Archive for the ‘BlackBerry Reviews & Tutorials’ Category

How many of you still bother to remember peoples phone numbers by heart? It used to be an art form to memorize as many of your friends numbers without having to pull out a address book (the paper kind ).

I was reading an article in the New York Times about how Travis Erickson lost his cellphone on the beach and the series of events that led to his girlfriend breaking up with him. He could not remember her phone number and instead called his ex-girlfriend to ask for his current year-long live in girlfriends number. Needless to say that ended badly but it just goes to show that people rarely remember phone numbers by heart anymore.

The New York Times goes on to say that people have other things to remember like passwords but the repetitive motion of phone numbers is no longer one of them. I wonder if in the future we will bypass the phone number entirely…

I thought I would throw the question out there. Do you know your significant others cellphone number by heart?

(via Gizmodo)

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• FAQ: Help With Translating Letters Into Phone Numbers
• FAQ: How To Dial Phone Numbers With Letters
• AT&T A-List Goes Live – Call 5 Numbers Free
• Amazon Kindle for BlackBerry Update Offers Numbers for Lotto
• FAQ: Translating BlackBerry Signal Bars to Numbers

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, September 2, 2010, 8:15 pm. | Do You Still Memorize Peoples Numbers? | Leave a comment |

StopMail Pro is an innovative new app from Backroom Software. The app lets you simply stop email from showing up on your BlackBerry instead of having to remove the email account. For example, say you have a work BlackBerry and you don’t want to get email while you are off duty. I simply turn of all the alerts on my BlackBerry from work email when I am off but StopMail takes a different approach. It seems like the app just filters and deletes emails received during the quiet time you set so it doesn’t actually stop data usage.

The app comes in three variants ranging from free to Pro as you can see below:

• StopMail LITE which is free simply allows you to turn the account on or off. Nothing more and nothing less.
• StopMail regular costs $2.99 and lets you schedule when to block emails every day and lets you recover the last 20 emails deleted by the app.
• StopMail PRO costs $4.99http://store.berryreview.com/product.asp?id=63771&n=StopMail-PRO and adds more functionality allowing you to schedule a different block for every day along with all the features of previous versions.

Thanks for the tip Morris! (via CrackBerry)

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• LaterFlag – Free App Lets You Easily Flag Email as High or Low Priority
• Giveaway: Win one of 25 Free copies of WiFi_BTPower
• Free Antair Headers App Lets You View Full Email Headers on Your BlackBerry
• Save The Weekend – Free App Delays Email Until Work Hours
• Free & Premium Text’nDrive Reads Your Email & SMS

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, September 1, 2010, 8:05 pm. | Free and Premium StopMail App Lets You Pause Email Delivery | Leave a comment |

Adam let us know about a new app he has released called Rendezvous that adds two useful functions to the native BlackBerry calendar.

1. It tells you how much time is remaining between now and certain events in your calendar
2. Lets you jump to a certain time in the future like

This is awesome tool for things like planning an event 6 weeks in the future or calculating how many days you have until a deadline. This is one of those tools that would be cool if RIM baked it right into the OS.

Rendezvous is currently on sale in the store for $1.99 down from $2.99 at this link. In honor of the apps launch Adam gave us 30 free copies for the first users who head to the product page and checkout using the coupon code rendezvous4berry. Don’t forget to thank Adam in the comments!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Giveaway: AddOnis & Profiler Pro Integrated – 20 Copies of Both!
• Picticons Provides 300+ Picture Icons and Smileys for BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 – 50 Free Copies!
• MatrixFeeds Does RSS Feeds “Matrix Style” – 51 Free Copies!
• SmartBBattery – Free Homescreen Icon That Shows Battery Status
• Giveaway: SlickTasks – Simpler Task Management – 60 Free Copies

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 27, 2010, 8:48 pm. | Rendezvous Shows You How Much Time Is Left – 30 Free Copies! | Leave a comment |

Since WES OtterBox has been pushing hard with their “Strength” case line which benefits the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. 10% of the purchase price from each OtterBox Commuter Series “Strength” case will go to support finding a cure for breast cancer and advancing cancer care.

What is truly impressive is that to date OtterBox has donated $45,637. Doing some simple math on the back of my napkin that translates into almost half a million dollars worth of sales  on over thirteen thousand cases for the “Strength” line.

The new pink “Strength” limited edition case for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 joins the already released line for the BlackBerry Curve 8500 series and BlackBerry Pearl 9100 series smartphones. They are all available at this link for $34.95.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Otterbox Releases 85xx Pink Commuter Series Strength Case
• OtterBox Releases Commuter Case for BlackBerry Bold 9700
• OtterBox Defender Case for 9700 Bold released.
• Case-Mate BlackBerry Bold 9700 Fuel Case Now Available!!!
• OtterBox Releases Cases for the BlackBerry Curve 8500 & Pearl Flip 8200 Series

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 19, 2010, 8:33 pm. | OtterBox Releases Pink “Strength” Case for BlackBerry Bold 9700 | Leave a comment |

It has been almost 3 years since we were promised cell phone service on subway platforms. The economy tanked which caused Transit Wireless LLC to not be able to fulfill its promise. It is finally back on track thanks to Broadcast Australia which has taken a majority stake in Transit Wireless LLC. This is the same company that oversaw the wireless rollout for the Hong Kong subway system.

The agreement gave Transit Wireless two years to hook up six stations near 14th street with wireless. After that they have another four years to complete the rest of the 271 underground stations. They are installing small access points in the six stations within the next two months after which they will be rolling out to new stations at 10-15 stations a month.

This will finally give riders some mobile service on platforms and some parts of the tunnels. Truthfully I wish there would be a way to stop people from making phone calls on the trains yet still give them access to data. So far AT&T, Verizon, & Sprint look like they are signed up to pay Transit Wireless for using its network. I just cannot wait to finally get email on the subway or be able to check Google Maps while waiting for a train.

What do you think about cellular access on the subway?

via Bloomberg

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Transit Wireless To Cover NYC Subway Wireless Service
• Google Maps Adds Overlay Layer for New York City Subway
• Nobex Radio Adds 150 Canadian Stations To Current 700 USA Stations
• Railbandit Releases NYC Subway App
• MetrO for BlackBerry Beta – Free Subway & Metro Directions

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 6:01 pm. | New York Subway Stations To Finally Get Cellphone & Wi-Fi Coverage | Leave a comment |

Mark Hurd just stepped resigned as chairman of H.P. after sexual allegations were made against him by a former marketing contractor.  Be forewarned Mike, keep your pants on!

via Hurd Resigns From H.P After Sexual Harassment Inquiry.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Mike Lazaridis Calls Storm A Netbook…
• Mike Lazaridis Once Again Calls For Bandwidth Conservation
• TELUS & Sportsnet Launch MIKE Playoff Beard Challenge
• Mike Lazaridis Interviewed About The Future of RIM
• Cnet Interviews Mike Lazaridis On BlackBerry Bold

Posted by David for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 5:15 pm. | Mike Lazaridiz better be careful | Leave a comment |

TUAW has an interesting post about a guy moving to New York who refuses to have a roomate with Apple products–especially the iPhone.  The guy has a Droid himself and says he just can’t stand the attitude that iPhone owners have.  Mel Martin over at TUAW thinks that Droid owners have an annoying attitude themselves.  I wonder what characteristics would be attributed to a Blackberry using roomate…

What sayeth you Blackberry fans?

via Guy moving to New York wants a roomie who doesn’t have an iPhone.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• 10 reasons to ditch your Blackberry for the iPhone
• BlackBerry Storm vs Apple iPhone comparo.
• BlackBerry Storm theme for your iPhone
• AT&T Releases iPhone App to Let Users Report Spotty Coverage
• Free New York Times App v1.1 Released With Support for OS 5.0

Posted by David for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 4:27 pm. | Guy moving to New York wants a roomie who doesn’t have an iPhone | Leave a comment |

I just wanted to provide some more detail to my previous explanation of what communications are encrypted on a BlackBerry. This issue has caused quite a bit of confusion recently so I thought I would clear it up specifically for BlackBerry Messenger and PIN messages.

