PSA: BlackBerry Q10 on sale in Canada, but only in Toronto

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" itemprop="text" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="BlackBerry Q10" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/blackberry-q10-1-1366757859.jpg" /></div>Today marks one of the symbolically more important launches in the BlackBerry universe: the Q10, the first keyboard-equipped BB10 phone, is at last available on the company's Canadian home turf. As promised, customers with Bell, Rogers and Telus (as well as their Virgin Mobile, Fido and Koodo sub-brands) can snap up what's arguably the <em>true</em> Waterloo flagship for about $199 on a 3-year contract, or between $625 to $700 contract-free. Shoppers are largely buying the same phone no matter the carrier, although Rogers is hoping to lure the undecided with both LTE on an extra frequency as well as access to the white model. Just be prepared for a slightly longer wait if you plan to buy one in person -- BlackBerry warns that it's limiting Q10 supply to the Greater Toronto Area for the first day or two to accommodate demand high demand in Canada's financial capital.<br /> <strong>Update:</strong> Although BlackBerry was emphasizing Toronto, readers in other cities have mentioned getting early access. We'd still call ahead if you're set on grabbing a Q10 at retail, however.<br /> </div></div>

PSA: BlackBerry Q10 on sale in Canada, but only in Toronto

Today marks one of the symbolically more important launches in the BlackBerry universe: the Q10, the first keyboard-equipped BB10 phone, is...

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BlackBerry 10.1 OS preview uncovers HDR camera mode, PIN-to-PIN messaging inside Hub

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="BlackBerry 101 OS preview uncovers HDR camera mode, PINtoPIN messaging inside Hub" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/bb-101-early-1366262509.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> If you're already starting to feel that shiny 'wow' factor fade from BlackBerry 10, then you'll be glad to know about some new features that are primed to appear with the next update. Reports are now flowing in from developers that suggest an HDR camera mode, PIN-to-PIN messaging within the BlackBerry Hub and an improved text selector are all likely candidates for inclusion in BlackBerry 10.1 OS. Other smaller tweaks include the ability to paste phone numbers into the dialer, the option to disable alerts for specific applications and the ability to check for app updates more easily. These reports are based on a pre-release version of BlackBerry 10.1 OS that the company recently shared with its developers, and while the list is by no means comprehensive, it sure beats unsubstantiated rumors.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Gallery Image" height="640" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000017.png" width="384" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000008.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000011.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000176.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img000000030.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000003.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000004.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000002.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000009.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000010.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000014.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img000000100.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000174.png" /><img alt="Gallery Image" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/img00000294.png" /></div></div>

BlackBerry 10.1 OS preview uncovers HDR camera mode, PIN-to-PIN messaging inside Hub

If you're already starting to feel that shiny 'wow' factor fade from BlackBerry 10, then you'll be glad to know about som...

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PSA: BlackBerry Z10 (finally) arrives on AT&T

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/blackberry-z10-sonos-backdrop.jpg" /></div>The American BlackBerry faithful have been waiting and while those with business (and T-Mobile) intentions got there a little early, the Z10 is now available to the more typical pay-monthly masses from AT&T. Priced up at $200 on a two-year contract, you can pick it up from Ma' Bell's for-real stores and online today, just click on that source link for all those carrier details.<br /> </div></div>

PSA: BlackBerry Z10 (finally) arrives on AT&T

The American BlackBerry faithful have been waiting and while those with business (and T-Mobile) intentions got there a little early, the Z...

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Verizon BlackBerry Z10 launching March 28th, pre-orders begin March 14th

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Verizon BlackBerry Z10 launching March 28th, preorders begin March 14th" data-src-height="465" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/blackberry-z10-verizon.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">It was AT&T's turn earlier this week, and now it's Verizon's. Big Red has confirmed that its edition of the BlackBerry Z10 will be in stores on March 28th, just a week after it surfaces at its first major US carrier. Pricing will remain the same $200 on a contract, although Verizon has a decided edge for fans of variety: it'll have an American exclusive on the white model, albeit with conspicuous branding. Pre-orders start March 14th at both Verizon itself (starting from 8AM) and Best Buy, so those who've embraced Hubs and Peeks can commit to a Z10 very quickly.</div></div>

Verizon BlackBerry Z10 launching March 28th, pre-orders begin March 14th

  It was AT&T's turn earlier this week, and now it's Verizon's. Big Red has confirmed that its edition of the BlackBerry Z10...

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the BlackBerry Z10 my very own and use it as my everyday device

