BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 now globally available

Research in Motion (RIM) announced that the much awaited BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 has been released and is now available for free download. BlackBerry PlayBook users can now download the new version of the OS for a more enhanced tablet experience whether for work or leisure purposes.

“Building on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s proven web browsing, multimedia and multitasking strengths, the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 introduces a range of new communications and productivity enhancements as well as expanded app and content support,” said David J. Smith, SVP Mobile Computing, Research In Motion.

 

BlackBerry 7 and 7.1 OS achieve FIPS 140-2 Certification

Research In Motion (RIM) announced that BlackBerry® smartphones running on the powerful new BlackBerry® 7 and BlackBerry® 7.1 Operating Systems (OS) have been awarded FIPS 140-2 certification by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC). FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 is recognized by the U.S. and Canadian governments and is required under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA).

All BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry 7 and BlackBerry 7.1 benefit from this certification, including the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900, 9930 and 9790, BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850, 9860 and 9810, and BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350, 9360, 9370 and 9380.

 

Research In Motion Names Thorsten Heins President and CEO

RIM's new CEO, Thorsten Heins

The Board of Directors of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) today announced that, acting on the recommendation of its Co-Chief Executive Officers to implement the succession plan they previously submitted to the Board, it has unanimously named Thorsten Heins as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Heins was also appointed to RIM’s Board. The Board acted after conducting its own due diligence. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Mike Lazaridis, former Co-Chair and Co-CEO, has become Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of the Board’s new Innovation Committee. As Vice Chair, he will work closely with Mr. Heins to offer strategic counsel, provide a smooth transition and continue to promote the BlackBerry brand worldwide.

 

RIM unveiled BlackBerry BBX

Research In Motion (RIM) unveiled the BlackBerry BBX, the next generation mobile platform that takes the best of the BlackBerry platform and the best of the QNX platform to connect people, devices, content and services, at the BlackBerry DevCon 2011.

“With nearly 5 million BlackBerry apps downloaded daily, our customers have made BlackBerry one of the most profitable platforms for developers,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM. “We’re giving developers the tools they need to build richer applications and we’re providing direction on how to best develop their smartphone and tablet apps as the BlackBerry and QNX platforms converge into our next generation BBX platform.”

 

RIM Announces BlackBerry Management Center for Small Business

Research In Motion (RIM) announced BlackBerry® Management Center – a free online service for small businesses to centrally manage company- or employee-owned BlackBerry® smartphones in the cloud and protect business-related content stored on the handsets. The service is designed for businesses with up to 100 BlackBerry smartphones that access email services from an Internet service provider (ISP) or web-based email services like Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo!.

“We are pleased to introduce RIM’s latest cloud service designed specifically for small businesses,” said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management at Research In Motion. “BlackBerry Management Center is a free service and an effective way to manage and support employees’ BlackBerry smartphones in the cloud.”

 

Research In Motion (RIM) announced three new BlackBerry smartphones featuring the BlackBerry 7 Operating System (OS). The all-new BlackBerry Curve 9350, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and BlackBerry Curve 9370 smartphone are exciting additions to the popular BlackBerry Curve series.

These new models are designed to address a large and important segment of the global mobile phone market where customers are looking to upgrade their existing feature phone or existing BlackBerry Curve with an affordable, easy-to-use, full-featured and socially-connected smartphone.

 

BlackBerry Travel is Now Available in the Philippines

BlackBerry® Travel™, a new app that provides BlackBerry® smartphone users with an all-in-one integrated tool to plan, book, manage and share travel activities quickly and easily, is now available in the Philippines.

The BlackBerry Travel app offers convenient push notifications and seamless integration of travel itineraries and flight status updates into the familiar BlackBerry Calendar. When a new booking confirmation or itinerary arrives in the user’s email inbox, the BlackBerry Travel app is automatically updated with the relevant itinerary details, which makes travel planning and management easier than ever. With the BlackBerry push technology, the BlackBerry Travel app can keep users informed and in control of their itineraries by monitoring flight statuses and promptly providing notifications about changes to their flight information. The app can even identify potential omissions or scheduling concerns with the itineraries, such as missing accommodations or timing conflicts, and provide users with suggestions.

 

RIM Expands Application Ecosystem for BlackBerry PlayBook

Developers wanting to bring their new and existing apps to the highly anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet will soon have additional tools and options to enhance and expand their commercial opportunities. Research In Motion (RIM) today announced plans to greatly expand the application ecosystem for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The BlackBerry PlayBook is scheduled to launch in the U.S. and Canada on April 19.

RIM will launch two optional “app players” that provide an application run-time environment for BlackBerry Java® apps and Android v2.3 apps. These new app players will allow users to download BlackBerry Java apps and Android apps from BlackBerry App World and run them on their BlackBerry PlayBook.

 

BlackBerry App World Now Accepting Apps for BlackBerry PlayBook

Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today opened the BlackBerry App World™ vendor portal to begin accepting BlackBerry® PlayBook™ apps from developers. In addition, RIM outlined how developers can become eligible to get a free BlackBerry PlayBook if their app is submitted and approved for distribution on BlackBerry App World prior to the launch of BlackBerry PlayBook in North America*.

“Interest and momentum behind the BlackBerry PlayBook continues to build and we are thrilled with the positive response from both the developer community and our customers. With its groundbreaking performance and robust support for industry standard development tools, the BlackBerry PlayBook provides an exceptional platform that appeals to a wide range of mobile app developers, including Adobe® AIR® and Flash® developers, HTML web developers, corporate developers and application hobbyists,” said Tyler Lessard, VP Global Alliances & Developer Relations at Research In Motion. “We are very pleased to be working with developers in advance of the product launch and the opening of BlackBerry App World to accept BlackBerry PlayBook apps is an important next step.”

 

New SDK From RIM Allows Developers to Create Adobe AIR Applications for BlackBerry PlayBook

• SDK integrates new extensions for Adobe AIR that have been highly optimized for the BlackBerry Tablet OS
• Developers can immediately begin building uncompromised applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
• Early feedback from developers highlights ease of development and high performance

Research In Motion (RIM) launched the new BlackBerry® Tablet OS SDK for Adobe® AIR® at the Adobe MAX conference in Los Angeles. The new Software Developer Kit (SDK) enables developers to quickly and easily create AIR applications for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet using Adobe’s powerful, familiar and industry-leading development tools. With the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR, developers can leverage the uniquely powerful capabilities of the BlackBerry Tablet OS, as well as access all of the richness of Adobe AIR, to deliver incredibly engaging and high-performing AIR applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook.