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Are you part of the three quarters of Americans who don’t want airlines to allow in-flight calls? I sure am. It’s an easy decision for a BlackBerry Geek. We have so many other features on our phones that if airlines allowed us to use them, we could keep ourselves occupied with email, SMS, BBMessenger, and a whole ton of BlackBerry applications. That seems to be the majority opinion. People are fine with silent functions, but simply do not approve of the annoyance of the person next to them jabbering away for the entire flight.

Read the rest of Americans against in-flight cell calling…

Quick note before getting to the meat of this post. Yes, there are rumors out there as to the BlackBerry Bold price and release date. They might be true, they might not. But, as we learned with the Curve debacle, it is best to wait for a real announcement, as to not get everyone in a tizzy wondering when the device will be released.

Anyway, now onto a story I saw at Mobility Site. He recounts a party he attended where a shockingly large number of people were using the BlackBerry Curve. They all had their reasons, even though a number of Windows Mobile phone support superior features — more third party apps, WiFi, 3G speeds.

Read the rest of Why people choose BlackBerry over Windows Mobile…

I’m sure no one cares what happened at the WES Welcome Reception last night. It was basically a meet and greet with some booths set up in the middle of the ginormous room. It’s not exactly something you write home about. Well, except for the pineapple and bacon sliders. Man those were good.

What we did learn, though, was that Microsoft and RIM are joining forces to offer Windows Live services on BlackBerry devices. This will help integrate Hotmail with the BlackBerry platform, which is something many people have been clamoring for.

Read the rest of WES kickoff: Microsoft and BlackBerry team up…

Does your BlackBerry have GPS? If so, do you know who’s tracking you? Okay, so that sounds a bit paranoid. But in an age where location based technology is becoming more widespread, there exists the potential for abuse. This is something we discussed on our sister site, Going Cellular. While I love what GPS brings to the table — and hate Verizon for crippling the unit in my 8830 — I can’t ignore the possible evils that come along with it. Today, I’ll go over some issues to think about regarding GPS on your BlackBerry.

Read the rest of The future of GPS on your BlackBerry…

This is an odd one. It appears that Gear Diary (via CrunchGear) has picked up a tidbit on Sprint’s offering of the Curve. No it’s not a release date, but if it’s not out tomorrow, Alltel will be the first to carry it. It’s quite an odd pricing scheme. Full details after the jump. But the long and short of the matter is that if you want the Curve 8830 from Sprint without a contract, you’re going to be out 750 bucks.

Read the rest of Expect to sign a contract to get Sprint’s Curve…

Ready for a June launch of a 3G iPhone on AT&T? Don’t get too excited, because you’re going to have to wait another month or two. It might be August before we see a 3G iPhone launch on a GSM carrier in the U.S. AT&T is citing call quality issues, but others are quick to point another reason for the delay. Speculation is that Apple will release its 3G iPhone in June as well, and RIM wants to avoid competing with the hip new device. And so the 8900, a.k.a. Meteor, will stay out of consumer hands for at least three more months.

Read the rest of AT&T’s 3G BlackBerry pushed back…

So the BlackBerry Curve 8330 was supposed to have been released through Sprint at this point. But it hasn’t. Which, of course, is causing all kinds of concern. This is even moreso if you were one of the unlucky few who were told by a Sprint rep that you’d have to wait until June 1. According to Engadget Mobile, Sprint still plans to launch the device this month. I’m guessing that means not today, so in that case they have nine days to get it out. Call me a skeptic, but I’m not sure this happens. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if we do, in fact, have to wait until June 1 for the Sprint Curve.

The telecommunications industry in India has really been taking off over the past few years. In fact, they’re considered “the world’s fastest expanding wireless market.” They’ve got over 200 million subscribers now, which rivals the numbers of the U.S. (though there are plenty more people in India than in the U.S.) Those numbers are swelling by about eight million per month. However, it isn’t all going smoothly. The country’s government has demanded that it be allowed to monitor content being transmitted through the devices. Failure to comply would put a stop to BlackBerry service in the country.
Read the rest of India to RIM: Allow us to spy, or you’re toast…

For this I’m thankful. Research In Motion has announced a scheduled outage for North American BlackBerry users from between 6 and 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. However, that is Mountain Time. So adjust accordingly. Thanks to Boy Genius Report for the tip. BBGeekcast coming later today.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve read a ton about the implications of the iPhone entering the business world. “It’ll kill BlackBerry,” say some Apple enthusiasts. “RIM is here to stay,” say the BlackBerry crowd. Clearly, it’s more complex than that. Count me among those who think that there is a place for both of them. (”You moderate,” both crowds day. “You stand for nothing!”) But as Rae revealed on the BBGeekcast last week, there is a large contingent of BlackBerry users who like the simplicity of it. This came after she said she’d rather not see BlackBerry models featuring a slide-out keyboard or a touchscreen. So maybe we shouldn’t be calling the iPhone a “BlackBerry killer,” but rather a real BlackBerry competitor.
Read the rest of The great iPhone debate…