BlackBerry Playbook already received 2 firmware updates since launch

The BlackBerry Tablet aka the Playbook went on sale last week in U.S.A and initial sales have been estimated at around 50000 units on day one. Most initial reviews liked the hardware and UI but complained about the lack of native email and messaging.

RIM has promised that an update will fix most of the shortcomings present at launch.And guess what RIM has already rolled out 2 huge (>200MB) firmware updates for the Playbook according to Business Insider including an update which adds a onscreen power-off button to satisfy users who were finding it difficult to use the physical power button. Hope the device gets native E-mail and BBM soon !

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BlackBerry Playbook Available Now in the US

Blackberry’s first tablet, the Playbook is now available for purchase through Blackberry’s site and other retailers.

The Wi-Fi only 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models are available at the prices of 499$, 599$ and 699$ respectively. The 3G/4G models are expected to be released later on.

A few accessories are also available for the playbook such as the:

Convertible Case: For watching videos. Priced at 49.99$Journal Case: Priced at 59.99$Skin: Priced at 29.99$

You can also get the Playbook at retailers like Best Buy, Office Depot, Office Max and Staples.

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BlackBerry Bold 9900 Live Photos

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 was announced just today at BlackBerry World and here are some hands-on photos of the device live from Orlando. We got to play with the device and it looked pretty nice in the hands. The form factor looks impressive with the combination of a touchscreen and the usual QWERTY keypad. We liked the device overall and it might be a nice upgrade if you are Blackberry addict.Touchscreen and Keypad

Full QWERTY keypad , Optical trackpad.

Volume keys and dedicated camera key.

Camera and Flash on the back

3.5 mm ear phone jack

Facebook App now available for BlackBerry PlayBook

RIM has announced new Facebook app, optimized for Blackberry Playbook. This lets you chat with friends on Facebook, view news feed, post and view photos, send and receive Facebook messages and get notifications.

There is a Navbar on the top to access the news feed, notifications and settings.Facebook chat shows active chat lists and conversions side by side.News feed lets you view, comment, like or post status and images easily.Post, view, tag and upload images to the picture library.Connect the Playbook to an HD TV and view photos and videos on in full 1080p HD.Send and receive Facebook messages, also view sent messages and messages from groups.View list of your friends in grid or list view, search friends and accept friends requests.

Other than these, usual Facebook features like viewing friend’s profile, pages, Facebook search and notifications are also available.

Download version 1.0.2 of Facebook for Blackberry Playbook app from Blackberry App world.

Source: Blackberry Blog

Twitter for BlackBerry Updated to Version 1.1

RIM has launched the official version of Twitter for blackberry 1.1, now available for download at Blackberry App world. The Beta version of the app was launched in the beta zone this February. This version brings new features like adding Geo location, notifications for mentions, chat style layout and # tag auto-complete.

Now you can add your Geo location along with the tweets.Push notifications are available for mentions.Chat style layout for direct messages.Auto-complete the # (hash) tags that are previously mentioned.

You can enable Geo location feature from the options. Other than these features the image upload and Geo icons have been resigned, languages such as Chinese, Polish, Czech, Thai have been added. Some issues in the beta versions such as Geo location errors and URL shortening problems have been rectified in this update.

You can update Twitter for Blackberry version 1.1 within the app or download it on Blackberry App World for devices that run Blackberry OS 4.5 and later.

Dual-SIM Nokia X1-01 and C2-00 go on sale, are pretty cheap

Yesterday, Nokia announced the availability of its first two handsets to feature two SIM card slots. The Nokia C2-00, which has been in development for over a year now and the Nokia X1-01, which was unveiled just the other day, are already on their way to retailers around the world.

Both of them are entry-level handsets with next to nonexistent functionality outside telephony and messaging, but they come at very attractive price points.

The Series 40-running Nokia C2-00 is the slightly better spec'd handset, adding hot-swap functionality for one its two simultaneously active SIM cards. This means that you could actually use that one will more than two SIMs relatively trouble-free if you need to.

