Blackberry Curve 8310

Blackberry Curve 8310 is one of the RIM smartphone products that released in 2009. One that I like with this smartphone is the GPS menu and I thing is the best of all Blackberry products. And below is the detail data specification of Blackberry Curve 8310:

GENERAL: 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
SIZE: Dimensions 107 x 60 x 15.5 mm, Weight 111 g
DISPLAY: Type 65K colors, Size 320 x 240 pixels, 2.5 inches, Full QWERTY keyboard, Trackball navigation, Wallpapers
SOUND: Alert types Vibration; Downloadable polyphonic, MP3 ringtones, Speakerphone Yes, 3.5 mm stereo headset jack
MEMORY: Phonebook Yes, Photocall, Call records Yes, Internal 64 MB, Card slot microSD (TransFlash)
DATA: GPRS Yes, HSCSD No, EDGE Yes, 3G No, WLAN No, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, Infrared port No, USB Yes, miniUSB
CAMERA: Primary 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, LED flash, Video No, Secondary No
FEATURES: OS BlackBerry OS, CPU 32-bit Intel XScale PXA272 312 MHz processor, Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging, Browser HTML, Radio No, Games Yes + downloadable, Colors Silver, GPS Yes, Java Yes, Media player, Blackberry maps, Organizer, Voice dial
BATTERY: Standard battery, Li-Ion 1100 mAh, Stand-by Up to 408 h, Talk time Up to 4 h

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New Blackberry Storm 3

Not satisfied with the Blackberry Storm 2, the Canadian handset manufacturer, Research In Motion (RIM) is reportedly ready to re-launch a next generation smartphone to the BlackBerry Storm 2 with the name of the Blackberry Storm 3 (9570).

Not only Blackberry Storm 3 alone, even recently RIM is also rumored to have been preparing for the next generation smartphone Blackberry Storm Blackberry Storm 3 by name 4. But for the new Blackberry Storm 4 will reportedly be introduced in the year 2011.

As informed earlier, the Blackberry Storm 3 will reportedly armed with a touch-screen technology "SurePress", multimedia capabilities, a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, support networks CDMA / HSPA, 3G, and WiFi connectivity.

And do not miss, it is mentioned that the next generation smartphone to the BlackBerry Storm 2 will also be equipped with games based touch screen arable Electronic Art (EA).

As for the Blackberry Storm 4, reportedly more focused on the ability of augmented reality. Which, will be adopted with a 5MP camera, GPS, Digital Compass and accelerometer sensors.

For the operating system is not known with certainty. Even so, some sources say that the two latest Blackberry Storm will be incorporated with the operating system and WebKit-based Blackberry v6.0 which is believed to have roaming capabilities virtual nature better.

So far, there has been no definitive information regarding the time of the launch of two new Blackberry Storm smartphone's. So, we were not sure when exactly the Blackberry Storm that will be visited the market.

Blackberry Storm 3 specifications:

* 1.2GHz processor
* 3.7-inch 800 x 480 capacitive display
* Quad-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE
* Tri-band UMTS / HSPA
* 5-megapixel camera with 720p video recording
* 8GB eMMC (storage for apps and data), 512MB of RAM
* MicroSD slot
* Magnetometers
* Proximity sensor
* Accelerometer
* Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
* 2.4GHz b / g / n and 5GHz a / n Wi-Fi UMA +
* 3G Mobile hotspot
* Optical trackpad
* 1230 mAh battery
* BlackBerry OS 6.1
* OpenGL ES 2.0

