Berry Appealing

As mentioned earlier, BlackBerry mobiles have always had the reputation of being a device for the on-the-go office workers. These Smartphones pretty much started the QWERTY keyboard trend. Berry’s are also equipped with features that allow users to bring their work with them wherever they go using email support and a document viewer. Since then, they have been the mobile of choice for business execs.

However, while the BlackBerry Curve 3G also flaunts the trademark Berry ‘professionalism’ it also has a lighter, more casual side to it. As made obvious by its name, this device has curvier features than usual. It even comes in a red on black version wherein the familiar silver outer lining is replaced with a shiny red finish.

Stuffed with Features

As with other Berry’s of past, the BlackBerry Curve 3G is also packed with a boatload of features and functions. It is a tri band 3G device that also has support for Wi-Fi, GPRS, and EDGE. It features a 2.46” TFT display that has a 320 x 240 pixel resolution.

Also on board is a 2-Megapixel camera which you can use to snap photos if you leave your digital camera at home. The internal memory is pretty small at only 256 MB, but you should have more than enough space if you use its microSD card slot which is capable of holding up to 32GB of external memory.

The BlackBerry Curve 3G has the dimensions of 109 x 60 x 13.9 mm and it weighs 104 grams.

As one would have expected, the RIM smart phone will be loaded with a physical keyboard –a prime component of almost any BlackBerry brand mobile device. While we know that the button layout will be easy to get used to and the keys will be responsive, it is hard to tell if the new slide out form will be comfortable to grip and hold.

According the rumored spec sheet for the 9800 Slider, the device will come with a 3.2 inch TFT display, and an optical trackpad for navigational controls. No details have been given on the internal memory of the handset, but it is said that the Slider will support microSD cards of up to 16GB.

The handset itself will support a wide variety of signals and bands. It is a 3G and 2G capable smart phone with GPRS, EDGE and WiFi support. And of course, the device will have a mini USB port, GPS and Bluetooth as well.

Aside from the new form factor, the Blackberry 9800 Slider will also be featuring the new BlackBerry OS 6 (or BlackBerry 6 for others) which is the latest operating system version for RIM. The BB OS 6 takes focus on media playback as RIM’s previous OS versions only had minimal media playback capabilities.

The OS 6’s layout , control scheme and file format compatibility has been improved greatly and for the first time, BlackBerry devices might be seen as excellent multimedia handsets and not just keyboard smart phones.

It was only a short while after the handset was listed up at the XML profiles before the actual screenshots of the devices became available online. At first glance, we did not think much for RIM’s “new” old look to the phone, after all, BlackBerry devices do not really differ in terms of form factor. But as we kept gazing into the grainy, watermarked images, the more we felt at home with the device.

Indeed, RIM made a smart move by sticking to the original BlackBerry form factor, it is what users not only come to expect, but also have learned to count on. Naturally, the device will have a 2.44 inch TFT display, an optical track pad and a physical portrait oriented QWERTY keyboard.

The four row keyboard is shaped just the way one would expect from a BB handset and while we have yet to get a hands-on try on the mobile phone, RIM’s excellent track record with delivering the best keyboards is still unmatched. And everyone can expect the Onyx 9780 to live up to the name.

The phone will be packing the BlackBerry OS 6 mobile platform which will be featuring the most media playback oriented options on a RIM device. For many years, the BlackBerry was the handset of choice for text messaging addicts and users who relied heavily on email and messaging applications.

Now, with OS 6, BlackBerry is reaching out to a larger audience. And with the stylized menus, excellent media playback capabilities and of course, support for a wide range of formats, the new operating system is made to do just that.

So far, no release data has been given for the BlackBerry Onyx 9780, but many believe that the smart phone will be available before the end of the year.

This time, the news bit refers to the multimedia capabilities of the newest Blackberry platform. It does look quite classy and polished. The only negative thing about it is that it looks like it was heavily inspired by Apple’s style.

To rival iTunes, there is a new podcast player installed on the operating system. This allows users to subscribe to their favorite video and audio podcasts with ease. Any new media the user is looking for from the App World may be located straight from the media player.

For trigger happy photographers, the camera controls have been perfected to deliver that convenient, “point and shoot experience”. The screen display is now much more intuitive. Of course, auto focus and smile detection complements the on board camera. Video clips may also be taken for a more dynamic keepsake.

As for playing music, users may experience déjà vu upon seeing the Blackberry’s OS’ new layout. It looks minimalist in design, displaying podcast artwork prominently on the screen with the icons of the queued podcasts peeking out on the sides of the carousel. The song’s artist and its album title may be clicked to view other tunes in the same category.

Specific videos on the other hand may easily be found by using the spiffy new video search function. All the clips are also conveniently displayed through thumbnails. As for actually viewing the videos, the user has many different sizes to choose from and every clip may be uploaded to YouTube on the fly.

Though the specifics have yet to be announced, reports say that a few Blackberry models may be updated to sport the upcoming operating system.

Thankfully, RIM has already been able to establish several important things about the BlackBerry. First off, they have the most reliable physical keyboards; second, the BlackBerry OS is a stable and powerful operating system. But these things alone are not enough, and RIM has decided to give their platform a much needed upgrade.

With the fist videos and demonstrations of the BlackBerry OS already out, here is a quick list of the key changes that RIM has made to the platform.

Media has become a key factor for the new OS. While there is still plenty of emphasis on messaging and other functions, being used as a media device has never been a key feature for the BB. But with the new UI and enhanced playback features, RIM is definitely adding a new feel to the handset.

Feeds have become easier to view and manage. Both RSS and social networking content have been fully integrated to the device. This means that viewing all the latest updates and information can be done in a matter of moments. Also, the new UI makes it easier to see the most recent updates and news. Also, the device allows users to multi-post on several social networks in a single command.

Once again, the BlackBerry messenger has been upgraded. Media attachments are now possible so users can choose to share any new video clips, music tracks or images to contacts instantly.

Web browsing has been enhanced through the use of a new web browser which allows entire web pages to be loaded and previewed in a single thumbnail view. Expanding sites to full size comes at a tap of the screen and with little to no lag.

Of course, losing a phone happens even to the most prudent and vigilant owners –especially when the cause is theft, as some malicious individuals can be quite creative in their methods of nabbing a mobile phone. This means that more often than not, every person is liable to lose one or two handsets in their lifetime.

Seeing this, phone maker RIM has decided that they should have special service for all existing BlackBerry users regarding the security for their handset.

Enter the BlackBerry Protect, a service that aims to give users control over their handsets even when they lose it. Actions that can be taken on a lost phone can range from anywhere between locking down the device to completely wiping the handset’s contents. This is impressive, but at the same time, a logistical nightmare.

Remote access to the handset is going to done via the BlackBerry Protect website which means that if an existing BB user’s account is compromised, their smart phone can also be locked or worse.

At this moment, the service is still in closed beta testing, which means that RIM is still working out the details and issues regarding the service. Some of this possible kinks include requiring the handset to be tuned into 3G the whole time, or even to automatically connect to any available WiFi network (which would be a serious battery drain, but crucial for the service to be effective). RIM is hoping that they are able to release the commercial version of the product this coming fall.

Orange Mobile UK has announced that they are offering the BlackBerry Bold 9800 for only 30 Pounds a month on a two year contract. This gives users about 800 minutes of call time and unlimited texting services –which is perfect for any BlackBerry device. Orange is also offering some pretty extensive and cheap data plans too, so those of you who prefer to be online a lot might want to look into those.

At first glance, the 9800 looks like any other BlackBerry handset –which is not a bad thing. RIM’s phone design aesthetics are always pretty spot-on with delivering handsets that look great in both the bar and boardroom. Colors are very minimal; the ever predictable classic black keeps the device trendy and timeless at the same time.

Feature wise, the 9800 stands just a little above its BlackBerry peers as it brings a 624MHz CPU, the BlackBerry OS 5 and a neat 2.44 inch TFT touch screen. The resolution on the screen is a standard 480 x 360 pixels and the max color capacity is 65 thousand colors. As one might expect, the Bold 9800 also comes with the new BB Trackpad that was seen in the Curve and other previous handsets.

The 3.15 mega pixel camera is a standard these days for mobile handsets and it takes clear photos for instant uploading to your favorite file hosting sites. Sadly, the device comes with no integrated web apps for easy access, but the browser still manages to work well as an alternative.

The process practically eliminates the convenience of owning the tablet, and it limits users to only those who actually have BlackBerry smart phones. While the device is reported to have full features such as a web browser and other functions that are similar to the ones that are present to the iPad, users will still be limited in terms of what they can do and where. BlackBerry’s tablet will need to be connected via Bluetooth to a BlackBerry handset and from there users will be able to connect online.

The new tablet from RIM is expected to be available much later this year. Some estimates place the launch date at a potential holiday release.

In other touch screen tablet news, it has been announced that the Apple iPad is facing a possible delay with its May 28 launch date. While Cupertino has yet to make a public statement, the information on the UK online store of Apple clearly states that the tablet will be arriving by June 7.  This will place many operators in a bind as the pre-orders already opened up last May 10 with an assurance from Apple that the launch will no longer be delayed.

Speaking of the iPad, it has been highly recommended that people wait before purchasing a tablet device. It appears that Google’s touch screen device might be released later this year –providing the market with a much needed alternative to Apple’s restrictive tablet.

It’s a pretty surprising thing to realize that after all this time, BlackBerry has not had an official Twitter as of yet. The smart phone is considered to be a standard in plenty of businesses all over the world and with the popularity of the micro blogging tool Twitter; one would think that by now, the enterprise friendly smart phone would have a feature for it.

BlackBerry was once in the forefront of cutting edge communications by being the first to bring instant email access available to mobile phones –coining the term Crackberry for email addicts who rely on BlackBerry devices to check and send emails.

Anyway, the new Twitter application is still pretty much in its early stages. First off, the app itself is very laggy. The slowdowns are very noticeable taking up to 5 and even 10 seconds of loading. If that was not bad enough, the app currently does not use caching; this means that all the Tweets will have to be downloaded each time you log in and out of your account.

At this point, it is likely that the initial demonstration of the application is simply made to show that the system is possible to execute. It comes with hotkeys and a special search function. Most probably, when the final version of the application comes out, it will be rid of the slowdowns and will be able to use caching.

Officially, this app is still in closed beta and there is plenty of room for improvement. With no definite schedule for the launch date, RIM has all the time they need to polish and perfect the system.

Read more about RIM’s new BlackBerry Twitter application (closed beta version) on Stuff TV.

Coming with and optical track pad along with the usual keyboard, the Pearl 9100 combines ease of use with functionality and reliability. The whole phone has had tweaks made to it that allow it to come to the very front in phone design. The new extended battery life is now expected to last over 2 days, which is very high for a blackberry. The applications have been updated, and include better business card recognitions software.

There are many other great perks to this new phone. A 2.0 megapixel camera is included, and this can be used to create high detail pictures, videos and audio and video recording. Wi-Fi enabled, this phone will always have connectivity in the times when you most need it.

If you want to get your hands on one of these amazing Blackberry phones, you are going to have to wait for an official release date, but expect it to be within the next few months. Again, pricing hasn’t been heard about but considering some of the BlackBerry deals already available, its highly likely the phone will be available on some fantastic pay as you go and contract tariffs.