Nokia C2-00

The rest of the Nokia C2-00 specs sheet is not quite so spectacular, but the microSD card slot, the FM radio and the 3.5mm audio jack will probably earn it some popularity among music-loving teenagers and developing markets.

In fact the Nokia X1-01 seems to aim for the same thing with a roughly identical specs sheet. The only differences are the hot-swap SIM support, which has been dropped and the lower-end Series 30 interface, which has replaced the Series 40 UI in an effort to bring the price even further down. The camera has also been axed, but the X1-01 comes with a LED flashlight and dedicated music keys.

Nokia X1-01

The pricing of the Nokia C2-00 is ?45 before taxes and the X1-01 will go for ?34. Knowing the carriers attitude towards dual-SIM phones you shouldn?t expect subsidized prices on those two, but then again hardly anyone will need them anyway.

This quarter will see the two feature phones go on sale India, China, South-East Asia/Pacific region, Middle East and Africa, Eurasia and Brazil.

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Nokia T7-00 passes FCC tests, what was it doing there?

The FCC has tested and approved a Nokia device that is a spitting image of the T7-00. What?s this trimmed-down N8 doing at the FCC? We don?t quite know but the documents mention the 1700MHz WCDMA band, a.k.a. AWS.

The Nokia T7-00 first surfaced in late March, when rumor had it that there will be two versions - TD-SCDMA unit for China and a GSM/UMTS model for the global market. A few days later photos of the phone leaked and gave us a much clearer picture of what to expect.

The Nokia T7-00 looks almost exactly like the N8 ? except that the protruding camera module has been replaced by an 8MP (probably fixed-focus) unit that sits flush against the aluminum unibody. The HDMI port is gone too and the CPU supposedly ran at 700MHz (instead of 680MHz as the N8).

Anyway, the FCC tested the 850/1900MHz GSM bands but the 850/1700/1900 WCDMA bands were also mentioned in the documents. The label at the bottom of the device says TD-SCDMA/GSM, just like the Chinese model we?ve seen in the spy shots.

We wouldn?t get our hopes up for a global version of the Nokia T7-00 for now (let alone a T-Mobile USA version), even the Chinese model that we?ve seen in photos isn't official yet.

But would you even want one considering the Nokia C7 has basically the same specs. And there?s the Nokia C7 Astound for T-Mobile USA too.

Source (PDF files)

Leaked ROM for new BlackBerry Curve packs OS 7 video tutorials

A ROM image for the BlackBerry Curve 9350/9370 (a.k.a Sedona/Apollo) has leaked with the non-touch BlackBerry OS 7 inside. Four video tutorials were found inside, which give us another taste of the new interface, which is yet to hit the market.

Since OS 7 isn't compatible with older devices, the leaked ROM can?t be installed on any current BlackBerry device. We?ll have to wait for the Curve 9350/Curve 9370 (those are Sedona and Apollo respectively) to come out to see how the new OS handles without a touchscreen.

Note that the only BlackBerry OS 7 devices that are currently official use the touchscreen/portrait QWERTY combo, so their UI and the one on the Curve isn't the same.

Three video tutorials (at the bottom of this article) were extracted from the ROM (they were intended as on-device tutorials). They show how to use the OS with the optical trackpad and the QWERTY keyboard. There?s a fourth video that shows how to insert SIM and microSD cards but we?ll skip that as it?s hardly interesting.

The ROM is for the T-Mobile version of the BlackBerry Curve, though other versions shouldn?t be very different.

There used to be similar video tutorials from the BlackBerry Bold Touch 9930 (back from when BB OS 7 was still called OS 6.1) but those are long gone now.

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Another teaser from ASUS comes out, we're quite sure it's the MeMO

A couple of days ago, ASUS released the first teaser of an upcoming Android device, which will be announced at this year's Computex show in Taipei. Logically, we got quite excited. Now, we have another shot for you and, this time, it is a lot more revealing.

After we saw this picture in the ASUS Facebook page, we are all but fully convinced that the device in question is the ASUS MeMO - an Android Honeycomb running, 7.1" tablet with phone functionality.

