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It’s Friday, which means it’s time to dig into some of the bigger BlackBerry stories of the past week. Normally I’ll pick one, maybe two, and focus on them. But this week I bounced among three stories. None is really big in itself, but each caught my eye. so without introducing the topics too much — they’re in the headline — let’s just get started.
Yesterday I saw the darndest headline on BGR: RIM’s recent marketing blitz deemed a bust; BlackBerry 7 sales weakened in January. Really, now? While I think there’s room for legitimate criticism of RIM and its marketing practices, I had a feeling, before reading the article, that this would be oversimplified number — not even number crunching. Number reciting, really. I was not disappointed.
Read the rest of Indecisive Joe: BlackBerry 7 sales, App World sales, and BBM Music…
Winter is a tough time for BlackBerry users. As we bundle up, we lose the ability to effectively use our smartphones. Maybe a scarf doesn’t get in your way, but gloves sure will. It’s particularly frustrating for touchscreen users. Have you ever tried using a BlackBerry 7 smartphone while wearing gloves? If you have, you’d know that it simply doesn’t work. Thankfully, there are some companies that are all over this.
Read the rest of Using your BlackBerry while wearing gloves…
As with any electronic device, BlackBerry devices undergo plenty of tests before they’re boxed up and shipped to dealers. The idea is to simulate a number of real-life hazards and see if the device can withstand them. At the Inside BlackBerry blog this week, Ryan P showed us a few of the more practical tests that RIM runs on its BlackBerry models. After the jump we’ll lay out the videos. They’re pretty neat, and they show just how durable a BlackBerry can be.
Read the rest of Ever wonder how they test your BlackBerry?…
The name might have changed, but the usefulness has remained the same. In older versions of the BlackBerry OS, there was AutoText. Now it’s called Word Substitution. Under both names it’s a powerful tool that allows you to type more efficiently on your BlackBerry. You can use it for two purposes: to correct common mistakes, and to use fewer characters when typing common phrases. Let’s take a quick look at Word Substitution and how it works.
Read the rest of Tips for Tuesdays: Use Word Substitution (AutoText) to speed up typing…
As Bla1ze shared last week, RIM has finally made the BlackBerry Music Store available to all customers via App World. Well, that is, customers in Australia and Canada. Those of us in the US, UK, and other countries across the globe don’t have quite the same experience. You see, RIM has been flirting with a pair of music services, so there’s a difference in experience between them. That can create confusion — and it gets compounded when combined with the PlayBook. Here’s a quick rundown of the issues and what we can expect from them.
Read the rest of Getting the BlackBerry music stores straight…
Chance are you’ve seen this image before. It showed up on CrackBerry earlier in the week, and made its rounds to all the major tech blogs shortly thereafter. It is the most recent image of the BlackBerry London, and I have to say that it looks pretty spectacular. It appears ultra thin, and the screen looks to be along the size of the Droid X series, which is one of my favorite Android series. Kevin from CrackBerry calls it a “phonified” PlayBook, which, well, is exactly what RIM said the first BlackBerry 10 phone would be.
That wasn’t the only BlackBerry news of the week, though. There were a few other nuggets worth pondering, at least for a few seconds.
Read the rest of Our first look at the BlackBerry London…
The internet was created so people could write inane articles. Just browse through our archives and you will see some glowing examples. But just because I’ve written some pretty inane articles myself doesn’t mean I can’t excoriate someone else for doing the same. That’s another reason the internet was created: so we can rip other people to shreds when they say something dumb. So with the proper apologies to and disclaimers for Jamie Condliffe at Gizmodo, the bit about not encasing your phone is just silly. Well, at least the way that he tells it.
Read the rest of Why you should use a case for your BlackBerry…
With the increasing number of location-based mobile apps, it was only a matter of time before someone developed a location-based dating app. In any ideal world it makes sense. We can use it to meet people when we’re already out and about, rather than meeting them when we’re sitting at home. It can also lead to instant dates, which sure beats the hassle of exchanging emails and agreeing on a time and place. But we don’t live in an ideal world. We live in the real world, and in the real world this type of app brings with it plenty of hazards. Would you brave them in the name of modern technology?
Read the rest of Would you use a location-based dating app?…
If you haven’t set up recurring events on your BlackBerry calendar, you’re probably not getting the most out of it. There are so many things that happen every week or every month, and we can easily lose track of them. Even if we have them set up to happen automatically, such as a bill payment, a reminder can help in many ways. Here’s a quick tutorial on setting up and then editing recurring calendar events.
Read the rest of Tips for Tuesday: Set up and edit recurring calendar events…
How much does your BlackBerry cost you? First we have the device cost. Some models, such as the Curve, are discounted, so that does help. In some cases they’re even free with a two-year contract. But there’s no way to avoid that monthly data fee. Depending on device and carrier, a BlackBerry can run up towards $1,000 for two-year cost of ownership. Even on the lower end, it costs plenty to get BlackBerry data every month. It’s high time we started using our devices to help us save money elsewhere.
Read the rest of BlackBerry money saving tips…
