Registration is now open for BlackBerry Jam Americas. This year the conference takes place in San Jose from September 25th through the 27th. If you register by August 31st you can take advantage of the early bird rate of just $449 or, if you are an alumni or attended a BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour event, you can register for just $299.

At BlackBerry Jam Americas, you'll have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with RIM experts and developer leaders alike. Through deep dive sessions and hands-on labs, we'll help you realize the creative and business potential of your ideas. We'll teach you how to engage users with beautiful UI and compelling user experience. We'll show you how enterprise apps on BlackBerry 10 can change the conversation and take advantage of the BlackBerry architecture. And we'll connect you with fellow developers and BlackBerry partners to network, collaborate and innovate. 

The entire Crack Team will once again be there representing all things BlackBerry, so be sure to register so we can see you there. Hit the link below for more info. 

Register now for BlackBerry Jam Americas

AT&T has confirmed via their blog that their new shared data plans will be launching on August 23rd. The new plans let everyone in your family share from a data bucket at one base price with an extra fee for additional phones or tablets. We took a look at how the shared plans stack up against those of Verizon and just how much (if anything) you can save by switching over. The plans let you start with as little as 1GB of data for $40 and $45 per phone and include unlimited voice and messaging. AT&T also has a Mobile Share Planner you can use to map out your savings for your own family plan.

Will you be switching over to a shared data plan? Let us know in the comments!

Source: ATT Blog Via: BGR

The new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook was just announced yesterday, but noticaebly absent from the press release was any sort of pricing. The device will only be available in a 32GB version (to start at least) so there will be just be one set of prices across the board. A Rogers product launch flyer notes some details about the 4G LTE PlayBook price.

The 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook will be $549.99 no-term, $499.99 1-year, $449.99 2-year and $349.99 on a 3-year term. We can expect the prices will be the same for both Bell and Telus as well, so you most likely won't save much on a different carrier.

Just under a week until launch and we'll have plenty more on the 4G LTE PlayBook coming your way. 

Do you plan on picking one up? Let us know in the comments!

Source: MobileSyrup

Have you ever really wondered just how much data your phone gives away about you? German politician Maite Spitz gave a brilliant TED talk on your carrier collects crazy amounts of data from your mobile phone use. Spitz had asked his phone company Deutsche Telekom for this data multiple times, however they refused each time, so Spitz filed a lawsuit. He ultimately won and agreed to drop the lawsuit in exchange for his data. What he got was a file with over 35,000 lines of code that showed his life over the last six months. With help from ZEIT ONLINE and OpenDataCity, Spitz mapped out a visualization of his life -- all thanks to his mobile phone data -- and the results are astounding.

It's pretty crazy to see just how much your carrier and other agencies know about you just from your phone use. granted, using a BlackBerry is secure, but your carrier can still get at your data Just a reminder to be careful with all of the data you lay out online (not just on your mobile phone). Check out the full video above and let us know what you think in the comments.

Source: Android Central

Contest: Win a BlackBerry PlayBook accessory of your choice! Keep reading for details.

In honor of the newly announced 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook, we're giving you the chance to win a great accessory for your new toy (or old one if you don't plan on upgrading). We have plenty of great accessories from which to choose, so you should be able to find something great to go along with your new 4G LTE PlayBook.

So what do you want? Maybe just a simple skin case or super-charged OtterBox? Or maybe just a spare travel charger? Check out the best-selling BlackBerry Convertible Case and the BlackBerry PlayBook Rapid Charger.

See our full line of BlackBerry PlayBook accessories and keep reading for your chance to win a BlackBerry PlayBook accessory of your choice!

Continue reading article

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins hasn't been shying from the media lately. He's given numerous interviews with us as well as other publications, the latest of which comes from The Telegraph. Among the standard banter around BlackBerry 10 that we're all getting used to, Thorsten drops an interesting line that hovers around the licensing of the BlackBerry 10 software. Speaking on the fact that RIM will release only two BlackBerry 10 handsets from the start, Thorsten said:

"We don't have the economy of scale to compete against the guys who crank out 60 handsets a year. We have to differentiate and have a focused platform. To deliver BB10 we may need to look at licensing it to someone who can do this at a way better cost proposition than I can do it. There's different options we could do that we're currently investigating."  

So it looks like the option is still out there for RIM to find someone who would want to take on BB10 on a larger scale. There are still a few big names like Samsung that would likely fit that bill. Thorsten isn't saying that RIM won't launch two BlackBerry 10 phones in early 2013 (and more beyond), he's just noting that to crank out 60+ handsets a year they would need to license/work with other partners.

"You could think about us building a reference system, and then basically licensing that reference design, have others build the hardware around it - either it's a BlackBerry or it's something else being built on the BlackBerry platform ... "

Thorsten also says that it's too early to make any big decisions on licensing just yet and that RIM's financial advisors will have to weigh the benefits of doing so. 

But is Thorsten Heins seriously thinking about making 60 handsets??

What do you think - would licensing BB10 at this point be a good move for RIM? Sound off in the comments.

Source: The Telegraph

We've been hearing rumors non-stop for weeks now, and it looks like the 4G BlackBerry PlayBook is finally upon us. The new PlayBook supports 4G LTE networks and is available first in Canada with other regions including the US and Europe to follow.  While there is no mention of price, the 4G LTE PlayBook will be available in with 32GB of memory from Bell, Rogers and TELUS in Canada on August 9, 2012.

Press Release

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - August 02, 2012) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM)(TSX: RIM) today launched the new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with built-in support for cellular networks. The new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook maintains a sleek and ultra-portable form while delivering overall faster performance over the original BlackBerry PlayBook, as well as support for blazing fast 4G LTE networks. Launching in Canada first, the new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook allows customers to work more productively and connect to the Internet, as well as access their email, on-line apps, media and content, from more places than ever.

Continue reading article

The BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour has had a pretty successful run thus far, and now there are three more cities getting in on the fun. At the end of the month the tour will land in none other than Kitchener-Waterloo before moving on to Vancouver and Amsterdam. So if you haven't had a chance to make it out to one of the events yet, hopefully one of these dates fits in your schedule.

• August 23 - Kitchener-Waterloo, ON, Canada
• August 28 - Vancouver, BC, Canada
• September 18 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Read more on the BlackBerry Jam World Tour

*UPDATE* - As it turns out, the boxes contain a security casing for the BlackBerry PlayBook 4G. Rogers will have live units in stores for people to try out and this will serve as theft prevention. - Thanks, Alberto!

According to MobileSyrup, some Rogers stores are receiving some cryptic shipments this week. Boxes are arriving at some locations with the label PlayBook Security. Accompanying the shipments is a internal memo for employees stating just what to do with the mystery box.

Select stores received a box yesterday labeled "PLAYBOOK SECURITY". Please store this box safely in your back room until further notice. Replacement security will not be shipped to stores that misplace the kit so please make sure it's in a safe place.

This very well cool be something geared toward the release of the 4G LTE PlayBook we've heard so much about lately, but then again, it could also not have anything to do with the 4G PlayBook specifically at all :-) 

Source: MobileSyrup

It's Wallpaper Wednesday! Keep reading to see what awesome wallpapers we have for you this week.

Let's do it! Another week in the books and here are some more great wallpapers for your BlackBerry. I still can't seem to make it through the week without changing my wallpaper at least once, so this post is almost like a mission for me to find one I can stick with. Don't forget to submit your own creations in our wallpaper gallery, and you never know, you just might see them on the front page. 

If you're not registered already you'll need to do so in order to download from the gallery (don't worry, it's free!). Keep reading for my picks for the week!

Continue reading article

TAT founder Hampus Jakobsson announced via Twitter that he is leaving RIM. Jakobsson has been a part of RIM since The Astonishing Tribe (TAT) was acquired back in December of 2010. TAT has been working hard on the BlackBerry 10 UI due out early next year and has contributed much to the upcoming OS. The TAT team at RIM is pretty much in place by now, so his departure shouldn't really affect what comes in BlackBerry 10.

I'm handing over this to others in RIM now. but if you want to follow me as an ex-TAT-founder I'm at: @hajak

It's unclear as to why Jakobsson decided to leave RIM, but on his new Twitter account he noted "cause I'm a startup-guy and even if I really liked the company and the people, I felt it was time to start another one ...".

Source: N4BB

I've always been a big fan of finding new lock screen apps for my BlackBerry. I love using apps like PatternLock or Easy Lock Pro instead of the built-in screen lock (with the hardware key) or a password. I've always wanted to see this type of functionality included in the native BlackBerry OS, letting you choose what type of lock screen to use.

We've already seen some slides of what could be the lock screen in BlackBerry 10, where you would slide to unlock just like Windows Phone. What I would like to see is an option to choose your lock screen - pattern lock, slide to unlock, simple password or even face unlock. Something like this would add some more customization to the OS and give it another great selling point. Some options could include:

• Pattern: Draw a pattern to unlock
• PIN: Enter a 4-digit PIN
• Puzzle: Drag a puzzle piece into place
• Slide: Slide to unlock like iOS or Windows Phone
• Password: Enter a password
• Face Unlock: Unlock with your face on the front camera
• Hardware Key: Use a built-in hardware key to unlock

Which unlock options would you like to see in BlackBerry 10? You can pick up to three in the poll above. Choose which you'd most like to see then hit the comments and let us know why!

Microsoft's Hotmail was once a widely used email service, but in recent years has been relegated to the same place of GeoCities, Angelfire and the like. Today, Hotmail was rebranded and relaunched as Outlook.com, and it just might give other email services a run for their money. The minimalist design is giving new life to the old Hotmail and could have some users picking it up full time.

If you are thinking of grabbing an Outlook.com email address - you don't have to worry because it will certainly work on your BlackBerry smartphone. Keep reading and we'll look at just how easy it is to add your new email address to your BlackBerry.

Continue reading article

Claro Brasil has officially released OS 7.1.0.569 for the BlackBerry Curve 9380. While this is an official release, remember to use caution when updating your device. If you need help along the way, you can head into our help forums or check out some of our BlackBerry 101 articles including How to Install or Upgrade to a new OS. If you do install this OS, hit up the forums thread below for findings, fixes and more discussion. Thanks rroyy!

Download OS 7.1.0.569 for the 9380
Discuss more in the forums

"The BlackBerry Music Gateway is a great, inexpensive way to wirelessly stream music from your BlackBerry."

The new BlackBerry Music Gateway connects to your existing stereo or speaker system letting you wirelessly stream music from your BlackBerry smartphone or other Bluetooth enabled device. This newly updated version features a slimmer design, expanded connectivity and of course, NFC. A revamped version of the original BlackBerry Remote Stereo Gateway, the new model brings everything up to date by adding NFC and a microUSB charging port.

You can easily stream music from any Bluetooth device including your BlackBerry smartphone, BlackBerry PlayBook, Android device, iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC or Bluetooth-enabled MP3 player. Use the BlackBerry Music Gateway to DJ your party, set the background for date night or even as bigger sound for streaming audio from movies or games. Keep reading and we'll see just how easy it is to use the new BlackBerry Music Gateway.

Read Full Review