RIM have finally confirmed January 30th 2013 as the long-awaited launch date for BlackBerry 10, the company's next-generation smartphone operating system.

Billed as the launch that will boost RIM's smartphone fortunes in the wake of the rise of iOS and Android devices, previews of the touch-focussed OS have garnered positive early responses from experts.

"In building BlackBerry 10, we set out to create a truly unique mobile computing experience that constantly adapts to your needs," said Thorsten Heins, CEO, RIM.

"Our team has been working tirelessly to bring our customers innovative features combined with a best in class browser, a rich application ecosystem, and cutting-edge multimedia capabilities. All of this will be integrated into a user experience - the BlackBerry Flow - that is unlike any smartphone on the market today.

"Thanks to our strong partnerships with global carriers and a growing ecosystem of developers, we believe our customers will have the best experience possible with BlackBerry 10. We are looking forward to getting BlackBerry 10 in the hands of our customers around the world."

The BlackBerry 10 launch will include simultaneous events around the world, with RIM also using the occasion to reveal the launch information and availability of the first two BB10 packing Blackberry handsets.

We'll keep you posted with more details on the event as we get them.

You've really got your pick of great tablets at the moment, from Google's Nexus 7, Apple's iPad Mini, Amazon's Kindle Fire HD, Microsoft's Surface RT and even the new iPad 4. Which makes RIM's decision to finally launch the BlackBerry PlayBook 3G+ in the UK right now even more difficult to fathom.

The troubled tablet line has hardly set the world on fire, and with this new mobile data packing variant weighing in at a costly £346 plus VAT (and being the only option available), you'd have to wonder who will pick this up.

The 7.6-inch 1024x600 resolution tablet runs off a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM, has a 3MP front-facing camera and 5MP rear one, capable of 1080p video recording.

If you're interested, click here to find out more on the PlayBook 3G+. It's available from Insight UK and Misco UK.

RIM's BlackBerry woes are well documented, with all eyes (and the Canadian company's hopes) resting on the launch of their forthcoming BB10 OS and related devices. Today has seen a leaked spec sheet for the rumoured BB10-packing BlackBerry Laguna handset leak online. And if it's anything to go by, RIM finally have a real contender on their hands.

Kicking off with the display, the handset's said to be touting an impressive 4.2-inch screen, running at a high 1280x768 resolution. That gives it an iPhone 5-beating 355ppi density, compared to Apple's 326ppi Retina display. Off to a good start then.

Under the hood is expected to be a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and 4G/LTE connectivity, alongside NFC, DLNA, Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth 2.1 and 1GB of RAM. An 8MP autofocusing camera with flash is said to sit on the rear.

BlackBerry 10 is the OS onboard, though it's referred to in the leak as Superphone/QNX OS, which may be cause to question the credibility of the leak.

An "L Series" BlackBerry London handset, which similarly offers a dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, is thought to be the international variant.

BB10 handsets land in Q1 of 2013. Expect to see more concrete info on potential BB10 smartphones in the run up to the new year.

Via: Tech Radar / Rapid Berry

RIM's chief executive Thorsten Heins has gone on the attack, defending the fortunes of his company's flailing BlackBerry brand in the press.

RIM have had a tough couple of years, seeing them haemorrhaging both business users and youth market fans, leading to the company co-founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Ballsillie handing over the reins to Heins at the beginning of the year as RIM's market value plummets.

All hopes now rest on RIM's new smartphone operating system BB10. And in Heins' own words, it is "once in a decade change that will see us through the next ten years."

"Most of the media is very black and white - they look at every little thing that could be bad and put it on to RIM's shoulders," Heins said to the Telegraph.

"And let's be honest we don't like it. This is something we have to get through and convince the critics and the market that BB10 is going to cut it. And BB7 is still a competitive product; we are not in a trough."