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New BlackBerry Storm 2

The BlackBerry Storm2. To say it has been highly anticipated would be an understatement. Before the original BlackBerry Storm was available to customers, the first rumors of the Storm 2 began to surface. Research in Motion even acknowledged the existence of the new device much earlier than they historically would, when RIM's co-CEO Jim Balsillie said in a presentation to analysts and investors (reported by Reuters) in May 2009 that they were working on a next generation of its BlackBerry Storm as part of a continuing push into the retail market. From that point, it was less than two weeks later when the first photos of the new BlackBerry Storm were posted to the internet right here at CrackBerry.com which was followed up soon after when we brought you the first video of the BlackBerry Storm 2 in action. In the weeks following and leading up to the Storm2's "official" announcement, youtube has been full of "unofficial" BlackBerry Storm2 9550 and 9520 previews (Verizon's Storm2 is the 9550; Vodafone's is the 9520) showing off early-stage hardware and firmware. Due to this unofficial nature, most early Storm2 videos/photos disappeared from the web as quickly as they appeared, but now that we have an official review unit you can rest assured knowing Storm2 content is now here to stay.



So how does the BlackBerry Storm2 compared to the Storm? When all is said and done, the most accurate explanation I can think of is to draw an analogy to the automotive industry and how car manufacturers release a new car and follow up with a new model each year. It is often said that you should not buy the "first year" of a new car, as there is bound to be issues, and nobody will argue in the case of the BlackBerry Storm that the device as it went to market experienced some issues (lag, more lag, and a bit more still lag still). RIM's strength over the years lay in making non-touchscreen devices featuring a physical keyboard, so adapting the BlackBerry operating system to touchscreen hardware was a new game for them. A few recalls (aka firmware upgrades) later, however, and the BlackBerry Storm is now a much more usable device. In fact, if you haven't touched a BlackBerry Storm in a while you might be surprised at just how well it performs. And that brings us to the next part of this analogy. If you think of the Storm as the 2009 model year, the BlackBerry Storm2 really is the 2010 model year. Yes it's new, it's improved and it features some additional bells and whistles not found in the 2009 model and overall is a better performing and easier to use smartphone, but it doesn't immediately make the old model year obsolete.

Existing Storm owners who have invested the time and energy to get comfortable on their device and have upgraded to the latest firmware (OS 5.0 just around the corner!) may find after picking up and playing with the Storm2 in a store that they're able to stick it out with their Storm until they are eligible for an upgrade. Others of course, may find the addition of WiFi alone to be enough of a reason to pay the penalties and upgrade to the Storm2 immediately. Just like cars, you're always going to want the new model year, even if you got a great lease/finance rate on picking up last year's model. But enough with the analogy, let's get to what's new in the Storm2!

Specifications:

Size (LxWxD)    112.5 mm x 62 mm x 13.9 mm
Weight (battery included)
160 g / 5.65 oz
Memory
256 MB Flash memory, 2GB eMMC
Expandable Memory
MicroSD located under battery door cover (up to 16 GB)
Battery
1400 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic Lithium cell
Battery Life
CDMA: 11.2 days standby, 5.5 hours of talk time
GSM: 12.7 days standby, 5 hours of talk time
UMTS: 11.7 days standby, 6 hours of talk time
Display
High-resolution 480 X 360 pixel color display 3.25" (diagonally measured)
Transmissive TFT LCD
Supports over 65,000 colors
Dynamic hardware brightness control
Camera
3.2 MP camera, flash, auto focus, image stabilization, 2X digital zoom
GPS
Integrated GPS with A-GPS
Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g enabled
Media Player
BlackBerry Media Player
Video format support: MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2
Simple Profile, H.264, WMV
Audio format support: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA,
WMA ProPlus
Headset
3.5mm stereo headset capable
Network
Quad-Band: 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/
EDGE networks
Single-Band: 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA networks
Dual-Band: 800/1900 MHz CDMA/EVDO Rev A network
Comparing the specs and features list of the BlackBerry Storm2 to the BlackBerry Storm on a line by line basis does not actually reveal that many changes, yet the changes that have been made are significant. According to Research in Motion

Display

Though the BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Storm2's displays have the same specifications listed on their spec sheets, to my eyes the BlackBerry Storm2's display seems to be improved. Putting the BlackBerry Storm2 beside a BlackBerry Storm, you can see that when powered off the Storm2's display is much darker. Still side by side but now powered on watching the same music videos, the Storm2's display is brighter, with darker blacks and whiter whites. It really is impressive. The only improvement I'm longing for here is to reduce the amount of black border surrounding the edge of the display which would create a noticeable jump in screen real estate.

