BlackBerry Accessories

Transcript of the BlackBerry discussion during the White House press conference MR. GIBBS: The President has a BlackBerry, through a compromise that allows him to stay in touch with senior staff and a small group of personal friends in a way that use will be limited and that the security is enhanced to ensure his ability to communicate, but to do so effectively and to do so in a way that is protected. Q Are records kept? Q Will the records be kept? MR. GIBBS: The presumption regarding those emails are that theyre all subject to the Presidential Records Act. There are, as you know, some narrow exemptions in the Presidential Records Act to afford for strictly personal communications. But, again, the presumption from the Counsels Office is that they will be subject to the Presidential Records Act -- Q -- hacker in Russia and China is already at work. Laughter. MR. GIBBS: Thats why I didnt give the email address. Q Are you trying to wean him off of it? Laughter. MR. GIBBS: Nobody can do that. I think he believes that -- he believes its a way of keeping in touch with folks, a way of doing it outside of getting stuck in a bubble. Ive gotten emails from him -- not recently, or not in a few days, I should say -- that go from anywhere from something thats very strictly business to "Why did my football team perform so miserably" on either any given Saturday or any given Sunday. So I think he finds it as an important way to continue to communicate. Theres a process by which people that have access to the email will be briefed before anything like that can happen. Q How specifically will this be allowed to be used? I mean, will all members of his senior staff be able to email him? And how will you keep a proper chain of command and chain of communication with him? Who can email him and who cant? MR. GIBBS: Well, Im not going to get into all those specifics, for obvious reasons. But a limited group of senior staffers and some personal friends -- its a pretty small group of people -- Q Can you put a rough number on it? MR. GIBBS: Let me get some guidance from the Counsels Office before I do something like that, so that the hackers that Bill has instructed wont start. Laughter. Source: RCRWireless

[caption id="attachment_3481" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Sectera Edge"][/caption] Say goodbye to Obamas Famous BlackBerry, which was almost as popular as its owner. "Without more details I would have to say that putting sensitive or classified information on a BlackBerry is a risky proposition," said Greg Shipley, chief technology officer at Neohapsis, a governance, risk, and compliance consultancy. Seems like no matter how much Obama tries to hang on to his beloved BlackBerry, the berry has got to go.  Thanks to a Defense Department called SME-PED Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device, it may be easier for Obama to switch over and away from his berry, since SME-PED was designed to act as a classified-information-friendly replacement for a BlackBerry. So far there are two handsets from which president Obama can choose from, the Sectera Edge by General Dynamics or the Guardian by L-3 Communications, which is still under development. Both these phones have been proved to be good enough to serve the President for top secret communication. The Sectera Edge runs A mobile version of Microsoft Windows, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPad, and Windows Media Player. The PDA also has Internet Explorer and Windows Messenger versions good enough for Top secret level data and communication. Feds have found a way to keep the IE free of the usual security flaws associated with IE. The Sectera features a QWERTY keyboard, an LCD display below the keyboard, and it is supposed to be dust-proof, water proof, rugged enough to withstand a 4 ft. drop to concrete. Through three separate interchangeable modules, the Sectera works with Wi-Fi, GSM, or CDMA networks. The Sectera is not much of a pretty sight, but still it is priced at $3,350 with a two year warranty. [caption id="attachment_3482" align="aligncenter" width="146" caption="Guardian"][/caption] The other phone is still under development by L-3 Communications, called the Guardian. The Guardian runs the same Microsoft Windows as the Sectera. It comes with a stylus and has a V-shaped QWERTY keyboard. The Guardian supports desktop synchronization and all local files are encrypted. It can be used on AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile secure data plans and internationally on WordCell. no details on the pricing yet but Im sure it wont be far from a couple grand as well. Either way, it all boils down to Obama having to give up his nice looking BlackBerry for an ugly, expensive NSA secure PDA. Source: Cnet

 

So voting season may be over, but this is one that they should definitely take to the polls! It seems that as per some very informative leaked documents from RIM, the company might be pondering the usefulness of a pre-paid BlackBerry service in USA, as they have done overseas. BGR reported on this yesterday and heres one of the slides to give you an idea of how much of a market pre-paid really is...   Pre-paid has a negative connotation in the US but in Europe and Asia, where freedom from carriers and contracts is important, it can be a good thing. American carriers can also benefit from pre-paid and remove some of their customer liabilities. Finally, in todays flexible work & social environments pre-paid can be a very good thing. Plus it helps users stay within budgets, which is important in times such as our current economic woes. Last but not least, it will help get a device into many, many more hands and for RIM BlackBerry that can definitely seem fetching at a time when many smartphones are trying to make a name for themselves in the wireless space.  One more plus for the customer! The devices can be sold at retail stores other than wireless carriers. This can be more convenient and really open up for some good-ol fashioned competition. Right now if you want a phone from carrier xx then thats really the only place to get it unless you buy unlocked.

    This is the Blackberry HS-655+ Bluetooth headset designed to enable hands free calling using your Blackberry device.   Answer, end, ignore, adjust volume, mute and voice dial all with the touch of a button.      The Blackberry HS 655+ is also designed to be compatible with any Blackberry charging stations including blackberry travel chargers, vehicle chargers or power station.   Inside the box we have a mini USB wall charger, ear hook, 3 ear gels at 3 different sizes so youre sure to find one that suits your ear best.   A cool charging tower which doubles as a pocket case is also included.   Very discreet its about inches 3 inches long and about .5 inches in diameter.  It even features an attached pen clip, clip it tour your pocket or bag, so you dont always have to wear this thing in your ear, which is a big bonus!  And of course the headset..... its about 2 Inches in length and weighs 9 grams.  So its a good size, it doesnt cover half of your face like larger models do, but its not so tiny that it resembles a hearing aid, its right in the middle, pretty standard headset size, which is a good place to be.  The sleek and modern design pairs perfectly with any Blackberry.  Another cool thing I want to mention is that when the Bluetooth earpiece is in the pocket case, the case will vibrate when you have an incoming call, which makes this product even better.  So with 3.5 hours of talk time, 80 hours of standby time and a range of up to 33 feet, the Blackberry HS 655+ is a Bluetooth must have gets yours today at fommy.com.

T-Mobiles BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 now available as per the carriers website. The cost of the device is only $149.99 after rebates and discounts. This is RIMs first flip phone device and was initially code-named kickstart.

Rather than calling it the smartphone wars, which I have made reference to earlier, it is more suitable to call it the carrier wars. Why? Well because carrier-envy is a green eyed monster. Its true nowdays that carriers might be paying heavier subsidies to introduce top of the line phones to the masses, but dont be so sure that theyre getting the short end of the stick. Indeed, the carriers are making out very well when they can get a customer to switch over from another carrier. When the Apple iPhone was introduced exclusively on AT&Ts network in 2007 the carrier saw many new faces walking in through the door for the first time. It isnt just about great customer service or a reliable network anymore. Sure, thats what the carriers would like you to believe but the buzz really only gets going when you start listing which carrier is going to introduce the HOTTEST device of the year. This season the top 3 out of 4 mobile carriers in the USA have luck out. AT&T is still going strong with the iPhone 3G after introducing it in the summer. Regardless of major issues that plagued the device at launch and thereafter, there has been no slowdown in sales for the hot touch screen device. Sales will continue to pick up as the holidays approach. T-mobile is totally psyched to be able to introduce later this month the first google OS based smartphone. The Android OS will be available on the new G1 phone and it is sure to be a hit with the pre-orders already getting sold out. Finally, Verizon Wireless, not to be out-shined by the others, is going to sell the first touch screen BlackBerry - BlackBerry Storm. Again, this smartphone being a touch screen device is going to be smokin. So, as they say, let the battle begin...between the carriers that is.

Lets face it...were all a little over-excited at the prospect of Google OS Android G1 phone made by HTC coming out on October 22nd via the T-mobile network. I would say RIM, as a leading smartphone handset maker, has a thing or two to worry about when it comes to their BlackBerry lineup. However, when it comes to Apple, Ive said it before and Ill say it again, content is king. What this means is that Apple and the iPhone isnt going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, it will continue to trump all other smartphone devices. The key of course is iTunes. Apple has made very good headway into peoples lives and pocketbooks with all those iTunes downloads - music, movies, videos and more. And with a packed lineup of great Apps from the Apple store theres no turning back. Then theres iTunes U for downloading college courses and listening or watching them at your convenience. After all is said and done, the real reason that Apple commands the smartphone kingdom is not because of the great things that the iPhone does but because of all their content.

Research In Motion announced that the BlackBerry Bold wireless device may hit the U.S markets by next month. It is expected to be launched with carrier AT&T in the U.S.

 

The Bold has been launched successfully in Canada in August itself and has also been launched in countries in Europe and Asia. The announcement regarding the U.S launch was made by RIM’s co-CEO Jim Balsillie.

 

The delay in the launch in the U.S of the BlackBerry Bold could be due to the testing of the device with the carrier. However this delay has caused increased pressure on the RIM shares which was at a high in June and which went down since then. The shares have just shown a revival last week.

 

The BlackBerry Bold is a major product upgrade for RIM. Last week the company launched its first fold-up or flip-phone named the BlackBerry Pearl Flip and also a push-to-talk version of its BlackBerry Curve.

 

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip is expected to be a grand success owing to its flip phone design which is not available in many smartphones. In spite of the flip design, Pearl Flip’s design allows for the requisite number of keys in a smartphone besides providing two high-resolution screens.

 

There is more in store for BlackBerry admirers in the form of a touch-screen version which the company is working on at present. This will reach markets later this year. RIM is going through a “concentrated product launch” period, catering to the strong demand felt for smartphone devices.

RIM will be promoting its BlackBerry device highlighting a more media centric design than as a device suited for only corporate messaging capabilities which made the BlackBerry a popular business tool earlier.

BlackBerry’s latest offerings will be sweet music to users. RIM announced partnerships with social networking site MySpace and Ticketmaster besides announcing an agreement with Internet radio provider Slacker Inc.

 

This includes Slacker music service which allows users to personalize their tunes. The agreement with TiVo will allow users to manage television recordings while traveling. Users can also create MySpace Mobile service thanks to its pact with MySpace.

 

Looks like BlackBerry is aiming at offering more services to catch up with the demands of consumers besides beating the endemic competition in the industry.

 

No need to wonder if the new RIM touchscreen BlackBerry 9530 device no, not the Bold silly is going to be named BlackBerry Thunder or BlackBerry Storm. The confusion has been cleared up... and the device is going by both names. Say what? Yep, thats what I said - it will be the same device going by both names. The BlackBerry Storm will be the CDMA version for Verizon and BlackBerry Thunder is the GSM for Rogers, Vodafone, and the likes. Most of the specs for the two devices should be the same.  Source: BGR

 

You know how Martha Stewart has her list of good things that she always tell us about? Well the Amzer Privacy Filter is definitely a good thing. All of us nowadays use our smartphones everywhere in public. And I dont have to tell you how annoying it is when you are at the airport or waiting for your table at a restaurant and youre typing away while someone next to you is staring down at your screen. I mean, really! Get a life people! Instead of moving away from your seat for some privacy, get the Amzer Privacy Filter. This is such a cool little item and it provides you all the privacy you need and protection for that matter. With the privacy filter you are free to check your bank balances, send work emails, and even text mushy love messages to your beloved. In addition, it even protects your screen from scratches, dust, and messy fingerprints. What more can you ask for? The privacy filter is available for all the top smartphones: Palm Treo 600, 650, 680, 700; Palm Treo 800w; and Palm Centro. It is also available for RIM BlackBerry series 8100 Pearl, 8300 Curve, 8700, 8800 and even the new Bold 9000. And lets not forget the popular touch screen smartphones iPhone 3G, of course, as well as LG Dare and Samsung Instinct. Dont wait another minute. These custom, made-to-fit your smartphone privacy protectors are for sure a good thing.