Research In Motion unleashes BlackBerry 6


“Research In Motion (RIM) today announced BlackBerry 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry® smartphones that retains the trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh, approachable and engaging experience that is both powerful and easy to use. BlackBerry 6 features a redesigned interface that seamlessly works with a touch screen and trackpad, expanded messaging capabilities that simplify managing social media and RSS feeds, an advanced multimedia experience that rivals the best in the industry, a convenient new Universal Search tool, and a new and efficient WebKit-based browser that renders web pages quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. “BlackBerry 6 is the outcome of RIM’s ongoing passion to deliver a powerful, simplified and optimized user experience for both touch screen and keyboard fans,” said Mike Lazaridis, president and co-ceo, Research In Motion. “Following extensive research and development to address consumer needs and wants, we are delivering a communications, browsing and multimedia experience that we think users will love, and we are thrilled to debut BlackBerry 6 on the amazing new BlackBerry Torch smartphone.”

Visual, Fluid Interface

BlackBerry 6 has been redesigned making it easier and more intuitive, with clean, sleek visuals and natural, fluid navigation. Designed to be both fresh and familiar, the new interface enables a productive, fun and highly satisfying user experience whether using a touch screen or trackpad and keyboard.

BlackBerry 6 offers multiple views that help users better organize their applications and content. Icons are arranged on the Home Screen in 5 customizable views (All, Favorites, Media, Downloads and Frequent) that are navigable with simple swipes. Users can organize where they want their icons to appear, and can add contacts or web page shortcuts directly to the Home Screen.

Also new to BlackBerry 6 are visually-rich, context-sensitive Action Menus. Within a given application, by clicking and holding the trackpad or through an extended touch of the display, users can bring the most common actions or tasks of an application to the surface. In addition, users can seamlessly multitask by holding down the Menu key, which pops up a visual grid of all the applications currently running, so users can instantly switch between applications.

A powerful Universal Search tool is also accessible from the Home Screen. By simply clicking or tapping the Universal Search icon, users can search for any content on their handset, the web or in the new BlackBerry App World™, which is also integral to BlackBerry 6.

Fast Rich Web Browsing

BlackBerry 6 integrates a new and efficient WebKit-based browser that renders web pages (as well as email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. It features tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, an auto-wrap text zoom feature that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements, and pinch to zoom.

Social Feeds and Text Messaging

The new Social Feeds application simplifies the management of social networking and RSS feeds and provides integrated access to the native BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), Facebook®, Twitter™, MySpace™, AOL® Instant Messenger™, Google Talk™, Windows Live™ Messenger and Yahoo!® Messenger applications for BlackBerry smartphones. Social Feeds streamlines the user experience, provides an integrated view of friends’ activities across multiple social networks, and lets users post updates across multiple networks simultaneously. Users can also easily add their favorite RSS Feeds from the Social Feeds application or directly from a website while browsing.

RIM’s new Text Messages application also adds exciting new features for users who communicate mostly via SMS and MMS, including the ability for users to now view a conversation in one threaded ‘chat’ as well as share photos, videos and other rich content.

Engaging Multimedia Experience

The multimedia experience in BlackBerry 6 is designed to give users a more engaging and streamlined experience with album art everywhere in the new music and video players. The new BlackBerry® Desktop Software 6 integrates media sync for easily syncing photos and videos as well as iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*. It also includes Wi-Fi Music Sync, a unique feature that allows users to view their entire iTunes® or Windows Media® Player music libraries from their BlackBerry smartphone, create and edit playlists, as well as select music for download. When in range of their home Wi-Fi network (or via USB), the changes are synced with iTunes® or Windows Media® Player and the songs are automatically downloaded to the smartphone.

BlackBerry 6 also gives users access to a range of camera modes that can help them capture better images. Editing, organizing and sharing shots is amazingly simple, with intuitive options for grouping pictures.

The new Podcasts application makes it easy for users to find and manage audio and video podcasts. Users can view all the podcasts saved on their smartphone, browse a catalogue of podcasts available for download, subscribe to them, and wirelessly download the content directly onto their smartphone. There is also a dedicated YouTube® application, so viewing and sharing videos is easier than ever and users can also easily search for videos using the new Universal Search tool in BlackBerry 6.

Compatibility with Existing BlackBerry Smartphones

BlackBerry 6 will debut on the new BlackBerry® Torch™ smartphone (announced today) available from AT&T on August 12 and it is also designed to run on select BlackBerry smartphones already in market. Subject to carrier certifications in the months ahead, the new OS is expected to be available for the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700, BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 and BlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G, as well as future BlackBerry smartphones.

BlackBerry Torch is official, launching August 12th on AT&T for $200


“Today, Research In Motion (RIM) launched the BlackBerry Torch 9800 – RIM’s first slider smartphone. This premium new smartphone features a capacitive touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and the new BlackBerry 6 operating system, which includes a powerful WebKit browser. With the legendary BlackBerry keyboard you love accompanying a large touch screen, users now have the best of both worlds – a refined smartphone designed for the heart and the head. And with BlackBerry 6, graphical menus, intuitive navigation and universal search make the BlackBerry user experience the most dynamic ever!. Key BlackBerry Torch features include:
· Brand new form factor – Touch/QWERTY combination smartphone
· BlackBerry 6 – Featuring:
o Context-sensitive pop-up menus for more relevant options
o A new WebKit browser for faster and more robust performance
o Integrated social feeds including the ability to update multiple social networks from a single screen
o Engaging multimedia experience
o Universal Search to uncover results throughout your smartphone – from Contacts, Apps, data and the Web
· Sleek design with a touch-sensitive trackpad located on the front face of the device
· The first BlackBerry smartphone to include the new BlackBerry App World pre-installed, supporting carrier billing through AT&T, making it easier for customers to discover and purchase applications
· 3.2″ 360 x 480 capacitive touch screen display
· Vivid 5.0MP camera with flash, auto focus, image stabilization and geo-tagging
· Support for 3G networks (HSDPA)
· 512MB Flash memory, 4GB on‐board memory, microSD/SDHC memory card slot (4GB card included, cards up to 32GB supported)
· Built‐in GPS and Wi‐Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
· Network Support
o GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
o HSPDA/UMTS: 800/850/1900/2100 MHz
· Approximately 4.4″ x 2.4″ x 0.57″ (closed), 5.8″ x 2.4″ x 0.57″ (open)

In the U.S, the BlackBerry Torch will be available for AT&T customers on August 12 in AT&T company owned retail stores, online at www.att.com/blackberrytorch, and at Best Buy, Wal-Mart and RadioShack stores. The smartphone will be available for $199.99 with 2-year service agreement on a qualifying rate plan and data plan required.

Android Grew 900% In Q2 2010

Android logoAnalyst firm Canalys has been going over the numbers released by the various players in the smartphone business for Q2 and has some interesting trends to report. Smartphone shipments surged ahead 64% year on year indicating the market segment is still enjoying healthy growth despite weak economic conditions in many parts of the world. There are a few notable mentions in the figures so we’ll take a look at each in turn:
Apple saw shipments of iPhones grow a very healthy 61% compared with Q2 of 2009, but crucially slowler than the 64% growth for the smartphone segment overall. However, the increase it did see has put it in third place as the best selling platform, with RIM taking the second spot.
Nokia managed to hold onto their lead of the smartphone market and command a still impressive market share of 38%. Smartphone shipments were up 41%, much lower than Apple, but that figure actually represents a record number for Nokia in that 23.8 million units were shipped during Q2. It’s still important to recognise though, that like Apple, they are growing slower than the market is overall.
RIM managed to ship enough units to maintain its place as the second most popular purveyour of smartphones with an 18% share of the market. RIM’s growth rate was the same as Nokia’s, 41% for Q2, and like Nokia this represents a slower than market growth rate.
Android has emerged as the big winner here in terms of growth with an almost 900% increase in shipments. The overall market growth rate is 64% for Q2 and to say that Android exceeds that figure would be something of an understatement. The actual figure is 886%, but we have to remember the context of this figure, which is that Android is essentially building its base at the moment. Growth rates are always going to be spectacular when you are starting off near the bottom. Having said that if Android can maintain even a fraction of this growth rate they should be propelled straight to the top of the smartphone market in a matter of a few years.”via mobile-review.com