Blackberry is still at it. Despite plummeting stock price and massive slashes to their labor force, Blackberry is still pushing forward with a big BB10 update.
It’s been a tough year for Blackberry. Despite the hyped launch of Blackberry 10 and its flagship Z10 device on January 30th 2013, Blackberry spent most of the remainder of 2013 issuing large layoffs and surviving rumors of bankruptcy. Blackberry stock has seen a slight uptick for 2014, but the former smartphone juggernaut is still only a shadow of its former self.
Despite generally positive reviews, BB10 never caught on with consumers and many organizations are sun-setting their Blackberry services in favor of other platforms. The software itself was fine, and actually appreciated for its gesture based innovation and unique design, but the mobile OS didn’t have a leg to stand on when it came to app support when compared to iPhone, Android, or even Windows Phone.
Well, all that has changed with version 10.2.1. Many of the changes are very iterative, such as the addition of actionable notifications on the lock screen and changes to the Blackberry hub to allow the sorting of messages as well as provide support for group email and SMS, but the real gem of this update is nearly full, seamless, support for Android app installation.
Android apps were previously available for Blackberry 10, but it was not a simple process and not all apps were supported. The Verge is reporting that after the update to 10.2.1, they are able install Instagram—an app that traditionally doesn’t function properly for Blackberry—and the only apps they have any noticeable issues with were Google developed apps (likely due to the baked in Google play services functionality for Android).
This is a major step forward for Blackberry and may put them back in the game. There is very little chance they will ever return to their former glory with Apple having stolen and secured that top spot, but this provides them a strong foothold to stop the sliding and maybe even begin regaining prominence in the market.
They aren’t out of the woods yet, though. 2014 may very well be a make or break year for the shrunken titan, but Blackberry is back on its feet for the time being, so hopefully we will see some good things from them this year.
Source: The Verge
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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
At today's RIM event, the BlackBerry maker gave us a closer look at BB10, with CEO Thorsten Heins talking up the operating system as "all about getting things done" and coining the interface "BlackBerry Flow." He demoed a new Peek feature that lets users access the message notifications screen with a right angle gesture. The function can be used in any app: performing the swipe takes users to the BlackBerry Hub where they can view Tweets, messages and other notifications. There's also a new clock and alarm system, which works by the user holding their fingertip on the bezel and sliding it to the appropriate time to set an alarm.
There's also the business-friendly Balance feature we already knew about, which will let users' IT departments access corporate email and perform remote wipe without affecting the rest of the phone. With Balance, BlackBerry phones essentially have two profiles, one secured for the work environment and one for personal use. It just so happens that we already got a hands-on look at the software running on a Dev Alpha B handset: take a look here.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
RIM puts BlackBerry 10 on display: new alarm, Peek gesture and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Q1 earnings news from RIM of layoffs and a delay in its next generation of handsets has unsurprisingly led to some rumors from the usual "people familiar with the situation," according to Reuters. The options reportedly being considered by the board probably also won't shock you, like the possibility of following former co-CEO Jim Balsillie's plan to open up its network to others and / or or sell it outright. An alternative path comes from Microsoft and Steve Ballmer, who has reportedly been putting a full court press on the folks in Waterloo to pull a Nokia and bring their arms to the Windows OS camp. That choice is reportedly less attractive because it would mean giving up technology independence, but we'll see how long that feeling lasts if future earnings projections remain similarly dismal.
Reuters: RIM could open up BlackBerry network to others, join up with Ballmer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 02:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Viper reckons it can be your singular, all-round vehicle app judging by the considerable leap in features for version 3.0 of its Android, iOS or Blackberry SmartStart. On top of previous car lock, security and ignition controls, the aux channels now let you monkey with other parts from afar, like the sunroof, windows, stereo, AC and more. The new SmartSchedule pings you when it's time to (remotely) start 'er up, and vehicle diagnostics flag engine issues through DTC repair codes, if you drive certain models. The jazziest addition is the Directed Cloud Services which let you monitor your car's status and position through GPS, and start it, lock it, or access the other aforementioned controls -- regardless of where in the world you both are. For the true micro-manager, there's no such thing as overkill.
Viper outs SmartStart 3.0, knows where your car is and what it's up to originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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