If you're a CrackBerry regular, you'll know both the operating system names BlackBerry 6.1 and BlackBerry 7 have been talked about quite a bit. BlackBerry 6.1 is the evolutionary upgrade to BlackBerry 6, and its existence and some of its features have already been announced by Research In Motion back at DevCon Asia at the start of the year (you can learn even more about it's features in our 2011 Roadmap post).

BlackBerry 7 has been rumored about too, and so far has been acknowledged as being that magical unicorn OS that finally brings the best of the traditional BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry Tablet OS together for a QNX-based Smartphone. At least that was the case... until now.

We've now received word from numerous sources that next week at BlackBerry World we'll see BlackBerry 6.1 now be unveiled as BlackBerry 7. And no, it won't be QNX-based so don't get your hopes up for that. Why the name change? We're not totally sure. Since the new OS will launch on new devices (I hope they announce the BlackBery Bold 9900 next week!) it could be they wanted to up the 6.1 value proposition with a new-sounding OS to match the new hardware. Or it could be that because some of the new features in BlackBerry 6.1/7 require hardware that's not currently in BlackBerry 6 Smartphones, that we won't see 6.1/7 hit current BlackBerry 6 phones so RIM wanted to differentiate the OS numbers a bit further than one decimal place. Keep in mind on our 2011 roadmap we also saw references to a "lite" version of BlackBerry 6.1 - so hopefully that means we'll still seem solid updates come to current BlackBerry 6 devices.

And I guess this news means that BlackBerry 8 is now the QNX-based phone OS a lot of us will be waiting for (though we keep hearing these new phones are super sweet so I'm still looking forward to BlackBerry 7).  Ahh well, I'm sure we'll know more soon, so keep it locked to CrackBerry.com as we hit Orlando for BlackBerry World next week! 

After yesterdays leak of BlackBerry 6.1, we've seen some great stuff roll out already. There were some extracted apps as well as a sweet new Six dot X theme. In his work to extract icons from the soon to be released OS, Dave came across some new ones we haven't seen before that will show up on the next generation devices. Included in the mix are what we think to be a compass, NFC, BlackBerry Wallet and the BlackBerry Bridge icon (as we saw in our PlayBook Setup and BlackBerry Bridge Setup tutorials). All we have to work on is the icon images themselves, but some detective work and what we already know about BlackBerry 6.1 and some upcoming phones lets us piece it all together. There are various cod files in the OS as well that point the way back to the icons, so it's a pretty safe bet as to what we'll see. We know the new BlackBerry Touch photos that leaked yesterday had a few icons blacked out... the odds are good the above were maybe at least *some* of them.

For anyone tired of hearing about the BlackBerry PlayBook, the new images of the BlackBerry Touch were a nice change. But now, OS OS 6.1.0.44 has shown up and along for the ride is a bunch of updated apps. Extracted and taken from the full, leaked OS updated versions of the following are now available for download:

• BlackBerry App World v2.1.3.2
• BlackBerry Radio v1.0.0.34
• BlackBerry Podcasts v1.5.0.18
• BlackBerry News v1.1.0.12
• Facebook for BlackBerry v1.9.1.8 
• Visual Voice Mail v3.0.0.122

All of the leaked apps have been tested on a BlackBerry Torch, should any of them give you a hassle about missing files it is suggested you download this file. One thing to note however, is that these are leaked files. If you load them up, you do so at your own risk -- be sure to back things up first.

PS: For those of you asking, no -- it will NOT work on your Torch. The OS leak itself has very little meaning to folks who don't acutally have the devices they are meant for. They do however, make way for more leaks and for hybrid OS builders to make use of the files. Other then that, they really aren't meant for mass consumption. Only the apps can be used by various other devices running BlackBerry 6.

Source: BBH-Plus

RIM is an interesting (and confusing?) spot right now as it's juggling operating system platforms as they push forward on development of the PlayBook's QNX-based BlackBerry Tablet OS and also work on BlackBerry 6.1 which will ship on the next generation of BlackBerry Smartphones. Beyond that the OS details have been relatively scarce and it has been leaving all of us CrackBerry addicts with some key questions, like Why is it taking so long to get these 2011 BlackBerry Smartphones out the door? and What's QNX on a BlackBerry Smartphone going to look like?  

