blackberry playbook, Blackberry specs, Blackberry tablet, latest blackberry release, launch, new release, press release

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Unlock

Aug 23, 2010 News

A good news for users awaiting to get their BlackBerry Torch unlocked, make sure your carrier has announced the device because otherwise they may not have the proper WebKit browser service books. With an unlocked Torch, you can still use the WebKit browser over a WiFi connection, but you’ll be unable to use it over a regular radio connection unless your carrier can send you the service books.

With the help of our friends at Cellfservices, we were able to narrow down the issue a little further with feedback from customers who got their Torch unlocked. Here are some more facts:

1. TELUS service books for the WebKit browser do not work on BIS but work on BES.

2. Regardless if you’re on BIS or BES, your emails and BBM should be working.

3. Some people have got Opera Mini opera and Bolt browsers to work on BIS with TELUS. Obviously this isn’t a desirable solution because you bought the Torch to use the WebKit browser.

Bell and Rogers users have had no problems with this to date. This is because they have announced the device and have the service books ready. Initially, customers were having problems with T-Mobile’s 6.0 service books but it seems there might be an update as customers are no longer reporting issues.

Tags: BlackBerry 6.0, blackberry news, blackberry upcoming models, latest blackberry release, new blackberry models, unlock

BlackPad – The Blackberry powered Tablet : Is it true ?

Aug 3, 2010 News

There have been rumors coming up about the Research In Motion’s iPad competitor a couple of days ago when RIM registered Blackpad.com, but now Bloomberg has received additional information from two sources said to be close to the project.

The Blackpad is expected to launch in November with specifications and prices very similar to those of the iPad, Bloomberg’s sources say that the device will feature front- and back-facing cameras for video conferencing. Rather than bundling the device with a 3G data connection, it will use Wi-Fi or connect to a BlackBerry phone via Bluetooth to tether a data connection. Although the tether option is potentially less expensive for consumers who wouldn’t need to have another subscription to use the BlackPad, it is still unsure why a 3G radio would be omitted as an option.

Several big questions remain. Most importantly whether RIM has managed to update their touchscreen displays after the not so impressive Storm, and whether the promised new OS will be an improvement over the current one. Then there’s Apples giant app store to compete with blackberry’s App world and blackberry application development and the biggest question that comes to mind is the involvement of physical keyboard where Blackberry stands out among other devices .

On the other hand RIM is busy preparing for their Blackberry OS 6.0 which includes a new browser, better media options and tighter social network connectivity, looks like it just might be what RIM needs to recharge the BlackBerry brand.

Whats the RIM’s Blackberry OS 6.0 going to mean for the BlackPad and Blackberry application development , will the BlackPad be the new hope for Blackberry application developers ?

Lets see it in the updates on Blackberry OS 6.0 release .

Tags: Blackberry 6, blackberry phones, Blackberry tablet, blackberry upcoming models, latest blackberry release, new release

Blackberry Developers Get Ready For The Pearl 9100 On Rogers And Bell

Apr 22, 2010 News

There has been a lot of talk on the web over the Pearl 9100’s release this summer , finally its coming on the rogers and bell’s  network  for $449.99 without any contract. The device may also be available with some contract pricing option that would bring down the price .

The frequency of Blackberry devices coming in the market is increasing day by day thus giving Blackberry developers a chance to explore the depths of Blackberry development .

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