Facebook for BlackBerry 1.5: Update and video

The latest version of Facebook for BlackBerry released earlier this week with a handful of practical, if not flashy, feature enhancements to partially merge your Facebook profile pictures with your BlackBerry address book, and to add your Facebook events to your native BlackBerry calendar.

Turns out, many users experienced calendar screw-ups that caused Facebook's calendar to cannibalize the native one. In addition, the contact-syncing feature, while handy, irritatingly was sending a phone number request to those Facebook buddies you have manually associated with a BlackBerry contact. For the record, the calendar syncing issue didn't affect our Curves tied into a corporate policy.

RIM has been quick to reissue the app with fixes. The calendar feature should play nicer with merging now if you're installing Facebook for BlackBerry fresh, but those whose calendars have already been thrown out of whack will need to manually reset it using the BlackBerry's advanced options (Default Services-->Reset Calendar.)

In the meantime, take a look at the app's new features in our First Look video. Despite the initial hiccups, we recommend the update for existing Facebook for BlackBerry users, as well as for new BlackBerry owners.

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Blackberry 8900 Curve vs. Blackberry 9000 Bold

Both Blackberry 8900 Curve and the Blackberry 9000 Bold are suited for both business people and ordinary users.

Design

The 8900 Curve outperforms the 9000 Bold as far as design is concerned. It is smaller than the Blackberry 9000 Bold and more comfortable to be held in the hand. The one form attribute in which the Bold scores above the Curve is its screen. The Blackberry Bold's screen is wider than the 2.4 inch screen of the 8900 Curve. Some people may prefer this wide screen even though its resolution of 480X320 pixels is lesser than the 480X360 pixels of the Curve's screen.

Operating System

The Blackberry 8900 Curve uses the same OS 4.6 operating system as the Bold. The interface of the Curve is customizable but it looks a little complex with a maze of icons and application shortcuts. But the interface becomes easy to operate with use. The Blackberry 9000 Bold uses the OS 4.6.0.167 which proffers the novelty ability of receiving emails in html format so that you can now download images with email.

Battery and Memory

The Blackberry Curve has twice the memory capacity of the Bold- The Curve has a 256 MB RAM compared to 128MB RAM of the Blackberry 9000 Bold. The Curve's memory can be expanded by 16GB through Micro SD slot. The Bold's memory can be expanded by 8GB through the Micro SD slot. The Curve's battery runs a few hours longer than that of the Blackberry 9000 Bold.

Other Noticeable Features

The Blackberry 8900 Curve has a 3.2 Mega pixel camera in contrast to the 2 Mega pixel camera of the Blackberry 9000 Bold. The image quality of the Curve's camera is better than the grainy image quality of the Bold's camera.

The 8900 Curve has a media player to manage videos, music and ring tones. The media player has album art, play list and track sort. It supports many audio and video formats. The Blackberry 9000 Bold also has a media player that supports reasonable quantum of audio and video formats. Both phones have a 3.5mm audio jack for ear phones.

The Blackberry 8900 Curve has an html browser but no 3G support so its internet connectivity is not as fast as the Bold. And its Google maps applications take longer to load due to lack of 3G support. The Blackberry 9000 Bold has a very functional html browser that is coalesced with high speed 3G network of AT and T to supply a propitious browsing experience and superlative internet download speeds. The Bold's browser is functional, providing pages in desktop format. However the Bold's 3G antenna cannot be turned off and this blip eats into the Bold's battery life. Both the Curve and the Bold has Wi Fi for fast internet.

The Blackberry Curve and the Bold both have GPS support for Blackberry maps and Google Maps.

The Blackberry 8900 Curve emerges as the better option amid the two phones because of its attribute prowess.

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Skyfire browser's BlackBerry alpha photos

It seems that the fellas over at The Boy Genius Report got their hands on leaked screenshots of an alpha version of Skyfire's mobile browser for BlackBerry. Their source has proclaimed it "already being the best BlackBerry browser ever."

The BlackBerry version of Skyfire looks a lot like the other smartphone versions, just wider.

Wow, that's some potentially overblown praise, especially as Opera's mobile browser has been the alternative of choice for many BlackBerry users. It's also not the first time that the free Skyfire browser has been overhyped. No disrespect meant to Skyfire--its mobile browser for Symbian and Windows Mobile has a solid design, competitive speeds, and supports (imperfect) video playback--but let's give this all some perspective before declaring it the next killer browser.

