Friday Fun Photo - Is this the BlackBerry London??

Take this for what you will, but forums member czhy6618 has posted up the above image of what claims to be the 2012 BlackBerry London. We're thinking this is more of a Photoshop than an actual retail box, but you be the judge. In case you don't already know, the BlackBerry London is the codename for the first BBX BlackBerry 10 device we saw way back in November. The image here does look pretty darn close to the original photo leaked phot0, so we're not really sold that it's totally legit. 

Check it out, analyze it then drop a comment with your thoughts. Don't forget, BlackBerry World 2012 is only a few days away so hopefully we'll have plenty of BlackBerry 10 fun to report in the next week :-)

Discuss more in the CrackBerry Forums

Since we first posted our 2012 BBX BlackBerry Preview some new info has come to light that changes things up a bit. For the most part we knew what was coming device-wise but our timeline was a bit off. Now some other devices have come into play and some dates have been shuffled around a bit. We can expect to see some new BlackBerry 7 devices in the Curve line, a new updated BlackBerry PlayBook as well as at least one BlackBerry 10 (oh yeah, RIM changed the name of BBX to BlackBerry 10 too) phone hit before the end of 2012. Keep reading and we'll take a look at what to expect in the coming months.

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It looks like RIM's 2012 roadmap for new devices is staying pretty much on track with what we previously expected. According to BGR, RIM has some new devices in the works for 2012/2013 that should keep things flowing up until the launch of BlackBerry 10 later this year. The lineup includes two new Curve devices, an HSPA+ PlayBook and two BlackBerry 10 devices. Here's how it breaks down:

• Within the next few months, RIM should release two new devices in the Curve line - the BlackBerry Curve 9230 and the BlackBerry Curve 9320. The Curve 9230 is said to be an EDGE device where the Curve 9320 will be HSPA.
• The BlackBerry 10 device dubbed the BlackBerry London is still on par for launch in September, while a new device (BlackBerry Nevada) featuring a touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard is said to be launching as part of the Bold line at the end of the year as well.
• RIM is said to be working on a new BlackBerry PlayBook that includes a 1.5GHz processor, HSPA+ and NFC for launch mid-2012.

So this all pretty much jives with what we already knew -- the big difference here from the original roadmap is really just the time frame (which makes sense as we knew BlackBerry 10 was getting pushed back to late 2012). It looks like RIM will try to keep the momentum up in emerging markets with the release of the Curve 9230 and 9320 while we wait to see some BlackBerry 10 goodness. I'm excited to see what comes in the next few months for RIM -- with a new CEO at the helm it will be interesting to see how things improve for RIM in 2012.

Source: BGR

With the whole 'BBX' dispute now a thing of the past, RIM once again is facing some legal woes -- this time over their use of BBM. The Toronto based broadcast industry group BBM Canada has a long standing history of using the BBM trademark, and is now taking action against RIM in an effort to get the rights to their name back, claiming that RIM's use of the trademark is infringement.

“We want our name back,” said Jim MacLeod, president and chief executive officer of BBM Canada. “I find it kind of amazing that this wouldn’t have been thought about before they decided to use the name. The same thing goes for BBX.”

According to documents, RIM applied for a “BBM” trademark and was advised by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office that the trademark “was not registrable,” but they still went ahead and used it, even going so far as to show it as a trademark on their corporate website. This use caused confusion for the smaller company, noting that their email addresses were often confused for that of RIM employees and they even began receiving customer support requests for RIM's BlackBerry Messenger service.

BBM Canada is a group that was established back in 1944 and operated as the Bureau of Broadcast Management, to later shorten the name to BBM Canada. In August Jim MacLeod, president and chief executive officer of BBM Canada, went ahead and filed suit against RIM after attempts to reach out to RIM failed. Now the company is seeking an injunction stopping RIM from using the name in addition to seeking damages.

Thus far RIM has refused to comment on the matter, but looking at the situation it appears to be a losing battle. Much like RIM's use of the BBX name, the BBM mark has indeed been in use for a while. After having been advised not to use it, I can't see how RIM could ever possibly win this one nor do I personally believe they should. I seriously hope some of RIM's 'restructuring' involved firing some of their lawyers, because even I, with no legal degree or experience, can see that it's just common sense to check on a trademark before you know, using it and claiming it as your own.

Source: Globe and Mail; via: MobileSyrup

Earlier today Jonathan Geller put up a post on BGR.com that has seemingly garnered a lot of attention based on the number of tweets and emails I've received from CrackBerry readers who are a bent out of shape over it.

With information being brought forth from one of Geller's trusted sources, the post exclaims that BlackBerry 10 is a failure that won't be able to compete, that PlayBook OS 2.0 is a clear window into BlackBerry 10 (something I agree with - this has been known for a long time that things are evolving into one OS to rule tablet and phone), and that RIM's Founder and Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis lied on the last week's conference call when putting LTE chipset availability into the spotlight as a primary reason for the launch of BlackBerry 10 phones being delayed until late 2012.

