BlackBerry Travel, one of my favorite BlackBerry Apps and one that every BlackBerry user that ever flies on a plane should download and install, has been updated to version 1.1.42.99.
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WorldMate Live
RIM Announces BlackBerry Travel App
New app lets BlackBerry smartphone users plan, book, manage and share travel activities quickly and easily
Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced BlackBerry® Travel™, a new app that provides BlackBerry® smartphone users with an all-in-one integrated and contextual experience as they plan, book and manage their travels and itineraries while on the go.
“The BlackBerry Travel app is set to be the next must-have tool for travelers, offering convenient push notifications and seamless integration of travel itineraries, profiles, and flight status updates into the familiar BlackBerry Calendar,” said Jim Tobin, Senior Vice President, Software and Services at RIM. “We also think the BlackBerry Travel app represents a great opportunity for travel industry leaders to work with RIM to deliver enhanced services and better travel experiences for their customers, and new revenue opportunities for travel providers.”
When a new booking confirmation or itinerary arrives in the user’s inbox, the BlackBerry Travel app is automatically updated with the relevant details, which makes travel planning and management easier than ever.
BlackBerry smartphone users can also have their calendars automatically populated with itineraries as soon as they are confirmed and, by leveraging the BlackBerry push technology, the BlackBerry Travel app can keep users informed and in control of their itineraries by monitoring flight statuses and promptly providing notifications about changes. The app can even identify potential omissions or scheduling concerns with the itineraries, such as missing accommodations or timing conflicts, and provide users with suggestions.
The BlackBerry Travel app also brings together tools that travelers need while planning on the go, including:
- Hotel booking
- Currency converters
- Weather forecasts
- Local searches
In addition, BlackBerry smartphone users can share their travel information with colleagues, friends and family over email or through LinkedIn®, directly from the BlackBerry Travel app. The LinkedIn integration allows users to search for people in their network who will be in the same city, send messages to contacts and update their status.
The BlackBerry Travel app also features a desktop component that allows users to book flights and car rentals, as well as print and edit itineraries, from their computer.
The BlackBerry Travel app was built in collaboration with WorldMate, a leader in mobile travel platforms.
“WorldMate is tremendously excited to bring its unique itinerary management, travel expertise and technology to RIM to create the next stage in mobile travel services. The BlackBerry Travel app represents a quantum leap over existing solutions in features, functionality, polish and ease-of-use,” said Jean Tripier, CEO, WorldMate Inc.
WorldMate and RIM are working together with leading travel service, content and technology partners to provide BlackBerry Travel app users with an amazing mobile experience. Travel industry leaders will be able to work within the BlackBerry Travel partner program to point users back to their mobile sites for additional information, as well as access the itinerary API in the BlackBerry Travel service to enable the delivery of up-to-date information and itinerary details.
“When United and Continental customers are travelling, access to the best, most up-to-date information is key. Integrating with BlackBerry Travel will provide customers not only that information, but the ability to quickly jump to our web sites for additional information and access to enhanced services,” said Jared Miller, managing director of self-service and emerging technology at United Airlines. “We’re excited to team with RIM and WorldMate to give the customers of the combined carrier a great option for managing their travel and information while on the go.”
“As mobile usage grows exponentially, Expedia Affiliate Network provides the technology and solutions to allow travelers to plan and purchase their perfect trip quickly and easily,” said Benoit Jolin, VP of Product and Marketing at EAN. “We’ve supported RIM and WorldMate to bring our hotel booking capabilities to BlackBerry Travel to give our users an integrated experience as they plan, book and manage their travel with their BlackBerry smartphone.”
“Working with RIM and WorldMate gives Hilton Worldwide customers a great new option for keeping track of their stays with us while on the go,” said Chuck Sullivan, senior vice president, global online services, Hilton Worldwide. “Our customers will appreciate having a place to go to quickly and easily manage their travel itineraries.”
“BlackBerry Travel is a superb tool for travelers who want the most accurate and pertinent information delivered promptly and reliably,” said Kurt Ekert, chief commercial officer, Travelport. “We look forward to working with RIM to introduce BlackBerry Travel to the corporate market and believe its integration will continue to enable our travel management company clients to serve their customers even more effectively.”
Pricing and Availability
The BlackBerry Travel app will be available as a beta download today from the Test Center category on BlackBerry App World™ (www.blackberry.com/appworld). The app is free* and works on select BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry® 5 OS (Device Software) or higher.** The BlackBerry Travel app will be showcased at the BlackBerry Booth at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain this week. For more information please visit www.blackberry.com/travel
About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.
*The BlackBerry Travel App has no fee associated with download, but data charges may apply for wireless network use.
** BlackBerry Travel is available at launch for the BlackBerry® Curve™, BlackBerry® Bold™ and BlackBerry® Torch™ series of smartphones.
Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “intend,” “believe”, and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by RIM in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that RIM believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause RIM’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of RIM’s Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on RIM’s forward-looking statements. RIM has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.
Expedia is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. © 2011 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST # 2029030-50
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This is a post that I wrote for Simple Mobile Review but figured that I should post it here as well since it is a BlackBerry software review.
So, Rod has been trying to get me to take a look at WorldMate Live for BlackBerry for a good month or so and I’ve been putting it off, hoping that he’d forget that he asked me to review it. Long story short, I installed WorldMate a few years ago, and, while the application was kind of cool, it was just too much work entering in your travel itinerary via the WorldMate website when compared to just printing your intinerary out carrying it with you. Rod, however, is a persistent joker, and he finally made be promise to give the latest version of WorldMate the once over, and, I have to admit, I’m kind of glad that I did.
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I was just taking a look at the latest edition of the BlackBerry Connection newsletter and as usual, they have some featured software offering for the BlackBerry that often has a free trial. This month one of the feature BlackBerry software downloads is WorldMate Live.
WorldMate Live is Personal Mobile Travel Assistant for the BlackBerry and, I have to admit, it is pretty cool.
It helps you plan and manage your trip, and then provides you with assistance while you’re actually traveling. It pushes information to you based on your itinerary – from weather where you’re going to real time flight status, and provides you with critical information about your travel arrangements, meetings, and places you’re visiting.
There are three components to WorldMate Live. A BlackBerry Client, a plug-in that integrates with Outlook, and, of course, a BlackBerry client which you can download OTA directly to your device. To make a long story short, you manage your travel itineraries manually via the web client and automatically import travel information via the Outlook Client. This information is then pushed to the mobile client on your BlackBerry.
WorldMate Live has a lot of good features, many of which are available in the free membership. The really cool stuff like Flight Schedules, Alerts, and Flight Status are available in the gold membership which will set you back $9.95 per month, or $99.95 per year.
Through the end of this month, you can try the gold membership features for free so if you travel a lot, WorldMate Live may be a BlackBerry application that you’ll want to give the once over.
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