The MeMO teased us at CES 2011 when it appeared along with this year's upcoming tablets from the tech giant. We know it will be the most compact tablet to be released from the company, and will feature a Snapdragon CPU unlike its Tegra equipped larger siblings.

What's particularly interesting in today's teaser is the message written on the picture. We are still not sure what does it mean when a tablet "jumps out at you." Is it a hint for 3D capabilities or just a metaphor related to the compact size of the device?

There will be another teaser coming before the official announcement so stay tuned. Meanwhile, tell us what do you make of it in the comments section below.

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Motorola XOOM review: The Big Bang

Phones far and wide wanted to be the iPhone killer and you know what ? tablets are no different. The iPad needs to get used to living with a bounty on its head. And always be ready for the likes of the Motorola XOOM.

But the XOOM is no ordinary competitor. We?re talking the first Honeycomb tablet, a cornerstone for Android. It?s Motorola?s first tablet too. If they play their cards right, it could be a big money earner for a company in trouble, so we know Moto gave it their best.

Motorola XOOM official photos

The XOOM has a 10.1? screen of 1280 x 800 pixels resolution, Google?s latest Android OS (after the update rolls out in full), purpose made for tablet use, and a powerful Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core chipset with 1GB RAM. Barely a few lines into the spec sheet and we already like the sound of it.

The Motorola XOOM has more to offer than that. The Verizon US version will be getting a (delayed) LTE update, while dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) sounds sweet too.

But we won?t go on and on about the specs of the XOOM. Here go the highlights followed ? as usual ? by what we didn?t like.

10.1? capacitive touchscreen of 1280 x 800 pixel resolution; multi-touch730g of weightDual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity; Wi-Fi hotspotOptional 3G connectivity (data only) ? HSPA or 1xEV-DO (LTE via upgrade)GPS with A-GPS support on all models1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 AP20H Dual Core processor1GB RAMAndroid 3.0 Honeycomb, upgradable to 3.116/32/64GB of onboard storagemicroSD card slot (up to 32GB)Bluetooth 2.1 + EDRAccelerometer, compass and three-axis gyro-sensor; barometer sensor5MP auto-focus camera with dual-LED flash720p video recording at 30fps2MP secondary video call cameraHD TV-Out via microHDMI portmicroUSB with host functionalityFlash-enabled web browser10 hours video playback, 3.3 days of music playbackSeems quite laggy despite the 1GHz dual-core CPUScreen is very reflective, hard to use outdoorsQuite a porker at 730 gramsNo kickstand ? it cannot be stood up on a table without a dock Non-replaceable batteryCan?t charge off USBLTE-enabling update not out yet for the Verizon versionStill waiting for an update to enable microSD slot as wellNo document editor pre-installed, not even a viewer

We?re really curious to try out the tablet minded version of Android ? the one we?ve tested before was clunky to use and clearly not intended for big screens. And we?ve had a positive experience with the Tegra 2 platform. It?ll be interesting to see how it performs inside a tablet.

And let?s just say that seeing a standard microHDMI port was a pleasant surprise ? no need of an adapter to get the TV-Out working. The competition doesn?t even have a standard microUSB port so thumbs up for Motorola and keeping to standards.

Motorola XOOM in our office

The XOOM we?re about to get started with is the 3G-enabled variety with 32GB of inbuilt storage. And yes, it?s got Honeycomb inside ? the version of Android meant for tablets. We can hardly wait. Jump to the next page and try to keep up.

HTC drops the locked bootloaders policy, custom ROMs rejoice

Now that didn?t last long. The enormous (almost exclusively negative) feedback that HTC received after its decision to start locking their smartphone bootloaders has made the company change its mind once again. So from now on the HTC droids will be able to enjoy the custom ROM freedom that their Android nature deserves.

The company announced that it's rethinking its policy the other day and now the HTC CEO himself has used the company Facebook page to confirm they have made the decision.

At this stage the company hasn?t provided information of whether it will be unlocking the bootloaders of devices released in the past few months, but let?s hope for the best. There will be further updates on the matter, which we will certainly be covering, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, you can stop by the source link and drop a line to thank HTC for listening. Or, you know, condemn them for deciding to start locking their bootloaders in the first place.

