Posted by Mauricio on Nov 9, 2009 at 3:22 PM | Comments
Lots of news coming out of the BlackBerry Developer Conference today!
RIM has announced the BlackBerry Academic Program which provides colleges and universities content to help learn about developing for the BlackBerry platform. Course content is currently available for mobile application development, administration of BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry support.
Mobile Application Development Courses – Students can learn about the tools and techniques for developing applications for BlackBerry smartphones. Courses cover topics such as BlackBerry smartphone features and functionality, user interface design, multimedia application development, mobile web application development and Java® application development.
Administration Courses – Mobile communication and collaboration tools continue to play a large role in boosting the productivity of enterprise workforces, and the need for trained professionals to administer and support mobile solutions has grown with it. There are over 200,000 BlackBerry® Enterprise Server installations globally and trained professionals are needed to maintain and support these deployments.
Support Courses – Students are trained to work in technical call centers or IT support environments in support of the BlackBerry solution. The Support courses also include information that can help prepare students for the corresponding BlackBerry Certification exam.
Over 500 students have already taken courses in the program and universities in Canada and the US are beginning to offer courses and course content from the program in their curriculum. For more info visit blackberry.com/academic or check out the press release after the jump.
Posted by Mauricio on Nov 9, 2009 at 12:00 PM | Comments
Thanks to @themes4bb I’ve got some great news for developers working with the BlackBerry platform!
At the 2009 BlackBerry Developer Converence in San Francisco (currently in session), RIM has announced a new services platform for developers that will enable them to streamline business processes and build highly responsive, location-away, revenue-generating apps. Among the new services will be a BlackBerry Advertising Service, Payment Service and new Location Services.
BlackBerry Payment Service to Enable In-Application Transactions and Streamlined Payment Processes
A new BlackBerry® Payment Service from RIM will present BlackBerry developers with new opportunities to monetize applications by selling digital content such as premium content, monthly or annual subscriptions, and additional levels or upgrades for games and other entertainment applications from within their applications. The BlackBerry Payment Service will also incorporate merchant services, including customer billing.
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BlackBerry Push Service for Delivering Content and Alerts to Applications to Become Generally Available
BlackBerry® Push Service, which was first made exclusively available to BlackBerry® Alliance Program members earlier this year, will be made generally available to registered developers in the first half of 2010. BlackBerry Push Service allows developers and content providers to deliver time-sensitive alerts and up to 8 KB of data to applications.
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New Location Services to Advance Location-Aware BlackBerry Applications
Adding to the GPS capabilities already supported on the BlackBerry Application Platform today, RIM will introduce three new location-based services for developers to build highly responsive, location-aware applications for BlackBerry smartphones. The three new location-based services include cell site geolocation, reverse geocoding and travel time.
I’m glad RIM is opening up more opportunities for better integration and development of the BlackBerry platform. This is only one of the announcements made at the Developer Conference so far, I’m sure we’ll be hearing some more great news soon!
Posted by Mauricio on Nov 9, 2009 at 9:32 AM | Comments
Back in mid-October T-Mobile Germany listed the BlackBerry Bold 9700 as being available in November but no pricing info was available at the time. T-Mobile Germany has updated their site (translated) with pricing and contract info for the Bold 9700.
Pricing for the Bold 9700 with T-Mobile Germany starts at 159,95€ ($240.18) on a new “Relax 120″ plan, up to 499,95€ ($750.23) with no contract. Since T-Mobile USA already has dummy units in stores hopefully they will follow with a site update of their own.
Posted by Mauricio on Nov 5, 2009 at 1:42 PM | Comments
Earlier this morning Verizon announced the BlackBerry Curve 8530 and now Sprint has also announced it. While Verizon had pricing and date info but no web page, Sprint has a web page but no pricing or date info.
“BlackBerry Curve 8330 has been a tremendous success for Sprint. BlackBerry Curve 8530 continues that legacy with the addition of several important features that make it a winner for both entertainment and productivity,” said Kevin Packingham, Sprint Senior Vice President of Product Development. “This is one device that can really do it all with the email, calendar and contact synchronization BlackBerry is known for as well as the latest multimedia and social media features. We are anxious to bring it to our customers who also appreciate the strength of our network, the affordability of our rate plans and our Ready Now customer service experience.”
To pre-register for the BlackBerry Curve 8530 from Sprint visit sprint.com/blackberrycurve8530. More info in the press release after the jump.
Posted by Mauricio on Nov 5, 2009 at 10:53 AM | Comments
Verizon has announced the BlackBerry Curve 8530 with an availability date of November 20th.
The BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone is expected to be available from Verizon Wireless beginning Nov. 20 for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a voice plan with an Email and Web feature or an Email and Web for BlackBerry plan. Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. Data plans for the BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone begin at $29.99 when added to any Nationwide voice plan.
Among the features, the Curve 8530 will be 3G, WiFi and GPS enabled, will have 256 MB of memory and a 528 MHz processor, 2.0 megapixel camera, and Trackpad navigation. For more info check out the press release after the jump.
Posted by Mauricio on Nov 4, 2009 at 6:12 PM | Comments
My buddy Thomas (@aka_thewarrior) and his buddy BES let me know that BlackBerry Bold 9700 dummy units are arriving at T-Mobile USA stores!
As a reminder, RIM announced that the Bold 9700 would be launching worldwide in November and T-Mobile is having a Go Bolder Event tomorrow so I’m sure we’ll be seeing an official announcement real soon. The Bold 9700 has already launched on a few carriers so it looks like the worldwide launch is right on schedule.
While you wait be sure to check out the Bold 9700 features and specifications to become familiar with this device if you haven’t already. Any T-Mobile customers excited about getting this awesome BlackBerry?
Posted by Mauricio on Nov 3, 2009 at 9:57 PM | Comments
A few hours ago my area (Central Jersey) was hit with a network outage affecting voice and messaging services, so I sent a tweet to @Tmobile_USA about it. I soon found out that this outage was a nationwide issue and not just in my area, according to chatter on Twitter.
@Tmobile_USA sent out their own tweet vaguely addressing the issue but a T-Mobile Forums moderator posted a more detailed response:
We’re making good progress restoring voice and messaging service to affected customers.
At this time, approximately 5 percent of T-Mobile customers are experiencing service disruptions.
Issues began at approximately 5:30 p.m. Eastern time. Our rapid response team is working continuously to fully resolve this disruption.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused our customers.
My service seems to be restored but I’m getting reports that users are still being affected in other areas. Were you affected by T-Mobile’s network outage? If so let me know when and where in the comments!
Posted by Mauricio on Nov 3, 2009 at 9:09 PM | Comments
A little late in the game but better late than never, US Cellular now has the BlackBerry Tour 9630 available for purchase.
Pricing with 2 year service agreement:
Price Before Mail-In Rebate:
$499.95 – Original Price
$269.95 – Best Price (With $230.00 discount for 2 year agreement)
Price After Mail-In Rebate:
$269.95 – Before Rebate
$199,95 – After $70 Mail-in Rebate
The Tour 9630 from US Cellular is not available on prepaid plans. The $70 rebate is only available if you sign up for a 2-year service agreement on a calling plan at $39.99 or higher with a BlackBerry E-Mail & Web plan at $24.95.
Posted by Mauricio on Nov 3, 2009 at 1:28 AM | Comments
A few weeks ago Canadian service provider Rogers announced via this press release that it would soon be offering the BlackBerry Bold 9700. @BRSDiddy let me know that Rogers has just updated their website and now has the Bold 9700 available for purchase!
Pricing:
3 year contract – $299.99
2 year contract – $499.99
1 year contract – $549.99
Monthly contract – $549.99
No contract – $599.99
If you absolutely can’t wait for your own service provider to get the Bold 9700 and don’t mind spending $600 to get it early then here’s your chance. Other than that if you’re a Rogers customer or plan on becoming one you can choose from a few contract options to get a certain amount off a new Bold 9700.
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