Category: BlackBerry
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After Sweden, struggling BlackBerry now announces job cuts across the world

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BlackBerry said that it is cutting jobs worldwide. The news arrives nearly a month after the company announced that it is mulling closing its offices in Sweden in a move that put around 100 jobs at stake.

“The company is reallocating resources to capitalize on growth opportunities and achieve profitability across all its business segments,” a company spokesperson said. There was, however, no word on the number of employees that will be affected in the latest wave of job cuts. Read more »

BBM for iOS beta update brings Timed Message and Message Retract features

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BlackBerry has released a new version (v2.9.0.6) of its BBM beta app for iOS that brings along some new features as well as several bug fixes.

The update includes a new Timed Message feature that allows you to control how long messages and pictures you share with contacts can be viewed within BBM. It also adds support for the Message Retract feature that lets you remove your message from your BBM chat before or after it has been read by the recipient. Read more »

BlackBerry offering discount on select BlackBerry 10 smartphones in India

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BlackBerry has announced a limited period Loyalty Program for its customers in India, allowing them to purchase select BlackBerry 10 smartphones, including the Passport, Z30, Z3, and Classic, at a discount of up to INR 10,000 ($158). They’ll also get assured JPMiles from JetPrivilege.

In addition, the Canadian company is also offering 1 GB data free for 2 months on purchase of the Z3 and 2 GB data free for 2 months on purchase of the Z30, Classic, or Passport. Read more »

WhatsApp for BlackBerry 10 updated with voice calling feature

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Less than a week after it was rolled out to iPhone users, the WhatsApp voice calling feature has been officially made available to all BlackBerry 10 users, too. The update is currently live, and is available through BlackBerry World.

The update, which bumps the application to version 2.12.1.2, also includes several other bug fixes and improvements, including the ability to instantly search for individual messages (as well as chats and contacts), improved font scaling, and custom ringtone selection. Read more »

New BlackBerry Leap gets demoed in an official hands-on video

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Just moments ago BlackBerry announced a brand new device ant it MWC 2015 press talk. The BlackBerry Leap, as it is called, comes with a 5-inch HD screen and is powered by what the company refers to as “mid-range” hardware.

The phone is equipped with a quite dated Snapdragon S4 Plus chip and comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. Battery life should be pretty good thanks to the 2800 mAh battery pack, but it does come at a price, as the device is quite thick at 9.5mm and weighs 170g. Read more »

WhatsApp web client now also compatible with Firefox and Opera

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When WhatsApp launched a desktop version of its messaging service last month, it worked only with Google Chrome. But that’s not the case anymore, as the company has announced that the client is now also compatible with Firefox and Opera.

The sign up process remains the same, which means Firefox and Opera users will also have to scan a QR code from within WhatsApp on their handset, something which can be done through a new Menu option, labeled WhatsApp Web. Read more »

WhatsApp Web officially launches for Google Chrome, yet sans iOS support for now

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The much leaked Web interface for WhatsApp is now live. As you may have imagined, this allows you to use your computer to send and receive WhatsApp messages. But, true to this app’s very obvious “mobile first” mantra, the Web client is acting simply as an extension of your phone.

Thus, all the messages still actually live on your handset, they’re just shown to you on the Web as well. So your phone needs to be connected to the Internet while you’re using WhatsApp Web on your computer, keep that in mind. Read more »

BlackBerry Classic gets a heap of promo videos

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The BlackBerry Classic was just introduced to the world and BlackBerry wants to show its faithful fans as much of it as possible.

The maker has prepped up a number of videos both in promo and live fashion that reflect on its new smartphone and the loyal BlackBerry users for which it was made. You can find the videos after the break. Read more »

BBM gets stickers in group chats, new design on iOS, support for Android 5.0 Lollipop

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BlackBerry’s well known messaging app, BBM, has today been updated to version 2.6 on iOS, Android, and the company’s own smartphones.

The update adds one of the most requested features, which apparently was the support for sending stickers in group chats. Read more »

Official BlackBerry video showcases the upcoming Classic

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BlackBerry showcased the soon to be released Classic smartphone in an official hands-on video. The handset is already up for pre-order for $449 and will become available this month.

The short clip gives us a close look at the highly revered old school hardware keyboard and navigation buttons of the handset, as well as its browser and app stores. Read more »

BlackBerry Passport gets endorsed by NBA’s Toronto Raptors GM

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BlackBerry Passport is surely an interesting smartphone. It has a square display, a hardware QWERTY keyboard, top-notch hardware and a 13MP camera with OIS. The company’s new flagship has been a massive success for the struggling manufacturer, going twice out of stock and its interest is growing even though the Passport is not backed up by an aggressive marketing campaign.

Recently Blackberry posted a new ad focusing on the Passport and its key features. The videos is presented by Masai Ujiri – the General Manager for NBA’s Toronto Raptors. Read more »

BBM gets Timed Messages and Message Retraction across platforms

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BlackBerry’s Messenger app has received an update today, which brings with it two new features. Timed Messages allows you to set a timer when sending a message. When that expires, the message you sent will disappear from the BBM chat.

With Message Retraction, you can ‘take back’ something you sent – after the fact. The message disappears from the chat for the person you sent it to as soon as you retract it. Read more »

BlackBerry Passport hands-on

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Canadian manufacturer BlackBerry has been hard at work trying to get back in the black. Its latest BlackBerry Passport flagship is an unconventional offering, and could be just crazy enough to work.

The Passport sports offers a QWERTY keypad alongside a 4.5-inch square display, which results in a ultra-wide 90.3mm footprint. Is the lack of one-handed capabilities too much of a sacrifice? Is having a square display actually a good thing? We get our hands on BlackBerry’s latest to find out. Read more »

BBM for Windows Phone beta version now available

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Are you a Windows Phone user who’s been jealous of all the BBM love iPhone and Android and owners have been receiving lately?

Well you’re in luck as the Canadian tech manufacturer has just released the BBM beta for Windows Phone. Read more »

BlackBerry takes a jab at the Blackphone, its maker strikes back

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Feeling the pressure from losing ground under its feet, BlackBerry is no stranger to publicly attacking the competition. Following the jab at the Android KNOX security feature, BlackBerry has set its aim at the new smartphone maker behind the security-oriented Blackphone. On one of its official blogs, the Canadian phonemaker states that the Android-powered Blackphone is “inadequate for business”.

But Toby Weir-Jones, chief executive of SGP Technologies, maker of the Blackphone handset wouldn’t have any of this and retaliated with a blog post hitting BlackBerry where it hurts most. Read more »