See Companion Highlights and Analysis

BlackBerry Devices and Software

• Verizon now selling the BlackBerry Curve 8530
• BlackBerry Bold 9700 now available from AT&T
• China Telecom to launch Palm and BlackBerry handsets this year?
• BES 5.0 SP1 Coming Next Month – Adds Open Office File Support (also VMware certification)
• Bing Search App Released For 83XX, 85XX, & 88XX Devices
• AstraSync For BlackBerry Version 4.0 Now Available
• BlackBerry Media Sync 3.0 Available Today – Adding New Synchronization Features And Options (Pictures sync only on PC initially)
• Last.FM Launches Free BlackBerry App
• Fandango App for BlackBerry Smartphones Coming Soon
• YATA – Twixtreme Twitter App Now Available in BlackBerry App World (I’m an ubbertwitter guy myself, but…)
• Beta eBay Application for BlackBerry Smartphones Now Available
• eBay Beta Push BlackBerry Application Launches Today!
• BerrySki – Offline Skiing Resort Maps for North America
• Made Simple Learning BlackBerry Training Videos & eBooks on Sale
• New York Times Releases free BlackBerry App
• Adobe’s Acrobat.com Gets BlackBerry App
• MasterCard Canada Testing out PayPass Mobile BlackBerry Stickers
• Elecite Launches “Blank Canvas” Project And Wants To Hear From You
• Cignias announces NAO Music Station

Extra Links in BB Dev Conf

• BlackBerry DevConference @ BB Developer’s Blog.
• BlackBerry Developer Conference Wrap Up: Yahoo! Mobile - Yahoo! pipes, configuring mobile home page, geo-location, Widgets, SearchMonkey…
• Developer Challenge Winner 7digital – Platform fragmentation, pre-processing (?), Analytics, .. Wanted: Shared libraries
• Understanding the BlackBerry Market -
• Adobe Announcements
• Tools Announcements
• OpenGL and Game Development
• BlackBerry App World Insights

BlackBerry Official Sites!
Revisited them… quite improved

iPhone and Apple

• The end of exclusivity leading to big iPhone sales in Europe (by June 2010?)
• Apple backs up AT&T’s ad campaign, launches two commercials tonight
• Apple iPhone 3G and 3GS to be sold by UK retailer Tesco

Android and Google

• Google Maps Navigation officially hits Android 1.6 and higher
• Google Apps Connector 1.5 – 3rd Party Hosting Coming Soon!
• Google Apps Connector for BlackBerry Enterprise Server now connects businesses of all sizes
• Google Apps Connector Gets Updated (and older post: Google first announced their Apps Connector)

Other Industry

• Sony’s Kaz Hirai confirms ‘premium level’ subscription coming to PSN
• Mobile Web MarketShare -  StatCounter but Apple And Android Now Make Up 75 Percent Of U.S. Smartphone Web Traffic
• How To: Back Up Any Smartphone
• Seattle’s Bill McCoy, E-Books and Digital Distribution Expert, Leaving Adobe
• Navigation App Waze Makes Crowdsourced Map-Building a Game (App is Waze but see OpenStreetMap.org – another example of how BB could step up to the plate of “you own your data”)
• The Most Influential Websites in the World: Wikipedia #1, Twitter #4 With a Bullet
• Video in HTML5: Still an Unresolved Issue

• From Jason Perlow @ ZDNet Tech Broiler
• My First Week With DROID – “The DROID is indeed extremely fast and fluid for a touchscreen
  interface, and probably even faster than an iPhone in that regard, but
  a BlackBerry it isn’t”
• In Smartphone Wars, Darwinism Triumphs Over Intelligent Design
• Congratulations B&N, you’ve built my Kindroid. So now what?
• Android’s rapid growth has some developers worried – ha!  I find the discussion about Java particularly amusing, given what Android really is.