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Back to BlackBerry closing time" data-src-height="531" data-src-width="800" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/dsc04286-1361316647.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">I've had the opportunity to use it in every likely scenario, including a nine-day trip to Spain for Mobile World Congress. Now comes the moment of truth: have I become a BlackBerry convert? Is the Z10 my new daily driver?<br /> <br /> Unfortunately, it's not. But before the BlackBerry fan base breaks out the torches and forms mobs, this isn't a denunciation of the phone or its OS. Quite the opposite, in fact. I decided to pursue this experiment for a few reasons: it's the best way to learn a brand-new operating system, I genuinely am interested in how well it handles regular day-to-day use and a month gives me plenty of time to form a solid idea of the platform's potential and future. Is it possible to have a great deal of admiration for a phone while simultaneously rejecting it as my daily driver? Yes. After the break I sum up the highlights of BB10: what works, what doesn't and what simply needs a little nudge or two. </div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title0" style="text-align: left;"> What works for me</h3><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Back to BlackBerry closing time" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04279.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Gestures</em>. BB10's gestures are natural and intuitive. In the first week of my trial, I had become so accustomed to BB10's gesture-based UI that I started trying to wake Android devices by swiping up on the screen. Most gestures on BlackBerry 10 are easy and they give the platform a fair amount of uniqueness that you can't find on iOS or Android.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Active Frames</em>. BlackBerry's multitasking performance is among the best (if not the best) I've used on any phone, as opening any running application is almost always an instantaneous transition -- even with graphics-heavy games. I also have a love / hate relationship with the Active Frames UI; quick access to my recent apps is nice, but having it take the form of a "home page" without any ability to customize it can be frustrating.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>BlackBerry Peek</em>. To be frank, my favorite notification method implemented on any mobile OS is the status bar on Android, mainly because it's easily accessible and navigable the vast majority of the time (it gets hidden in certain apps). That said, BlackBerry Peek is also a refreshing departure from standard notification systems; swipe up to "peek" at how many notifications you have, and swipe to the right if you want to view them. They're also easy to ignore if you so desire.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>BlackBerry Hub</em>. Although it's not perfect, Hub is the best implementation of a universal inbox I've used so far. Since it's built directly into the OS and has integrated nearly all of my preferred methods of communication, I can catch up on emails, texts and tweet mentions without exiting to different apps.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Emails</em>. I enjoy the email experience on BB10... for the most part. I love having the option to lump my messages all together in a universal inbox or tackle them one account at a time. It handles attachments incredibly easily, HTML5 looks great and mail gets pushed to the inbox right away (I often receive emails on the Z10 before they arrive on my Mac).</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> I also appreciate that a conversation view is offered. But there's one critical flaw that I hope can be tweaked: even though I can go into a specific thread, each response in that thread is presented as an individual email, and there's no way to navigate through the entire conversation without first backing out to the thread list and then going back into the next response. iOS is structured in a similar way, but it offers navigation arrows on the top-right corner to let you quickly move through the entire thread.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>The keyboard</em>. This is BlackBerry's bread and butter, and the OS doesn't disappoint here -- at least, when it comes to performance. It's the best stock keyboard I've ever used. However, the inline word prediction feature, while really cool in theory, failed to increase my typing speed. I switched to the in-column view, in which you can choose from three words on the top of the keyboard, and was much happier.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Flash Player</em>. In full disclosure, I'm not an avid user of Flash, but I do prefer at least having the option to use it when I need it. I'm happy that it can be manually turned on or off at any time, thus giving users actual choice. This is a solid competitive advantage for BlackBerry, even though I can't envision many people switching to a different OS just for Flash support.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Sideloading Android apps</em>. Runtime for BlackBerry came through for me on a daily basis because it allowed me to use several Android apps to fill gaping holes in BB World (case in point: Flipboard). Don't worry; native apps will eventually come in to take care of that problem. The problem is, relying on Android ports as a workaround to support your ecosystem is not an ideal long-term solution. Sure, it may encourage a few more devs to think about writing apps for the platform, but it's not going to magically change the industry. Most users won't know or care to sideload apps, so BlackBerry has to work hard to make sure those users don't <em>have</em> to in order to get the best possible experience.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Updates. </em>Before the first month was over, BlackBerry issued a significant update promising to improve power management for better battery life, low-light camera performance and third-party app performance. Given the horrible battery life I've experienced, I'm excited to give it a try; unfortunately, the update didn't arrive in enough time for me to give it a thorough test, so I'll have to report back later. However, a quick look at various BB forums indicates that it does a much better job at retaining a charge.</div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title1" style="text-align: left;"> What needs some work</h3><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Back to BlackBerry closing time" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04285.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>BlackBerry World</em>. I'm not going to condemn a nascent ecosystem for its app selection. No market blossoms in the space of one month, and the reality is BlackBerry has actually done a fairly good job of making sure the right pieces were in place for BB10's launch -- at least, it's done better than any other first-edition platform. Most users (especially those on the enterprise / corporate side) will likely be satisfied with what's available in BB World, unless they absolutely need Netflix or Instagram.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> There are a few areas of World itself that could use some improvement. It should check for (and install) updates automatically -- or at least make it an option, if not mandated. More filters are needed without diving deep into subcategories and other seldom-used lists. Lastly, with Android ports comprising 40 percent of World's app selection, each one should be specifically listed as such -- especially when they're paid apps.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Data monitoring</em>. This needs the most work, since I still haven't found any way to monitor my data usage at all. I sorely missed this feature in Spain, because I had a pre-paid data cap and didn't want to run out in the middle of an important event. If BlackBerry doesn't come up with a solution, a third party needs to step up.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Maps</em>. The native maps solution on BB10 is my least favorite of the major platforms. It's way too basic altogether, shunning important features like <span>transit directions, walking options, offline maps, distance between two points, a bird's eye or Street View feature, more POIs and Zagat- / Yelp-style reviews.</span> I preferred the Nokia Here web app; this speaks volumes to Here's impressive capabilities, but I shouldn't have to use it as a replacement to a platform's native maps app.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Using web apps</em>. BlackBerry is using web apps as alternatives to a few native apps, and I hope this is only a short-term solution while the company cooks up other options. There are two examples of this practice that especially need attention: the Facebook app, which takes you into the browser for a large number of its services, and YouTube, which is just a shortcut to its home page. These options are better than nothing, but they fall far short when it comes to the user experience.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Tweakable settings</em>. I like choice. If something doesn't work for me, it's nice to have the ability to tweak it so it does my bidding. Sadly, BB10 lacks a lot of these customizable settings in many core apps, such as the camera, music and video players, maps and more. This could be a symptom of being a first-edition OS, where many minor features end up on the cutting-room floor as the dev team focuses on getting the major stuff right, so hopefully these smaller things will be addressed in the next update.</div><h3 dir="ltr" id="title2" style="text-align: left;"> Conclusion</h3><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Back to BlackBerry closing time" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/dsc04723.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> While the Z10 won't be my daily driver, I can answer the questions I raised at the beginning of my experiment: does it fit my daily work flow? How does it hold up against its rivals? And does BlackBerry have a future? First, work flow: I was able to accomplish almost all of my daily work routine -- even when I was in Spain for nine days -- but a large chunk of it was only made possible by sideloading Android apps and finding other workarounds. Basically, I had to make a lot of compromises and do a lot of research in order to get it to function the way I needed, and many tasks became more time-intensive than they would have been on other platforms. I'm happy that these methods helped me get through the month unscathed, but ease of use, accessibility and speed are crucial to me.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Second, how does it hold up against its rivals? There are plenty of good qualities in BB10, but BlackBerry needs a hook -- in other words, iOS and Android users won't hop out of an ecosystem they're comfortable with unless there's a very clear reason to do so. The new and improved BlackBerry is the best first-edition OS I've ever used, but the true competitive advantages are few and far between: solid enterprise / BYOD support (areas in which iOS and Android are quickly catching up) and the BlackBerry Hub. BB10's gesture-based UI and built-in Flash Player get honorable mentions, but I can't see very many people making the jump on those features alone.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Again, this isn't a condemnation of the OS. After 30 days, I've discovered that I like the Z10 and the BlackBerry 10 OS a lot more than I had anticipated, and I believe it will be an ideal platform for a large number of power users, heavy communicators and corporate hotshots. It's just not the most ideal option for me right now. And as every major OS has done over time, it will evolve, add missing features and iron out the wrinkles (BlackBerry has already pushed out its first update, so it's off to a solid start). Which takes me to my final question: does BlackBerry have enough time to keep blossoming? The only way you can drive to your destination is to look forward, not at the car in the lane next to you; I believe BlackBerry is going in the right direction now, but it can't sit idly by and watch its competitors speed ahead again.</div></div>

the BlackBerry Z10 my very own and use it as my everyday device

  I've had the opportunity to use it in every likely scenario, including a nine-day trip to Spain for Mobile World Congress. Now comes t...

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Back to BlackBerry: international travels

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Dropping a smartphone is an absolutely horrifying experience. And on my first day in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, it happened to me with my BlackBerry Z10.<br /> <br /> As much as I hate to admit, it was a dumb move on my part. Unfortunately, tragedy can strike with as simple an act as brushing one's elbow across the table, and that's all it took for me to knock my smartphone right onto a hard surface -- facedown in a perfectly horizontal position. If you've ever been through such an accident, you know the few seconds it takes to pick up the phone and survey the damage can be incredibly nerve-wracking and one of the most suspenseful moments of your life.<br /> <br /> I'm happy to say that this particular story has a positive ending, as I turned the phone over to see if I would need to call BlackBerry HQ in a panic. To my shock, it was completely fine. There wasn't a single scratch or ding, and the touchscreen was just as responsive as ever. It would've been a different story had it fallen onto a concrete floor, but this still significantly increased my opinion of the Z10's durability.<br /> <br /> Had my Z10 come face to face with concrete, I would've been in a nasty predicament. Not only would I have had to pause or put the kibosh my 30-day trial run with the BlackBerry Z10, but I'm also on the other side of the world in a foreign country. While getting a new phone isn't impossible, it's expensive, time-consuming and frustrating. Yep, this was how my 10-day international adventure began, but how well has it gone for me since?</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <i>Editor's note: This is not a review. If you haven't taken the opportunity to read through our review of the BlackBerry Z10 and the BB10 operating system, now is the perfect time to do so. As I progress through my 30-day BlackBerry trial, I'm writing most of my thoughts with the assumption that you have a basic understanding of BlackBerry's new devices and platform. If you're reading this series for the first time, you can look at my previous posts here. </i></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> I'm going to rewind the tale of my journey to where and when it all began: the flight here. In preparation for the eight-hour venture into the dark black skies, I loaded my phone up with podcasts (via a third-party native app) and plenty of games and music to keep me occupied. Everything worked up to expectations -- and frankly, that shouldn't surprise anyone. Any smartphone that can't pass the basic airplane in-flight entertainment test simply doesn't deserve to exist, and the Z10 does just fine on that end.<br /> <br /> One of the first matters of business after arriving was securing a pre-paid SIM for a few minutes, texts and all of my data needs, since I landed at the airport with no way of communicating with the world without paying outrageous international roaming charges (I'm giving you the evil eye, US carriers; you know who you are). Though some BB10 services offer reasonable offline support, I had a difficult time finding any that applied to me. In fear that I wouldn't be able to get the address of my hotel or pull up a map on my phone at the airport, I made sure to take a few screenshots just to be on the safe side. Accessing the address in an email was easy enough, but the screenshots came in handy when trying to describe my destination to the taxi driver.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week 3" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/dsc04717.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> I promptly got set up with a Vodafone pre-paid SIM. After booting, it became clear that my unlocked unit actually comes with a rather unique trait not seen in many other GSM devices (this is the first phone I've seen work this way): it's able to load up splash screens, ringtones, apps and accounts that are associated with the current SIM's carrier. On AT&T, my Z10 booted up with "Rethink Possible," contained AT&T-specific ringtones, offered AT&T Address Book as an account option and more. Once I inserted my Vodafone SIM, however, all of those disappeared and -- with the exception of the ringtones -- were replaced with Vodafone's versions (including a Vodafone app that magically appeared after my first boot up). This was a pretty cool discovery. It's a feature that I hope is implemented on all of BlackBerry's unlocked devices (all of our units have it), though I'm not expecting handsets that are originally locked to a carrier to have the same privilege. Sure, I'm definitely not a fan of any sort of carrier branding -- <i>especially</i> on unlocked handsets -- but admittedly it was worthy of a small geekout moment.<br /> <br /> Another service I've always geeked out about, despite how long it's been around, is Skype. I'm not the most frequent user of the service, but it's a godsend when I'm overseas because it makes it so easy to video chat with my wife and kids. While there are plenty of similar services available, it's the one that nearly every member of my family uses. I was hoping that Skype's anticipated app would be ready for BB10 by the time I left for Spain, but unfortunately it's still MIA. The only alternate option, FaceFlow, isn't cross-platform (though it offers a web interface), so I've been using the service on my computer instead. Of course, Skype is coming to the platform soon, so most BB10 buyers won't have the same concern for long, but it was one less way for me to take advantage of the OS.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week 3" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/dsc04716.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> A solid few days using the Z10 in Spain haven't changed my mind about BlackBerry 10 -- it's still a perfectly capable platform that just needs improvement in a few key areas -- but I must admit that my experience abroad has been better than I originally expected. To be on the safe side, I brought along an unlocked Android device as a backup, ready to accept my SIM at a moment's notice if I decided the Z10 wasn't successful at keeping up with my excessive work. Fortunately, I never felt it necessary to resort to the backup. Does that mean I had a flawless experience at MWC? Not at all. I had a few struggles, primarily in the area of mapping and app availability, and my desire for pure threaded-email conversations in the Hub dramatically increased when I was faced with twice the email volume and team email correspondence as a normal week.<br /> <br /> Furthermore, my initial concerns with battery life were also magnified as I more heavily relied on the BlackBerry to handle a much larger workload than I usually require; indeed, I made good use of external battery packs as backups, just in case I ran out of juice halfway through the day. I typically got away with only needing one recharge per day. With that said, I want to make it clear that a firmware update is on the way which promises more efficient battery life, but I haven't had the opportunity to receive it yet while I've been on the road. I hope to get my hands on it as soon as possible to properly test it out.<br /> <br /> One other thing I learned during my first few days at Mobile World Congress: four weeks after its initial launch, I was surprised to see a lot of interest in the Z10 when I pulled it out of my pocket. (The gestures seem to be a hit with most people, for what it's worth.) I know that part of this is due to the limited availability of the device so far, but people are still at least talking about it. This is good news for the company in a few ways: it hasn't been entirely dismissed by the mobile community, BlackBerry hasn't been declared dead and it is at least seen with much more curiosity and intrigue than other phones introduced at the show. (Firefox OS, anyone?)</div><h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Wrap-up</h3><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week 3" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/dsc04718.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> During the first half of my international adventure, I've learned that my Z10 is much more durable than I originally expected. The BB10 platform is also at least capable of handling the workload I throw at it, even in high-stress conditions. I can't say that it's been the most efficient method of tackling my trade-show routine, but I've survived so far. As I noted earlier, there have been a few frustrations along the way, but I got through nearly all of my typical chores just fine. (I think it's also important to mention that at this very moment in the platform's infancy, I couldn't pull this experiment off without sideloading Android apps.) A few days in Catalonia have not magically turned me into a BlackBerry convert, but the phones are good enough that I have at least become a lot more confident in the company's future.</div></div>

