Over the weekend, we let you know that Verizon was packing the BlackBerry Bold 9930 for an early launch date of August 15th.  The day has finally come and the carrier has come through with the release date.  The Bold 9930 is offered from Verizon now officially for only $249.99 on a 2 year contract and $509.99 with no strings attached.  You know all about the device by now and this is the first US carrier to launch it surprisingly.  Remember, it’s only available online until the 25th where it’s hitting all stores.

Verizon BlackBerry Bold 9930 >>

Yesterday we received the bad news that Sprint has dropped out of the 4G BlackBerry PlayBook completely.  They went on talking about how it’s an “interesting concept” but it hasn’t caught on with business customers as they expected.  I guess they learned first hand from having the WiFi PlayBook in stores.  Any way, RIM came out with an official statement on the 4G PlayBook:

RIM has decided to prioritize and focus its 4G development resources on LTE. We remain excited and committed to delivering innovative and powerful 4G tablets to the US market together with our carrier partners. Testing of BlackBerry 4G PlayBook models is already underway and we plan to enter labs for network certifications in the US and other international markets this fall.

So they are completely focusing on an LTE PlayBook rather than WiMax.  With today’s technology and the direction towards LTE that carriers are going towards, it’s the right way to go.  RIM originally promised the 4G PlayBook to hit the streets this fall, but now that deadline promises the 4G PlayBook to enter labs at that time.

When a release date is this soon, carriers ought to announce it to customers.  That way customers now can hold out on purchasing a new device can hold out until the Bold 9930 launches.  A new screenshot reveals the BlackBerry Bold 9930 launching on August 15th through Direct Fulfillment and August 25 in all stores.  Everyone was fearing Verizon would hold out of the new BlackBerry devices for now, but they surely beat everyone else in the US so far.

The very long delayed 4G BlackBerry PlayBook has taken a plunge.  Originally Sprint was supposed to get it in June, and then delays indicated a Fall 2011 launch for it.  According to WSJ, Sprint has decided to exit away from the 4G PlayBook completely.

And Sprint’s reason? The tablet market has become way to crowded that they feel there is no room for the PlayBook to stand out enough.  “It’s an interesting concept, it just hasn’t caught on with business customers as much as they would like,” President of Sprint’s markets group said. “There are so many tablets in the market, it creates confusion for the average customer.”

With that said, the idea of a 4G PlayBook is in limbo now until a carrier decides to partner with RIM on this one.

When you have enough BlackBerry applications, you’ll notice that some have functions that include being in the native BlackBerry menu whether you’re in the app or not.  For example, if you have SocialScope installed you’ll see“Quick Post” in the BlackBerry menu whether you’re on your home screen or in another application.  Other apps work the same way too and the length of the menu can get long depending on the application you have open.

While in the BlackBerry Browser, the menu gets pretty long between all the different options including Find on Page, Select, Zoom, Go To, etc.  I find it frustrating at time when I want to click Select from the menu to highlight some text (although you can with keyboard shortcuts).  I thought it would be a good idea to have the menu appear in alphabetical order just to make it easier.  It doesn’t have to be by default but it could call for a nice customization in Options.  What do you think? Alphabetical order or leave it the way it is?

Things have been a bit flakey with Verizon Wireless as no OS 7 devices were officially announced.  Now a screenshot of an inventory system from Verizon has appeared featuring the BlackBerry Bold 9930.  There is no details here but a value of “445.00” next to it.  Launch date is up in the air as well but seeing it in the inventory and CelleBrite system.

Source: CrackBerry

The inPulse smartwatch has been out for quite some time, but doesn’t seem to be trendy with BlackBerry users as much as expected.  The idea of the watch is to get BlackBerry notifications on your wrist without having to reach for your BlackBerry in your pocket, across the room charging or where ever.  Later on after its official launch, the Allerta announced that they were going open source with the watch, enabling developers to create applications for it.  Currently users have built various cool apps for BlackBerry and even got some Android support going for it as well.

(more…)

It’s a shame there is no app for Google+ on the BlackBerry, and by the look of it there doesn’t seem any plan to make one any time soon if ever.  The web app is ok, but it’s still in your browser and never as interactive as an application can be.  You can create your own link for it on your home screen as a web launcher, but I found one with the Google+ logo available in our app store for those who want it looking a bit official.  Still doesn’t satisfy us Berry users completely, but it’s nice to pretend the apps there with this official icon right?

Download Google+ Web Launcher >>

There’s a wide variety of cases and covers for the BlackBerry PlayBook.  Ballistic has provided cases for BlackBerry smartphones in the past and of course support the PlayBook too.  For a few weeks I’ve been using the Tough Jacket case by Ballistic on my PlayBook.  One thing you need to know about the Tough Jacket, is that it provides maximum protection for the PlayBook and does bulk it up quite a bit.  Similar to OtterBox products, the Tough Jacket provides a three layer solution:

• Layer 1 – Inner silicone layer absorbs shock
• Layer 2 – Impact resistant hard plastic protects the BlackBerry PlayBook
• Layer 3 – Shock Absorbent polymer layer

(more…)

Just a quick reminder for more OS 7 device launches.  Telus now officially carries the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Torch 9810.  Here’s a quick rundown on the pricing in case you missed it before.  The Bold 9900 runs $149 on a 3 year, $529 on a 2 year, $579 on a 1 year, and $629 with no contract.  The Torch 9810 gets $129 on a 3 year, $499 on a 2 year, $549 on a 1 year, and 599 with no contract.  Also, the Torch 9810 comes in both grey and white color while the Bold remains in black only at the moment.  Click the links below to check out more info on the devices.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 >>

BlackBerry Torch 9810 >>