Blackberry

This year, smartphones should outship feature phones for the first time

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 28, 2017

It has already happened in the United States and now comes word 2013 will mark the date when smartphones outsell simpler so-called feature phones globally. More than 918 million smartphones such as Apple's iPhone will ship this year, for the first time outnumbering feature phones.

According to research firm IDC, a nice 50.1 percent of mobile phones shipped this year will be smartphones, most destined for China. However, that small lead should widen greatly by 2017 as more emerging nations increase adoption of the powerful mobile devices...

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Major blow to BlackBerry as Pentagon warms up to iOS and Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 26, 2013

The U.S. government and its defense agencies have been dropping BlackBerries for iPhones and Androids for some time and at an alarming pace, too. Back in March 2012, the U.S. Air Force placed a cool $9 million order for 18,000 iPads. Last December, The Washington Post dug up a Defense Department document revealing the Pentagon had tapped contractors to test iOS and Android devices.

Then Bloomberg last month claimed Consolidated Analysis Center Incorporated, a federal contractor, altered thousands of iPads for use by high-ranking government officials, including the President. And finally, Tuesday came the official confirmation that the U.S. Defense Department is working to open its networks to about 100,000 mobile devices from Apple and Google...

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New Zealand police pick iOS over BlackBerry, Android in 10,000 device deal

Cody Lee ∙ February 14, 2013

The New Zealand Police Department has announced that it will be doling out 10,000 iOS devices to its officers over the next few months as part of a new technology push. It says that 6000 of its officers will be receiving iPhones, and 3900 of them will also receive tablets.

According to Police Commissioner Peter Marshall, the decision to go with Apple's platform came after field testing a range of different devices, including those running Android and BlackBerry operating systems. The deal is said to be worth in upwards of $5 million...

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The exodus continues: Home Depot drops BlackBerry for iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ February 9, 2013

It hasn't even been a week since we reported that Australia's Treasury Department would be trading in their BlackBerry devices for iPhones, and there's already a new story on the Canadian handset-maker losing another major enterprise customer.

The word is that Home Depot, a home improvement retail chain and the 5th largest retailer in the world, is also looking to drop their BlackBerrys in favor of Apple's popular smartphone. And the account is a big one, worth over 10,000 handsets...

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FTC issues app privacy guidelines, proposes ‘Do Not Track’ for mobile

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated November 9, 2023

A patchwork of online privacy measures should be standardized to form a 'Do Not Track' list for mobile app users. In guidelines issued Friday, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission says mobile devices such as Apple's iPhone "facilitate unprecedented amounts of data collection."

Both devices and app developers should obtain users' consent before obtaining personal information such as location, photos or contacts. The set of guidelines accompanied Path's $800,000 settlement with the FTC over grabbing iOS users' personal address books without their consent...

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RIM rebrands, announces the first two BB10 devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

RIM's long-awaited BlackBerry 10 event just finished up, and the company had quite a lot to talk about. On top of announcing that it's rebranded itself to BlackBerry (no more Research in Motion), it unveiled its first two BB10 handsets.

I won't get into the dramatics here. Everyone knows what's on the line for the struggling smartphone-maker. And it has essentially bet its entire future on this new mobile OS and these new devices. So without further ado, let's take a look...

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Comparison video: BlackBerry Z10 vs iPhone 5

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 17, 2017

After what seems like years of waiting, we are now just 9 days away from RIM's BlackBerry 10 launch event. Here, the Canadian company is expected to show off its 'finished' next-generation operating system, as well as its new devices that will be running it.

We already know that one of those devices will be the BlackBerry Z10, a high-end handset with a 4.2-inch display, because RIM has already passed out several of them. For those wondering how it will stack up against the iPhone 5, here's a comparison video...

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Poll: my next cell phone will be…

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

These days, it's all but impossible to escape Apple hate speech. You know who to blame: big media. I mean, stock manipulators played even the credulous Wall Street Journal. It's not just WSJ - or NYT or Reuters, for that matter.

Anti-Apple Forbes hit new lows with clickbait headlines like this one or this one. And as crazypants analysts voice their concern regarding "Apple’s lack of a strategy in the lower-end phone”, they at the same time continue to hallucinate about a happiness or time travel machine from Apple.

And all of them get an assistance from traffic-hungry journalists like Dan Lyons whose write-ups sound bitter and idiotic. But in spite of all that FUD talk, Apple is demolishing Android in every metric that matters. None of this frenzy should matter when considering your next cell phone.

But real life can be a bitch and with so much negative publicity mounting ahead of Apple's earnings report, no wonder some of the faint-hearted fans are beginning to question their faith in the California firm. I know where my heart stands, but I want to know one thing: do you know where your heart stands? So, what's your next phone gonna be?

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Another survey says more than half want an iPhone 5 for Christmas

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

After getting off to a shaky start, more than half of consumers shopping for a smartphone plan to buy an iPhone 5, according to a new Wall Street survey. Likewise, Twitter chatter indicates a growing number of Internet users hope to find Apple's new handset under the Christmas tree.

Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster told investors Thursday that 53.3 percent of a group polled Wednesday said they plan to purchase the iPhone 5 over the next month. That number is just slightly below the 54.9 percent found in mid-October, following the new smartphone's launch...

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RIM lost Nokia suit, now faces BlackBerry ban

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

An interesting opportunity has presented itself to Microsoft following news that Canada-based Research In Motion has lost a legal dispute with Nokia over wireless technology patents. As a result, RIM could see BlackBerry handsets banned unless it agrees to pay royalties to Nokia. As things stand, Nokia has already filed cases in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom to enforce the ruling, a move that could see all Blackberry smartphones removed from store shelves.

"In order to enforce the Tribunal's ruling, we have now filed actions in the US, UK and Canada with the aim of ending RIM's breach of contract", Nokia said in a statement. If the courts enforce the sales ban, consequences for the ailing BlackBerry maker could be devastating while opening door to Microsoft's Windows Phone becoming the #3 mobile platform...

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IDC: Android and iOS to surpass BlackBerry in enterprise this year

Cody Lee ∙ November 28, 2012

According to a new study by market research firm IDC, the iPhone will combine with Android handsets to overtake BlackBerry's enterprise marketshare for the first time ever this year. This is a major threat to RIM's struggling mobile platform, which has been using its popularity in the enterprise market to stay afloat as its consumer sales have plummeted...

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