BlackBerry Venice Rumored to Offer Android and BB10 Version

BlackBerry announced the company’s new product in this year’s MWC (Mobile World Congress) which was held in Barcelona in March. The new product is called BlackBerry Venice. It is rumored that BlackBerry Venice will come with two versions, Android and BB10 OS.

BlackBerry Venice is reported to operate on 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset with 1.8GHz hexa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM and two cameras, the front camera is having 18MP while the back camera is having 5MP. The display screen is measured 5.4-inch with curved edges, similar to Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and a resolution of 1440 x 2560.  On top of that, the device will be featuring a sliding down keyboard.

The processor that is going to be used by BlackBerry Venice is rumored to be the same with the one that is used for LG G4. The reason on why LG G4 is using this processor is that the updated version of octa-core Snapdragon 810 is not available yet.

With BlackBerry Venice, hopefully, it will boost up the sales figure for BlackBerry again since there are still a lot of business users who prefer to use BlackBerry and there are a lot of Android users who still prefer to use a physical keyboard rather the on-screen keyboard.

There is no further confirmation whether BlackBerry is going to use full Android version as offered by Google or the company is going to create another OS version which is based on Android. BlackBerry Venice is rumored to be released in November 2015.

BlackBerry Venice Rumored to Offer Android and BB10 Version

BlackBerry Upcoming Flagship Smartphone: BlackBerry Oslo

BlackBerry has announced BlackBerry Oslo in April and recently, the company has released the new smartphone’s specification and photos for us to know about the product better. From the picture released, BlackBerry Oslo look a lot like its predecessor BlackBerry Passport.

BlackBerry Oslo will run on 2.2GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 801, 3GB RAM, 13MP camera and a 3450 mAh battery life. The smartphone will have a square-ish look with frame made of a combination of steel frame mixed with silver plastic. The back appears to be a textured rubber and it seems to be beveled.  On top of that, it also comes with a 3-row QWERTY keyboard and the display will be 1440 x 1440 pixels.  As for the software, the device is expected to run on the final build of OS 10.3.2 (Gold Candidate version 10.3.2.2150) as per previous rumors.

BlackBerry Oslo will be targeted for Europe and Asia market. It will be officially announced at the end of the month, on June 30. As it seems like the specification of the smartphone is comparable to BlackBerry Passport and there is no significant improvements on it, BlackBerry Oslo is expected to be priced below its predecessor. However, there is no confirmation about it. It is just a speculation.

BlackBerry Upcoming Flagship Smartphone: BlackBerry Oslo

BlackBerry Leap Removes Keyboard to Attract More Young Professionals to Use the Device

BlackBerry Leap is the latest smartphone from BlackBerry. The phone is targeted to the young professionals who might or might not have used the previous device from BlackBerry, the version which comes with the keyboard as well as those who still needs BlackBerry secure and business-focused productivity platform.

BlackBerry Leap runs on BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 which comes with improvements such as multitasking feature and the background apps management feature. The good news is that BlackBerry 10 devices can run Android apps! However, instead of downloading it from Google Play Store, you need to download from Amazon app store which is preloaded into the device. Another way is to have the APK file sideloaded into the device.

BlackBerry comes with a 5-inch, 720p touchscreen and a bog-standard rectangular shape. Instead of having physical keyboard, it comes with virtual keyboard, complete with auto-correct and it supports multiple languages.  However, it does feel chunky with 0.37 inch thickness but it is really not that difficult to hold on the hand.

For the processor, BlackBerry runs on 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm 8960 processor and a 2,800mAh battery which should last for 25 hours in low usage. BlackBerry Leap is available in UK on April 29 for $300. You can also purchase it directly from BlackBerry website if you reside outside UK.

It seems like BlackBerry will not throw its signature QWERTY keyboard concept anytime soon. The new BlackBerry Slider is rumored to come with a keyboard which slides out from behind the touchscreen display. We will look forward to that!

BlackBerry Leap Removes Keyboard to Attract More Young Professionals to Use the Device

BlackBerry likely to introduce a dual-curve ‘edge’ slider phone

In addition to announcing the BlackBerry Leap, the company also teased its new dual-curved ‘edge’ display handset like the Galaxy S6 Edge but comes with a slider form factor. President of the devices and emerging solutions division BlackBerry, Ron Louks, teased this upcoming high-profile gadget at the MWC 2015 expo. No further details for the device have been given except just an official tweet from the company saying “What a Surprise! Ron just pulled out a dual-curved, all-touch display with a Keyboard – yes a slider device! #MWC15.”