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Samsung Galaxy S II announced in India, will hit shelves by June 9

The much awaited Samsung Galaxy S II has finally got a launch date in India. According to Samsung India, the phone will be on sale starting June 9. However, thanks to a special deal with Vodafone India, their customers will be able to get their hands on the Galaxy S II from June 3.

Now for the big question and that is what will be the cost of this monster of a device. The Galaxy S II will set you back by Rs. 32,890 (US$723), which shouldn't come as a big surprise considering the spec sheet of this phone.

Vodafone customers will be able to pre-book the device from tomorrow by paying Rs. 1,000.

You can read our full review of the Galaxy S II here.

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Google announces Wallet and Offers, aims to reinvent the wallet

Today Google pulled the wraps off its two new services set to change the way we shop. Google Wallet and Google Offers are said to be the next big thing in commerce, making your ordinary wallet obsolete in a few years time as the programs gain the needed momentum.

As we told you yesterday, Google Wallet is an Android app and is going to operate thanks to the NFC chip found in some of the currently existing and many of the upcoming smartphones. For now the new mobile-payment method is supported only in the USA, thanks to Sprint and the Samsung Nexus S 4G, with other major partners being Citi Bank, MasterCard and First Data.

The first merchants and stores to accept mobile payment through Google Wallet are Subway, American Eagle, Macy's and American Outfitters along many others.

Google Offers is tightly connected with the Wallet app. After you make a purchase, depending on the store you are in, you will be able to receive special coupons or loyalty points, which you can use at a later point in time.

Undoubtedly, Google Offers is taking aim at Groupon, the current leader in discount offers and deals. Currently, only a couple of major cities in the United States are able to get deals from Google Offers, but the smart money is on many more following, including some in countries outside North America.

Google is certain the Wallet application will be used not only for purchasing consumer goods, but also for getting tickets, boarding passes, storing IDs, keys and basically everything your ordinary wallet can hold.

While both services will be in a testing period for the next couple of months, Google is certain to expand the coverage area of both Wallet and Offers fast. And finally, take a look at this video, in which the first batch of merchants supporting Google Wallet share their thoughts.

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Xperias with unlocked bootloaders won't get updates

When Sony Ericsson announced they will release a tool to unlock the bootloader on some of their devices, fans celebrated. One problem has come up though ? once you unlock, you can?t get official software updates.

A Sony Ericsson developer has posted on the XDA-Developers forums answering some questions. He explains that Over-The-Air updates are not supported since they rely on updating a phone only from a specific firmware version ? and Sony Ericsson can?t verify that your phone is using that version once you unlock the bootloader (updating from a different version will corrupt the files).

Even using the regular software update tool that can update a phone from any version is not currently supported for unlocked. They may enable that in the future, but now there are still unanswered questions as to how allowing updates for unlocked phones will affect the update procedure itself and what that would mean for Sony Ericsson repair and support centers.

Sony Ericsson considers creating recovery ROM that would allow you to put an official ROM with a locked bootloader so that you can update the phone via their software update tool. Note that even if Sony Ericsson releases such a recovery ROM your warranty may be voided even after flashing it.

Of course, once you unlock the bootloader you can always use a custom ROM to update to the latest version. But this is still an important thing to consider ? once you unlock the bootloader on your Sony Ericsson Xperia device, you shouldn?t rely on official software updates from Sony Ericsson. You might have to pay for repairs if something goes wrong too.

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Live BlackBerry Torch 2 spy shots leak, confirm promising specs

Live photos of the upcoming BlackBerry Torch 2 leaked and it seems that RIM is finally bringing its game up to speed. The device is not only even better looking than its successor, but it also packs some serious punch under its hood.

It appears that we are getting a metallic battery cover on the second-gen touch-enabled slider. Knowing how well the original Torch was built, the Torch 2 should be real joy to handle and behold.

This new leak also confirmed some of the specs upgrades that the Torch 2 will bring. The 3.2? capacitive touchscreen resolution will be upped to VGA making for an impressive pixel density and the CPU frequency will be nearly doubled at 1.2 GHz.

