Orange UK puts Bold on hold?

The lads from MobileTechAddicts scored an Orange UK internal statement that says:


" Following reports of software issues with the BlackBerry Bold handset across a variety of mobile operators, Orange has decided to act in the interest of its customers by suspending shipments of the device in the UK. We are currently awaiting feed back from RIM as to when an industry wide fix for these issues will be in place, and expect this suspension to be an interim measure.We apologise for any inconvenience this issue may cause you.BlackBerry/RIM are doing everything they can to resolve this issue and will be completing full testing and validation to ensure future handsets do not have any quality issues. This may take a couple of weeks so it’s up to us to do what’s best for our customers."

I would love to know exactly what these "software issues" are. I hope it has something to do with the delay/lag/unavailability of contacts experienced with BlackBerry Messenger, the occasional call failures, random reboots and data connection timeouts, that have been reported. That means it will be addressed soon... I do suffer the BBM delay/unavailable contact issue and it's beginning to be a PITA! It seems the problem is present on both Celcom and Maxis networks, so can't single out one carrier or pin the blame on network configuration.

Using Bold as a Bluetooth modem with MacBookPro!

Ok so the picture isn't very clear but you may be able to make out that I'm connected to the internet on my MacBook Pro (OSX 10.5.4) via a Bluetooth connection with my Bold (4.6.0.147)

You need to use the modem script for the Curve which you can find here together with some setup instructions.

Since I am running on Celcom, the telephone number should be "celcom3g" and the account name is "guest" and password is also "guest".

I'm not sure if it works with a Bold on the Maxis network but it should. At any rate,I know the telephone number should be "unet" but I'm not sure about the username and password. If someone on Maxis can confirm that it does work, that would be great. Also don't forget to tell us what accountname and password to use.

Many thanks to my mate Moorey, the proprietor of the best Apple Authorized Reseller in Kuching; IT Fusion for the heads-up!

Celcom Bolds have arrived in Kuching!

Celcom-Vodafone Bold's began trickling into Kuching Tuesday, albeit in small quantities.

A few folks who had pre-ordered their Bolds received them late afternoon. More will undoubtedly follow, so lets hope the trickle turns into a raging river of Bolds!

One thing I noticed was that the Bolds had OS 4.6.0.126 which is somewhat old. I upgraded my units to 4.6.0.147 immediately as it seems to be more stable and have greater battery life as well (according to a person who should know; he had his Bold run out of battery by 2:30 p.m. once).

Unfortunately, Celcom Bolds do not come with Skins as free gift (darn it.. I did try!) but it does have the usual leather pocket sleeve that comes standard. Better then nothing I suppose.

Javelin review by crackberry.com

Crackberry.com has done another great review of a yet to be released device; the Javelin.

We hope to see this sweet little device in Malaysia not too far in the future. I have personally seen an engineering set a few weeks back and it does look sweet. Click here to read about my little encounter.

To read more about crackberry's in-depth review, click here

Kuching launching of Celcom Bold

Celcom Bigwigs were in town yesterday to officiate the launching of the BlackBerry Bold held at the Blue Cube outlet in The Spring Mall in Kuching.

Officially retailing for RM2499 but if you pre-order, it will be yours for the low price of RM2188 but only during the pre-order period. So better get your skates on folks!

I won't bore you with the usual tech specs of the Bold, I believe, there has been enough press coverage about this iconic device already.

Hopefully, stocks will begin to "trickle" in starting sometime next week; naturally, Sarawak is not top of the list but I hope that we're not too way down the list. Apparently, outside KL/Selangor, Sarawak is the 2nd highest growth area for BlackBerrys in Malaysia...Wow!

RIM introduces the Pearl 8220

It's official! RIM has announced the "Kick Start" under the designation Pearl 8220. No definite word yet on when it will be available in Malaysia but Q1 sounds more realistic.

This BlackBerry is definitely targeted at the "younger" generation with it's compact and stylish design. I may even get one to replace my 8110 as my "backup" BlackBerry...

Read more here

Otterbox Defender series for the Bold

Coming soon! An OtterBox product especially for the Bold and I am definitely going to get this for myself and also try and push this to one of the retailers to sell to the Malaysian BlackBerry toting public.

Price is set at USD49.95 if you buy from their website at www.otterbox.com but you have to factor in shipping and possible excise duty, so it's going to be quite expensive.I usually can get it cheaper and if the interest from the public is there (resulting in the retailers wanting to carry it), I can import large quantities to lessen the cost to the consumers.

And let the battle begin...!

As you may know and seen the ads in the papers, Celcom and Maxis have both launched the new Bold! They seem to be falling over themselves to see who can outdo the other in terms of marketing, advertising and of course price! The winner will be the consumers; folks like you and me.

Even though the Bold was "launched" 2nd September, it will not actually be available for sale until 15th September and then only in limited quantities and with a long waiting list on both carriers, it may be a while before it reaches Sarawak in sizable quantities. But it's coming nevertheless!!

Price? Expect a war here. Celcom is releasing it at RM2499 but for Celcom PowerTools customers only (corporate lines), then shortly after, Maxis announces it's going to sell it for RM2199 to personal and corporate users!

Expect Celcom to counter somehow.... and the winner will be?? You and me!

Be Bold. With Celcom

September 2nd was launch day for the BlackBerry Bold by Celcom in KL.

Before you all go out running to the nearest Celcom dealer or a Celcom center, please note, the LAUNCHING was on the 2nd, the actual devices will not be available until September 15th!

I do advise you to go and put your name down on the waiting list though. The list is long and growing longer as the days go by; the Bold is causing a tremendous stir in the Malaysian smartphone market. I believe, on Maxis, it is also the case. So regardless of which network you're on, if you want the Bold, sign up now!

The Definitive Bold review by apcmag.com

This is one in-depth review so check it out here!

I pretty much agree with it, especially with the part about the screen. You have to see it to believe it folks!

Not long more to wait.. so be patient OK?!

Celcom Kuching GPRS Interruption...yet again

As at 5.30 PM, for the 2nd or 3rd time in less than a month, Celcom's Blackberry GPRS service dies yet again in Kuching. According to Baha, his 3G service died as well.

This does not seem to be affecting those in W. Malaysia. Have tried to call Celcom for news but have not been able to get through.

Will keep everyone posted.

To Celcom: Many of your users have gone past the point of anger to just apathy. The Blackberry service that was promoted as an essential tool for the business user has turned out to be far from that with its frequent outages which reflects very badly not only on your company but on us as well who have promoted your service to our friends and colleagues. I highly suggest the implementation of a status page at the very least with some form of official announcement as to outages. At the very least, we know what to fume at. In any case, the service level is simply unacceptable.

Update: Service was restored something early this morning. Definitely was up at 7.10AM when I woke up.

Bold available for pre-order on Maxis, but not for Kuching?

Many thanks to drooler from bbsabah.net for giving us the heads up that Maxis is now accepting pre-orders for the bold on their website.

When you sign up for pre-order, it will ask you to state from which Maxis center you would prefer to  pick up your set from. It list the usual centers in West Malaysia as well as Miri and KK BUT NOT Kuching!? WTF is up with that?

Bold available on T-Mobile Germany?

Apparently it's available on T-Mobile Germany too. Odd that the Bold is popping up everywhere except North America...

Read more here

Thunder exclusive to Vodafone!

The upcoming BlackBerry Thunder will be exclusive to Vodafone!

No word on exactly when it will come out but I've heard "sometime in Q4" being floated about.

What does this mean? If you want it... you have to go to Celcom!

So Maxis has the iPhone 3G (so the rumor goes) and Celcom has the Thunder.. let the Battle Royale begin!

Chile gets to launch the Bold first?!

Boy was I shocked when I read this article on crackberry.com but pleasantly shocked nevertheless.

It just goes to show that even lesser known carriers can beat the big boys to the finish line; funnier things have been known to happen right?

Expect Bold to be launched on Celcom in September and rumor has it on Maxis in October. I can't confirm the Maxis part so if anyone has any inside scoop, please post a comment.

I do know that you won't be disappointed; you have to see the screen to believe it. Seriously! It still takes my breath away every time I look at it. Awesome! Add that to the complete range of Bold accessories that will be available to you all not too far in the future (I hope), I can honestly say, I see good things happening for Celcom BlackBerry aficionados (Malaysian BlackBerry users in general t00) in Malaysia. And about time too!

Baha

Baha's take on the Bold (My overdue review)

Ok, it's been a week now, since I received my Bold courtesy of Celcom so I should've amassed enough impressions to write a somewhat competent review. Here goes...

Appearance

The first thing you realize about the Bold when you see one is the screen. Yes it isn't very big but my God, it's beautiful! It's bright, sharp and the colors that it portrays are vidid and a joy to look at. Even the default Vodafone wallpaper looks vibrant and rich. My unit, being a pre-release unit didn't come with the complete accessories or even a charger for that matter, but I do hope the retail package includes a sleeve or something to protect the screen from scratches  at that would definitely ruin the truly beautiful  visual experience you can experience from this device. The default pictures included with the device does great work at showcasing the high resolution and sharpness of the screen. I have already purchased a small stock of screen protectors for the Bold which I will make available for sale once the device is launched. The "screen protector" in the picture above was a temporary solution made from an old Treo screen saver; the new ones are of the proper shape and dimensions so that it covers the entire glass area, including around the speaker opening. Well worth it, believe me. I am also using my old Treo belt holster which will do the job until my samples arrive and I will take a suitable holster for "demo" purposes. Also have replacement battery cover/back plate in different colors of leather, I believe, aside from the standard black,  there's also red, blue, titanium and brown. Got to demo some of those  too!

The casing itself is all black, with metal bezels at its edges as well as a leather covered battery back plate, which gives it a sleek and professional look. It will look just at home in the boardroom as it will in the swankiest clubs in town. I also love the way how after a user specified time period, the screen powers down its lighting and so does the keyboard and then the trackball, so for a second or two you just have the trackball glowing. Pretty cool in my books. The Bold is quite heavy in the hand, it feels good, it feels solid and it sure looks like it has been well put together. Given that, I wouldn't want to drop it though! A few days ago I did just that; drop it. I was despondent, sitting on the floor next to where it fell for a good few minutes as I was stunned by the horror of dropping it. Luckily it was onto the wooden floor of my bedroom from a height of two feet or so and it landed "well".. No visible signs of damage and it still keeps on ticking!

Using the Bold

I have to say, with the faster processor in the Bold, everything is so much more snappier. Applications load faster, pictures are rendered much faster and switching between applications is seamless. It's very rare you will encounter the "clock" icon as you hardly ever have to wait for the processor. On saying that, remember that my OS is pre-release version 4.6.0.65 so it's not quite ready for prime time; it has re-booted on me twice already this week, but I can live with that. However, the OS has gone "Gold" with Vodafone though, meaning the latest version has been accepted by Vodafone as suitable for release (so the rumor goes). I will make an effort to upgrade my OS on my next trip to see Celcom in KL. There is only two included themes on my device and they both pretty look much like one another so I kept the Vodafone theme so I can promote Celcom and Vodafone as best as possible. As usual it has a row of six user selectable icons at the bottom for the applications you access the most, and if you scroll downwards "past" this row of icons, it will immediately bring up the menu screen which is a lot more fluid then pressing the menu button or the trackball, so I like it.

