Slowly, but steadily, BlackBerry's building its BB10 app catalog with some major gets. Today, that burgeoning list grows by a very important one with the addition of Sony's Crackle. The free, ad-based streaming video service, which culls together content from Sony's various TV and film studios, is available to download now from BlackBerry World. It's also compatible with the Q10's teeny, 3.1-inch screen, so if you hate your good eyesight, you can devote an hour or two to reliving the opus that is Bad Boys II. Sure, popular apps like Instagram, Hulu Plus and Netflix have yet to make their way over to BB10, but you can't fault the Waterloo-based outfit for getting users what it can. Even if that means bringing them Bad Boys II.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Sony, Blackberry
BlackBerry 10 users rejoice! The awesome folks over at the CrackBerry forums have leaked a few screenshots of BlackBerry's upcoming OS 10.2 (build 10.2.0.483, to be exact) which reveal a bunch of new features, including actionable notifications and WiFi Direct. With the former, you'll be able to pull down on notifications and respond to them (as shown above). This OS version will also provide a way to mute notifications or view them on the lock screen. WiFi Direct, which was hinted at during BlackBerry Live, is now confirmed with this build. It enables simple peer-to-peer wireless connectivity between various devices like phones, tablets, printers and TVs. This update also include a new native Evernote app, settings app and app manager. Find out more at the source link below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Blackberry
Via: PhoneArena
Source: CrackBerry forums
BlackBerry got off to a roaring start with with the Z10, which shipped a million devices in its first three weeks on the market and led many to predict there'd be at least 3 million shipped this quarter (the first full quarter of Z10 availability). That turned out not to be the case, as the company said during an earnings call for Q1 2014 that it managed to get just 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 OS handsets out the door, despite the Q10 having joined the Z10 on shelves for a good part of that period. Those figures make up just 40 percent of its handset numbers, meaning most of the 6.8 million phones it shipped consisted of cheaper last-gen products. They refused to break those numbers down between the Q10 and Z10, so that's all we have to go on at this point -- but taken with its announcement of an $84 million loss, it's far from encouraging.
Update: Apologies, folks. Our original headline said 2.7 million were sold, whereas in fact the figure indicates shipping numbers. The post itself is unchanged and accurate. For reference, BlackBerry's actual sales to end users lagged behind shipments by around 30 percent when they revealed the previous set of figures back in March.
Filed under: Cellphones
Earlier than expected (and a little pricier than we'd hoped), the BlackBerry Q5 will go on sale tomorrow in the UAE. We know that its radios are primed for AT&T 3G and while the build might not rival the flagship BB10 device, it's another option for those who can't relinquish the tactile joys of a physical keyboard. It will launch priced at 1,499 AED (just above $400), which nets you BlackBerry's latest OS spread across a 3.1-inch touchscreen with the aforementioned keyboard nestled below. Interested in hopping on a red-eye flight for the third device since the company's name change? Then we'd recommend reacquainting yourself with our first impressions.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Source: CrackBerry
The pre-order process for the BlackBerry Q10 is already well underway, but AT&T has kept quiet on its official retail and online availability until now. The company has now confirmed to us that the QWERTY-laden device will be ready for public consumption -- both online and in corporate locations -- starting June 21st for $200. If you didn't get your pre-order in but still want to get it hot off the shelves, keep an eye out for it this weekend. Official statement below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, AT&T, Blackberry
When we were introduced to BlackBerry's Q5, a lower-end QWERTY handset running BB10 OS, we were told it was aimed at emerging markets and heard of no plans to bring it to the US. While that still could be the case, a device with the identifier RFS121LW and an appearance matching that of the Q5 has been given the all-clear by the FCC. Now, this might be just a roaming application (when devices not sold in the US get approved for use there), but it's important to note that the 3G radio inside this phone is compatible with AT&T's network (850 / 1900MHz). We can't guarantee the image above isn't a generic outline BlackBerry's used to show the position of the label, nor can we totally certain you'll ever be able to purchase a Q5 from the US carrier. Well, at least not until the Q10 launch buzz dies down, anyway.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, AT&T, Blackberry
Source: FCC