Devices Reviews

• Nokia N900 quick hands-on – “better browser than iPhone” (based on Maemo – Debian based)
• Nokia’s N900 now available in the US
• Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 hands on!
• Pearl.next / Stratus preview (Salomondrin) (BlackBerry Pearl 9100 gets pawed) (Video First Look: BlackBerry Pearl 9100!)
• Tour.next / Essex Overview (Salomondrin)
• Verizon BlackBerry Curve 8530 Review

BB News

• BlackBerry Developer Conference 2009: Looking Back At Year II Through The Eyes of a Developer – (from CB.com)
• Making Use Of The BlackBerry Developer Issue Tracker
• Learn How to Start Developing Themes from a RIM Employee – Good.  Themes are important
• IM clients updated to 2.5.30
• BlackBerry Internet Service hit with data outages worldwide – BIS outages are quite visible (as a new user, I don’t know how frequent they used to be, but I’ve seen several in my 3 months as user)
• Verizon OS Update for the Tour 9630 Tonight? – What? 4.7.1.61???  Where is the 5.0-based update?  This is getting silly…

Apps

• Mercedes-Benz and Hughes release app-based “mbrace” telematics for iPhone, Blackberry
• Yahoo Go App Also Getting Axed on January 12 2010

The Apple App Store is Broken
This topic deserves more commentary – I’ll try to do a separate post

• Respected developers begin fleeing from App Store platform (Ars Technica)

More Apple News

• Revenue from Retail Stores (Ars Technica)
• Apple Table Rumors – like always.  (Engadget)

Analysts! - If you don’t like what one tells, you, choose another

• Buy! – RIM to benefit most from move toward smartphones
• Hold! – Auriga Launches With Hold Rating
• Sell? (or is it Buy?) – Research In Motion (RIMM) Looking For Suitors

Market Trends

• Adobe Flash 10.1 and AIR 2.0 Betas Released: Life Is Better Now
• Sony Ericsson Hopes New Android Phone Will Help Turnaround
• 5 Reasons Why Google Should Not Sell Handsets
• The War For the Web – the battle between Google, Amazon, Apple (et al?) for the (Web) Platforms, Tim O’Reilly encourages developers (/users?) to choose open standards.
• T-Mobile Complete Offers Contract Free BlackBerry Devices (read the fine print)
• Emphasizing Security - RIM Security Chief Speaks About Smartphone Attacks – good move.
• Google Chrome OS: speed, simplicity, security
• Google outlines Chrome OS plans for netbooks
• Top Applications for Mobile Phones (Gartner): Money Transfer, Location Services, Mobile Search, Mobile Browsing….

• BB Dash Mobile – Crowd Sourcing data for live traffic and ETA
• Open GL ES Support
• eBay App and Joolt App and LinkedIn App and Xobni for BB.
• DevTools for Mac?
• Adobe Partnership; Flash and Tools (from BW)
• Also see IW. and BR.
• Press Releases Include: Ads and (in-App) Payment (including via Carriers), Map and Location (ETA).
• WebKit in future BBOS.
• WebWorld includes Themes
• Engadget Report
• Day 1 Wrap-Up from CB.
• BGR – Report
• Clarification on OpenGL Support.
• BR – RIM Planning In-App Payment Service – Will it Catch on?
• BR - BlackBerry Developers Conference Over – Fresh Hope in the Air?
• BR - RIM’s New Locate Service for GPS Apps is Going to be HUGE!
• Also see this week’s Google StreetView privacy problems in Switzerland (GLG Analysis, BBC)

BB Software, Applications, Sites

• Rumor: BIS 3.0 and 3.1 Coming in 2010 – Slick New Features! (@BerryReview)
• Craig’s List App
• Grabba for BlackBerry Smartphones
• Storm OTA – Storm Dedicated Website (@BB)
• A Quick Look At BlackBerry Theme Builder 5.0 From The Experts! (@CB)
• WordPress Mobile Updated And Quickly Moving Out Of Beta

BB Devices

• WSJ reviews BlackBerry Bold 9700.  Only so-so review.
• Nokia Booklet 3G Review @Gizmodo
• And Droid Eris Review @ Gizmodo – they like it – I tried it at Verizon and I liked it too, more than the droid
• And Netbook Hackintosh 10.6.2 Fix Coming In “A Few Weeks,” Fallen Netbooks Can Be Revived Now
• And a Mystery Nvidia Tablet Identified: 2010 Arrival and Android Rumored
• BlackBerry Storm2 hands-on and impressions @ Engadget
• Palm Pixi review @ Engadget
• HTC netbook may soon become a reality – That could be interesting.

