Tag Archives: ResearchInMotion

That’s an affirmative on BlackBerry 10 security certification, sir

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That's an affirmative on BlackBerry 10 security certification, sir

RIM may be falling out of favor with certain government departments, but it's not removing the earpiece or pocketing the shades just yet. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has granted the BlackBerry 10 platform FIPS 140-2 certification, which basically means data security and encryption are top notch throughout. All you need to know is government agencies, and others with confidential info, can brandish BB10 handsets without worry when they launch early next year. Another piece of good news for Obama -- we're pretty sure he's due for an upgrade about now.

Continue reading That's an affirmative on BlackBerry 10 security certification, sir

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That's an affirmative on BlackBerry 10 security certification, sir originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rogers and CIBC kick off Canadian NFC-based mobile payments with mini event (update: full details)

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BlackBerry Bold 9900 Rogers mobile payment with CIBC

Rogers and its banking partner CIBC have been making much ado over bringing NFC mobile payments to Canada since the spring, but the companies have been mostly silent on actual availability and let a rumored October 15th launch date pass by without fanfare. The two partners are at last ready to swing into action, at least symbolically -- a photo-op at a Tim Hortons in Toronto on Friday will officially represent the first instance of their payment system being used in the wild. What we've seen officially and otherwise hasn't changed, which means that event star and triathlete Simon Whitfield will be using one of two NFC-equipped BlackBerry phones with a special SIM card while he buys a meal that we imagine involves coffee and maple-glazed donuts. Rogers hasn't said how soon the less sporty among us will be making payments, although the limited choices of phones (two) and carriers (one) will only give a handful of Canucks a chance to join in.

Update: Just as Whitfield's coffee is cooling off, Rogers has given out full details: the CIBC mobile payment option will roll out later in the month to at least 2,300 Tim Hortons restaurants across Canada, with 3,000 more joining in by December. It's called Suretap, as the earlier leak confirmed, and there's no surprise support for Android, Windows Phone or other platforms.

Continue reading Rogers and CIBC kick off Canadian NFC-based mobile payments with mini event (update: full details)

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Rogers and CIBC kick off Canadian NFC-based mobile payments with mini event (update: full details) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 12:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CrackBerry, MobileSyrup  |  sourceCanada Newswire, Rogers  | Email this | Comments

RIM’s latest milestone: BlackBerry 10 now being tested by over 50 carriers

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RIM's latest milestone: BlackBerry 10 now being tested by over 50 carriers

Not much is going to make us excited about the BlackBerry world until RIM's latest devices actually ship, but today's announcement from Thorsten Heins is certainly good news in that regard. Today, he revealed that BlackBerry 10 units are now in the testing labs of more than 50 carriers, a necessary milestone that suggests the first BlackBerry 10 devices are still on track for a Q1 2013 debut. Naturally, it's a shame that the company is going to miss the holiday season, but if you have a BlackBerry fan in your life, we suppose there's always room for an IOU in their stocking. In the meantime, you'll find the full statement from RIM's CEO after the break.

Continue reading RIM's latest milestone: BlackBerry 10 now being tested by over 50 carriers

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RIM's latest milestone: BlackBerry 10 now being tested by over 50 carriers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement drop Blackberry for iPhone, employees get early Christmas bonus

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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement drop Blackberry for iPhone, employees get early Christmas bonus

RIM may be banking on the release of BB10 and new devices to rejuvenate the flagging brand, but the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) isn't waiting around, opting to end their contract after eight years together. ICE stated that RIM "can no longer meet the mobile technology needs of the agency," and that it intends to purchase over 17,000 iPhones for its personnel at a cost of $2.1 million. Android was also interviewed for the role, but the agency decided that currently, Apple's closed ecosystem was the best choice, offering "reliable, mobile technology on a secure and manageable platform." While this isn't the first group (or likely, the last) to drop the Blackberry, we're wondering if the remaining million government customers in North America will stay loyal after this official stamp of disapproval. We imagine employees from other agencies might also care to make a case for switching -- nothing to do with free iPhones, of course.

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US Immigration and Customs Enforcement drop Blackberry for iPhone, employees get early Christmas bonus originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Arena  |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments

Rogers, CIBC may launch Suretap NFC-based payments on October 15th, require a unique SIM

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Rogers, CIBC may launch Suretap NFCbased payments on October 15th, require a unique SIM

Rogers and Canadian bank CIBC struck a deal for NFC-based mobile payments back in May, long enough ago that it was starting to fade out of the public consciousness. The alliance may be near refreshing our memory with a commercial launch in the cards. MobileSyrup has reportedly scored internal documents that has the two launching their e-commerce collaboration on October 15th under a slightly catchier Suretap name. Unfortunately, the text also suggests that the initial launch will require at least as much hoop-jumping from customers as for the original Google Wallet plans. Avoiding a traditional wallet will demand a BlackBerry Bold 9900 or Curve 9360 on Rogers, a CIBC MasterCard, nearby stores with PayPass terminals, a CIBC app and now a special NFC-enabled SIM card -- a set of criteria that disqualifies almost everyone, especially when there's supposedly a $50 ceiling on transactions. It remains a step forward for mobile payments in a country that has had very few options to start with, but we'd only anticipate widespread adoption once there's a much wider selection of devices and banks.

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Rogers, CIBC may launch Suretap NFC-based payments on October 15th, require a unique SIM originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM opens BlackBerry 10 app submissions

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BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha B hands-on

Any BlackBerry 10 developers sufficiently entranced by their Dev Alpha units can now make good on the work they've accomplished so far. As promised, RIM is accepting app submissions for the platform ahead of its launch early next year. Fast-acting teams who jump in today should see their titles at the front of the queue when BlackBerry App World starts supporting the modern platform. They'll have to focus on full-touch hardware rather than mixed QWERTY and touch devices, however. There's no guarantee that RIM will see a flood of apps after opening its doors, but the company reminds us that there's incentives to move quickly -- 10,000 incentives, in fact.

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RIM opens BlackBerry 10 app submissions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM’s PlayBook disappearing from online retailers in the US

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RIM's PlayBook no longer available from US online stores

If you want to get your hands on RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, you might be running out of time. It seems that the QNX-based device is no longer available in the US from retailers like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, RadioShack and Staples, with Amazon and RIM's own online store being the exceptions. We're wondering if this means newer PlayBooks are in the works -- we've already seen updated 4G LTE models out in the open and recent OS updates indicate the company hasn't given up on the much-maligned PlayBook. Potential upgrades include the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS, and hardware improvements wouldn't be a bad idea (Perhaps a flip-out keyboard addition a la Microsoft Surface?). In any case, RIM might want to move fast if it wants any chance of competing in the increasingly crowded tablet space.

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RIM's PlayBook disappearing from online retailers in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 04:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interbrand: Apple, Amazon, Samsung fast becoming brand darlings, ousting crusty traditional labels

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Interbrand Apple, Amazon, Samsung fast becoming brand darlings, oust crusty traditional labels

Interbrand likes to give the world's top companies a brand value, or a mix of their on-the-ground fiscal performance with an estimate of the premium they can ask through name alone. While there are a lot of traditional names in the consulting company's 2012 list, the surprise this year is just how aggressively technology has invaded the top of the charts. It's a good year to be a part of the mobile ecosystem: a very profitable Apple was by far the fastest grower and clinched second place in the list behind only Coca-Cola, while Kindle Fire creator Amazon (20th place) and Apple's frequent rival Samsung (ninth) also shot past brands as big as Disney and Toyota. A special nod goes out to 69th-place Facebook, whose IPO this year and its recognition put it past companies like Porsche almost overnight. Not everyone in technology came out a winner -- Microsoft, Nokia and RIM were among those that took a bruising -- but Interbrand's rankings hint that it's better to be making tablets than designer handbags.

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Interbrand: Apple, Amazon, Samsung fast becoming brand darlings, ousting crusty traditional labels originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 08:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry PlayBook 2.1 update goes live with SMS, portrait email

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BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 with Bold 9930

RIM's attention around its QNX-based platforms might revolve around BlackBerry 10 as of late, but don't think that it's leaving BlackBerry PlayBook users behind. A PlayBook 2.1 update is rolling out today that fills in some of the gaps left by 2.0 earlier this year. Habitual messagers can now start SMS text messages directly from the tablet when tethered through BlackBerry Bridge; they also get overdue support for a portrait view in email, calendars and contacts. If communication isn't the cornerstone of your life, you'll still find a few niceties such as Android App Player support for the camera and in-app purchases, device encryption that extends to personal data and wireless printing beyond the local network. For now, you'll have to be an owner of the original, WiFi-only PlayBook to leap on the 2.1 train today -- those who sprang for the usually carrier-bound PlayBook 4G LTE should get their upgrade within a month.

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BlackBerry PlayBook 2.1 update goes live with SMS, portrait email originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ComScore: iPhone grew to 34 percent US share in a pre-iPhone 5 world, Android still on top at 52 percent

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ComScore iPhone moved up to 34 percent US share in a preiPhone 5 world, Android remained on top at 52 percent

Apple is all too used to the rumor cycle affecting its sales: the company just saw a dip in sequential iPhone shipments this spring as customers waited for what would ultimately become the iPhone 5. If you believe ComScore's US smartphone market share estimates, though, Apple wasn't the worse for wear this August. While the iPhone was in the doldrums this spring, it jumped almost a whole point versus an already positive July to hit 34.3 percent; we're wondering if last-minute discounts played a part in keeping iPhone 4S sales healthy. Google didn't have much to fear and saw Android climb to 52.6 percent, even if its ascent wasn't as rapid as that of its Bay Area neighbor. RIM took the brunt of the losses and dipped to just 8.3 percent of the market in what's increasingly a two-horse race, although Microsoft's Windows Phone held its ground at 3.6 percent.

The wider US cellphone market tells a familiar story, with Samsung on top. There's signs that the narrative is very close to changing, however: LG and Apple are now close enough, at one point's difference, that Apple could seize second place by the time we see ComScore's figures for September. Before interpreting Apple's performance as some sign of a wider reversal of fortune, just remember that most of its challenges are on the world stage. There's no guarantee that the Android-focused markets beyond American borders have been as receptive to iPhone price drops and updates.

Continue reading ComScore: iPhone grew to 34 percent US share in a pre-iPhone 5 world, Android still on top at 52 percent

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ComScore: iPhone grew to 34 percent US share in a pre-iPhone 5 world, Android still on top at 52 percent originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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