Back to BlackBerry: international travels

Dropping a smartphone is an absolutely horrifying experience. And on my first day in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress, it happened to m...

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MLB At Bat 2013 app warms up for spring training, starts pitching in BB10's bullpen Mobile

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <br /> <img alt="MLB at bat 2013 app warms up for spring training, starts pitching in BB10's bullpen" data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/mlbatbat3438.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <span>For some, the change of the season is marked not by calendars or climate changes, but by the beat of sports fandom. Rest easy, baseball fans: spring is finally here. Naturally, Major League Baseball is heralding in the weather by updating its MLB At Bat app for 2013 spring training, touting new features for Android and iOS users alike. The apps updated team pages, retooled navigation and classic games library are universally available to both Android and iOS users, but the iPhone will score an enhanced and searchable video library and an exclusive home screen customization feature. MLB promises to pipe in more functionality before the season opens, however -- including mobile access for BlackBerry 10 users. What hasn't changed? The price, of course: Android subscribers will need to pony up $20 for the year, while iOS retains its $3 monthly subscription plan. Of course, MLB.tv </span><span>Premium </span>subscribers<span> get full access, gratis. </span><span>Slide past the break for the official press release.</span></div></div>

MLB At Bat 2013 app warms up for spring training, starts pitching in BB10's bullpen Mobile

For some, the change of the season is marked not by calendars or climate changes, but by the beat of sports fandom. Rest easy, baseball f...

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AllThingsD: No native BlackBerry 10 Instagram app in sight

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" /> <div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="AllThingsD: No native BlackBerry 10 Instagram app in sight" data-src-height="532" data-src-width="800" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/rim-2013-01-24-600-12.jpg" /></div>The mobile OS that needs more big name apps to tether their wagons to insure a boost in user adoption is less one key photography app. According to <em>AllThingsD</em>, there is no native Instagram app in development for BB10 handsets -- at least for the foreseeable future. Quoting sources close to the popular social / photo filtering app, the report goes on to say that future development is also uncertain. Of course, the outfit is working on an Android port that will be usable on BlackBerry's latest, but with significant compromises to user experience to come as the cost of admission. The new operating system did secure native support from Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn and Twitter at launch.<br /> </div></div>

AllThingsD: No native BlackBerry 10 Instagram app in sight

The mobile OS that needs more big name apps to tether their wagons to insure a boost in user adoption i...

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Back to BlackBerry: a whole new UI world

