A spec-sheet of the BlackBerry Curve 8520’s CDMA sibling, the BlackBerry 8530, has been discretely handed in to the Boy Genius Report by one of its insider tipsters, seemingly confirming that the QWERTY smartphone – expected to land on Verizon – will include WiFi. The phone is expected to slot into the entry-level position in Verizon’s BlackBerry line-up.
Zeemote have launched a version of their Bluetooth mobile gaming controller for BlackBerry smartphones. The Zeemote JS1 is compatible with all BlackBerry handsets that have a trackball, and connects wirelessly to offer over fifty hours of battery-powered gameplay.
Update: video demo after the cut
RIM have officially announced the BlackBerry Curve 8520, the handset formerly known as the BlackBerry Gemini. Set to land on both T-Mobile USA and Vodafone UK next month, the Curve 8520 is the company’s latest non-3G smartphone, complete with a full hardware QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad for navigation and a 2-megapixel camera.
There’s also a 320 x 240 display, Bluetooth and WiFi. A microSD card slot and 3.5mm headphone jack round out the specifications, while the battery is good for 4.5hrs of talktime or 17 days of standby. While many may scoff at the absence of high-speed cellular connectivity, the success of other 2.5G BlackBerry handsets such as the Curve 8900 shows there’s still a demand for straightforward, solid messaging-centric smartphones.
Don’t ask how, but CrackBerry have managed to lay their hands on not one but two working BlackBerry Storm 2 prototypes, and seeing as they know we’re all just a little bit interested in the upcoming touchscreen smartphone they’ve shot a demo video. First-impressions are positive, with an improved SurePress touchscreen and better on-screen typing feel.
If you use a BlackBerry and have a Mac computer, you’ve probably been irritated by the lack of compatibility. But now it seems RIM is stepping up to the plate with their Desktop Manager for Mac OS 10.5.5.
According to the Boy Genius Report, RIM’s BlackBerry Storm 2 – the touchscreen follow-up to the original Storm launched back in November - will indeed include WiFi b/g along with EVDO Rev.A and 2100MHz UMTS (for roaming). Known as the BlackBerry 9550, it will also be joined by the 9520, a version of the Storm 2 for GSM carriers AT&T and Rogers Wireless.
Having promised their respective versions back in June, both Sprint and Verizon have now officially released the BlackBerry Tour 9630. In effect the 3G version of the Curve, we reviewed the Tour 9630 over at PhoneMag and came away impressed by its usable QWERTY keyboard and sturdy build.
Rumors have been circulating for some time now that RIM would be giving their upcoming BlackBerry Onyx smartphone an optical trackpad, and now a live photo of the device seems to confirm that it does indeed depart from the traditional trackball. From RIM’s perspective the optical version is better as it requires no moving parts, is less likely to clog up with finger gunk, and should reduce in-warranty repairs.
Verizon have released details of their version of the BlackBerry Tour, which we now know will be released on July 12th. Priced at $199.99 with a two-year agreement, the Tour has both EVDO Rev.A for use in the US and UMTS HSPA 2100MHz support for high-speed access while roaming.
Since many states are passing laws that prevent people from talking on their cell phones while driving, more and more hands-free devices are hitting the market. The latest, however, is officially from RIM and called the BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone.
This gadget lets you play music from your phone over your car speakers wirelessly. It also lets you receive and make calls via your car’s stereo, so there’s no more taking your eyes off the road or your hands off the wheel.
Featuring Bluetooth, this speaker phone simply attaches to the visor in your car and you’re good to go. You can get the BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone now for $99.99, which I guess isn’t too bad you simply must receive your calls in stereo.
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