Is This the First QNX BlackBerry? (Codename London)

by Ricky Lakeit on November 14th, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Posted in Hardware News

First I want to say, like all other information about the BBX/QNX BlackBerry’s that this is purely speculation.  But it does look like if this is true, we could see some great hardware!  The looks are too much like the Porsche P9981 for my liking.  This device is suspected to have a TI-OMAP dual-core CPU running at 1.5GHz, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage, dual camera’s 8MP rear and 2MP front facing. Codenamed London and is reportedly “thinner than the iPhone 4″ and roughly the same size as a Samsung Galaxy SII.  No word on screen resolution, NFC or battery.

More will be added as it comes to the surface, and please remember this is all rumour mill and speculation at this point.

Source: The Verge

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White 9810 Now Available from Rogers and Telus

After much anticipation, Rogers and Telus have officially released the Torch 9810 in white.  It is available in stores and online.  Most users who have wanted white devices in the past have had to wait months sometimes, and its nice to see it released in a timely fashion this time.

Pricing will be the same as the original 9810 with no contract pricing for Rogers being $549 and Telus $599.  You can get this device on a 3 year term for $199 at Rogers and $129 at Telus.

Leave a comment if you are specifically getting this one because it is white.

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My First 24hrs With My BlackBerry Bold 9900

I first off want to say, even though I am a huge RIM fan, I was having my doubts.  I now own an iPhone 4 and have had 2 Android devices in my possession within the last 5 months.  All of them competing for my dedication, and each wanting to become my primary device, replacing my tried and true 9700.  Then I got the call from my local Bell World (I have become friends with one of the sales guys) that the 9900s are now in the store, and locked in his managers office.2 days later, they were able to sell them, a very sneaky and stealth release, as a Bell CSR told me on the phone that the official launch is August 16th.  I went down yesterday and picked one up, and immediately I was impressed.  It feels slick , well engineered, the keyboard is very big and spacious. It beats my old favorite keyboard of the 8900.  The screen is very bright, and detailed, and the over all aesthetics of the device are best to date on any BlackBerry I have held or seen.

One thing I was worried about, was the integration of the touch screen in to the normal navigation and use of the device,  and let me say it is very intuitive and comes natural.  I find myself using it more and more, and my trackpad being ignored.  I am still not accustomed to using it for pictures or viewing web pages, but I am sure it will come.  I will say it is very nice to be able to flick scroll through the navigation panes on the homescreen; and it is very fluid, with no lag.

The device is solid, and very fast.  I barely see the hourglass (I have only seen it while service books were rolling in, and while I was installing/uninstalling apps), the big keyboard is superb, a little clickity, but it will break in.  And over all I would say one of the only downsides would be the lack of auto focus on the camera, but its a phone, I carry a camera for pictures.

I am still awaiting for app support for applications such as SocialScope, and other apps that work, show up as unsupported in AppWorld so it a s hunting game right now looking for latest updated OTAs and finding out if they work correctly.

Overall I am impressed, I wont say it is a home-run that will save RIM, but it is a huge step in the right direction, using the 1.2Ghz processor makes the device so fast, and I honestly had to get used to scrolling because there was no lag what so ever.  One thing I will say though, is that this device will remain my primary, and the others will get dusty on my shelf.

Note: Please note that I did not include more screenshots because it is very very similar to OS6, but upon request will show more.

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My First 24hrs With My 9900

I first off want to say, even though I am a huge RIM fan, I was having my doubts.  I now own an iPhone 4 and have had 2 Android devices in my possession within the last 5 months.  All of them competing for my dedication, and each wanting to become my primary device, replacing my tried and true 9700.  Then I got the call from my local Bell World (I have become friends with one of the sales guys) that the 9900s are now in the store, and locked in his managers office.2 days later, they were able to sell them, a very sneaky and stealth release, as a Bell CSR told me on the phone that the official launch is August 16th.  I went down yesterday and picked one up, and immediately I was impressed.  It feels slick , well engineered, the keyboard is very big and spacious. It beats my old favorite keyboard of the 8900.  The screen is very bright, and detailed, and the over all aesthetics of the device are best to date on any BlackBerry I have held or seen.

One thing I was worried about, was the integration of the touch screen in to the normal navigation and use of the device,  and let me say it is very intuitive and comes natural.  I find myself using it more and more, and my trackpad being ignored.  I am still not accustomed to using it for pictures or viewing web pages, but I am sure it will come.  I will say it is very nice to be able to flick scroll through the navigation panes on the homescreen; and it is very fluid, with no lag.

The device is solid, and very fast.  I barely see the hourglass (I have only seen it while service books were rolling in, and while I was installing/uninstalling apps), the big keyboard is superb, a little clickity, but it will break in.  And over all I would say one of the only downsides would be the lack of auto focus on the camera, but its a phone, I carry a camera for pictures.