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" /> <div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week one" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/dsc04214-1360340806.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <i>Editor's note: This is not a review. If you haven't taken the opportunity to read through our review of the BlackBerry Z10 and the BB10 operating system, now is the perfect time to do so. As I progress through my 30-day BlackBerry trial, I'm writing most of my thoughts with the assumption that you have a basic understanding of BlackBerry's new devices and platform. </i></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> If you were to ask me what the most significant changes are in BlackBerry 10, I'd likely go into detail about the user interface, gestures, the Hub and the ecosystem. It's an amazing improvement over previous BlackBerry devices in most cases. It's not too difficult to learn, either: just three days into my 30-day trial, I found myself unsuccessfully swiping up on a friend's Android phone to turn it on. But now that I've had the chance to set up all of my accounts, do some hardcore messaging and play around with the device, what are some of my thoughts about those major differences? Join me after the break and learn some of the best and worst things I discovered so far.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week one" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="570" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/bbsetup1.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> The setup began with my BlackBerry ID, which was so old that I was surprised when the phone accepted my password. I added all of my email and social networking accounts in just a few minutes, but adding my inboxes to the Hub took several additional minutes. No special BlackBerry data plan was required; all I had to do was simply slide my AT&T micro-SIM card into the phone, boot up and it gave me full access to everything I need.<br /> <br /> Even in the setup process, BB10 offered a few smart touches seldom seen on other platforms. For instance, my Facebook account is attached to one of my old Yahoo Mail accounts that hadn't been set up on my Z10 yet. When I added my Facebook logins to the BlackBerry Hub, it instantly recognized that I was using a different email address and asked me if I wanted to set that account up as well. All I had to do was throw in my password and I was ready to go. It's something that seems like common sense, but it's still a rarity in the mobile world.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week one" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/dsc04210.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Once my Z10 was set up and ready to go, I had a chance to get introduced to the user interface. It's modern and beautiful, and the swipe gestures are a great touch. Despite its learning curve, I was used to the BlackBerry Flow gestures after just a couple days -- and it got even easier over time.<br /> <br /> Flow is much more intuitive than I originally expected. Going back and forth between the Hub and recent (or running) apps is just a matter of a couple finger swipes, which made multitasking much faster and easier once I became acclimatized to the UI. However, the phone would occasionally ignore my gestures; I've also experienced the complete opposite scenario, like during attempts to swipe up on the keyboard's space bar, which the phone interprets as the "home screen" gesture. Also, it seems odd that an OS dedicated to simple swipe gestures doesn't let me swipe up to get rid of running applications on the main screen (à la webOS).</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week one" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="270" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/img00000056.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Speaking of which, the recent apps screen (seen above) doubles as the UI's home panel, which was a little jarring at first; being accustomed to diving straight into the standard apps, this new style has involved a solid amount of adjustment time. I started using the recent apps much more frequently than I ever had before, since it was so easily accessible. This quick access, as well as the ability to get into apps almost immediately, has provided me with one of the best multitasking experiences I've ever had on a smartphone.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Once I began exploring the app pages, found on the right side of home, I was reminded of iOS, which features a static grid with apps and folders. To the left of home is the Hub. Here, all of my accounts are together in one place (and filterable to specific inboxes for better organization), but it's a half-baked effort. It lacks the numerous customization and communication options from previous BlackBerry devices, and app notifications can be erratic. It's also supposed to fully integrate with native apps, but two-way communication between the two elements is quite lackluster. As an example, after looking through my mentions on the native Twitter app, they remain as unread notifications in the Hub that need to be cleared out (a time-intensive process). Because of this, I have less interest in using the Hub, and only visit it to check my emails. (<strong>Update:</strong> a commenter pointed out that it's possible to long-press dates in the Hub, which reveals a "Mark prior read" option.)</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week one" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="537" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/bbm1.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> What about the ultimate BlackBerry staple, BBM? After setting the messaging service up -- easy to do, since it already had my ID -- and chatting with a few of my colleagues, the interface and feel seemed immediately familiar. The two-way video chat and screen-share features are handy, and BBM is just as pleasant to use as I remember. Unfortunately, the feature lacks cross-platform capability, limiting the number of potential friends and family members that I can talk to on the service. (Not to mention video chat is definitely no stranger to the smartphone world.) Unless millions of people flock to BB10 over the next year or so, I simply won't have a lot of opportunities to take advantage of BBM -- and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> I couldn't even make it through a day before I was setting out to find worthy replacements to the "native" Facebook and Twitter clients. Since Facebook hasn't committed to pushing out its own BB10 app, BlackBerry built one; at best, the application is a horribly implemented Android version wrapped up in BB10 code, and some sections of the app take you to the site on the mobile browser. As for Twitter, I've never been able to refresh my feed without fully exiting and re-entering the program. (Not everyone has experienced this bug, but numerous attempts to reinstall the app haven't made a difference on my device.)</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week one" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="537" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/bbhub1.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> As a hardcore emailer, the Z10 has proved to be somewhat cumbersome in real-life use. My inbox is organized into a "conversation view," but when I click on the email thread it takes me into an individual-message view and I can't hop from one email to the next without jumping out of the email first. I haven't found a way to preview the first line or two of text before jumping in to the message, and the only way to multi-select my messages is to jump into the menu and press "select more" before proceeding. These complications make for a more time-intensive experience.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> While I got push emails through IMAP, syncing my account with Google's server wasn't instantaneous. There are a few settings that let me change how often the phone will communicate with Gmail, but whenever I read my email from my desktop, it would take ages before the phone knew about it. As soon as I switched to Exchange, though, everything began syncing much more quickly. On a more positive note: push email works great; BlackBerry Peek helps me see how many email notifications are waiting; viewing / saving attachments is easy; and my experience reading HTML emails is pleasant. Typing messages on the new virtual keyboard is also fast and smooth, though my experience using the word-prediction feature is right on par with our review.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week one" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="537" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/bbworld1.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Once all of my essential accounts and social networks were set up, it was time to play around in BlackBerry World. The store, which flaunted 70,000 apps at the time of its launch, still looks amazingly bare. Additionally, BB World isn't easy to navigate, so app discovery was rather difficult. Several times I've exited the store in disgust because I couldn't find anything close to what I was looking for. Only a handful of "featured apps" are shown on the first page, and "trending apps" typically displays just 10-15 of the apps BlackBerry wants to show off. To get to the meat, I have to dive into the categories, which are then broken up into subcategories. The silver lining is that once I get there, at least there are filters that narrow down my choices and let me change the sorting order.</div><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week one" data-src-height="450" data-src-width="537" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/bbflipboard1.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> What if the app you really want isn't available on BlackBerry World? Welcome to the immediate future, folks. The ability to port Android apps over to BlackBerry has been a lifesaver. Once I learned how to sideload Android apps to my Z10, I installed Flipboard and used it to keep up on the usual feeds (I can access Google+ and Instagram this way). Additionally, I found apps for Remember the Milk, Google Voice, speed tests and podcasts, to name a few.<br /> <br /> This doesn't mean the use of repackaged Android apps is a flawless experience. Some are clunky, unresponsive and don't give me an experience as smooth as programs written natively for BlackBerry. Since Runtime for Android only supports Gingerbread or older versions (this will be bumped to Jelly Bean eventually), I've dealt with an archaic UI and apps that don't work. Many of the sideloaded files didn't launch. On multiple occasions, some of the apps that actually did work would freeze, forcing me to exit the app completely or reboot the phone. However, since it only takes a couple minutes to sideload an app, the additional functionality you receive is worth the gamble.</div><h3 dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> Wrap-up</h3><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="DNP Back to BlackBerry week one" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/dsc04209.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> While I'm fully committed to spending 30 days with BlackBerry 10, the first week onboard the new OS hasn't converted me into a dedicated user. I'm not saying my decision to do a month-long challenge was a mistake or that I loathe every waking moment with the Z10, but BB10 simply doesn't offer many competitive advantages that would take me away from the other platforms. The UI and gestures are refreshing and fun to use, but the Hub feels a little too basic for my email needs. I'm also willing to give the ecosystem some more time to grow, but it's not a good sign that I have no other choice but to sideload Android apps to fill massive holes in BlackBerry World. Granted, I believe BB10 is the best first-gen version of any mobile OS on the market, and it has a lot more potential than I originally thought. How well -- and how soon -- it lives up to that potential is a completely different story.</div></div>