While there has been plenty of debate in the forums about whether or not the BlackBerry Storm2 will support OpenGL (3D graphics support), to date there has been no official mention of it yet. At last year's BlackBerry Developer Conference, this was one of the most sought after features developers wanted to see in the BlackBerry platform. With the 2nd Annual BlackBerry Developer Conference just around the corner, I can't help but think maybe there is more to the Storm2 than meets the eye in this department, and that RIM will announce upcoming OpenGL support at the event and at a later date will be able to flick the OpenGL switch on the Storm2. I know I'd be pretty stoked to find later that the Storm2 has the support built-in. I guess time will tell...

BlackBerry Storm2 Accessories

If you're a BlackBerry Storm owner planning on purchasing the BlackBerry Storm2, you'll need to do your due diligence on which accessories will still work and which won't (visit this page on BlackBerry Storm2 Accessory key points). You shouldn't have much of an issue with loose fitting accessories, like BlackBerry Storm2 cases (top pouches and leather holsters should be fine, skins should be close) and BlackBerry Storm2 batteries (1400mah, like the Storm, 8900 and Tour), but the differences between the Storm2 form factor and original Storm are big enough that accessories like the always popular BlackBerry Charging Pod may not quite work. To see compatible Storm2 accessories, you'll want to keep it locked to our BlackBerry Storm2 Accessories page at ShopCrackBerry.com. And as we did for apps, we'll also put together a Top Accessories for the BlackBerry Storm 2 article once the device hits the market.

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New Blackberry Bold 9900

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 happens to be something of a shock. You see, for a long time, BlackBerry has, in a sense, been playing catch up. Thats by no means a dig at RIM, it’s pretty much regarded as royalty in push email and business circles. Nevertheless it continues to be rare for RIM to be at the forefront.

Cameras, online browsing, HTML emails were all sadly featured on RIM’s mobiles years after they had become the norm on most devices. Just take a look at some recent examples of good phones that did not really break the boundaries like the Bold 9780 and 9700.

However the Blackberry Bold 9000 this time offers some leading tech, and in a stunning package to boot. It has an impressive 1.2GHz processor, the latest touchscreen, brand new OS7 and a brilliant 720p HD video camera which is definetly something we didnt expect from BlackBerry anytime soon.

Bigger and Bolder Blackberry Bold 9900

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is bigger and bolder than before! It’s actually quite a great deal bigger within the hand, although considerably thinner. Consequently it’s definitely quite big within the hand, even though the decrease in thickness makes it feel completely feasible, along with the fantastic QWERTY keyboard which has become larger and a lot more wonderful to use. Overall the Blackberry Bold 9900 feels dependable featuring its stainless steel frame which also  looks the business aesthetically.

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New BlackBerry Torch 9800

The BlackBerry Torch has been in the office for a couple of weeks now and we’ve had a long time to think about some of the intricacies of using this device for both business and pleasure. The Torch is the first BlackBerry to feature BlackBerry 6, a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard and RIM employees have been quoted saying it’s the best BlackBerry to date. Touchscreen devices are likely a sensitive issue with RIM as the company has had a lot of negative press over the BlackBerry Storm. The Torch has a touchscreen that has dropped the infamous SurePress technology and there is a lot of buzz about this device given the heated consumer smartphone competition. Have these improvements made it the best BlackBerry to date? Lets take a long, hard look at this device (that’s what she said).
Initial Impressions
Unboxing
Unboxing the BlackBerry Torch is a much better experience than with previous BlackBerry devices. RIM has done a great job of updating their device packaging so it isn’t stuffed with manuals, CDs and giant chargers that take up space. The new BlackBerry packaging is about half the size and doesn’t come with a case like they used to. It’s a little lame to not get a case but it makes a lot of sense not to include it anymore. By not giving the user a free case, RIM has really opened up the third party case market. One accessory RIM did include in the box was a “BlackBerry Polishing Cloth”. As you would expect, the Torch touchscreen finds itself covered in smudges. This is standard with any touchscreen and it’s awesome that RIM included a cloth to help keep your device nice and shiny. Another great update to the standard BlackBerry accessories is the charger. The new charger is just a little socket piece that a USB cable plugs into. This new charger saves a lot of space and is great to include with the Torch. Now, if only the standard BlackBerry earbuds could be updated.
Size, Weight and Feel

