z

Apple still world's most valuable global brand, says report

Apple has again been crowned the most valuable global brand in the annual BrandZ report.

Released Tuesday, Millward Brown Optimor's 2013 BrandZ report pegs Apple with a brand value of $185 billion, up from $183 billion last year. Based on financial data and the opinions of potential and current buyers, Apple retained its top rank in spite of the thrashing suffered by its stock over the past several months.

"Despite a more competitive marketplace and other challengers nipping at its heels, Apple's ability to maintain its No.1 position demonstrates the value that having a strong brand … Read more

Samsung Galaxy Tablet may run on Intel chip

Samsung may do something it has never done: Put an Intel chip in a Galaxy Tab.

The Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Android tablet is expected to sport a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom CloverTrail+ chip, industry sources familiar with the product told CNET. The plus sign means the CloverTrial chip packs a high-performance PowerVR SGX544 MP2 graphic processing unit from Imagination Technologies.

Other specs include Android 4.2.2 and a 1,280 x 800 display.

Samsung is slated to reveal the Galaxy Tab at Computex, which starts June 4 in Taipei.

While Intel processors power a raft of Windows … Read more

How BlackBerry is fixing its once 'broken' brand

ORLANDO, Fla. -- When Frank Boulben joined BlackBerry a year ago as its chief marketing officer, he found a company whose reputation with the public was in shambles.

To make matters worse, its marketing strategy was in complete disarray. Each country or region had their own version of a BlackBerry campaign, complete with different agencies and creative processes. Even within the same region, campaigns would change from quarter to quarter with little lasting effect.

"There were a lot of broken pieces," Boulben recalled during his keynote presentation at the company's BlackBerry Live conference on Tuesday.

Getting BlackBerry'… Read more

Forced to live with BB10, and kind of liking it

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Irony may be funny to the gods of Olympus, but it's a cruel lesson for us mortals. I found this out the hard way at BlackBerry Live 2013. Within minutes of arriving at my hotel I managed to misplace my lovely HTC One test unit. As a result, my backup BlackBerry Z10 was suddenly promoted to first-string smartphone duty. … Read more

BlackBerry regains some lost market share in Canada

BlackBerry has managed to regain some lost market share in its home country of Canada.

In a research note to investors on Thursday, Raymond James analyst Tavis McCourt reported that while BlackBerry's market share was just 6 percent in Canada in the fourth quarter of 2012, it jumped to 13.5 percent in the first quarter of 2013. The analyst believes that there was some excitement that cropped up around BlackBerry's latest handsets, the Z10 and Q10, which helped spur the change.

Still, BlackBerry is still far behind where it once was. According to McCourt, BlackBerry had a … Read more

BlackBerry Messenger jumps to iPhone, Android

CNET Update busts out the Breakout:

Lots of news around BlackBerry in today's roundup. Not only is BlackBerry expanding the popular Messenger service as an app for Android and iOS, but it also is giving Messenger a social-media twist with BBM Channels.

BlackBerry keyboard fans in the U.S. are finally able to own the Q10 this summer when it arrives at T-Mobile, Verzion and Sprint. (Get the full Q10 review here.) Considering the phone was unveiled at the end of January, BlackBerry fans in the U.S. have had to wait awhile for any availability details. But as … Read more

BlackBerry CEO likes tablets, just not as they are

ORLANDO, Fla.--OK, so is BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins a fan of tablets, or isn't he?

Heins, who made waves last month when he said he didn't see a place for tablets in five years, made some seemingly contradictory comments on tablets when he spoke on Tuesday during a Q&A session with the media while at the BlackBerry Live conference.

"We believe in a single element of mobile computing: one on your hip," Heins said.

Roughly 15 minutes later, Heins said BlackBerry was looking at the future of tablets and investing R&D … Read more

Why BlackBerry needs a budget BB10 phone ASAP

BlackBerry's next phone announcement doesn't have to be big or flashy. It just needs to be affordable.

With the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10, the company has shown it can make a competitive smartphone. Now it needs a budget-friendly version that it can market to the regions of the world that have shown the most growth over the last few years.

"I think a low-cost phone is critical," said Maribel Lopez, an analyst at Lopez Research. BlackBerry "can still gain traction in emerging markets."

That could come as early as Tuesday, when BlackBerry kicks off … Read more

How to edit application permissions on BlackBerry 10

The first time you install a BlackBerry 10 app you're required to approve or deny the app access to various types of information on your device. For example, the Foursquare app requires permission to access your location (among other things) in order to find nearby venues. While other apps may request permission to access your photos, music or connect to BBM.

Denying an app permission to one of the requested categories is a good way to protect your personal data, but should you mistakenly deny an app permission, you'll need to know where to go to edit these … Read more

Get Hooked Up Sweepstakes

Been staying up nights pining for a BlackBerry® Z10 of your very own? Here is your chance. Cast your vote below and be entered to win* one of five brand-new BlackBerry Z10 Smartphones! To celebrate the launch of CNET's newest show, Hooked Up, we've partnered with BlackBerry to bring CNET users a chance to win the latest BlackBerry smartphone. The slick-looking BlackBerry Z10 is so packed with new features, it may be hard to select just one that you like the best!

Interested in winning? Here are the rules: