Press Release

Press Release: Research in Motion Launches the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook

August 3, 2012 by Robb Dunewood Leave a Comment

We heard rumors last week that the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook would launch on July 31st, however, the actual launch date came three days later.

In an August 2nd press release, Research in Motion officially announced the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook with a built-in wireless radio. Although there was no mention of price, the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook will launch on Canadian carriers August 9th. Other regions, including the United States will get the device at a later date.

Sprint To Release 4G BlackBerry PlayBook This Summer

January 6, 2011 by Robb Dunewood Leave a Comment

It looks like my question has been answered. Research in Motion is making some pretty significant announcements at CES. The first big one… Sprint is releasing a 4G BlackBerry PlayBook this summer.

Press Release:

BlackBerry 4G PlayBook Coming to the Sprint 4G Network

New 4G Tablet to Deliver Unmatched Power and Web Performance – Available Exclusively from Sprint this Summer

January 6, 2011 – CES 2011, Las Vegas, NV – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) and Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced plans to launch a new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet model featuring connectivity to the blazingly fast Sprint 4G network. The BlackBerry 4G PlayBook will be the first BlackBerry PlayBook model to include wide area wireless connectivity, featuring Sprint 4G to give customers download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G1. This new 4G model is expected to be available from Sprint in the summer.

The BlackBerry 4G PlayBook is a professional-grade tablet that’s set to redefine the possibilities of mobile computing, giving users an ultra-portable design with industry leading performance, uncompromised web browsing, true multitasking and HD multimedia, as well as advanced security features and out-of-the-box enterprise support. Together, the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook and the Sprint 4G network will provide a high performance platform that will enable a mobile services revolution for both application developers and customers.

“RIM believes a significant portion of the tablet market will want a higher performing, multitasking, professional-grade tablet and that is why we chose to design the BlackBerry PlayBook for premium performance with a powerful dual-core processor and multitasking OS. Together with Sprint, we are now building on that performance advantage with 4G and providing an unparalleled mobile experience for users,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

“We are excited to bring this powerful new product to our business customers and consumers who rely on Sprint for industry-leading devices as well as one of the best values in wireless,” said Steve Elfman, president of network operations and wholesale for Sprint. “This tablet is a great example of Sprint’s strong partnership with RIM in continuing to bring customers powerful devices to enhance their mobility. We are confident the BlackBerry 4G Playbook from Sprint will be one of the most anticipated tablets in 2011.”

In addition to Wi-Fi® support, the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook features a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and the new BlackBerry® Tablet OS. The ultra portable, ultra thin tablet will offer an uncompromised, high-fidelity web experience with support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, Adobe® Mobile AIR® and HTML-5 enabling customers to enjoy all of the sites, games, media and richness of the full Internet, delivered at 4G speeds. Additional details and pricing will be released closer to launch.

Sprint 4G is currently available in 71 markets2 across the country, including Atlanta, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City. Sprint first launched 4G in Baltimore in September 2008 and continues to build it’s 4G service for consumers and business users across the country. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.

For more information about the BlackBerry 4G PlayBook, visit www.blackberry.com/playbook or www.sprint.com/4Gplaybook.

RIM Announces Free BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express For Lotus Domino

November 5, 2010 by Robb Dunewood Leave a Comment

RIM Announces Free BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express Software for IBM Lotus Domino

Wirelessly Synchronizes BlackBerry Smartphones with Lotus Email, Calendar, Contacts and More; Works with Business and Personal Data Plans

Waterloo, ON. – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM, TSX: RIM) announced today BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express for IBM Lotus Domino – free server software that wirelessly synchronizes email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks between BlackBerry® smartphones and IBM Lotus Domino without compromising security. The software is available today here.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express uses the same robust security architecture of the market-leading, premium BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, and includes more than 75 of the over 500 smartphone controls and IT security policies available with the premium version of BlackBerry Enterprise Server software. It supports BlackBerry smartphones on business data plans as well as most personal data plans*.

“BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is a free download that is designed for businesses of all sizes. It provides an easy way for businesses to get started using BlackBerry smartphones with IBM Lotus Domino and it’s also an ideal no-cost software solution for businesses that want to allow their employees to connect their personal BlackBerry smartphones to their work email,” said Jeff McDowell, Senior Vice President, Enterprise and Platform Marketing at Research In Motion.

“There’s tremendous growth in work force mobility, from small businesses through to major corporations, and there is clear evidence that shows how smartphones can increase organizational responsiveness, improve productivity and help employees make the most of their time,” said Ed Brill, Director, Messaging and Collaboration, IBM Software Group. “BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is a great opportunity for businesses to cost-effectively extend Lotus Domino to more employees on BlackBerry smartphones.”

With BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express connected to IBM Lotus Domino, BlackBerry smartphone users will be able to:

Wirelessly synchronize email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks
Manage email folders and search email on the mail server from their smartphones
Book meetings and appointments, accept meeting requests, check availability and forward calendar attachments
Set an out-of-office reply
Access files stored on the company network
Use mobile applications to access business systems behind the firewall

For IT administrators, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express includes:

A Web-based interface that allows remote administration and makes it easy to deploy applications over the air, connect and manage BlackBerry smartphones, and apply usage policies
Over 75 IT controls and policies, including the ability to remotely wipe a smartphone and enforce and reset passwords
Employee self-service tools for securing a lost or stolen device
BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express works with Domino Enterprise Server and Domino Messaging Server. It can support multiple Lotus Domino domain environments from a single Web-based administration interface and can be run in parallel with the premium BlackBerry Enterprise Server software for the same instance of IBM Lotus Domino.

Software, the BlackBerry® Clients for IBM Lotus Sametime, Lotus Connections, and Lotus Quickr, and other enterprise-grade systems. The premium BlackBerry Enterprise Server is ideal for managing company-issued BlackBerry smartphones, whereas the free BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is an ideal option for securely connecting employee-owned BlackBerry smartphones to the corporate network without adding software licensing costs to the company.The premium version of BlackBerry Enterprise Server for IBM Lotus Domino provides more extensive mobile device management capabilities, over 500 smartphone controls and IT security policies for more granular control, and is required for add-on solutions such as BlackBerry® Mobile Voice System, Chalk Pushcast

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express for Lotus Domino is available today in seven languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese and Brazilian.

Boost Mobile Launches The BlackBerry Curve 8530

October 5, 2010 by Robb Dunewood 16 Comments

Boost Mobile today announced the availability of the BlackBerry Curve 8530 running on top of Sprint’s nationwide 3G network. The device will set you back $249.99 up front, but, you can get unlimited text, voice, and data for just $60 per month on Boost Mobiles pre-paid Unlimited BlackBerry Plan which is cheaper than anything you can get on a contract. You’ve got to admit that this not that bad of a deal so long as you just don’t have to have the newest of the new BlackBerry devices.

AT&T Says BlackBerry Pearl 3G And Curve 3G Coming Soon

September 29, 2010 by Robb Dunewood 1 Comment

Although it seems like it has taken forever, AT&T has finally announced both the BlackBerry Pearl 3G and the BlackBerry Curve 3G and lisst them as Coming Soon to their network. Why it has taken the largest GSM carrier in the U.S. to announce these devices is unclear, but, I am going to go out on a limb and assume that it is because AT&T paid a premium to get the BlackBerry Torch as an exclusive and the company to want to create competition for the Torch from other devices on their own network.

See the full press release after the jump…

BlackBerry DEVCON Day One Press Announcements

September 28, 2010 by Robb Dunewood Leave a Comment

Research in Motion made a lot of news yesterday. Here is a quick recap…

RIM Officially Announces BlackBerry Curve 3G

August 9, 2010 by Robb Dunewood 2 Comments

It’s not a big shocker, seeing how Rogers has already let the cat out of the bag, that Research in Motion has officially announced the BlackBerry Curve 3G. The Curve 3G has a 2MP camera, 256MB of memory, a 320×240 display, and ships with OS 5, however, is said to be BlackBerry 6 ready. (Maybe there is still hope for the BlackBerry Storm2)