Jumat, 17 Juni 2011

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community

Free QR Code Scanner for the BlackBerry PlayBook

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 02:28 AM PDT

312607 312608

The PlayBook has not had a proper QR code scanner until now. Chris let me know about a new app called QR Scanner by Tobias Rothe that just hit App World which works very well. Hopefully RIM includes QR code scanning in the PlayBook APIs in the future but until then check out QR Scanner below.

Download QR Scanner in App World

Right now the app lets you see the text in the QR code and if it is a URL you can choose to open it in the browser. More features are promised to come but will probably have to wait until RIM releases more API's.

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

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, June 17, 2011, 5:28 am. | Free QR Code Scanner for the BlackBerry PlayBook | Leave a comment |


Giveaway Winners! MEElectronics In Ear Headphones With Microphone

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 08:11 PM PDT

M9P

Last week I posted a review and contest for 3 pairs of MEElectronics M9P in ear headphones. The response was great and I wish we had more to give away to you guys. The 3 lucky winners of these solid headphones courtesy of MEElectronics are:

  • citystars41
  • shredney
  • tfrankson

Congratulations to the winners! For those who didn't win, check out these headphones currently on sale for only $24.99!

Stay tuned for more from MEElectronics!

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

Posted by jforce for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 11:11 pm. | Giveaway Winners! MEElectronics In Ear Headphones With Microphone | 2 comments |


RIM Launches Global BlackBerry PlayBook Community Through The Beta Zone

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 06:17 PM PDT

BlackBerryPlayBookAshley let us know that rim has launched a Global BlackBerry PlayBook Community. This community is only to encourage users to share their PlayBook experience so if you were hopping they will release beta OS to consumers it does not look like it. Through the site users can get access to news, helpful hints, and provide feedback. It does have a download section but I believe they just added that for fun since they specifies the following:

Please note: 

  • This is not a beta program and no beta software will be released in this community. 
  • This community is not a replacement for your regular Playbook support channels.

The site already has a few helpful sections with information with problems with:

  • BlackBerry Bridge
  • Media
  • Video chat
  • App world

If you want a place to share your ideas, frustrations, or simply discus PlayBook related information head over to the BlackBery Beta Zone at this link.

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

Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 9:17 pm. | RIM Launches Global BlackBerry PlayBook Community Through The Beta Zone | One comment |


RIM Says 4G PlayBooks Delayed Until Fall, BB7 Devices to Miss Back To School Specials

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 03:33 PM PDT

CircleofBlackBerrybridgePairToday RIM announced their Q1 earnings where they addressed some issues and their plans for the future. I had the chance to listen in and took a few notes and below is some of what I remember from it.  Some things said were not much of a surprise to everyone is that RIM is having a tough time with their transition from their old software system to the QNX system to power what they are now calling QNX Super Phones.  Both Co-CEO's were present during the earnings call which is a bit out of normal for them and they both also answer questions during the Q&A session.

Some of the key points from the call include:

  • A head count reduction – most likely this will translate into lay offs and possibly restructuring within the company.The two Co CEO's said this was not the case but they did not seem to have good words to explain the announcement.
  • RIM shipped an estimated 500,000 BlackBerry PlayBook's
  • RIM encountered problems with the new OS7 during the certification process which caused delays
  • BlackBerry 7 and device launch will see a better world wide launch consitency
  • 4G PlayBook is delayed until fall
  • BB7 devices will miss back to school specials
  • QNX is the future platform for RIM- meaning the OS for the next generation of high end devices is on the transition stage and they are making progress on it which is being developed based on the same platform of the PlayBook tablet OS.
  • The company has grown fast and the job of Co-CEO's has increased in demand especially managing the acquisitions.

RIM's guidance for the future looks a bit cloudy, with expected earnings of  $4.2 – $4.8 billion in revenues, with earnings per share dropping to $0.75 – $1.05 . If you like to listen to the call yourself there will be a replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 7 pm by dialing (+1)416-640-1917 and entering passcode 4445546#. This replay will be available until midnight ET June 30, 2011.

