The BlackBerry Torch is a perfect example of that strategy. Better web usage, touch screen but also the keyboard that made Blackberry a huge success. So best of both worlds. It also looks similar to the Bold and Curve. It has also conserved trackpad button that all new Bold’s and Curve’s have.

For technical stuff here is the specs : The Blackberry Torch 9800 will be the first RIM device to run the Blackberry 6 operating system, so expect faster Web browsing and downloads. It will also feature virtual and slide-out keyboards,  a 1GHz processor, 5-megapixel camera and 512MB of RAM.

There have been a lot of previous rumours that the RIM Tablet PC will be called the BlackPad. All of these rumours are because RIM registered the domain name Blackpad.com very recently.

Anyways, sourcing are now saying that this iPad competitor from RIM will be launching in November. Of course every tablet PC will be directly compared to the iPad, but with Microsoft about to launch into the same market, it all seems to be getting a little crowded.

There are few details on the BlackPad apart from the size of the screen 9.7-inch screen (identical to the iPad) and that it can be tethered to a BlackBerry phone so that it can access the Internet. Pricing is similar to the iPad.

]]> http://www.mobilopen.org/2010/08/02/blackpad-for-november/feed/ 0 http://www.mobilopen.org/2010/07/19/all-microsoft-kins-being-recalled-end-of-story/ http://www.mobilopen.org/2010/07/19/all-microsoft-kins-being-recalled-end-of-story/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:09:52 +0000 Shaun Zelber http://www.mobilopen.org/?p=934 We already know that Verizon and Microsoft have pulled the plug on the whole KIN series, the question then becomes what to do about existing supplies?

Word has come that anything and everything KIN gets sent back to…ummm wherever…starting tomorrow. What happens to them is anyone’s guess.

That’s right folks, we may be on the verge of a fabled E.T. game situation for the KIN-they will perhaps be dumped in a big landfill, where 20 years from now, rare NIB KINS will fetch for thousands of dollars on eBay.

The geek inside of us wants to run out and buy one to keep next to our big-head Han Solo action figure; the analyst in us sees Microsoft trying to erase this mistake from history and think that’s OK.

FotoTranslate is available in multiple language packages which can be purchased independently.

The application requires Symbian OS S60 3rd Edition, 5th Edition.

You may contact us to get Free Serial Numbers to check the trial version.

For more information : http://www.abbyy.com/fototranslate/

Bellow you may find some thoughts on how the Mobile Development industry will evolve in the nearest future.

1. Micropayments
Micropayments within mobile applications can be used to upgrade basic app to a premium version, purchase game items, digital content or even small gifts for friends. Mobile bill payments and micropayments for digital content consumption continue to grow in the future.

2. Enhanced Security
Better security for mobile application platforms is expected. This is especially important when more users are conducting financial transactions and life streaming using their phones.

3. Business App Store
With all the mobile platforms targeting their app store towards average consumers, the introduction of a business app store is imminent.

4. Location-Based Technology
Location-based technology or GPS technology received the most buzz in 2009 and we expect it will continue growing this year.

5. Social Based Applications
Social networking activities certainly do not end when you leave your computer. We are already seeing a great number of people tweeting and updating their Facebook status on-the-go, not to mention those who are posting videos and photos to services like Twitpic and 12seconds using their mobile phone.

6. Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery – creating a mixed reality.

7. High Entry Barriers for Fledgling Developers
Developers that are new to the scene and without much support will face trouble getting user adoption. Not only that there are already tons of mobile applications out there, established developers have better advantages in terms of capability to introduce new features over a short time span as well as the resources to adapt and test their applications on new platforms.

8. Mobile Application Advertising
The increasing number of mobile application users opens up another advertising channel for brands and businesses. This is definitely good news for developers.

9. Importance of Marketing for Applications
There are already hundreds of thousands of mobile applications out there. In order to stand a chance, developers or mobile application entrepreneurs need to know how to market applications developed by them.