I am still awaiting for app support for applications such as SocialScope, and other apps that work, show up as unsupported in AppWorld so it a s hunting game right now looking for latest updated OTAs and finding out if they work correctly.

Overall I am impressed, I wont say it is a home-run that will save RIM, but it is a huge step in the right direction, using the 1.2Ghz processor makes the device so fast, and I honestly had to get used to scrolling because there was no lag what so ever.  One thing I will say though, is that this device will remain my primary, and the others will get dusty on my shelf.

Note: Please note that I did not include more screenshots because it is very very similar to OS6, but upon request will show more.

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OtterBox BlackBerry PlayBook Defender Series Case. Revisited.

OtterBox has been more than kind to the BerryReview team as they have provided multiple PlayBook Defender cases for review. I thought I would add my 2 cents about these ultra-protective cases and possibly answer any follow up questions the BR faithful may have been having.

First of all, this is obviously not a case for the minimalist. It adds quite a bit of bulk and nearly doubles the thickness of the PlayBook. The added thickness is a small price to pay for the amount of protection this case provides. The Defender truly does defend. As usual, OtterBox has all the bases covered with everything sealed up in forcefield-like fashion…including the screen of course.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the touchscreen functionality is not affected much at all with the Defender’s screen cover in place. It does cover some of the bezel, but I have not had any difficulty using the gestures. It shows fingerprints, but only as much as the actual screen does. Easily wiped away with your snazzy BlackBerry microfiber cloth.

The only parts that are always exposed to outside air are the 2 front speakers and the 2 microphone holes on the top of the PlayBook. The headphone jack and connection ports are accessible after opening the silicone plugs, which are conveniently labeled in case you forget.

As I was looking over previous reviews I noticed some readers asking about charging dock functionality. Due to the added bulk, you will unfortunately not be able to use the standard charging dock for PlayBook while it is encased in the Defender. When I asked the OtterBox rep if they have any plans to develop a dock that is compatible with the Defender I got another unfortunate no.

This got me thinking if OtterBox has any plans to develop a more minimal (maybe Commuter or Impact?) style case for the PlayBook. I sadly report that there is nothing in the works for this right now either.

The best part about this case is the peace of mind it brings. A PlayBook is an investment and I think its best to protect it as much as possible. The Defender does this extremely well. I think of this as pretty much preserving your tablet…for future generations.

Anything else you would like to know about the OtterBox Defender case for PlayBook? Sound off in the comments!

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Study: BlackBerrys Are Significantly Less Susceptible to Hardware Faults

I always knew that Android’s large number of licensed OEM’s was leading to substandard hardware quality but this is pretty bad. A study by WDS found that out of 600,000 customer support calls fielded for each device category only 3.7% of BlackBerry support calls were for hardware issues. This compares to 14% for Android, 9% for Windows Phone, and 8% for iPhone. Kudos to RIM’s engineers.

This is significant because hardware issues are not something that can be solved by customer service agents over the phone. They either need to be replaced by the carrier or customer or the customer simply has to live with the defect. WDS details in their study explaining why Android is leading to both high and low quality hardware but Craig Rich, Chief Marketing Officer at WDS breaks it down in one paragraph why the overall Android experience may be suffering due to lower priced devices:

“Mobile operators have to make some important decisions when selecting which smartphones to range on their networks,” adds Rich. “They must balance the need to introduce low-cost smartphone devices with the Total Cost of Ownership; how much it costs them to manage that device in their network for the duration of the subscription. A $100 smartphone might not look so attractive if it drives x3 more support traffic over its lifetime, has an above-average return rate or damages the customer experience in a way that increases the likelihood of the consumer churning. “

While these numbers make sense for Android and Windows Phone do to multiple licensees I was surprised to see Apple had such a high number at 8%. They follow the same model as RIM by making both the hardware and developing their own OS and are known for high end products. That makes me wonder if maybe Google needs to start setting some hardware quality standards for Android branded handsets to ensure it does not deteriorate their brand.

David was actually pointing out to me this week that RIM was originally known for having a rock solid device line. I remember you had to hit your 8700 with a hammer if you wanted to break it. The trackball did lead to some more hardware repairs but RIM fixed that with the trackpad. The upcoming Bold 9900 seems to be another example of solid RIM engineering and I cannot wait to get my hands on it as my personal device.

The numbers from the WDS come from a study done from June 2010-May 2011 and covered 600,000 technical support calls taken by WDS across Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia. Check out the full study press release here.

Thanks Ashley for sending this one in via PCWorld – Img Credit Sam Spratt of Gizmodo

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