Indeed, the initial reactions to BB10 have been positive, but is it too little too late for BlackBerry? Microsoft finally seem to have got their act together with Windows Phone coming along leaps and bounds, Google's Android leading the market in terms of activated device numbers, and Apple's iOS still the darling of the industry. Is there room for another player?

They just aren't having any luck over at RIM at the moment, are they? The BlackBerry manufacturers have just released a statement that their next big smartphone hope, the BlackBerry 10 OS and related handsets now wont ship until early 2013, months after the releases of major rival handsets, and months again after RIM's own initial estimations.

"Our top priority going forward is the successful launch of our first BlackBerry 10 device, which we now anticipate will occur in the first quarter of calendar 2013," said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO.

"In parallel with the roll out of BlackBerry 10, we are aggressively working with our advisors on our strategic review and are actively evaluating ways to better leverage our assets and build on our strengths, including our growing BlackBerry subscriber base of approximately 78 million, our large enterprise installed base, our unique network architecture and our industry leading security capabilities."

Putting the finishing touches to the handsets and OS seems to have caused RIM the problems, with development time taking longer than they'd initially planned:

"Over the past several weeks, RIM's software development teams have made major progress in the development of key features for the BlackBerry 10 platform; however, the integration of these features and the associated large volume of code into the platform has proven to be more time consuming than anticipated. As a result, the Company now expects to launch the first BlackBerry 10 smartphones in market in Q1 of calendar 2013."

"RIM's development teams are relentlessly focussed on ensuring the quality and reliability of the platform and I will not compromise the product by delivering it before it is ready. I am confident that the first BlackBerry 10 smartphones will provide a ground-breaking next generation smartphone user experience," continued Heins.

"We are encouraged by the traction that the BlackBerry 10 platform is gaining with application developers and content partners following the successful BlackBerry Jam sessions that we have held around the world since the beginning of May. Similarly, the reception of the BlackBerry 10 platform by our key carrier partners has been very positive and they are looking forward to going to market with BlackBerry 10 smartphones in the first quarter of calendar 2013."

However, by early 2013 RIM won't just have falling interest in their products to contend with, but handsets powered by Google's newly revealed Android Jelly Bean OS, Microsoft's Windows 8, and likely the iPhone 5. It's an uphill struggle that's only getting steeper for the Canadian manufacturer.

Earnings reports show that the last 3 months for the firm was been dreadful, losing a further $518 million and only managing to shift 7.8 million units from their entire smartphone range and a mere 260,000 PlayBook tablets.

RIM promised a bold new direction with their forthcoming BlackBerry 10 OS, and that looks to filter down to the launch products too. In what's potentially a risky move, RIM's first BlackBerry 10 handset will not feature the company's trademark QWERTY keyboard.

Instead, the first handset will be a full-touchscreen offering, postioned to tempt lapsed BlackBerry users back from the allure of Samsung's Galaxy Android range and Apple's iPhones.

Though RIM's Rebecca Freiburger assured the Washington Post that future BlackBerry 10 handsets will offer a QWERTY, she stressed that RIM felt it important to showcase the brand's new touchscreen smarts.

However, not all analysts are sure this is the right move from RIM.

"The physical keyboard is the most dominant item that separates out Research In Motion from its competitors," said Analyst Colin Gillis, of BGC Financial.

"If you are not playing to your historical strengths you may find it more difficult to get traction."

Indeed, for many, the key differentiator for BlackBerry is the keyboard, which many regard as the best for tapping out messages and emails. With RIM dropping it from the initial BlackBerry 10 OS run, would that turn you off of grabbing one? Let us know in the comments below.

RIM's chief legal officer Karim Bawa has left the ailing mobile phone manufacturer just days before the Canadian brand is expected to axe thousands of jobs.

Bawa, who has been at RIM for 12 years, was thought to be discussing retirement plans recently regardless of the current job cull at the firm, but it is still notable that a high-level executive (and one likely closely involved in the decision to cut the workforce numbers) should leave her post at such a sensitive time.

Canadian news sources reported over the weekend that at least 2,000 jobs would be cut at RIM. However, a fresh report from Reuters now suggests that the number will in fact be closer to 6,000.

The cuts are thought to "sweep across departments, ranging from senior positions in RIM's legal division to human resources, finance, sales, and marketing."

Bawa's departure follows a number of high-level RIM executives who have also left the company recently. Last week Patrick Spence, head of global sales, also stepped down from his post, while long-time co-CEO's Mike Lazardis and Jim Balsillie made way for Thorsten Heins in January.

Following continued quarterly losses, all RIM's hopes now lie with the launch of BlackBerry 10, its latest operating system with a far greater touch focus.

Via: BBC

After a brief leaked look at the handset last month, RIM have finally unveiled the BlackBerry Curve 9320, their latest QWERTY-packing phone aimed squarely at the budget market.

The most obvious differentiating feature of the Curve 9320 over previous models in the Curve range is a dedicated BBM button, jumping you straight into RIM's popular free instant messaging application. The app also now integrates Twitter an Facebook, making it a one-stop shop when it comes to messaging your mates.

Above the full QWERTY keyboard sits a 2.44 inch non touch screen, with a low qHD resolution. However, the small touch-less screen helps push battery levels dramatically higher than your average smartphone, with its 1450mAh battery powering up to 18 days of standby time.

512MB of storage is built in, which can be boosted by a microSD card, while 3G, Wi-Fi and an FM radio are all onboard (relative novelties in RIM's cheaper handsets).

Though the spec sheet isn't all that inspiring, the pricing of the Curve 9320 is. You're looking at a mere £139.99 on PAYG for the handset when it launches on May 14th, with the Three network already touting contract deals of £15.

After a run of bad luck for the BlackBerry brand, things look to be brightening up for RIM. A positive response to the BlackBerry World 2012 showcase showed promise of a better year ahead, while the release of an Alpha phone to developers has uncovered more BlackBerry 10 handsets to come.

Developers trawling through the file systems on the Alpha BB10 phone found a directory listed under file:///radio/etc/sv.numbers. Here, 7 further BB10 devices were listed: Nevada, Winchester2, Colt, London, Blackforest, Nashville, Naples.

While some of these devices remain cryptic, others have already been hinted at previously. The London was first mentioned back in the winter of 2011, while the Colt reared its head initially back in August.

The Blackforest on the otherhand is expected to be a larger 10 inch PlayBook variant tablet, while the Winchester2 is thought to be a 4G-packing second generation PlayBook.

Via: N4BB

While we wait with baited breath to see if RIM can pull a showstopper out of the bag at their BlackBerry World 2012 conference this week (BlackBerry 10 to save the day!), the ailing smartphone manufacturer have revealed a tasty little accessory to get the juices flowing.

The BlackBerry Music Gateway is a small Bluetooth box that hooks up to a home or car stereo over RCA cables, letting you stream music from any Bluetooth enabled smartphone or tablet, and not just BlackBerry branded ones.

Throwing in Near-Field Communications technology too, a user with an NFC-enabled handset or slate need only tap the two devices together to start off the Bluetooth pairing process. One paired, playback is controlled by the handset itself.

A tiny little unit, the BlackBerry Music Gateway measures only 60 x 40 x 12.5 mm, weighing 28g and housing just a microUSB port for power and a standard stereo output for connecting speakers.

Sensibly priced at $49.99 and up for pre-order now, these could so a fair trade when they hit stores in June.

Breaking news coming in tonight of sad, shocking scenes at a BlackBerry media party that has ended with violence.

A night meant to promote RIM's BBM and BlackBerry Music services (held at a South East London venue, with popstar Jessie J performing to a celebrity-studded crowd) has been marred by reports of a late night fracas at the event that resulted in a stabbing at the Pulse nightclub.

While details are sketchy at the moment, sources are stating that at least one person has been stabbed following a "stampede" towards the club's cloakroom, with a puncture injury likely in the neck caused by a broken bottle.

