Rim Blackberry

iPhone traffic clogs up plans to launch the Blackberry Bold

Paul Mah — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:48:55 -0400

The reason that the Blackberry Bold has yet to launch in the United States with its exclusive carrier AT&T is because of Apple's iPhone, according to a report by the Globe and Mail. Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek wrote to clients this week noted that the iPhone lacks the data compression technology found in RIM's BlackBerry devices. The result is that a great strain has been placed on AT&T's cellular infrastructure, which resulted in a lack of resources to launch the Bold as the company tackled its iPhone-related issues. Misek said, "We believe that AT&T is now realizing that it can have up to 20 Blackberrys for every iPhone on its network." More provocatively, he also noted that "AT&T will need to spend as much as $1 billion to repair its network."

To read more on this issue:
- check out this Globe and Mail article

RIM Patches serious PDF flaw in BlackBerry Enterprise Server

Paul Mah — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:49:13 -0400

A critical bug in the PDF Distiller component of RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) could potentially result in a code injection and execution. A BlackBerry user will have to first open a maliciously crafted PDF document to trigger the flaw, though the dangers of this vulnerability cannot be understated. It is known that systems running BES 4.1 Service Pack 3 (4.1.3) to 4.1 Service Pack 5 (4.1.5) as well as BlackBerry Units prior to 1.0 Service Pack 1 (1.0.1) Bundle 36 are affected. RIM has released an official patch in the form of Service Pack 6. In the event that an installation is not possible, the recommendation will be to disable PDF processing in the Attachment Service. Instructions for this can be found here.

For more on this vulnerability:
- check out this The Register article

BlackBerry Thunder to utilize haptic technology

Paul Mah — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:03:33 -0400

Rumor has it that RIM's upcoming BlackBerry Thunder smartphone will feature "localized haptic" technology. What that means is that touching a letter on the screen, for example, will result in the feeling that the screen has "pushed in" just a little. In short, you get at least some tactile feedback, complete with an audible key click sound when you press your finger onto the display. From what we hear, the BlackBerry Thunder will support both QWERTY-landscape, and SureType-portrait, virtual keyboards. The interesting thing is that RIM has always criticized Apple for putting out a virtual keyboard that was "unusable." If the rumors are right, then RIM has just pulled off an unprecedented coup against interface champ Apple. Little else is known about the BlackBerry Thunder, except that the display is 360 by 480, and that the first Thunder production runs are starting up this week.

For more on the new BlackBerry Thunder:
- check out this CrackBerry.com article

RIM says it is unable to give India access to BlackBerry messages

Paul Mah — Wed, 28 May 2008 06:06:54 -0400

Research In Motion has finally told the Indian government the truth about its BlackBerry devices--that their design automatically precludes any interception of useful data. If you recall, the Indian government previously demanded that it be made privy to the content of encrypted data transmitted to BlackBerry smartphones. Enterprise customers using RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Server employ a symmetric key design, of which nobody else has a copy.

RIM's willingness to continue "working on a solution" likely is due to the roughly 400,000 BlackBerry users in India. If the threatened shutdown is put into effect, the loss of these subscribers would significantly dent RIM's active base. In a statement, RIM pointed out that wireless encryption is increasingly being made mandatory for enterprise e-mail and is not unique to BlackBerry devices.

For more on the BlackBerry in India:
- check out this Electronista article

Cerience announces RepliGo Server 3.0

Paul Mah — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:22:16 -0400

At WES last week, Cerience Corporation announced RepliGo Server 3.0, its "full fidelity" document viewing solution for RIM BlackBerry smartphones. This new version vastly improves its enterprise integration, allowing for search and access from an expanded range of sources such as Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange and WebDAV servers. Enhanced group management is also possible now, with complete control over document access and security.

On the same day, RepliGo Reader also was announced. RepliGo Reader is Cerience's first native PDF viewing application for the BlackBerry. It is currently in beta, though you can sign up for an invitation-only trial. Dave Cho from Cerience noted that while they currently are only developing for the BlackBerry platform, this might change in future.

For more on RepliGo Server 3.0:
- check out the press release from Cerience