Granted, we haven't heard anything thus far about which carrier would be offering up the recently-made-official BlackBerry Bold, but we can't say we're too shocked to hear that it will indeed be AT&T. In a report highlighting the recent boost in RIM's stock price, it's noted that AT&T will be "the exclusive carrier for the Bold in the US," though we have all ideas the other major US carriers will be following suit shortly, probably with redubbed handsets. We know, you're hungry for a price to mull over, but sadly, it's not meal time just yet. [Source: MSN Moneyl]

Damn, took 'em long enough! RIM finally announced the BlackBerry Bold / 9000 -- we've got specs, but no price or hard launch date. Here we go:

• Family will include HSDPA and EV-DO versions (including an AWS-capable 1700MHz version), much as we'd heard
  
• 480 x 320 display
• 625MHz CPU, 1GB internal flash memory
• 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2Dp), GPS, MicroSDHC
• 480 x 320 video recording, photo geotagging
• 4.5 x 2.6 x 0.55-inches, 4.7 ounces

PC Mag's got the (latest) hands-on, hit the read link. [Source: PC Mag]

Late's better than never -- usually, anyway -- and a rumored release date finally stuck long enough for the BlackBerry Curve 8330 to make an appearance on Sprint's online store. In fact, as "mid-May" goes, May 9 is actually on the early side of things if you want to get technical about it, so we guess some kudos are actually due here. Sprint's asking $179.99 on contract with rebates for the pleasure of indulging in its latest mobile productivity tool, which you'll ironically be using to respond to emails during meetings that you're supposed to be listening in on. Funny how the world works, isn't it? [Source: Nextel]

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We're all about reviews of products before they're released, but reviewing something before it's even been officially confirmed by a company is its own special brand of magnificent. Granted, these are more like the hands-on impressions of a self-confessed BlackBerry addict, who was willing to fork over $828 US on the off chance that the eBay auction the other day was actually legit. A week later Kevin of CrackBerry.com has the BlackBerry 9000 in hand and seems to be loving every minute of it.

Apparently the keyboard is better than the 8800 series, the OS4.6 is smooth, fast and pretty, and the 480 x 320 LCD is "awesome." And don't get Kevin started on 3G: the logo alone brought a tear to his eye -- we're clearly dealing with a bona fide fanboy here. That said, it's an encouraging sign to see all those leaked shots weren't just for show, there's a real-live performer behind the legend. Kevin's major caveat is the size and weight of the phone, compared to his Curve, but we're sure the $828 hole in his checking account will have him coming to terms with that drawback in the near future. He'll be posting more details and impressions as he goes. [Source: CrackBerry]

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Ready to have your brain blown out through the top of your head? Look above -- you're staring at the heretofore unseen BlackBerry clamshell, the Kickstart. The Boy Genius snagged a handful of photos of the device (which apparently he's known about for "a while"), and has decided to share his good fortune with the rest of the world. The phone sports a Pearl-esque keyboard, typical trackball navigation, and apparently utilizes both an internal and external LCD screen. No word on specs, carriers, or a release date, but BGR is saying this puppy is due before the end of the year. You'll know more when we know more! [Source: The BoyGenius Report]

Let's preface this by saying that we honestly have no idea what's going on with the hot BlackBerry 9000, but Fortune is reporting that it's delayed due to either a) AT&T concerns over call quality; b) AT&T concerns over launching a 3G BlackBerry and the 3G iPhone at the same time or; c) or something else entirely. That's news to our homeboy Boy Genius, who thinks Fortune needs to start double-checking its model numbers and code names before it starts rumor-mongering, and points out that he's been on top of power-management-related 9000 delays for a while now. Testy!

We're a little more inclined to trust BGR on this stuff -- the man's got a point when he says he's gotten pre-release versions of every RIM device since the Pearl 8100, and if the 9000's faster processor and 3G are indeed causing power problems, he's likely to notice. Let's just hope this all gets sorted soon -- we're ready to move on up.

Read - Fortune: "Delay seen for RIM's new Blackberry"
Read - BGR: "Cleaning up those BlackBerry rumors"

Madonna's been somewhat of a sex symbol since she strutted onto the scene in the '80s wearing her patented bullet-bra lingerie and not much else. Now she's getting on a bit in years but, despite that, she's managing to keep things busy in the bedroom with husband Guy Ritchie -- not in the way you might be thinking, though. In a recent interview with 'Elle Magazine,' the Material Girl confessed that both she and Guy sleep with their BlackBerry phones under their pillows.

Yes, it seems the now maturing and now mildly motherly Madonna can't bear to be more than a few feet away from her favorite mobile, saying this in the interview:

We lie right next to each other with our BlackBerrys under our pillows. It's not unromantic. It's practical. I'm sure loads of couples have their BlackBerrys in bed with them. I have to sleep with my BlackBerry because I often wake up in the middle of the night and remember that I've forgotten something, so I jump up and make notes. Guy's always waiting for me to come to bed, so he plays Brick on his Blackerry until I'm ready.