The victim, described as a man in his 30s, was taken to an east London hospital in a "serious" condition, according to police at the scene. Onlookers took to Twitter, reporting "huge" amounts of blood.

One man was arrested and is in custody. All guests remaining at the party were asked to stay on site while police took details of the attack.

No official word yet on the night's disturbances, and we're still waiting on validation of the many Twitter reports beginning to come in.

The sad, brutal news adds further woes to the struggling BlackBerry brand, whose consumer division struggled last year following service outages and being implicated in the London riots, leading the company to state last week that they would be focussing on their enterprise products.

We'll update this post as we hear more word on the precise details of what occurred.

Below are just a few of the many tweets which have been circulating tonight following the incident:

Image - twitter.com/NotUrAverageJ0

RIM have today revealed that they will be pulling back from the consumer mobile market, focussing on the business sector after posting huge losses.

It's been a rough 12 months for the Canadian mobile phone manufacturer, jumping from PR blunder to poor device after another, ultimately resulting in a $125 million (£78 million) for the first quarter of 2012.

Compare this to the same time last year and the firm had posted a profit of nearly $1 billion (£625m). Even then analysts were hinting at a grim future for the brand, but even the most pessimistic of forecasts weren't quite as bad as the reality of the quarter's losses.

"We plan to refocus on the enterprise business and capitalise on our leading position in this segment," newly appointed CEO Thorsten Heins told the BBC.

"We believe that BlackBerry cannot succeed if we tried to be everybody's darling and all things to all people. Therefore, we plan to build on our strength."

No word yet on what this means for RIM's consumer-focussed offerings like BlackBerry Music and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).

Speaking to Pocket-Lint, RIM have stated however that the announcement of their financial losses has been somewhat misconstrued: they are NOT pulling out of the consumer market entirely.

"The claim that RIM has said it will withdraw from the consumer market is wholly inaccurate. Whilst we announced plans to re-focus our efforts on our core strengths, and on our enterprise customer base, we were very explicit that we will continue to build on our strengths to go after targeted consumer segments. We listed BBM, as well as the security and manageability of our platform, amongst these strengths," Patrick Spence, RIM's managing director of Global Sales & Regional Marketing told Pocket-lint.

We'll read that then as less low-spec "hoody-riot" phones, and more top-end suited-booted touchscreen offerings in the consumer market, if the business segment is their new main aim.

Share prices have continued to fall following the news that former co-CEO Jim Balsillie will be leaving the firm too. Buyout rumours now loom heavily over the once-mighty smartphone company.

Via: BBC

It seems the major price cuts RIM offered on their BlackBerry Playbook tablets still hasn't been enough to shift the backlog of unsold slates, as today the company revealed they will be giving some units away for free to those who develop apps for their device.

The offer was revealed in a tweet from RIM's vice president of developer relations Alec Saunders, who stated that those looking to nab a freebie must first submit an app to the BlackBerry App World.

And they'll have to do it quickly too; to claim a free Playbook, the app must be submitted in under a fortnight, before February 13th. A few more (conveniently) as-yet-unannounced stipulations apply, which may make it difficult for potential developers to meet the terms within the time frame. If they do however, they merely need send an email to developeroutreachprogram@rim.com with the details of the app they've created to claim their prize.

"The plan is to provide one free 16GB BlackBerry PlayBook to every registered BlackBerry App World vendor who converts their Android app for use on the BlackBerry PlayBook and submits it to BlackBerry App World," reads a posting on the BlackBerry developer's blog.

It's thought that move is to encourage a rush of apps onto the BlackBerry App World store in preparation for the potential launch of two new BlackBerry tablets this year.

Could this be the turning point for BlackBerry makers RIM? We hope so, as an apparent leaked shot of their first BlackBerry 10-packing superphone, dubbed the "London" leaks online.

Looking like a cross between a BlackBerry PlayBook and an iPhone, it's claimed to be RIM's newest flagship device, set to hit stores before the end of the year.

Revealed in what appears to be an internal corporate slide, the London has plenty of buzzwords bandied around it, calling it the "Ultimate Communication Device" and featuring a "Rich specification - hardware & software". Spotters CrackBerry are also claiming the device will have a 1.5GHz dual core processor either from Qualcomm or Texas Instruments, a .5GHz jump over the PlayBook tablet.

Hard to really judge the legitimacy of the image; we know RIM are hedging their bets to deliver something revolutionary by their standards this year, while the lingo used does seem full of enough chaff to be genuine executive-speak. The handset itself though looks far more like a render than a genuine photo of a device.

We'll bring you any updates on RIM's smartphone plans as we get them.

Via: CrackBerry

RIM's BlackBerry Bold 9790 handset is now on sale through Vodafone.

The QWERTY keyboard-packing handset is available free on £31, 24 month price plans, which offer 600 mins, unlimited texts and 500MB of mobile data.

Running off a 1GHz processor, the 110 x 60 x 11.4mm phone feature's RIM's BlackBerry 7 OS, the company's most recent operating system update, as well as a 2.45 inch touchscreen and 8GB of internal storage space, expandable up to 32GB with microSD cards.

New and upgrading customers will also benefit from 3 months worth of free data through Vodafone's Data Test Drive service, letting them explore just how much data they consume on the handset in a month before committing to a monthly data plan.

For more info, visit Vodafone's website here.

Joint CEO's Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie have stepped down from their top-level roles at the BlackBerry-owning firm.

Founder Lazaridis will now take the role of vice chairman, with Jim Balsillie taking a non-operational role on the board of directors. Thorsten Heins will now be the singular CEO, with Barbara Stymiest is the new independent board chair.

It's the culmination of an incredibly testing few months for BlackBerry, which saw the brand name tarnished by network outages, poor BlackBerry PlayBook sales and the role of BlackBerry Messenger as a means of communication for the London rioters.

There is no indication that the pair have been forced out of their previous roles, though one would expect that the enormous pressure felt would have influenced their hands. In a statement Balsillie said:

"There comes a time in the growth of every successful company when the founders recognise the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the Board and told them that we thought that time was now. With BlackBerry 7 now out, PlayBook 2.0 shipping in February and BlackBerry 10 expected to ship later this year, the company is entering a new phase, and we felt it was time for a new leader to take it through that phase and beyond."

And so, in the video below, introducing Thorsten Heins, new RIM CEO:

Did you upgrade from one smartphone to another over the Christmas period? Maybe you jumped from one operating system, like Google's Android, to Windows Phone 7 from Microsoft or iOS with the iPhone?

But it doesn't have to be that way! Follow a few simple steps, and your new smartphone will up and running with all the info you need from your last one in double-quick time. Today, we bring you a How-To guide from gadget helpline specialists the Geek Squad, who list five simple steps for an easy smartphone switchover.

1. Email and Calendars
If using your phone to access your email and calendar then the last thing you want is to see messages and appointments dropping out of your inbox. Transferring onto a commonly used system like Gmail could help you seamlessly transfer not only your email, but also your calendar and phone directory from one phone to another, because the system is compatible with both Google's Android and Apple's iOS software platforms. Apple's iCloud service is also a useful tool, as it allows iPhone users to access third party systems like Google's Calendar and Mail services, meaning you won't miss out on your appointment or message.

2. Messaging services
Many phones offer access to social messaging services such as Twitter or Facebook - it's relatively simple to switch over your account onto a new device, but do make sure it's been disabled on your old phone to stop any 'friends' accessing your feed! The only exception to this rule is Blackberry Messenger which is a service that only Blackberry supports, so if you're leaving the RIM world to join Android or Apple, you won't be able to take your BB friends with you. Consider alternative instant messengers like Twitter and Windows Live Messenger, both of which are supported across multiple platforms beyond mobile alone.