First, we've known for a while that BlackBerry was next on the list of Skyfire's smartphone development, after Windows Mobile and Symbian, which are available now in an advanced beta that's very soon expected to tip over into the first full release.

Second, a look at the screenshots reveals a design that's very similar to the most recent, and still frequently tweaked, builds available now. Sure, that won't help you if you're a BlackBerry user, but in absolute development terms, it's less interesting than the fact that at its inception, Skyfire hatched exclusively on mobile (versus Opera Mobile and Mozilla's Fennec, both products born first from desktop browsing) and emerged seemingly out of nowhere to become such an anticipated application. I'm all for choice when it comes to mobile browsing, and I'm happy to see Skyfire being prepped for BlackBerry fans, too, but also keep in mind that it could be a long road between now and final development, and that much could change in the mobile industry from now until then.

Third, Skyfire brings some interesting features and good diversity into the mobile browser mix that Opera Mobile has held onto for so long, but it's far from being the magic bullet of mobile browsing. Support for downloading certain content is still variable and video playback can be choppy even over a strong, secure Wi-Fi connection. The browser can always get faster, and it still lacks some of Opera Mobile's advanced features, like in-line search.

It's unsurprising that Skyfire had no official comment to share, but the leak's photographic evidence makes it apparent that something's in the works. Again, it may be some time before Skyfire publicly acknowledges the alpha, and opens up a beta app, but when it does, we'll be there with a hands-on review.

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Blackberry Bold Specification

Available Features

* Camera (2.0 MP)
* Built-in GPS
* Media Player
* Video Recording
* BlackBerry® Maps
* Wireless Email
* Organizer
* Browser
* Phone
* Corporate Data Access
* SMS/MMS
* Wi-Fi® support



Display

* Half VGA resolution 480 x 320 pixel color display
* Transmissive TFT LCD
* Font size (user selectable)
* Backlighting
* Light sensing screen
* Displays over 65,000 colors

Camera & Video Recording

* Camera: 2.0 MP camera (JPEG encoding) with flash, 3x digital zoom
* Video Camera: Depending on the amount of built-in memory available for use, a third-party microSD card may need to be properly inserted into the BlackBerry smartphone to enable the video recording feature

Battery & Battery Life

* Standby time: 13.5 days (324 hours)
* Talk time: 4.5 hours
* 1500 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic lithium cell

GPS & BlackBerry Maps

* GPS capable with extended ephemeris
* Preloaded with BlackBerry Maps

Data Input & Navigation

• Trackball
• QWERTY keyboard
• Keyboard backlighting

Voice Input & Output

• 3.5mm stereo headset capable
• Integrated earpiece/ microphone
• Built-in speakerphone
• Mono/stereo headset, hands-free and serial port profiles supported (Bluetooth® technology)

Media Player

• Video format support: DivX 4, DivX 5/6 partially supported, XviD partially supported, H.263, H.264, WMV3
• Audio format support: .3gp, MP3, WMA9 (.wma/.asf), WMA9 Pro/WMA 10, MIDI, AMR-NB, Professional AAC/AAC+/eAAC+

Ringtones & Notifications

• Polyphonic/MIDI ringtones
• 32 polyphonic ringtones – MIDI, SP-MDI, MP3, WAV
• Vibrate mode
• LED indicator

Bluetooth

• Bluetooth® v2.0; mono/stereo headset, handsfree and Serial Port Profile supported.
• Bluetooth Stereo Audio (A2DP/AVCRP)

Device Security

• Password protection and Keyboard lock
• Support for AES or Triple DES encryption when integrated with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server
• FIPS 140-2 Compliant (FIPS Validation In Progress)
• Optional support for S/MIME

Wi-Fi

• Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g enabled

Wireless Networks

• UMTS: 2100/1900/850 MHz
• GSM®: 1900/1800/900/850/MHz
• North America: 850 MHz GSM/GPRS networks
• North America: 1900MHz GSM®/GPRS networks
• Europe/Asia Pacific: 1800MHz GSM/GPRS networks
• Europe/Asia Pacific: 900MHz GSM/GPRS networks
• EDGE networks
• HSDPA networks

Globe releases thinnest Blackberry device

GLOBE Telecom announced the availability of the Blackberry Curve 8900, touted as the thinnest device yet by the Canadian firm Research In Motion.

Available to corporate subscribers, the Curve 8900 is the thinnest and lightest full-QWERTY Blackberry device.

The device features richer multimedia capabilities, as well as advanced phone, email, messaging, organizer and Web browser applications.

The Curve 8900 weighs around 110 grams and fits comfortably for one or two-handed control. It is equipped with a 512MHz mobile processor supporting quad-band EDGE and built-in WiFi/Bluetooth connectivity.

The latest Blackberry handset also carries and 480×360 resolution display and comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus, image stabilization, digital zoom, flash and video recording and an expandable microSD slot that supports up to 16GB of memory.

Globe is yet to announce availability of the RIM’s first touchscreen device, the Blackberry Storm.

RIM earlier this month announced Blackberry App World, a site for third-party application developers rivaling Apple’s iPhone App Store.

Globe brings the BlackBerry Storm the Philippines - The world’s first “clickable” touch-screen smartphone

Globe Telecom today announced availability of the highly anticipated BlackBerry Storm smartphone for its customers in the Philippines. The BlackBerry Storm features the world’s first “clickable” touch-screen and is packed with powerful communications and multimedia features.

The BlackBerry Storm smartphone boasts exceptional performance, and it comes with a stunning display and wealth of features including fast network access, a first class phone, desktop-style browsing, advanced multimedia, a 3.2MP camera, built-in GPS and the industry's leading email and messaging capabilities – all designed to give users an exceptional mobile experience.

Globe will offer the BlackBerry Storm smartphone to business customers at flexible corporate postpaid plans through Globe Business. Globe Business provides wireless and wireline data and voice solutions relevant to the needs of enterprises from diverse industries, including top corporations in the Philippines.

“We are pleased to announce that the BlackBerry Storm is now available on Globe’s corporate plans offered by Globe Business. We equip our customers with the best and latest mobility solutions that will help them be more productive and competitive at work, regardless of where they are or at anytime of the day,” said Jesus C. Romero, head of Globe Business.

He added, “Powered by Globe’s 3G network, the BlackBerry Storm smartphone will allow our business customers to accomplish more by keeping them connected to colleagues and clients and enabling them to instantly access information they require, thus extending their workplace.”

The BlackBerry Storm will also be available for retail customers with various postpaid plans that fit their needs and lifestyle. With the launch of the BlackBerry Storm, Globe is introducing its new Personal BlackBerry Plans.

“The BlackBerry Storm will allow consumers to keep their connections close at hand through instant messaging and access to social networking sites. This, coupled with the handset’s rich multimedia features, makes it an excellent choice for both work and personal use,” said Ferdinand M. Dela Cruz, Consumer Wireless Business head at Globe.

“Globe Telecom is very pleased to offer the BlackBerry Storm smartphone to both business and retails customers. People can purchase from Globe Business Centers nationwide and select one of the newly launched Personal BlackBerry Plans. These are unique plans that combine phone calls, text messaging and mobile Internet access so that customers can fully enjoy the exceptional BlackBerry smartphone experience,” he added.

“We are very excited to launch the first touch-screen based BlackBerry smartphone in the Philippines with Globe,” said Gregory Wade, regional vice president, Asia Pacific at Research In Motion. “The BlackBerry Storm provides the unique combination of a full-featured smartphone with a large vibrant display and a truly tactile touch interface, making it a perfect choice for both personal and business use.”

Globe’s consumer and business customers will both be able to maximize their use of the BlackBerry Storm smartphone through Globe’s HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) network, which allows users to experience wireless broadband connectivity.