The global GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio support hardly brings any bonus points to a modern day smartphone, but the tri-band 14.4 Mbps HSPA doesn?t sound too bad. Internal storage will be doubled too and BlackBerry Torch 2 users will have 8GB at their disposal, not counting any expansion through the microSD card slot.

Next on the list of improvements comes the RAM, which has been upped to 768 MB, compared to 512MB on the original Torch. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS go without saying, but you?d be glad to know that the BlackBerry Torch 2 will also feature NFC connectivity.

Finally we will be seeing some improvement in the camera department as well. Still shots will remain limited to 5 megapixels, but the camcorder gets 720p recording.

As you could imagine, there?s no information about possible availability or expected pricing of the BlackBerry Torch 2 just yet. Hopefully we?ll be seeing an official announcement soon, which should shed some light on those.

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LTE trials to begin in the UK, could roll out nationwide by 2014

South Newquay in Cornwall, England are to see the first official trials of LTE technology in the UK. BT (British Telecom) and Everything Everywhere (the T-Mobile/Orange partnership in the UK) have been granted permission to use part of the 800MHz spectrum for the LTE trials.

The UK is currently in the midst of the 'digital switchover' as the nation's television infrastructure is being transformed from analogue to digital. This change has allowed the 800MHz spectrum to be freed up and as such, telecoms are chomping at the bit to make use of this as the UK's new LTE 4G network. The UK is a little late to the party with respect to LTE as the US, Germany, Sweden and Japan all have public 4G networks now.

The trial catchment area of St Newlyn East, Newquay, Cornwall, England

The trial site itself is situated down near the most southerly point of British Isles near Newquay, Cornwall. More remote areas such as this (aka black spots) still don't have proper access to broadband internet and as such this trial is an attempt to provide them with the fastest available wireless connectivity without the need to run expensive cables into the ground. Prospective participants living in St Newlyn East, South Newquay, have been asked to register their interest in the trial via a website, half of the participants will then receive modified wireless routers and the other half, 4G dongles for individual devices such as laptops.

The trial is also being supported by the likes of Nokia, Siemens, Huawei and the Cornwall Development Company and will take place between September and December of this year. Assuming all goes well, companies will be vying for the frequency when it is auctioned off on completion of a consultation period, already underway. By 2014 the UK could possibly have a fully established LTE 4G network infrastructure. We sure hope so.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY and Arc update start rolling

Sony Ericsson kept their promise and quickly released the first software update for their Xperia PLAY and Arc smartphone flagships. Right now only a few markets are able to experience the goodies of the Facebook-centered update, but more should follow soon.

Sony Ericsson didn?t specify when each of the markets will be getting the chance to experience 2.3.3 Gingerbread, but mentioned that unbranded Arcs and PLAYs around the globe will be in the first lines.

This update will bring the tighter Facebook integration introduced with the latest Xperia mini and Xperia mini pro handsets and will fix some security issues that Sony Ericsson identified.

And here are the areas that will get some improvement:

Battery performance General software stability Wi-Fi stability HD Video recording performance (Xperia Arc only) Touch responsiveness

The update will be available over-the-air, but if you prefer you will also be able to get it through your PC.

So what are you waiting for ? go check out if your handset is among those already eligible for updating. Just don?t forget to drop us a line in the comments and tell us if you are happy with what you got after that.

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Nokia starts iDoalotmore campaign in India, seriously?

Nokia started a new campaign to promote its latest Symbian gadgets in India called iDoalotmore. It starts just a day after Apple launched the iPhone 4 there and is available on Nokia's official pages and billboards across the country.

The iDoalotmore campaign surely targets the potential iPhone 4 buyers in India and wants them to jump on Symbian instead. Are we the only ones that find the concept of such an aggressive anti-campaign not fit for the biggest cellphone manufacturer in the world?

The campaign accents fall on Nokia Maps, Music, Camera and Video, Video Calling, Apps and USB on the go. The models featured in the campaign may all have a trick or two that bests the iPhone 4, but iDoalotmore from a Symbian smartphone, really?

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