BlackBerry Messenger and PIN to PIN messages are NOT encrypted. They are scrambled using a global cryptographic key which EVERY BlackBerry in the world uses. BES administrators have the option to encrypt the body of PIN messages (but not the PIN itself) using a organization specific encryption key but that limits users to only be able to send PIN messages within the organization so it is usually not done. It is possible to use the S/MIME Package RIM sells to encrypt PIN to PIN messages but that gets complicated and is really only done by Government organizations.

There are a couple of problems with PIN to PIN messaging that is also the basis of BlackBerry messenger that you should know about. The Communications Security Establishment in Canada was kind enough to detail some of these issues:

• As said before PIN to PIN messages by default are NOT encrypted they are scrambled using a cryptographic key
• If an wireless carrier or government manages to reroute your PIN message to any other BlackBerry in the world by changing the header then it will be readable on that device
• Devices cannot be reused by another person since messages for that PIN will continue to come to the device for the original owner. Think of it this way. If you sell your BlackBerry the new owner will get your PIN messages. The sender would also have no idea that this is the case.
• You have no idea if the person sending you that PIN message has not sold their device or had it stolen by another person who is impersonating them.
• Even if an organization uses their BES with a organization specific PIN key the PIN number is still not encrypted and sent in the clear. That means a snoop could see who is sending messages back and forth.

Any questions?

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• FAQ: What Communication Is Encrypted on Your BlackBerry
• BlackBerry Messenger 5.0.1.32 Now in Beta Zone
• UPDATE: BlackBerry Messenger 5.0.0.33 NOW Officially in App World!!!
• BlackBerry Messenger 5.0.1.17 Available in BlackBerry Beta Zone
• Windows Live Hotmail Push Email & Messenger For BlackBerry?

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 2:52 pm. | FAQ: BlackBerry Messenger & PIN Messages are NOT Encrypted | 6 comments |

Ani from Getempower let us know that they have released a fun new game called Cube Field. The game works great on  9700 and very responsive to the trackpad. In this game you must navigate a ship through a field of cubes that approach fast towards you. The goal is to navigate the ship as far as you can, but the game’s pace goes faster the further you go.  The interface is crisp and clean and I have to say it gets very addictive.
The game has a free trial that you can download at this LINK or purchase it for $2.99. The game supports all BlackBerry devices with OS 4.2 and above.

Giveaway: We have 30 free copies to giveaway thanks to Getempower and all you have to do is leave a comment before August 9 letting us know what ideas or features you would like to see on the next version of this game. Good luck.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Giveaway: Fierce Towers Tower Defense Game – 50 Copies
• Giveaway: BerryBlow Labyrinth Game (Storm/Storm2 Only) – 50 Free Copies
• Jounce – Fun New Age Puzzle Game
• If You Registered The Free EA Mobile Game From CES Is Now Available
• Giveaway: Game Run Stickboy Run For BB Storm

Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 2:30 pm. | Giveaway: Cube Field Game From Getempower | 4 comments |

The Saudi government really meant business when they said they would ban BlackBerry services or fine carriers $1.3 million dollars. The ban hammer went down this morning and for 4 hours users were craving their crackberry fix.

It looks like service went down around 4:30 AM ET but 4 hours later it was all back and running. The Vancouver Sun is assuming that maybe the telecommunications authority did not specify the length of the ban…

So now I am kind of curious about what game they are playing:

• Did they do it just to send RIM a message?
• Was it a publicity stunt?
• Are the carriers essentially laughing in the governments face and saying we did what you asked?
• Did RIM find a way to un-ban their service?

What do you think?