The Bold has 3G and 3.5G capabilities as I'm sure you've heard. I only notice the difference when I'm downloading applications OTA for installation or when Viigo is updating my article list. Otherwise  I hardly notice it unless Celcom is having problems with its GPRS network and everyone is complaining except me as I'm on 3G with a few others who use the 8707G devices. This device will also work in Japan and similar places ( I believe South Korea too) who operate on mainly non GSM networks.  Those who frequent these two countries no longer have to keep an 8707G handy. 

The one drawback of the 3G is battery life. The battery of the Bold is rated at 1550 mAh which is a lot higher then the Curve (1150 mAh) or the Pearl (900 mAh). However, with 3G that doesn't necessarily mean a lot longer standby time. On an average day for me, when I get home, my battery is usually hovering around the 50% mark, which isn't too bad really. So a day and a half shouldn't be a problem. For a 3G phone that's pretty good I suppose. 

The Bold comes with 1GB of onboard memory but for applications its still something like 64MB. Usually you will have less then 20MB of application memory free depending on how many applications you install. The remainder 800+MB is for data only. You can supplement that with a micro-SD card which is accessible without removing the battery or the battery cover for that matter.

BB Messenger is still the main attraction for me and it has a new, minimalist look which I'm not so sure about. It also has the option to show "On the phone" and "Now Playing" presence status which I suppose will inform a fellow BB user that you are doing just that when they send you a BBM. Currently with the Curves, if you're on the phone it shows you as unavailable, so this is a little more specific. I also like how when you want to send a picture to a messenger contact, once you select who you want to send the picture to it will ask you to confirm if you really want to send the picture to this particular contact. The number of times I accidentally sent a picture to the wrong person... Lucky it wasn't anything incriminating or worth an upload to  porn site or something!

Speaking of pictures, the camera is pretty good (2 megapixel) for those times when your 7.1 megapixel pocket powerhouse isn't handy and your son decides to sing and dance or something similar. I do wonder why RIM stuck to 2 megapixel though when it seems the minimal standard nowadays is 3.2 megapixel. But I'm not complaining. Oh yes, it also records video, which again comes in handy but I wouldn't throw away the JVC Enerio digital video camera just yet. The picture application also allows you to view your pictures according to user specified folders or just all photos together. I have encountered problems where after sometime, no pictures will show up in the "All pictures" mode when clearly you have pictures on the media card and it shows up in the "Picture Folders" mode. I assume thats one of the bugs associated with pre-release OS which will be sorted out soon.

The MP3 music player sound "richer" and "warmer" to me, who is unschooled in the ways of the audiophile but I have been told the MP3 player is way, way better then the one in the stock Curves (as opposed to the Curves that have been upgraded to 4.5) and both 4.5 and 4.6 have proper playlist features. I'm don't play much music on my BlackBerry so I'm not too sure on all this. I prefer to keep my BlackBerry battery saved for communications and use my iPod for music. Call me anal retentive.. I dunno.

My Bold comes with quite an array of games too. I'm not much of game player on a BlackBerry but  besides from the original brickbreaker, it also comes with Word Mole, Texas Hold'Em King 2, Sudoko and Klondike. But like I said, I'm not much of a BlackBerry gamer. I usually delete all the games of m Curve when I upgrade the OS anyway.

Another big draw of the Bold is the ability to view and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. The Bold comes with Documents to Go which enables you to do all that except create new documents. For that you have to upgrade to the premium edition which requires $. That's to be expected. The Bold also does really well with viewing PDF files as well, which I do quite often.

The included BlackBerry Maps application is useless unless you live in a major city. Here in Kuching it's useless. However, you can download Google Maps for BlackBerry and that does a great job. The GPS in the Bold seems to acquire satellite reception much quicker then the Curve too.

The Email application is generally similar with a few small improvements. One which I like is the doing away of candy striping the background with the color you associate with enterprise and BIS emails. Now it colors the border around the message which is less garish. If you're not on BES, this means little to you I suppose. Also part of the Email application is the new search function that now enables you to do remote searches of the server. It allows you to search the email server based on address field, subject, message and it can search encrypted messages, individual email accounts or all at once, by folders, show sent and received messages that meet your criteria and even filter it according to emails, emails with attachments, PIN, SMS, MMS, Phone, Voice Mail or all at once. I find that incredibly handy but again, I believe that's a BES-centric feature. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The same goes for the other PIM applications; Calendar, Task and Address Book. The problem with me is that I had previously been using a Curve that had been upgraded to OS 4.5 so most of these changes are not new to me and I don't notice them. I do however like how the Address Book now displays each contact with two lines so you can now see the contacts name and the company if available. It also separates each entry by either a line or shading which makes it easier to skim through the address book. On the whole, I can say there are improvements in the functionality and presentation of the basic PIM applications.

The Browser is a huge improvement then the older version without a doubt.  You know have a little mouse pointer that you can move any which way you want to and it does a pretty good job at rendering most websites. You can also zoom in to selected areas of the website if you want to. I'm a little disappointed that it can't do Maybank2u online banking site though and will try Opera to see if that will make me smile again. I do use the browser quite a bit in conjunction with Google and that is pretty much the limit of my browsing experience on the Bold (or any BlackBerry for that matter) as I prefer my MacBook Pro to do serious browsing. Oh, and it doesn't do flash either...

The WiFi is a great addition. A number of you who have the Curve 8320 or the 88xx series already now about this, but it's news to me. I especially like it when I can switch off the Radio (telephone part of the device) and connect to my house WiFi network and still have BBM, Emails and all IM's (Yahoo, G Talk and MSN Live) ticking along like nothing has happened. I downloaded the Skype application for BlackBerry but haven't tried if  I can VOIP as well. Must give it a bash soon, but I have been told that it's not possible.

The alarm/clock has a very eye pleasing "bedside" mode which renders a beautiful analog clock but for some reason you can't press the shortcut "R" key to call up the program anymore. You have to go digging through the menu screen for it. Most annoying.

My personal take

Ok, so a review, by definition is a "personal take" but we're not here to quibble about how I name section of this article are we? I mean if I wanted to I could rename it "The mad adventures of Baha and his Bold - a reflection of the first week"...

I am very pleased with this device, even if there are a few "bugs" that I hope will be ironed out in the Gold release of the software. For the first few days I couldn't stop fiddling with it and I even was very cautious where I put it down. Usually a paper napkin or a cloth would be laid on the table ( I wouldn't leave it on anything that was not as stable as a table) before I would place my Bold on it.

The only "negative" things I can say about the Bold is it's keyboard. It reminds me of the 88xx keyboard but it isn't nearly that bad. They are a little too small and way too close together but after a week I am slowly getting used to it. The tactile feedback is quite nice too. Very solid feedback; it feels like you're pressing on a metallic button. Sounds like it too.

It compares quite favorably to the iphone (2G or 3G) in my opinion. Sure, it doesn't do youtube or surf the net as well as the iphone, but you try and type out a long email on a touchscreen. I can't. I'm a QWERTY kinda guy. I admit it. Next to the new Nokia E71 it blows away the competition. Some people say the E71 is sexier but I disagree. And the other day I tried setting up my gmail account on the E71 and it took me almost 10 minutes as I had to manually change the port settings for the SSL/TLS feature on the E71. With the Bold (or any BlackBerry for that matter) its almost a 3 step process. In fact, a BlackBerry usually auto-configures most email accounts except for some company specific POP or IMAP email access.

Given that, I strongly recommend the Bold to anyone thinking of upgrading from a Curve, Pearl or an earlier model. I strongly recommend the Bold to anyone who is thinking of embracing the BlackBerry way of life.

I say way of life because it is just that. It's more then a tool (as opposed to an iphone which is a toy in my opinion), its a new way of doing things. It's a new way of life

-end

Celcom Kuching GPRS interruption

GPRS coverage for Celcom has been down with the dreaded small gprs letters since this morning.

Baha didn't notice it because he was too busy enjoying his 3G on his Bold (grrr).

I contacted Celcom who told me they are aware of the problem and are working to restore service. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery!

They have also told me that it's a nationwide problem which is affecting only some areas but thus I have only heard complaints from people in certain areas of Kuching including the city centre where it is entirely dead.

If you guys have a wi-fi capable Blackberry, the Blackberry service still works.

Update 28 July 11.18 PM: Still no service.

Update 29 July 7.53 AM: Still no service.

Update 29 July 9:30 AM: gprs signal totally down and reduced to GSM. Hopefully this means they are bringing it up soon.

Update 29 July 9:50 AM: Full service restored. Celcom rep called me up to tell me that my PIN was submitted to the KL HQ and they did something to it. Took out my battery and resetted it and it's back to normal! Big thanks.

Those who are still having problems, try a hard reset by taking out the battery. If it still persists, post a comment here so that Celcom knows.

May I suggest that Celcom have a Blackberry status site of some sort to announce service status? Doesn't take that long to maintain and it would reduce a lot of support headaches from unnecessarily repeated information from irate callers.

Bold Accessories available for distribution

Here are some accessories that will be available for distribution in Malaysia. This list is by no means exhaustive; there is a long list of original BlackBerry Bold accessories available but can't display them all here.

As I am not involved in the retail side, I do not dictate the exact product mix that will appear on store shelves but I would imagine most retailers would be more then happy to carry a particular product line if the public demands it .

Kickstart coming to Malaysia?

Rumor has it the BlackBerry Kickstart; the BlackBerry flip-phone that sorta looks like a  Motorola will be reaching our shores sometime in Q4.

From what we know so far about this device, it will NOT have 3G but will have WiFi, a 2MP camera and the internal LCD will be  320x240 while the  external LCD will be  160x128. It will be running OS 4.6

Thunder: A whole lot of noise?

Everyone seems to be jumping on to the touchscreen bandwagon. Now RIM is trying to do so with its upcoming phone, Thunder. But should it?

Here's a couple of reasons why I think Thunder is a major misjudgment on RIM's part. It seems to compete directly with the Iphone abandoning one of the major components of a Blackberry...its QWERTY keyboard.

Interface

It's hard to beat a QWERTY keyboard for familiarity and ease of use. Most Blackberry users love this keyboard so the Thunder will not necessarily appeal to existing Blackberry users.

The touchscreen on the other hand is an excellent interface....if typing messages is not your primary concern. Apple has shown that a touchscreen is excellent for surfing and navigating through playlists, photos and media. Apple has got this down to an artform.

The touchscreen is not a bad thing if the Thunder was intending to be a media player/browser, but does it have any place on a Blackberry? Even with tactile feedback which seems to be a gimmick more than anything else, it's hard to imagine it being better than good old fashioned buttons.

Applications

The Iphone was always designed around the media player premise and as such its applications specifically cater for media playing. The touchscreen neatly fits into this playing an essential role in making the media player easy to control.

Furthermore, the Iphone's browser is amazing and possibly the most fully fledged browser out in the mobile market at the moment. Once again, the touch screen fits very nicely into the phone's role as a browser.

Blackberries on the other hand have traditionally been communication and e-mail devices. Only since the Curve have RIM's media players come into play and even then it's still no where close an Iphone's in terms of features and ease of use. The Blackberry platform, despite the Curve remains very commmunication and work centric with it only taking its infant steps into the media player world.

Blackberry's browser also still is firmly grounded in 'mobile browser' category with it struggling to render scripts and having all sorts of compatibility isssues with fully fledged sites. It is uncertain whether Thunder has a revamped browser.

Right now we're starting to see Thunder as being neither a very good media player and possibly not a good browser and yet it's not quite a good communications device due to its lack of a keyboard. The tactile touchscreen is starting to look like a gimmick rather than an interface that makes sense.

Branding

The Iphone has the immense branding advantage with all the goodwill of IPods and its integration with ITunes together. Apple as a brand, has been portrayed as young, creative and hip and has large succeeded in getting this message across. The Iphone is not just a phone with an Ipod. Think of it, we don't even call it a mp3 player. We call it an Ipod. Apple products are status symbols in their own right and is evidenced in the failures of competitors coming up with products that may be technically superior to Apple's and yet doesn't do well. After all, no one wants an Ipod/Iphone clone and the Thunder will find it hard to shake this off.

RIM on the other hand has a reputation of making reliable, minimalistic, robust and practical communication devices. Not a bad thing, but hardly close to being 'hip' though the Curve did manage to bring RIM out of its purely business image.

It is one thing to alter RIM's perception as a purely business image into a consumer friendly brand and another to completely reinvent itself to be 'cool'.

Demographics

If the Thunder is not a true communications device, then what is it? I can see the main target market of the Thunder as young people or mild Blackberry users that want something different. and the whole coolness of having a tactile touch screen. This largely overlaps with Apple's market who is already leaps and bounds ahead of the competition especially with its recent release of its USD199 3G Iphone.

Can Thunder match this price?

What RIM should do and what it should see as the real threat

At the end of the day, Blackberry users and IPhone users are different kinds of people. They each serve their own niches and it would be unwise for either company to seriously think of trying to gain market shares in each other's demographic.

An Iphone with its touchscreen will never beat a Blackberry in terms of sheer ease of typing something out. A Blackberry on the other hand with a keyboard and its smaller screen will find it very difficult to beat the iphone for its browsing and media capabilities. They can be decent at its other functions but sheer design dictates that they are for different purposes.

Thunder's attempt to bridge this gap just appears to be sending a scouting party into a deeply fortified warzone. Apple is light years ahead in this area, why should it compete to only be seen as a poor copy?

Instead of worrying about the Iphone, what RIM should REALLY be concerned about is Google's open source Android platform in which I will deal with in my next post.

First live pictures of "Thunder"

Crackberry.com has the scoop on the first live pictures of the BlackBerry device known as "Thunder".. the iPhone contender... the wannabe.

I'm not quite sold on the "tactile feedback" of typing on a touch sensitive screen; I much prefer a real keyboard with real tactile feedback, but different strokes for different blokes right?

If you were to hold the phone in landscape mode you can type with a virtual full QWERTY keypad while if you use it in portrait mode, you can key your data in via a "virtual" suretype keypad.. hmmm... I'm not sure about this? Not that it effect me, but what about women who have long finger nails?

I think Reuben has a few things to add regarding this topic haven't you Reuben?

Malaysian BlackBerry accessories reseller

Sorry for the delay but it has been a hectic several weeks for me here but I believe it's worth it.

My company, Soleen Strategies Sdn Bhd has been appointed a reseller of original BlackBerry accessories for Malaysia recently. This means, original accessories will be available for Malaysian BlackBerry users locally at reasonable prices. I'm tying down some loose ends, sorting out distribution and retail channels for West Malaysia and East Malaysia and hopefully, accessories for the BlackBerry will be available from various retail outlets within a month or two! I want it out as fast as possible, but I have to make sure it's done properly so bear with me folks!

Curious what types of accessories are available? Go to www.shopblackberry.com which is the official RIM website for accessories and pretty much everything you see there is available once I am up and running. What it doesn't show there are the accessories for the Bold, which I will also be bringing in as well! Cool init!?

Good things come to those who wait... won't keep you waiting much longer. Promise!

Cost of 1 Missed Call on Roaming = RM136.67

If you ever do bring your Blackberry overseas, do NOT turn on your voice mailbox function unless you are willing to pay a hefty premium for it.

Case in point:

I was in the US for a month and someone tried to call me. I cancelled his call and he probably said something to my voice mailbox.

After that, I got several calls coming from my mailbox and although I cancelled this, I was charged every single time (around RM13.00 a pop and upwards).

Here's a scan in of the bill. Do note that they are ALL calls from my mailbox (10 calls). Celcom charges me once, Cingular (USA) charges me another time. End result? A hefty bill over nothing.


Tried appealing to Celcom but they would have none of it saying they had already paid the US telco and that they were actually providing a service since some people don't actually mind receiving those calls.

Might want to warn your customers first! >:-(

Update:

When I inquired on the process to cancel my voice mailbox, I was informed that it would be a one way procedure. That means once I cancel my voice mailbox, I can never activate it again.

Blackberry OS 4.5.0.42 False Alarm

For those of you like me who is always eager to try new Blackberry OSes, please do not be mislead by the announcement that 4.5.0.52 is available via a Sri Lankan provider. As of now, the latest downloadable working build I have tried is 4.5.0.46.

If you look carefully at the screenshot, although the package is 4.5.0.52, the application version is the .37 build.



Information taken from BerryReview.

It is also said to possibly damage certain carrier's hardware/SIM card based on this report.

Kuching BlackBerry User Group on Facebook

Ok so even if you're not from Kuching, you're more then welcome to join us. Just search Facebook Groups for "Kuching BlackBerry User Group" and you should find us. It's for anyone who is a fan of the BlackBerry. Doesn't matter if you're a Maxis or a Celcom user (or any other BlackBerry Service Provider for that matter), whether you're a newbie or a self professed crackberry, you're all welcome.

Discuss, share or talk about anything BlackBerry related. We're going to organize get-togethers soon. Perhaps even offer prizes.. who know. Weirder things have happened right?

Blackberry Bold: Comparison with the Curve

Reports say that Celcom is bringing this beast in late August or early September.

Twice the processing power than the Curve and 3.5G HSDPA ability so hopefully the system will be a lot more responsive.

Here's a quick comparison of the stats between the Curve and the Bold

1. Bold (624MHz) is twice as fast in processing speed as the Curve (312MHz). This is the biggest draw for me.
2. Bold is estimated to be around the RM2800 range. The Curve is RM1699.
3. Bold has 3.5G HSDPA and Wifi support. 8310 Curve doesn't have both (the 8320 has wifi). Do note that wifi may NOT be fast. It just gives you an option to use hotspots to message/e-mail when roaming to avoid data charges. Calling through wifi is not supported by Celcom though it is capable of doing so.
4. Curve (107 x 60 x 15.5 mm) is shorter and is less wide than the Bold (114 x 66 x 14) but the Bold is a bit slimmer.
5. Curve (111g) is lighter than the Bold(133g)
6. Bold (5 hours) has more talk time compared to Curve (4 hours) with default batteries. However Bold has slightly shorter standby time (13 days) compared to the Curve's 17 days. Curve's battery can be extended to an aftermarket one like Seidio's that would extend this time as well.
7. Bold has 128 MB application memory while the Curve has 64 MB.
8. Bold has 1 GB onboard storage separate. Curve still uses the 64 MB if I am not mistaken. Both are expandable with memory card slots.
9. Bold has a higher display resolution 480x320 compared to Curve's 320x240. Rumoured to surpass Iphone's display.
10. Bold has OS 2.6 with snazzy new interface. Unsure whether this will be ported to Curve which can be upgraded to OS 2.5 that has many features as well (like document editing support, html e-mail and video camera).

What's my take on it? I think getting a Curve now is still excellent value with its significantly lower price and updated OS which unlocks a lot of features.

However, the Bold seems to be an absolute delight though which fills up many of the perceived shortcomings of the Blackberry such as 3g, media player capabilities and a beefy processor. It however remains to be seen how the Bold performs in the field.

At the end of the day for new Blackberry users it comes down to, can you wait? :P Both are brilliant devices so you won't regret either one. Or you can be a Baha and get both :P

Flickr! for BlackBerry

For those of you who are fans of the Flickr! service, a free application for the BlackBerry is available for download by simply using your BB browser and surf on to www.blackberry.com/flickrdownload

Overview

Share your world with the world! Snap a picture and post it to Flickr right from your BlackBerry® smartphone.1,2,3

This mobile photo uploader is designed to offer the same features and functions you’re used to using on your computer. And, because of the familiar BlackBerry smartphone keyboard, menus and prompts, it’s easy to learn, fun to use and it’s free.4

Upload photos easily
Snap a picture, put it in the right album, tag it, and even adjust its size. Then post it with just a few quick clicks.

Geotag your pictures
If you’re using a BlackBerry smartphone with GPS capabilities you can also geotag images so that people who look at your pictures can tell where you uploaded them.5

UPDATE: Celcom Outage

Service is slowly being restored. As of 9:30pm today, GRPS data service (and by extension BlackBerry) is slowly coming back online. Northern and Central Region of West Malaysia have fully restored GPRS service while other areas are underway. I caution all you celcom users though, please expect perhaps intermittent "mini outages" as network engineers work feverishly to ensure GPRS services are stable.

Glad to have my BlackBerrys back. I'm especially proud that I didn't have a barney anytime in the last 26 hours or so. I survived! Does this mean I am no longer a crackberry addict? Geez. I hope not

Celcom hiccup...

Just stepped off the plane from Singapore today around 3pm and to my absolute horror discovered that Celcom BlackBerry service in Kuching International Airport were down; the dreaded "GSM" appeared and lingered on both my BlackBerrys!

A quick SMS (it sounds so "dirty" to SMS instead of using BBM) to a friendly Celcom CSR  to find out what the heck is going on was met with a reply that basically confirmed my worst fears; there is a problem with Celcom BlackBerry services in Kuching but in selected locations only; it seems to be isolated in certain base station cells. This was confirmed during my taxi ride back home as the "GPRS" on my BlackBerry appeared for awhile and then disappeared as I moved from one cell to another. 

Here at home in Petra Jaya it remains intermittent (that's a  generous appraisal of the situation) but for the most part, I have no BlackBerry service! It is now 11:25pm and I've had no BlackBerry service since 3pm! That's almost eight and a half hours!!  This is SO NOT ON!

The full story is there was an equipment failure involving Motorola (?) SGSN at Kepong. A SGSN or a Serving GPRS Support Node is responsible for packet data services to and from mobile phones within its area. I'm not very clued in when it comes to network switching (and what knowledge I do know about switching is about 13 years old) but I fail to see the link between a failure of gear in Kepong in West Malaysia with data service failure in selective cells in Kuching, Sarawak! 

Perhaps someone out there can enlighten me? 

I just hope Celcom gets their act together and restore service soon; like yesterday! Here I was taking the mickey out of Maxis customers about a week or so ago when Maxis BB network went down for 5 hours one evening.. guess I need a lesson in humility and better eat my words huh?

Another new convert...

Another convert who has seen the light! Well, partly a convert once he switches to Celcom and activates his BIS service; he's using it as a basic phone on DiGi right now and he's loving the Pearl as a phone!

My friend Frost who is technical manager at the epicenter of local Mac life; ITFusion is now a proud owner of a Pearl 8100 and finds little problem integrating it into his Mac-centric lifestyle. The owner of ITFusion, Moorey, is also a BlackBerry fiend as well!