Features of the BlackBerry Storm smartphone from Globe include:
-Sleek, stylish design with chromed frame, contoured corners and stainless steel back

-Large (3.25-inch), "clickable" touch-screen with 480 x 360 resolution at 184 ppi, delivering sharp and bright colours

-A powerful media player that can play movies smoothly in full-screen mode, display pictures and slideshows quickly and manage an entire music collection (including the ability to create playlists directly on the handset)

-Support for high-speed network connectivity

-Full HTML browser that works in either portrait or landscape orientation and support for mobile video streaming on sites such as YouTube (mobile.youtube.com) and other mobile entertainment portals

-Purpose-built applications for easy access to popular IM and social networking services such as Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo!® Messenger, Google Talk and Flickr
3.2 megapixel camera, with variable zoom, auto focus and a powerful flash that also provides continuous lighting when recording video

-Ability to synchronise with iTunes and Windows Media Player to enjoy music on the move or through a home stereo using Bluetooth and the BlackBerry Music Gateway

-A 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, support for the Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP) and dedicated volume controls

-An ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the backlighting and an accelerometer that allows the BlackBerry Storm to be used in either a portrait or landscape orientation

-Built-in GPS that supports location-based applications and services, as well as geotagging photos

-1 GB of onboard memory storage and a microSD/SDHC memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB of additional storage per card. An 8GB microSDHC card comes preinstalled

-Preloaded DataViz Documents to Go allows users to edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone

-Support for a wide range of lifestyle and business applications

-Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery that provides approximately 6 hours of talk time on 3G networks and 15 days of standby time

-Support on BlackBerry Internet Service and BlackBerry Enterprise Server

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BlackBerry in 10 Most Important eCommerce Events Over The Past Decade

According to The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) the ten most important eCommerce events that happened over the past decade are…

1. Google (Sept. 1998)
2. Broadband Penetration of US Internet Users Reaches 50 percent (June 2004)
3. eBay Auctions (Launched Sept. 1997)
4. Amazon.com (IPO May 1997)
5. Google Ad Words (2000)
6. Open Standards (HTML 4.0 released - 1997)
7. WiFi (802.11 launched - 1997)
8. User-Generated Content (YouTube 2005)
9. iTunes (2001)
10. BlackBerry (1999)

Google:
It’s interesting to me that Google’s birth in 98′ tops the list. It makes sense as Google has certainly helped to create a more fair marketplace for merchants of all shapes and sizes to sell within.

Broadband:
The amazing increase in broadband users is also an extremely important event that has happen over the past ten years. More people surfing over broadband has given users a chance to browse faster, longer and at more places that dial up connections ever have.

eBay:
Certainly eBay is a memorable event in the past decade. They have created the largest Online auction place known to man and continue to rival top search giants like Google and Yahoo.

Amazon:
As with eBay, Amazon has also broken ground for Online sellers. Amazon has created one of the largest Online marketplaces for product ranging from books, movies and DVD’s to antiques, home decor and gardening products. Online shopping as we know it wouldn’t be the same without places like Amazon and eBay.

AdWords:
Not only has Google’s search engine taken a top spot on the list of the ten most influential eCommerce events, but they have another service, Adwords, that has also been an extremely important development and helped to shape eCommerce as we know it today. Adwords by Google has helped to get more buyers in front of more merchants than any other form of paid online advertising in history.

HTML:
The standards in Web based programs such as HTML have been core to the development of eCommerce over the past ten years. Without Web pages and sites to sell on, we wouldn’t have a place to display and list items for sale Online and we wouldn’t be using some of the more advanced programming languages that have been developed based on the success of programs like HTML. There wouldn”t be shopping carts, payment gateways or many of the things we have become used to seeing within the stores we buy from most often.

WiFi:
As with Broadband, WiFi has helped Internet users get access to the products they want from almost any location, even remotely. The advances in wireless Internet technology continue to grow and with it we can expect to see a whole new world of shopping through electronic devices and other wireless means.

User-generated content:
User-generated content has helped shape the Web as we know it. Without many different users collaborating and contributing to the growth of the Web and the information in which it contains we wouldn’t have access to as many answers to as many questions as we currently do today. In addition, user-generated content helps buyers to make better informed decisions and will often times be the difference between someone who buys and someone who comes and goes.

iTunes, Blackberry:
Mobile devices and PDA’s have really shaken things up as of late. I think out of the entire list, these development s will be the most influential in the next ten years. As mobile devices and mobile shopping gets more secure, we will see a shift from users who currently shop at work and at home to more users who shop on the go and look up products on their phone before they buy. The development of mobile technology and devices like the Blackberry iPhone and iPod have changed the way people use the Internet. It has also helped users to share content in more interactive ways like through Podcasts or Online videos.

I believe that Blackberry would definitely have a great technical impact in the future. :)


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