Here is the first look at the BlackBerry Storm touchscreen smartphone from Verizon. The handset comes with a plenty of cool features. Watch the video after the jump to get more details. [JustAMP]
Senior Technology Correspondent Gary Krakow gets a look at the first BlackBerry touchscreen smartphone -- called the Storm -- coming from Verizon. It's loaded with features, works all over the world and offers a new level of responsiveness to your touch.
The dust has barely settled on the RIM BlackBerry Storm launch, and already there’s news of new, improved devices on the horizon. The BGR has received word from multiple sources that not only are RIM currently working on the second-gen BlackBerry Storm (and in the early stages of the third-gen Storm), but that the more immediate future holds a super-BlackBerry with a near-HD display and 5-megapixel autofocus camera.
The form-factor for the new device is uncertain, with BGR describing it as “a Bold and Storm mashup”; it could either have a slide-out keyboard or be more Palm Treo styled. Internal RAM takes a huge leap to 1GB from the current 128MB, which should end complaints of memory leaks or not enough space to run multiple aftermarket apps.
Timescales for the devices are uncertain. Given we haven’t even seen the original touchscreen Storm released yet, it’s unlikely that its replacement will even get a proper announcement (or, more likely, leaked photos) for several months. As for the “super BlackBerry”, it’s likely to appear sooner; while those specs are outlandish compared to RIM’s current roster, they’re nothing all that unusual in the grand sense of the market.
BlackBerry Curve 8900 brief specifications: - 65K color 480x360 landscape oriented display - quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE - Wifi connectivity - built in GPS receiver - comes with 1400 mAh battery - bluetooth - USB - to be available November 2008
New Versions of BlackBerry Java Development Environment and BlackBerry Smartphone Simulators Support Innovative Mobile Application Development
Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) announced the availability of new developer tools for creating and testing innovative, mobile-savvy applications for the BlackBerry® Storm™, BlackBerry® Bold™ and BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip smartphones.
The developer tools include new versions of the BlackBerry® Java® Development Environment (BlackBerry JDE) that enable the streamlined development of mobile applications, as well as desktop simulators for the BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphones that accelerate mobile application testing. The new BlackBerry JDE versions and simulators are available as free downloads at www.blackberry.com/developers and will be showcased at the BlackBerry Developer Conference (www.blackberrydeveloperconference.com) on October 20-22, 2008 in Santa Clara, California.
BlackBerry JDE v4.7, available today in public beta, enables mobile application development for BlackBerry Device Software v4.7 which runs on the new BlackBerry Storm smartphone. It includes the ability to develop an application that works seamlessly on both touch-screen and keyboard based BlackBerry smartphones. New APIs available with BlackBerry JDE v4.7 that enable developers to take advantage of the new features of the BlackBerry Storm smartphone include:
•Touch-Screen Support – Allow applications with custom user interfaces to receive input from taps, slides and other gestures on a BlackBerry Storm smartphone. •Orientation and Rotation Support – Enable an application to support portrait and landscape orientations and re-draw the screen when the BlackBerry Storm smartphone is rotated. •Accelerometer Support – Enable 360 degree motion sensing for advanced gaming applications and other motion-sensitive applications. •Virtual Keyboard Control – Control when a virtual keyboard is visible to the user within an application, and when the user can show or hide a keyboard within specified screens. •Camera and Media Integration – Build camera and video recording capabilities into a custom application and add a "Send to" menu option that enables photos or recorded videos to be sent from within the custom application. •Set Homescreen Background Image – Enable an application to set the background image on a BlackBerry smartphone’s home screen. BlackBerry JDE v4.6, now generally available, enables mobile application development for BlackBerry Device Software v4.6 which currently runs on the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphones. The following APIs are introduced in BlackBerry JDE v4.6 and are also available with BlackBerry JDE v4.7:
•Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) – Create compelling interactive graphical interfaces, drawings and animation using vector-based 2D graphics. •Location-Based Services (LBS) – Use the Locator API to add LBS capabilities to mobile applications. •Multimedia Integration – Embed audio and video playback in a mobile application and enable the application to capture images using a BlackBerry smartphone’s camera. •Customized Messages and Alerts – Create an integrated experience between a mobile application and a BlackBerry smartphone by displaying custom information directly in a message list or on the home screen. Application messages can appear in BlackBerry Messenger or other instant messaging applications. Alerts appear as indicator icons on the home screen banner and on the external LCD of a BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone. •Multiple Calendar and Contact List Support – Enable a mobile application to access a secondary calendar and contact list databases for users that wish to connect their BlackBerry smartphone to both a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server installation at work and a BlackBerry® Unite!™ installation at home. •Time Zone Enhancements – Enable mobile applications dependent on time zone information to access, display, retrieve and set time zone information. •Décor Enhancements – Control visual properties of a user interface. •SMS & MMS Listener – Set applications to automatically update content or alter the progress of a function based on preset criteria that can be triggered by SMS and MMS messages. In addition to the new APIs, developers can also take advantage of new features for the development of browser-based mobile applications, including improved web page rendering with AJAX, JavaScript® 1.5, CSS 2.1, DOM L2 (including Core, HTML, Style, Events) and HTML 4.01 (including Forms, Maps, Tables, Frames, Objects), as well as support for downloading files via the browser.
Desktop simulators for the BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphones accelerate mobile application development by enabling developers to easily test the end-to-end user experience and wireless network interactivity of their mobile applications.
"The latest versions of the BlackBerry Java Development Environment present developers with opportunities to create innovative, mobile-savvy applications that take advantage of the robust feature sets of the BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphones," said Alan Brenner, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry platforms at Research In Motion. "Each new BlackBerry smartphone presents an opportunity for mobile developers to create new applications or extend their innovations with the latest advances in mobile technology and application development."
About Research In Motion (RIM) Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM’s portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry® wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.
BlackBerry Curve 8900 (the official name of BlackBerry Javelin) has just popped up on T-Mobile Germany’s website, although RIM did not yet announce it.
The German mobile operator lists the BlackBerry Curve 8900 as being available starting November. There’s also a press-photo, together with some official specs of the new smartphone.
Clearly a step forward from the previous Curve handsets, the Curve 8900 is not only a better-looking BlackBerry, but also one that comes with more features.
So, the specs of BlackBerry Curve 8900, as shown on T-Mobile’s page, include:
480 x 360 pixels TFT display with 65.536 colors
quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity
GPS
Wi-Fi
3.2 MP camera with autofocus and flash
Music player
1400 mAh battery for 240 minutes of talk time or 400 hours of stand-by time
112 grams and 109 x 60 x 14 millimeters
As you can see, RIM did not bother to pack 3G connectivity into its new Curve. Perhaps this feature is reserved for the really high-end smartphones like the Bold and the Storm. Who knows?
The price of BlackBerry Curve 8900 is not displayed by T-Mobile, so there’s no clue how much it’ll cost. For now, at least.
What the ….???! NPD Group released a report of the five top selling phones in US which to everyone’s surprise is Moto RAZR V3, heading the mobile phone charts. Motorola may have hit the right note to appeal the US citizens but still have a lot of work to do to please the world. No need to say their current financial status must have made them realize that US Market does not equal the World Market.
Anyways, if you’re waiting for the remaining four phones which ruled the US market, then they are as follows:
2) Apple iPhone
3) Blackberry Curve
4) LG Chocolate
5) Blackberry Pearl
Verizon Wireless took to the streets to give people the chance to experience the worlds first touch screen Black Berry. These are their real reactions to the new BlackBerry Storm.