Check out Frost's entry about his new toy or visit his blog

Microsoft and RIM brings Windows Live to BlackBerry

For those of you who still rely on MSN/Windows Live messenger for your online chatting requirements, there's good news.

Microsoft and RIM are working together to bring another missing piece of the messenger chat puzzle to the BlackBerry. Native and free chat applications already exist for Google Talk and Yahoo Talk and now we're about to add Windows Live messenger to that list!

Great news for those who still rely on Windows Live as their main chat program I suppose. Long ago, I have already switched my office to use Google Talk so it's not a big deal for me. I don't really know too many people still stuck on MSN Messenger (oh sorry, Windows Live Messenger). It's a non event for me. Besides, I have IM+ installed so I've got MSN messenger, AOL, Jabber, ICQ and Myspace (as well as Google Talk and Yahoo) available on my Curve.. Hoo hum...

Read the press release

BlackBerry Bold officially announced!

It's official!!

The BlackBerry Bold has been officially announced. No word yet as to when it will be available; rumors to it being available on AT&T in the US around August persist though, so lets wait for it.

When will it hit our shores? Not sure? I'm guessing around Nov/Dec this year if not early 2009. I also know its going to be expensive! But what the heck! It's worth it isn't it? Look at the beauty in its design. Look at the comprehensive set of features it will come with. How can you not want one???

The official website is up at www.blackberrybold.com so have a look for yourself...

Here's the official press release regarding the BlackBerry Bold

BlackBerry 9000 is called... BOLD!

Well rumors have it that its "pretty much a certainty" that the new BlackBerry 9000 will be named "Bold"

Not only that, crackberry.com has released a confirmed list of features and specifications for the new BlackBerry Bold. These include:

BlackBerry Bold Smartphone Features & Specs

Size - Length: 144mm, Width: 66mm, Thickness: 14mm
Weight (with battery) - 133g
Memory - 1GB on-board plus 128 MB Flash
Battery - 1500mAhr lithium cell
Est. Battery Life - Standby: 13 days, Talk Time: 5 hours
Network Support - UMTS: 2100 / 1900 / 850MHz, GSM: 1900 / 1800 / 900 / 850 MHz, GPRS, EDGE and HDSPA networks
Wi-Fi - 803.11a/b/g enabled
Display - HVGA, 480 x 320 pixels, Transmissive TFT LCD, supports over 65k colors
Media Player, Video Support - DivX 4, Div X 5 & 6 are partially supported, XviD is partially supported, H.263, H.264 and WMV3
Media Player, Audio Support - .3gp, MP3, WMA9 (.wma/.asf), WMA9 Pro/WMA 10, MIDI, AMR-NB, Professional AAC/AAC+/eAAC+
Media Player, Audio - BlackBerry Media Sync allows you to transfer your desktop iTunes music to your BlackBerry!!!
Camera - 2.0MP, 5 x digital zoom with flash
GPS - internal GPS with extended ephemeris, BB Maps is standard
Bluetooth - Bluetooth v2.0, all the normal stuff and Bluetooth Stereo Audio via A2DP and AVCRP
USB Port - Enables charging and high-speed data synchronizations via USB "A" to mini-USB "B" cable
Browser - HTML browsing, View Movies/Clips from websites built for mobile streaming, RSS feed support

Read original article

Celcom BlackBerry Business Circle Miri 9 June 2008

Celcom being a sponsor for the Miri Jazz Festival this coming weekend, is also hosting another Business Circle event at the Marriott Resort and Spa.

Unfortunately it is a "by invitation only event" but I will do a write up of the event when I get back from Miri.

I've been ask to do a quick talk about the benefits of using a Blackberry from the perspective of an end user. As opposed to from the perspective of the carrier.

Here's hoping I don't freeze up with stage fright... Wish me luck!

Crackberry.com does a review of the not yet launched 9000!

This is pretty amazing! There was an auction recently of the BlackBerry 9000 which has yet to be launched officially by RIM. Kevin of Crackberry.com bid for it and won! Now read his review (possibly the first if not one of the first review done of the 9000 in the world).

I am salivating at the mouth waiting for this product.. Hurry up Celcom!

Read more

BlackBerry 9000 specs

BGR again has outdone itself! It has gotten hold of what appears to be the "hard specs" for the upcoming 9000 series. They include:


- Radio: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA
- Bands: Quad-band GPRS/EDGE: 800/850/1800/1900MHz
- HSDPA: 850/1900/2100MHz
- Expandable memory - microSD
- Display - HVGA Color LCD (480×320)
- TrackBall Navigation
- Camera - 2MP
- Wi-Fi - a,b,g
- A-GPS
- Battery - 1500mAh
- High quality material, high-end finish
- Software - 4.6

Click here to read the article on BGR

BlackBerry Kickstart?

BGR has produced photos of a Blackberry device called "Kickstart" which is a clamshell type BlackBerry device.

This could be an awesome little device. It appears to have an external and internal screen and a camera amongst other features. Rumor has it it may be a 3G or 3.5G device too! And a release date sometime late 2008 is being talked about...

Something worth looking forward to I think.

Click here to see more pictures from BGR

Maxis launches new devices!

Maxis quietly made several new devices available according to their website. They include the 8110 Pearl 2, the 8310 Curve (with GPS) and the 8830 (with GPS and WiFi). I have to saythe 8110 is a tempting piece of kit, I love the new formating for messages. A friend of mine has one he brought back from Australia and it does look nice. May have to call Maxis soon and get a 8110 for myself.

BlackBerry 9000 to have forward facing camera?

Almost every BlackBerry based website is buzzing with a rumor that the as yet to be released BlackBerry 9000 will have a forward facing camera for 3G video calls.

I'm not that bothered about this feature because to me, video calling is a gimmick. I tried it a few times and the picture quality was so-so, it was jerky and tended to break up. Even the voice would break up on occasion. The only time I can seriously think it will be of any use would be when I am traveling and I speak to the children in the evenings before they go to bed. That's about it.

The most commonly repeated reason why not to have 3G video calling capabilities is; would you really want your boss or wife to know exactly where you are when they call you? Me neither. Imagine, you're "hard at work" making a sales call, the boss calls only to see you're actually about 110 yards off the green on last par 4 before the drink hole on the back nine! I can think of much worse situations where 3G video calls won't be a good thing to have... 'nuff said.

BlackBerry 9000 in the wild demo video

Courtesy of engadget.com

Everyday uses for BlackBerry autotext

BlackBerrys have a neat little feature that isn't well advertised but is very useful in a number of different situations.

I'm sure we are aware that if you type "mypin" after hitting the space button it will change to show your actual pin number, which is handy if you want to text it to someone, or  "mo" or "yr" automatically gets changed to month and year respectively. If not you should hit the menu button, then select options then autotext and scroll through the list of predefined autotext words; you may find some quite handy.

One of my biggest issues is when someone messages me while I am driving. We all know it's dangerous to send a text message whilst driving (wink!) so that's why we all don't do it right? So instead, good, law abiding citizens like me who are blessed (or cursed) with the BlackBerry habit can take advantage of the autotext feature to ensure our safety on the road. 

Once in the autotext application, hit the menu button (or BlackBerry button if you want to call it that), select new and star defining your own autotext. What I have done is created an autotext that  whenever I type in "drvg" will automatically replace it with "Driving now so will respond to you later". You can set it as specified case or smartcase and save it. So next time you're driving and someone messages you, just reply with "drvg" hit the space then send... and continue on driving safely until you can reply later.

RIM 4Q and 2007 Financial results!

RIM recently reported its 4th quarter and end of year results for 2007 (Fiscal Year 2008).

Revenue for 4Q was $1.88 billion, up from $930.4 million in the previous year and it shipped 4.4 million devices in the quarter or approximately 14 million devices in 2007. Approximately 2.18 million new user accounts were added in the quarter bringing the total number subscriber accounts to over 14 million.

I'm not sure what BlackBerry figures for Malaysia are, but in Kuching, it has been explosive. Not just among corporate types but also amongst small business users and social users as well.

To read the RIM press release, click here

Otterbox for the Curve (Defender Series)

This is the dragon skin of BlackBerry protection. If a BlackBerry had to go into a combat zone, it should be protected by an Otterbox!

At first glance, the yellow and black color just spells danger! It was meant to be man handled and it fears no rough terrain. I think it look great, although that is subject to personal taste as some folks I know, don't like the color too much. Too much like a kid's toy apparently. I disagree.

The Otterbox is great for people always on the go, outdoors personality types. It has three layers of protection; the first layer being an optional protective membrane that protects the keyboard and screen from scratches, dirt and dust. The second layer is a high impact polycarbonate shell and the third layer is the silicone skin which absorbs bumps and shock. Although the case does provide some protection against water, it doesn't provide complete protection against water and dust and should not be used underwater.

It does add some bulk but for me, its a small price to pay to protect my precious BlackBerry. I have purposely dropped and even lobbed my BlackBerry onto, concrete, tiled floors and asphalt to demo the protective qualities of the case. It comes with a holster that also has the sleep function (holster your BlackBerry and it goes to sleep/locks)

It's perfect for those in perhaps the construction industry, or public utilities, oil and gas or any other profession that may subject the user and their possessions to a hard day in the "wilderness".

What's the drawback? Well the only thing I can think of is that the protective membrane may be a little tricky to seat properly over the keyboard and other buttons. Other then that, I really honestly can't think of any "drawbacks". I love it!  It has replaced my Seidio rubberized hard cover and holster combo as protective casing of choice for m Curve. I strongly recommend this to anyone who is serious about protecting their Curve as well as a number of other models including Pearl, 8700 and 8800.

Anyone in Kuching interested in purchasing this case, email me or buy it yourself online at otterbox.com

BlackBerry 9000 in the wild!

Engadgetmobile has posted pictures of the upcoming BlackBerry 9000!

It looks sweeeeeeet! Definitely going to hold out for this baby! RIM.. release it already!!! Now! Now!

Unfortunately, latest rumors from BGR says that release of the 9000 has been delayed till around August or September, so don't expect it in our part of the world till December or even early 2009.

To see more pictures, click here

Is "Big Brother" watching (listening or reading) us?

The recent and still developing story in India where the security agencies are demanding a way to monitor encrypted traffic over the BlackBerry network has got me thinking; are Malaysian BlackBerry users being "monitored" too?

I hope not but somehow I wouldn't be surprised if RIM struck a deal with the Malaysian government that would allow the latter to "monitor" selected BlackBerry traffic. The idea of it is quite scary isn't it?

It's not that I email anything that may be detrimental to national security but the idea that my private communications are being monitored by some stooge somewhere doesn't particularly sound appealing!

Let's hope I'm just over reacting as I sometimes tend to do...

Oh and.. I love the government! You're number 1!!! Love ya! :)

FindMe FaceBook location tagging for BlackBerry

A neat little "beta" program that basically allows you to associate a specific tagline or name to individual cell phone towers.

If you are within the cell coverage area you have associated with your house and you have tagged that particular cell, it will show your location on facebook as whatever you have named that particular cell. Like "home" or "office" or "Starbucks". If you have not tagged the cell, then your location shows as "unknown", plus you also have the option of going"dark" whereby no location data is provided at all. 

Sound's pretty neat and some of you may be tempted to check this application out. To find out more about this application and download it, click here

To read the press release regarding this program, click here

Blackberry still alive in India.. for now

The Indian government has backed down from its threat to shut down BlackBerry services in India.. for now.