Back to BlackBerry: a whole new UI world

Editor's note: This is not a review. If you haven't taken the opportunity to read through our...

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PSA: BlackBerry 10 doesn't need a special data plan

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" /> <div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="PSA BlackBerry 10 doesn't need a special data plan" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/blackberry-z10-messaging.jpg" /></div>With BlackBerry 10 devices wending their way into the hands of patient fans, there's been some uncertainty as to just what service plans customers need to reach the new platform's full potential. The short answer, after confirmations at <em>CrackBerry</em>: just about any of them. Unlike older BlackBerrys, the Z10 and future models don't require tiers with BlackBerry Internet Service or BlackBerry Enterprise Server support in order to work their push messaging magic. Those migrating from a regular BlackBerry plan won't have to worry about switching, though. The lone exceptions are subscribers who have barebones, social-only plans where BIS serves as the filter. While the switch could lead to price hikes for those cost-conscious users, it's otherwise good news for BlackBerry devotees who've wanted the same choice in service as the rest of their smartphone-owning peers.<br /> </div></div>

PSA: BlackBerry 10 doesn't need a special data plan

With BlackBerry 10 devices wending their way into the hands of patient fans, there's been some un...

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Back to BlackBerry: one editor's 30-day trial run

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" /> <div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="BlackBerry 10 for 30 days" data-src-height="532" data-src-width="800" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/rim-2013-01-24-600-12.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> I confess, I'm intrigued by BlackBerry 10. Surprised? So am I. It's been easy to pre-emptively count BlackBerry out of the smartphone wars based on its performance over the last two or three years, but there's an element of mystique and personality that have made me quite curious to give the new OS a shot. While Wednesday's BB10 launch answered a lot of questions, it also raised a lot of new ones. Most of the mysteries revolve around its ecosystem, hardware quality, competitive advantages / disadvantages and if the platform can persuade Android and iOS users to switch. As a former Pearl and Curve owner, I want -- nay, <i>need</i> -- to determine for myself how well BlackBerry's latest effort holds up against its rivals. Thus, I have decided to use the BlackBerry Z10 as my sole device and daily driver for thirty days.<br /> <br /> From now until March 3rd, I'll experience nearly every aspect of BB10: the UI and its learning curve, its performance and battery life, BlackBerry World, the highly praised virtual keyboard and how well it can handle my work load. I'll even use the phone at MWC, a major international trade show in which I'll be even more dependent on my mobile than usual. Throughout this process I'll be documenting my thoughts, feelings and emotions and deliver them in a regular series of weekly posts. By the end, we'll see whether or not BB10 can win my heart; is it a suitable replacement for the average iOS or Android user, or does the company still have a difficult path ahead of it? Time will tell, and I'm eager to find out.</div></div>

Back to BlackBerry: one editor's 30-day trial run

I confess, I'm intrigued by BlackBerry 10. Surprised? So am I. It's been easy to pre-emptive...

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BlackBerry Q10 flashes pearly whites in brief debut

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" /> <div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Blackberry Q10 flashes pearly whites in brief sortie" data-src-height="413" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/blackberry-q10-white-1-31-13.jpg" /></div>A previously unseen BlackBerry Q10 in alluring white made a blink-or-you'll-miss-it appearance at last night's BlackBerry 10 Experience event in New York. <em>Crackberry</em> was on hand to snap a few photos before the 3.1-inch, dual-processor toting device went back into the pocket of BlackBerry CMO Frank Boulben. The color certainly lends it a heaping dose of <em>James Bond-esque</em> elegance, to our eyes -- as for our other thoughts on the physical-key toting handset, check our recent hands-on.<br /> </div></div>

BlackBerry Q10 flashes pearly whites in brief debut

A previously unseen BlackBerry Q10 in alluring white made a blink-or-you'll-miss-it appearance at l...