Other Devices

• Dell 3 confirmed with Android.  Going to China and Brazil
• MobileTechWorld on Zune updates.  Zune looks a reasonable alternative to (the old) iPod Touch.  But, w/o the App Store, it can’t really compete.
• BestBuy Stocking Nokia’s Booklet 3G (ATT or unlocked)

Droid Reactions

• No Droid For Me, iPhone is the PC of SmartPhones (PCW)
• First iPhone, now Droid. Who needs Windows? (CNet)
• Palm Pre price keeps sinking on Bell, down to $100 – Droid Casualty
• Battery Life? Some of these reviews are silly.  Do they even check on other phones? Or even compare the specs and what type of CPU is inside?  and compare with that of CB on Very Long BB Bold 9700

iPhone

• Second iPhone virus found, again targets jailbroken iPhones
• WhatsApp: BBM for iPhone (Gizmodo)

Google Gobbles up

• New Skype Competitor: Google May Acquire Gizmo5 For $30M
• And AdMob. also see CNet

Adoption and Business

• 2009: The Year Apple and RIM Ate Everyone Else’s Lunch (Gizmodo)
• Droid vs Palm (google trend @ Gizmodo)
• Walmart Hacks the Palm Pixi’s Price Down to Size: $30 at Launch
• Cellphone Business – Paying Plans.
• Carriers are what matter
• Verizon gets into the Christmas spirit by bashing AT&T and the iPhone

SocialNetworks Everywhere

• Leaked Shots: PlayStation 3 to Get Facebook in Next Update?
• Combining Twitter and LinkedIn (not clear how useful it is, but I’m always behind in these things)
• And XBox goodies – Xbox LIVE gets 1080p Zune Video store, Twitter, Facebook and more on November 17th (video)

And More

• TomTom to bring free lane guidance, text-to-speech, iPod control to iPhone GPS app
• Facebook app developer rejects App Store, irony ensues
• ChromeOS next week (WSJ). (ElReg)
• iTunes Enters the Web Browser with iTunes Preview
• Hello Galileo, European GPS system to go live in 2010
• Palm Pre WebOS 1.3.1 update available now – it seems they have given up on the iTunes sync race.
• Nokia rumored to be eyeing Palm buy yet again

• Tethering via BB Desktop Manager – BlackBerry 101: Configure Your BlackBerry as an IP Modem Using Desktop Manager
• Review: BlackBerry Development Fundamentals Book
• RIM Is Definitely Developing a WebKit (Read: Decent) Browser
• bbOSalert Instant Alert for OS Releases – $2 for this?  Should be part of the free RIM subscription!
• Slacker Updated to v2.0.91 – Pushed To Verizon Storm2 - These things seem to lag by a day or so before they get to AppWorld.
• USPS Mobile BlackBerry App Coming in December – RIM should make it very easy for folks like USPS to do these Apps.  Get the money back via the $$ to use the RIM Push machinery.
• Are WebApps the future?  See Palm design-in-browser. (I doubt it, but we will see).

Latest BBerries

• Reviews for Bold 9700: (Engadget); Gizmodo likes it quite a bit.  See this roundup of reviews at CrackBerry.
• Reviews for Curve 8530: Engadget Mobile; BGR reviews the Verizon version; BR talks about Sprint. How to track them all?  Older CrackBerry review includes chart will all variations (or at least many of them).
• Timing of launch impacts visibilty of new BlackBerries; see PCWorld: Droid takes limelight away from BlackBerries

More on App Stores

• PayPal is having their development conference
  • Web site; wikipedia.  How does it work.
  • PayPal X Developer Network. PayPal X Innovate 09
  • NYTimes article.
  • The (new, still beta) Java Store will accept PayPal.
  • The RIM AppWorld uses PayPal.
• Introducing the CrackBerry Theme Store: On-Device Client for Free and Paid BlackBerry Themes

iPhone and Apple

• Adobe Gets Sharky Snarky With Apple’s iPhone Flash Ban…
• Armor vs Guns Battle Continue – Blacksn0w iPhone unlock complete, launching November 4th
• Trying to Kill the Hackintosh Netbook? SL Removes Atom Support – Getting ready for Apple tablet?
  • Oops, Never mind! Oops again; the last dev build broke it again.  Unclear if intentional or not.
• NPR App (I’d get it for my BBerry…)
• Orange and Apple drop exclusivity deal in France -
• iPhone coming to The Shack: Dallas and NYC this month, nationwide in 2010?

eReaders and NetBooks

• Spring Design sues Barnes & Noble over the Nook
• Verizon getting a little VAIO P to join its netbook offerings – This is tempting; I want to try it compared to the Android.
• Or, go a bit larger… Walmarts’ 300$ laptop.

Other News – Quality of Service…

• BlackBerry Messenger Avatar & Contact Backup Outage – Yet another RIM outage.
• T-Mobile is/was Down Across The Country

Business Trends

• Balancing BOGO – Verizon rumored to be raising ETF to combat scammers
• Humm… DRM’s and Best Buy – Best Buy partnering with CinemaNow to stream first-run DVDs to ‘all web-connected devices sold’
• LTE Voice Standard moving forward.  LTE is the future.
• Bing and My Verizon Being Pushed To Verizon Storm Users – Competition; keep your friends honest
• Vodafone Update – Free Twitter & Facebook Client – Bold & 8900 Curve Only – How to differentiate the devices?
• Verizon to aim for the smartphone crown – Best Phones, Best Network.
• And, who has the best network?  Check this app: iblipped App Shows Real Carrier Coverage Maps

The Attack of the Droids and Androids - see Separate Post.

Apps and BOS

• Google Maps 3.2 Released – Adds Layers to Maps -  Not yet tried it on my Tour.  Pardon my ignorance, but, why isn’t it in AppWorld?
• BlackBerry App World: everything you wanted to know and weren’t afraid to ask (Part One) – Good idea, but can’t post a comment.  And where is the forum for AppWorld users at BB?
• AppWorld Expands Geographically.
• Newer Version of AW
• BOS 5.0 – Device List.  – RIM Details The Main Features of OS 5.0
• RIM asks for Feedback on Widgets
• Slacker Radio Upgraded.
• Plazmic integrated at RIM.
• FlyCast – a Platform for Streaming Apps.

BlackBerry Device and Other News

• What’s in a Name
• TOur2 Video.
• Storm2 Review – improved but not yet great.
• Storm2 available at Verizon.

Trends – eReaders Galore

• Creative is latest to tackle e-book readers – Yet another entry into the eBook reader market.  If Apple does not hurry, the space will be crowed with cheap entries and there will be no money to be made there.

Trends – Droids Everywhere…

• Leaked Docs Confirm Droid Eris Details: November 6 for $99 – This is the one that should get the bulk of the sales.  We will see…
• Droids Reviews beginning to come down to earth.  And the device is not yet for sale!  Interesting.  eWeek,
• Gizmodo – Motorola Droid Hits Verizon on November 6th for $200
• Engadget – Droid Review and Android 2.0 Review - and Other Reviews.
• CNet:  Can the Droid Save Moto? BusinessWeek: The new Moto.  NYTimes: New Moto.  NYTies: Profits for MOto.
• CNet – How Palm Lost (Like Apple in the ’80s)
• NYTimes – Bill Cellpohne makers switch to Android
• BGR – Both Droids on Nov 6th.
• IW – Android is Enterprise-Friendly.  Mostly MS Exchange.
• PCWorld Reviews: Droid: 90; Bold: 87; iPhone 3GS: 89; BB Storm2: 80; BB Tour: 86;   Droid vs iPhone;
• Verizon likes the Droid more than the Storm2
• Verizon’s quarter was not good.  They will rely on Droid and wireless for growth.
• Symbian guys comments.

• GPS guys in trouble
  • gVoice Navigation affects GPS
  • TomTom at Apple Store – Preemptive move.
• An iPhone Killer... Or not?
  • Motorola’s Droid May Be a Boon for iPhone Owners; – On the benefits of competition to consumers.
  • WSJ: The problem with iPhone killers? – Good analysis of the market dynamics: Apple is a montheistic culture.
  • WSJ: Phone Makers Scramble to Stand Out – iPhone and BB as the leaders… Others atacking them.
  • BGR – What Device are you Most Interested in? Droid is #1 but Bold2 is #2!

Trends – Google’s Leverage points

• Gizmodo: Google and the Deadly Power of Data

iPhone News

• Top 10 IPhone Business Apps (funny, no references to BB)
• WSJ: Google should make Apple beg for gMaps – Exposing Apple’s weak’s situation.  (BTW, recall those pieces about Apple investing on Maps software- they are aware of this)
• Verizon Still Wants the iPhone
• What happens when an app moves to the iPhone AppStore.

Gripes

• Where is the BOS 5.0 for my Verizon Tour?  I really want to try BBM 5 in its native environment.  And see if annoying restrictions in my current BOS go away (why do I have to reboot every time I archive an app?!!)
• Where is the forum for BB’s AppWorld?
• Actually, where are the forums for any of the BB’s apps?

New Discoveries – Web Signals And “Other BB Advanced Features”

• Bumped into Web Signals.  Seems reasonable, but unclear if this is ramping up, winding down, a patch, or what.  As done today it relies too much on the browser, which is the weakest part of the BB platform. See my notes: What is the Role of Web Signals? (also seeFocus on HTTP, not the Browser
• See WebSignals home.
• Also see BB’s Advanced Developer Features and the Push Tutorial.
• BlackBerryOS.  Hybrids and the such. Need to revisit

And More

• NetFlix on PS3
• eBooks use standard ePub.
• The root of everything: revenue.  Apple, Verizon, Subsidizes
• The Palm/iTunes spat is getting old.

Droids

• Droid from Verizon Wireless (Tease Page).  Pumping up the fight…
• Ditto (PCWorld)  Press loves a fight… (PCW)
• Droid as a Verizon Brand – a good move on Vrzn’s part – (G)
• Dell’s MID Doric (G)
• Motorola’s Doid’s Hands-on (BGR) and Specs (PC)
• Droid seen at Moto site (BGR)
• Preview by BGR.  Quite positive.
• Interesting analysis of the implications of the Google/Verizon deal.
• Nook from N&B (IW) (WSJ).  Strong competitor to the Kindle.  Based on Android.  The Androids are coming…
• B&N Nook’s is coming.
• More Androids from Motorola

Storm 2

• Tail-end of Storm2 reviews (WashingtonPost) (G)
• Storm 2 wih “MiFi” (WiFi) (G)

Bold 2 and Curve 8530

• Bold 2 Noises (Engadget) (BetaNews) (BGR) (CB)
• Curve 8530 @ Verizon (CB)

Applications

• Google Maps with Layers (CB) (BR)
• Crackberry Store (competing AppStores.  Good?  or Bad?)
• Themes coming to BB AppStore.
• Wunderradio; more than 50K stations. Currently limited device support.

Newer BIS, BOS, et al..

• Deploying newer BIS
• New MacOS X DeskTop Manager. (1.0.1)
• BOS 5.0 Almost There.
• New BIS / BOS with Google contact support

RIM is improving its marketing and story

• Crackberry’s love program.
• Blackberry Device Software Update now suports Firefox (!)
• Java Applications – Developer Webinar next week.
• Newsletter.

Mobile Everywhere (Google and Apple at the center)

• Music Store from Google.
• USPS Goes Mobile
• Verizon and Google on Net Neutrality
• Nokia Sues Apple
• iPhone the most successful gadget ever.
• The Google/Verizon deal may hinder a future Verizon/iPhone
• TMobile’s sidekick is progressing. Some contacts will recover, but the reputation may not.
• ATT made very good money from iPhone.
• And other smartphones on their way – N900.

• Sidekick data is lost (Giz, ComputerWorld, PCWorld,  WashingtonPost). This may have significant implications for T-Mobile, MS, and maybe even for Cloud acceptance.  At the least we all will pay more attention to our backups; at least for a while
• I was curious so did a quick check on Alexa rankings
  • Gizmodo #788, Engadget #572, BoyGeniusReport: #8,462, crackberry: #1,871, BerryReview: #20,286.
  • Apple: #55, Blackberry: #835, Android #7,951
  • NYtimes:
  • Top
    1. Google – up
    2. Facebook – still up!
    3. Yahoo – down
    4. YouTube – up
    5. Live (but direct to bing is #21) – stable?
    6. Wikipedia – up
    7. Blogger – down a bit.  blogging stabilizing? somewhere else?
    8. MSN
    9. Baidu – down (I’m surprised.  searches going to?)
    10. Yahoo Japan – stable for a bit, now up.
    11. MySpace – down, down
    12. Google india
    13. twitter – stabilizing
    14. Google germany
    15. Microsoft
    16. QQ (china IM, expanding into other things) – dropping
    17. WordPress – down, now back up
  • boingboing.net is now #2,399 and ramping very steeply up, although I liked the old format much better.
• Report on ATT woes are data, not infrastructure (TelephonyOnline) [BB are (a bit? a lot?) less data-hungry]
• TMobile Project Dark (BGR).  Trying to become #3 carrier. From FierceWireles: Verizon (87M), ATT (79M), Sprint (47M), TMobile (33M).

Monday

• BB JDE 5.0 beta 4 is now out (BR)
• Moto moving away from LiMo; getting closer to Android? (EG)

Tuesday

• T-Mobile to compensate Sidekick users (PCW). A lesson for all of us.
• GSM Palm-Pre starts in Germany (EG)
• Experiments in iPhone UI by Ocean Observations (youTube, home).  It looks nice.  Multi-gestures are not the fastest UI but they can be very intuitive.
• Barnes and Noble “Major Event” (G).  We forget the role that the B&M companies can play in the new net.  B&N, BestBuy, … others?
• GelaSkins for different devices, including BBs (website)
• New Apps to try
  • Dictionary.com (CB) – yet to try
  • Weather.com (CB) – useful but font is too small (and can’t be changed), looks unfinished
• T-Mobile has “free phones” for BB developers (BR)
• More bold (9700) launch rumors on ATT (BGR). And Storm2 on Vodaphone (BGR).  Too many to track; I’ll stop doing it unless a really important one shows up.
• And Bell Canada adds iPhone (already had Palm Pre and BB Bold (BGR).
• New look/logo for BB on “consumer-friendly” sites?  Together with new visuals?  Less black, more colors.  See devices, and this “Love the Journey” image and “Love what you do” at top page.  This is good.  Finally getting serious about consumer market.

Wednesday

• Nice review of RIM/BBs at NYTimes.  Quite positive overall.  Getting ready for Storm2 launch any day now.
• Reports about JailBreak-resistant iPhone (BGR, ElReg, PCWorld).  I’m surprised nobody points out that there are two separate issues; one is Apple’s desire to control distribution channel; the other is integrity of the phone and the ability to wipe it out if needed.   The first is just $$s for Apple.  The second is a need by security-conscious customers (like the goverment).  BBerries do a good job in separating the two issues.
• iPhone Apps: printing directly to printer (PC).  BBs need to make this type of Apps very cheap by manufacturers.
• Multiple Screens: B&N’s eReader (CNet).  Rumored to be using Android.  How big a disadvantage does RIM have if they don’t have a foot on those other screens?  iPhones/Androids/java/javafx/windows can.  Ditto about netbooks, like the  Nokia Booklet 3G (ChipChick).
• How to upgrade a BBOS (BR, CB).  Upgrading in general is quite confusing to newbies, see comments at CB.
• Peer-to-peer WiFi (PCWorld).  About time!  Why did it take so long?  Vendor politics?
• BB Developer Resources… found!
• BB using JIRA!  (use my DevZone id!)
• Mobile Application Design Considerations for Java Developers (link)  Tuesday 20th, 2pm PT.
• Cliq review at Gizmodo.  So-so

Thursday

• Early review (WSJ/AllThingsDigital)
• Bunch of Storm2 reviews (G) (CB-review) (CB-specs) (ChannelWeb) (Electronista) (iPhoneBlog) (InformationWeek) (CNet) (Bloomberg).  Reviews are positive, but not super-strong…
• Supposedly coming to Verizon Soon (BGR) (YY)
• Storm2 Official Page @ RIM
• Augmented Reality is pretty close to being useful.  See Layar@Engadget
• ChannelWeb on 11 BB Apps worth checking.
• Gizmodo has an angry post on RIM, their relationship to Engadget/Gizmodo, and the lack of Storm2s for review.  Not a good relationship to have with the press.

Friday

• Where is Verizon’s Storm2 Announcement? (CB)
• Facebook 1.7 for BB (CB)  Also see My Comparison Post with iPhone Client.
• BBs for UK Police (Engadget)
• Walmart.CA has a mobile site More volume / BigBox vendors getting into this space (Best Buy earlier with mIQ).
• Interesting article at Gizmodo on the impact of the Apple AppStore in the per-unit price of Apps and its potential impact in the industry.

Saturday

• Droid attack @ Verizon (Engadget)  (Engadget2) This is sooner than I was expecting.
• Funny that Gizmodo defends Apple. Not sure why, but Gizmodo is very pro-iPhone.  You would expect them to try to play a bit more neutral.
• Pre at Verizon next year (BGR)
• In-App Store Purchases (eWeek) (Engadget)

Monday

• Vonage writing VoIP Apps for BlackBerry and iPhone (BusinessWeek, Reuters). The BB version automatically chooses WiFi or Data plan. Now Available (CB)
• Adobe to add Flash for BB and many others – but not iPhone (ReadWriteWeb, CNet).  Adobe’s tools will export to Flash and native iPhone (PCMag).
• SmartPhone Apps: Kid-Finder, Augmented Reality.  The challenge for the BB is to get developers to write these at least as fast as for the iPhone.
• Best Buy mIQ Live (BerryReview).  Wow!  I was not expecting it from these guys but clearly SmartPhones are now mainstream.  I don’t see iPhone in the list (not unexpectedly!) .  This is very interesting.  Does this mean that Wal-Mart and the others will follow soon?  These guys are big, they can change things.  Dashwire is the technology company behind the site and it seems quite solid.

Tuesday

• I need a few goodies for my BB. This is a pocket battery which is not my top priority – a nightly charger that does not use the USB port – but may be worth getting.  It should work also for the iPod touches we have at home.
• A top-10 Apps from BR. Need to collect more of those.
• More links on Apps: Tivo@InsideBB, Slacker@MyBB, FaceBook@MyBB
• Verizon and Google to work together to bring Android phones to the Verizon network (ZDNet).  More market pressure on RIM to deliver improved BBs.  Analyst Press Conference from BusinessWeek.
• Typical analyst fare: RIM is downgraded and upgraded.
• The Widget SDK is here.  Good!  Now get the developers on board! (PR, RIMarkable, SDK link – nothing at the official blogs!)
• Mobile Voice System from T-Mobile and RIM (CIO).  This can generate good revenue and it is one more sticky offering.

Wednesday

• BB Messenger 5.0 is supposed to come out today (RIMarkable).
• DoubleTwise App (now connected to Amazon MP3 store) (TechCrunch) – I still need to try it on my Tour.
• Some outbound marketing of the Widgets SDK (CB).
• Remote bricking / wipeout of BB  via e-GPS (CB).
• RIM refines the Alliance Program to incorporate feedback from Small Developers  (BR).
• BBM 5.0 is out (BR, CB).  I’m going to wait a bit before trying it, but, IIUC how it works, it seems to me RIM could improve its viral adoption properties if it allowed it to interact w/ non BB users; with reduced functionality (slower, no images, limited text size), but working.
• Adoption links from Gartner and Canalys.  It’s interesting how Apple gets all the buzz and RIM is unrecognized.

