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Sprint To Require Wi-Fi In Future BlackBerrys

Posted on 10. Jul, 2009 by admin.

The third-largest U.S. carrier has not announced a deadline for compliance, but is planning to release a version of the Blackberry Tour with Wi-Fi in 2010.

All Sprint Nextel smartphones will have Wi-Fi in the future, including upcoming BlackBerry handsets, putting them on par with those from AT&T (NYSE: T) and T-Mobile.

The company is poised to launch the BlackBerry Tour Sunday, and the high-end device is expected to appeal to enterprise users as well as casual consumers. While it does have a robust processor, 3G connection speed, strong mobile e-mail capabilities, and Bluetooth, some mobile professionals may miss the lack of Wi-Fi in the phone’s initial iteration.

The Tour is a dual-mode device, meaning it can use Sprint’s CDMA network in the United States, as well as GSM networks abroad. Like any BlackBerry, it plays well with corporate e-mail and calendar infrastructure, as well as Web-based services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and others. The handset will cost $199 with a new two-year contract, and Verizon Wireless will also be releasing the device for its network at the same price.

Sprint did not set a date for when its smartphone suppliers have to include Wi-Fi, but an executive indicated that the carrier is planning to release a version of the Tour with Wi-Fi in 2010.

“Sprint is embracing Wi-Fi in all its major devices going forward,” Jeff Clemow, Sprint’s director of business marketing, told Fierce Wireless.

Sprint does have multiple smartphones with integrated Wi-Fi including the Palm Pre, and the Touch Diamond, but its BlackBerry smartphones lag behind some of the competition in this category. AT&T’s BlackBerry Bold and T-Mobile’s BlackBerry Curve 8900 both have integrated Wi-Fi, but Verizon’s BlackBerry devices lack this capability.

The move shows the growing importance of providing smartphone users a way to stay connected. Although Verizon and Sprint have robust EV-DO 3G networks, these cannot provide full coverage, particularly indoors.

Additionally, Wi-Fi advocates would argue that being able to connect to hotspots would ease congestion on 3G networks while maintaining carrier revenue because most smartphone buyers are required to sign up for mobile broadband packages.

AT&T has invested heavily in its Wi-Fi infrastructure, and it gives its iPhone and BlackBerry users free access to hotspots at Four Seasons, McDonald’s, and other public venues.

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Microsoft and RIM to Bring Windows Live Services to BlackBerry Smartphone Customers

Posted on 10. May, 2009 by admin.

Agreement will enhance the communications experience on BlackBerry smartphones through popular Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger services

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced an agreement to provide Microsoft Windows Live services on BlackBerry® smartphones. As a result of this collaboration, BlackBerry smartphone customers will enjoy easy mobile access to Windows Live Messenger and an enhanced level of integration between Windows Live Hotmail and the BlackBerry platform.

The integration of Windows Live services into the BlackBerry platform will allow customers who use Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger on their BlackBerry smartphone to benefit from the BlackBerry platform architecture with the ability to communicate in real-time using push technology, and offering an exceptional mobile communications experience. Customers will also be able to seamlessly access their Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger account from their BlackBerry smartphone by simply entering their Windows Live e-mail address and password once.

“The BlackBerry platform is respected around the world for providing optimized messaging capabilities and RIM continues to look for ways to provide customers with a wide range of communications options and the best possible mobile experience,” said Mark Guibert, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at Research In Motion. “Our relationship with Microsoft and the addition of Windows Live services to BlackBerry smartphones helps us build on that strategy for our customers.”

Among other features:

Windows Live Hotmail for BlackBerry will allow customers to:

* Use BlackBerry ‘push’ technology for automatic message delivery and message synchronization so the customers’ online account is up-to-date with actions taken on their BlackBerry smartphone
* Use a dedicated inbox for Windows Live Hotmail messages, which are automatically delivered to the smartphone. Customers can also choose to receive their Windows Live Hotmail messages, along with messages from other e-mail accounts, within a single inbox on their BlackBerry smartphone
* Display HTML e-mail with the ability to view graphics, Web links, and contact photos in emails

Windows Live Messenger for BlackBerry will allow customers to:

* Send instant messages and join group chats
* Set status and see the presence of friends and colleagues within Windows Live Messenger or their contact cards
* Customize status messages
* Save conversations
* Showcase their Display Picture (Avatar)
* Send and receive pictures and files
* Use more than 60 emoticons

“Over 430 million people around the world rely on Windows Live to stay in touch,” said Brian Arbogast, Vice President of the Mobile Services organization at Microsoft. “Our collaboration with RIM will enable BlackBerry smartphone customers to take full advantage of Windows Live, whether at work or on the go.”

Windows Live services for BlackBerry smartphones are expected to be available beginning this summer with support for multiple languages.

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Beta Watch: Zentact, Slacker for Phones, ScreenToaster

Posted on 02. May, 2009 by admin.

This month we look at a way to keep in touch with friends, an Internet radio service for cell phones, and a screen- and video-capture tool.

Zentact: Keep in Touch, Semiautomatically

If, like me, you’re terrible about keeping in touch with old friends, you need more than just a contact manager. You need a noodge, something that will harass you about dropping a line to your college roommate or your ex-boss. Zentact does that, but not without some work from you. First you have to import your contacts, and then you must tag them with their interests (that’s the only labor-intensive part). Then, as you browse the Web, Zentact suggests pages that one or more of your friends might be interested in. If a friend is looking for a job, for example, and you browse to a job board, Zentact will recommend e-mailing that person a note with the link, making the process almost automatic.

