If you’re watching some of the CES 2012 coverage, you may have tuned in to TechCrunch’s visit to BlackBerry’s booth. Andrew Keen and Jordan Crook spent a lot of time talking about BlackBerry’s presence at CES 2012, saying the booth was really small. Once they arrive at the booth, the interview starts with Andrew Keen smugly saying “we’re from a website called TechCrunch, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it.” The implication, I guess, is that RIM doesn’t doesn’t read tech news, but Andrew doesn’t realize he’s talking to Alex Kinsella who works on RIM’s social media team and can be seen commenting on TechCrunch nearly every day.

Keen follows up with “is anybody buying a BlackBerry?” which is a dumb question considering RIM has 75 million subscribers – an increase quarter over quarter. The interview is just nothing but cringe worthy and makes both Keen and Crook come across as immature. Keen goes on to ask “tell me what’s good about BlackBerry, what’s new?”. After Alex goes on to talk about PlayBook OS 2 and the updates in terms of BlackBerry Balance, native PIM apps and the unified inbox, Keen simply responds with “I already have a unified inbox” and obviously isn’t listening. The interview is cut short as the camera is apparently running out of memory, but it just seemed like a good time to duck out after grilling a RIM employee with insults under the guise of questions.

How time flies!

Today is the last day of the year of 2011. Now i would like to say goodbye for this year. And Express our great thanks to our customers and our helpful partners.

Btw, this year has been a true rollercoaster for BlackBerry users and addicts. RIM first tried placating users upgrade demands with slightly improved variants of existing devices with more memory. They then released the BlackBerry PlayBook which showed tons of promise but struggled to improve the OS. Then they finally treated us to a whole lineup of BlackBerry 7 devices with processors that doubled the speed of the previous crop.

Now at the end of 2011 it seems like this transition period will be stretching into 2012 but will hopefully start showing its promise in February. I am excited to see what RIM has in store for us and I truly hope they hit the ground kicking ass and taking names with a successful PlayBook 2.0 launch. There are so many different rumors I am hearing from inside RIM and the excitement seems to be brewing. Hopefully RIM shows us what a BlackBerry BB10 “Superphone” looks like soon!

I wanted to thank all of you for making 2011 an amazing year with record breaking readership on eMobistudio. We hope you enjoyed the ride with us. Here is to an amazing 2012!

Happy New Year!

May the New Year filled with much joy, happiness and success.

It is said that PlayBook and OS 7 devices are anxiously looking forward to BBX devices, Bridge enhancements, and the 4G PlayBook. The details that have been revealed so far give us reason to keep our faith.

Here’s Ronen’s highlights:

• 4G PlayBooks will launch around the same time (early 2012) as the PlayBook 2.0 OS which is scheduled for February 2012. It has been in testing for several months on multiple carriers.
• PlayBook OS 2.0 will be bringing speed improvements to Bridge without many UI changes. Mostly improvement and functionality. There will be “some updates down the road”
• RIM has teams working on extending PlayBook video chat into an endpoint for corporate video chat so it is beyond just device to device. (I want to know more!)
• PlayBook messages and PIM will sync almost as fast as smartphones.
• The push infrastructure is the same as the current smartphone push but the moderator did not think PIN to PIN messaging was in OS 2.0 yet
• OS 2.0 will have spell-check with type ahead and word prediction
• S/MIME encryption will not be available at OS 2.0 launch but will be available shortly after
• Currently the PlayBook native email does not color code BES vs Personal email
• BlackBerry Mobile Fusion server can handle 10,000+ users per server compared to the current 2,000 user limit.
• RIM Plans on making more apps be able to connect to the internet over bridge
• RIM is looking into other PlayBook sizes
• The 4G PlayBook will not have voice capabilities beside video chat at first. The initial release will be data and video chat. There will also be third party apps that can make regular calls but nothing from RIM.
• Corporate and personal contacts are in one general list but the device knows which is which. Any new contact will be corporate by default.

Today we learned that RIM issued a official statement about the PlayBook being rooted aka DingleBerry. They insured that the PlayBook is still a very secure device and that they are working with security researchers to look into the situation.

