Stories

I wrote a post about a year and a half ago about one of my friends and how he started dating someone after she gave him her BlackBerry PIN on a cocktail napkin. Although the comments don’t show it, I think that this is one of the funniest posts that I have written here on RIMarkable and I just thought that I would let the folks who have read it know that they are getting married.

The post was titled: Want a date? Buy a BlackBerry!

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BBHub is Shutting Down

by Robb Dunewood on January 30, 2007 · 0 comments

A little over a week ago we heard a rumor that AOL was going to shut down BBHub along with several other Weblogs Inc. properties and now a post by Russell Shaw over on BBHub confirms the rumor. BBHub was one of the blogs that I can honestly say that read everyday and, as I have said before, it will be missed.

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I can spot someone in the BlackBerry Prayer a mile away and there is no question that the Vice President was either trying to set a new high score in Brick Breaker or checking email right during his boss’s speech.

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BBHub, one of my favorite blogs, authored by one of my favorite tech bloggers, Russell Shaw, may be shut down at the end of the month according to a post by Nick Denton.

The Time Warner internet unit has told editors of smaller and unprofitable sites that they will be shuttered at the end of the month. So far, we’re hearing lesser-known titles such as BBHub, Divester, DV Guru and PVR Wire; do let us know about others, so we can establish a count.

Former owner of Weblogs Inc., Jason Calacanis believes that AOL will consolidate BBHub along with EngadgetHD into EngadgetMobile. Weblogs Inc. co-founder Brian Alvey, who is still with AOL, the company Weblogs Inc. was sold to for a reported $25 million, said that they did a survey to see which Weblogs Inc. blogs were consolidation candidates and AOL finalized the list and started letting bloggers know.

I won’t be talking about the specific blogs here. Many of these bloggers are already finding new gigs across the network on blogs like Engadget, Download Squad, Slashfood, Gadling, TV Squad and Blogging Stocks.

This isn’t a confirmation that BBHub is shutting down, however, all indications that one of the most informative sites about the BlackBerry and Research in Motion may be coming to an end…

If this is indeed the case, BBHub will be missed.

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Apple iPhone Nonsense

by Robb Dunewood on January 14, 2007 · 17 comments

 
I admit the I was briefly caught in all the fanfare around Apple’s announcement of the iPhone last week but Apple has gone back to it’s usual ways and I have come back to my senses.

Several developers have created skins for Windows Mobile and launchers for Palm that resemble the interface on Apple’s soon to be released iPhone. Not only has Apple sent cease and desist letters to the sites hosting these files, they have sent them to blogs linking to the sites. Apple doesn’t just want you not to be able make your Windows Mobile or Treo look like an iPhone. They don’t even want you to hear that the ability to do so even exists.

Isn’t it interesting how Apple can rationalize clearly stealing a company’s trademarked of a device that they are selling but fell infringed upon if some developer makes a Treo or a Windows Mobile device look like the device they are about to come out with.

I just hope that some developer creates an iPhone theme for the BlackBerry. I will gladly link to hit here.

[Via TechCrunch]

Apple, iPhone

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Ontario, Canada Health Promotion Minister and former mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, has pitched the idea of equipping BlackBerry devices with built-in pedometers to measure the distance that BlackBerry users walk each day.

A lot of people wearing BlackBerries look like they spend a lot of time at their desk and it’s probably not a bad thing that they get more exercise, or at least recognize how little exercise or walking they’re doing,” said Mr. Watson, adding he contacted Research in Motion with the idea of planting a chip in BlackBerries to measure how far a person walks.

Although RIM officials have not discounted the possibility of adding an step counting chip to the BlackBerry, they have not committed to the idea either.

“(Our) initial investigation has not yielded an obvious possibility, but I continue to investigate. In particular, coupling a sophisticated pedometer with a Blackberry using Bluetooth (technology) would be possible,” a RIM official wrote in response to Mr. Watson’s inquiry.

If Research in Motion goes down this road, the ultimate smartphone could become the ultimate work-out device.

Source

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I have a question for any RIMarkable readers that work in a Verizon store. Are you incentivised to sell the Motorola Q over the BlackBerry 8703e?

I ask this question because I saw two Verizon sales reps working at different stores try to talk a customer out of getting a BlackBerry 8703e and into getting a Motorola Q instead. I was actually kind of shocked at the clear bias towards the Q over the BlackBerry when the customer clearly asked about the BlackBerry.

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BlackBerry UK is helping out Santa Clause by setting up Santa’s Little Helper, a site that allows those wanting to get their Christmas wish lists to the big guy up North as efficiently as possible to send an email to directly to Santa’s BlackBerry.

The site allows you to list five gifts that will be entered into Santa’s Present Processing System, that automatically sends the request off to production, a.k.a, the toy making elves, then sends a note to Father Christmas’ BlackBerry with address information that ties directly into the GPS capabilities of Santa’s new BlackBerry 8700.

Oh Yeah… Santa is high tech. Just see The Santa Clause 1, 2, or 3.
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Are you stuck in a Cingular contract, want to get out of it, but don’t want to pay cancellation penalty? This part of Cingular’s Terms of Service may be just what you need.

IF WE INCREASE THE PRICE OF ANY OF THE SERVICES TO WHICH YOU SUBSCRIBE… YOU MAY TERMINATE THIS AGREEMENT WITHOUT PAYING AN EARLY TERMINATION FEE… PROVIDED YOUR NOTICE OF TERMINATION IS DELIVERED TO US WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE FIRST BILL REFLECTING THE CHANGE.

The Consumerist is reporting that the five cent text message hike from $.10 to $.15 is all you will need to escape your contract without an early termination fee.
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