Such a device would really help BlackBerry would really help the company to compete and move ahead in such kind of device market. The BlackBerry is now on a good path after the successful launch of its BlackBerry Passport and now it would be a completely new idea to have a ‘dual edge’ display for its new upcoming handset. The slider phone with touch screen would really be helpful.

source: @BlackBerry

BlackBerry likely to introduce a dual-curve ‘edge’ slider phone

Official roll out of BlackBerry 10.3.1 begins, brings BlackBerry Blend, Assistant and thousands of apps

BlackBerry has started rolling out BlackBerry OS 10.3.1 globally for Blackberry 10 devices including BlackBerry Passport, BlackBerry Z3, BlackBerry Z30, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Q10, BlackBerry Q5, BlackBerry Porsche Design P’9983 and P’9982 smartphones. BlackBerry Classic that was released recently in December comes pre-loaded with BlackBerry 10.3.1.

The latest update brings with it several new enhancements and features including BlackBerry Blend and BlackBerry Assistant as well as improvements in BlackBerry Hub, battery, camera, calendar, multimedia and much more. The new OS version will also give the user access to thousands of apps through two app stores – the BlackBerry World storefront and the Amazon Appstore. The BlackBerry 10.3.1 also features an instant action bar and updated icons.

BlackBerry Blend will let you access your BlackBerry phone’s messaging and other content such as documents, contacts, calendar and media on your computer or tablet. It works on many OS including Windows, Android, Mac and iOS.

 BlackBerry Assistant is an intelligent voice-activated personal assistant like Google Now, Siri and Cortana. It can be used for text and voice commands and assists the user in managing both work and personal tasks such as email, contacts, calendar and other apps.

Then there’s the BlackBerry Hub with Instant Actions. It helps the users to better manage all their conversations including texts, emails, phone calls, BBM and social media. With Instant Actions users can instantly organize their Inbox without accessing each individual message and quickly change their communication mode from email to SMS, voice call or meeting invitation.

The BlackBerry 10.3.1 update also brings with it other features including time saving keyboard shortcuts, new camera functions, boost to battery life, better sound media, ability to add songs, photos or videos to favorites for quick access, new meeting mode option and weekly agenda view in calendar and BBM meetings to work smarter.

BlackBerry 10.3.1 has started rolling out in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Download notification will be received in the BlackBerry Hub.

 

Source BlackBerry

Official roll out of BlackBerry 10.3.1 begins, brings BlackBerry Blend, Assistant and thousands of apps

BBM Apps is Coming to Android Wearable Early This Year

Blackberry announced earlier this year that BBM apps will be available on Android Wearable devices.  Thus, this will enable BBM users to communicate faster and more discreetly while on the go. On top of that, the users are able to access their BBM messages from their smartwatch without having the need to reach for their smartphones.

It is aligned to BlackBerry commitment to integrating new features and partners to improve BBM Chat experience. BBM in wearable technology is one way to expand BlackBerry’s portfolio in delivering options for users to easily access BlackBerry’s apps cross platform technologies.

BBM for Android wearables will be able to receive new BBM messages on the watch, showing the sender information as well as the message preview. On top of that, users also able to read the entire messages navigate among messages and dismiss notifications with a simple swipe.

Furthermore, users also able to respond to messages hands-free with Google Now or choose from pre-defined messages to quickly send a response. At last but not least, users also will be able to accept BBM invites from the watch without the need to access their smartphones.

BBM for Android Wear is supported by a wide range of smartwatches that runs on Android. After the BBM is installed in the smartwatches, all the features for BBM for Android wear will be available automatically and thus the users will be able to use it right away.

BBM Apps is Coming to Android Wearable Early This Year

Declining Share Market for BlackBerry in Indonesia

BlackBerry has dominated the market share for mobile phone in Indonesia. “Three years ago, all we knew about selling phones was selling BlackBerrys – nine out of 10 phones we sold were BlackBerrys,” Mr. Chandra says. However, all that has changed since now, it is one out of 10, sometimes it did not even sell. There are a few reason of this declining, for example because of the strategic missteps, stiff competition and friction with the company’s head office in Waterloo, Ont.

In 2011, BlackBerry accounted for 43 percent of the new smartphones shipped to Indonesia, and now the market crumbled down to 3 percent in the market as of the first half of 2014.  The market share is lower than the global brands such as Samsung and even smaller brands such as Advan, Evercross and Indonesian’s own budget phone Smartfren.

In an interview with BlackBerry’s former country head Andy Cobham who also managed Motorola business in the country for over a decade period mention that BlackBerry had an amazing technology and the business was growing before falling. Some of the reason mentioned is because every decision needs to go through Waterloo even on promotion. An example of this is the promotion for a 50 percent discount for the first 1000 customers to show up for the launch in which the local office reluctant with the idea for it might lead to stampede but it was still implemented and true enough the launch turned chaotic leading to dozens of injuries.

Another example is that the BlackBerry’s marketing material cannot be changed to a language that Indonesians understand partially because of copyright reasons. To make matter worse the former BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Hein mentioned before that they will exit consumer market to concentrate to enterprise consumer; it was a bad move since most of their user is individual.

The firm also does not promote locally hired talent and thus he lost several productive Indonesian employees who got frustrated and left.  On top of that, when the government asked BlackBerry to filter 400,000 websites that is deemed for pornography or demanded access to BlackBerry’s secure data, like any other country, BlackBerry refused to do so. Moreover when the government asked the firm to setup a factory in Indonesia, BlackBerry refused to do so for adequate and congested roads and ports reason. To make matter worse, BlackBerry went to setup factory in Malaysia.

The spokesman, Matt Stewart, noted that the firm has launched local mobile wallet “BBM Money” and the branded “Jakarta Edition” BlackBerry Z3 in May this year. Therefore, the company still believe that BlackBerry will continue to be a number one player for its consumers.

Declining Share Market for BlackBerry in Indonesia

New BlackBerry Porsche Design on the Works

With BlackBerry Porsche Design P’9983 released just last month and went on sale this month, BlackBerry and Porsche Design are going to redesign one generation before this model, the BlackBerry Porsche Design P9982. The new design will be based on Z10 and similar to P9981, the design will be with all-black configuration.

The Black on black will be supposedly released by the beginning of November while other colours like Black on cognac/red/aquagreen will be available from mid-November onwards. Beside the new colour design, the rework model will run on BlackBerry 10.3 which includes BlackBerry Assistant. BlackBerry Assistant is the virtual personal assistant similar to Siri (Apple), Cortana(Microsoft) and Google Now (Google).

BlackBerry P9982comes with 9 hours of talk time, 64GB of internal storage, 4.2-inch display screen and 8MP Rear Camera. The body is made of the finest quality of stainless steel, with a satin finish complemented by hand-wrapped Italian leather back door. It lets you access all your messages with a single swipe. A new feature, BlackBerry Priority Hub will organize your message with the most important message at the top so that you can focus on more important matters. You can also see all the attachments you have sent and received in one place.

There is no change on the pricing, the device will still priced at around $2000 mark.

New BlackBerry Porsche Design on the Works

BlackBerry Acquired Movirtu, Make It Possible To Have Business and Personal Number In 1 Device

BlackBerry has announced this week that the company has acquired Movirtu. Movirtu is a provider which released a virtual solution for mobile operators to allow its customers to have multiple numbers to be active in a single device and in a single SIM card.  Thus the customers will not have to carry multiple devices anymore in order to switch between business and personal profiles.

This acquisition will help to improve the existing technologies in BlackBerry, such as BlackBerry’s Secure Work Space, BlackBerry Balance and other partitioning technologies, which aims is to give the users freedom and privacy for their personal usage while maintaining the security and management needed for the business usage. On the other side, this virtual solution is also making use of BlackBerry’s existing global infrastructure which connected to a large number of mobile operators around the world.

With this virtual platform, Movirtu solution is also able to provide separate billing for voice, data and messaging usage for each number. Thus the charges are appropriately billed to the company (for business usage) and the customer (for personal usage).

About Blackberry

BlackBerry was founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario. Today, Blackberry aims to provide different varieties of mobile experience to its customer. BlackBerry offices are located in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

About Movirtu

Movirtu is headquarted in London with regional office in India. Movirtu develops a virtual solution to allow multiple number to be active in a single SIM which enables the mobile operators to provide a different kind of services to its customer by using this technology.

BlackBerry Acquired Movirtu, Make It Possible To Have Business and Personal Number In 1 Device

BlackBerry Passport might be coming to T-Mobile

If you are a fan of BlackBerry, you must be eagerly waiting for September 24 when the company is expected to launch its next flagship smartphone, the BlackBerry Passport. BlackBerry has said in its blog, “On September 24, all eyes will be on BlackBerry as we host exclusive, invite-only events in Toronto, London and Dubai to show off… well I guess you’ll have to wait and see.” Also saying, “Save the Date. See the bigger picture.”

Although the company has revealed many features of the BlackBerry Passport till now, it has not yet announced when it will be available in the market and it’s pricing. According to information received by BlackBerry OS, the device will hit the stores on October 1 in Canada, Europe and UAE and will cost about $800 or €650. Its US launch seems to be scheduled for later.