Thursday

• More articles on BBM 5.0: Features and Why Upgrade?@BR; The Definitive Guide to BBM 5.0 @CB;
• WordPress for BB getting closer to 1.0 (CB).
• (Wednesday) ATT allows VoIP (PR) and Apple and Skype are jumping on it (PR).  Will the BB skype client do the same? (BR).
• JD Powers survey on Smartphones (and dumb phones) (Gizmodo).  Similar to that of CTI; iPhone is top;  LG is actual #2, but BBerry is close by.
• Intersting study of how different browsers leverage Webkit (Gizmodo).
• QR Code at Wikipedia, and a QR Code creator i-nigma.
  • Plenty of readers for the Symbian phones, or the Android…
  • And for a bunch of BBs, just not the Tour.  Thread at RIMarkable on readers
  • Supposedly I can use BBM 5.0 but I think I’ll wait until when I can upgrade to BBOS 5

Friday

• ElReg on the new models for the mobile world (ElReg)

Saturday

• Average price for BB apps compared to iPhone and Android (BR).   Hard to interpret w/o more data; it could be that the apps are better, or that they are priced higher. Original report is at Distimo.
• Noises about Strong 2 next week (BBC, BGR and everywhere).  Mostly everybody was unhappy with the Storm (1)… RIM better get it right this time (FWIW, I love the Tour hardware). And Bold2 in November (BGR).
  • I must say all these variations on a device x carrier x OS make the whole developer story harder to get through.  Get to one (or max 2) versions of the OS asap!
• BGR on BBM 5.0, I really want to try it out; I still don’t know if I can use BBM as a universal IM/SMS client – it would make sense to me, but…

Added new sites to track

Added BerryReview to my list of sites I’m tracking, surely more to come…

Impatica viaDoc – PC/Mac to BBerry (link)

I was hoping ths type of thing would also be (eventually?) included in the BBerrry Desktop Manager.  Am I misguided?

BBerry Innovation Forum in Europe (link)

Madrid, Paris, London, Frankfurt

The Competition – CNN App for iPhone (link)

Looks nice.  BBerry is in a race against time… it needs Apps (and a browser, and a cleaner App Store story, and an easier ramp-up for new users, and…)

NiceOffice – Free “Alternative” to BES (link)

Need to check it out.  Website,  BerryReview, App@BBAW

Another option is UpVise, see website, BerryReview, App@BBAW,

BlackBerry Desktop Manager for MacOS X is now available (link)

So, so.  had several problems with usability and the websites seem to record a significant number of issues.

Explaining BB’s Security Model (link)

Worth a read.  Part of the area that RIM needs to improve is to explain the difference between what the enterprise and the consumer users see.  Also, the challenges of these two types of users are different, and so are their needs, ties to BBs, etc.

Also see Enterprise IT Policy.  There are promises of more posts.  The whole series of DEV posts are beginning to be quite useful; they still feel a bit too “corporate” for my liking, but good beginning!

Consumer Satisfaction Index for Smartphones (link)

Probably the most interesting survey I’ve read in quite a while (see original report; it requires registration).  There are a few questions that I wish they had asked – for example WiFi/broadband use and keyboard/touch screen – but, overall, very good.

(Leaked) OS 5 for BB Tour (link)

It seems that (controlled?) leaks are a standard way to deliver alphas/betas?  Anyhow, I can’t try it on my tour because upgrading the OS seems to rely on having the BB desktop manager and the MacOS X version is not yet ready (actually, it is available as a leak, but I’m conservative/busy/been burned before, so I wait…).

YouTube App for BB Storm (link)

One of the main missing apps.  Hopefully will get to the Tour quickly too.

Google Pushes Gmail to Mobile Devices (link)

Interesting that most of the articles covering this do not mention that BBerry’s have had it for quite a while.  Not sure what that means… lack of adoption by BBerry?  bias in the reporters?  ignorance of reporters?

1400 iPod Apps Approved on Friday Alone (link)

But still awaiting for the few that people really want, like netflix, gVoice, etc..

More Leaks – BB 9700 (link)

My Tour’s trackball has not yet failed (knock on wood) but everybody seems to like the trackpad better.  Oh well, I didn’t want to wait.  More than anything else I want my Desktop for the Mac and 5.0.  And a browser that is as good as that in the iPhone but that may take a bit.

MyBlackBerry (link)

Nice. Finally.  Need to look more carefully

Profits down (link)

Ouch! But the WSJ has a more balanced article. Also see Electronista. Harder questions regard long-term market pressure, like Reuters.

BlackBerry Desktop Manager for MacOS X -

Almost there; see closer look from the official BB blogs team.