Slacker: Music on Your Phone

Slacker on BlackBerrySlacker launched as an Internet radio service with a difference: It also sold MP3-player devices that could stream the radio service. But most people have another device in their pockets that can do the job–a cell phone. With the launch of Slacker’s iPhone and BlackBerry applications, you can get the same lineup of stations, such as Classic Jazz or ’70s Hits. The apps also allow you to search for an artist and find stations dedicated to that performer and related musicmakers. It’s a great way to get music–but beware of what it will do to your phone’s battery life.

ScreenToaster: Online Screen Captures

All teachers know that it’s better to show than to tell. And showing other people something happening on your computer’s screen doesn’t get much easier than with ScreenToaster. Sign up at the ScreenToaster site, press Alt-S, and you’re recording. Once you have finished recording, you can add captions. Afterward you can upload the video to ScreenToaster’s servers or to YouTube–or download it as an AVI file.

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Mezeo Software Announces the Availability of a BlackBerry Smartphone Application to Its Online File Storage, Sharing and Collaboration Solution for Service Providers

Posted on 20. Feb, 2009 by admin.

Mezeo provides personal cloud storage clients for BlackBerry smartphones, Bold and Flip, letting users upload, access and share files from anywhere.

Mezeo Software Corp., a Houston-based software developer of a leading deployable platform for cloud storage and a member of the BlackBerry(R) Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Alliance Program, today announces the availability of a BlackBerry(R) smartphone application for its Online File Sharing and Collaboration solution — Mezeo Personal Cloud(TM) Storage. Expanding on its existing web and native Windows clients, Mezeo Personal Cloud(TM) Storage now allows users to upload, access, view and share files directly from their BlackBerry smartphones.

“Today’s workers want the ability to access data and files, collaborate with their colleagues and get office work done while on the road,” said Steve Lesem, CEO, Mezeo Software. “Mezeo Personal Cloud Storage enables individual users and SMBs to take advantage of the efficiencies and ubiquity offered by cloud storage, providing file storage, sharing and collaboration through familiar interfaces such as their Microsoft(R) Internet Explorer or other web browsers, and now from BlackBerry smartphones,” added Lesem.

“BlackBerry smartphone users, including those using the exciting new BlackBerry(R) Bold(TM) and BlackBerry(R) Pearl(TM) Flip smartphones, now have yet another access point to their files,” said Deepak Kanwar, VP, Product Management at Mezeo Software. “Support for the BlackBerry(R) Storm(TM) will be available in March 2009.”

As the most complete cloud storage platform for file storage, sharing and collaboration in the market, Mezeo Software Personal Cloud Storage enables service providers to immediately enter the fast growing online storage market with a powerful, highly scalable, feature-rich solution. Mezeo Software’s proven technology is currently in production and deployed by KDDI, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world.

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Rocky Mountain Tracking Releases NavIQ Mobile for Cell Phone Tracking

Posted on 30. Jan, 2009 by admin.

NavIQ Mobile Enables Web-Based GPS Tracking of a Blackberry or Windows Mobile Device

Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc. (RMT) is releasing its newest tracking application for GPS-enabled cell phones. “Anyone with a Blackberry or Windows Mobile device can track their cell phone from any computer through web-based tracking software,” says Brad Borst, President of the company. The technology used for this purpose is a full-featured, tracking software called NavIQ Mobile. Global in range, NavIQ Mobile allows the user to have access to a wide range of features. The tracking software is available in over 56 countries in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.

With the introduction of the NavIQ Mobile technology, the safety and security benefits to the individual user are significant. Cell phones are now GPS-enabled so that emergency call centers are more accurately able to detect a person’s position in the same way that they can trace calls made from land lines.

In 2003, the Federal Communications Commission passed a directive which required all cell phones manufactured after 2005 to be GPS capable. Enhanced 911 or E911 mandates that all new cell phones support location identification technology. When you dial 911 from your cell phone, for example, the public safety answering point or PSAP, can pinpoint your exact location within a few meters.

The launch of NavIQ Mobile now offers a more advanced technology which provides more information, such as, address, speed, heading, longitude, latitude, date, time, and a history of everywhere it has been. RMT’s state of the art NavIQ Mobile software application provides live tracking, fast maps, custom map data, and full color graphics. NavIQ Mobile also boasts such comprehensive tools as animated pans, 3D perspective zooms, and fly-over routing. Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc. is undoubtedly the leader in GPS tracking applications, offering all of these features in a way that is truly unsurpassed in the tracking industry.

Obviously, the ramifications for both business and personal use are enormous given the wide ranging scope of this newest level of technology. GPS-enabled cell phones allow business owners to not only keep a watchful eye over their employees, but also to track their entire fleet of vehicles used by their mobile workforce. The personal safety advantages of cell phone tracking are just as impressive. Cell phones have become an essential part of the everyday routine and they are a vital tool that could actually save your life. Parents will also find this technology as an added bonus when it comes to keeping tabs on their teens in a non obtrusive, yet convenient way.

A primary advantage with the roll-out of NavIQ Mobile is the elimination of purchasing additional tracking hardware. Even if you do not currently have one of RMT’s other GPS tracking devices, NavIQ Mobile offers tracking of your existing cell phone as an attractive and affordable option.

Installation of NavIQ Mobile to a cell phone takes only a few minutes. For more information or to install NavIQ Mobile to your cell phone, visit: http://www.rmtracking.com/gpsproducts/navIQmobile.html or call their offices toll free at 1-877-477-9668. Thanks to Rocky Mountain Tracking’s innovative and unique approach to GPS cell phone tracking, implementing this newest security feature in your cell phone is convenient and easy to apply.

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