Blackberry ‘Venice’ leaks in new image
The upcoming Blackberry ‘Venice’ is gaining more and more attention. The high-end device will be the company’s first ever Android powered smartphone.
The new image captured shows a real image taken of the front side of the device unlike previous leaked renders. The image shows an edgy device as previously rumored with a back software button. The company’s logo is along the top bezel next to what looks to be a front-facing camera and led indicator. The smartphone will have front-facing speakers and an on/off button along with volume controls on the right side of the device.
Allegedly, the smartphone will be released on AT&T and T-Mobile in the states. No other details have been mentioned about the remained of the world, but sit tight. Blackberry believes it will find a market in the Android sector and plans to release more Android powered smartphones in the near future. We’ll keep a look out.
Source: Crackberry
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BlackBerry Venice shows up again, this time showing its virtual keyboard
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For weeks, we’ve been hearing about an Android-powered BlackBerry device called the BlackBerry Venice and it looks like the leaks are starting to pile up. The latest leak to join the party is a photo posted on the CrackBerry forums showing the curvy profile of the Venice once again, but this time showing off its virtual keyboard – that might seem inane seeing as the Venice is a smartphone, but it’s rumoured it will also come with a slide out keyboard. Check out the photo in question below – note that everything apart from the device itself has been blacked out:
In yet another confirmation that the Venice going to be running Android, the back soft key at the bottom of the display is a clear indicator that the Venice is going to be running at least Android Lollipop when it launches – if it launches. We have very little information about when this device could be showing up and it’s not likely we’ll know until it is released, but it’s rumoured that the device will be out sometime in November.
What do you think about the BlackBerry Venice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: CrackBerry via Phone Arena
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National Cyber Security Alliance adds BlackBerry to their ranks
BlackBerry got a start in the enterprise sector where security and privacy were major concerns for entities that were looking for mobile communications platforms. Over the years, BlackBerry has earned over 70 different government certifications or approvals which is more than any other mobile vendor. With this strong background in mobile security, BlackBerry seems like a natural fit for the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), but they are only just now joining according to an announcement made today.
NCSA’s executive director Micheal Kaiser says the organization welcomes “the unique perspective that BlackBerry brings to the NCSA, and we look forward to working with BlackBerry to solve cybersecurity challenges, particularly as they relate to mobility and the Internet of Things.” Meanwhile, BlackBerry’s Edward Hearst, vice president of U.S. Government Business Development, says BlackBerry hopes to share “knowledge and insights to further advance efforts to ensure that the mobile experience is safe and secure for users, no matter what devices they have or information they access.”
source: National Cyber Security Alliance (PR)
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New renders of the Blackberry Venice surface, shows Chromecast support
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The rumour mill has gone quiet around the Blackberry Venice, the rumoured smartphone from Blackberry that is going to be running Android rather than Blackberry’s native operating system. Thankfully, it starts up again today as new renders of the device have surfaced, showing us a little more about just how Android the device is going to be. From the images, we see a Material Design inspired email and social hub, as well as a sneak peek at the phone’s 18MP rear camera and a final image that shows that the Blackberry Venice will have Chromecast support for various apps, presumably showing YouTube as an example. Check out the renders below:
So far, what we know about the device is that it probably runs Android Lollipop and that it’s going to have a slide out keyboard. This latest information seems to suggest that the Blackberry Venice, unlike other devices that have adopted Android and forked their version for their own purposes, could have an Android experience that is closer to what we’d expect from an average Android device. Of course, all of this is speculation and Blackberry is yet to confirm that it’s even considering Android, so we’ll just have to wait this one out till some more news drops.
What do you think about the Blackberry Venice? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: CrackBerry via Phone Arena
The post New renders of the Blackberry Venice surface, shows Chromecast support appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Cyanogen has “more users than Windows Mobile and Blackberry combined”
We knew Cyanogen makes the most popular Android ROM in the world, but it seems their influence now expands far beyond the echelons of the third-party developer world. In fact, the company’s own Adnan Begovic has just taken the stage at the Seattle Code Rush, where he announced their numbers are so high they have surpassed BlackBerry and Windows Phone users… combined.
Reaching 50 million users is no small feat, and it’s specially an accomplishment considering Cyanogen (and CyanogenMod) is not even its own platform, it’s just a modified version of Android.
Let’s put things into perspective. According to the IDC research firm, Windows Phone’s market share is at 2.7% (worldwide) as of Q1 2015. On the other hand, BlackBerry’s numbers continue to decline and are down to 0.3%. Both platforms are definitely struggling as numbers continue to drop.
IDC’s statistics and Cyanogen’s latest numbers also suggest that the ROM maker alone probably holds about 3% (or a bit more) of the world’s total smartphone market share. That is pretty insane, guys. And honestly, I don’t see their success dropping anytime soon.
Cyanogen keeps getting funded left and right. They are also hiring high-class talent and continue on their quest to get new partners to distribute their tailored Android experience. Their deal with OnePlus has ended, but they plan to partner up with “bigger Chinese vendors”. If they manage to get some of the big Asian companies on their side, Cyanogen just might be able to “put a bullet through Google’s head”.