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RIM: A brief history from Budgie to BlackBerry 10

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /> <div class="copy post-body" style="text-align: center;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="RIM a brief history from Budgie to BlackBerry 10" data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/rim-history-until-blackberry-10.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Listen to much of the chatter about Research in Motion today and you'll hear the launch of BlackBerry 10 described in almost apocalyptic terms. All-or-nothing. Live-or-die. Make-or-break. There's some truth to the extreme language, but BlackBerry 10 is really just the latest in a series of transformational moments for a company that has frequently had to adapt to survive. In that sense, the appreciation for crises and opportunities is almost as natural as breathing for RIM. What's less certain is whether or not the company in 2013 is as capable of wholesale shifts in strategy as it was for much of its not quite 30-year history. Read on to see why reform is possible, but won't be quite so easy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> For its first two decades, RIM often showed the traits of a scrappy startup. It had nothing to lose and was willing to turn its business model on a dime to stay afloat. More importantly, it also had a simple, overriding determination to spread wireless data to the masses, no matter how that would come to pass. That gave it a leg up over contemporary technology stalwarts like Apple, Microsoft and Palm, all of whom were at least slightly behind RIM in seeing the value of truly instant mobile communication. CEO Mike Lazaridis (and eventual co-CEO Jim Balsillie) would see a void in the market, whether it was two-way paging or mobile email, and switch strategies to fill it.</div><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie" data-src-height="310" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/mike-and-jim-1359140133.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><blockquote class="quote right"> The company spent more time trying to justify its existing smartphone philosophy and less time getting ahead of trends.</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: center;"> As the 2000s wore on, however, RIM slowed down. Much of the decade revolved around entrenching what we know as the core BlackBerry business model, where messaging-focused smartphones ship to large-scale customers. The company acknowledged the consumer world as early as 2003, but its approach was increasingly reactionary. We wouldn't have had the BlackBerry Storm without the iPhone popularizing touchscreens first, for example. The company spent more time trying to justify its existing smartphone philosophy and less time getting ahead of trends, even as it lost its market share advantage and started working on BlackBerry 10. Some saw the eventual departures of Lazaridis, Balsillie and a slew of executives as necessary to undo an institutionalized resistance to change.<br /> <br /> The launch of BlackBerry 10 isn't just the test of a software redesign, then. It's gauging whether or not a leaner RIM is once again nimble enough to stay relevant. We haven't quite returned to the company's early days, but its current position is an uncannily familiar one where RIM has to bet the farm on a new project. The difference? RIM isn't entering an untapped wireless market this time. While it's on better footing than a defunct mobile veteran like Palm, there's not much room for a second chance. Follow along with our timeline to see just how RIM's opportunities opened up, closed shut and maybe (just maybe) opened up again with a new OS.</div><h3 id="title0" style="text-align: center;"> 1984 - 1994</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin with Budgie" data-src-height="425" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/rim-budgie.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin officially founded Research in Motion on March 7th, 1984 with a desire to commercialize Budgie, a system that wirelessly displayed information on a TV screen. It generated enough business to let RIM take on side projects, including a film barcode reader, but the real kick start was the arrival of one of the earliest wireless data networks, Mobitex. Software deals to support it led to the 1993 launch of RIMGate, the precursor to BlackBerry Enterprise Server, and wireless point-of-sale terminals in 1994. This early period also saw the introduction of Jim Balsillie, who met Lazaridis while trying to negotiate a purchase of RIM in 1992 and quickly became the future BlackBerry maker's VP of Finance. Few other companies were as actively interested in mobile data at the time: apart from Mobitex creator Ericsson, the most conspicuous participant was IBM, whose smartphone-like Simon Personal Communicator went on sale briefly in 1994 and still depended on a 2,400-baud modem for data.</div><h3 id="title1" style="text-align: center;"> 1995 - 2001</h3><div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="RIM Inter@ctive Pager" data-src-height="250" data-src-width="190" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/rim-interactive-pager-sm.jpg" style="float: right;" />RIM's experience developing code for Mobitex led it to building hardware, starting with a PCMCIA modem in 1995. The company's first mobile messaging device, the RIM 900 Inter@ctive Pager, came a year later, followed by the smaller and more successful RIM 950 in 1998. The first hardware that resembled a BlackBerry as we know it today was the not-very-elegantly named RIM 957 from April 2000, but it only offered data and wasn't joined at the hip with the BlackBerry name. While the BlackBerry email service launched in January 1999 and went mobile with the 957, it would be three years before there was a proper BlackBerry phone. More smartphone-like technology was emerging in the form of devices like the Nokia 9000 series in 1996, Ericsson's Symbian-based R380 in 2000 and the Palm OS-running Kyocera 6035 in 2001, although few would say they cracked the market wide open when the PDA side was either crude or entirely separate. This was Palm's heyday, and many were still satisfied with a cellphone in one hand and a PDA in the other.</div><h3 id="title2" style="text-align: center;"> 2002 - 2005</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Blackberry 5810" data-src-height="423" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/blackberry-5810-1359142237.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The BlackBerry era started in earnest in March 2002, when RIM unveiled the BlackBerry 5810. It was the first handheld from RIM to carry GSM and GPRS, although phone service was almost incidental when owners had to plug in a headset just to make calls. The situation got better when the 6710 and beyond had audio hardware built-in. Color came with the 7200 and 7700 series in 2003, but the real breakthroughs were the 6200 series from that year and the 7100 in 2004, which were explicitly targeted at "prosumers" who wanted a BlackBerry for personal use. In 2005, the 8700 series took the 7100's sleeker aesthetic to the high-end; for many, it was the first modern BlackBerry, where a polished design, phone features and a full keyboard were all in one device. Not that RIM could rest on its laurels. Nokia, Palm and others had thrown themselves wholeheartedly into smartphones, and Microsoft's launches of Pocket PC 2002 and Windows Mobile provided a start for smartphone makers that would eventually play important roles, like HTC.</div><h3 id="title3" style="text-align: center;"> 2006 - 2007</h3><div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="BlackBerry Pearl for T-Mobile" data-src-height="250" data-src-width="160" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/blackberry-pearl-t-mobile-small-1359152125.jpg" style="float: left;" />It's at the middle of last decade that RIM simultaneously reached its creative zenith and sowed the seeds of its decline. The BlackBerry Pearl of 2006 was the company's first phone built expressly for the regular public, and had such radical concepts (for RIM) as a camera and dedicated media playback. Both the Pearl and the QWERTY-equipped Curve of 2007 would be key to an explosion in sales over the next few years. However, it's also in 2007 that Apple launched the iPhone and began the public's love affair with touchscreens in their mobile devices. RIM's response, even into 2010, was to downplay the threat; it argued that customers needed hardware keyboards. It was difficult to know then just how dangerous the attitude would be when others were similarly dismissive -- see Steve Ballmer's jab that the iPhone was too expensive to succeed, for example -- but it's clear in hindsight that RIM had put the blinders on at the very moment its eyes needed to be wide open.</div><h3 id="title4" style="text-align: center;"> 2008 - 2009</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="BlackBerry Storm, Bold 9000 and Curve 8900" data-src-height="376" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/blackberry-storm-bold-and-curve.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Despite its love of physical keys, RIM's solution to newfound competition was to hedge its bets. Traditionalists got the upscale Bold 9000 line in May 2008; would-be Android and iPhone converts got the BlackBerry Storm in November of that year. BlackBerry App World also countered the Android Market and the App Store several months after the fact, in 2009. The platform reached a peak of 20.8 percent market share in the third quarter that same year, according to Gartner, but the bloom was already starting to come off the rose. The iPhone 3GS helped Apple outsell RIM for the first time, as Steve Jobs noted that fall. Hype for the Storm quickly fizzled out, and Verizon's edition of the Storm 2 launched the same day in October 2009 as the more heavily promoted (and ultimately more successful) Motorola Droid. RIM could mostly take comfort in knowing that the competing Nokia N97 and Palm Pre also did little to halt the declines of their respective creators.</div><h3 id="title5" style="text-align: center;"> 2010</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="BlackBerry PlayBook at DevCon 2010" data-src-height="385" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/blackberry-playbook-devcon-2010.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> RIM was aware that the BlackBerry needed more than just a small tuneup, and spent much of 2010 laying the groundwork for an overhaul. It bought real-time OS developer QNX in April for code that would eventually power BlackBerry Tablet OS and BlackBerry 10. Help building the interface would come in December, through the acquisition of mobile software developer The Astonishing Tribe. We quickly saw early results from the QNX deal when RIM previewed its first-ever tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook, in September. Mobile customers weren't patient enough to wait for a finished product: Apple eventually eclipsed RIM's market share on a more permanent basis and more and more of the BlackBerry's loyal enterprise users were among those switching to Android and the iPhone. Most long-serving competitors weren't faring much better. Palm's overcommitment to Sprint and its missed opportunity with Verizon led HP to snatch it up. The year was ultimately defined by Android, which Gartner says catapulted from a token 3.9 percent of the smartphone market in 2009 to 22.7 percent for 2010, just behind a rapidly crumbling Symbian.</div><h3 id="title6" style="text-align: center;"> 2011</h3><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> RIM arguably faced its nadir of public perception in 2011. The PlayBook was rushed to market in April and tanked badly enough to require fire sale pricing for unsold stock -- in part because it initially lacked the very messaging features that were supposed to be RIM's strong suit. BlackBerry 7 devices like the Bold 9900 series gave RIM's legacy platform a last hurrah, but a sustained, worldwide service outage stained the line's reputation (and the company's) in October. Building the $2,000 Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry and losing the BBX trademark dispute didn't exactly endear RIM to the public, either. Management was increasingly seen as the problem, rather than the solution, as disappointing earnings and delays became the order of the day. The firm escaped the ignominy of Palm's fate, which saw HP reduce webOS to a side project, but was well behind Nokia in the reinvention process, which already had Windows Phone-based devices shipping in late 2011. Apple and Google both took advantage of customer frustration with old stalwarts like Nokia and RIM, to the point where their respective iOS and Android platforms were the only ones gaining significant share. Gartner and other firms crowned Android as the market leader in the spring, and Apple would eventually rise to second place in 2012.</div><h3 id="title7" style="text-align: center;"> 2012</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Thorsten Heins of RIM talks with Tim Stevens" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/11/thorstenheinsinterviewlead03.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The year of renewal... mostly. Balsillie and Lazaridis were out almost as soon as the year began, replaced by company veteran Thorsten Heins. He spent most of the year getting RIM's house in order, including thousands of job cuts among the rank and file. Multiple long-serving executives left, and little energy was put into new hardware outside of the already expected 4G PlayBook and budget phones. Most of the company's fate was now tied up in BlackBerry 10 and its matching devices. Heins ran into flak quickly: BlackBerry 10 was delayed into 2013, and the company started racking up significant losses after years of profit.</div><h3 id="title8" style="text-align: center;"> 2013</h3><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="BlackBerry Dev Alpha B hands-on" data-src-height="413" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/blackberry-dev-alpha-b-hands-on.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> RIM is starting 2013 much as it spent most of 2012. It's in a race to establish BlackBerry 10 as a truly credible third competitor among smartphone platforms before the industry shifts to an Apple / Google duopoly -- and before the cash runs dry.</div></div></div>

