RIM has finally released the long awaited major updated the Blackberry Playbook OS to include two services that have been long discussed and much anticipated: integrated email support and Android app availability.

PlayBook OS 2.0 allows users to enjoy native calendar, messaging and e-mail apps. The new e-mail app also includes an extended unified function, integrating not only multiple e-mail accounts as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter messages.

Social integration also extends to the new calendar app that integrates information from social networks in addition to standard work and personal events and appointments if optioned by a user. Contacts are now also dynamically populated with updated information from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as well.

As expected, the other headlining feature is the new Android app wrapper built in to the OS, allowing ‘a range of Android apps’ to be run on the PlayBook. For ease of use, compatible apps can be found in the BlackBerry App World.

BlackBerry Bridge has also received an overhaul allowing users to view and edit documents, webpages, emails and photos that appear on users BlackBerry smartphones. The latest version also allows users to use their BlackBerry smartphone as a wireless keyboard and mouse for a PlayBook. Also announced is a new video store for BlackBerry PlayBook users.

The update is being pushed OTA to devices now and can be accessed through the settings function. RIM has also devoted a new microsite to demonstrate the updated OS in action.

Stay tuned for more news and info on this topic by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or subscribing to our RSS feed.

[Source: Crackberry]

According to InMobi’s research (a mobile ad network), 41% of mobile users in North America plan to purchase the iPhone 5. Furthermore, 50% of those planning to purchase the phone will buy it within the first six months after it is launched, which could propel its current 27% smartphone market share to 41%. InMobi did add one caveat to their study: if Apple decides to release a minor upgrade to the current iPhone just 15% of consumers will purchase the new device.

InMobi’s research revealed what the customers hoped the new iPhone would have: upgrades to the processing speed, screen resolution, battery life, and service quality. 51% of current iPhone owners, 27% of BlackBerry owners, and 52% of Android owners plan to upgrade to the iPhone 5. If Apple reveals an iPhone 4S however, just 11% of iPhone and BlackBerry users, and 28% of Android users plan to make the purchase.

“Apple is currently the clear leader in terms of compelling user experience and customer loyalty, and we feel that their quality and pace of innovation when it comes to mobile devices will continue to improve the content and advertising experience for consumers for iPhone 5 and beyond,” InMobi vice president of global research and marketing James Lamberti said.

With statistics like these, it is easy to say that Apple still seems to be one step ahead of its competition.

You can read the full press release below:

InMobi Smartphone Study Reveals 41% of Mobile Users to Buy Apple iPhone 5

North American Mobile Ad Market to Benefit from Most Highly-Anticipated Smartphone Launch to Date

SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 28, 2011 — SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — InMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile ad network, today announces the combined results of its monthly InMobi Mobile Insights network ad data research and a custom iPhone-focused study, iPhone 5 and the Mobile Market.  The InMobi announcement acts as a forecast to the scope and effect of the confirmed October 4th Apple iPhone announcement in North America.  InMobi anticipates the North American mobile ad market to experience a significant increase in mobile media consumption based on the iPhone 5 consumer data findings.

Apple iPhone 5 potentially the most successful smartphone launch to date

The recent InMobi consumer smartphone survey uncovers that 41% of current mobile users in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada plan to buy an iPhone 5—potentially making it the most successful launch from the consumer electronics giant to date.  The study further finds that over 50% of those users will make the purchase within the first six months of the iPhone 5 launch, which could take Apple significantly ahead of its June 2011 market position, and increase its mobile platform market share from 27% in June (comScore Inc., August 2011) to 41%.

However, if Apple only unveils a product update—akin to the 3GS version of the iPhone that Apple released in 2009—interest in the new smartphone will be significantly lower, with fewer than 15% of consumers likely to actively pursue the new handset.

The study finds that consumers are most hopeful for improved battery life; increased processing speed; higher-quality screen resolution; and stronger phone service in the rumored Apple smartphone.

Customer retention and new users

The study uncovered that over half of BlackBerry users (52%) are planning to switch to the new Apple iPhone 5, followed by 51% of current iPhone users and over one in four (27%) Android owners.  Even if the announcement only unveils an iPhone 4S, 28% of current BlackBerry smartphone owners plan to switch to Apple, more than double the amount of current iPhone and Android owners.