It all began with the Indian government allegedly demanding that RIM provide a means for the decrypting of emails sent (and received) by Indian BlackBerrys. Failing which, the government would shut down the entire network. The immediate concern is that if you let one group in what stops other groups from demanding similar access? 

Recent reports has quoted India's communications secretary, Siddhartha Behura  with saying " there is no question of banning at this point". The Indian government, RIM and the four local BlackBerry service providers are still in talks to solve the issues concerned

Offline Google Maps with TrekBuddy

The biggest problem with Google Maps is that you need to be within network coverage to download the maps for use with the BlackBerry's GPS capability.

Now there is a way to download the maps and save them on your BlackBerry beforehand. This means one of two things; you no longer have to incur expensive roaming GPRS data charges downloading the maps or you can use your device outside network coverage. This is useful if you are humping around in the boonies like say an palm oil plantation in Sabah or something.

TrekBuddy could be the savior to your problems! Read more and download it by following the link. Thanks Reza for the heads up!

Read more

BB 8110 launched in Singapore

SingTel and RIM announced the availability of the 8110 in the island republic on 4th March.

Designed for people who want to make the most of their work and personal lives, the BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone comes complete with built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) allowing mobile users to pinpoint their location, a 2-megapixel digital camera with video capture capability*, a powerful multimedia player, robust email and messaging features and premium voice and data capabilities including phone, web browser, organizer functions and access to a wide variety of business and leisure applications. The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 smartphone is now available from SingTel at a suggested retail price of SGD538 with a 2-year contract.

Read more

Recipes from your BlackBerry

The folks over at bigoven.com has developed a mobile version of their website that is accessible from the BlackBerry. Just point your site to "www.bigoven.com/m/" (don't include the quote symbols naturally) and start searching.

It has some interesting entries like "green curry chicken laksa" and "chicken satay sticks with wasabe mayonnaise"... not sure about that though!

BlackBerry Desktop Manager for the Mac?

An article on the popular site crackberry.com suggest that the end is near for the suffering that Mac-BlackBerry users have endured all these years. Rumor has it that RIM is developing a Mac version of the DM!

I hope this is more then a rumor. This would mean another reason why I no longer have to keep Boot Camp and a copy of Windows XP on my MacBook

Unfortunately, I still have a PC in the office that runs Vista (yuck!) for one reason alone; Entourage 2008 still doesn't completely sync with the Exchange server! It syncs emails, calendar and contact information without any problems but it still doesn't sync notes and to-do's!

Quite disappointing as I was led to believe all the bugs in the previous Office for Mac would be ironed out in the new version.

Anyway, if you want to read the article on crackberry.com regarding this click here

The ultimate BlackBerry Bling!

Won the lottery recently?

Well here's something to spend your "hard earned" cash on, how about a diamond encrusted BlackBerry Pearl Limited Diamond Edition. It comes encrusted with 900 diamonds and provides an exclusive concierge service ala-Vertue.

What's something like this worth? Well, it will set you back a cool £45,000 or about RM285,375

Still interested? Find out more about this at amosu.co.uk

BlackBerry PIN Exchange for Facebook

Here's a great little application for those of you who use a BlackBerry and are Facebook addicts; it' called BlackBerry PIN Exchange. It's developed by the great folks at crackberry.com Basically its a Facebook application that unites you and your friends who have BlackBerry devices and enables you to swap your PIN's online. It also shows you other users out there who also share a similar passion regarding BlackBerry and Facebook. It even has a BB "personals" feature for those of you who are single and would like to hook up with other single BB users

Apologies!

Please accept my apologies for such a long "outage" in this website's content.

To make a long story short, real life work as well as personal situations have made updating this site difficult at best lately. I hope that doesn't happen again. This site is after all, a labor of love for me and sometimes, making $$$ has to take precedence as I have to feed my family! It doesn't help that the local BlackBerry scene is somewhat quiet too.

I am very pleased that more and more Kuching folks have adopted the BlackBerry as their mobile communications device of choice and I hope that is an indication of more good things to come soon in the local BlackBerry scene.

Thanks for remaining loyal readers some of you... and again.. My bad!

Leaked Vodafone documents reveal BlackBerry 8920

According to BGR, a leaked Vodafone documents have revealed that a new QWERTY device is due to be launched in May 2008. It looks sweet!

Feature set includes:

- GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA
- 624MHz processor
- 480*320 VGA display
- 2 megapixel camera
- WiFi
-GPS
- 1500mAh battery
- high speed USB

This is going to be one hell of a device; definately going to get one!

Read original article

M1 launches BB 8320 in Singapore

First of all, a very Merry Christmas to you all. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves during this festive period. The things you can do with turkey and mistletoe...boggles the mind really.

Local telco's are a little hesitant to release WiFi BlackBerry devices in Malaysia, which I think is rather silly. Their fear of hordes of Malaysian BlackBerry users crammed within every hotspot range and making VOIP calls using Skippie is ill placed. Why single out BlackBerry users? How about the thousands of users who have WiFi access on their Symbian or Windows Mobile devices? Should we ban all WiFi equipped phones in Malaysia? Don't be silly...

Thankfully, our friends to our West (hey, I'm in Sarawak), M1 in Singapore has recently released the Curve 8320 for around S$450 (approximately RM1030) which is dirt cheap! 

Still no sign of the 8120 on any of the Singapore BSP's though. Wonder what's the hold up?

Read original article at blackberrycool.com

Google Maps for Blackberry HAS Kuching maps!

I made a great discovery today! Changes the world as I know it; well maybe not THAT dramatic. But it's close.

I was fiddling with my 8310 and the Google Maps application I installed a while back today (it was a slow day in the office) and I found that there are road maps to Kuching!

Previously, I was only aware that the satellite maps worked for Kuching but they lacked road names so wasn't much use as a navigation aid. All it could do was give you a birds eye view of where you were in relation to some pre-identified landmarks.

Now, I discover that there are road maps for Kuching that is complete with all but the minor road names and even listed some points of interest like schools, government buildings and others. It doesn't mark petrol stations  and shopping malls like other GPS software does though, but who cares! We have maps for Kuching!

I took a slow drive home after work and was pleased to see the GPS report my position quite accurately (according to the application, "within 3 meters"). A quick scan of the maps showed that it even the road all the way to Sematan is in its database with names of some kampungs along the way.

Celcom promised to develop maps for Sabah and Sarawak for users of the 8310. I wonder if its worth it now?

The worlds first BlackBerry multi-carrier superstore!!

The worlds first multi-carrier BlackBerry superstore opened recently in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

As a good friend of mine so eloquently put it, "it's like a BlackBerry Hamleys!" If only we could do something similar to that here. Well maybe not in Kuching, but how about Singapore? As my friend again suggested, "next to the Mac Store at Wheelock.."

This store is a milestone because normally BlackBerrys are sold in carrier specific outlets if at all. RIM prefers to deal with carriers direct.

One can only dream...

Fire at RIM? Could this be the reason why Celcom BB is laggy?

Apparently a fire at RIM in Canada caused a disruption in the email services of a Philippines BSP, Smart Communications! The fire affected the leased line that links the companies servers at RIM to Smart's GPRS platform in the Philippines. Smart was the only affected BSP in the Philippines and traffic is being re routed to overcome the problem.

Hmmm! I wonder if Celcom was affected too? Friends on Maxis also complained of laggy service this morning. SMS's and BB messages to Celcom remain unanswered. I've tried resending service books twice this morning and have still not received the activation messages that usually accompanies the sending of service books!!

Read the article

Seems to be a problem with Celcom BB this morning...

Something seems to be wrong with Celcom-Vodafone BlackBerry service the last two days.

Yesterday it was mainly not receiving emails on my BB. As luck would have it, it happened to be a time sensitive email regarding my work. I only realized that I had email waiting (on my G Mail) when she SMS'd me asking for a quick reply! Sending a reply via G Mail wasn't a problem thank God and after a service book resend, the emails (there was more then one undelivered email) finally came into my inbox. Later on in the afternoon I have also had instances of multiple copies of the same email being delivered multiple times at different times during the day. Confusing isn't it?

Now this morning, even BlackBerry Messenger messages to off-network and on-network BB users have been lagging. Contacts that I messaged shows as unavailable until they reply, it takes 5-10 seconds to send a BB message, message status shows sent only even though by their replies it's obvious they have received it and read it.

I hope this is sorted out soon.. it's frustrating! Technology is a double edged sword.

Celebrities and their BlackBerrys

Ok here's proof positive that BlackBerrys are the "it" phone; a website dedicated to tracking celebrities and their BlackBerry addiction!

Check it out here

Celcom's thank you advert in The Borneo Post

This ad appeared in The Borneo Post on Thursday 6 December (or was it Friday 7 December?). Basically it was a huge (1/4 page) thank you from Celcom Vodafone to all those who attended the Celcom Vodafone BlackBerry Round Table event on Friday 23 November.

In the bottom middle picture you can see Mr. Adrian Wilkes of DrillCorp (M) Sdn Bhd receiving his free BlackBerry 8310 for being Celcom's largest BB revenue contributer in Sarawak (a.k.a. has the biggest bill).  You may need a magnifying glass or zoom in to the picture on the right a lot but you can see my bald head to the left of Mr Adrian Wilkes. I'm not very photogenic; I know.

Anyway, it's the little things like this that counts and I have to say, from what I have seen and am seeing, Celcom has a good game plan. They are taking BlackBerry and Sarawak seriously. I whole heartedly endorse Celcom Vodafone BlackBerry services in Sarawak! Go Blue!!!

Oh and one  thing, sorry for the poor scan.. I a one man show so can't afford all the fancy equipment required to properly promote a top class carrier like Celcom *wink,wink, knudge, knudge, say no more, say no more...*

BlackBerry Pearl 8120 launched in Singapore

On 30th November, RIM announced that it has released the BlackBerry 8120 "Pearl 2" in Singapore and should be available sometime in December.

No specific carrier was mentioned but odds on favorite appears to be SingTel but it is expected that M1 and Starhub will also introduce the model in the near future.

What about us Malaysians? Unfortunately I have it on very good authority that the chances of WiFi equipped BlackBerrys being introduced in Malaysia are slim at this point. Why? Four letters.. V-O-I-P!

Read the RIM press release here

The BlackBerry 9000 revealed??

Thanks to the boys over at BoyGeniusReport.com for this sneak preview of what may be to come.

The soon to be revealed BlackBerry 9000 (the iPhone killer?) which should be launched sometime either in Q1 or Q2 2008 will have among many features:

- screen resolution of 480 by 320
- 1GB of on board memory
- Intel XScale PXA270 processor at 624MHz
- GPS AND WiFi
- 3G and HSDPA support
- 2.0 or even a 3.2 megapixel camera

This is one BlackBerry worth waiting for!

Read more

Celcom BlackBerry Business Circle @ Senso, Kuching Hilton

Celcom held a BlackBerry Business Circle event at Senso in the Kuching Hilton on Friday 23rd November at 3:00pm and I was invited.

Originally it was meant as a launching for the newly introduced BlackBerry Curve 8310 but since Prudential Assurance pretty much swiped every unit in Celcom inventory for the coming few months, the launching was postponed. Instead it was more a social event whereby current users of Celcom BlackBerry and potential users had the rare opportunity to talk with Celcom big-wigs from KL and even a Vodafone representative who flew in all the way from London!

For me, the event highlighted Celcom's commitment to the continued growth of the BlackBerry market in Sarawak, and this was aptly illustrated when the Vice President of Global Enterprise of Celcom announced that Celcom will develop its own Sarawak map application for use with the new GPS equipped devices! Again, I was naturally impressed by the fact that so many big-wigs and a Vodafone representative flew down to our city to attend such a small gathering. I hope this is a sign of things to come.

For those who have been reading this blog, they would know that up until about two months ago, I was a Maxis BlackBerry user and swapped out of frustration with certain aspects of Maxis BlackBerry's service in Kuching. These included almost regular outages and the fact that all BlackBerry support staff were in KL and there is none in Kuching.

At first I was very skeptical of Celcom as my previous experience with Celcom services in the 90's were dissapointing across the board; technical, customer support, network... you name it. They sucked!

Now; specifically within the last one and a half years or so, Celcom has improved tremendously. A revamp of its corporate image, a marketing blitz backed up by honest to God improvements to their network, has in my opinion, made Celcom a worthy contender for the "Premier Business Mobile Network". And from what I saw and heard at this business circle event, the future is bright! Both for Celcom and its users.

Anyway, I digress.

Another highlight of the day was when Mr Adrian Wilkes of Drillcorp (M) Sdn Bhd won one of the coveted BlackBerry 8310 Curve for being the top supporter of Celcom BlackBerry in Sarawak (meaning his company was the largest revenue for Celcom BlackBerry in Sarawak). I was tempted to mug him when he left the event.

More interesting things are in the works for Celcom BlackBerry users in Sarawak. I'm not privy to exactly what; but wait for it! It's gonna be good!

Optus launches Pearl 8120

Its getting closer and closer...

Optus Australia has announced that the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 will be available starting the first week of December carrying a RRP of $659

"BlackBerry Smartphones are well received in Australia and we are pleased to be working with Optus to introduce another RIM innovation," said RIM President of Asia Pacific, Norm Lo. "The new BlackBerry Pearl 8120, with its elegant design, advanced multimedia features and Wi-Fi capabilities, is perfect for both personal and professional use."

Besides the WiFi functionality it also includes a 2.0 megapixel camera with video recording capability, externally accessible micro-SD slot, improved keyboard and Suretype.

Surely, it can't be too long now before it reaches our very own shores?

Missing Sync for Blackberry 10.3 released!

Version 10.3 of The Missing Sync for Blackberry which is OS X 10.5 Leopard compatible is now available for download here.

FIndit - Never lose your Blackberry again

This is a very interesting software that holds great promise if it performs as advertised. I haven't tried it so I rely on promotional materials found on the developers website

"Have you ever lost your Blackberry?

Do you hate the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, as you realize your life is on it?
Contacts, emails, calendars and pictures all gone.

Isn't it frustrating when you know it's around, but it's on silent so when you call it you can't hear it?

Isn't it exasperating when you don't know where you've lost it, but wish you could talk directly to the stranger who picks it up?

If you have FindIt for Blackberry, you can.


Here is how FindIt works:
If you lose your Blackberry, you open up a new email message addressed to yourself.
Type "pleasfindmenow" in the subject line, and in the body of the email type a message to whoever finds it. Then press send.
Your phone will start to ring and vibrate within in a few moments, regardless of if it is set to silent. A dialog box will pop-up on the screen with the message that you typed into the body of your email."

Celcom signs MoU with Prudential

Celcom has recently formalized  it's joint collaboration with Prudential Assurance Malaysia Bhd whereby the carrier will be providing voice and data plans as well as BB devices to the 1500 Prudential employees. The employees will have a choice  of  the 8707v, 8100 Pearl and the newly launched 8310 Curve.

"The BlackBerry will be an essential tool for the agents because the information for all their needs will be at their fingertips" says Celcom CEO Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly during the ceremony for the signing of the MoU between the two companies recently

Organize your travel itinerary with WorldMate Live

WorldMate has been around for awhile now and has always been a popular choice for seasoned travelers who need to look up weather, currencies, flight details and convert metric to imperial.

Now there's a new twist to the story; WorldMate Live!

How would you like your travel details synced to your BB device? Flights, hotels, cars, meetings, public transportation? How would you like direct access to real-time information including flight details, delays, gate changes, maps and directions, phone numbers and etickets and confirmation numbers?


WorldMate Live monitors your itinerary and informs you of any important changes. You enter your trip details using a web based interface and you install a Blackberry client on your device. All the information is tailored to your itinerary and pushed to your device.

The basic package is free but the more advanced features; real time flight alerts, schedules and travel directory.

Check it out at www.worldmatelive.com

Blackberry Desktop Manager 4.3 now available for download

Download it now from www.blackberry.com

Pearl 8120 released in India

The slow crawl towards Malaysia continues as Airtel of India releases the Pearl 8120 in conjunction with Vodafone.. in greyish titanium steel finish! Looks good...

RIM launches Blackberry Professional Software

Research in Motion recently launched the Blackberry Professional Software, targeted at small to medium businesses.

Based on the Blackberry Enterprise Server but streamlined to meet the needs of small organizations with less then 30 Blackberry devices, it is available now at $499 for 5 users

Key features and benefits of BlackBerry Professional Software include:

• Small IT Footprint – Installs on the same server as the email system, saving customers the cost of additional hardware and operating system licenses.
• Support for the Leading Email Systems – Provides tight integration with Microsoft® Exchange or IBM® Lotus® Domino®, allowing a full complement of synchronized wireless services including access to email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks.
• Simple Installation – A Pre-install Assistant utility performs a technical assessment of the environment and provides a recommended configuration making installation fast and easy with little or no requirement to determine configuration settings.
• Easy Management – Simplified BlackBerry Manager Interface is a one-stop location for most management tasks, and wizards and quick-links enable customers to easily change common functions such as adding or deleting a user. IT policies are also easy to set up with pre-defined IT policy templates.
• Advanced Security – Utilizes the same certified security architecture and encryption system of the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, which is trusted and accredited by more organizations around the world than any other wireless solution.
• BlackBerry® MDS (Mobile Data System) Support – Provides customers with the ability to extend internal applications to mobile employees and use any of the thousands of third party applications developed for the BlackBerry platform.

Read the press release

O2 launches Pearl 8120 in the UK

The long awaited spread of the new Pearl has begun in earnest with O2 launching the Pearl 8120 in the UK. Sporting a vast array of improvements including 3.5mm headphone jack, externally accessible microSD slot, WiFi, improved 2 megapixel camera, improved keyboard and suretype, it promises to be worth the wait.

Lets see how long it takes to reach Malaysia. I love the blue color too

OS 4.3 will include video recording capabilities

Finally the ability to record video! Once the OS is released we can download it and flash our older Curves to take advantage of the video recording ability.

The Pearl doesn't support video recording in the current model so be forewarned Pearl users. The only Pearl that can record video is the new Pearl 8130 a.k.a. "Pearl 2".. Makes sense innit?

New version of Missing Sync coming soon

For those of you who are Mac users and Blackberry fans, a new version of Missing Sync will be available soon that will be compatible with Leopard, so remain patient.

Missing Sync is the only Mac program that allows Blackberry syncing with your Mac that actually works!

I have tried PocketMac but could never get it to work properly. However, the only drawback of Mac based Blackberry syncing is that you still can't install applications through it. I have tried running the windows version of Blackberry Desktop Manager on Parallels and it doesn't even recognize the device is present and this was the primary reason why I now carry a Sony Vaio laptop for work. Now that Leopard has been released and it includes Boot Camp, I will try if that solve my problem; I remain optimistic that BB Desktop Manager will work flawlessly under Boot Camp.

The current version of Missing Sync is 1.0.2 but there are still a few "minor" issues when running under Leopard. The developers have promised to remedy those issues when version 1.0.3 is released "soon".

The Beta version is available for download here. Be careful folks, it is Beta so download and install at your own risk.

Blackberry Facebook application a drain on battery life

Reports are being received from various websites that the newly launched Facebook application for the Blackberry is draining the battery life at an accelerated rate. However, RIM is denying that such a problem existed.

Read more

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: BlackBerry Devices Rank Highest

According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Business Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study released recently, Blackberry devices ranked highest in terms of overall customer satisfaction among business wireless smartphone users (yeah.. yeah.. tell me something I don't already know...).

Overall satisfaction is measured by taking into account six key factors; ease of operation (22%), operating systems (21%), physical design (20%), audio (14%), battery (13%) and utility features (10%).

On a 1000 point scale, Blackberry scores 702 points performing well especially in the operating system factor, which includes the speed of switching between applications and the speed with which emails are sent and received. Blackberry also performs well on battery aspects, including length of battery life. Palm scores 698, Samsung 698 and Motorola 658.

Also mentioned in the study is that 40% of smartphone users would like to see GPS capabilities on their device, 26% with Wi-Fi, 22% want a touch screen and 19% would like to have a TV integrated into their devices.

Read the press release here

STM Review: The Apple iPhone vs. The Blackberry Curve

Malaysia's very own rocker, STM a.k.a. SingleTrackMind recently wrote a great hands-on comparison of the Curve 8300 and the iPhone on his Multiply site and we have reproduced the article here with his kind permission.

I was carrying both these phones around for awhile and was often asked which is better. Well, Goddamnit, here’s a layman’s (well ok, rocker’s) take on these two great multimedia phones.

If you blindly trust me then read no further than this next sentence:
Business people get the Curve, Web addicts get the iPhone.

Still need more info huh? Okay, read on.

The Apple iPhone. Or as I prefer to call it, the MacPhone, is for those of you who like to idly surf on the phone, love watching videos as you wait in the airport lounge, skim through your music collection and show your photos to friends. It is pure heaven for these purposes. Easy to use. I totally enjoy watching friends play with it for the first time ‘cuz it's so intuitive everyone gets the hang of it right away. Pure Mac, pure heaven.

What about SMS?, I hear you ask. Patience Grasshopper. Now try remember the iPhone is a touch-phone thus you have to type with your thumbs or fingers. It is sooooo easy to type accurately. Fantastic. But is it slower than typing on conventional keypads, I know so! For sure so! Now say that fast, “For sure so!”. Sounds like a Chinese dumpling dish. Anyway, does it feel good to see SMS replies on the same page in glorious color? Yes. Oh yes. Same goes for MMS. The brilliance in the iPhone is the quick search for contacts.

I loved the iPhone even before the youtube feature was added. After a crystal clear fault-free experience with several youtube videos, I just wanted to get on the floor and bow to Steve Jobs. Brilliant.

Okay, what else can I tell you? Call quality was pretty good. The hands-free speaker was way too soft for me especially for listening to music unless you are in a quiet room. The headphones sucked and playback on the iPhone has a tendency to exaggerate the high frequencies (that means ‘treble’ to simpletons). Adjust the eq you think? Hmmm, well, not quite. Something is lost along the way. To my trained ears anyway. Bollocks? Maybe.

Google maps was super. But the Malaysia map sucked big time. Forget the USA-centric features that allow you to find the closest Japanese restaurants from your location. But hey, it’s fun to have.

Weather report. Oh this is good. And accurate too. I was in Tioman and my iPhone showed heavy rain in Johore Bahru. I laughed. Then the winds picked up moments later and it started pissing down. I swore I heard laughter from my iPhone.