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

Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 6:33 pm. | RIM Says 4G PlayBooks Delayed Until Fall, BB7 Devices to Miss Back To School Specials | 5 comments |


RIM Reports Q1 Fiscal 2012 Results – Ships 500,000 BlackBerry PlayBooks

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 02:24 PM PDT

RIM RIM Logo

The market is going a bit crazy for RIM with this odd guidance but there is some good news. RIM has shipped approximately 500,000 BlackBerry PlayBooks in the first quarter. That is not how many are sold but how many were shipped to channels. RIM has also announced that they are "streamlining" their organization by "lowering headcount." That doesn't sound good. Lets see what comes out of the conference call. They also mention that there are delays in new product introductions into the very late part of August. Now that would suck.

Here is the details:

Fiscal 2012 has gotten off to a challenging start. The slowdown we saw in the first quarter is continuing into Q2, and delays in new product introductions into the very late part of August is leading to a lower than expected outlook in the second quarter.” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “RIM’s business is profitable and remains solid overall with growing market share in numerous markets around the world and a strong balance sheet with almost $3 billion in cash. We believe that with the new products scheduled for launch in the next few months and realigning our cost structure, RIM will see strong profit growth in the latter part of fiscal 2012.

Check out the press release below:

Research In Motion Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2012 Results and Revises Full Year Guidance

Announces Plans to Streamline Operations and Accelerate New Product Introductions
Board of Directors Approves Share Repurchase Program

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – June 16, 2011) – Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today reported first quarter results for the three months ended May 28, 2011 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP).
Highlights:

--  Revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2012 grew 16% over the same     quarter last year --  International revenue(1) in Q1 grew 67% year over year --  Gross margin in the quarter was approximately 44%, slightly higher than     expected due to product mix --  RIM launched the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in North America and shipped     approximately 500,000 units in the first quarter

Q1 Fiscal 2012 Results:

Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 was $4.9 billion, down 12% from $5.6 billion in the previous quarter and up 16% from $4.2 billion in the same quarter of last year. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 78% for hardware revenue, 20% for service and 2% for software and other revenue. During the quarter, RIM shipped approximately 13.2 million BlackBerry handheld devices and approximately 500,000 BlackBerry Playbook tablets.

“Fiscal 2012 has gotten off to a challenging start. The slowdown we saw in the first quarter is continuing into Q2, and delays in new product introductions into the very late part of August is leading to a lower than expected outlook in the second quarter.” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “RIM’s business is profitable and remains solid overall with growing market share in numerous markets around the world and a strong balance sheet with almost $3 billion in cash. We believe that with the new products scheduled for launch in the next few months and realigning our cost structure, RIM will see strong profit growth in the latter part of fiscal 2012.”

Net income for the quarter was $695 million, or $1.33 per share diluted, compared with net income of $934 million, or $1.78 per share diluted, in the prior quarter and net income of $769 million, or $1.38 per share diluted, in the same quarter last year.

The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $2.9 billion as of May 28, 2011, compared to $2.7 billion at the end of the previous quarter, an increase of approximately $170 million from the prior quarter. Cash flow from operations in Q1 was approximately $1 billion. Uses of cash included intangible asset additions of approximately $560 million, capital expenditures of approximately $220 million and business acquisitions of approximately $30 million.

(1) Includes revenue outside of the U.S. and Canada

Cost Optimization Program:

The company also announced that it will begin a program to streamline operations across the organization, which will include a headcount reduction. This realignment will be focused on taking out redundancies and a reallocation of resources to allow us to focus on the areas that offer the highest growth opportunities and align with RIM strategic objectives, such as accelerating new product introductions. We expect to implement this program beginning in the second quarter with the benefits impacting results primarily in Q3 and beyond. Any one-time charges associated with this initiative are not included in our Q2 and full year outlook but will be identified and disclosed when we report our second quarter results.

Share Repurchase Program:

RIM’s Board of Directors today also approved a share repurchase program to purchase for cancellation through the facilities of the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ) or by way of private agreement up to 5% of RIM’s outstanding common shares. The share repurchase program may commence after July 10, 2011 and will remain in place for up to 12 months or until the purchases are completed or the program is terminated by RIM.

