BlackBerry

Sprint eyeing alternative BB10 touch-screen phone

Apparently there's a reason Sprint passed up the BlackBerry Z10. Along with holding out for the BB10-powered Q10, the carrier may have plans for a new touch-screen handset from BlackBerry.

If sources close to All Things Digital are accurate, then Sprint has its eye on an additional all-screen phone other than the Z10, which BlackBerry may have up its sleeve. … Read more

AT&T could sell BlackBerry Z10 on March 15

New reports suggest that AT&T will be the first U.S. carrier out of the gate with the BlackBerry Z10 on March 15. If they pan out, then it reveals BlackBerry's true weakness despite the hype of BB10.

Originally reported by N4BB and echoed by mobile news sites Phone Arena and BlackBerryOS, AT&T apparently has moved up its plans to push the Z10 out to the American public. If sources close to N4B can be trusted, then BlackBerry's most advanced handset could hit the street the day after the Samsung Galaxy S4's big unveiling. … Read more

Locked-down BlackBerry offers classified, personal use

HANNOVER, Germany--In today's James Bond world, smartphones get you instant access to top-secret information. In the real world, security constraints mean mobile phones generally aren't nearly so clever or convenient.

BlackBerry and Secusmart hope to change that through a partnership that at least has won over the German federal government. It has authorized purchases of phones with the BlackBerry 10 operating system augmented with Secusmart's SD card-mounted security chips for classified communications, said Hans-Christoph Quelle, Secusmart managing director, speaking here at the CeBit technology show.

The approach uses a feature in BlackBerry 10 called Balance, which partitions … Read more

BlackBerry 10 users, here's your first software update

BlackBerry 10 users are already being treated to their first update to the new operating system.

Handset maker BlackBerry today announced that its update, which will be delivered over the air, improves the performance of third-party applications, ensuring that they run a bit faster and smoother. In addition, the update addresses some problems users are finding with Gmail calendar support and importing contacts from online sources.

BlackBerry launched its new OS software at the end of January, introducing as well the touch-screen BlackBerry Z10 smartphone and the keyboard-equipped Q10. The Z10 is so far available in the U.K., Canada, … Read more

BlackBerry Z10 makes passage to India, with $800 price tag

India is now the latest country to get BlackBerry's Z10 handset.

The company today announced that it has launched the smartphone in India for 43,490 rupees ($800). The device is already available in the U.K. and Canada.

According to BlackBerry, the handset will be offered in over 2,000 retail locations across 50 cities around India. The handset will support carriers running 3G or HSPA+ networks, and the handsets will fully support global roaming.

BlackBerry is taking its time offering its new line of handsets around the world: The U.S. is expected to get the Z10 … Read more

Instagram reportedly says no native app for BlackBerry 10

As BlackBerry 10 works to get a foothold in the smartphone market, it's considered crucial that the platform carry all the components important to users. Besides a camera, Wi-Fi support, and a well-designed interface, the smartphone also needs to be able to carry popular apps.

However, it's looking like one of the world's most popular apps isn't planning on developing a version for BlackBerry 10. Instagram is reportedly not going to create a native BlackBerry 10 app, according to AllThingsD. VentureBeat also reported on this back in October.

"There will be no [native] Instagram for … Read more

Home Depot iPhone switch short-circuits BlackBerry stock

Shares of BlackBerry dropped 4.6 percent today after Home Depot confirmed a report by AppleInsider that the company is handing out iPhones to about 10,000 employees who were using the BlackBerry. A spokesman for the home improvement retailer did not offer more detail about when the replacement process began, other than to acknowledge that Home Depot was "replacing the current base of BlackBerry technology with iPhone, but these are not the mobile devices used in our stores."

The decision hardly constitutes make-or-break news for BlackBerry, but it comes only a week after the company introduced a … Read more

BlackBerry 10 smartphones won't be sold in Japan

As BlackBerry rolls deeper into the smartphone world with the launch of BlackBerry 10, it looks like some countries will be left off of the map.

The device maker confirmed today that it has no plans to launch any BlackBerry 10 smartphones in Japan.

"We are in the process of launching BlackBerry 10 globally in key markets and we are seeing positive demand for the BlackBerry Z10 in countries where it has already launched," a BlackBerry spokesperson told CNET in an e-mail. "Japan is not a major market for BlackBerry, and we have no plans to launch … Read more

BlackBerry Z10 camera versus iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3

BlackBerrys haven't always had the top cameras in the industry, but with the BlackBerry Z10's 8-megapixel camera, things are turning around.

In my tests so far, the Z10's shooter largely succeeds. Over the course of my testing period, I got some really nice outdoor shots, plus some crisp indoor photos of everything from food labels to receipts. Of course, not every indoor picture or portrait turned out great, but I found the images usable overall (check out my Z10 review for even more photos).

So let's see how it compares with two other high-quality smartphone cameras, … Read more