For all of those still rocking the 9000, rejoice!  AT&T has decided not to forget the on of the original gamerchangers, and updated you to 5.0.0.822 today.  Most companies are notorious for updating older phones or phones that have left the spotlight, so it’s nice to see that AT&T has not done this.  Let us know of any changes you find!

via: BerryReview

Torch week is over. Personally, I have never lived through such a hectic week in my life, but it is now over and we’re beginning a new week. One thing is for sure, RIM is not done. They have brought to the light that they still have enough flame in them to turn around their ominous slump.

T-Mobile heads this week off with the new officially announced BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300. While this news is simply under-stimulating for most, RIM has also officially stated that the 9300 will support BlackBerry 6. People have been complaining that releasing a BlackBerry with no BlackBerry 6 support at this point (the Curve 3G) would be pointless, but RIM has cleared that up for us all via press release. While I’m not sure exactly how BlackBerry 6 will feel or operate on a non-touchscreen device, the 9300 will, in fact, receive it and hopefully in a timely manner. T-Mobile said the Curve 3G will be available in the “coming weeks” with no word on pricing.

The follow is a full list of highlights of the BlackBerry Curve 3G:

• Full QWERTY keyboard and touch-sensitive optical trackpad for responsive typing and easy navigation
• Available in two color finishes – smoky violet and graphite grey
• Premium phone features including calendaring, voice-activated dialing, Visual Voicemail and Bluetooth 2.1
• Advanced media player for music, pictures and videos, with dedicated media keys and a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, plus BlackBerry Media Sync, which makes it easy to quickly sync music from iTunes® or Windows Media Player with the smartphone
• 2-megapixel camera with zoom and video recording · Built-in GPS with location-based services by TeleNav
• Access to BlackBerry App World, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones. Categories include games, entertainment, social networking and sharing, news and weather, productivity, and much more.
• Web browser delivers a desktop-like experience, including HTML e-mail
• BlackBerry Internet Service support for access to up to 10 e-mail accounts including Yahoo!®, Windows Live Hotmail, AOL®, GmailTM and most popular ISPs; and BlackBerry Enterprise Server support, which provides advanced security and IT administration features for corporate deployments
• Six popular instant messaging clients preloaded, including AOL Instant Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ®, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and BlackBerry Messenger
• Fast 624 MHz processor, 256MB of internal memory and hot-swappable microSD/SDHC card slot with support for up to 32GB with a pre-installed 2GB memory card
• BlackBerry OS 5; support for BlackBerry OS 6
• Model number: BlackBerry Curve 9300
• Wi-Fi enabled (802.11 b/g/n) for data and voice
• Quad-band GSM world phone: (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Tri-Band 3G UMTS/HSDPA world phone: (Band I, Band IV, Band VIII)
• Dimensions: 4.3 inches x 2.4 inches x 0.55 inches; 3.8 ounces; 2.4-inch screen, 320×240 pixels QVGA
• Rechargeable/removable 1150 mAhr battery, for up to 4.5 hours of talk time and 19 days of standby time

via: TmoNews | Engadget

Many of you have been wondering what devices will receive BlackBerry 6 and which will not. Buried within RIM’s official press release of BlackBerry 6 lies the answer. The expected devices to receive BlackBerry 6 are the Bold 9700, the Bold 9650, and the Pearl 3G. Seeing as the Curve is their most popular handset due to its drastically lower price, a lot of people are going to be very upset upon reading this news.

In all reality, RIM is at fault for not planning far enough ahead and putting enough internal memory in the Curve series. If RIM had worked hard and tried to fit BlackBerry 6 on the 8500 series, all it would result in is probably dissatisfaction from customers for the OS lagging again. I can’t blame RIM for that part. They were caught in a tight spot and did what they had to do. With consumer satisfaction going down the drain, they have to make controversial decisions on which devices will get what OS based on how well it can run the software. The Curve series was not built with BlackBerry 6 in mind.

Click the links to view the full press releases:

RIM Unleashes BlackBerry 6

AT&T and Research In Motion Ignite Customers with the New BlackBerry Torch

So, there you have it folks. The 9700, 9650, and 91xx are getting BlackBerry 6. The availability is pending upon carrier approval, and we all know the drill. Those of you patiently waiting with Bolds or Pearls in hand, don’t hold your breath, carriers are notorious for taking their sweet, sweet time with approving official OS updates. Back when we were all waiting on OS 5.0, I remember months passing with no word. I finally jumped the gun and downloaded a leaked version.

via: BGR

Amongst all of the hype and talk of the newly announced BlackBerry Torch 9800 coming to AT&T, it’s easy to forget that our neighbors are in on the 9800 love as well. Rogers, of Canada, posted on their site that they too will be getting their hands on the Torch “in the coming weeks.”

As you’ve already seen this morning, the Torch 9800 will include (as listed on Roger’s site):

• A 5 megapixel camera
• Built-in GPS and Wi-Fi
• A new web browser
• Enhanced multimedia features for video, music, pictures and podcasts
• The new Social Feeds app for managing multiple social networks
• 4 GB built-in memory plus microSD slot for memory cards up to 32 GB
• Tri-band HSDPA (3G) and quad-band EDGE support.

We’ll share more details closer to launch.

So who has Rogers in Canada, and who plans on picking on of these bad boys up?

via: Rogers’ Redboard

It’s been ages since you Storm1 9500 users out there got a good update. Finally there’s an official Storm 9500 OS upgrade from the previously available 5.0.0.484 up to 5.0.0.841. It’s being said that the release came from Vodafone Germany though it’s nowhere on the page. Even though I was logged in as a customer I couldn’t find it anywhere. However that’s not the important part, you can get it here. When upgrading, always remember to backup your data, and if you’re not sure exactly how to upgrade, you can check our our How-To Guides.

Enjoy!

via: BBleaks

For those of us familiar with the inner workings with BlackBerry and the company, Mike Lazaridis is something like our Steve Jobs (except we don’t build altars to him…).  It’s not that he can do no wrong, and he is most definitely not someone who comes up in our daily conversation.  He is however a very important facet of the BlackBerry community.  When Mr. Lazaridis was confronted about BlackBerry 6 at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders over at RIM, he stated:

The operating system has been put together with more than 15 million lines of software code designed to run a slew of applications “in a seamless way” without using too much battery power and all done “with a few clicks.””As the BlackBerry has become more mainstream, the key has been “understanding the consumer interaction with the device and doing that without sacrificing the company’s heritage in the enterprise space.”

“When you pick it up and start using it, you’re going to see something different”

All I can say is that, for those who meet the hardware requirements, this could be fantastic news.  Obviously, battery power has been taken into account, as well as ease of use.  I am really overjoyed that RIM seems to be turning over a new leaf and taking BlackBerry 6 to the limits.  Something new and exciting is exactly what RIM needs, and I hope that they can deliver.

On the other hand though, I am still infuriated with RIM’s hardware requirement poppycock.  It’s a personal issue of mine that I doubt will be addressed.  So what do the pups have to say?  Feel free to shoot us a bark and let us know how you feel about Mike Lazaridis’ comments.

via: RIMarkable

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

Well, I think we can all agree that this week has been a busy week full of BlackBerry updates.  This lovely Saturday is no different as we have OS 5.0.0.741 update for the Storm2.  It can be downloaded here.  This OS is from East Asia, but is multilingual.  The file size is just over 135MB and can be updated through Desktop Manager. Feel free to reference our How-To Guide on upgrading an OS and always remember to backup your smartphone.

Overall, this is probably a minor update to fix some bugs and improve overall performance. If you’ve installed this update and notice any differences or major improvements (battery life, snappiness, etc.) let us know!

via: BBLeaks

In the midst of all of the iPhone 4 hype, this is what we all needed as BlackBerry users and fans alike. We all needed something to restore our faith in RIM and their ability to manufacture new, current devices rather than the same ‘ol time and time again. While the clamshell BlackBerry may be blacklisted in your own personal books (mine included), the Torch or Slider is not. Every time we see pictures of this, the more I want it and the sooner I want it to hit the market to get one in my hands.

This time around, it’s openly visible that this is, in fact, going to be on AT&T which further confirms the roadmap that was leaked last Friday. Another thing I’m glad to see is that it apparently will not have the D-X1 battery that I’ve grown to dislike. However, the 1400mAh D-X1 has apparently been replaced with a 1270mAh mystery battery. These pictures show off BlackBerry 6 ever so slightly and quite honestly, I’m loving looks of it. I just hope the functionality and usability isn’t trumped by RIM’s attention to visual detail in an attempt to launch them back into the smartphone wars. BlackBerry 6 came flying out of nowhere and took us all by surprise, so I’m definitely a little weary on how well they may or may not have executed it. With the roadmap claiming this device being slated for AT&T in August, RIM still has time to refine 6. Let’s hope they do so. In the meantime, we’ll all salivate over the Torch and how amazing we all hope it will be. A partial gallery will be available at the end of this post, but to see the fully gallery, hit the source link.

via: Engadget

Read the full story

To add to the abundant, official OS love from carriers, 5.0.0.696 has just been released for the Pearl 3G by Vodafone Germany (for those who don’t “sprechen ze deutsch”, it is multilingual). From what I can see, it is a 133MB download that you can find here. If you are not on Vodafone Germany, please remember to remove the vendor.xml file. Remember to backup your data and if you need help upgrading you can always refer to our How-To guides.

Comment below with any differences you find after the update!

via: BlackBerryRocks