The price that RIM will pay for any shares purchased over NASDAQ will be the prevailing market price at the time of purchase. The share repurchase program will be effected in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which contains restrictions on the number of shares that may be purchased on a single day, subject to certain exceptions for block purchases, based on the average daily trading volumes of RIM’s shares on NASDAQ. Any purchases made by way of private agreement may be at a discount to the prevailing market price at the time of purchase, and would be subject to regulatory approval.

RIM’s Board of Directors believes that a share repurchase program at this time is in the best interests of RIM and its shareholders, and will not impact RIM’s ability to execute its growth plans. Any shares purchased under the program will increase the proportionate interest of, and may be advantageous to, all remaining shareholders of RIM.

The actual number of shares purchased, the timing of purchases, and the price at which the shares would be bought under the share repurchase program will depend on future market conditions and upon potential alternative uses for cash resources. There is no assurance that any shares will be purchased under the share repurchase program and RIM may elect to suspend or discontinue the program at any time.

Q2 and Full Year 2012 Outlook:

Revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 ending August 27, 2011 is expected to be in the range of $4.2-$4.8 billion. Gross margin percentage for the second quarter is expected to be approximately 39%. Earnings per share for the second quarter are expected to be $0.75-$1.05 diluted, excluding any one-time charges. Earnings per share for the full year fiscal 2012 are now expected to be between $5.25-$6.00 diluted, excluding any one-time charges or share repurchases.

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

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 5:24 pm. | RIM Reports Q1 Fiscal 2012 Results – Ships 500,000 BlackBerry PlayBooks | 13 comments |


Texas Hold’em King LIVE! Hits 600,000 Unique Accounts

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 12:57 PM PDT

texas holdem live texas holdem live1

Texas Hold'em King live is one of my favorite games on my BlackBerry and has been for awhile. Magmic has been keeping the Texas Hold'em BlackBerry fans happy for many years and Live is no disappointment. That is why I was happy to learn that they just blew past 600,000 unique accounts created for the game. According to Magmic that translates into over 7,000,000 "All-Ins" and over 50,000,000 hands dealt over the last 6 months.

Personally I find it really interesting to see how Magmic has tied in-app payments (Bplay Style) nicely with a free game though they will be adding support for RIM's in app payment system soon.

In case you haven't already tried it you can get THK Live free in AppWorld

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

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 3:57 pm. | Texas Hold’em King LIVE! Hits 600,000 Unique Accounts | 2 comments |


Three UK Pegs BlackBerry Bold 9900 Launch in August

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 09:33 AM PDT

BlackBerry Bold 9900 Three UK

There have been swirling rumors about when the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 will launch since it was announced in May. Some go as late as September but no carrier has really come out and said when. BBEmpire noticed that one carrier, Three UK, has gone out on a limb and pegged the BlackBerry Bold 9900 launch date on their website for August. That raises more questions since devices usually launch in the US and Canada at least a month or so before going international.

Check out the Three UK "Coming Soon" website if you want to check out the 9900 listing for yourself. Thanks Tashanna for sending this one in!

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

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 12:33 pm. | Three UK Pegs BlackBerry Bold 9900 Launch in August | 12 comments |


Verizon CMO Confirms 3 BlackBerry Devices Coming This Year in Interview

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 09:26 AM PDT

Problems

Verizon has come a long way since they use to block Bluetooth profiles on devices and crippled smartphones back in the day. The BGR interviewed Verizon Wireless CMO Marni Walden about their smartphone push and she had quite a few interesting things to say. They revolved around 4G, Android, iPhone, and Windows 7 but finally got around to talking BlackBerry for a bit. Marni dropped a little tidbit essentially confirming that Verizon is planning on launching 3 BlackBerry devices this year.

That makes me wonder what those three devices will be. Will one of them be a 4G PlayBook? We can assume the BlackBerry Bold 9930 but what will be the other two… Check out the full interview at the BGR and let us know what you think.

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

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 12:26 pm. | Verizon CMO Confirms 3 BlackBerry Devices Coming This Year in Interview | 11 comments |


T-Mobile Highlights “4G” BlackBerry Bold 9900 in Latest 4G Rollout

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 09:13 AM PDT

T-Mobile 9900 T-Mobile 4G

While there still is quite a bit of confusion on what exactly 4G means that has not stopped T-Mobile and AT&T from calling their HSPA+ networks 4G. Ashley pointed out to me that in T-Mobile's latest announcement of new markets getting 4G speeds they added a specific mention for the "upcoming BlackBerry Bold 9900." While the T-Mobiles HSPA+ on the 9900 will be set to the max of 14.4Mbps it is nowhere near the 42Mbps they claim their USB rocket stick can hit. Though no smartphones can currently hit that speed their Rocket 3.0 laptop stick has seen average download speeds as high as 10Mbps with peaks of 27Mbps.

This all makes me wonder if LTE 4G is really the next best thing. I have had a chance to use Verizon's LTE laptop cards and mobile hotspots and they suck. They constantly disconnect and they have a horrible time switching over between 4G and 3G. Their phones are not faring too much better but at least they hand off gracefully but at the cost of battery life. While the speeds are amazing I am still unsure why I need download speeds faster than my home broadband connection…

What do you think about these 4G networks?

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

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 12:13 pm. | T-Mobile Highlights “4G” BlackBerry Bold 9900 in Latest 4G Rollout | 13 comments |


O2 UK Decides Not to Carry BlackBerry PlayBook Wi-Fi Version

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 09:02 AM PDT

 PlayBook Back

In a move that isn't going to win O2 any love they have decided to not carry the current BlackBerry PlayBook Wi-Fi version. This sort of makes sense that a wireless carrier would not sell a device that does not have a wireless radio and allows users to essentially tether for free but still it kind of sucks. Engadget is reporting that O2 communicated to their subscribers who were interested in the BlackBerry PlayBook that they will not be selling the device. They claim this is because "unfortunately there are some issues with the end to end customer experience."

O2 does give themselves an out saying that they will work with RIM on future PlayBook products and releases but won't carry the Wi-Fi version specifically at this time. This is not a huge surprise since US carriers have also not been selling the non-cellular version of the PlayBook.

Still it makes me wonder what their issues are with the end to end experience. Lack of a native email client? Lack of a cellular radio in this version? Free tethering over bridge?

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

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 12:02 pm. | O2 UK Decides Not to Carry BlackBerry PlayBook Wi-Fi Version | 3 comments |


Fancy Widgets Adds More Widget Options & Free Trial

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 08:05 AM PDT

Fancy Widgets Fancy Widgets2

Fancy Widgets has been one of those love it or hate it sort of apps since it came out. Sergey Demyanov, developer of BBTran, came up with a creative way to offer multiple widgets on BlackBerry devices by swapping out the wallpaper. While other apps also do this I don't know of any that have as many options as Fancy Widgets. They also recently updated Fancy Widgets to v1.2 which adds better looking widget along with:

  • Improved Clock Widget. It is now Digital Clock. Supports custom fonts.
  • Fixed some Wallpaper switcher bugs
  • Reworked all widget settings, added more visual customizations
  • Totally reworked Weather widget. Added location picker, 3 layout templates and icon packs support
  • Reworked Stocks widget. It has now 3 layout templates
  • A lot of internal fixes to improve stability of the app

One of the reasons that Fancy Widgets gets either rave or ranting reviews is because many users do not understand how it works. To alleviate that fact Sergey has now made registration optional and the app works in a free mode for up to two widgets.

You can pick up the free trial (2 widgets for free) or full version ($2.99) in App World at this link. Let us know what you think of the update!

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

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 11:05 am. | Fancy Widgets Adds More Widget Options & Free Trial | 4 comments |


Will RIM Update the PlayBook OS for Next Saturdays Saudi Arabia Launch?

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 07:37 AM PDT

STC PlayBook SCreenshot 

Sky pointed out in the forums that STC confirmed on their Facebook page that the BlackBerry PlayBook is launching next Saturday in Saudi Arabia. That begs the question of if it will ship with Arabic language support. The current BlackBerry PlayBook OS only supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch and UK English. I had one of the devs testing out 1.0.6 in the Beta Zone (coming by the end of the month) check if it supported Arabic and it was not there. We also had STC state in May that the PlayBook would launch in Saudi Arabia starting June 25th (next Saturday) with full Arabic read and write support. On the other hand the PlayBook rendering in their announcement is in English…

So will RIM launch the PlayBook in these countries without support for the native language or is there an OS update in the wings just waiting to swoop down. RIM has confirmed that the PlayBook will be launching in 16 new markets by July 10th which also includes countries like India and Indonesia that don't currently have their native languages supported.

What do you think? Will RIM be rolling out an OS update very soon?

Here is what STC posted on their Facebook page:

Starting from next Saturday, we will be the first telecommunication company in the country to provide the new experience from BlackBerry in the tablets world, the BlackBerry PlayBook, which will be available at our stores.. with the possibility of using our FREE Wi-Fi service in over 2000 locations across the Kingdom for a whole year and with no limits on the data that you want to use. To know the locations, head to: http://m3com.com.sa/

There are three editions of the device:
16 GB for 2099 SAR
32 GB for 2699 SAR
64 GB for 3099 SAR
All these editions work with Wi-Fi technology and a 1Ghz Dual processor, using BlackBerry Tablet OS7, with a 7 inches touch LCD screen and a 1G memory. You will enjoy 2 cameras, one on the front of the device (3 megapixel) and the other one from the back side (5 megapixel), you can also record high quality videos, the device has a video output as well. You will also be able to enjoy playing audio files MP3, AAC 5.1 & WME 5.1, in addition to total and full Bluetooth experience. Using Wi-Fi you will be able to download many free and priced applications from the BlackBerry App World on your BlackBerry PlayBook.
To remind you about STC BlackBerry Packages:
Monthly Package: 99 SAR with 1000 MB, unlimited usage of BlackBerry Messenger and E-mail, in addition to FREE 5 MB while roaming.
Weekly Package: 29 SAR with 120 MB, unlimited usage of BlackBerry Messenger and E-mail.

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

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 10:37 am. | Will RIM Update the PlayBook OS for Next Saturdays Saudi Arabia Launch? | 5 comments |


BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (MVS) 5 Now Supports Avaya Systems

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 07:05 AM PDT

mvsserver

RIM has been supporting their BlackBerry Mobile Voice System v5 (MVS 5) on Cisco phone systems for awhile but they promised back in May to extend it to more systems. They announced this week that they have started to make good on that promise by delivering support for Avaya phone systems but only in North America and the UK for some reason. I know some companies are waiting for MVS 5 with its Wi-Fi calling to come to systems like ShoreTel and Interactive Intelligence so hopefully RIM is on a roll.

The list of phone systems that work with BlackBerry MVS now includes:

  • Avaya Aura 6.1
  • Avaya Communications Manager
  • Avaya CS1000 Communication Server
  • Cisco Unified Communications Manager
  • Mitel Communications Director

If MVS is your thing and your company has a Avaya system then check out the details at www.blackberry.com/mvs.  Now if only RIM could stand up to carriers and allow for VoIP calling over 3G…

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

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 10:05 am. | BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (MVS) 5 Now Supports Avaya Systems | 2 comments |


BBM Hero Reel Continues Showing Us BBM Users Around the World

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 05:55 AM PDT

BBM Hero Thailand

I really cannot get enough of these BBM Hero videos RIM is putting out. I guess I take BBM for granted nowadays but wow these users are passionate about BBM. I can't tell if they are just acting for the camera or they really feel like BBM completes them. Either way very entertaining while exemplifying the stickiness of BBM outside of the US. This time RIM takes us to India and Thailand.


Desktop Video Link | Mobile Video Link

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

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, June 16, 2011, 8:55 am. | BBM Hero Reel Continues Showing Us BBM Users Around the World | 3 comments |


Diposting oleh di

Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar

Langganan: Posting Komentar (Atom)