Category Archives: BlackBerry Slider 9800

Salomondrin gives a nice walkthrough of an updated BlackBerry 6

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If any of you follow BlackBerry news closely, you have to have heard of Salomondrin. He’s always giving us inside information that nobody else can seem to get their hands on, hence why he goes by “the 007 of the phone world.” This time, he’s at it again. Ol’ Sal gives us a nice walkthrough of an updated version of BlackBerry 6. We’ve seen 6 before, but the video demonstrations sort of made us lose out hype for 6, all up until this most recent BlackBerry 6 teaser from RIM. Straight from Salomondrin’s blog we have three different videos. One is a WebKit Browser HTML5 test and to be honest, BlackBerry 6 dominates the test.

WebKit Browser walkthrough:

This folks, is what we have all been waiting for. We need that browser update. If you go to Salomondrin’s site, he puts the test in comparison with iPhone 4 and Android (HTC Incredible on Android 2.1) browsers. The last HTML5 test that he puts all of the phones through is eye-opening. Out of 300 total points, the BlackBerry WebKit browser scores a 208 points with one bonus versus the iPhone 4 which scored a 185 with 7 bonus points and the Incredible with 151 with no bonus points. What do all these points mean? Who knows, but we know we scored higher than iOS4 and Android which have some of the best web browsing experience seen on a phone yet.

Media Menu walkthrough:

While the media menu is a less impressive improvement than the WebKit Browser, we can definitely see a huge difference in the usability of media on the 9800 versus some older models. Tiny things like the pictures loading instantly versus having to load the thumbnails every single time you open your pictures, more organized albums, etc. make a huge difference in the operation of media and likeliness that someone will convert from using a dedicated MP3 player to using their BlackBerry as their main source of entertainment and media. I’m glad to see RIM finally focusing on consumer-based features and embracing what has landed in their lap rather than simply driving their diminishing business sector.

BlackBerry 6 walkthrough:

This is also something that brings a little more warmth to our hearts. In previous videos we saw unresponsive touchscreens, and just a plain annoying rendition of BlackBerry 6. We were happy to finally catch in on video rather than just seeing some jumpy teaser from RIM, so we could actually believe it existed. Now we have physical evidence that RIM wasn’t playing their OS off as something better than it is. I cannot wait to be able to play with BlackBerry 6. Hopefully RIM doesn’t botch this release and can make a comeback in the smartphone world. While they’re still on top, it’s easy to see that they haven’t been making a large sum of their customers happy. Hopefully BlackBerry 6 can change things.

via: Salomondrin

Rumor: BlackBerry Torch (Slider) 9800 coming in white?

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The 9800′s release is, without a doubt, one of the more anticipated device releases of a BlackBerry device yet. I know personally cannot wait to have one in my hands. The design is very pleasing as is the new OS. A touchscreen and full QWERTY combo BlackBerry has been fabled for going on two years now, and we’re all just ready to unearth this mythical beast. A lot of BlackBerry fans and haters alike are surprisingly still very displeased with RIM and after seeing the direction RIM has decided to move, have written them off and jumped ship to one of the competitors. Let the fair-weather fans live! I will wait on the company that got me hooked on smartphones until they make a glorious comeback, whether it be this year or five years down the road.

Amongst all of the excitement and anticipation of this prolonged release, Salomondrin has clued us in on some information that really makes us even more excited (or…me at least). He claims that the BlackBerry Torch is already being made in and will also be released in white. Whether the white version will be available on launch day, we’re unsure. The way RIM usually releases the white versions of their devices is months after launch day in an attempt to give sales one that specific device a little nudge. In other series like the Curve, we’ve seen every color from red, plum, to even orange. Don’t expect these colors on a Bold or higher end series as the Curve series is aimed at a younger demographic and women. The only thing left to question now is, when will we see this beautiful beast? We know it’s coming to AT&T as a 6-month exclusive here in the US, and more than likely T-Mobile afterwards. We also heard a rumor that it will be an exclusive for Rogers to our neighbors up in Canada. So what do you guys think? Is WhiteBerry the new BlackBerry? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!

via: BBLeaks | Salomondrin

Rumor: 9800 to be a Rogers exclusive in Canada?

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Put on your tinfoil hats and whip out your salt shakers, its rumor time! While we’ve known for some time that the 9800 Slider would be an AT&T exclusive in the United States, we hadn’t heard much about availability in the Great White North. Fortunately (or unfortunately, if you happen to not be on Rogers) we finally have a smidgen of news (read: rumor) to report. According to Canadian blog Mobile Syrup, one of their sources is reporting:

“…the 9800 could be exclusive to Rogers only due to Bell and Telus already has touch screen BlackBerrys (Storm 1 and 2).”

While we aren’t overly impressed with the source, we have to agree with their logic. With both Bell and Telus (and Verizon in the US) already selling one of RIM’s touchscreen devices, it makes sense to launch their new flagship on a carrier where it won’t be competing with its cousins. There’s no word on the length of the potential exclusivity deal, but we’d expect something in the three to six month range.

How about it folks, does this impact your Slider plans or were you already prepared for this to be a Rogers-only party? Let us know what you think in the comments!

via MobileSyrup

Bold 9800 slider spotted in the wild, launch delayed?

