Research In Motion (RIM) today announced a series of updates for its market-leading BlackBerry platform that include enhanced messaging and collaboration, simpler management, enhanced security and expanded application development support. These updates will benefit users, IT groups and developers and will enable organizations to increase mobility, productivity and return on investment. “RIM continues to expand the capabilities of the multifaceted BlackBerry platform to allow an increasingly rich and productive mobile experience for our customers,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM. “The software enhancements demonstrated today will make BlackBerry smartphones more powerful than ever and even easier to manage.” Enhanced Messaging and Collaboration The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution is a complete, end-to-end wireless platform that extends the benefits of an organization’s messaging and collaboration environment to mobile users. Updates to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry device software1 will enable customers to further enhance usability and increase end-user productivity. Document Downloading and Editing – As a result of the integration of the ‘Documents To Go® by DataViz®’ software with the BlackBerry platform, users will be able to edit Microsoft® Office Word, PowerPoint® and Excel® files2 directly on their BlackBerry smartphone.Remote Search for Messages – Users will be able to search for and retrieve email messages from their email server even if the message is no longer stored on their BlackBerry smartphone.Free-Busy Calendar Lookup – Users on the go will be able to check the availability of colleagues before sending a meeting request.HTML and Rich Text Email Rendering – BlackBerry smartphone users will be able to view HTML and rich text email messages with original formatting preserved including font colors and styles, embedded images, hyperlinks, tables, bullets and other formatting.Advanced Enterprise Instant Messaging and Presence – New features for users running IBM Lotus Sametime® and Microsoft Live Communications Server will include improved address book integration, IM contact “click to call”, IM session “convert to call” and advanced emoticon support, allowing co-workers to collaborate and communicate more effectively using their BlackBerry smartphones.Simpler Management and Support BlackBerry Enterprise Server provides IT groups with industry-leading management and support capabilities. New features will further improve and simplify the administration of BlackBerry deployments. BlackBerry Monitoring Service – A new software component of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server will help organizations maintain high availability and high performance of their BlackBerry infrastructure by providing administrators with enhanced monitoring, alerting, troubleshooting and reporting capabilities. BlackBerry Monitoring Service will be included in the next release of BlackBerry Enterprise Server3.BlackBerry Web Desktop Manager – A web-based device management console has been designed to increase deployment flexibility and simplify software upgrades by reducing the number of BlackBerry software components installed on end-user workstations. BlackBerry Web Desktop Manager enables users to install software and manage their BlackBerry smartphone from any browser-enabled computer. The software is available now as a free download from: www.blackberry.com/go/webdesktop.Over-the-Air Device Software Upgrades4– Organizations will be able to update a user’s BlackBerry device software wirelessly, delivering a fast, cost-effective method for remotely supporting users and managing BlackBerry device software lifecycles.Expanded Systems Compatibility – BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1.5 is certified with Microsoft® Exchange 2007 SP1 and supports IBM® Lotus® Domino® versions 7.03 and 8.0.Enhanced Security Security is a cornerstone of the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution and today there are over 400 IT policy settings and controls that an administrator can set to centrally manage and enforce security policies. Newly introduced IT policies further enhance the security and control of a BlackBerry deployment5. Encrypted Attachment Viewing – Users will be able view attachments within encrypted PGP and S/MIME messages.Increased Control over GPS – Administrators will have the ability to control which applications access GPS functionality on BlackBerry smartphones.Increased Bluetooth® Controls – Administrators will have the ability to enable or disable certain Bluetooth profiles as well as set the allowable ‘discoverable time’.Expanded Application Development Support RIM continues to expand the opportunities for software developers to create innovative and powerful wireless applications that leverage the inherent security, network efficiency, reliability and push capabilities of the BlackBerry platform and take advantage of new BlackBerry smartphone features. With the recent release of the BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE) v4.3.0, new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) have been added to the thousands previously available, enabling developers to offer even more robust and exciting business and lifestyle applications to the more than 12 million BlackBerry subscribers around the world. In addition, support for the following Java Micro Edition APIs is also now available: JSR 205: Wireless Messaging 2.0 (MMS Support) – provides the ability to send and receive messages that include images, sound and video via Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).JSR 211: Content Handler API (CHAPI) – allows applications to invoke other applications, including native BlackBerry applications, to handle specific content types.JSR 238: Internationalization – allows developers to easily create a single application for multiple languages and regions across the globe with proper location-specific language, time conventions, currencies, and number formats.JSR 172: Web Services – enables developers to quickly develop and deploy applications that act as web services clients.
