Following up on the official word that upcoming BlackBerry Smartphones will support NFC, Dougie from the InsideBB blog interviewed Andrew Bocking, VP of Handheld Software Product Management for RIM, on the topic. Check out the video above to learn more about  what Near Field Communication is, what it could be potentially used for and get a bit of a glimpse of thinking on how Research In Motion is going to utilize NFC in your next BlackBerry Smartphone. 

As for what phones will be getting NFC? The odds are if you read CrackBerry regularly you already know, but if not, jump over to our 2011 BlackBerry Smartphone Roadmap and get a sneak peek.

Source: InsideBB

We've seen RIM make a lot of strategic acquisitions in recent months, and today they announced another one on their BlackBerry blog.... Gist.  If you're not familiar with Gist, probably the best thing to do is check out the What is Gist? in 90 seconds video above. Essentially it helps to aggregate and manage all of your important contacts into one place.

To get a look at Gist today, you can jump over to Gist.com and take a tour. As for what Gist will mean tomorrow now that they're part of RIM, I guess we'll have to see.... but it should mean an improved contact management experience. Our guess is a much improved contacts list that would house all of your contacts feeds and information from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like. If you want to get an early start you can register for Gist and see what it's all about. I wonder who we'll see RIM acquire next?

Source: Inside BB / Gist Blog

If you're in North America, the UK, or Spain you can already download the newly-announced BlackBerry Travel app from App World and give it a go for yourself (see our original BlackBerry Travel App post for full details and download info). If you're not in those regions and want to see what you're missing, or if you just want to see it in action before you download, then check out the video above. Live on location at Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona, Spain, we got a good look at the BlackBerry Travel app by the folks at WorldMate, who have put a ton of hard work into this app over the years.

Our CrackBerry correspondent Ewan MacLeod is on hand at Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona, Spain, and to give you a taste of what you'd see at RIM's BlackBerry booth if you were there in person he grabbed 2m28s of the experience on HD. Check out the video above for a quick look at RIM's massive booth. While they do have plenty of phones on hand at the event, the big interest is in the new BlackBerry PlayBook. 

It wouldn't feel like CrackBerry was at Mobile World Congress unless we got a quick hello from RIM's Director of Developer Relations, Mike Kirkup. Check out the video above for his quick hello message (I always love how excited Mike is - I think he loves BlackBerry as much as I do!) and below you can watch the video Mike refers to, which is RIM's own hands-no demo of Need for Speed on the BlackBerry PlayBook. Awesome stuff!

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Mobile World Congress 2011 is now in full swing, and as we hoped Research In Motion has the BlackBerry PlayBook on hand and for the first time is showing it off in Europe. I'm not at MWC this year in person, but our good friend Ewan MacLeod is on site covering the show for us and the first thing he did was rush to the BlackBerry booth to get an update video on the BlackBerry PlayBook. Last week RIM announced that EA's Need for Speed and Tetris would come preloaded on the PlayBook, and sure enough we got a good look at it. Check out the video above to see Need for Speed, Tetris and more live and in action. Hawt!! 

Mobile World Congress 2011 is now here and to kick off the show RIM has made a number of announcements, the biggest one being the addition of two more BlackBerry PlayBooks to RIM's tablet family. Joining the already-announced WiFi PlayBook and WiFi + WiMax PlayBook (Sprint 4G), today RIM has announced that LTE and HSPA+ versions of the PlayBook are on the way too. There's no specific word on carriers, or pricing or launch date, but ya know... at least we know they're coming and likely to a carrier near you. Hopefully the wait won't be too long! Keep reading for the full press release.

Press Release

RIM Announces Two Additional BlackBerry 4G PlayBook Models For LTE and HSPA+ Networks

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwire - Feb. 14, 2011) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced plans to launch two additional BlackBerry® 4G PlayBook tablets during the second half of 2011, featuring support for LTE and HSPA+ high speed wide area wireless networks.

"The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is already being widely recognized for its superior performance, rich web experience, enterprise readiness and deep support for web standards and open development tools. We are now building on the BlackBerry PlayBook's many advantages with support for additional 4G networks that will allow enhanced business opportunities for carriers and developers and unparalleled mobile experiences for users," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

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WorldMate has long been one of those must-have apps for traveling BlackBerry executives (it's also been on installed on the BlackBerry of pretty much every RIM executive I have ever interviewed), so maybe we shoudn't be surprised to see RIM announce today a FREE travel app for BlackBerry made in partnership with WorldMate. The new all-in-one BlackBerry Travel app provides users with a number of great benefits and features:

• Stay informed on flight changes & cancellations.
• Get seamless integration with emailed itineraries - the app automatically grabs your info.
• Find the best places to eat and shop with Yelp®.
• Quickly search & book hotels right from the app.
• Get recommendations for items you may have forgotten or booked incorrectly.
• Be prepared with 5-day weather forecasts & a currency converter.
• Share your travel plans with friends, family & colleagues by email or on LinkedIn®.

The app also features a desktop component that allows users to book flights and car rentals, as well as print and edit itineraries, from their computer. You can learn more about the app at blackberry.com/travel and download it today in beta from App World. Note: The BlackBerry Travel app is only available in North America, the UK and Spain as of right now - it will roll out to more countries with time. Keep reading for the full press release.

Download BlackBerry Travel (beta) from App World

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I didn't see this one coming, but I like it! Today at Mobile World Congress 2011, RIM announced a Mobile Gifting Platform that works via BlackBerry Messenger and App World. Check out the press release below for full details. Pretty awesome!

Press Release

RIM Announces Plans to Provide Carriers with new BBM Mobile Gifting Platform

New mobile gifting platform will integrate with BlackBerry App World and carrier billing systems to allow BlackBerry subscribers to instantly gift airtime, apps and other carrier services from one subscriber to another using BBM

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwire - Feb. 14, 2011) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced plans for an innovative mobile gifting platform for carriers that will allow one authorized BlackBerry® subscriber to use their post-paid or pre-paid account to conveniently, securely and instantly approve and pay for airtime, apps or other carrier services requested by another BlackBerry subscriber.

The innovative BBM mobile gifting platform will integrate with BlackBerry App World and carrier billing systems and allow the gifting requests and approvals to be handled directly between the BlackBerry subscribers using BBM (BlackBerry® Messenger) with transactions that are secure, authenticated and non-repudiable. The platform will also allow carriers to more easily sell airtime to BlackBerry prepaid subscribers (for the subscriber's own use).

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Press Release

BlackBerry App World Now Available In Over 100 Markets

Discover, download and enjoy a wide range of applications from BlackBerry App World, now available in 27 additional markets

WATERLOO, ONTARIO and BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwire - Feb. 14, 2011) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced that BlackBerry App World™ is now available in 27 additional markets worldwide. With today's announcement, BlackBerry App World is now available in 101 markets. BlackBerry App World allows customers to discover, download and enjoy a wide range of mobile applications for their BlackBerry® smartphones.

BlackBerry smartphone users are downloading more than 2 million apps per day from BlackBerry App World on average and there are over 20,000 BlackBerry apps available today. RIM continues to support developers in order to provide apps that leverage the many advantages of the BlackBerry platform and deliver best-in-class mobile experiences.

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Press Release

Research In Motion Makes Lead Commitment to Second BlackBerry Partners Fund

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 14, 2011) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) and the BlackBerry® Partners Fund today announced that RIM is making a lead commitment to BlackBerry Partners Fund II, a new US$150 million independent venture capital fund focused exclusively on mobile computing. BlackBerry Partners Fund II is expected to launch in June 2011 and will have a broader international mandate than the first Fund.

"We are very pleased with the positive impact of the first Fund on our mobile ecosystem and we look forward to BlackBerry Partners Fund II bringing additional resources and support to mobile innovators in a broader range of international markets," said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

"We are very fortunate to have RIM as an anchor investor and partner in our Fund and greatly anticipate expanding our reach and the geographical scope of Fund II," said John Albright, Co-Managing Partner of BlackBerry Partners Fund.

The first BlackBerry Partners Fund was established in 2008 in collaboration with Research In Motion, Thomson Reuters, Royal Bank of Canada and a roster of high profile investors. The Fund has made 13 investments to-date in mobile start-ups in Canada, the United States, Israel and Ireland. The Fund brings capital, resources and domain expertise to the partnerships it forms with exceptional entrepreneurs around the world who are shaping the future of the mobile eco-system.

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