When you first pick up a BlackBerry Torch, you immediately realize that it’s a big device, especially when compared to the Bold 9700 or the Curve 8900. If you’re a Storm2 user, it will probably feel pretty natural in your hands because they’re similar in size and weight. Personally, I enjoy a large smartphone and think the Torch’s size is more of an advantage for smartphone power users that want a large screen and ample finger space. At the same time, I can imagine a lot of users that are very particular about the device’s size being turned off by such a boat of a BlackBerry.

Accelerometer

One of the first things I wanted to try when I powered up the Torch was the accelerometer. On the Storm and Storm2, the accelerometer is pretty weak and the device takes about a second to realize that it needs to change from portrait to landscape. On the Torch, changing from portrait to landscape is very fast and consistent. One thing to note about the accelerometer is that when the keyboard is lout, the display is locked in portrait mode. This makes sense because you don’t want to be composing an email with the keyboard slide out and accidentally find yourself in landscape mode.
The downsides to the slider form factor is that it takes some getting used to and I find myself accidentally pressing the screen constantly. There are really two ways you can open your Torch: by sliding the device open from the touchscreen with your thumb, or pushing it open from the bottom of the screen near the trackpad. In both of these instances, I find myself accidentally pressing buttons. I have seen other phone manufacturers get around this scenario by adding an ergonomic groove near the bottom of the screen to help you push up the slider without pressing any buttons. Perhaps RIM could have used a something like this.

When sliding the device open and closed, you can feel that the quality of the device is pretty solid, but there is a little bit of a “wiggle”. When you slide the device open, you can feel the screen being pushed by a mechanical force and locked in place once it’s fully opened. On the other hand, with the device fully open, you can feel it wiggle side to side a little, which worries me that this problem would be seriously exacerbated over time. Closing the slider gives a similar feeling of satisfaction as closing a clamshell phone, except for the fact that you don’t end the call.

Something that needs to be addressed with the Torch and BlackBerry 6 is the lock mechanism. With BlackBerry 6, RIM separated out the Lock and Password Lock functionality. The Lock button on the top of the device locks the unit, so there are no accidental key/screen presses, while Password Lock and Timeout requires users to enter their password. Unless my device was locked with a password, I found the Torch would often do some strange things in my pocket such as open applications, send accidental emails or turn the music on when the mute button was pressed. This frustration may be more of a BlackBerry 6 issue, and less to do with the Torch.

Overall, the slider mechanism was fairly well implemented and while the accidental button pressing is a setback, the benefits of having essentially two phones outweighs the small frustrations.

blackberry torch

Keyboard (Physical)

The keyboard on the Torch looks to be about the same size as the Bold 9700, but with a very different feel to it. Maybe it’s because the device is a slider, but it feels like the keys on the Torch are a little recessed, perhaps to allow a screen to roll over it. The slider form factor has a significant impact on the way the keyboard feels as well. When you use the keyboard, you obviously have to open the slider which changes the weight balance of the device. While this doesn’t necessarily make for a bad typing experience, it takes some getting used to. A downside of the Torch keyboard is that the top row of keys are a little too close to the bottom of the touchscreen. Personally, I find that big thumbs feel a little cramped when using the top row, but it’s nothing too significant. Overall, the keyboard on the Torch is just slightly less efficient than my Bold 9700, which in the end makes it a really solid keyboard.






Touchscreen

For the longest time RIM has been trying to reinvent the touchscreen and stick it to Apple. They did this by creating a new technology they called SurePress, which is implemented on the Storm series devices. While a lot of users are really happy with the Storm, I personally wasn’t a fan of SurePress. While the typing experience was a little more confident than on an iPhone, it was still difficult to send out emails at anywhere near an acceptable speed. The touchscreen on the Torch is more like an iPhone and it makes you wonder if RIM is ditching SurePress altogether.

Using the touchscreen on the Torch is a very refreshing experience. The touchscreen really revolutionizes the way you navigate around your device and makes the experience not only faster, but much more fun. Browsing through homescreen tabs is a smooth experience, albeit some lag, and the touchscreen lets you have more control over the experience with the swipe and pinch gestures.

In terms of resolution, the Torch’s 480×360 display is nothing new but not necessarily anything to kvetch about. While the iPhone 4 may have a 960×640 display, I’ve seen it myself and there is no discernible difference between the iPhone 3Gs. Watching videos on a 480×360 display looks very clean and even browsing the web, I’ve never come across a situation where I was looking for more pixels. Higher resolution display seems like one of these features that looks great on a spec sheet, but doesn’t do much for your eyes when actually viewing it.
Keyboard (Virtual)

Typing on the Storm’s virtual keyboard wasn’t great and I’m inclined to say that the Torch isn’t better or worse, but equally bad. The keys on the virtual keyboard are cramped and the interpretive text isn’t great. If you’re going to be writing any colloquialisms, they’re not going to come through on the virtual keyboard. Also, the key layout is stagnant on the Torch’s virtual keyboard. When you’re entering data into an email field vs a web field, you’re looking at the same keyboard layout. This issue has been addressed ages ago on other smartphones and I’m surprised RIM didn’t realize you need a different key layout depending on what information you’ll be entering. Another strange thing about the virtual keyboard is that there is a button dedicated to changing the input language. Did RIM really think that Torch users would be changing languages so much that they needed to take up precious keyboard space with a language shortcut key? Users would have clearly preferred a shortcut to the ‘@’ symbol. Perhaps this is something they can change with a Torch OS update.

blackberry torch trackpad

Trackpad

There isn’t too much to say about the trackpad as it’s the same as any other BlackBerry trackpad. One thing that is interesting is the fact that there are three input methods (more on that below). With the trackpad, there are specific functions that make a lot of sense to use the trackpad for, but it takes a while to realize this. For example, when you’re composing a message, you may be inclined to use the touchscreen for cut and paste – don’t. The trackpad makes cut and paste much easier as you have more control over the selection process. Cut and paste on the touchscreen is the same as with the Storm and it’s just too fickle and uncoordinated.
General Impressions on Torch Input

There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to managing multiple input methods but it actually works quite well. When we first heard about the fact that the Torch would have multiple input methods, the first thing that came to mind was “that’s too bad, you’re giving developers additional porting work which could affect the content available.” From a user standpoint, having several input methods actually makes for a better overall experience so it’s probably better in the long run. Here is an example of the scenarios where you would use each input method:

Touchscreen: Navigating the homescreen tabs is easier with touchscreen gestures.
Trackpad: The trackpad is perfect for anything that requires precision. Copy and paste as well as navigating text to make an edit is best with the trackpad.
Physical keyboard: The BlackBerry keyboard is well respected for banging out emails. With the slider, you feel like you’ll be able to send timely messages.
Virtual keyboard: phone calls are faster with the virtual keyboard. You don’t have to open the slider to make a call and the virtual keyboard has nice big numbers to dial from.