Now OurBerries has posted a picture of a BlackBerry Passport handset carrying a T-Mobile logo on its back. This means that T-Mobile might offer the new Blackberry flagship on its network when the phone is launched in the US. Fans may recall that BlackBerry and T-Mobile are not on the best of terms after the feud between them a few months back.

T-Mobile had tried to get its customers to turn in their BlackBerry phones and swap them for the new iPhone 5s. This resulted in some altercation between the CEOs of the two companies and BlackBerry did not renew its contract with the carrier.

The leaked picture indicates that the two companies might have patched things up and that T-Mobile is really going to offer the new and unique BlackBerry Passport. On the other hand, the image could be doctored. We will have to wait and see.

The Blackberry Passport will sport an unusual 4.5-inch square LCD display with 1440 by 1440 pixels resolution and a QWERTY touch-sensitive keypad. It is expected to have quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU for graphics, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory with microSD card slot for expansion up to 64GB, 13MP rear camera, 2MP front camera and a powerful 3450mAh battery. The device will run BlackBerry 10.3 OS.

BlackBerry Passport might be coming to T-Mobile

Full specs for BlackBerry Passport leaked

The BlackBerry Passport has been popping up in the news ever since BlackBerry’s CEO John Chen showed it to the world last month. It has been a long time since any BlackBerry smartphone has generated so much interest. BlackBerry Passport is slated to launch officially next month.

We have already seen hands-on videos of the device that was rumored to have the codename ‘Windermere’. Apart from the fact that it has an unusual 4.5” square screen and a QWERTY touch-sensitive keypad, no other specifications were available. Now thanks to N4BB, we get a peak at the full specifications of the BlackBerry Passport.

Display: 4.5-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1440 x 1440 pixels (453 dpi). It has an aspect ratio of 1:1 and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 cover.

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset with 2.2GHz Quad-Core CPUs (MSM8974-AA) and Adreno 330, 450MHz GPU for graphics.

Memory: 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card.

Cameras: A13MP f/2.0 auto-focus primary Camera with OIS, 1080p HD video recording at 60fps and an LED Flash. A 2MP fixed-focus front-facing camera for selfies with 720p HD video recording.

Connectivity: FD-LTE, HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and NFC. Ports include USB 2.0, USB 3.0 as well as Cabled-Video Out, HDMI, VGA and DisplayPort all supported by SlimPort adaptor. The device has a Nano SIM card slot. BlackBerry Passport will run on Nano SIM.

Battery: BlackBerry Passport sports a huge 3450 mAh non-removable battery with a life of 19 hours usage and 8 hours standby.

Advanced Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Time of Flight and Ambient light are available.

As already mentioned earlier, BlackBerry Passport will be available in two color options, White and Black and is set for release in September this year. Pre-registration for the smartphone has already started a few days back.

Full specs for BlackBerry Passport leaked

Dutch Police with Samsung Galaxy S5 & Dubai Police with Google Glass

Mobile technology has already achieved enough development efforts for every person. People are getting everything easier than before and started to depending on the mobile technology for different types of apps and features. A tap of a finger technology has given the Smartphone a new market along with other developed features. Dutch police is planning to use Samsung Galaxy S5 that comes with fingerprint scanning feature. On the other hand, the Dubai police are planning of using Google Glass for the daily rounds.

Android Planet has claimed a short report on the police plans that represents Dutch police is going to replace 35000 Samsung Galaxy S5 instead of blackberry Smartphones. The fingerprint scanner feature is the reason of choosing the new Smartphone while a social app will also be developed soon for the Dutch police in order to help them. Scanning documents and identifying the people will be the main purpose of using this Smartphone for Dutch Police. Dutch Police with Samsung Galaxy S5 will be seen probably in the starting of 2015.

However, the deal is not set yet and no party has not confirmed about the deal too. However, the Police Spokesman Niels Nijman has reported that the negotiations and discussions are going on with the upper level as well as the Samsung Company.

At the same time, The Gulf News has reported that Dubai Police will soon start to use the Google Glass for erring motorist and getting information of wanted vehicles. However, the Dubai Police Smart Services Department is checking the device in order to get the suitable rate for the police.

General Director of Smart Services at Dubai Police, Colonel Khalid Nasser Al Razooqi reported that the Google Glass will be used for identifying the wanted vehicles and it will be easier to get the alert by taking the picture of a vehicle and compare it with the wanted list. With the access of the Google Glass in the police, it will be stronger and highly technical for them.

Dutch Police with Samsung Galaxy S5 & Dubai Police with Google Glass