RIM, Nokia assure absence of Carrier IQ on their phones.

Only yesterday, we reported and subsequently introduced you to the misdeeds of Carrier IQ - one of the leading providers of mobile Intelligence solutions in the wireless industry, who were accused of snooping into the private details of the users' smartphones, an accusation, which they accepted. Now, an official post by RIM assures users that those using BlackBerry smartphones needn't worry about any rootkit programs by Carrier IQ.

Just as reports about the supposed Carrier IQ interventions on several smartphones began making rounds, RIM issued a statement saying, "RIM can attest that it does not pre-install the CarrierIQ application on BlackBerry smartphones and has never done so. Furthermore, RIM does not authorize its carrier partners to install the CarrierIQ application on BlackBerry smartphones before sales or distribution and has never done so. RIM also did not develop or commission the development of the CarrierIQ application, nor is RIM involved in any way in the testing, promotion, or distribution of the CarrierIQ application." A Nokia spokesperson via a tweet stated that, "CarrierIQ has not shipped products for Nokia devices."

The accusations, which trickled in yesterday revealed that Android smartphones and iPhones were the ones suspectedly infected by the rootkit programs. Worryingly though, it has been learnt that Carrier IQ works closely with handset manufacturers, so irrespective of whether you’ve bought the phone on contract, you may have this rootkit in your phone.

RIM to bring Mobile Fusion security tool for iOS and Android.

BlackBerry has been struggling to keep up with the ever-demanding mobile terrain with competitors dishing out the best of iOS, Android and Windows platforms. BlackBerry devices have been preferred by corporate and government agencies for years, but these devices are being replaced by Android and iOS smartphones. RIM has decided to offer its new security tool to other mobile devices, including the ones running on iOS and Android. The company will launch the Mobile Fusion in the first quarter, a device management software that enables corporate IT staff to set and monitor apps, passwords and software for other devices, reports Reuters.

This tool allows the company to remotely lock and also wipe off data from a lost/stolen device. "We will take full advantage of whatever security capabilities are provided by the core operating system. We're not going to hold that back in any way, shape or form," said Alan Panezic, RIM's Vice President for enterprise product management.

The Mobile Fusion will sit behind the corporate firewalls of BlackBerry Enterprise Servers (BES). However, the price of the new software, which is said to be ‘competitive’ isn’t disclosed, yet. There are other small companies such as Good Technology, MobileIron and BoxTone offering the service.

"This will definitely rattle some cages" among smaller companies, filling a niche by securing and managing iPhones and other non-BlackBerry devices for corporations, Forrester analyst Christian Kane said.

Google Recommends 2-Step Process To Protect Your Account.

Most savvy Internet users probably have at one at least Google account – mainly because Google, for good or bad, crosses paths with so many other websites that it’s hard to avoid not using the services and apps it has to offer. If you use your Google sign-in ID for multiple websites, and/or sign into Google Mail from public or shared computers, you should definitely make sure the account is secure. To better protect your account, Google offers a 2-step verification process designed for your Gmail account. If you haven’t already been requested to use it, here is how it works.

Google says this optional verification procedure is designed to “protect your account even it’s stolen or cracked.” To get started, follow the instructions here, or sign into your Google account > Settings page, and under Security, click “Using 2-Step verification”. It is best to start the process on a computer you use on a regular basis so that you can also authenticate that computer as part of the process. The verification will be remembered on your computer for 30 days. You will also need a landline or mobile phone to receive a text message or phone call for the verification code.

If you’re a Android, BlackBerry, or iPhone user, you can also download a Google Authenticator app which saves you the trouble of doing the authentication process by computer and SMS message. For extra measure, Google also advises that you print backup verification codes in case your phone is lost or stolen.

RIM launches Curve 9380, Bold 9790 and Curve 9350 in India

RIM brings its new BlackBerry Curve 9380, BlackBerry Bold 9790 and CDMA-based BlackBerry Curve 9350 handsets to the Indian markets. All three smartphones employ RIM’s latest BlackBerry 7 OS. These stylish devices are aimed at offering enhanced multimedia, communications, productivity and social connectivity.

The Bold features a touch display, alongside a QWERTY keypad and is fuelled by a Marvel Tavor MG1 1 GHz processor.

A quick look at the features of the BlackBerry Bold 9790:

1.> 2.4-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 480 x 360 pixel resolution
2.> 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
3.> GPS with A-GPS support
4.> Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and USB 2.0 (micro)
5.> 5 megapixel camera, video capture up to VGA resolution
6.> 3.5mm earphone socket
7.> Expandable memory up to 32GB

RIM shows its growing affinity towards touch-devices, as the 9380 is the first in the Curve series to be come embedded with a 3.2-inch touchscreen. It is powered by an 806 MHz processor.

A closer look at the specifications of the Curve 9380:

1.> 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 360 x 480 pixel resolution
2.> 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
3.> GPS with A-GPS support
4.> Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and USB 2.0 (micro)
5.> 5 megapixel camera
6.> 3.5mm earphone socket
7.> Expandable memory up to 32GB

Powered by a 800MHz processor, the BlackBerry 9350 is a CDMA phone with a spec sheet almost similar to the Bold 9790. It ropes in the usual keypad which promises accurate and quick typing. The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is priced at Rs.20,990, the Bold 9790 attaches a price tag of Rs.27,490 and the Curve 9350 (CDMA) at Rs.20,990. These handsets will be available starting December 1, 2011.

After free email, Sabeer Bhatia introduces app for free SMS.

Sabeer Bhatia, the guy who gave us Hotmail has now trained his attention to mobile phones. Jaxtr Inc. founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Yogesh Patel, today announced the launch of JaxtrSMS, an open texting application that looks to revolutionalize the SMS market by allowing users to send free SMS. About his decision to launch a mobile application, Sabeer says, “The world is moving towards mobile phones. Today mobile opportunity is bigger than Internet. While in 2003 over 3 billion SMS were sent, the number is likely to reach 12 trillion SMS by 2015, which is huge. We want to revolutionlize this space by making SMS free.”

JaxtrSMS, which has been developed completely in India can be downloaded through an app store or directly from the website, jaxtrsms.com. It’s compatible with all mobile operating systems be it the iOS, BlackBerry, Symbian, Android, J2ME, etc. Once downloaded, the app will use your number to send SMS over the Internet. With Jaxtr you can send free SMS to other Jaxtr users as well as other mobile users across the world for free. Speaking about the app, Sabeer says, “While other IM applications are closed network, with Jaxtr you can send SMS to anyone across the world for free and it doesn’t matter whether or not they have Jaxtr account, you can send the SMS to their mobile number. Currently the UI is available only in English, but the SMS text can be sent in any language. We plan to introduce UI in other languages soon.”

While one can send SMSes for free, it will also include premium services at small cost like sending multimedia messages, archiving your SMS data, transferring data to another phone etc. Initially it will be AD free, but later there will contextual advertisement to generate revenue. After its soft launch about a month ago, the app was downloaded by thousands of users across 197 countries. After all who wouldn’t want to have the option of sending free SMS right there from their phones?

But ,make no mistake while this app though allows you to send free SMS the TRAI’s 200 SMS daily rule is applicable here as well.

BlackBerry Curve 8520 free with every PlayBook.

It seems BlackBerry is going all out to get the PlayBook off from those dusty shelves. According to a report by The Economic Times, BlackBerry is offering their Curve 8520 smartphones for free on purchase of the PlayBook tablet. This seems like probably the best offer they have come up with to increase the sales of their slate.

In a statement from Research in Motion, “This festive season on purchase of BlackBerry PlayBook on MRP (max retail price), BlackBerry is offering a free BlackBerry Curve 8520 and a BlackBerry PlayBook accessory.” The website goes on to state that this offer is available on all models of the PlayBook ie. the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage capacities. The prices for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablets are Rs. 27,990 for the 16GB model, Rs. 32,990 for the 32GB slate and Rs. 37,990 for the 64GB model. Hopefully, with it being the festive season, along with throwing in the Curve 8520 as well, RIM will manage to sell their debut tablet.

RIM has come under fire in recent times because of the global outage. The company is offering paid apps for free to compensate for the massive outage and hopefully with this offer as well the company will manage to win over some lost love. Let us know in the comments below if you will pick up the BlackBerry PlayBook now since you’re getting a phone free.

RIM woos customers with free apps to stay on their good side.

In a bid to reach out to BlackBerry loyalists who have still stuck around with the service after the recent outage that hit the community, RIM has decided that free apps are the way to go. Research In Motion announced today that a selection of premium apps worth a total value of more than US $100 (about Rs. 4,900) will be offered free of charge to subscribers as an expression of appreciation for their patience during the recent service disruptions.

“Our global network supports the communications needs of more than 70 million customers,” said RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis. “We truly appreciate and value our relationship with our customers. We’ve worked hard to earn their trust over the past 12 years, and we’re committed to providing the high standard of reliability they expect, today and in the future.”

The complete selection of premium apps will become available to download at BlackBerry App World over a period of four weeks beginning Wednesday, October 19th. The selections over this period will include the following (with more to come):

1.> SIMS 3 - Electronic Arts
2.> Bejeweled - Electronic Arts
3.> N.O.V.A. - Gameloft
4.> Texas Hold’em Poker 2 - Gameloft
5.> Bubble Bash 2 - Gameloft
6.> Photo Editor Ultimate - Ice Cold Apps
7.> DriveSafe.ly Pro - iSpeech.org
8.> iSpeech Translator Pro - iSpeech.org
9.> Drive Safe.ly Enterprise - iSpeech.org
10.> Nobex Radio™ Premium - Nobex
11.> Shazam Encore - Shazam
12.> Vlingo Plus: Virtual Assistant - Vlingo

In case these apps are not available for you on BlackBerry App World or are still showing a price, they will be made available for free over the coming weeks starting Wednesday the 19th of October and will continue to be available until December 31, 2011.

RIM’s enterprise customers will also be offered one month of free Technical Support. Current customers will be offered a complimentary one month extension of their existing Technical Support contract, and customers who do not currently have a Technical Support contract will be offered a one month trial of RIM’s BlackBerry Technical Support Services - Enhanced Support, free of charge. Additional details about the program and information about how to register will be available at www.blackberry.com/enterpriseoffer.

CloudExperience: Gives You Free 10 Gb Of Storage On The Cloud.

Data backups on your computer are not safe from physical damage to the hard drive. In addition to solving this problem, online backups make your data remotely accessible. Here to help you create online backups of important data is the wonderful web service called Cloud Experience.

Cloud Experience is a website that lets you create online backups of your data. The site offers various paid and one free account; the free account provides the user with 10GB of free data storage. After you create an account on the site you can download its offline applications; there are different versions for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and BlackBerry. These applications quietly synchronize data from your computer or phone to your Cloud Experience online folders. The online interface gives you a clear view of the files you have uploaded along with their upload dates.

You can also view a list of recent activity to your account from the online interface.

Watch video:



Features:

1.> A user-friendly web service.
2.> Lets you create online backups of your data.
3.> Offers 10GB of free storage space.
4.> Has desktop applications for Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, and BlackBerry.
5.> Keeps a log of your synchronization activity.


Check out Cloud Experience from here @ www.cx.com

BlackBerry outage spreads to US and Canada, continues in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, South America.

It's day three of RIM's BlackBerry service outage in much of the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Brazil and Chile. But now the problem appears to have spread into Canada -- RIM's homeground -- and we're even hearing reports of some service issues in the US as well. We've reached out to RIM for comment, but we'd like to hear from you. Let us know whether or not you're having issues in the poll below, and jump past the break to sound off in the comments.

BlackBerry has outages in Europe, Africa, India.

BlackBerry users in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India suffered email outages for several hours on Monday, adding to the woes of struggling manufacturer Research in Motion, increeasingly seen as a takeover target. Twitter users and Reuters correspondents from Britain to Dubai to New Delhi reported disruptions or complete outages of their email and BlackBerry Messenger services. RIM said in an email sent to Reuters New Delhi: "We are working to resolve an issue currently impacting some BlackBerry subscribers in Europe, Middle East and Africa and India." In Europe and Canada, it put out an identical statement but omitted the reference to India.

"We are investigating, and we apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused whilst this is resolved," RIM said, declining to provide further detail. RIM, which once owned the corporate mobile email market, has been losing share to smartphone rivals led by Apple's iPhone as employees from the boardroom down demanded more choice. A poor reception for its Playbook tablet computer has increased pressure on RIM's top management, while a string of senior staff have left. Monday's outage follows last month's BlackBerry Messenger disruption in the Americas. Last month, investors drove RIM stock down by 20 percent, or $3 billion in value, after dismal quarterly results, raising prospects of a break-up, sale or new leadership.

Blackberry Overpowers Apple In Indian Market

Research in Motion (RIM), which had entered India in 2004, has certainly taken the Indian market by storm. RIM claims to have sold more units in India than in any other country. Research claims that Apple, one of the biggest smart phone distributors, have sold fewer handsets compared to Blackberry and Nokia. RIM's Blackberry messenger's popularity in India can be attributed to the fact that it was the first free messaging service. Bloomberg suggests that most Indians have difficulties using 3G on an iPhone, whereas it works hassle-free on Wi-Fi.

Blackberry's substantial marketing and advertising strategies may be the reason for its triumph over Apple in India. Apple depends solely on word of mouth, while it hasn't done much advertising in India. Apple has shipped 62,043 iPhones to our shores in the quarter ending June 30. According to estimates by Framingham, a Massachusetts-based researcher, this number is or fewer than low volume markets such as Norway, Belgium, and Israel.

Moreover, Apple products are not easily accessible in India, and consumers often have to seek out third-party or licensed retailers. Viren Razdan, Managing Director of consulting firm Interbrand, explains, "Apple is waiting for consumer maturity and infrastructure". Therefore Apple needs something more than just marketing and advertising might to improve their consumer base. In light of Viren Razdan's words, that something happens to be the willingness to invest in the India.

iPhone Users Are Happier Than Android Users

A Nielsen survey carried out in Britain has stated that iPhone users are happier than those who use Android phones. While the report revealed that more UK consumers opted for Android smartphones in the past six months, it also revealed that 86 percent of iPhone users were "highly satisfied" than the average smartphone owner (72 percent).

Apple iOS phone users were also found to spend a lot more on voice and data usage than their Android counterparts. Only 24 percent of Android users spend more than GBP 30 (Rs 2310 approx) per month as compared to 61 percent of iPhone users. Over 40 percent iPhone owners paid to download apps every month as against 15 percent of Android owners.

Over the past six months, Android phones have accounted for 44 percent of purchases, as compared to 25 for Blackberry, 18 for Apple iOS, and 7 for Nokia's Symbian. The analytics company has stated that as far as the smartphone operating systems are concerned, the momentum is with Android at the moment. That being said, it said that it is still too close to call between Android and Apple iOS, with RIM and Symbian not too far behind.

PlayBook To Get A Major Update

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, launched back in April, never had a smooth ride. It was criticized for its buggy firmware and lack of native apps. However, Research In Motion (RIM) is not going HP's way by abandoning its tablet. The company has shown its love towards the PlayBook by announcing an upcoming software update.

The update is expected to address most of the issues found in the BlackBerry Tablet OS (based on QNX Neutrino). It will finally bring the long-awaited native email, contacts, and calendar functionality, which is absent in the current build. The Android App Player will allow the tablet to run Android apps. Additionally, the BlackBerry Video Store will be introduced, which will let users access over 10,000 movies and TV shows, with the ability to stream them via HDMI to your TV.

The update will be showcased at the BlackBerry DevCon event in October, and will be made available shortly thereafter.

Leaked images of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 surface

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 with its slim form factor and impressive list of specifications had been treated with much appreciation. However, it was a tad bit on the larger side. This aspect of its form factor was given mixed reactions from BlackBerry Bold 9900 consumers. BlackBerry seems to have solved this problem and are rumoured to be launching a phone with the exact same specifications in a smaller form factor. BGR managed to get a hands-on experience with the next generation Bold handset – the BlackBerry Bold 9790.

The report states that like the Bold 9900, the BlackBerry Bold 9790 will also feature a touchscreen as well as a keypad. Other specifications remain the same as well with it sporting a 5 MP shooter, NFC, GPS, Wi-Fi, as well as an 8GB internal memory capacity. BGR believes that like the flagship Bold 9900, this too will come with a 1.2 GHz processor. This handset is rumoured to be launched by as early as next month. Hopefully, RIM has also taken efforts to solve the low battery life that plagues their handsets.

If the Bold 9900 put you off, would you purchase this one instead? Let us know your thoughts on the upcoming Bold 9790 handset from BlackBerry.

BlackBerry App World 3.0 now officially available for download

The beta version of BlackBerry App World 3.0 has been available for Beta Zone users, since a month, now. Those with BlackBerrys running BlackBerry OS 5.0 and more will notice a notification to update. With the new version of the BlackBerry App World, RIM has incorporated an all new design interface, which gives users the ability to view content faster.



The design refresh is the main feature of the App World 3.0 with others being Apps, Games and Themes having their own widgets. By clicking on these widgets, one can quickly browse the desired content. Another tab, which RIM has added in this update is ‘My Account’. Users can control their BlackBerry ID (BBID), which is a ‘master key’ to all BlackBerry sites, services and applications, using this service. The My World tab in the app store allows users to easily view their installed or uninstalled apps at a glance. In addition to this, one can also manage subscription content and services. The ability to share apps through social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. is also possible through My World.

For more information on BlackBerry App World 3.0(http://us.blackberry.com/apps-software/appworld/), click here. For those who have downloaded it, let us know your thoughts about the update in the comments section below.

RIMs QNX OS for BlackBerry devices to get Android compatibility.

Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) is expected to bring Android compatibility to its QNX platform next year, said some insiders of the company to Bloomberg. Android with its huge application availability in the Android Market (almost six times the apps that are available in RIM’s App World) should help RIM to widen its device appeal by extending Android apps to its existing number of apps.

According to a quote on Bloomberg from Steve Li, an analyst in Toronto, “Being able to run Android apps, that’s a big plus. If you get the tonnage of Android apps and the top 50 apps through BlackBerry’s App World, that addresses many of the concerns people have about RIM’s ecosystem.”. RIM has gone through many ups and downs during a year’s time. Its share in the smartphone market fell from 19 percent to 12 percent. In comparision to this, Apple’s market share jumped from 14 percent to 18 percent and that of Android rose to 43 percent. RIM is also expected to introduce a handful of QNX-based BlackBerry devices in early 2012. Let’s hope this move proves fruitful to RIM with respect to sales and bring back those early days for the company.

Blackberry Music On its Way.

Research In Motion is planning a music service for users of its BlackBerry devices, according to media reports.

The music service will be offered as part of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), its instant messenger service, according to the reports. The service may be launched as early as next week, said The Wall Street Journal.

A source familiar with the plan confirmed on condition of anonymity that the service was indeed being launched, but did not provide details.

Subscribers will get access to around 50 songs at a time, which they can listen to on their phones and share with other subscribers through BBM, the reports said.

RIM is not intending to compete with other music services like Apple's iTunes or Spotify, WSJ said. Instead it is focusing on making its devices more attractive to younger users who would like to customize their phones and share music, the newspaper said.

RIM said in an e-mailed statement on Thursday that its "standard policy is to decline comment on rumors and speculation". BBM is one of the largest mobile social networks in the world with over 45 million users, it added.

RIM is said to be in negotiations with four major recording labels for licensing deals, and may have closed some of the deals, according to the reports. The labels it is said to be negotiating with are Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI Group.

RIM’s first QNX based phone : BlackBerry Colt to launch in Q1 2012.

Research in Motion (RIM) has already put its conceptual QNX-based devices into the works. At least that’s what a report on BGR leads us to believe. Most of us were introduced to the operating system, QNX via the company’s PlayBook tablet, which didn’t quite live up to everyone’s expectations.

The report further goes on to state that tentatively in the first quarter of the next year, we should start seeing these QNX-powered smartphones strutting around in the market. Called the BlackBerry Colt, for now at least, the smartphone is being rumored to pack a single-core processor. Now, this may seem a little disappointing for RIM fans, since the Colt would come out at a time when its strongest competitors would have their best smartphones pack in quad-core processors and dual-core processors, to say the least. However, the report speculates that although the current internal testing on the phone is being carried out using the single-core chip, the chances of it making a switch just before its launch are not dim.

Research in Motion has to now play its cards right, since there is just too much competition out there. The popularity of the once popular BlackBerry has been dipping against iPhone and Android. Hence, a lot depends on the BlackBerry Colt.

RIM Announces BlackBerry Smartphones with 7 OS

Research In Motion (RIM) has announced five new smartphones based on the BlackBerry 7 OS. Two of them belong to the Bold series, while three are from the Torch series of business phones.

The Bold 9900 and 9930 will feature a touchscreen and keyboard, much like the Nokia E6. Both devices will be 10.5 mm thin, and NFC (Near Field Communications) capable.

The Torch 9850 and 9860 will have a touch-only interface, aided by a relatively big 3.7" screen. On the other hand, the Torch 9810 will have a slide-out keyboard, and a 3.2" touchscreen.

The new bunch will boast a 1.2 GHz processor, and will be capable of 720p video recording. The company claims that BlackBerry 7 smartphones will deliver up to 40% faster browsing speeds than previous iteration. Other improvements include optimized zooming, panning, and better HTML5 performance. The phones will come pre-installed with the latest release of BBM (BlackBerry Messenger). These new devices will be globally released later this month.

BlackBerry Messenger 6 Launched by RIM.

Research in Motion (RIM), has recently launched their new version of BlackBerry Messenger, BBM 6, making it a full time social experience. Blackberry reports that the the service will be officially released with OS 6. However, people can still download BBM 6 at the official BlackBerry site. The new messenger will be equipped with a number of features including social gaming and applications. It will allow users to users to create apps using the BlackBerry app world, as well as socialize with one another using the same applications.

The new messenger will also allow users to interact with one another while gaming. Users can also view apps listed on their friends' phone. To make things easier, BBM 6 will allow users to set a specific colour icon for each contact, so that they can identify their contact just by the colour assigned to them.