Switched

Tweet this! · by **Caleb Johnson** (RSS feed) — Sep 30th 2009 at 12:01AM

Have you ever been stuck late at the office and realized that you'd forgotten to set your TiVo to record the new episode of 'Lost?' If you own a BlackBerry, your heart will no longer sink upon such a revelation. Research and Motion (RIM) and TiVo are today launching TiVo for BlackBerry, available for download on the BlackBerry App World.

The free app features a program guide, which users can browse by category, most popular, or even daily picks. The guide also offers plenty of details about each show, including a description and air time. Of course, the real benefit of the app is the ability to remotely program your TiVo to record your favorite shows.

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by **Caleb Johnson** (RSS feed) — Sep 28th 2009 at 3:12PM

the address book, browser, and device setup wizard. You can also expect access to trending topics.

Will BlackBerry users switch from third-party Twitter apps to an official RIM app? Probably so. It would make sense that the Twitter app be similar to other RIM social networking apps, so it shouldn't be too difficult for seasoned users to use. [From: CrackBerry, via Mashable]

by **Amar Toor** (RSS feed) — Sep 28th 2009 at 10:35AM

Apparently no longer satisfied with being just a smartphone, the BlackBerry went out and got itself some swagger.

Designer Alexander Amosu has introduced his new, tricked-out riff on the BlackBerry -- an 18-carat gold gem of a device, replete with 4,459 finely cut diamonds. Users can brand their new bejeweled bambino with their company name and logo, and will have a 24-hour "global concierge" service at their doubtlessly Tiffany-laden fingertips. Just think: all of this can be yours for the limited, one-time offer of $200,366!

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by **Lee Bains** (RSS feed) — Sep 13th 2009 at 1:45PM

At this point, free Internet radio stations abound, but one of our perennial favorites has been Pandora.com. (Go on and sign up; you'll see.) Based on an admirably well researched database called The Music Genome Project, Pandora automatically generates a customizable playlist based on whatever song or artist you choose, explaining exactly why each song has been selected in remarkably musical terms. Many a late night at work has been made infinitely more bearable thanks to its intuitive and automatic operation.

Now, according to the New York Times's Bits Blog, the radio station is taking an almost unwitting leap from laptops to smartphones. (Pandora now offers apps for Android, iPhone, BlackBerry and Palm Pre.) While each day sees 65,000 music lovers sign up for Pandora's free service, a full 45,000 of them are registering not on their computers, but on their phones.

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by **Evan Shamoon** (RSS feed) — Sep 4th 2009 at 6:11PM

Remember how some time ago, we started to hear that Japanese people primarily used cell phones to access the Internet, rather than computers? And remember how we thought that seemed kinda ridiculous and impractical?

Yeah.

According to a report by Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) analyst Mike Abramsky, smartphone sales will surpass PC sales worldwide by the end of 2011, right around 400 million units a year, for those keeping score at home.

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by **Terrence O'Brien** (RSS feed) — Jul 15th 2009 at 3:38PM

RIM's BlackBerry is the standard when it comes to smart phones for the corporate workplace. RIM has built its reputation on building serious adult phones for serious adults. So it really caught RIM CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis off guard when, at a recent shareholders' meeting, a child asked them when they were going to make a cell phone for kids.

We're not sure why a child was at a shareholders' meeting, but during the proceedings he or she stood up and stumped the company reps by asking, "Are you going to make a phone more for kids so that my Mom will let me get one?," Reuters reports. We're sure it was met with a few "awww"s and an obligatory pat on the head.

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by **Caleb Johnson** (RSS feed) — Jul 1st 2009 at 3:39PM

How's this for a new BlackBerry commercial? A skier glides down a powdery, white slope in Switzerland. Suddenly, he falls into a crevice. Just before he slips farther, his BlackBerry (stored in his chest pocket) catches the ice and saves him from falling to his death. It might not be a practical way to sell a product, but the phone company won't have to search for a spokesman.

According to a report by The Sun, David Fitzherbert's half-inch wide BlackBerry provided just enough girth to keep him wedged in one of the Matterhorn's icy crevices, estimated to be about 700-feet-deep, while his mountain guide contacted a rescue team that could pull him out. Fitzherbert dropped 70-feet down a crevice while skiing down a glacier. He was stuck in the crevice for two hours while rescuers drilled, dug and eventually winched him out using a helicopter.

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by **Terrence O'Brien** (RSS feed) — Jun 5th 2009 at 2:38PM

Warning, BlackBerry owners: the popular smartphone's manufacturer, Research in Motion (RIM), has found a major security flaw that could let a hacker take over a BlackBerry server (like the one you use for your work e-mail account) by simply sending someone an e-mail. The vulnerability could allow attackers to hijack a server running BlackBerry software by simply sending e-mails with infected PDF files. If a customer were to open the file, the virus would install its payload of malicious software on the server side, from which hackers could send spam and collect personal data.