Thanks to word coming to us via BerryReview from notes taken during a RIM internal developer keynote given by CTO David Yach today, things are starting to make more sense. Here are some of the highlights from the presentation: 

• A big portion of the talk is focusing on the benefit RIM will get from centralizing processes and tools
• One of the key reasons OS 6.1 is falling behind schedule is miscommunication between teams in the critical path of the project
• He didn't focus on the problems as much as how RIM is going to solve them by easing conflicts in the critical path
• There is a new project "Highlander" using the concept from the movies "There can be only one"
• This project is taking the best features from OS 6.1 and the QNX OS to make OS 7. This seems to be where the rumors about OS 6.1 having a QNX core are coming from
• RIM is "very happy" with OS 6.1 but is struggling with losing the features users love
• OS 6.1 is almost 10 years old and has pushed its limits
• Still they are very happy about the "Liquid Graphics" in OS 6.1 adding a WOW factor to BlackBerrys
• This new OS 7 will also be the OS for the Playbook down the road. Seeing the theme of "there can be only one" ?
• RIM is still in the "early stages" of OS 7 with a target of 2012

Listening to RIM's 4th quarter investors' call last week, Co-CEO Jim Balsillie made it clear that the company is going through a big transition right now and this information really sheds great insight onto what exactly that transition entails. Right now RIM is trying to push forward the development of two separate operating systems as the PlayBook and 2011 Phones get pushed out to market, but the real end goal here is to kill the fragmentation in the company and focus and centralize efforts, from tools and processes right down to the operating system on both tablets and phones. The aptly nicknamed "Highlander" OS 7 should bring the best bits of the traditional BlackBerry OS into the new QNX platform, upon which both the phones and tablet os will be one and the same (assuming of course that means all this info is legit). It makes a ton of sense that RIM would want to bring everything onto the new operating system as soon as possible (although I'm sure RIM will keep the old OS and phones hanging around for a while so they can sell them at low cost in emerging markets - Balsillie noted last week that RIM could be in a place to take advantage of a tiered strategy). 

And while the Highlander theme does point to there being ONE operating system for phone and tablet, I wouldn't necessarily take this to mean only one identical User Interface (UI) for phones and tablets. Of course it's pure speculation at this point, but I'm sure with the folks from TAT now part of RIM, that there will be differentiation in the  user experience from phone to tablet (full touch experience with bigger screens vs. phones with smaller screens and keyboard, etc.). I've sort of been dreading the year 2012 (with the end of the world and all supposed to happen), but with this news I sort of wish 2012 would come tomorrow. I want my BlackBerry 7!

Source: Berry Review

some of the old devices that paved the way to 2011... keep reading to see what's coming this year! 

The first few weeks of January 2011 brought forth a number of device leaks to the internet, which when combined provide relatively comprehensive insight into what we'll see from Research In Motion this year both in terms of major product launches and device software updates. As you read through this roundup keep in mind that unofficial information can always change by the time it does get officially announced. To make sure you're always up to date, you'll want to keep it locked to CrackBerry.com (follow us via RSS or Twitter) or signup for our CrackBerry newsletter and we'll keep you up to date by email. Keep reading for RIM's 2011 BlackBerry Roadmap!

Continue reading article

The last couple of weeks have been full of leaks regarding the 2011 BlackBerry Smartphone roadmap, so we had a LOT to talk about on this CrackBerry Podcast. But before we get to the phones, we first spend a bunch of time talking BlackBerry PlayBook, going through many of the frequently asked questions that have been popping up in the forums. 

This was a fun episode and definitely one you'll want to listen to (aka, if you've never listened before, this is a good one to start off on!). The PlayBook conversation dominates the first half of the show, so for all the phone talk you'll want to jump to 44m15s into the show. On the phone front, we're talking BlackBerry Bold Touch, BlackBerry Curve Touch, monaco (full touchscreen), Torch 2, next generation Curve and more. It's a whack load of phones.

Last but not least, we're happy to have Craig back on this episode, joining Adam, Bla1ze, Joseph and myself. We had fun recording this one, so hope you enjoy the show!

Keep in mind - this is CDMA (hence why you're not seeing Torch2 or apollo listed). Also means
we could see GSM releases sooner than the CDMA timeline above... plus things often change from plan.

In the last couple of weeks we've learned a lot about RIM's 2011 BlackBerry pipeline thanks to a handful of device leaks. After months (and in some cases over a year) of speculation, we saw specs and renderings show up for the dakota (touchscreen GSM Bold), monaco (aka Storm 3, though possibly will not fall under Storm branding at launch), Torch 2 and apollo (new curve). All that was followed by rumors of another Curve, sedona. Despite the windfall, what we've been looking at only told about 65% of the story. Today, thanks to a whack load of CDMA carrier roadmap slides, we can further fill in the gaps and clarify the codenames and even product names of what's coming up in 2011, including an entirely new device that really hasn't been touched on yet (Curve Touch!).

