So May 16th wasn’t the launch date as leaked screenshots had indicated.  Just after RIM announced the BlackBerry Bold 9650 this morning , Sprint has put out an official press release stating that they are launching the device on May 23rd.  There hasn’t been any press release from Verizon yet, but they were supposed to be getting it before Sprint according to rumors.  May 23rd isn’t exactly right around the corner, and wasn’t what Sprint customers were expecting to hear at this point.  Hit the jump for the full press release from Sprint.

(more…)

RIM has gone off and put the all new BlackBerry Pearl 9100 and 9105 on the official BlackBerry website just moments ago after this morning’s press release, alongside with the Bold 9650 of course.  One thing I noticed today was that the BlackBerry Pearl seems be going for more of a fashionable approach.  Lots of cool accessories and small wallets were out on display making the Pearl work more for those who lead a stylish lifestyle.

Besides the cases, the device itself is coming in 5 different colors: black, white, pink, purple, and black faded into red.  The fading colors is something new to BlackBerry, and from the looks of it, it seems to be working well so far as a lot of the press (including myself) were fascinated by the new color effects.  The Bold 9650 comes only in black of course, as it is the Bold series.  The Pearl is more hip and an in-style device just like the Curve, so colors will continue to vary.

-by Ehab Moniem

Everyone denied it when I thought that perhaps the BlackBerry Bold 9650 would get a leather battery door.  Everyone was right of course, but it is understandable to think that it would have one.  Being part of the Bold family (9000 and 9700) where all the devices get it, it was an educated guess.  In the showcase room here at WES I ran to the Bold 9650 first just to see if it was true or not, only to disappoint myself in the end.  The device has just been rebranded as a Bold on the back, literally.  All you folks knew that already, but it’s a sad day knowing that a Bold out there has no leather back.  In fact, it’s just the same old battery door as before.  But don’t get so discouraged.  Under the hood, this BlackBerry is awesome.  We won’t get into the specs right now, but do keep in mind it’s rockin’ 512mb of memory..

-by Mac Jadalhack

It’s not for everyone, but for those comedians looking to make people laugh, here’s BBSfx.  Or if you’re looking to just annoy people around you, this could very well be handy.  There’s over 40 different sounds you can play with this app, which gives you a wide variety for all the scenerios you may be in.  There’s a delay play feature where it allows you to pause playback of the chosen sound effect and enjoy seeing folks laugh or be puzzles when you’re not by your BlackBerry.

Features:

• Great Range Of Sound Effects
• Fun For The Office, For Children, For Social Occasions Or Even Alone
• Play Sound Effects Over The Top Of Your Music
• Effects Sourced From Professional Sound Designers
• Simple And Intuitive To Use
• Just Click On The Sfx To Play
• Delay Playback (Set It Up And Leave The Room For Added Fun)
• Easy Links To Give Feedback, Suggest New Sfx And Request Support
• Unique Color Scheme UI

BBSfx is only $4.95 to purchase from the PocketBerry Store.  If you’d like to give it a test run, feel free to download a trial version of it first to check it out.

• Check out BBSfx for BlackBerry >>
  

-by Collin Sorp

We wanted to show you a quick video walk through on how this T9 is done but ran out of time as the showcase was getting crowded and time was running out.  So I went ahead in an attempt to type away on this T9 device and the experience was not as bad as I thought.  One thing that I had to get used to was the whole idea that the enter key is on the lower right hand corner and delete on the lower left.  I guess that’s what T9 is all about.  It brought back many memories (the Nokia smartphone days).  So my whole point is, if you’ve been using T9 for awhile and are comfortable with it, then go for it.

-by Mac Jadalhack

We came across this at the PocketBerry Store, and thought some of you students could definitely benefit from this.  The app is pretty straight forward as it solves quadratic equations for you right on your BlackBerry.  There’s two solution methods to solve a quadratic equation – using the abc formula or qb formula.  Both can be used here through this handy calculator app.

Features:

• Attractive user interface.
• Easier & quicker calculations.
• You can complete your home work very easy.
• Minimum number of inputs required.
• No internet connection is required.

abc & pq Calculator is only $2.99 to purchase from the PocketBerry Store as a promotion through April 30th where it’ll then get bumped back up to $5.99

• Check out abc & pq Calculator for BlackBerry >>

-by Otoniel Bruno

One of RIM’s biggest announcements today was the MVS 5(Mobile Voice System) presented earlier.  So what is it exactly? It allows you to (as a business user) to use your regular desk phone number and extension from your BlackBerry.  As it has now updated to version 5, employees will be able to send and receive calls using their BlackBerry over a WiFi connection, adding it to your cellular network.

Features:

• Wi-Fi network access controls to set which Wi-Fi networks employees can access
• Network preference settings with the option of prioritizing the use of Wi-Fi or cellular for making phone calls
• Authentication to help ensure that only authorized BlackBerry smartphones have access to the corporate phone system
• Incoming call filtering based on allowed and blocked caller lists

Hit the jump for the full press release from RIM.  If you’d like to view a full demo of BlackBerry MVS 5, click here.

(more…)

Browsing via BlackBerry? Click here to view video

It’s been really exciting so far as RIM unveiled both the BlackBerry Bold 9650 and the Pearl 3G (9100 and 9105).  I walked right through the booth to get a chance to play with the device in hand, then took a few steps back and figured I’d show you guys what the booth was like exactly.  Sorry in advanced for the quality as I got too excited and didn’t set my camera on HD mode.  Either way, you get a quick preview and quite a tease on the device as you can see.  Oh yea, sorry about the repetitive beat music as well.  It just kept looping and looping..

-by Mac Jadalhack

Now for the good stuff we’ve been waiting for.  There’s been a lot going on with the Pearl family over the past few months.  There was speculation for a while that a SureType, QWERTY, and T9 version were expected to launch.  We saw leaked screenshots of both the SureType and T9 version, but have only seen the QWERTY keyboard itself on sale at one point.  So for now we’ll leave the QWERTY version in the dark until we get some more info on that.  So many are hating on the fact that there is a T9 model coming out.  The fact of the matter is that the T9 model is not for everyone, as there is a large population of cellphone users who have become adapted to traditional T9.  This is a good way to introduce the BlackBerry platform to these customers.  Otherwise, a SureType model is also available for everyone else waiting to get their hands on one.  As for launch dates, as expected it will be rolling out beginning of May.  We all saw screenshots from mobile carrier screens indicating May launch dates, but nothing on US carriers just yet.  Below are some official specs for the BlackBerry Pearl 3G.  Hit the jump for the full press release on the device from RIM.

• Elegant candybar design measuring 4.25″ x 1.96″ x 0.52″ (108mm x 50 mm x 13.3 mm) and weighing only 3.3 oz (93 grams)
• 624 Mhz processor with 256 MB Flash memory
• 360×400 sharp-resolution display (238 ppi)
• Optical trackpad that makes navigation fast and smooth, plus a comfortable keyboard that enables quick and accurate typing
• Media player for videos, pictures and music (music plays up to 30 hours), plus dedicated media keys integrated along top of the handset
• 3.2 MP camera with zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording*
• Built-in GPS for location-based applications such as BlackBerry® Maps, as well as photo geotagging
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) – first BlackBerry smartphone to support ‘n’
• microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards
• Premium phone features, including voice activated dialing, speakerphone and Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including systems that support the emerging Bluetooth Message Access Profile standard) and other Bluetooth accessories
• Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
• Support for BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone**
• BlackBerry® OS 5
• Support for tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
• Removable, rechargeable 1150 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.5 hours of talk time on 3G networks

(more…)

As we just arrived at the WES 2010 conference only a few hours ago, we thought it would be good to start with the news everyone has been waiting to hear confirmation about.  So the BlackBerry Bold 9650 is coming (not like anyone doubted it to begin with) in the beginning of May as the press release says so.  We have heard that Sprint will get it May 16th, while Verizon goes ahead of the game getting it May 1st.  We’re all excited to see this new Bold even though it has evolved from just a Tour.  A few days ago, we let you know about it rockin’ some 512MB memory, and it looks like the spec appears to be true as RIM confirms it.  Here’s some quick specs on the BlackBerry Bold 9650 for those who are still unaware.  Otherwise hit the jump to check out the full press release from RIM.

• Stylish design (4.4” x 2.4” x .56” and 4.8 oz.) with glossy black finish and chrome highlights
• Large (2.44”) high-resolution display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi), able to display pictures, videos and web pages with impressive contrast and detail
• 3.2 MP camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording
• Advanced media player for videos, pictures and music, a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth® Stereo Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)
• BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing photos as well as  iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*
• Easy mobile access to Facebook®, MySpace and Flickr®, as well as popular instant messaging services including BlackBerry® Messenger
• Support for BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones
• Full HTML web browser, streaming audio and video via RTSP
• Built-in GPS with support for geotagging, BlackBerry® Maps and other mapping applications
• Premium phone features including voice activated dialing, speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.1).
• Support for high-speed EV-DO Rev. A networks in North America, as well as UMTS/HSPA (2100Mhz) and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks abroad
• Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery for 5 hours of CDMA talk time

(more…)