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• BlackBerry Users Cut Off in Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Arabia Banning BlackBerry Service This Friday
• Proposed Canadian Bill C-285 Might Allow For BlackBerry Wiretapping/Snooping
• WireFly 24 Hours Sale Get Any BlackBerry Free
• Review: Chuzzle- Stay Entertained For Hours

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 1:45 pm. | BlackBerry Ban Lifted in Saudi Arabia after 4 hours?!? | Leave a comment |

The Saudi government really meant business when they said they would ban BlackBerry services or fine carriers $1.3 million dollars. The ban hammer went down this morning and for 4 hours users were craving their crackberry fix.

It looks like service went down around 4:30 AM ET but 4 hours later it was all back and running. The Vancouver Sun is assuming that maybe the telecommunications authority did not specify the length of the ban…

So now I am kind of curious about what game they are playing:

• Did they do it just to send RIM a message?
• Was it a publicity stunt?
• Are the carriers essentially laughing in the governments face and saying we did what you asked?
• Did RIM find a way to un-ban their service?

What do you think?

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• BlackBerry Users Cut Off in Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Arabia Banning BlackBerry Service This Friday
• Proposed Canadian Bill C-285 Might Allow For BlackBerry Wiretapping/Snooping
• WireFly 24 Hours Sale Get Any BlackBerry Free
• Review: Chuzzle- Stay Entertained For Hours

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 1:45 pm. | BlackBerry Ban Lifted in Saudi Arabia after 4 hours?!? | Leave a comment |

Twinkler let us know that they have discounted all of their apps by 30% for this whole weekend until August 8th. You don’t need a coupon or anything to get the discount.

You can find all of their apps at this link in the store

They also let us know that they have tested their popular AddOnis app and found that it is compatible with BlackBerry 6. That is interesting to see since the app touches quite a few low level OS functions and it still works with BlackBerry 6. Only time will tell if all other apps can say the same.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Twinkler Software March Madness Sale 30% OFF Through March 31st
• All Twinkler Software Apps 20% Off Until Jan 19th
• Giveaway Winners: AddOnis From Twinkler Software
• Valentines Day App and 20% Valentine’s Day Discount from Twinkler Software
• Giveaway: Valentines Giveaway from Twinkler Software & Toysoft

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 1:35 pm. | All Twinkler Software 30% Off This Weekend | Leave a comment |

Twinkler let us know that they have discounted all of their apps by 30% for this whole weekend until August 8th. You don’t need a coupon or anything to get the discount.

You can find all of their apps at this link in the store

They also let us know that they have tested their popular AddOnis app and found that it is compatible with BlackBerry 6. That is interesting to see since the app touches quite a few low level OS functions and it still works with BlackBerry 6. Only time will tell if all other apps can say the same.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Twinkler Software March Madness Sale 30% OFF Through March 31st
• All Twinkler Software Apps 20% Off Until Jan 19th
• Giveaway Winners: AddOnis From Twinkler Software
• Valentines Day App and 20% Valentine’s Day Discount from Twinkler Software
• Giveaway: Valentines Giveaway from Twinkler Software & Toysoft

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 1:35 pm. | All Twinkler Software 30% Off This Weekend | Leave a comment |

Ronen mentioned few days back Kidsentinel an app made by TeleBEEM, that lets you track your kids cell phone usage.   I remember I didn’t get my first cell phone till I was able to purchase one with my own money. Now a day I see kids even below the age of 10 carrying cell phones. That can be a good thing or a bad things since technology is only as safe as the user is cautious. With that said if you are a parent that wants’ to keep track of what your kids are doing and who they message this application will help you with that. KidSentinel is different from most applications that offer similar service since it is a one time fee compare to others that offer a monthly service charge. The app can be purchase in the BR store for $24.99 for a limited time. Regular is at $49.99 at this link.

Some of the the features include:

• Track Incoming calls
• Track SMS, MMS and E-mails
• Changes to the BB calendar, phone book
• Tracks Pictures taken
• Tamper proof with password protection
• The application compiles an email that you can set for delivery every two hours or daily.