No hackers have yet taken advantage of the vulnerability, but RIM is urging all of its customers to install an issued security patch to avoid future exploitation. Of course, many businesses wait to thoroughly test patches like this before deploying them to employees. For those who insist on holding off, RIM is suggesting that e-mail attachments be temporarily disabled, just to be safe. They've posted details about the patch and the suggested work-around here.

Let's hope the White House gets on this patch soon. It'd be pretty embarrassing if the one person to fall victim to the flaw was our president. [From: Reuters]

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by **Tim Stevens** (RSS feed) — Jun 1st 2009 at 6:03AM

Texting and Other Gadget Use is Bad Form at Dinner

Ever check a text message or take a phone call at the dinner table? Maybe sneak a glance at that e-mail which just set your BlackBerry abuzz? Shame on you, says Dr. Cindy Post Senning in a recent New York Times article. Author of the new "Emily Post's Table Manners for Kids," Dr. Post Senning admonishes any sort of gadget use at the dinner table.

She reminds us: "The family meal is a social event, a food ingestion event." In other words, you're there to discuss the day, plan family happenings, and in general form some sort of bond that might just make you a happier family overall. That can all be ruined when one or more people are looking downward at cellies they think they're being sly with. The effects are sometimes even seen by marriage counselors, according to the article, as disputes over appropriate levels of tech-connectedness drive some couples apart.

There are, of course, some families who actively use their phones during dinner in order to look up answers to questions that kids might ask, or to settle familial debates. In general, though, a strict policy seems to be the safest: no gadgets at dinner. [From: The New York Times]

by **Peter Mychalcewycz** (RSS feed) — Apr 24th 2009 at 12:37PM

Soon, Barack Obama will finally be getting a beefed-up BlackBerry worthy of his office, the Washington Post reported yesterday.

The President, whose affection towards his BlackBerry is well documented, has actually been using a combination of two devices (a regular BlackBerry and an NSA-supplied security attachment called the Sectera Edge) while awaiting delivery of his uber-secure, top-secret Blackberry 8830. The new phone will be equipped with SecureVoice -- a high-security software developed by Genesis Key, Inc. that turns any Blackberry 8830 or Curve into a hacker-proof line of communication.

When Obama finally receives his new phone (expected to be within a few months), he will be able to call, e-mail and text other people who have appropriately secure BlackBerry models. It is expected that top aides to the President, along with his wife Michelle, will be among the recipients.

We are sure the President is thrilled to be getting his new toy; we just hope that the thing is as secure as advertised. [From: Washington Times]

by **Ross Miller** (RSS feed) — Apr 1st 2009 at 9:02AM

As expected, the BlackBerry App World has launched early this morning for US, Canada and the UK. If your software's updated to 4.2 and you've got a trackball / touch screen and PayPal account, head on over to RIM's Web site to download. Tell us, is it everything you thought it would be?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

by **Thomas Ricker** (RSS feed) — Mar 30th 2009 at 8:41AM

It's legit; Skype is coming to the iPhone on Tuesday, BlackBerry devices in May. While we've seen plenty of Skype-capable apps on the iPhone, the poor, often echo-infected calls should be easily bested by the official Skype App that doesn't need the extra audio transcoding workaround required by the existing crop of unofficial apps. The Skype app works over Wi-Fi only (not over EDGE or 3G data) and supports calls to SkypeOut contacts in addition to many of the other features you've used from the desktop client. iPod touch owners will require earphones with an embedded mic to talk. CNET has a hands-on preview of the App just as long as you can muster the energy required to hit the read link below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

by **Chris Ziegler** (RSS feed) — Mar 5th 2009 at 10:51AM

What's bigger than a store, a market, or a catalog? A whole frigging world, that's what. A sign-up page to be notified when the BlackBerry App World is available -- which we've linked -- went live at 10PM last night.

by **Paul Miller** (RSS feed) — Feb 27th 2009 at 11:46AM

This, shall we say, confrontational BlackBerry Storm ad by NY ad agency Guava has been making the rounds today, depicting a blackberry "bullet" taking a violent path through a familiar-seeming piece of fruit. An anonymous source told us that RIM considered it but eventually got cold feet -- and we can understand why. Nonetheless, it's an awesome bit of smack, so hit up the break and check it out for yourself.

[Thanks, Michael]

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by **Peter Mychalcewycz** (RSS feed) — Feb 20th 2009 at 3:52PM

Remember all that hoopla surrounding Obama and his BlackBerry about a month back? Barack fought tooth-and-nail to keep his beloved smartphone, and now we know why; he plays the game 'Brickbreaker' to unwind.

That's right, America, it's not just us common folks that are addicted to the one BlackBerry game that doesn't suck. According to Star magazine (who heard it from a presidential confidante), the Prez likes to play 'Brickbreaker' for a while before going to sleep. This may seem strange to some people, but immersing oneself in simple, puzzle-like games is a great way to decompress when one has, let's say, the weight of the entire world on one's shoulders. Obama reportedly has a high score of 15,000 or so, which confirms that he is more advanced than us in yet another category of life. Awesome. [From: GeekSugar.com]

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