10. HTML 5 – Native Apps vs Web Apps
How will it affect the mobile applications space? Well, phones with a mobile browser that has HTML 5 rendering capabilities will be able to run web applications directly without any downloading and installation of apps. As for developers, there will no longer be a need to develop for different mobile platforms.

What other trends do you think will be likely this year for the mobile applications industry?

Your opinions are welcome!

Kristina Kozlova
Altabel Group Company
www.altabel.com

Among the noteworthy points made are:

* “Apple’s desire to control its marketplace has made it a poor choice for developers, even when it offers a large market. Having a large base of customers makes Apple initially attractive, but its poor support for the developer community eventually forces smaller niche players out.”

* “When Steve Jobs announced MS Office for the Mac to a stunned audience in 1997, he looked very uncomfortable about it. He justified it by saying Apple existed in an eco-system and could not sustain the Mac as a closed platform. His iPhone strategy seems to have forgotten this painful lesson.”

* “The iPhone may be popular now, but history has shown us that the days of competing operating systems eventually give way to more open platforms. The world will not tolerate three or four competing smartphone systems with roughly equal market share. Eventually, one system will dominate. Apple’s iPhone OS and BlackBerry’s RIM are not candidates for that role because they’re not available for other phones, which only leaves Google’s Android and Microsoft’s WinOS as candidates for global domination. ”

* “Apple’s attitude to developers looks to me as if Apple feels it is doing developers a favor by allowing them the privilege of access to their customers.”

The author goes on to say that while Apple designs great products, their business strategy is stuck in the 1970s.

As someone who has experienced the pain of dealing with Apple’s almighty decision making power on what goes in their store or not, I can certainly agree with a lot of the points being made.

Google and Microsoft’s challenge of course, is to try and emulate the success of the eco system model of Apple, but in an open environment. This is challenging given proliferation of app stores and mobile operators somewhat confusion about what role they are going to play in this (case in point T-Mobile USA’s recent closing of their developer program).

In the end, it comes down to the value proposition proposed to end users: http://bit.ly/SmartPhoneValueProp. Apple may have a lead now, but a case can be made that this advantage will be short lived

By JT Klepp

Research in Motion is reportedly close to releasing a new operating system for its BlackBerry line of smartphones. A new BlackBerry OS 6.0 could correct some user complaints and help RIM catch up with its rivals, including Apple’s iPhone and Android-powered devices. Analysts expect a better BlackBerry browser and home-page tweaks.

Research In Motion may not be ahead of the curve, but it’s taking some bold steps with a new operating system  for its popular BlackBerry smartphones. The Canadian phone maker is close to releasing version 6.0 of its BlackBerry OS, published reports say.

The current OS has drawn complaints from BlackBerry users that RIM hopes to correct. The new OS is also expected to let RIM better compete with rivals, including the Apple iPhone and Google’s Android operating system.

“While the BlackBerry OS has enabled users to do what they want — e-mail, browse, social networking, apps, etc. — the experience has left a stale taste in their mouths,” said Ramon Llamas, an IDC analyst. “Most people don’t like the user interface, navigation and overall feel to it.”

Bold Changes Expected

“Meanwhile, other operating systems have gotten major tune-ups (Palm’s webOS), are about to hit with something completely different (Windows Phone 7 Series), or came out of the gate swinging (Android),” Llamas added. “What these all have in common is an experience that is at once seamless and intuitive.”

RIM would not provide any details on the new operating system. “RIM’s policy is to decline comment on rumors or speculation,” said spokesperson Rachel Colley.

Analysts expect RIM to release an OS with a better browser, since the existing one leaves much to be desired. RIM’s acquisition of TorchMobile last year and Co-CEO Mike Lazardis’ comments at the Mobile World Congress led to expectations of an improved browsing experience.

“Right now, the current browser available, if it is the one that comes with the device, leaves much to be desired,” Llamas said. “It is hard to view, type into, and navigate around. And since TorchMobile is WebKit-based, I’m expecting to see something much smoother. My sense is that for a very good browser experience, it has to be touchscreen-enabled.”