Giveaway: If you are interested in a free copy we have 25 copies to giveaway. Let us know why you are interested in the application. Messages must be left before Tuesday August 10, 2010.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• KidSentinel Subscription-Free Child Cellphone Usage Monitoring App
• mblStats – BlackBerry Usage Monitor
• One Third Of Children With Cellphone By Age 8 – How About A BlackBerry?
• Free Mobile Data Alerter Helps You Monitor Traffic Usage
• SMS Counter: Monitors & Alerts Based On Your SMS Usage

Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 1:30 pm. | Giveaway: KidSentinel Monitor Child Cellphone Usage | Leave a comment |

Ronen mentioned few days back Kidsentinel an app made by TeleBEEM, that lets you track your kids cell phone usage.   I remember I didn’t get my first cell phone till I was able to purchase one with my own money. Now a day I see kids even below the age of 10 carrying cell phones. That can be a good thing or a bad things since technology is only as safe as the user is cautious. With that said if you are a parent that wants’ to keep track of what your kids are doing and who they message this application will help you with that. KidSentinel is different from most applications that offer similar service since it is a one time fee compare to others that offer a monthly service charge. The app can be purchase in the BR store for $24.99 for a limited time. Regular is at $49.99 at this link.

Some of the the features include:

• Track Incoming calls
• Track SMS, MMS and E-mails
• Changes to the BB calendar, phone book
• Tracks Pictures taken
• Tamper proof with password protection
• The application compiles an email that you can set for delivery every two hours or daily.

Giveaway: If you are interested in a free copy we have 25 copies to giveaway. Let us know why you are interested in the application. Messages must be left before Tuesday August 10, 2010.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• KidSentinel Subscription-Free Child Cellphone Usage Monitoring App
• mblStats – BlackBerry Usage Monitor
• One Third Of Children With Cellphone By Age 8 – How About A BlackBerry?
• Free Mobile Data Alerter Helps You Monitor Traffic Usage
• SMS Counter: Monitors & Alerts Based On Your SMS Usage

Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 1:30 pm. | Giveaway: KidSentinel Monitor Child Cellphone Usage | Leave a comment |

If you wanted to call dibs on an upcoming BlackBerry Torch 9800 Best Buy Mobile just let us know that they have opened up preorders today. They are offering the new slider device for the same $199.99 with a 2 year contract.

According to Best Buy

Best Buy is excited to give customers the advanced opportunity to secure the latest device from AT&T, Scott Anderson, senior director of merchandising at Best Buy Mobile. BlackBerry continues to deliver innovative smart phones that take the mobile experience to the next-level. This complements our ongoing commitment to provide our customers with the most diverse selection of smart phones at competitive pricing.

Pre-orders can be made by visiting any local Best Buy or Best Buy mobile standalone store, or by going online at www.bestbuy.com/mobile. I don’t see it online yet but it will probably be there soon.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• MobileCity Taking Preorders for BlackBerry 9800 ($599)
• Verizon Accepting BlackBerry Tour Preorders – July 12th Release Date Confirmed
• Live: The Best BlackBerry Ever… Launch Post – BlackBerry Torch 9800
• RIM Considering Calling 9800 Slider a BlackBerry Torch 9800
• BlackBerry Bold 9700 on T-Mobile Germany Site – Vodafone UK Storm2 Preorders!

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 12:32 pm. | Best Buy Mobile Accepting BlackBerry Torch 9800 Preorders | Leave a comment |

With the recent security of the BlackBerry infrastructure put into question this month in the Middle East and India I thought I would cover what exactly IS secured on your BlackBerry. These governments are unhappy that they cannot view encrypted messages sent to a BlackBerry but I think most people don’t realize what is encrypted. Since its inception very few email and instant messaging protocols and services have used any encryption since the protocol naturally moves in clear text.

The thing to note is that if you are not on a BlackBerry Enterprise Server little is encrypted! That means if you are using your carriers BIS (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) to receive email on your BlackBerry that communication is NOT encrypted. It might be encrypted between RIM’s BIS infrastructure and your mail server but between your device and RIM’s infrastructure it goes in the clear. The only thing that is regularly encrypted on a regular device is SSL websites like your bank when you are browsing the internet and to a separate degree PIN and BlackBerry Messenger messages. RIM has been very honest about this by specifically stating that it is only BES traffic that is encrypted beyond these governments reach.