Dutch firm launches phone with fold away screen
“A Dutch company has squeezed a display the size of two business cards into a gadget no bigger than other mobile phones — by making a screen that folds up when not in use.The 5-inch (13-cm) display of Polymer Vision’s “Readius” is the world’s first that folds out when the user wants to read news, blogs or email and folds back together so that the device can fit into a pocket.Polymer Vision, spun out of Philips, whetted the appetite of gadget fans more than two years ago when it showed off a prototype. Now the gadget is in production and will go head-to-head with Apple’s iPhone and Amazon’s ebook reader Kindle when it hits stores mid-2008. “You get the large display of e-reading, the super battery life of e-reading, and the high-end connectivity … and the form factor and weight of a mobile phone,” said Karl McGoldrick, chief executive of the venture capital-funded firm, in which Philips still has a 25 percent stake.”We are taking e-reading and bringing it to the mobile phone.”He would not say how much the Readius would cost, but said it would be comparable to a high-end mobile phone.McGoldrick said his “dream device”, which the company planned to build within 5 years, was a mobile phone with an 8-inch color display that could show video.” Read more here:
iPhone enjoys twice as high sales than HTC Touch!
“HTC has reported the Touch sales figures, which reached 2 million units. The first model in the line, HTC Touch candy bar, was released last June. All the communicators from the series are powered by Widows Mobile 6 Professional and support TouchFLO interface (finger-oriented control). The Touch family consists of 3 models – HTC Touch, HTC Touch Dual and HTC Touch Cruise. Total mobile device sales by HTC in 2007 amounted to 11.8 million, a 12% ride against 2006.The iPhone, being HTC Touch rival, enjoys better performance: Apple’s chief Steve Jobs reported 4 million of sold handsets at Macworld Expo. The iPhone sales started last June, i.e. after HTC Touch.” via mobile-review.com
UIQ Technology signs agreements with six new partners
ArcSoft, CleNET Technologies, fring, Google, i-skoot and Mobica are new partners in the UIQ Alliance Partner Program. The agreements basically mean that UIQ Technology will support the partner companies in their development of mobile applications and services on UIQ and Symbian OS for future product releases. The new partners are given access to UIQ roadmap updates, joint marketing, technical support and also have the option to receive early access to UIQ releases.UIQ, an open user interface and application development software platform, makes it possible for mobile phone manufacturers to create different kinds of phones, all based on the same open software platform. Main customers are Sony Ericsson and Motorola.”The UIQ Alliance Partner Program expands the options for our customers to choose applications and services that work well with UIQ. This accelerates time to market when creating new mobile phones”, says Elisabet Melin, VP Marketing at UIQ Technology. “We are very pleased to welcome our new partners into the UIQ Alliance Partner Program and look forward to a good cooperation.” New partners: ArcSoft Inc. is a software developer of multimedia technologies and applications across desktop and embedded platforms. Working closely with major OEM manufacturers, ArcSoft offers a full line of imaging and video solutions that enhance the features, performance, and user experience of mobile phones, digital cameras, optical drives, personal computers, and consumer electronics devices. www.arcsoft.com CIeNET Technologies is an outsourcing service company based in China. They are telecommunication and embedded system experts in mobile devices, value-added services, base stations, billing and customer care, and network management. CIeNET is one of the fastest growing outsourcing service companies in China. www.cienet.com.cn fring™ is a mobile internet community giving service that enables users to make free mobile calls, live chat and interact with other fringsters™ and their favorite online communities & services, all while on the go. www.fring.com Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. One of Google’s aims is to develop products and services that are specifically designed for mobile devices and for local markets. www.google.com iSkoot is dedicated to enabling mobile Internet voice and chat services. iSkoot software enables users to load their buddy lists, view presence information, make and receive push-of-a-button Internet calls, and enjoy live chat all on their mobile handsets. www.iskoot.com Mobica specializes in providing consultancy, project and engineering services on Symbian and UIQ platforms, from base porting and core platform development, through to innovative applications, UI design and connectivity solutions. www.mobica.com 
Review of UMTS/GSM smartphone HTC S730
“The new model follows in the footsteps of the predecessor in almost every single way, including positioning. They present it as a pocket-friendly smartphone with a handy thumbboard to enterprise users in the first place. In practice, however, the HTC S710 attracted an audience wider than that, although everyone is already sick and tired of the terms “business user” and “enterprise segment”, especially as far as the Windows Mobile market goes. And while the company has been breaking away from this cliche with its touch-phone series, they are still employing it for select models, making up new niches that are in fact non-existent on the market or very, very thin.” Read more here: