BlackBerry

Research in Motion (RIM) has a new accessory for your BlackBerry that lets you listen to your favorite songs over your car's stereo – the BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone (model VM-605). This Bluetooth-enabled device also helps you keep both hands on the wheel by streaming calls from your BlackBerry through your car's stereo system. It supports voice activated dialing, caller ID, and gives you verbal notifications of who's calling.

It's easy to use, too. Just clip it to your car's visor with no installation required. The BlackBerry Visor Mount is available at www.shopblackberry.com for $99.99.

Verizon Wireless just announced that customers can now pre-order the BlackBerry Tour for $199.99 (after a $70 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement) online at www.verizonwireless.com/tour. The BlackBerry Tour will be in stores on July 12th, 2009.

The BlackBerry Tour is a 3G world phone, and features RIM's push-based mobile solution for e-mail; IM, SMS, MMS messaging and social networking; a 3.2 megapixel camera with geo-tagging and video recording; advanced multimedia capabilities; built-in GPS; full HTML Web browsing; and support for Verizon Wireless' Mobile Broadband Connect tethering service. It also supports V CAST Music with Rhapsody and VZ Navigator services. A model of the BlackBerry Tour without a camera will also be available.

For information on Verizon Wireless' plans for BlackBerry smartphones, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

The BlackBerry Tour will function on Sprint's 3G network, but it also roams on other high-speed wireless networks around the world for reliable voice and email communication without missing a beat.

It lets you stay socially connected by sharing moments through pictures and videos via MMS and instant message on popular IM services or BlackBerry Messenger. The Tour also offers easy access to your favorite social networking sites like Flickr, MySpace and Facebook, and you get smooth integration between the BlackBerry Tour smartphone and your Facebook events and friends giving you a great view of what's happening both personally and professionally.

The BlackBerry Tour smartphone comes equipped with a vibrant display (480 x 360 at 245 ppi), intuitive trackball navigation, full-QWERTY keyboard, corporate and personal email with attachment viewing, calendar, integrated address book and up to 16 GB of expandable memory with a microSD/SDHC card. It also has a 3.2 MP camera with variable zoom, auto focus, flash and image stabilization able to capture crisp pictures and video.Read more

Today, RIM and Verizon Wireless announced that the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 will be available through Verizon Wireless beginning June 19th.

Features of the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 include:

• Two high-resolution color displays -- an external LCD lets you preview incoming messages without opening the handset
• 2.0 megapixel camera with zoom, flash and video recording capabilities
• Large SureType QWERTY keyboard
• microSD/SDHC card slot with support for up to 16 GB of memory per card
• Support for BlackBerry App World
• Rich multimedia capabilities and an advanced media player for music, videos and pictures
• Easy mobile access to Facebook, MySpace and Flickr, as well as instant messaging services (e.g. Yahoo! IM, AIM, Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger)
• BlackBerry Media Sync allows for easy syncing of music collections to the BlackBerry Pearl Flip (certain music files may not be supported, including files that contain digital rights management technologies)
• Visual Voice Mail ($2.99 monthly access)
• VZ Navigator-capable ($9.99 monthly access)

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8320 will be available for $129.99 from www.verizonwireless.com after a $70 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

Well, well, well…it looks like Sprint won't be the only one carrying the Palm Pre. According to a report from Reuters, Verizon Wireless will be selling the Pre, but you'll have to wait about six months after the launch to get it at Verizon stores. Verizon Wireless' Lowell McAdam confirmed the news on a webcast, Reuters said.

Verizon Wireless also said they would be introducing a new version of the BlackBerry Storm and a new BlackBerry called Tour, which is said to be a new upscale BlackBerry. Also slated are devices from Motorola and phones based on Google's Android operating system.

"Over the next six months or so you will see devices like Palm Pre and a second generation Storm," on the Verizon Wireless network, McAdam said. "You can expect to see us launch a steady stream of new devices from multiple vendors."

HP announced the print from mobile at CES this year. Here is the free iPhone App. BlackBerry's are now printing from mobile devices, www.blackberry.com/hp. Now Epson is joining in the fun of print from your iPhone or iPod Touch to their printers. The only reason Epson will not see the success from this App is their decision to charge $6.99, and HP gives theirs away. It is my opinion that Epson will sell more printers and ink if they give this App away for free.

Now, with all the buzz on the digital tablets, and the speculation that Apple will release a touch screen digital tablet to rival the SONY Reader, and Amazon Kindle – Epson should take note, and seriously reconsider charging people for drivers to print on their printers. Good luck with your App, Epson. Isn't the data of who downloads the App, where they download it, etc. more valuable than selling it? Read more

The BlackBerry is a wonderful communication device. Sure, the iPhone is cool to play with, but it is the BlackBerry that is truly the communication device of mobile phones. I am always traveling to trade shows, CES, PMA, CTIA, etc. meeting with the latest device manufacturers to discuss the latest and greatest from their research and development efforts. The one thing I notice is that all of the technology industry people that attend these trade shows use BlackBerry's.

I need to communicate, not surf the internet or watch videos. Sure, the games on the iPhone rock, and the Apps are plenty – and solve real world problems in some cases. It is the BlackBerry that has games, Web browser capabilities, and much more – even their own App store.

This sleek, Pearl Flip BlackBerry is a device that delivers on your expectations of what a smart phone should be. Alltel Wireless customers can expect to pay $79 after the mail-in rebate.

Check out the many options from Alltel www.shopalltel.com.

Research in Motion (RIM) just announced today that their application store for BlackBerry smartphones is now open for business! BlackBerry users can download the BlackBerry App World application by visiting www.blackberry.com/appworld from their smartphone. To access the App World, the BlackBerry device must have a trackball or touch-screen running BlackBerry device software 4.2 or higher.

• A mix of personal and business applications
• The ability to browse applications by a variety of categories and search by keyword
• User reviews, as well as a "recommend" feature that lets users suggest applications to others through e-mail, PIN, SMS message or BlackBerry Messenger
• My World – a personal storage space that keeps track of downloaded applications, allowing users to easily transfer purchased applications to a new BlackBerry smartphone
• A "Top Downloads" area that lists the most downloaded applications
• Weekly featured applications showcased on a front page carousel
• Access over Wi-Fi and cellular networks

RIM expects approximately 1,000 free and paid applications to be posted by partners this week.