After reading the BGR post I reached out to Research In Motion to see if they would provide an official response to the story, which they did. Here's what RIM had to say in response:

"RIM made a strategic decision to launch BlackBerry 10 devices with a new, LTE-based dual core chip set architecture. As explained on our earnings call, the broad engineering impact of this decision and certain other factors significantly influenced the anticipated timing for the BlackBerry 10 devices. The anonymous claim suggesting otherwise is inaccurate and uninformed. As RIM has previously explained, and as Mike Lazaridis reiterated on the earnings call, we will not launch BlackBerry 10 devices until we know they are ready and we believe this new chip set architecture is required to deliver the world class user experience that our customers will expect. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply false. We appreciate the interest in our future platform and we will continue to work hard to deliver that platform as soon as possible. At the same time, we also remain very excited with the success of our recently launched BlackBerry 7 smartphones and we believe these products offer a very compelling choice for both new customers and the almost 75 million BlackBerry users around the world." 

That's a pretty clear statement from RIM on this one, so take it in and decide what you will. Look. I know a lot of RIM people. Heck, I know a lot of ex-RIM people too. Nobody I know denies the challenges RIM is facing from the competition and the difficulties they need to work through as they transition to a new mobile platform. But the revenue engine is still firing on BlackBerry 7 Smartphone sales, there are still a lot of SMART people working at the company and none of them want to be working for a company that's losing. 2012 is all about execution. RIM wants to win. Have faith. Afterall, it's almost Christmas!

Things are looking pretty good for the BlackBerry 10 Smartphones rumored to be released in 2012. A few weeks ago, we got our first look at BlackBerry London, and then a sneak peek at the BlackBerry Milan. Both phones feature a distinctive angular styling with some nice silver accents. Design aesthetics aside, one question on our BlackBerry tour of Europe remains prominent: where are the buttons?

Except for the keyboard, one of the most-recognizable aspects of a BlackBerry is its buttons. Call, menu, back, and end/home are so crucial to the BlackBerry experience that it's hard to imagine using a Research In Motion Smartphone without them. And no trackpad either? How in the world does RIM expect people to use these phones?

The buttons on a BlackBerry make it very easy to use the phone with only one hand. Everything is but a thumb movement away. Without the almost iconic buttons, will you be forced to do everything on the BlackBerry with two hands? Will people be required to do the BlackBerry Prayer every time they use the device?

As both a BlackBerry PlayBook owner and a Torch 9860 user, I have a little experience in using full touchscreen devices. I'm confident that after a short adjustment period, most people won't even miss those buttons - one-handed use or not.

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Back at BlackBerry DevCon, Mike Lazaridis announced that the new BlackBerry/QNX platform would further be known as BBX. That was all well and good until a company called Basis stepped in and begged to differ, as they already were using the BBX trademark. After a few courtroom spats, RIM was forced to give in and was no longer permitted to use the BBX name.

As a result, RIM has re-dubbed the next generation software BlackBerry 10. Depending on how you think, there are two ways to look at it. You're either on the "BBX, X=10, BlackBerry 10 ... that works" side, or the "What the hell happened to BlackBerry 8 and 9?! side". Whichever it is, you either love the name or hate it. We want to know what you think, so cast your vote in the poll above. As for me, well... I'm sort of hoping somebody else happens to own the trademark on BlackBerry 10 and RIM is forced to change it up one more time. But honestly, as long as the phones kick ass I'll be happy.

Hit the comments and tell us if you could come up with a better name for BBX .. err .. BlackBerry 10. :-)

At BlackBerry DevCon it was announced that the next generation platform for BlackBerry devices would be BBX but now -- come BlackBerry DevCon Asia, that has all changed once again. Now, RIM will be calling their next generation platform -- BlackBerry 10.

BBX is no more but really, it's not all that surprising considering BASIS, the company that sought out to sue RIM for trademark infringement for their use of BBX name won a restraining order against RIM to prevent them from using the name. It's a platform name -- personally, I'm more concerned with when it will be available, not with what they are naming it.

We've known since shortly after BlackBerry DevCon that BASIS International was after RIM for their BBX trademark use but now they've won a temporary restraining order against RIM, so that they may no longer use the BBX name. The full press release is below for you all./

Press Release

US Federal Court Bars RIM (BlackBerry) from Using BASIS’ BBX Trademark

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The United States Federal Court in Albuquerque today granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Research in Motion (RIM), immediately barring RIM from using BASIS International Ltd.’s incontestable federally registered BBX trademark at RIM’s Asian DevCon on December 7-8 in Singapore.

RIM had refused BASIS’ requests to stop the infringement at the DevCon conference, which resulted in BASIS filing for the TRO.

In rejecting RIM’s arguments against the issuance of a TRO, the court found that, “The BBX mark is identical to the mark which RIM is allegedly using to present its BBX product (TRO page 8).” and “despite the fact that the two companies are not direct competitors, the parties’ respective BBX products are highly related and target the same class of consumers, that is, business application software developers (TRO page 9).” The court went on to concur with BASIS that “The alleged infringement is likely to cause customers and prospective customers to wrongly believe that the software applications created using BASIS’s development tools are only compatible with RIM’s BBX operating system (TRO page 11).”

The order described how the “Courts use a well-established four-part test to decide whether to grant injunctive relief (TRO page 7)” and concluded that “Accordingly, after considering all the factors relative to a determination of whether an injunction should be granted, the Court finds that all factors weigh in favor of BASIS (TRO page 8).”

See BASIS’ latest generation of BBX in action by running the sample restaurant tip calculator and home mortgage calculator applications from links.basis.com/buidemos to experience BASIS’ BBX platform-independent solutions on your own smartphone or tablet.

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December is here which means it's time for yet another amazing CrackBerry Santa contest. With BlackBerry 7 Smartphones already on the market and much of CrackBerry Nation having already upgraded to the latest phones available, we decided the ultimate BlackBerry present to give away this Christmas would be something not yet available.

The Prize: 2012 will bring forth the release of the next generation of BlackBerry - the BBX Smartphone (or SuperPhone as I like to call it). We've already seen photos of the first BBX BlackBerry, which goes by the codename "london", and while it hasn't been officially announced yet, we know it's coming early in the year and that's what we're giving away! That's right. This holiday season one lucky CrackBerry member will win an IOU for a free BBX BlackBerry. As soon as it's available for purchase, we'll buy one and get it to you, just like that.

How to Enter: To enter, all you need to do is login to CrackBerry.com and leave a comment to this post and you'll be entered to win. Easy. And if you're not already a member of CrackBerry.com, what are you waiting for? You can register here for free! Contest open worldwide. We'll announce the winner New Year's Day. Please just leave ONE COMMENT per user (if you leave more, only the first will be counted as entry).

That's it. Good luck. And on behalf of the team at CrackBerry.com, Happy Holidays!!!

So the word floating around the interwebz today is that the official product name for the first BBX Smartphone from Research In Motion (currently codenamed BlackBerry "London") will be the BlackBerry SurfBoard. Personally, I don't believe it. I have more faith in RIM's marketing and branding department than that, whether or not RIM already has thet trademark on the name. And if it is true, let me just say right now that has time to change it, and should change it.

Take a vote on the poll above and let us know where you stand on this name issue. I really hope that when we see the first BBX phone get announced by RIM in 2012 it's to a name other than SurfBoard. /end rant 

Source: BBOS via TechCrunch

On Monday we caught our first glimpse of BlackBerry "London", but the photo only showed off the front of the phone. We've been scratching our heads all week trying to figure out what the back of the phone looks like... could the first BBX BlackBerry be hiding some secret new feature that will help it leapfrog the competition when it hits the market?

We know QNX has a history in automotive, and between London's angular corners and silver/black color scheme and futuristic look, we couldn't help but be reminded of the DeLorean from Back to the Future (see pics).

Then it hit us. We know what BlackBerry London is packing on it's back... Mike Lazaridis has managed to shoehorn a flux capacitor in there! 1.21 giggawatt BlackBerry anyone?? :)

* Update: Checked with some of my sources and the photo above is definitely legit. That's not to say things won't get tweaked up by the time it goes into production runs, but it's definitely a legit BlackBerry design. *

Exciting day in BlackBerry land! CrackBerry fans have been waiting a long time to get a good look at the first BBX BlackBerry, and today we finally have our first glimpse. The Verge posted the photo they were given of what is apparently a dummy model of BlackBerry "london" with a fairly big disclaimer that it could be fake. BGR followed up with a post saying it's legit and it definitely matches the evolution of the description of what we've been hearing on the first full touchscreen BBX phone (remember - the original Colt was scrapped). 

So **assuming** the first full touchscreen BlackBerry with BBX will hit the market looking more or less like the phone in the picture above, the thing I want to know is what do you think?! Love it? Hate it? Not sure?? With the silver framing it definitely gives off a feeling of the Porsche P'9981 BlackBerry, but it's not so hard to imagine the device in a more traditional all black color scheme.

Overall I think I'm liking it. There's a lot of bezel, but you're going to need a decently sized bezel to take advantage of all the swipe gestures in BBX. It's an edgy look and I think RIM needs their BBX phones to be a little edgy to stand out in the crowd (hhmmm... BlackBerry Edge might be a decent product name for this one?!). Vote on our poll above and let us know where you stand on it so far.

All I know is seeing this makes me want to jump on a plane tomorrow and fly to Waterloo to try and get my hands on one!