Okay, I’m not going to review every feature on the damn thing. Suffice to say the iPhone is a pretty cool phone with the emphasis on fun.

Now to the Blackberry Curve. (Cue Dracula’s laughter). Let me admit right here and now, I am in love with my Curve. In the USA they call it the Crackberry ‘cuz it’s so addictive. If like me, you need a phone primarily to communicate with others and to do it as efficiently (read fast and reliable) as possible, then this is the phone for you. Email handling is easy-peezy and configurable to your heart’s content. Red light to flash or not to flash on email arrival, different ringtones for each email account, send as different address etc. All easily done. Gotta say though, the enlarge feature for attachments on the iPhone works better for scanned docs. You can view scanned docs of course but it’s a pain up the arse. Zoom, enhance and wait…wait…wait.

SMS, MMS, emails, all perform well and are organized very well. SMS too is threaded like on the iPhone; meaning a conversation with one contact on SMS is shown on the same page much like chat.

Chat features. Yahoo, MSN, Blackberry Chat, Google Chat. All work very well on the Curve. Most of my senior staff are on Yahoo chat and this eliminates sms for us. The Blackberry Messenger which is exclusive to BB users only is super. It enables fast sending of messages (Duh!), pinning (much like email but shows in bright red), picture sending (good for quickly pointing out something; probably drives my staff crazy. Or the occasional practical joke), and my favorite, voice notes! This totally eliminates the need to type. Great for when I am on my bike and just wanna scream a quick message to another BB user. What? Can you send to non-BB users? Of course you can, however that’s in the form of an MMS which is chargeable (ie. Not free).I have a friend (Baring) whose voice I hear everyday because of this feature. Argghhh! Hang on a minute, I voice message him first usually. Oops Sorry mate.

Okay what else? Email? check. SMS? check.. Ah, music. The music interface tries to emulate the iPods but hmmm, not quite. It’s okay but ..yawn. What is special though is the sound quality. Ladies and Gents, if you want hi-fidelity, the Curve is the phone. Crystal clear with perfect equalizer settings. Rich punchy bass, crystal highs, clean vocals in the midrange. The headphones are just brilliant. Fits snugly in place unlike the white ones for the iPhones. And when a call comes in, it mutes the song/video in play awaiting your answer on the button located near your neck. Video? Forget it. The screen sucks for video. Like I wrote earlier, if video is your bag, get the iPhone.

Storage. OK, with only a 2gb mini smart media card inside mine, as opposed to 8gb in the iPhone I have to pick what I wanna put in. Unlike the iPod where you can just sync most of your song collection, with these two phones you have to think it through for your next trip. For me it’s easy. I came to realize I only listen to certain songs when I travel so I load just those thirty and load the rest with new albums I just bought. (yes, bought!) I still love looking at album covers and the back sleeve of CDs. The iPhone does satisfy this part of me rather well. The Curve does not! Oh, almost forgot the best part, the hands-free speakers are mega! Good clean sound and high volume. The Nokia N95 etc all have speakers that play loud but believe me, none of them has the clarity of the Curve’s. Man, why do I keep dwelling on sound? You would think I love music the way I go on. Sheesh.

Web surfing on the Curve? Fuggedaboudit! Enough said? No? Okay, well you can, and it works fine, but it’s no fun. I use it just to look up the occasional urgent matter such as the price of eggs in China or news of Apple’s forthcoming lightweight laptop

To do lists and notes: Very organizable. I started using the David Allen system of organizing my life and was happy to discover I could configure my Curve to suit his system. On the iPhone that’s a bozo-no-no.

The essence of the Curve is the trackball called the Pearl. Hence the original smaller model was called The Pearl. The trackball works pretty much like the Sony Ericsson’s P990 but with diagonal scrolling as well, thus way better.
The essence of the iPhone is your finger. To get things done on it there has to be lots of finger pointing (and I do mean finger as the thumb is dumb in this case) and thus movement.

Ok here’s a quick recap of main features:

Calendar: Both about the same; same view formats etc. but it’s a much slower process to key in a new appointment on the iPhone. More fun? Yes. Cumbersome? Definitely.

Photos: Oh what a glorious day it is on the iPhone. The Curve? Next.

Messengers: Zipady do dah zipady day on the Curve. On the iPhone? Sit down, relax, have a coffee. Cigarette?

Mail: Anymail. You can even download Gmail clients. Both are good. Slower reply process on the iPhone. But looks damn good; just like being on your mac at home. Oh you use a pc? Bloody idiot.

Conclusion:
I am a die-hard mac fan. I may get another iPhone one day when they improve it. I have a wish list of areas of improvement but hey, it’s not bad at all this first generation. But, I’ll use the Curve for day to day.
Hope this helps. If you have any questions…, eat shit and die!

Just kidding. Just post the questions here. Be glad to answer. And what I can’t, my brother Bernie can. (He of the Mac Temple).

Rock this life.
STM


Epilogue:
The iPhone is unlockable completely for Celcom and Digi sim cards. Maxis cards are still having some problems. Upon unlocking, whenever there is an upgrade for iTunes and you select ‘upgrade’, you will have to unlock the phone again. The only way to get around that is to not upgrade which means you miss out on new features. Recent example of a new feature is the youtube player. Now, that was worth the hassle.

New versions of Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger available

New versions of these popular IM clients for the Blackberry are now available for download. Using your BB browser navigate to http://mobile.blackberry.com and download them straight to your device.

Here's the big new improvement on the Yahoo! Messenger for Blackberries.. it allows you to add MSN Messenger a.k.a. Live Messenger contacts in a similar fashion as the PC version does. It also shows the contact pictures which isn't that important if you ask me but now finally, we have support for the last major IM service (ok, AOL/iChat is still lacking) for FREE!

There are some limitations though, namely unless the person using Live Messenger has your Yahoo! messenger email as a contact on his Live list already, he won't be able to see you. And if someone from Live Messenger adds you, you can't approve his request from your device; you need to do that from the PC. But hey, it's a step in the right direction.

Google chat is a minor face-lift by the looks of it and it too allows for contact pictures to be displayed in the list; thats about it.

I have heard of a number of problems with YM2.0 on various devices. Firstly, it is advisable that your device runs OS4.2 so if you can upgrade it please do.

Secondly, if you get a java error when you boot and the Yahoo! icon has dissapeared try this:

Options>Advanced Options> Applications> (menu) Modules..
then delete "Net_rim_yahoomessenger (v.1.*.*) or something like that. Reboot (take the battery out, count to 10 reinsert the battery). If the problem doesn't come up, re-download/install.

Thanks goes to Steve who posted this work around on blackberryforums.com

GooSync.com

Goosync.com may be the answer to those who crave BES but have no access to it. If you use Google's services (email, calendar, contacts or otherwise) then this maybe for you. Depending on whether you use their free service or the premium pay service, it allows you to do bi-directional syncing of your calendar, contacts, syncing of confirmed meeting attendees and more..

Read more

Facebook application for the Blackberry!

For you Facebook addicts out there, a native Facebook application is now available for the Blackberry! Its available for download right now! One thing though, it requires version 4.2 or higher which means that those of you using 87xx or earlier; it wont work!

What does this mean?

Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones, which will be available as a free download*, makes it faster, easier and more convenient for users to stay wirelessly connected with their Facebook friends and colleagues. The application allows users to:

• Receive notifications and messages automatically – Leveraging the BlackBerry platform's push-based architecture, notifications and messages are automatically sent to the user; the user can also set a unique alert (vibration and/or ringtone) for Facebook related content
• Quickly access essential features – Convenient onscreen icons let users quickly change their Status, upload a photo, add a friend, poke someone, write on a Wall, or send a message. Users can also quickly scroll through messages and notifications as they do with email messages
• Invite friends to join Facebook and accept new friend requests
• Quickly snap and post pictures along with a caption and tags – The photo upload feature is also integrated with the BlackBerry smartphone camera and photo management applications on the smartphone
• View the Status of friends
• Read, compose and reply to messages even while offline – If the user is out of wireless coverage, messages are queued until the user returns to an area of coverage

To download use your BB browser and go to

www.blackberry.com/facebook/mobiledownload

Update on Blackberry Unite!

In a previous post we reported on a Blackberry software called Unite! that was released in conjunction with Telefonica in Spain recently.

Now we have some new details regarding this revolutionary software..

BlackBerry® Unite!™ software will allow a small group of up to 5 users to:

• Stay connected with wireless email and web browsing – enables easy wireless access to up to five supported email accounts (per user) using sophisticated wireless encryption security, allows shared contact lists and supports high-performance mobile web browsing.
• Coordinate schedules using shared calendars – provides a wireless shared calendar with the capability to check each others’ availability, set up or modify appointments and send reminders.
• Remotely access content – users can remotely download pictures, music, documents and other content on their desktop PC directly from their BlackBerry smartphone**.
• Share photos and files - users can share photos and files with other group members directly from their BlackBerry smartphone.
• Remotely secure the smartphones – includes simple controls to enforce password protection or wirelessly erase a lost or stolen handset.
• Control smartphone use - includes customizable wireless settings to control certain uses for each individual, such as the ability to restrict long distance calls or certain online content.
• Protect smartphone content – contacts, pictures and other data from the BlackBerry smartphone can be backed up automatically over the air (via a cellular or Wi-Fi® network) to the desktop PC.
• Set up quickly and easily – the BlackBerry Unite! software will be provided as a free download and, with the help of an easy-to-follow setup wizard, can be installed in minutes on a desktop PC.

This is awesome! Imagine the possibilities for families and small groups! Share calendars, pictures, MP3's and even wirelessly erase a stolen or lost device! AWESOME!!! When can we get this slice of heaven?

Read press release

BB Cuve 8310 arrives in Malaysia via Celcom (sort of..)

In a press release today, Celcom confirms that the Blackberry Curve 8310 (with built in GPS) will be introduced soon.

The catch is the first two batches of up to 2000 units will go to Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad (PAMB) a large insurance company in Malaysia. After which it will be made available to the general public.

My question is when are they going to bring in the 8320 with the built in Wi-Fi? I have tried the GPS application in the 8800 and there are NO MAPS FOR KUCHING! So what's the point?

Read more

RIM gets ready for new devices?

According to a report by BGR, it seems folks up at Research in Motion are getting ready for a slew of new products by reserving domain names as part of the product marketing drive.
The following domains have been reserved:

blackberry9110.com
blackberry9120.com
blackberry9130.com
blackberry9310.com
blackberry9320.com
blackberry9330.com

Read more

Review: Seidio Super Slim Rubberized Hardcase and Holster Combo

Awhile back I did a review on the Seidio Skin Case Holster for the 8300 which when used in combination of my Blackberry rubber skin was a perfect combo. Well...

It still is quite a good combination except you have to pay attention when you place your skinned BB into the plastic holster. Sometimes it tends to pinch the rubber skin covering your device and as a result it doesn't grip as well. I discovered this when my Curve fell out of the holster outside my son's pre-school a few weeks ago. I only realized when I arrived home and raced back hoping that it was still lying on the roadside or at the very least ran over by a car and in a million pieces (the worst case scenario would be someone had found it and wasn't going to return it to me). I was ready to call up the the IT boys in charge of my exchange server to do a remote wipe of the device and admittedly was a little excited that I could get a new Curve (I have a sick, sick mind).

