BlackBerry

Computer styluses are certainly handy, but it can be kind of tricky when you're writing or drawing on a stylus pad, yet you can only see what you're doing up on the screen. The resulting scrawls often have ... shall we say, a child-like appeal. Writing on paper with ink is definitely easier, but how do you get what you've done into a computer? Scan it, page by page? Well, yes you could, but now - in the spirit of Livescribe's Pulse smartpen - you could also use E FUN's APEN A3. Read More

Research In Motion has announced three new smartphones that utilize its updated operating system, BlackBerry 7 OS. The BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 (UMTS/CDMA), the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and Torch 9860/9850 (UMTS/CDMA) all come with touchscreen-based input, and are equal in terms of their Qualcomm 8655 Snapdragon 1.2GHz CPU, 768 MB RAM and NFC support. Read More

RIM's BlackBerry Bold line is set for a major upgrade with the imminent arrival of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones. Combining the familiar full QWERTY keypad with a new "Liquid Graphics" touch screen, the new models are the first to run on the new BlackBerry 7 OS and pack 720p HD video, built-in NFC (Near Field Communications) technology, a 1.2 GHz processor and the thinnest BlackBerry form factor yet – 10.5 mm (0.41-inches). Read More

RIM has announced that consumers can place orders through Best Buy for its PlayBook 7-inch tablet from today. Weighing less than a pound (425g) and measuring up at just 0.4-inch (10mm) thick, the Wi-Fi enabled device will come in three storage flavors, and is expected to be in stores in the U.S. on April 19. Read More

A couple of years ago, the folks over at b3ta.com invited members of their online community to submit mocked-up images of “Unlikely iPhone Apps.” Some of the submissions were quite a hoot, such as the Paperweight app – just activate it on your iPhone, then set the phone down on top of a stack of papers. Even the guerrilla graphic artists at b3ta, however, couldn’t have foreseen Be a HeadCase. The product combines a bottle opener-equipped iPhone case with a free app that keeps count of how many bottles or cans you’ve opened, while announcing to the world that you’re opening yet another. Read More

SYNC is Ford's in-vehicle communications and entertainment system that lets drivers make hands-free phone calls, and control things such as their music player via voice commands. Instead of trying to cram more and more functions into SYNC’s virtual brain, Ford engineers have taken a more flexible approach – they’ve created smartphone apps that drivers can control through SYNC, using voice commands or steering wheel buttons. Existing SYNC systems will first require a download of the AppLink software, which will debut on 2011 Ford Fiestas. Read More

The rumors of a tablet from Research In Motion (RIM) have turned out to be true with CEO Mike Lazardis announcing the company’s PlayBook tablet at its annual BlackBerry Developer Conference. Described by RIM as a “professional-grade” tablet, the 7-inch device will be running the new BlackBerry Tablet OS created by the recently acquired QNX. It boasts BlackBerry integration, out-of-the-box BlackBerry Enterprise Server compatibility and security features designed to appeal to businesses as well as true multitasking, gaming and multimedia capabilities. Read More

With Apple selling three million iPads in just 80 days it’s no surprise that some companies are after a slice of the tablet comuting pie. According to a report on Bloomberg, Research in Motion Ltd. (RIM), the maker of the BlackBerry, is planning to introduce its own tablet computer this November. The report cites two unnamed sources who say that the device, to be known as the Blackpad, will have roughly the same dimensions as the iPad and will include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that will allow users to connect to the Internet through their BlackBerry. Read More

Move over solar chargers. Step aside kinetic chargers. If RCA is to be believed, there’s a new way to scavenge power from the environment using an energy source that’s all around us: WiFi. If you are reading this article, the chances are very good that you are in range of at least one wireless network. RCA says its Airnergy Charger scavenges stray WiFi signals and converts them to DC battery power that you can use to charge your cell phone, music player, or other electronic devices. Read More