3. Text Messages
Text messages often hold some of our closest memories these days - from organising a first date to a heartfelt message from family, so the last thing you want to do is throw away those memories when you make the switch. Unfortunately transferring your old SMS text messages to your new phone can be a bit tricky. There is some nifty third-party software out there, which does the job for a small premium. Try SMS Export, available through the App Store. The App allows you to export your SMS messages in text format, which can then be transferred onto the MicroSD card in your new Android phone. Finally, download an App from the Android market like SMS Migrator to complete the process.

4. Music
Smart phones are being used more and more as our portable music players, and with downloads available direct to the handset it's important you don't lose any of your collection when you switch phones. The best way to do this is to use a music library on your computer - iTunes or Window's Media Player are the easiest to set up and use. It's simply a case of plugging in your old phone, transferring the music to your library, and then transferring your collection over to your new phone - you can always edit out any musical mistakes when you make the transition!

5. Data
Users tend to particularly worry about losing their data when switching or upgrading their phone, but it's important to remember that things can go wrong at any point, even with a tried and tested handset that you've owned for months, which is why it's a good idea to regularly back up. You can change your preferred settings so that your phone is automatically backed-up to a Cloud service, which means you can forget about needing to sync using your handset USB cable or any potential data loss.

For more gadget help from the Geek Squad, check their site here.

After a frankly disastrous year at RIM HQ, co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis are now expected to leave their positions as co-chairmen of the board at the flailing mobile firm.

The longtime CEOs have often come under fire, with critics citing the fragmented nature of their dual leadership as damaging innovation and growth across the BlackBerry platform. Following investor worries in mid-2011 an independent committee was set up to review leadership structure, and now following disappointing financial results, the duo are expected to leave their posts at the boards head.

The news comes via the Financial Post, who are also claiming that Barbara Stymiest, former executive at TSX and RBC, will take charge. Stymiest currently sits on RIM's review committee.

The move will not affect Balsillie and Lazaridis' roles as co-CEOs, though if the company's fortunes do not change swiftly, one can only wonder how long their current positions will remain stable for.

It's been on the cards for quite some time now, but it seems the BlackBerry PlayBook firesale is now looming. Retailers across the land are cutting the price of the under-performing tablet quite drastically, giving tablet bargain hunters plenty of reasons to start smashing their piggy banks.

Head over to the Carphone Warehouse today and you can pick up a BlackBerry PlayBook at 16GB for £169, 32GB for £199 and 64GB for £329. That's down from £399, £479 and £559 respectively.

Amazon are making similar cuts, dropping the 16GB model under the £200 mark.

RIM in the US take the price-cutting biscuit however dropping every model (including the 64GB version!) to just $299 (£191) before tax.

Despite lukewarm reviews and sales to match the general lack of interest in the device, at these prices the BlackBerry PlayBook actually looks quite a good deal, in much the same way the £99 HP Touchpad firesale did.

However, RIM may be shooting their future prospects in the foot with the move. With the PlayBook's QNX OS built on the same foundations as the forthcoming BlackBerry Ten mobile OS (due in just under a year), such desperate measures may be seen by some as an admission of the platform's failure. With much of the upcoming BlackBerry portfolio resting on BlackBerry Ten, that would be a very foolish move.

RIM's line-up of next-gen BB10 packing BlackBerry phones (their new OS, formerly known as BBX) gets a new addition today, as the BlackBerry Milan makes its leaked debut online.

Similarly shaped to the Torch 9810, it features BlackBerry's famed full-QWERTY set-up in a slider that sits just underneath a full touchscreen.

The first leaked shot of the device, appearing over at CrackBerry, seems to show that RIM have dropped their often-derided optical trackpad, as well as the menu, call and back buttons.

Aside from the build, little is known on the inner specs of the device. However, the screen is said to feature a far denser pixel-density than previous BlackBerry touchscreen offerings.

More on the handset as its details trickle through.

via: CrackBerry