Anyway to cut a long story short, luckily, a friend of mine who's daughter also goes to the same pre-school, found my Curve and hung on to it until I got there (she also uses a Blackberry too, a Red Pearl 8100 from Celcom-Vodafone). Boy was I relieved.

The subject of this review, the super slim rubberized hard case completely solves the problem of the holster pinching the rubber skin because, quite simply, there is no rubber skin. Instead there is a "rubberized hard case" which basically means it made out of hard plastic but coated with a thin layer of rubber. It feels good in your hands and protects your Curve very well. I am very pleased with it. It has cutouts so all the buttons, headphone and min-USB jacks are all exposed so you don't have to ever remove the Curve from within its protective cover. The only problem is, and it is a small problem, that where the hard case meets the edge of the QWERTY keyboard, the slight rise in the hard case does make pressing some of the buttons bordering it somewhat difficult (the "Q", "A", "ALT", "P", "DEL" and return keys namely). Again, its a small problem and I can live with it. The benefits of this case far outweigh the drawbacks.

Order your own from the Seidio Online website now

BB Desktop Manager 4.3

The guys over at BGR have gotten hold of a pre-release copy Blackberry Desktop Manager 4.3
It seems that it's no more then a visual upgrade (it does look good doesn't it?) and includes newer versions of intellisync and Roxio Media Manager.

Read more

Microsoft Live Search for Blackberry!

Microsoft recently announced that its search engine Live Search is now available for the Blackberry. According to Microsoft

"Live Search for use with BlackBerry(R) Devices. Live Search designed for use with BlackBerry devices is in beta and will be available for download for free on Tuesday, Oct. 16. It is a new offering designed for use on BlackBerry OS 4.0.2 or later phones, and customers with GPS-enabled phones can use location awareness to enhance their searches."

Read more

Red Curve available on AT&T network

Rumors that a red 8310 Curve will be available on the AT&T networks soon holds promise for Blackberry users in Malaysia; perhaps it will be available locally too. Instead of the plain vanilla gray colored Curves we have here, it would be nice if we had a choice in the same manner that we have a choice as to what color a Pearl 8100 we can purchase. The black and grey key color combination looks great too!

Celcom or Maxis... which shall i go for?

Recently I signed up for Celcom's blackberry service in part, due to a number of recent frustrations I have been experiencing with Maxis's Blackberry service. To cut a long story short, there have been frequent outages and other technical glitches suffered by Maxis which has cost me some sleepless nights and endless frustration (I hate it when a CSR tells you to "off your phone and on it back again..").

Although this is not meant to be a review or a comparison of the two telco's Blackberry services (that will come in the near future once I have fairly evaluated Celcom's service), I am now presented with a dilemma; which telco will be my main Blackberry Service Provider (BSP) and power my BB 8300 Curve?

Previously Maxis was my main BSP while Celcom was my secondary voice line. Now I have BES services for both I am confused as to which setup will serve me best.

My Maxis number is known to all; business associates, personal friends and family members. If I use Maxis as my BSP, I only have to carry one device around which is a great bonus. However, as mentioned previously, Maxis has had some technical issues lately and at times my Blackberry has been down for anything from a few hours to half a day or more. Additionally, but on a totally different level, Maxis isn't very receptive of any suggestions to collaborate for the common good of local Blackberry users. I don't quite understand that; a win-win situation for all parties involved, I help actively promote Maxis and their Blackberry service and Maxis provides me with marketing support and access to their technical staff. They just weren't game which was quite a bummer as I believe the future of Blackberry and the scope for growth in Sarawak is tremendous. Don't forget, Sarawak has a large number of public listed companies, large private companies, state government institutions and other bodies that may benefit from the use of Blackberries.

Not long ago, Celcom announced that it launched it's BIS service, catering to the consumer market and the private individual who longs to experience "push email" as corporations do. I am a BES user; I have access to my own Exchange and BES servers and only subscribe to the BES service at the switching level only; I don't pay any licensing fees to any of the BSP's. Initial inquiries with Celcom CSR's was disappointing; I was told that BES was not available to the private user and a minimum of 10 corporate lines was required before BES was an option for a corporate account. I can now tell you that this is untrue; BES is available to the individual user, however, the Celcom subscriber line must be under corporate as opposed to personal. At least there is no minimum lines required to qualify for BES!

Celcom Global Enterprise team members in Kuching were a great help too (Doris and Valerie.. thanks a lot! You were both great!) and within a day or two I had converted my personal line to corporate and my BES was active.

As a side note, I discovered that if you don't change your device, swapping your old BSP's SIM for the new BSP's SIM card meant that BES was functioning from the very start of the cross-over. All that was required is that you register your device PIN and IMEI at the new BSP's BIS website, delete all email accounts from your old BSP's BIS website and add them to your new BSP's BIS setup (does that sound confusing or what?) and send the service books for your new BSP to your BB. You're all set!

So now, my Curve is powered by Celcom's Blackberry service while my Maxis SIM now resides in my SE K850i acting as a voice only number. I activated the 3G function on Maxis so I could download/upload faster as well as do mobile blogging more efficiently.

That leads me to my problem; I have to carry two devices, my Curve and my K810i. Imagine having to carry both devices every time I played golf or went for dinner. How cumbersome. I could leave the BB behind when I'm playing golf or going for dinners but I am a Blackberry addict and the idea of any period of time without my BB close at hand is unthinkable! Insane!

If number portability would hurry up and be implemented in Malaysia, it wouldn't be an issue but I am not sure when it will be actually implemented. In the mid-90's I was working in Time Telekom as an interconnect analyst and was involved in the first few steering committee discussions on number portability held at JTM in Damansara. That was nearly 10 years ago and Malaysia has still to implement the concept!

To make matters worse, I discover that the K850i doesn't support third party software like Nokia's or even the SE P990 or P1 series! There are some third party software that I find indispensable including a voice recording program, and an advanced call manager type program. I may have to buy another phone to act as my voice phone now! Celcom's BES service requires a 24 month commitment, so you can't terminate before the 24 months are up so I can't reverse my decision (not that I have any plans right now though). How costly..

Right now I am carrying both devices around and unless I decide to inform the whole world that my primary voice number is now a Celcom number, I have no choice. Another plus point for my Maxis line is that the number is very easy to remember while my Celcom isn't as simple. I suppose I could forward all calls from my Maxis to my Celcom but SMS's cant be forwarded and I do receive quite a large number of SMS's (believe it or not but the vast majority of my friends have yet to embrace to Blackberry but I aim to change that soon).

I am so confused!

A review/comparison of both BSP's from a network, technical and service standpoint is in the works; stay tuned!

RIM releases Q2 financial results

Research in Motion recently released its Q2 financial results for 2007. Revenue increased 27% from last quarter to US$1.37 billion; 78% of which came from the sale of new devices. Approximately 1.45 million new Blackberry subscribers were added during the quarter and over 3 million new devices shipped. Total Blackberry subscriber base now stands at approximately 10.5 million

The future's looking good for RIM and the entire BB community as a whole...

Blackberry Unite!

Blackberry Unite software allows a group of users; family members of small businesses, stay in contact with one another and collaborate.

Share photos, music files, documents and calendars! Use a family address book so you will always have telephone numbers when you need it. Share family calendars so everyone will know where they should be and when.

The good news is that it is completely free! The bad news; its only available to current and future users of Telefonica of Spain for the time being.. Bummer!

Read more

Rumors of a BB 9xxx??

Rumors are rife of a new BB model, the 9xxx! From the looks of the photo above, it could very well be classified as an "iPhone Killer". I can't see any keys? Can you? Could this mean a touch screen?? It's rumored to have 3G/HSDPA connections and a 600MHz processor! Lets hope its all true.

Read more at BoyGeniusReport.com

The new GSM Pearl (aka 8120) makes it debut in Europe

The GSM version of the new Pearl was launced by RIM and Telefonica recently. It new and improved features include a 2 megapixel camera with improved flash and video recording capability, WiFi, GPS, improved web browser and an externally accessible memory card slot

Check it out here (Spanish version)

How to choose the right blackberry for you

This is the third in a series of lectures done by Kevin Michaluk of crackberry.com regarding various aspects of Blackberries. In this particular lecture Kevin gives pointers on how to decide which Blackberry model is best suited to you. Other things to consider include individual carrier coverage and data plans as well as perhaps your company's policy towards having a camera phone in the office.

Read the full article here

Duplicate GMail "Sent Emails" showing up as new emails on your BB?

For those of you who use GMail with your Blackberries, you probably know that when you send an email from Blackberry via your GMail account, you will receive a copy of the sent email marked as new mail.

This is caused by the fact that GMail webmail accounts do not have separate folders for sent items and the inbox. Sent emails are grouped together with received email of the same thread to facilitate easy reading but when used in conjunction with your BlackBerry results in copies of sent emails arriving in your inbox marked as new mail.

To prevent copies of sent emails arriving on your Blackberry do the following:

1. Log in to your BIS account (For Maxis it is http://maxis.blackberry.com )
2. Click the filters icon next to your integrated GMail account
3. Click Add a filter to add a new filter
4. Type a name for the filter, for example "GMail duplicate email filter"
5. Set Apply Filter When to "From" field
6. Type the address of the GMail account in the contains field, for example john@gmail.com
7. Select the radio button next to Do not forward message to device
8. Click

After creating this filter duplicates of emails sent from GMail accounts will not be received as new mail on your Blackberry.

How to determine if a Blackberry is "unlocked"

Here's a simple trick on how to find out if a Blackberry you are about to buy or just bought really is unlocked (can be used on any network):

To determine if your BlackBerry is "unlocked" for use on carriers other than for which it is branded:

1. On your BlackBerry, go to Options > Advanced Options > Sim Card.

2. At that screen type MEPD (see note below) on your keyboard. A new menu will pop up.

• If your BlackBerry has a SureType keyboard (71xx and 81xx devices) you will need to double-tap the P, so the actual keys entered become M E P P D.

3. Look for Network in the list.

4. If your device is "unlocked", it should say Disabled or Inactive. If it says Active, it's still locked to that carrier.

That should save you shelling out hard earned cash for a Blackberry that won't work on your home network!

Lecture 2: The difference between BIS and BES

The second in a series of "lectures" conducted by crackberry.com addresses one of the most widely asked questions about blackberries; "What's the difference between BIS and BES?"

So if you've always wondered, here's your chance to find out.

Read the lecture

Review: iBerry Software's Black & Whitelist

iBerry's Black & Whitelist is a very simple software that does what it says it does; allows you to selectively block individual numbers as well as private and unknown numbers from disturbing you on your BB. It's quite simple to use and you can either add numbers to the black or white list from the call log function or from the address book. You can either set the program to block those numbers on the blacklist, accept only numbers on the whitelist or numbers only from your address book. As mentioned earlier, it can also block private or unknown numbers.

The only complaint I have is that there is a slight delay between an call being received and the program doing its job; the delay, is heard by the caller in the form of half a ring. Makes it look like you are aware they called and that you diverted them purposely! How un-PC

RIM launches "Built for Blackberry" website

RIM has launched a new website called "Built for Blackberry" where it showcases a variety of software products available for download (either for free or as trial ware). It includes programs in the following categories: News, Sports, Travel and Weather, Games & Entertainment, Lifestyle and Navigation and Mapping. Do check it out here