BlackBerry Internet Service Encryption

RIM clearly states this in their knowledge base:

Email messages sent between the BlackBerry Internet Service and the BlackBerry Internet Service subscriber’s BlackBerry smartphone are not encrypted. When transmitted over the wireless network, the email messages are subject to the existing or available network security model(s).

That means that the only protection is what your carrier offers by encrypting their wireless traffic using the standard 3G and 2G protocols. If a carrier is tapping the line and giving the government access to sniff the traffic then they are seeing all of this communication in the clear. RIM has even admitted that they would provide such a wiretap if they were required by a court order though they would not decrypt the traffic which is not necessary since it is not encrypted in the first place.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Encryption

Now you might ask what is encrypted. If your device is on a BlackBerry Enterprise Server then all email sent between the BES server and your device is encrypted using Triple DES (3DES) or AES encryption. Please note that if you have both BES and BIS email on your device ONLY the BES email is encrypted. This encryption for BES email means that ONLY your company can decrypt these messages. RIM does not and cannot provide these keys to a government organization. Other applications that are designed and let you choose to work over your BES MDS connection can also make use of the Transcoder API to also communicate securely but by default applications usually DO NOT use this API.

BlackBerry Messenger and PIN to PIN messages

When it comes to PIN messaging and BlackBerry Messenger there is a bit of confusion. RIM clearly states that:

The BlackBerry device scrambles PIN messages using the PIN encryption key. By default, each BlackBerry device uses a global PIN encryption key, which allows the BlackBerry device to decrypt every PIN message that the BlackBerry device receives. Your organization can use a global PIN encryption key, a PIN encryption key that is specific to your organization, or both.

That means that it is up to your BES admin to decide if messages between users on your BES server are encrypted with RIM’s global key that they can provide governments or a private organization key that will encrypt messages within your company with a key that RIM does not know.

So all in all I think these governments that are banning BlackBerrys need to truly understand how this all works. For example, ActiveSync is the technology most other devices use to sync Exchange data over the air. That by default is not encrypted but just as easily can use a certificate. Other email protocols like POP3 and IMAP are also not encrypted by default but can just as easily add an SSL certificate to encrypt that traffic. RIM truly is not unique in this since even Gmail’s website now uses SSL traffic for all email by default… While SSL might be easier to crack it is all based on the same encryption concepts so they are relatively similar.

Any other questions? In short RIM cannot and will not ever share the BES encryption keys so I am not sure what these countries want from them…

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• FAQ: High Level Fact Sheet Comparing BIS To BES
• Is RIM Allowing Government Spying Or Not?
• Documentation for BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express 5.0.1 Released
• FAQ: Explanation Of Each BlackBerry Service Book Type
• Poll: Are You Using BES Or Do You Only Have BIS?

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 12:04 pm. | FAQ: What Communication Is Encrypted on Your BlackBerry | One comment |

There were rumors before that RIM was working on a fingerprint reader for BlackBerrys. It all seems to make sense since RIM is very bullish about security with their enterprise product. It is kind of surprising that they don’t already have a fingerprint scanner.

Well one of our readers, Terrence, pointed out that he was digging through the resources in BlackBerry OS 6 on a 9800 and found a file titled: "net_rim_theme_precision_2_360x400_b.cod". This finding was also confirmed by BBLeaks so it looks legit!

Could be that RIM is serious about coming out with a fingerprint scanner? I know some users who would gladly have one over having to enter in a 5+ character password on work devices.