“Research In Motion (RIM) is aware of a claim made on Twitter by security researchers working together that suggests the ability to “jailbreak” a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The term “jailbreaking” is commonly used to describe altering the software on a smartphone or tablet in order to obtain access to systems or applications not officially authorized or distributed by the manufacturer. BlackBerry smartphone users are not affected. RIM is currently investigating this claim and has been in contact with one of the security researchers to discuss it.

RIM is currently not aware of a jailbreak being leveraged by anyone other than the researchers, who claim to have performed a jailbreak on their own BlackBerry PlayBook tablets only. If it is determined that the claim is accurate, RIM will follow its standard response process to develop and release a software update that is designed to minimize adverse impact to our customers or carrier partners. RIM is aware that the security researchers have stated they intend to release a tool to jailbreak the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. If such a tool is released, RIM will investigate it.

The security of mobile devices and major networked systems is tested by third-party security researchers every day. RIM also continually tests the security of its own products, and volunteers its products to recognized industry experts for security testing and certification to help identify possible issues. RIM is committed to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and to working with researchers to continue to protect our customers.”

Looks like RIM is aware of the situation and is working to make sure that the PlayBook stays secure! Do you want access to your PlayBook via a root. Would be much appreciated if you can  comment it!

As far as we know, RIM is committed to delivering compelling user experiences so you can stay connected and take action wherever your life takes you. Often, that action is enabled by a BlackBerry® smartphone or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ app, and other times it’s through your BlackBerry device’s web browser. We’re able to deliver a full-featured web and app experience because BlackBerry embraces and integrates a variety of developer platforms to make it possible for you to experience and consume the content you want, while you’re on the go – whether that’s powered by the BlackBerry native applications, BlackBerry PlayBook OS, Open Source, superior Flash integration, Adobe® AIR®, Web Works, or websites that use HTML5 to deliver cutting-edge graphics and video.

Earlier today, Adobe announced plans to stop investing in Flash® for mobile browsing, and focus more efforts on HTML5. As an Adobe source code licensee, we will continue to work on and release our own implementations, and are looking forward to including Flash 11.1 for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The strategic direction announced by Adobe today further validates RIM’s decision to launch the BlackBerry PlayBook with a full-powered and uncompromised desktop class browser supporting both Flash and HTML5. We are pleased that Adobe will focus its efforts on next generation Flash-based apps delivered via AIR and BlackBerry App World™ as well as the great opportunities that HTML5 presents for our developers as we discussed at DevCon Americas.

“The PlayBook browser does a great job of supporting both HTML5 and Flash, including industry leading HD video streaming. Adobe and RIM are focused on HTML5 innovation for mobile browsing and believe it is the best solution for developers to deliver rich web experiences on RIM’s BlackBerry products and other mobile devices. RIM has the ability to continue working on and releasing its own implementations of Flash Player 11 and beyond,” said Danny Winokur, VP & GM, Interactive Development, Adobe Systems Inc.

RIM is also energized by the powerful, open standards-based development platform that HTML5 delivers through our BlackBerry products. To us, this means working with thousands of talented BlackBerry developers to bring new gaming, entertainment, and video experiences that deliver depths of experience we had only dreamed of a few years ago. That’s progress we support, and we look forward to seeing the innovation soon in BlackBerry App World.

If you have questions or comments, please share it with us.

Music soothes the savage beast. The saying holds more truth than you may realize. Think of how many times you‘ve thrown on some music to help you vent, put you to sleep or even help you keep your focus. You may even have created playlists on your BlackBerry smartphone for numerous occasions. One BlackBerry smartphone application takes the idea of beneficial tones one step further; Brainwave Tuner. Regardless if you are attempting to mediate, catch some shut eye or even cram for a test, you can browse through 20 preset sound patterns to assist you. It’s amazing how simple tones with binaural beats can help you get your mind where you need it to be- all it needs is the right stimuli.

brainwave_tuner

Brainwave Tuner was recently updated to version 2.6 and includes the following features:

• Updated User Interface
• Prolonged Sound Loops
• Categorized waves and more sound patterns added in version 2.6
• Examples of possible uses for brain stimulation
• Relaxation and meditation by entraining your brain into desired states
• Enhancement of learning capabilities (super learning)
• Sleep induction (for treating insomnia or just for falling asleep quicker)
• Focusing attention and enhancing awareness
• Alleviation of headaches and migraines, as well as other pain
• Preparation for stressful situations
• Self hypnosis and/or subliminal programming


Promotion: Brainwave Tuner is available from the CrackBerry App Store for $3.99. You can use the coupon code CRACKBERRY201110 in order to receive a 50% discount. The promotion is valid until this Sunday at midnight, PST. Please note: This code will only work in the mobile app store or mobile app store client from your device.

As we all know BlackBerry Devcon 2011 happened these days, so we were under the impression that we would be seeing the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 update a little after the event took place.  Well BlackBerry Devcon rolled around and developers started to get their hands on a beta version of OS 2.0 for the PlayBook! All was looking promising, well until today. On the Official Inside BlackBerry Blog RIM posted an update on the status on the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Update!

We know that many of you are looking forward to BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, and we wanted to provide you with an update on the progress that we’re making.

As much as we’d love to have it in your hands today, we’ve made the difficult decision to wait to launch BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 until we are confident we have fully met the expectations of our developers, enterprise customers and end-users. And here’s what we’re doing to accomplish that.

First off, we have decided to defer the inclusion of the BBM application to a subsequent BlackBerry PlayBook OS release. We are committed to developing a seamless BBM solution that fully delivers on the powerful, push based messaging capabilities recognized today by BlackBerry® users around the world and we’re still working on it. In the meantime, BlackBerry smartphone users will be able to continue to use BlackBerry Bridge to securely access BlackBerry Messenger on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s high resolution display.

Secondly, we are excited to now be providing developers with the gold release of the native SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet as well as a beta of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 (launched last week at BlackBerry DevCon Americas). The developer beta allows developers to begin porting their native apps to the PlayBook platform. In the following months, the developer kit will be updated with the full Cascades animation and UI engine that was first demonstrated at BlackBerry DevCon. We expect that the developer beta will generate thousands of new applications for BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.

Shortly we will also be starting a series of closed betas of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 with select enterprise customers from our Early Adopter Program (EAP). These betas will be rolled out over the course of this year and are an important next step to bringing our unmatched enterprise app deployment, device manageability, security and email integration capabilities to the tablet category. The betas will be conducted within global enterprise environments and will test the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet solution from end-to-end within corporate IT infrastructures. Feedback and improvements from these betas will benefit the overall BlackBerry PlayBook customer experience.

We believe BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 will deliver a great experience for our customers, building on the powerful performance introduced with BlackBerry PlayBook tablet earlier this year. The software update will add advanced integrated email, calendar and contact apps, a new video store, as well as new functionality that will allow your BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook to work together even better.

For the enterprise, we’re addressing many barriers to tablet adoption, including device manageability and enterprise application deployment. Enterprises will uniquely have the ability to manage tablets from a centralized server, while BlackBerry Balance ensures a seamless user experience for personal and professional needs and gives CIOs the peace of mind that corporate data is secure. Plus BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 will provide dedicated shelf space inside the BlackBerry App World storefront to make approved enterprise applications easily available to an organization’s end users. Together these features will help change the way enterprises view and use tablets.

So when could an end user get the new update? We expect to deliver the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS to customers in February 2012 and we’ll continue to keep you updated as we progress to the launch.

- David J. Smith, SVP, BlackBerry PlayBook, Research In Motion

Now as a PlayBook user you must be scratching your head and might not know how to feel about the situation.  One big thing is not having BBM on the 2.0 OS update. We all knew that the concept of having your BlackBerry ID linked to two BlackBerry PIN numbers for use with BBM was going to be difficult.  RIM is trying to make it so you can have the same contact list on both devices. However you have to kind of look on the positive side of this statement. Yes RIM did promise us that we would see things like native PIM and the Android App player when the PlayBook was first announced and now we won’t be seeing it till 2012. But imagine if RIM released OS 2.0 right now!  RIM put out the PlayBook unfinished because they wanted to get a tablet out onto the market, which they should have never done but they did. Personally I still think the BlackBerry PlayBook is one of the best tablets out there and it is only going to get better! Hope to see it in next year.

A cloud service similar to Apple’s iCloud or Amazon’s Cloud Drive is on the way for BlackBerry friends. RIM won’t develop the cloud system themselves, instead they want to spend $ 100 million on the Irish software company Newbay Software from Ireland.

NewBay is an Ireland-based digital content services company that specializes in white-label solutions for mobile carriers. Some of their products include social networking tools, mobile video content delivery, mobile messaging, utilities, as well as tailor made mobile OSes for mobile carriers such as Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T. The company also has a significant presence in the cloud services space which is probably the cause of the acquisition.

This is totally fresh, so RIM didn’t have a opportunity to say anything regarding this. Therefore I call this just the RIMcloud.

What can we expect

The idea of using the cloud as storage for all kind of data is that you can access anything from anywhere. Here is a list of expected functions:

• Store all kind of files, including presentations, music, video, documents, pdf, zip files and many more in the cloud.
• Store and synchronize contacts, todos, notes, calendar, emails, sms, call log and other personal information through the cloud.
• Backup your data so you never lose anything, even when moving to a new device.
• Conveniently share your data with friends, family and coworkers.

This is what I expect, as I said RIM didn’t say anything so far. I think a RIMcloud would be a really nice addition to the current services of RIM. With such a service I don’t need to fear when I lose my device or when I just want to upgrade to the next generation phone.

Looking forward to see more about cloud service.

In work, Co-Works may not be the best fit for everyone. But most of time, it will a good quality for a work to co-work with others and finish work very well. Here is a brief synopsis of some other alternatives for the mobile worker, along with some links for more information.

Workplace Solutions – The most common non-traditional office-type suppliers are the very large providers of ‘workplace solutions’ along the lines of Regus. There are many types of packages and options to choose from to meet any business’s types of needs. Plus many are global so you may be able to opt for access to their buildings in various locations depending on where your business or personal life takes you.

Office Business Centers – These tend to be more in line with the Regus model of office space rental/lease than Co-Works, but there are many and they are varied across North America and the rest of the world. Business Centers in this category tend to be more local and individually owned, so they likely have their own flavor and style. They sometimes have reciprocal usage options amongst them as well.

Incubators or Accelerators – These are usually based on an application for entry and come with additional services and consulting to help get your company off the ground. Normally, the expectation is that you wouldn’t stay in an incubator or accelerator for the long term. They are meant to do what the name implies: get your business going to the point where you ‘graduate’ and go it on your own.

If none of these are what you are after, the local coffee shop with free Wi-Fi® is also a tried, tested and true solution.

Where do you like to work? Do you use a combination of these solutions to be most productive?

I am sure i am. Looking forward to your comments on this topic.

Today we have tried the upcoming BBM Music Beta Program and we would like to share our first impression about this new update.

We are very pleased with this App. It’s really a great concept and has lots of potential. Secondly, it’s a great way to share music and find new music thanks to your BBM friends. The more friends you have participating, the more music is available to you. You choose fifty, they each choose up to fifty. Please see the added features of this great App as follows:

• Build your music profile from a catalogue of millions of tracks (with more to be added over the coming weeks)
• Invite friends to BBM Music from your BBM contacts and gain access to their music
• Create playlists from your BBM Music songs plus your friends’ songs
• Share playlists or single songs with BBM Music friends
• Follow your friends’ BBM Music activity via timelines and comments, or start up a BBM chat about your favorite bands
• Cache music for easy offline listening
• Seamless integration with other BlackBerry music services

We really like it. And we really think BBM Music will do well and is worth a subscription as it has great tunes and a chance to find tunes you like.

If you’re interested, click on the following link to sign up for the BBM Music when it becomes available in the BlackBerry App World.