The Verge - BlackBerry Posts

Windows Phone overtakes BlackBerry to claim third place in 2013 smartphone shipments

2013-05-16T11:48:22Z

Market research firm IDC just released its latest quarterly look at the smartphone market, and for the first time Windows Phone marketshare has eclipsed BlackBerry. During Q1 2013, Windows Phone devices accounted for 3.2 percent of all smartphones shipped around the world, while BlackBerry devices made up 2.9 percent of the market. That's a change from last quarter, when Windows Phone made up 2.6 percent of all shipments, compared to 3.2 percent for BlackBerry. While that's good news for Microsoft in a relative sense — they've been trailing BlackBerry for third place for quite some time — it's pretty obvious that we still don't have a true third smartphone ecosystem that consumers are responding to yet.

It's still a two-horse race...

Message received: is BBM for Android and iPhone a sign of strength... or desperation?

2013-05-14T20:38:50Z

It wasn’t a complete shock this morning when BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins announced that the popular BlackBerry Messenger, one of the few remaining apps chaining BlackBerry users to the platform, would be coming to iPhone and Android in the form of a free app this summer.

"It’s been a long time coming," said Ted Livingston, CEO of the free multimedia messenger app Kik. "We heard that the project had started and stopped, started and stopped."

Former co-CEO Jim Balsillie reportedly pushed the company toward a cross-platform strategy before he stepped down in January 2012. The idea was scuttled in part by Heins, who rejected the idea in favor of pushing a lineup of new BlackBerry 10 phones, Reuters reported.

BlackBerry hedges its bets at Live 2013

2013-05-14T15:38:02Z

At BlackBerry Live 2013, the company formerly known as RIM filled out its BlackBerry 10 platform with new hardware and software. These were generally predictable: a keyboard-equipped BlackBerry 10 phone and a software update, for instance, were hardly unexpected, nor was a renewed focus on enterprise. But BlackBerry also tacitly acknowledged the need to tap into more successful platforms, announcing the launch of its BBM platform on Android and iOS.

BlackBerry Q5: an entry level BlackBerry 10 handset (hands-on)

2013-05-14T15:33:46Z

The only hardware announcement made during this morning's BlackBerry Live keynote address was for the Q5, a low-end QWERTY smartphone destined for emerging markets. The Q5 takes the place of the old Curve — it gives BlackBerry an entry-level device that can be sold at a lower price point than its premium line.

The Q5 looks very similar to the Q10, it's bigger brother on the BlackBerry food chain, as it has a full QWERTY keyboard and square display. The display is the same 720 x 720 pixel resolution as the Q10, but instead of an AMOLED panel, it uses an LCD unit. In our brief time with it, we didn't notice any problems with the LCD, though it's certain that it has a lower cost than the AMOLED version.

BlackBerry announces BBM 'Channels' social platform for brands and celebrities

2013-05-14T15:03:11Z

BlackBerry's BBM service was one of the earliest popular alternatives to text messaging, but it's become less vital amidst competition from Apple's iMessage and a variety of third-party apps. Today, BlackBerry has updated it with Channels, a quasi-social media platform. Any user can create a Channel, after which others can "follow" them to receive updates. It appears to be aimed at brands and celebrities: a public figure can send news or status updates to users, who can then like or comment on them. Traditional one-on-one communication is also possible, but only if the Channel owner initiates a chat.

Unlike many new features, Channels isn't limited to the latest software; it's available in beta on everything from BlackBerry 5 to...

BlackBerry bringing BBM to Android and iOS this summer

2013-05-14T14:57:12Z

BlackBerry has just announced that its hugely popular BBM messaging service is going multi-platform: it will be released for Android and iOS as a free app this summer. BBM will support iOS hardware running iOS 6 and above; the Android version will be compatible with version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and above. "It's time to bring BBM to a greater audience," CEO Thorsten Heins said in announcing the expansion, "no matter what mobile device they carry."

Though it's long been considered one of BlackBerry's strongest exclusive offerings, Heins said that his company aims to deliver a "fully featured" BBM experience on rival smartphone operating systems. "We're starting with messaging and groups, but we'll bring voice, screen share, and of...

BlackBerry announces Q5 QWERTY phone for emerging markets this summer

2013-05-14T13:34:34Z

BlackBerry has announced a new keyboard-equipped BlackBerry 10 phone: the Q5, designed for emerging markets. The phone has a 3.1-inch touchscreen atop a keyboard, just like the presumably higher-end Q10 that launched earlier this spring. Unlike the more sober Z10 or Q10 phones, though, the Q5 will come in red, white, black, and pink. It's set to launch in parts of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America starting in July. No price has been given, but this phone appears to be aimed at the same market as the popular Curve, which was meant for a broader base than BlackBerry's more expensive phones.

Unsurprisingly, we also know relatively little about the phone's specs. In his keynote speech, CEO Thorsten Heins promoted...

BlackBerry 10.1 rolling out to Z10 starting today, will reach US carriers by end of May

2013-05-14T13:32:51Z

On stage at BlackBerry Live 2013, CEO Thorsten Heins just revealed that BlackBerry 10.1, the updated version of the company's new OS that shipped with the Q10, is coming to Z10 users beginning today. Additions include support for PIN-to-PIN messaging in BlackBerry Hub, HDR photography, deeper customization of notifications, universal search actions, and generally speedier, less buggy performance. Heins said that most international carriers should be distributing the new update by the end of this week, with US carriers slated to receive 10.1 by the end of May. Z10 owners will receive an alert notifying them of the available download, and you can also manually check for the update in system settings.

Heins also provided an updated on how...

Live from BlackBerry's Live 2013 keynote

2013-05-14T12:57:26Z

Our live blog of the BlackBerry Live 2013 keynote starts at 9AM ET / 2PM BST!

2013-05-14T12:00:05Z

BlackBerry's biggest event of the year kicks off today, and we're here in Orlando, Florida to cover it all. Formerly known as BlackBerry World, BlackBerry Live may have a different name, but it still promises the be the place where BlackBerry reveals its plans for the next year or so. Now that the company has actually launched two BlackBerry 10 devices, what will its next step be? Will we see the oft-rumored lower-cost BlackBerry 10 smartphone? Will CEO Thorsten Heins do an about face on his stance on tablets and reveal something we don't even expect? How many times will we accidentally write 'RIM' when we meant to write 'BlackBerry' during the live blog? Tune in at 9AM ET / 2PM BST to find out the answers to all that and more!

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