PS: Sorry for not posting this earlier guys we have just been overloaded with BlackBerry 6 and Torch news.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• RIM Adding Fingerprint Scanner to BlackBerry Touchpad?
• Pretend You Work for the FBI with the Fake BlackBerry Fingerprint Scanner
• PaderSyncSSH Updated Adding Basic Telnet & More
• BlackBerry Curve 8520 OS 5.0.0.411 Found Online
• FAQ: How To Password Protect Your BlackBerry

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 10:55 am. | RIM Adding Fingerprint Reader To BlackBerrys? | Leave a comment |

Sorry I could not help but use the turn of phrase a friend suggested. While studies and reports are not shining a positive light on RIM they still have a fortress in the heart of enterprise communication. As CNN points out there is a reason why users stick with BlackBerry devices and it usually starts by their employer giving them a BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry platform dominates the enterprise market and has a veritable “Death Grip” on those customers. Don’t get me wrong the competition is slowly chipping away at RIM’s fortress of enterprise communication but RIM has a simple answer for that. If a handheld is susceptible to attack by a simple PDF or TIFF image like the iPhone and Android then you have a serious issue. RIM has had their own issues with PDF attachments in the past but they have fixed them within days and provided enterprises with a quick solution every time.

CNN mentions 3 reasons why users keep on coming back to their BlackBerrys:

• The keyboard
• The red light
• & the “business-iy” status symbol

I totally agree with them and think that security is the glue that sticks this trifecta together. RIM has built a strong name for itself with certifications galore stating that they contain rock solid security. They sacrifice quite a few features on the altar of security but for the enterprise market this really makes them a shoe in. Regular consumers are still going to pester their IT departments to support Android and iPhone devices but many companies cannot accept the risks associated with them. When you add the features like Mobile Voice System with Wi-Fi calling and secure internal communication then businesses still have a strong value proposition to choose BlackBerry. This security is something that is currently getting RIM in trouble in India and the Middle east.

On the other hand some internal research from Good Technologies suggests that RIM might be slowly losing their “Death Grip” on the enterprise market. According to Good (which has a alternative motive in this case since they sell products for other devices):

• 43% of all corporate users use iPhone and Android – employees want their work info on their personal phones and IT has been forced to support it (which is a good thing for corporations, since they don’t have to pay for corporate Blackberry’s anymore)
• 20% of all corporations now support 3 or more phone operating systems – pretty surprising, considering less than a year ago it was mostly Rim and iPhone. This just points to the fact that corporations anticipate that they need to now support whatever the employees want and are open to supporting the flavors du jour

So what do you think? Will RIM continue their domination of the enterprise market?

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• RIM Working On Securing Shared Work/Personal Use of BlackBerrys
• Steve Jobs Claims BlackBerry Bold 9700 Suffers From Antenna Death Grip
• Two Out of Five AT&T iPhone Sales are to Enterprise Users
• Viigo Launches Enterprise Product to Keep Employees Informed
• iPhone Making An Enterprise Debut? Should RIM Care?

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 10:00 am. | BlackBerrys Enterprise “Death Grip” | Leave a comment |

Sems pointed out to me that Handango is continuing its Free App Friday madness. They have just put up SmartWiFi as the free app for TODAY ONLY!

SmartWiFi is a nice and simple utility from S4BB that manages your WiFi and turns it off based on your location using cellphone towers. That way it turns WiFi back on only when you are at home or at work…

Features include:

• Saves battery by turning off WiFi when not needed
• Remembers the WiFi locations you use
• Up to 100 WiFi locations supported
• Powers WiFi back on when you are back in WiFi coverage
• Displays useful information: BSSID, SSID, Data Rate, Radio Band and Signal Level

You just need to head to this page and use the code FAF806 to get it for free. Keep in mind you need to remove the extortion download protection fee when you add it to your cart for it to really be free.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• SmartWiFi Turns on WiFi Based on Cell Phone Tower Location
• Rumor: Free WiFi calling for T-mobile users?
• BatteryEx Battery Info Tool & Booster – 50 Free Copies!!!
• SignalLoc Now Supports The Bold – Free Utility Shows Cell Tower Information & More
• ForceRadioOn: Free App Stops Low Battery From Turning Off Your Cellular Radio

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, August 6, 2010, 9:53 am. | HOT! SmartWiFi Free For TODAY ONLY @ Handango | Leave a comment |