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Highlights include:

We start with the next generation BlackBerry Pearl. Pictures of the device, plus a YouTube video, were recently posted by Salomondrin. It’s pretty, for sure, with a higher res screen and an optical trackpad. We should start hearing more about this soon, along with the new version of the Tour.

Next up, the BlackBerry QWERTY slider touchscreen that we’ve heard about for nearly two years now. The patent was filed — or, at least, someone discovered it — in February 2008. It’s been an on and off discussion, though I’m not sure there are any plans to produce it.

Finally, the BlackBerry Magnum, or whatever they’re calling the Bold with a touchscreen. This is the winner, I think. I know a lot of people who loved the Palm Treo because of the touchscreen/mechanical keyboard combination. It worked well enough for Palm for a while. I’m sure RIM can make a success of their spin on it.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: November 20, 2009 – Episode 91

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: November 20, 2009 – Episode 91

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Highlights include:

Flash. We know it’s coming to mobile platforms, and that it will hit BlackBerry eventually. What we learned this week is that RIM will allow developers to use Flash and Adobe’s Creative Suite to create BlackBerry applications. I’m pretty excited by this prospect. Anything to make the RIM platform more powerful.

Still, it’s all about the e-mail, and RIM can’t neglect that going forward. It’s what won them customers in the first place, and what continues to fuel at least part of their growth. The multimedia and advanced features are nice, but the reason I got a BlackBerry is because of email. I don’t want that to change. It might get even better, too, as RIM opens its Push platform for developers.

Oh, and there some device news, too, including a way to essentially get a BlackBerry Curve 8520 for free.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: November 13, 2009 – Episode 90

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: November 13, 2009 – Episode 90

So click on over here to hear the BBGeekcast (11 min, 15 sec)

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Highlights include:

First, make sure to check out News From The Wire, where we have links to all the 9700 reviews you can handle. If you’re thinking about the device, this should help you decide once and for all.

Our topic, though, is the Curve 2. I’ve been thinking about this one for a while. My buddy, who is a Verizon dealer, got a Tour over the summer. He likes it fine, but once he heard about the Curve 2 he said he regretted getting it. He doesn’t use the screen much — he doesn’t watch video or view advanced websites — so the high-res screen doesn’t mean much to him. He uses other functions, though, and those seem to be great with the Curve 2. If you’re looking for a very basic BlackBerry, this is it and more. The price is right, too, at $99.99.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: November 6, 2009 – Episode 89

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: November 6, 2009 – Episode 89

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Highlights include:

Last time around we talked about the BlackBerry Bold 9700, the Bold 2. AT&T and T-Mobile picked it up as expected. That still left a few BlackBerry models unannounced, but we heard a lot more about them this week.

Verizon announced the Storm 2 on Monday and released it on Wednesday. That was pretty quick, though it was somewhat expected. While the Storm 2 greatly improves on the original, it appears Verizon is more focused on the Droid, its first Android device. Which is doubly a shame, because there are two more BlackBerry models that could drop with the carrier before the holidays.

First is the known, the Curve 8530, the Curve 2. It’s already out on T-Mobile, and Verizon should get a CDMA version in November. It packs in the best of the BlackBerry world, including the fast processor, optical trackpad, and Wi-Fi. The only downside is that it doesn’t have a high-res screen. Oh well. There’s a solution to that, too.

The BlackBerry Essex has been outed as the Tour 2, though we pretty much knew that already. That’s the big upgrade, as the device has all the features of the Curve 2, plus a high-res screen. While it was originally thought that it would drop sometime after the holidays, Kevin at CrackBerry has word that Verizon is going for a pre-holidays release. I wonder what original Tour users think about that.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: October 30, 2009 – Episode 88

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: October 30, 2009 – Episode 88

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Highlights include:

The 9700 got the corporate treatment this week, as we heard everything good about it without the bad. That’s why I like the pre-device content. We get to see for ourselves what’s working and what’s not. It seems that once the device gets into reviewers’ hands that all we get are the biases of the reviewers. That’s fine — it’s what reviews are — but there’s always a little bit of sadness when a device becomes official.

(Which sounds horribly backward, I know.)

The Storm 2 isn’t fully announced yet, but we’ve seen just about everything we can of it. The only thing left is to determine if it’s a good device for you. That’s also exciting: picking up a BlackBerry for the first time and getting a feel for it.