Further BlackBerry Smartphone Roadmap Highlights and Clarifications

• new BlackBerry Bold Touch: dakota is the GSM version, while montana is the CDMA version
• next gen Curve: apollo is the GSM version, while sedona is the CDMA version
• new Curve Touch: not previously mentioned, malibu is a new CDMA touchscreen Curve (likely to be a GSM one in the works too of course)

On the BlackBerry 6.1 front, beyond what we learned at DevCon Asia, we can see some of the other goodies coming our way. Included in the update is a faster user experience via "liquid graphics", a faster web browser experience (thanks to hardware acceleration and more mhz in the new devices), more homescreen customization options and even voice-activated universal search. 

All in all, things are really starting to make sense and look good! There's plenty to look at below, so keep reading and be sure to sound off in the comments with your thoughts!

Continue reading article

Thank you RIM! This BlackBerry 6.1 screen capture above shows off a new feature in the upcoming OS update that so many of us BlackBerry 6 users, including myself, have been longing for... the ability to manage homescreen panes.

In the default BlackBerry homescreen experience the All, Favorites, Media, Downloads, and Frequent panes are always present, which on a device like the BlackBerry Bold 9780 (that is fast and lacks a touchscreen) can make for a lot of accidental scrolling between panes. With BlackBerry 6.1, the new Manage Panes option will make that annoyance a thing of the past as you will be able to choose which panes to show on the homescreen. Great news. Now we just need to see this baby get released!

It appears that RIM's most popular line of BlackBerry smartphones is about to get a new addition! This device, codenamed "Apollo", will be an awesome addition to the Curve family, especially if the specs reported this morning are true. Packing in a 480 x 360 screen, 5-megapixel camera, quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, a tri-band HSPA 7.2Mbps radio, and NFC capability, this device is sure to please those of you out there that love the Curve form-factor but feel the latest offerings leave something (a lot) to be desired.

The Curve line currently includes the 83xx, 85xx, 89xx, and 93xx series. No word yet what number the Apollo may be assigned. Also no indication on pricing yet, though being part of the Curve line it's sure to be competitive. This device, much like the Dakota mentioned earlier today, have both been rumored as far back as 2009. Which one will you be picking up on release day?

Full specs for the BlackBerry Apollo:

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band UMTS/HSPA 7.2Mbps
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Wi-Fi b/g/n
• GPS
• NFC
• 512MB of eMMC, 512MB of RAM
• 5-megapixel camera with flash
• HVGA 480 x 360 display
• 1050 mAh battery
• Tavor MG-1 800MHz CPU
• BlackBerry OS 6.1
• 11mm thin

Discuss more in our new BlackBerry apollo forum

Source: BGR

At the General Session Keynote on the opening day of BlackBerry DevCon Asia, Tyler Lessard, VP of Global Alliances and Developer Relations for RIM, announced the coming of the new BlackBerry 6.1 Application Platform for BlackBerry Smartphones. 6.1 will build upon BlackBerry 6 and for developers will introduce some new features they can take advantage of. The image above tells the story. New tools/APIs include:

• Magnetometer / Digital compass APIs
• Open GL-ES 2.0
• Window API (overlay native app surfaces)
• Event-based geo-fencing location APIs
• Enhancement to barcode API's for additional formats and custom decoding
• and MUCH MORE

Tyler went on to say that BlackBerry Developer Tools 6.1 will be available soon for download as they want developers working with the new tools leading up to the release of BlackBerry 6.1 in the next quarter or two. Reading between the lines, I think this announcement really says a lot. It shows us that despite a ton of effort going into the BlackBerry Tablet OS used on the PlayBook, RIM is continuing to develop the traditional BlackBerry OS. I think it's also safe to assume that we'll be seeing a BlackBerry 6.1 update coming to current in-market BlackBerry 6 Smartphones. Finally, it gives us a clue as to what OS is going to ship on the next generation of BlackBerry Smartphone hardware. RIM's Founder and Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis has already gone on record saying that we will see BlackBerry Smartphones (aka super phones) that will make use of the QNX-based operating system found in the PlayBook, but that it might not be tomorrow as the hardware needs to get there (need a phone battery than can last a day powering dual core processors). Now officially knowing that BlackBerry 6.1 is on the way, to me it's looking like we can expect the next wave of new BlackBerry Smartphones to rock 6.1 (maybe a generation after that will hit the phones). It's clear that the BlackBerry Tablet OS is still very young and will take some time for RIM to evolve it to be ready for the phones, so in the meantime BB6.1 will get the job done. That's not official of course, but logically it's making sense. I'm sure we'll learn more in the weeks and months ahead!