Another major tweak needed on the existing BlackBerry OS is its home page. While the iPhone, Android devices, and the upcoming Windows Phone 7 Series devices let users easily see applications on the home page or with a swipe of the touchscreen, the BlackBerry OS forces owners to dig through various menus and applications to find what they need.

More Devices to Come

Changes to the notifications and e-mail features are also expected. The changes may include a snippet of information on the home page notifying the user of what has arrived, and from whom. “RIM has a strong history in messaging, so I expect some improvements over what we’ve gotten used to over the past couple of years,” Llamas said.

It’s not clear whether existing BlackBerry owners will be able to use the BlackBerry over-the-air software loading service to update the operating system, or if the new OS will be included on new phones only.

Reports, however, indicate that the new OS will depend on a touchscreen interface. Currently, only RIM’s Storm and Storm2 have touchscreen capabilities. Other popular BlackBerrys, including the Pearl, Curve and Bold models, use a trackball or track pad.

“Should touchscreen capability be a necessary condition for BlackBerry OS 6.0, expect to see a lot of touchscreen-capable devices moving forward,” Llamas said.

The changes may prove essential to RIM, which has historically had trouble promoting touchscreen interfaces for its smartphones.

The other interesting thing is that the carriers will also have the option of customizing the OS to suit their own requirements. bada will definitely give a tough competition to other Linux based mobile OS’s like Google Android and Nokia Maemo. Samsung is  obviously also planning to launch it’s own App Store.

Some additional UI tools include the ability to embed the Adobe® Flash® Player and the WebKit Internet browser directly into native bada applications, allowing seamless integration of premiere UI technologies. Also, the bada map control is easily embedded in your applications to deliver interactive mapping and routing with POI features for your users.

What does this mean for the other OSs that Samsung use today ? Well the forecast would have Symbian gone entirely by 2011 from Samsung phones and Microsoft’s OS at just 20%by 2012 where it makes up 80% of Samsung phones today. Not sure how this will affect Android but it would seem hard to understand that Samsung continue supporting Android against their own champion. The reach and actual popularity of Samsung phones (around 20% of the global market) means that bada will obviously be a force to reckon with if just by shear numbers!

Samsung has a vision of “Smartphone for everyone”, and by offering cheap Bada handsets as well as expensive ones, combined with a focus on in-app purchasing, Samsung hopes to entice developers with greater profits.

Samsung’s hoping to see an influx of applications thanks to the $2.7 million prize that’s been put up for grabs, and so far, EA and Gameloft have been signed up to develop games for Bada.

Bada will initially run on Samsung’s proprietary SHP (Samsung Handset Platform) paired with Samsung’s upcoming TouchWiz 3.0 user interface. It will be entirely multitouch, supporting both resistive and capacitive touch screens. Hardware-wise, it’s chip-agnostic, and Samsung aims for the cheapest bada handsets to be cheaper than the cheapest Android ones. It won’t run on older phones, however, and the first bada handset will arrive somewhere in the first half of 2010.

Definitely an exciting space to watch and see how well they pull this off.

Flash Professional CS5 will enable you to build applications for iPhone and iPod touch using ActionScript 3. These applications can be delivered to iPhone and iPod touch users through the Apple App Store.*

A public beta of Flash Professional CS5 with prerelease support for building applications for iPhone is planned for later this year. Sign up to be notified when the beta starts.

Learn more in http://www.adobe.com/iphone/

Courtesy of Brian J. Friedman

Growing pervasiveness of mobile widgets has created every mobile app designers a challenging role to play within a limited space. Only 1 percent of Mobile Widgets are successful.

What makes some widgets thrive and used by millions, and others with equal functionality bite the dust ?

Rajesh demystified the ‘invisible’ layer below the surface with 10 pragmatic tips, which covered some of the most useful and often ignored standard design principals and the tip & trick to apply them in mobile context.

The Ten Tips are :

1. Design for a MobileUser
2. Know Widget
3. Target Specific Set of Users
4. Play Nice
5. Utilize Device Potential
6. Focus on One Functionality
7. Simplify Features
8. Grab the User
9. Add Social
10. Make it Fun

Have a look at the Audio Visual Presentation.