We’ve also got an update on Project Dark, which will go well with the 9700.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: October 23, 2009 – Episode 87

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: October 23, 2009 – Episode 87

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Highlights include:

So the Storm 2 is coming. Now what? There’s still plenty to get excited about. Hey, we could even get a new BlackBerry announcement next week. That would be the 9700, a/k/a the Onyx, a/k/a the Bold 2. There are strong rumors that both AT&T and T-Mobile will announce the device next week. I’d say it’s almost certain that T-Mobile does, though AT&T shouldn’t be far behind, if they are at all. AT&T did release original Bold in white this week, making me wonder if they’re going to delay the 9700. But probably not.

What’s interesting for T-Mobile is that the 9700 is part of Project Black. This is a do-or-die deal for T-Mobile. They’re rumored to be getting a few super high-end devices. On top of that, they’re upgrading their 3G networks to 21Mbps, and could completely undercut other carriers with a $50 unlimited service plan. It’s a critical point for T-Mobile. Proper execution could move them up the ranks. If it fails, though, it could be the end of the company.

I’m just glad that the 9700 is part of the plan.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: October 16, 2009 – Episode 86

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: October 16, 2009 – Episode 86

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Highlights include:

One major theme I harp on is the marketing of the Storm 2. Last year, Verizon made an aggressive marketing pitch with blogs, releasing talking points and hype material in September, in anticipation of the late October, early November release of the Storm. This year it doesn’t seem like they’re doing that. After they guarded images of the device all summer, they’re finally allowing blogs to run with it on their own. Without the aid of RIM or Verizon, the Internet community has built the hype for these devices. This not only saves RIM and Verizon some effort, but the marketing campaign seems a bit purer, since it’s not coming from the parties involved. We’ll see if it works out.

We’re seeing something similar with the 9700. The hype is growing, and it got even bigger this week, with comparative videos and sharp images. We also got word on an announcement date. Not sure if that’s the same as the release date, or if it’s just the day that AT&T and T-Mobile will announce the release date. In any case, the device should hit soon.

And speaking of T-Mobile, they have partnered with RIM for a new business service. Details inside.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: October 9, 2009 – Episode 85

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: October 9, 2009 – Episode 85

So click on over here to hear the BBGeekcast (10 min, 38 sec)

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Highlights include:

RIM has added so many subscribers lately — they’re now up to 32 million users worldwide. That’s a big jump from where they were when BBGeeks launched in late 2007. They’re also raking the in the dough, 37 percent more than they did in the same quarter last year. Things continue to look up for RIM.

Onto the devices, we get the first look at the BlackBerry Atlas, which is not what we thought it was. Originally, the Atlas was slated as a CDMA device, but after a week of looking around for more information, it’s pretty clear that it will be a GSM device marketed towards the Asian market. Oh well. We do get a bit about the Storm 2, though, which is always exciting.

Oh, and by the time this goes up you should be able to get BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac. Just head to blackberry.com/mac to download your copy.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: October 2, 2009 – Episode 84

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: October 2, 2009 – Episode 84

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Highlights include:

It’s all about the Tour trackball issues. It’s a decent discussion: did the parties involved handle things correctly? As far as replacing the handsets, I haven’t heard too many complaints. But what about those who experience the problem down the road? Both Verizon and Sprint sounded like they wanted to have the final word, that the issue is behind them. But what if there’s an issue with the newest production line that takes longer to crop up? I’m not saying that they won’t handle it well; I just wish they didn’t sound so final about the issue.

This is why the trackpad is the way to go. It segues perfectly into the BlackBeryy 9700, which is slated for a mid-November release through T-Mobile and AT&T, and should hit Rogers a little before that. We’ve already heard it called the best BlackBerry to date. We’ll see how it fares against the Storm 2.

Oh yeah, and the U2 album was quite a disappointment.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: September 25, 2009 – Episode 83

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: September 25, 2009 – Episode 83

So click on over here to hear the BBGeekcast (9 min, 5 sec)

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Highlights include:

The Storm 2 is the future, and the way a current issue is going, the Tour might be the past. There appears to be a widespread trackball issue with the device, causing people to exchange the device left and right. What is Verizon going to do about it? I’ve heard they’re not exchanging the devices any more. That’s a shame. Sorry to anyone who’s stuck with a faulty trackball.

There are other tidbits too, like OS 5.0 coming out some time this year — we hope. RIM said so. Can we take their word for it?

Oh yeah, and the U2 mobile album. That seems to be a big deal. I don’t care for the band, but the concept is solid. Mobile is an excellent platform on which to distribute supplemental material with an album.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: September 18, 2009 – Episode 82

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BBGeekcast: September 18, 2009 – Episode 82