He wastes his time playing 'Brick' while he waits? Maybe that explains why he hasn't had a good movie in years ...

From Delisted


Related Links:

• Madonna to Debut New Album On Cell Phones
• On the Phone With Madonna and Beyonce!
• Angela Bassett Loves Her iPhone
• Celebrity BlackBerry Addicts
• David Spade, CrackBerry Addict

Just a few years ago the smart phone was a something only the slightly geeky business professionals of the world would carry, usually by clipping the bulky monstrosities onto their belts for all to see. Today, though, with slim and pocketable smart phones like Apple's iPhone and the HTC Touch, the devices have started to shrug off their professional manners and start to live it up a little. The BlackBerry line, the first truly popular smart phone, is still about the stuffiest out there, but is getting a bit more laid back with the announcement of a custom music store tailored just for the e-mail pushing devices.

The service, from a company called Puretracks, will launch in April and will let BlackBerry users do something that the usually enviable iPhone users can't: Download tracks from anywhere they can get a signal. The Puretracks store will available via the cellular network, while, at best, you can only connect to iTunes from your iPhone via a localized Wi-Fi signal. The BlackBerry will be able to access Wi-Fi as well for faster downloads, but if you're on the go you'll still have the ability to get the latest Project Jenny Project Jan album while you're in the back of a cab on your way to the airport.

No word on just what pricing will look like for the new service, but expect to pay a bit of a premium over iTunes' offerings.

From Engadget Mobile

Related Links:

• Is the HTC Touch Better than the iPhone?
• Corporate Email Coming to iPhone - Look Out BlackBerry!
• BlackBerry Suffers Yet Another Outage

People have, of course, been using iPhones for email reading and writing since they were launched last year -- but it's been of the individual Web account variety, typified by Google's Gmail service.

With this new advancement, expect to see more and more people using iPhones for business purposes. That's good news if you're an iPhone user and have been eager to ditch your work-supplied BlackBerry. This isn't great news if you're BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion, which until now has dominated the workplace handheld market.

The release of the iPhone 2.0 software in June will include support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide secure, over-the-air push email, contacts and calendars. The software beta will be available to users by the end of June, so companies can start integrating the application into their systems and get things started with their employees.

The software rollout doesn't mean everyone will immediately be able to use their iPhones for work. Developers will still have to set the systems up for each business and an annual fee will apply to each user who wants the service on his or her iPhone. Still, expect to see many BlackBerry's disappear from workers' belt clips this summer, as Apple continues to be the hot alternative for mobile connectivity.

To read the entire transcript from the Apple event, click here.

From Engadget.

Related links:

• 10 Reasons Your IT Department Won't Support the iPhone
• Hackers Will Go After iPhone in 2008, Says Network Security Firm
• BlackBerry Outage Blamed on Software Update Again

Earlier this week, the popular BlackBerry service for smart phones went offline. The outage was short, fixed within a few hours, but for those who remember the painful outages last year, it was an unfortunate reminder that perhaps things aren't entirely well at RIM, the company behind the BlackBerry.

The company has now reported that the problem was due to a bogus software update pushed to phones intended to speed up the flow of messages across its network. That's the same thing it said about the last outage in 2007, a mistake it promised to never make again.

From Engadget

Related Links:

• BlackBerry Service Suffers Brief Widescale Outage
• BlackBerry Suffers Yet Another Outage
• iPhone Second In U.S. Smartphone Market Share

According to reports, Research In Motion's Blackberry devices suffered a wide-scale outage that began this afternoon around 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, according to reports from carrier AT&T. The outage affected all carriers and not just AT&T.

The problem has reportedly been fixed, although Verizon indicates it may take some time for it to catch up with delivery of backlogged email to its subscribers.

The last time Blackberry service went out was this past September. After an earlier outage in April 2007, RIM CEO Jim Balsille said, "It shouldn't have happened, and it won't happen again."

So much for promises.

We think it is interesting that Blackberry notified its customers via e-mail.

From AOL Money & Finance.

Related links:

• Blackberry Suffers Yet Another Outage
• Celebrity Blackberry Addicts
• iPhone Second In U.S. Smartphone Market Share

Don't forget that this coming Sunday, Daylight Savings Time ends. Hopefully, you got your software fixes back in February or March before the clocks changed last Spring.

Some predicted the Daylight Savings changes signed into law in 2005 by President Bush would result in a mini-Y2K. And they were right, just as when the the year changed from 1999 to 2000, nothing of much note occurred. There was some anecdotal evidence of issues with BlackBerrys, and one kid went to jail for 12 days due to a computer glitch, but otherwise the clock change went without notice among the gadget owning public.

That said, some owners of older gadgets and cell phones, as well as people who just forgot to manually install updates (and some parking meters in Baltimore), have already experienced an early time change that messed with their schedules.

In case you were caught last time with your electronic pants down, here's a quick run down of how to make sure you're prepared this time around. Sadly, there's no simple fix for your confused biological clock.

• Windows Mobile 5 Smart Phones: Microsoft released the update for Windows Mobile 5 in February that fixes the Daylight Savings issue. If your handset runs WinMo 6 then you're already set.
• BlackBerrys: RIM also released the necessary update for the Blackberry software in February. Simply download and install and you're good to go.
• Palm OS Treos: Palm was a little behind others but still had its fix out in time for March's clock change.
  

Microsoft Windows, TiVo, and Mac OS X all had their patches pushed to them automatically in February,
so you should be set.

If you've got a cell phone that's older than four years, you might consider calling the manufacturer to make sure you're set for the time change.

From USA Today

Related Links:

• IPTV Coming to the Xbox 360 With Fall Update?
• iPhone Version 1.1.1 Unlocked
• Blackberry Suffer Yet Another Outage

Facebook is definitely encroaching on MySpace's space, if yesterday's Microsoft/Facebook news is any indication, but the formerly student-only social networking site is busy going after another sophisticated, most-likely-well-educated, professional, or at least famous crowd -- the BlackBerry set. Need proof? Look no further than the new mobile Facebook application for BlackBerry from Research in Motion (RIM), the device's creator/manufacturer.

The new app lets you do the essentials on the social networking site. For example, if you've got a camera equipped Pearl or Curve, you can upload photos, "poke" (a suggestive term for text message), send mail, and post on users' virtual walls. According to early reports from the CTIA conference, the app is just about as fast as the mobile Web version, but much prettier.

Due out by year's end, the app will come pre-installed on new BlackBerrys, making it even easier for all your co-workers to try and get in on your private life and network, so no more drunken' pictures of you making out with a stranger on the barstool, y'all!

BlackBerry owners: Is this going help you take the plunge and finally get on Facebook, or, if you're already a Facebook member, do you think this will turn you into a Crack-Berry-head?

From Research in Motion (RIM) (via BetaNews)

Related Links:

• Microsoft Buys a Tiny Chunk of Facebook
• Holy War Wages on Facebook
• Facebook Costing Businesses $264 Million Daily in Lost Man Hours

Despite the ever increasing Web surfing limits placed on employees at work, it looks like porn in the office is still an ongoing issue for many companies, according to a recent USA Today article. About 65% of U.S. employers use monitoring software, but the advent of wireless Internet and gadgets such as BlackBerrys and iPods have made continuous monitoring almost impossible, according to the CEO of PR firm RLM, Richard Laermer.

"There is nothing you can do," Laermer tells USA Today. "Liability is the thing that keeps me up at night, because we are liable for things people do on your premises. It's serious. I'll see somebody doing it, and I'll peek over their shoulder, and they'll say, 'I don't know how that happened.' It's like 10-year-olds. And it's always on company time."

Though many employees claim that ending up on such sites is often accidental, others troll the naughty sites at work for the thrill of it and some even claim to have a medical reason for doing so, like James Pacenza, a former IBM employee and Vietnam vet who said that his at-work porn-viewing helped him to get over post-traumatic stress disorder.

Pacenza was fired from IBM in 2003 for his porn habit, but he's currently suing the company because he found it unfair that those with drug or alcohol problems were allowed to continue at the company with treatment while he was not, citing his age as the real reason he was let go (though he has since dropped the age-discrimination claim). IBM is trying to get the case dismissed.

So what's next, a cell-phone and Wi-Fi network blocker for the workplace like they have at Apple announcements every time Steve Jobs unveils a new product?

From USA Today

Related Links

• Porn Spammers Get Prison Time
• Best Buy Employee Caught Perving Out

Staying on top of the latest delays and service changes related to your daily commute is almost impossible, but not being in the know can often have serious negative consequences on your schedule. Many local transportation systems send out their own alerts, but they tend to be overly general, often late, and usually only sent out under the most extreme of circumstances.

That's where Joshua Crandall got the idea for his start up, Clever Commute. Clever Commute connects commuters, primarily from the New York and Chicago metropolitan areas, in a network for exchanging messages, advice, and alerts -- primarily using their BlackBerrys.

Users can sign up for alerts for trains on New Jersey Transit, PATCH, Long Island Railroad, and Metro North railroad, as well as some commuter buses, and ferries, including the Staten Island Ferry. The service has also recently opened up to riders of the El trains in Chicago. It works like this: If there's a delay, you'll get messages from other users who are already on whatever train line you're subscribed to. Likewise, you can upload messages to be sent to other subscribers on the same route.

And it's not just for delays: If you leave, say, your iPod on the train, you can send a message to the group and hope that someone honest found it.

Currently the service operates mainly with e-mails, though you can also subscribe to a personal RSS feed of alerts. The service could really grow if it decided to open up to the non-BlackBerry crowd and embraced a text message based Twitter-like system, but we'll just have to see how the young service evolves.

From The New York Times

Related Links:

• Perdue University to Test Emergency Text Messaging System
• Campus Text Alert System Scores Low First Test
• Emergency Alert System 2.0