That nifty image you see above is apparently 100 percent legit. The Verge posted it on Monday afternoon, and Boy Genius Report followed with more information. What you see is the BlackBerry London, RIM’s first BBX* device, and it does look quite different than any BlackBerry model we’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, BGR provided a bummer of a news nugget: we shouldn’t expect this until the third quarter, and maybe even late in the third quarter, of 2012. It’s going to be a while until we see the future of the BlackBerry platform. But that might not be all bad.

* Apparently Basis, a company that has a trademark on the term BBX in the US, is has filed an injunction that would force RIM to stop using the name. It sounds like they are deadly serious about this.

One theme we’ve echoed on BBGeeks is that completeness is the key. If RIM wants to regain its previous position in the market, it has to deliver in a big way. One lesson learned from the PlayBook is that an incomplete device, no matter the potential, will not cut it. The London has to be a full, complete device at launch, and ideally that completeness includes a large selection of apps. The further along RIM is with developing BBX, the better the London will sell.

If nothing else, we got a glimpse at the future this week. It might seem far off. It is far off. But it’s an indication that RIM is not taking any chances here. They’re taking the time to make sure that the device is right — that it has all the features that made the BlackBerry great, and all the features that will bring it back to prominence.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry London, here to save RIM

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The BlackBerry London, here to save RIM

If you have or have picked up a BlackBerry PlayBook, you have an idea of how BBX will function. RIM didn’t reveal many smartphone specifics, so it’s unclear whether they’ll retain the four-button scheme or they’ll stick with the bezel swiping that works so well on the PlayBook. But a bezel-based system would make sense, considering they’re going for a similar experience on both devices. It makes further sense, because that’s what has worked for RIM’s biggest competitor, Apple, and to a lesser extent for Android.

While the platform change is radical enough, RIM is taking another huge step forward. Gone are the days of Java development. On the downside, that means that no current BlackBerry app will work with QNX. That makes enough sense, since you can’t use BlackBerry apps on the PlayBook. On the upside, it means more opportunities for developers. Here is a list of development environments that BBX will support:

Development environments supported by the BBX platform include HTML5 with BlackBerry® WebWorks™, Adobe® AIR®, Native C/C++, and the BlackBerry® Runtime for Android™ Apps. Apps built today for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet will also run on BBX.

RIM has also backed off many of its previous developer requirements, which should make it easier for developers to create apps and games for the BlackBerry platform. This might be one of the most important tidbits from DevCon. Many developers have stated that they don’t do BlackBerry apps because there are too many restrictions. Clearly the best way to address this was to remove those restrictions, and RIM has done that.

Also on the app side, developers will continue to take advantage of the greatest app features that RIM has ever introduced. They call them Super Apps, but really they’re just integrations with native BlackBerry services. That is, developers will have access to push functions and BBM integration. This opens up so many opportunities for interactive and social apps. Again, this will be a huge key for BBX.

Heading into the week, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie said of BBX: “We’ve leapfrogged everyone with what we’re announcing and you’re going to see it on display.” I’m not quite sure they leapfrogged anyone. Even if the BBX experience is, on some levels, better than Android and iPhone, BlackBerry has a long way to go in catching them. (Plus, “better” is a subjective term relative to each user’s needs.) They might have put themselves in position to leapfrog the other platforms, but there’s a long road ahead before they leapfrog in terms of users and sales.

It’s hard to deny that RIM made some huge strides this week. Some will, of course, but you needn’t listen to them. Some people simply don’t like the BlackBerry platform and will use them as a punchline whenever the opportunity arises. But for anyone who actually thinks about what’s going on, RIM has put itself in a position to secure the No. 3 smartphone spot in the near term — BBX will obliterate Windows Phone — and could reposition itself as a business leader and a consumer alternative in the long term. It’s starting to get exciting for BlackBerry geeks. That’s for sure.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Meeting the future of the BlackBerry: BBX

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Meeting the future of the BlackBerry: BBX

Verizon offers the new BlackBerry Social Messaging Data Package with the Curve 9330. That goes along with the discount price, since the Curve costs just $50. You’ll have to sign a two-year contract that includes a voice plan of at least $40 per month, and then a text messaging plan on top of that. Essentially, that makes it $20 cheaper per month, or $480 over the life of the contract. You can check it out at Verizon’s website.

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RIM and Verizon unveil email-less BlackBerry plan

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RIM and Verizon unveil email-less BlackBerry plan

As detailed in the press release, users can send and receive contact information, documents, URLs, photos and “other multimedia content” via this Bump-like application. Again, when you’re hanging out with other BlackBerry users this probably makes life a little easier. Instead of setting up a file transfer you can just bump phones. The technology takes advantage of NFC, which is included on BlackBerry 7 smartphones.

Yet I’m not sure I see the big deal in this. File transfer is convenient because it allows me to share something with people across the globe. BlackBerry Tag is obviously limited to those people in my immediate vicinity. True, it makes those transfers a bit easier in those instances — and instant exchange of BBM contacts is huge. But are you going to use it frequently enough to make it a really big feature?

Furthermore, how will media companies view this? After all, it allows people to bump BlackBerrys to exchange music and movies — copyrighted music and movies, specifically. This seems like an all-too-convenient means of piracy. Then again, BBM file transfers produce the same effect. But again, convenience is focus here. I’m not sure the record labels would appreciate BlackBerry enabling convenient piracy.

Still, there appear to be no downsides to this new technology. It’s not as though they’re going to charge for it. And, if we’re lucky, some developers will start working on this and add Tag to their apps. That would certainly add to the allure of Tag. But for now it’s just an idea, and an idea that has appeared on other platforms. Here’s to hoping RIM can make it work for the BlackBerry.

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BlackBerry to make sharing a bit easier with Tag

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BlackBerry to make sharing a bit easier with Tag

The $50 certainly ranks among the best BlackBerry deals in the business. It includes unlimited talk, text, and web, which includes BIS access. That includes BBM, App World, and all the services you probably have on your BlackBerry right now. The $60 plan ramps up the speed, providing HSPA+ speeds for compatible devices. For now that’s just the Bold 9900 and the Torch 9860 — two phones that users probably won’t buy at full price.

There are some instances where purchasing the Bold 9900 at full retail price and then taking it to Simple Mobile might make sense. For instance, if you need T-Mobile’s $75 Unlimited Premium plan, you’d be paying $25 more per month than Simple Mobile’s unlimited plan. In just one year you’d break even. That is, the one-year cost of ownership with T-Mobile is $1,200 — $300 for the phone and $900 for the plan. At Simple Mobile it’s the same $1,200, but it’s broken down differently: $600 for the phone and $600 for the plan.

(T-Mobile does have a $60 monthly plan, though, that includes 2GB of data. With this plan it would take 30 months to break even, so it’s not such a good deal.)

There are other options, of course. For instance, the Curve 3G retails for $250. There also a number of older models on Simple Mobile’s compatible BlackBerry page. This might be a way to re-use a BlackBerry that’s sitting in a drawer; it might be cheaper to put a family member on Simple Mobile’s plan than to add them to an existing family plan.

A few years ago it was unfathomable to use a BlackBerry on a prepaid carrier. There were just so many complications, including BIS connection, that made it impractical. Yet in the past few years we’ve seen a number of companies offer BIS-based BlackBerry plans for reasonable monthly rates. They’re not for everyone, but this new Simple Mobile plan seems as though it will appeal to a wider swath of BlackBerry users than other prepaid plans.

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Simple Mobile brings another prepaid BlackBerry option

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Simple Mobile brings another prepaid BlackBerry option

What you see above is not the Bold 9650 or 9780 up against the Bold 9900. Instead, it’s an unreleased BlackBerry, the 9790. As noted in my BlackBerry Bold 9930 review, RIM changed the design slightly this time around, creating a thinner but wider device. I prefer it to the other Bold designs, but there are surely BlackBerry geeks who would rather have the narrower, thicker device. This one is for them. The Bold 9790 brings the same under-the-hood improvements as the other new BlackBerry models, including the all important 1.2GHz processor and the touchscreen. It just comes in a different shell. Apparently this could drop sometime in October, presumably on GSM carriers. Maybe this is what AT&T will get instead of the Bold 9900.

Via BGR

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RIM keeping familiar Bold design with Bold 9790

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RIM keeping familiar Bold design with Bold 9790

Pictured above is the BlackBerry Torch 9810, one of many devices that RIM recently unveiled. We’ve known about these handsets since early in the year, but it’s always refreshing to see RIM or a carrier make it official. This year, however, it seems there is a bit less excitement to go along with these announcements. The BlackBerry brand has taken a considerable hit in the past year, with customers defecting for the iPhone and Android devices. The question that even die-hard BlackBerry fans are asking with this crop is, will it be any different? I think there’s sufficient reason to think so.

RIM tried to shift gears with the BlackBerry last year when it launched the Torch with BlackBerry OS 6. They portrayed it as a revamped operating system on a sleek handset — basically, something that could keep up with the market. I had the pleasure of testing the Torch for about a month, and during that time I was decently impressed. It beat the pants off my current BlackBerry at the time, the 9630, and it combined two things I enjoy: touchscreens and physical keyboards. But it was still lacking in some areas.

In particular, I thought the entire device was held back by a slow processor. RIM has been known to do this, keep the processor speed low, because it makes for better battery life. Their customers are on the go, they reason, and might not have time to charge at will. The longer the battery lasts, the more use they can get out of the phone between charges. That works in theory, but in practice it leaves us with an underpowered device that can’t properly run even the BlackBerry OS. I really did think that they made positive strides with BlackBerry OS 6, and that notion was reinforced when I got a 9650. But the processor speed means that I can’t get the most out of it.

The new BlackBerry models all have much faster processors, 1.2GHz to be precise. This trumps many new Android smartphones hitting the market. That will allow users to really explore the OS. You won’t be held back by lag and other speed-based issues. You can just use your device the way it was intended: smoothly and quickly. I think that does add a degree of value to these devices, and makes them more worthy than many analysts will have you believe. BlackBerry OS 6, and by extension 7, might not be a new revolution in smartphone software. It is, however, a solid operating system that combines BlackBerry’s top-notch messaging platform with plenty of other smartphone features.

Despite my previous pessimism regarding this new line of BlackBerry devices, I think that users will get plenty of use out of them. Anyone who enjoys the traditional BlackBerry form factor will enjoy the addition of a touchscreen in the Bolds 9900 and 9930. It’s essentially optional, too, since it has all the apparatus of the non-touch BlackBerry devices. Storm haters will find the 9850 and 9860 a breath of fresh air, running in a smoother manner than their predecessors. There’s no more clicking when typing, and the faster processor should make everything run a ton better than on the original Storms. And the Torch 9810 should take an already good BlackBerry device and put it over the top.

These devices might not be for everyone. Some people want the newest and glitziest things, and for them there is Android and iPhone. But for those who want the best smartphone messaging platform on the market, and want to get a little bit more out of the device, RIM has submitted for your approval its best BlackBerry devices to date. While they’re certainly in competition with the more popular platforms, they can definitely exist on a different plane.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Why this crop of BlackBerry smartphones has a chance

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Why this crop of BlackBerry smartphones has a chance

When the PlayBook was first released, it was almost universally considered a raw product. The hardware was there, but the software lagged behind. Already we’re seeing things start to fall into place. Last week we saw a leaked version of the Android player, and the official version likely isn’t far behind. Developments figure to snowball from there, perhaps culminating with a release of a cellular-radio-equipped PlayBook in the fall. We should also see the native email application by then, further enhancing the PlayBook’s value.

That’s not to say that the PlayBook is a poor device right now. Not by any stretch. Zach Epstein of BGR recently declared that the PlayBook was his favorite tablet, and it’s easy to see why his opinion would spread far and wide. While the uber-geeks might prefer the larger screen and better app selection from the iPad, the PlayBook has more of an Everyman feel. The more casual appeal could, in the end, lead to better sales. The real test will come this fall, during the big shopping season, when the PlayBook will be more fully equipped. Having that video editing software aboard will only make it more appealing.

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RIM adds video-editing group JayCut to the family

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RIM adds video-editing group JayCut to the family

Most cell phone carriers say no. The price of service is the price of service, period. But T-Mobile is trying something new. Starting on Sunday, you can choose to pay full price for a handset, and in exchange you’ll get a cheaper service rate. You’ll still have to sign a two-year contract, but you won’t be paying as much as a person who took the subsidy. Clearly this will work differently for different people. Will it work for you?

The breakdown is pretty simple, since T-Mobile has only two BlackBerry models: the 9780 and the Curve 3G. They figure to get the Bold 9900, and maybe a few of the other models on the GSM roadmap, but for now we’ll focus on what’s currently in inventory. First, let’s look at what the value plans will cost. (From TmoNews.com.)

Basically, you save $15 per month on the 200MB, 5GB, and 10GB plans, while you save $20 per month on the 2GB plan. That’s clearly where the value lies, then. I’m guessing that’s their most popular plan as well. If you were to pick that plan, you’d then save $240 per year, or $480 during the life of a two-year agreement. With the other plans you’d save $360 in two years.

With the Curve 3G this is a no-brainer. The suggested retail price is $189.99 and the subsidized price is $49.99, making a $140 difference. If you signed up for the 2GB plan, you’d save $340 over the life of the contract. With the other plans you’d save $220. The Bold costs $449.99 unsubsidized and $129.99 with the normal subsidy, making for a $320 difference. If you had the 2GB plan you’d still save $160 in two years, though if you had any of the other plans you’d be in the black only $40. But that’s still $40.

The only catch, of course, is that you have to fork over that dough right away, rather than spreading it out over two years. For some people, spreading it out might make sense. You could invest those extra dollars and perhaps get closer to even in two years. There’s also the issue of simply not having that much money to drop on a cell phone. I’m definitely in that category. While economically it makes way more sense to buy a Bold outright with a 2GB plan, I don’t think I could so easily come up with the $450, at least not on short notice, and definitely not without messing up my finances in some way.

It’s clear, then, that T-Mobile’s new plans have some serious money-saving potential. They tried this in another form when they rolled out their Even More and Even More Plus plans, but for some reason that didn’t work out. Now they’ve refined the idea and have given us real incentive to buy our devices outright, rather than relying on a subsidy. I like where this is going, not just for T-Mobile but for the industry as a whole. It might not appeal to me immediately, but I’m sure that plenty of people would love to save hundreds of dollars in the long run by ponying up to begin with.

What I ask of you, dear BlackBerry Geek: is this something you’d want to do? Would you be more willing to do this on other carriers if they followed in kind?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

What’s better for you, subsidized or full-priced BlackBerry?

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What’s better for you, subsidized or full-priced BlackBerry?

While RIM made definite upgrades to its operating system with OS 6, it has still left the smartphone loving masses wanting. There will be some subtle improvements with OS 7, but as per usual it will be nothing groundbreaking. The revolution, as we’re told, will come when RIM gets its QNX operating system on its line of smartphones, which will probably happen in 2011. With the QNX team working on the back-end, and with The Astonishing Tribe handling the UI issues, RIM probably isn’t seeking any outside help with the design. But if they were so inclined, they could gain a lot of insight from a 16-year-old who goes by the handle Bongs on the CrackBerry forums. He’s created a video walk-through of what he imagines would be a powerful and up-to-date OS for the BlackBerry.

Make sure to watch the video above. After the break is one of his huge images describing the OS. Make sure to check out the CrackBerry Forums thread too, as it has more images. It truly is a marvel, as it combines the traditional RIM feel with other features present on the other popular smartphone platforms. I know that if RIM put out a device running this software that the complaints would cease.

Click the image for a full-sized version (which you can zoom into see).

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An ambitious vision of BlackBerry OS 8

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An ambitious vision of BlackBerry OS 8