RIM: A brief history from Budgie to BlackBerry 10

Listen to much of the chatter about Research in Motion today and you'll hear the launch of BlackBe...

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BlackBerry Z10 priced at £480 SIM-free by purported Carphone Warehouse database leak (update)

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr /> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="BlackBerry Z10 purportedly hits Carphone Warehouse database, 480 unlocked" data-src-height="266" data-src-width="616" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/47-am.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> With all the BlackBerry 10 leaks as of late, it seems inevitable that pricing info would get ousted in the lead up to January 30th. Thanks to an anonymous tipster, it appears that the SIM-free version of RIM's Z10 will cost UKers a cool £480 at Carphone Warehouse (for perspective, a 16GB iPhone 5 would run you just roughly £30 more). The leak comes from what's said to be a snapshot of the company's internal database, listing the white variant. The attached BLAZ10WHI model number also syncs up nicely with the previous slip from the retailer. At this rate, not much is going to be left to the imagination when RIM officially unveils its devices come Wednesday -- who likes surprises anyway, right?</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <strong>Update:</strong> We've updated the post to reflect that the phone was touted to us as "SIM-free," specifically.</div></div>

BlackBerry Z10 priced at £480 SIM-free by purported Carphone Warehouse database leak (update)

With all the BlackBerry 10 leaks as of late, it seems inevitable that pricing info would get ousted ...

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