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In a moment of both joy and disappointment, CrackBerry forum member goblue ran into what we presume to be a RIM employee sporting the Bold 9800 slider in the wild:

“A few weeks ago I was at my kids event and saw some person sporting a slider….no big deal I thought until I saw him slide it and saw the BB Logo….I asked him it that was the new BB Slider and he yep. Played with it a few, it was running 6.0. No idea what build. He basically said this would be out in November. I asked how he had and he is in public relations for RIM here in Chicago. I was a huge BB fanboy and if I had not gone Android; I would be **. The UI was nice, very smooth and FRIGGIN Fast. Again, I mean no disrespect, I can not answer any questions, just here to say those that are staying BB will definitely enjoy.”

We’re thrilled to hear that BlackBerry 6 was running smoothly and quickly on the slider, but we’re also pretty bummed out about the “November release” date that was dropped during the course of conversation. Previous reports had pegged a September or even August release date, while RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie has promised a release by the end of September. While a November release wouldn’t be the end of the world, we really hope the 9800 is launched before any Windows Phone 7 devices hit the market. RIM needs to have some success with this device, especially if Redmond’s latest offering turns out to be semi-competent.

Are you disappointed in the new release date? Will you be sticking with BlackBerry if it’s pushed all the way back to November? Let us know what you think in the comments!

via BlackBerryRocks

RIM posts an official BlackBerry 6 teaser

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As we all wait in anticipation, not quite sure whether we’re going to love this revamped OS from RIM or not, they release a teaser video that really closes the door on our doubt. If we take a look back into the past and take a quick look at their first BlackBerry 6 teaser, I’m glad they learned from their mistakes and made this teaser something we can better understand. Here are some things you can expect in BlackBerry 6:

  • redesigned home screen
  • universal search
  • context-sensitive pop-up menus
  • revamped BlackBerry Browser powered by WebKit
  • new applications like Social Feeds (which integrates all your news and social networks into one destination) and more

When I first saw some BlackBerry 6 demonstrations and other videos, I became very skeptical. The touch controls seemed to be very unresponsive, and some of the gestures appeared to be unintuitive. This teaser definitely clears up some of that smoke and has actually turned me. I’m now very excited for both the 9800 and BlackBerry 6, and can’t wait to get my hands on either of them. As of right now, anything media related I take care of business with Android. Emails, texts, and social networking I pull out my trusty ol’ Tour to knock ‘em out. I’m ready for BlackBerry to take its place back as my all-around phone and not just my workhorse. Well done RIM, my faith is restored. I just have one last question, how soon is “soon?”

via: PR

BlackBerry 9300, 9670, and 9800 on video

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If we may be so bold as to cite an ageless cliche: when it rains, it pours. Once again Salomondrin has managed to get his hands on an unreleased device, only this time he has three of them. Sal has scored some quality time with an older prototype 9670 flip, the relatively uninspiring Curve 9300, and most excitingly the 9800 slider running BlackBerry 6. We won’t bore you with any mundane details; check out the videos below and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

via BGR

BlackBerry 6 detailed in a 16 minute video

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Recently, a video of BlackBerry 6 was released in authentic Mandarin Chinese! It’s a sixteen minute long video poking and prodding at nearly every aspect of the OS. For those of your not fluent in the language, a timestamped translation can be found after the break along with the video.

My personal new favorite part of OS6 is how generally smooth it is.  Everything seems to happen so easily, it manages to give a relaxed feel to this business device.  I also love the new Wi-Fi icon as (I think) we will be able to tell exactly how strong our Wi-Fi signal is.  One thing I don’t like is the sliding menu, as it seems to be accident prone.  An incorrect finger placement will send you to a different screen or menu. What are your thoughts on BlackBerry 6? Tell us what’s good and what’s bad in the comments below!

via: BlackBerryCool

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New images of the Slider 9800 make it look SEXY

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Someone must have heard my rant earlier, some more images of the Slider 9800 have been found. This time around, the photos are clear and make that 9800 look absolutely gorgeous. There were a lot of mixed emotions about the Slider to begin with, but the more everyone sees of this thing, the more people seem to love it. Let’s just hope it drops in a timely manner. There was word of it dropping in June, but I don’t see that happening.

So, have these pictures changed your mind about the 9800? I know I’m changed. I will own this device when it releases. A full gallery of images is available after the break. Tell us what you think!

via: CrackBerry

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RIM holding exclusive BlackBerry event on June 16th

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Here’s a fun one: RIM is going to be holding an exclusive, BlackBerry-centric event in New York City on June 16th, at 5:00pm EST. No world on the content of the event, though it appears to be centered around the App World (App World 2.0 perhaps?). It’ll be interesting to see what RIM has in store, and how App World will be improved for the upcoming BlackBerry 6 release. There’s a slim chance that we might get another look at either BlackBerry 6 or the widely-leaked 9800 slider (or perhaps both, yes?), but we wouldn’t be willing to put money on that bet. We’ll keep you posted as we find out more information, in the meantime, what do you think RIM has in store for the event? Let us know in the comments!

via BBLeaks