Also worth mentioning is the lack of a second convenience key. The convenience key is placed on the lower portion of the right side of the device and can be set using in the options menu. Two convenience keys has always been important to me and I’m not elated about only having one, slightly awkwardly placed convenience key.

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New Blackberry Bold

If you are bored with the standard color of your RIM’s Blackberry Bold smartphone, then you can customize your beloved handset with new color combination casing from Colorware. A fully customized handset is priced at only $174. The picture above is only an example color combination that I recommend. However, you can also make a color combination yourself on the Colorware website. [Product Page via Upcoming Cell Phones]
Know at a glance who's contacting you with Color ID™!
Know at a glance who's contacting you with Color ID™!

* Assign custom LED colors to SPECIFIC CONTACTS for Email, SMS & Phone Calls! Yellow and Orange for your company colors, Disco for your boyfriend/girlfriend, or maybe Jersey Shore for your party people. It's totally up to you with over 100 different color combinations!

* This FULL version gives you UNLIMITED CUSTOM CONTACTS for specific colors and dedicated tech support!

* Syncing with your BlackBerry® Address Book is easy! Go into your Contacts list, highlight the contact you want to add and hit the BlackBerry® menu button - select "Add to Color ID" and you're set!

* Professional UI, functionality and previews by BlackBerry® professionals - not the corny cheap look of the other imitator apps

Be one of the 4,000,000+ happy users of the one and only original LED notifier app and bring some fun into knowing who's contacting you.

Updates are FREE and encouraged! Please contact us if you have any questions or issues: support@motekmobile.com
Additional help & info to common questions can be found here: http://support.motekmobile.com/wiki/index.php/Color_ID

V2.0.3
ADDED 7 new color combinations so that it is easier to know who is contacting you! Five-O, Emergency Response, Girlfriend, Boyfriend, Jersey Shore, Double Rainbow and Ignore (no LED)!

V2.0
NEW application design makes Color ID even easier to use
ENHANCED LED colors, particularly for newer BlackBerry®'s like Torch, Bold, Tour, Curve and Pearl 3G
OPTIMIZED to preserve the BlackBerry® memory and battery life
DEDICATED email address for priority product support

V1.2
Adding Contacts from BlackBerry® Contacts is now easier with “Add Contacts” on the main screen
Contacts are listed in alphabetic order
Fixed an input problem for Storm 2 resulting from a recent OS update
Know when you miss a call from a contact – the LED now remains flashing for missed phone calls
Automatic notification of newer versions of Color ID
Portuguese language support

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New Blackberry Playbook

Blackberry Playbook
The new Blackberry Playbook With goregous looks and smaller size make it a perfect candidate for gadget of the year 2011. We are confident the Blackberry will still be going strong into 2012 as one of the 'must have' gadgets.


Apple represents one of the most successful brands of recent years. Responsible for dominating the market for tablet computers, the company took the industry by storm with the launch of the iPad in 2010 – one of the most astonishing technological phenomena of the past decade. Now the company is about to face some stiff competition with the arrival of a brand new product which could serve to threaten Apple’s supremacy. This April 2011 promises to witness the arrival of the Blackberry Playbook – an exciting device which is already stirring up excitement amongst potential buyers.

The imminent Playbook has also generated great optimism amongst gaming enthusiasts who can look forward to enjoying mobile gaming services with increased comfort. Larger than the smart phone but smaller than the iPad, the new tablet offers gamers the chance to access their favourite titles whilst on the move and at their convenience. Unlike the iPhone which does not support Flash software, the Blackberry Playbook will allow users to access no download casinos giving them the chance to enjoy numerous arcade and social games wherever and whenever they choose. Many feel that this increased capability will give the new product the edge over the much loved but limited iPad.

Compact, attractive and easy to transport, it’s no wonder everybody’s counting down the weeks to the arrival of the Blackberry Playbook. Fans of online casinos will certainly be hoping to check out the new device for themselves with less than a month to go before the hotly anticipated launch. Industry members will be looking on with keen interest

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