First Android-powered device from BlackBerry is coming to T-Mobile
This one goes out to those of you who are waiting to get your hands on Blackberry’s first Android-powered handset. Despite being an alleged AT&T exclusive, Evan Blass now claims that T-Mobile customers, too, will be able to purchase codename ‘Venice’ this fall.
It will likely include a 5.4-inch Quad HD display and be powered by a six-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor backed with 3GB of RAM. Other rumored features include an 8MP rear-facing camera and a 5MP front-facing camera inside a curved-edge body similar to Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge.
BlackBerry is expected to release the device in November.
This is shaping up to be a high-end Android smartphone, one that could ultimately decide BlackBerry’s trajectory for years to come. Will you be taking a look at what BlackBerry has coming?
Source: Evan Blass (Twitter)
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Cyanogen now has more users than Windows Mobile and BlackBerry combined
Cyanogen posted great news on Instagram. Adnan B., a Cyanogen employee, spoke at Seattle Code Rush, saying the company now has more active users than Windows Mobile and BlackBerry together. This is an amazing accomplishment for the company, and they seem to be very proud of it.
Windows Mobile and BlackBerry have been on a long rapid decline for some time now. Over the past few quarters, Android and iOS have continued separating themselves from everyone else. After parting ways with its biggest partner, OnePlus, earlier this year, Cyanogen appears to be fine without the Chinese manufacturer. Despite the split, OnePlus has also been doing well. The company just rolled out its OnePlus 2 flagship with their own OxygenOS and it seems to be a big hit so far.
Cyanogen is mostly known for its CyanogenMod interface which has become a widely popular skin for Android. Most enjoy it because of the features and opportunities it provides that stock Android does not. It contains lots of customization and promotes ease of use at the same time while keeping fast performance.
Source: Cyanogen (Instagram)
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Verizon nixes phone subsidies and simplifies its data plans
Following the lead of alternative carriers like T-Mobile and Google Fi, Verizon announced today that it will be doing away with phone subsidies (the precise opposite of what it said last October) and rejiggering its data plans beginning August 13th. Don’t get excited just yet, there’s no guarantee that your revamped service charges will be any less than what they are now.
Basically, every month you’re going to pay $20 for each phone, $10 for each tablet and jetpack, and $5 for every smartwatch on your plan as well as one of Verizon’s four data buckets — 1GB for $30, 3GB for $45, 6GB for $60 and 12GB for $80. Any data usage over your bucket limit will cost $15 per gigabyte, though you will be able to share the contents of your data bucket amongst 10 devices. The company is also doing away with offering discounted phones with a two-year service agreement, a la T-Mobile. Instead, customers will be expected to either pay for the new device up front or have that cost amortized over a set period and be tacked onto the monthly bill, which was formerly known as Verizon Edge.
[Image Credit: Invision for Verizon Wireless]
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Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple, Google, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, Blackberry, T-Mobile
Via:
RE/Code
Source:
Verizon
Tags: apple, att, blackberry, buckets, data, dataplan, google, mobilepostcross, phones, sprint, subsidies, t-mobile, verizon
BlackBerry willing to exit the smartphone market if profits don’t turn around
BlackBerry has taken a backseat to bigger smartphone manufacturers in the past few years, so they’ve diversified and pushed for software instead of strictly hardware. To an extent, it’s worked well for the company. Since their smartphone market share has completely plummeted and hasn’t rebounded, software seems to make the most sense, especially since BlackBerry’s major selling point is security.
In an interview, CEO John Chen stated that if the hardware division of BlackBerry didn’t start growing and turning a profit soon, they wouldn’t be against stepping out of the hardware game and focusing exclusively on software. Despite releasing a few newer devices in both the high-end and budget categories in the past few months, it’s pretty clear that there isn’t much demand for a consumer BlackBerry, and even their government and enterprise customers have explored other options.
BlackBerry is a prime example of a company moving too slow to adapt to the market changing around them. And in this case, with so many users invested in either Apple or Google’s ecosystem for their mobile devices, trying to shift a meaningful number of customers over to a brand new ecosystem is nearly impossible at this point. Just ask Microsoft.
source: Bloomberg
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Pakistan to shut off BlackBerry email over surveillance jitters
Remember the days when governments were threatening to cut off BlackBerry’s secure email because they couldn’t spy on your messages? They’re back. Pakistan’s Telecommunication Authority has ordered local carriers to shut off BlackBerry Enterprise Service from November 30th due to “security reasons.” While the agency isn’t specific about what those concerns are, BES typically encrypts messages in such a way that an outside party can’t (usually) intercept them in mid-flight. Most likely, Pakistan is worried that gangs and terrorists will use BlackBerry phones to chat in secret.
The move isn’t totally surprising for the country, which has gone so far as to require fingerprints as a condition of cellphone service. However, there are questions about both potential abuse and effectiveness. As observers at Privacy International have warned, Pakistan’s intelligence outfits aren’t known for being scrupulous — they’ve spied on journalists, judges, politicians and others daring to challenge the status quo. If BlackBerry were to find a way to offer access to email, it could jeopardize the privacy of many innocent people. Moreover, the BlackBerry shutdown will only do so much when other secure messaging options (such as Apple’s iMessage) aren’t facing similar threats. There’s a chance that the move will prove ineffective as BlackBerry users either switch communication methods or use entirely different devices.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Blackberry
Source: Reuters
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