In a statement issued today Research in Motion said that it will filter pornographic internet content for its 2 million users in Indonesia as well as open a local server so that the government of Indonesia can gain access to encrypted data.
Indonesian Communications and Information Minister Tiffatul Sembiring has called for tighter internet controls and wants RIM to block access to porn sites to comply with an anti-pornography law in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
To make a long story short, internet service providers were asked back in July of last year to restrict access to pornographic material based on a law banning such content passed back in 2008. RIM either had to comply, or, risk being shut down.
RIM said, “it is fully committed to working with Indonesias carriers to put in place a prompt, compliant filtering solution for Blackberry subscribers in Indonesia as soon as possible“.
Even though the BlackBerry smartphone has steadily lost market share to its competitors in 2010 BlackBerry brand awareness has grown stronger according to the third annual Vitrue 100 which annually ranks the most social brands by analyzing online conversations on a daily basis across social networks blogs, micro-blogs, photo and video sharing sites using the Vitrue Social Media Index (SMI).
The BlackBerry brand ranks number 2 moving up 13 spots from last years ranking in the consumer electronics category and also ranks number 2 overall following the iPhone which has ranked number 1 in all three years of the survey.
To ensure that BlackBerry smartphone and tablet accessories are built to a high level of quality, Research in Motion has introduced Built for BlackBerry, a program for selected partners that build accessories specifically for the BlackBerry platform.
The Built for BlackBerry program is a partnership between Research In Motion (RIM) and selected partners. These partners will develop accessories and peripherals specifically designed to work with BlackBerry® smartphones and the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet.
Built for BlackBerry products will include carrying, in-vehicle and A/V solutions. From carrying cases to audio accessories, you’ll find quality accessories built just for your device.
It will be easy to spot Built for BlackBerry branded peripherals and accessories as the Built for BlackBerry logo will be displayed on the packaging. Partners currently in the Built for BlackBerry program include:
Case-mate — cases
Incipio — cases
Speck — cases
OtterBox — cases, skins, and holsters
iGrip — car kits and car mounts
Trü Protection — screen protectors
Textra — cases
We are sure that this list will continue to grow over time.
BlackBerry has teamed up with MTV UK to present MTV Brand New: For 2011 where you get to pick the winner from 10 acts tipped by MTV to be the best of 2011. The list includes indie band The Vaccines, hip-hop-electro-pop mash-up act Far East Movement, singer-song writer Jessie J, grime MC Wretch 32, pop-r’n’b trio Ruff Diamondz, Nashville based band Mona, dub-step artist Jamie Woon, songwriter and producer Labrinth, singer-song writer Clare Maguire and pop’s youngest starlet Willow Smith.
From today through Jan. 31st, you can cast your vote for the biggest brand new artist of 2011 by visiting www.mtv.co.uk/brandnew. MTV and RIM will select 3 lucky voters allowing them to be back stage reporters, gig photographers, or even a music video director at the Brand New for 2011 live even…
It’s been just over a month since the iPhone overtook the BlackBerry in total U.S. market share and as we begin 2011, Apple still is in the top spot. This may not be the case for to long, however, because Android is poised to overtake RIM and Apple with the ridiculous growth that the platform is experiencing.
According to November 2010 data, Apple holds 28.6 percent of the U.S. smartphone market up slightly from 27.9 percent in October. Meanwhile, BlackBerry OS slipped again in November to 26.1 percent, down from 27.4 percent in October and 33.9 percent in June. Android OS closed the distance on Apple and RIM reaching 25.8 percent in November, compared to 22.7 percent in October and 15 percent in June.
It’s pretty clear that Android will over take RIM relatively soon. This would probably be true for Apple as well if it weren’t for the the fact that the iPhone is soon coming to Verizon. My gut tells me that the Verizon iPhone will become the fast selling smartphone ever and will probably hold of Android for a bit longer, while increasing the speed of the BlackBerry’s decline as the churn of current Verizon BlackBerry users that switch to the iPhone will probably be at all time high levels.
Well, what do you know… The BlackBerry Torch, Research in Motion’s flagship BlackBerry device, has been named Laptop Magazine’s Readers Choice Best Smartphone of 2010. The BlackBerry Torch got off to a slow start when initially released, however, ended up leading Research in Motion to a better than expected quarter. In a poll with over 11,000 respondents, the BlackBerry Torch just edged out the HTC Evo 4G with 4096 (34.96%) votes.
Just the other day we heard we heard the Research in Motion was changing the name of its WES conference. Today we know that the biggest BlackBerry show of the year is now called BlackBerry World Conference. Personally, I liked QNXpo.com, however, if MacWorld Conference works for Apple, BlackBerry World will probably just be just fine for RIM.
BlackBerry World will be held May 3rd through the 5th down in Orlando next year and I personally am going to do everything in my power to see if I can finally attend.
About BlackBerry World
WES is now a part of the new BlackBerry® World conference. BlackBerry World is our new conference delivering a bigger and better 360-degree view of everything BlackBerry. Participate in the full breadth of what BlackBerry means today, and where we’re going tomorrow. Wireless, enterprise, consumer, applications and more — it’s all here at BlackBerry World. The WES tracks and content continue to be available at BlackBerry World, plus we’re adding several new tracks exclusively for BlackBerry Channel Partners.
Only by attending BlackBerry World can you:
Hear the most current information about the BlackBerry solution, today’s new application partners, and roadmaps for the future
See live demonstrations of the BlackBerry solution at work
Get the answers you need from BlackBerry experts to develop value-driven wireless solutions, as well as carriers and vendors who can help you complete all your wireless research
Meet and connect with key executives who are making the BlackBerry solution part of their business planning, and the industry leaders who are shaping the future of global wireless technology
Get training on the BlackBerry platform, with additional opportunities for technical certification
BlackBerry World brings together the whole world of BlackBerry. From business leaders and IT professionals to BlackBerry Channel partners, software vendors and solution providers, to industry leading analysts, it’s the year’s widest gathering of wireless expertise in one place.
BlackBerry World is your chance to see first-hand what wireless technology means to today’s leading organizations and wireless customers. You’ll discover new ways to plan mobility strategy and increase the value of mobility for your organization — only at BlackBerry World.
Research in Motion is holding their 5th of 5 Develop for the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR webcast today at 2:00 p.m. EST. Today’s topic: BlackBerry App World Submissions…
In our previous webcasts we covered many topics on how to create applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. During this webcast we’ll provide all the details on how to submit your application to BlackBerry App World for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. During this webcast we’ll cover:
Today’s webcast will cover:
Walkthrough of the BlackBerry App World Submission Process
Selling your app on BlackBerry App World and how revenue is paid
Overview of the BlackBerry Commercial Services (Advertising and Payment)
Best Practices for Global Distribution of your Application
Live Q&A with experts from Research In Motion Limited and Adobe
Presenters:
Mike Kirkup,
Senior Product Manager, Research In Motion Limited
Alex Kinsella,
Adobe Developer Evangelist, Adobe Systems Incorporated
Renaun Erickson,
Adobe Developer Evangelist, Adobe Systems Incorporated