Percentage of mobile consumers planning to switch to new iPhone:
Current Phone	% Planning to Switch to iPhone 5	% Planning to Switch to iPhone “4S”
iPhone	51	11
Android	27	11
BlackBerry	52	28

InMobi experiences continued network growth in North America

InMobi’s North America Market Overview, which shows nearly 24 billion mobile ad impressions on the InMobi network over the past quarter, denotes that Apple mobile ad impressions are on the rise in iPod Touch devices and that as a manufacturer, Apple has the majority of the market share, at 29%.  Data from the report also indicates a 33% growth in mobile ad impressions over the past three months, and a 39% growth in smart phone impressions in the North America mobile market.  An infographic outlining the full findings of InMobi’s most recent research is available at: http://www.inmobi.com/research/.

Commenting on InMobi’s latest findings, James Lamberti, VP Global Research & Marketing at InMobi, said: “The combination of Apple’s increasing market share in mobile advertising and general consumer interest in their latest technology is another boon for the mobile advertising industry.  Apple is currently the clear leader in terms of compelling user experience and customer loyalty, and we feel that their quality and pace of innovation when it comes to mobile devices will continue to improve the content and advertising experience for consumers for iPhone 5 and beyond.”

Following Research In Motion’s performance in the second quarter, the company promised to drop prices for its BlackBerry PlayBook in an effort to boost sales. The company has indeed dropped the price for the tablet by about $200 but the discount is said to be only temporary. The deal is available now for all versions of the PlayBook, including the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models and is offered by by Office Depot and Staples until October 1.

As of right now, the discount for the BlackBerry PlayBook for both Office Depot and Staples involves an immediate $100 discount and than an addition $100 gift card with your purchase from Office Depot or a $100 mail-in-rebate from Staples. Altogether, the discounts amount up to consist of $200 off.

The PlayBook launched back in April and faced immediate criticism for its poor firmware. In an attempt to rush the tablet out to the market, RIM had not completed native apps for basic functions such as email, calendar, and contacts, which further hinder options among its already diminishing user base. As of right now, RIM has only shipped 200,000 units of the tablet, which is embarrassingly lower than even the company’s own conservative estimates. There have been several promotions on the tablet in recent months but none of them seemed to generate much excitement for the tablet.

RIM is hoping that the upcoming PlayBook 2.0 update will bring in the missing features as well as the long promised Android app player in time for the holiday season.

Mike Abramsky, RBC Capital Markets Managing Director believes that RIM has sold approximately 250,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets to date. In a note to investors recently, the analyst points to channel checks in stating PlayBook sales have remained steady since the device’s launch on April 19th. If these estimates are accurate, RIM’s PlayBook is already outselling Motorola’s flagship HoneyComb tablet, the XOOM, which managed to sell 250,000 units in its first two months of availability.

Abramsky belives RIM could move roughly around 500,000 units during RIM’s first fiscal quarter, though we would note that RIM’s current pace is way off RBC’s initial projects of 4 million units in 2011 and 6 million units total in the PlayBook’s first month of availability. Being way off, RBC later lowered its projections down to 3 million units in 2011 but at he current pace of 250,000 units per month, RIM is on track to sell just over 2 million units this year. Abramsky also noted that BlacKberry smartphones sales are slowing according to checks and he is now projecting project shipments to decline 9% from last quarter to 13.5 million units.

Although the PlayBook seems to be doing better than expected in terms of competition, it still seems to fall short of expectations. So far Apple’s iPad has no real competition with none in sight either. What do you think of the whole ordeal? Let us know in the comments below!

As usual, stay tuned for more tech news and info by following us on Facebook, Twitter and/or by subscribing to our RSS Feed.

Research In Motion Ltd. is launching a new initiative that opens the door for businesses and government agencies to start using iPhones and Android devices on their networks, with a little help from the BlackBerry maker’s renowned security architecture.

According to RIM, the single web-based console is being designed to provide IT administrators with the ability to distribute software and manage policies, inventory, security and services for BlackBerry devices, as well as other mobile devices. IT administrators will be able to manage devices over-the-air, including activating devices, distributing software and applications, locking or wiping devices, enforcing and resetting device passwords, setting IT policies, and managing optional mobile applications for end users.

“The multi-platform BlackBerry Enterprise Solution is designed to address a growing market and respond to requests from enterprise customers who want a secure multi-platform device management solution from a company that already delivers the gold standard for enterprise mobility,” said Peter Devenyi, Communications Platform Group VP at RIM. “We recognize the opportunity to continue leading in the enterprise market by providing customers with a common platform to help simplify the management of a variety of mobile devices.”

This is a big shift for the BlackBerry maker, who historically has limited its security and management solutions to its own products. However, it is unclear at this time what features will be ported to Android and iOS, and which features will remain BlackBerry-only.

We will keep everyone posted as more information is made available. You can stay tuned by following us on Facebook, Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feed.

Just recently, the Nielsen Company released the findings of its latest smartphone survey, which asked respondents planning to purchase new smartphones which platform they intended to patronize. When being asked this question last year between June and September, 33% named iOS, 26% said iOS, and 13% said they planned to purchase a BlackBerry smartphone. This has changed since then and it isn’t exactly a surprise seeing how things have been going.

When a new group was asked the same question between January and March of 2011, Android slipped past Apple’s iOS platform to become the most wanted smartphone platform according to Nielsen; 31% planned to purchase an Android phone, 30% planned to buy an iPhone and 11% were eying BlackBerry devices. Interestingly, indecision had also grown between the two surveys, 18% of respondents were undecided when asked between June and September survey while 20% were undecided between January and March.

What do you think of the state of smartphones? Which one is your personal favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

As usual, stay tuned by following us on Facebook, Twitter and/or by subscribing to our RSS Feed.

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AT&T customers opting for RIM’s new Playbook tablet are unable to take advantage of the tethering feature from their AT&T Blackberry device, as the carrier is officially blocking tethering between the two devices.

The folks at CrackBerry have discovered that AT&T is only blocking the Bridge app, not the actual Bridge process — which means you can still download the app though unofficial means and Bridge your AT&T BlackBerry to your Playbook.

According to an update provided by Engadget:

We just heard back from AT&T, and it’s looking like you’ll need to have a bit of patience here as the kinks are worked out. Here’s the direct quote from a company spokesperson: “AT&T is working with RIM to make the BlackBerry Bridge app available for AT&T customers. We have just received the app for testing and before it’s made available to AT&T customers we want to ensure it delivers a quality experience for our customers.”

Thanks to rroyy, you can still download BlackBerry Bridge OTA to your OS6 device. The app is at version 1.0.0.76 and works flawlessly on AT&T.

Download BlackBerry Bridge:

• Download BlackBerry Bridge OTA to your device (OS6)
• Download BlackBerry Bridge OTA to your device (OS5)

We will provide more info as it is made available, as usual, stay tuned by following us on Facebook, Twitter and/or by subscribing to our RSS Feed.

Read more via Engadget

You may also like to read:

• Blackberry PlayBook Rumored To Run Android Apps
• RIM Challenges iPad 2 With PlayBook Starting April 19th
• 6-inch MiniPad or MaxiPod To Possibly Come This Fall
• Blackberry PlayBook Release Date And Accessories Pricing Revealed
• RIM Launches “Built for BlackBerry” Program For Accessory Makers
• RIM Demo’s BlackBerry PlayBook’s Web Fidelity

Facebook announced today that it has a total of 250 million users actively using Facebook mobile on a monthly basis. Mobile usage of Facebook has increased significantly. Just over a year ago Facebook had around 100 million mobile users per month.

Also, today the site started rolling out its revamped mobile website m.facebook.com. The social network says that the updated version of its mobile site should be easier to use on thousands of different mobile devices. There were two versions of Facebook for mobile devices – m.facebook.com and touch.facebook.com which worked with all devices with touch screens while the latter is designed for more advanced smartphone hardware. From today forward though, m.facebook.com will be the only mobile version of Facebook, writes Mashable’s Ben Parr.

According to Facebook, the reason behind the change is one of innovation. Having to maintain two separate websites that are basically the same backend but with different interfaces isn’t great for helping a company the size of Facebook stay agile. The new framework is smart enough to know when to deliver a touchscreen experience complete with CSS3 and HTML5, while customizing itself for feature phones, devices without keyboards, and mobile OSes with major bugs.

Facebook’s Lee Byron says the new Facebook mobile site will adapt itself depending on the hardware you are visiting from:

“There will no longer be a difference between m.facebook.com and touch.facebook.com, we’ll automatically serve you the best version of the site for your device,”

Whether end users notice a change at all will depend on what hardware they are using, writes Parr, with only slight user interface changes visible. The real action is going on under the hood. Using Facebook’s own Javascript network named Javelin as well as XML/PHP the changes promise a faster, more sleek user experience no matter the hardware.

The new website is made possible through a new UI framework that incorporates XHP (a PHP extension that incorporates XML), Javelin (Facebook’s lightweight Javascript framework) and WURFL (an open source mobile device database).

The changes should be rolling out now – Time to ditch the poorly developed Android/iOS/WP7/Blackberry apps!

Stay tuned for more on this topic by following us on our new Facebook page, Twitter, and/or subscribing to our RSS feed.

According to a recent post, RIM has been considering ways to expand its BlackBerry Messenger platform to iOS and Android devices, with a release coming soon in the App Store. RIM apparently wasn’t happy about the hundreds of apps clearly inspired by BBM available for iPhones and iPads, and decided to develop a version of Messenger that doesn’t have all the features available to BlackBerry owners, but still allows iOS users to communicate with their friends and family. A compromise, that is, to have BlackBerry Messenger available on as many platforms as possible.

A poster on MacRumors Forums now suggests BlackBerry Messenger for iOS may be launching in the App Store on April 26. At a “social media conference” in Toronto, RIM’s co-CEO Jim Balsillie allegedly revealed that BBM and “other services” will come to the iPhone on April 26 through the App Store. Balsillie also confirmed that they plan to release an update “this summer” with a new notification system, which may or may not suggest RIM knows something about iOS 5 and the improved notifications Apple has been rumored to be working on.

RIM had a Social Media conference today in Toronto, and my entire college business and marketing class was invited to the event. RIM’s co-ceo Jim Balsillie revealed that they plan to bring BBM and “other services” to iPhone on April 26 via the app store. Balsillie also revealed that they plan to release an update to the app this summer which will take advantage of a new “notification system”!

So it is possible that in the next few days an Android version of BBM will be unveiled, with the iPhone app scheduled for a late April launch. The rumor hasn’t been confirmed by RIM, but chances are they are really looking for a way to rise among the competition in the App Store (made of apps like WhatsApp, Textie and Ping) by releasing an iOS counterpart of BBM, which counts millions of users worldwide.

We will update you as more information is available. Stay tuned by following us on Facebook, Twitter and/or by subscribing to our RSS Feed.

UPDATE: We had a feeling this story was a hoax when we first saw it, according to RIM — rumors that BlackBerry Messenger might launch as an app for Apple’s iPhone on April 26th, is false. “RIM did not hold a conference in Toronto this week, and Jim Balsillie did not speak at any event in Toronto this week.” We’re not saying it isn’t coming at some point in the future, but BlackBerry Messenger is definitely not hitting the App Store on April 26th.

It’s been rumored on and off for a few weeks now, but today RIM finally confirmed that its upcoming PlayBook tablet which runs a new QNX operating system will support both Blackberry AppWorld Apps as well as those originally designed for the Android platform.

According to RIM, Android developers will not be able to just run their apps straight off the bat, however. Instead they will have to repackage, re-sign and submit their apps to the BlackBerry App World, which is not a huge obstacle.

What this means for the PlayBook is a potentially huge number of apps coming to the new and upcoming platform, effectively quashing one of the fears many have had for the tablet: a severe lack of apps.

Full RIM press release below:

RIM Expands Application Ecosystem for BlackBerry PlayBook

• BlackBerry PlayBook to support BlackBerry Java and Android apps
• Native C/C++ development support added, in addition to HTML5, Flash and AIR support
• Support from leading game engines: Ideaworks Labs (AirPlay) and Unity Technologies (Unity 3)
• BlackBerry PlayBook becomes a new market opportunity for all the developers who have already created over 25,000 BlackBerry Java apps and more than 200,000 Android apps

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – March 24, 2011) – Developers wanting to bring their new and existing apps to the highly anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBookTM tablet will soon have additional tools and options to enhance and expand their commercial opportunities. Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX: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.

In addition, RIM will shortly release the native SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook enabling C/C++ application development on the BlackBerry® Tablet OS. For game-specific developers, RIM is also announcing that it has gained support from two leading game development tooling companies, allowing developers to use the cross-platform game engines from Ideaworks Labs and Unity Technologies to bring their games to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Support for BlackBerry Java and Android Apps

“The BlackBerry PlayBook is an amazing tablet. The power that we have embedded creates one of the most compelling app experiences available in a mobile computing device today,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The upcoming addition of BlackBerry Java and Android apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook on BlackBerry App World will provide our users with an even greater choice of apps and will also showcase the versatility of the platform.”

Developers currently building for the BlackBerry or Android platforms will be able to quickly and easily port their apps to run on the BlackBerry Tablet OS thanks to a high degree of API compatibility. The new optional app players will be available for download from BlackBerry App World and will be placed in a secure “sandbox” on the BlackBerry PlayBook where the BlackBerry Java or Android apps can be run.

Developers will simply repackage, code sign and submit their BlackBerry Java and Android apps to BlackBerry App World. Once approved, the apps will be distributed through BlackBerry App World, providing a new opportunity for many developers to reach BlackBerry PlayBook users. Users will be able to download both the app players and the BlackBerry Java and Android apps from BlackBerry App World.

The BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry Tablet OS are built on the QNX® Neutrino® microkernel architecture with a 1GHz dual core processor and a leading OpenGL solution, which allows RIM to make this incredibly broad platform support possible.

BlackBerry PlayBook users and developers who are interested in seeing the new app players for BlackBerry Java and Android apps can see demos at BlackBerry World in Orlando, Florida (May 3 to 5, 2011) (www.blackberryworld.com).

BlackBerry Tablet OS Development Tools

The BlackBerry Tablet OS already supports an incredibly robust platform with support for Web development standard HTML5, through the BlackBerry® WebWorksTM SDK for Tablet OS, and Adobe® AIR®, through the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR. The BlackBerry Tablet OS is built from the ground up to run WebKit and Adobe® Flash® as well, giving developers a fast and true Web experience to leverage.

RIM is also announcing today that the BlackBerry Tablet OS Native Development Kit (NDK), which is currently in limited alpha release, will go into open Beta by this summer and be demonstrated at BlackBerry World. The BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will allow developers to build high-performance, multi-threaded, native C/C++ applications with industry standard GNU toolchains. Developers can create advanced 2D and 3D applications and special effects by leveraging programmable shaders available in hardware-accelerated OpenGL ES 2.0.

Other features of the BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will allow developers to:

Take advantage of the QNX POSIX library support and C/C++ compliance for quick and easy application porting and for creating native extensions for both BlackBerry and Android applications
Easily integrate device events like gesture swipes and touch screen inputs
Integrate the BlackBerry Tablet OS environment into existing code management and build systems using industry standard Eclipse CDT (C/C++ Development Tools)
Leverage work done in standard C/C++ to make it easier to bring applications to the BlackBerry Tablet OS
Find and fix bugs quickly with provided debug and analysis tools
“The response to the BlackBerry PlayBook from the developer community has been exceptional. Our commitment to supporting HTML5 and Adobe AIR development has resonated and spurred developers to create fun and innovative applications for BlackBerry PlayBook users,” said David Yach, Chief Technology Officer, Software at Research In Motion. “The upcoming BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK beta will add C/C++ tools to our repertoire and gives developers one of the broadest and deepest platforms to develop on.”

Gaming Engines

Building on the power of the BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK, RIM is working with leading gaming and application development technology providers such as Ideaworks Labs and Unity Technologies to implement their native engines and application development platforms. Developers will be able to take advantage of these engines when building games and other applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The Ideaworks Labs Airplay SDK is expected to include support for the BlackBerry Tablet OS soon, making it easy for publishers and developers to use their existing code to bring their games and apps to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

“Supporting a new OS can be a challenge for developers,” says Alex Caccia, President of Ideaworks Labs, “however, integration of the BlackBerry Tablet OS with the Airplay SDK makes this a non-issue. We think this is a far-sighted move by RIM: the BlackBerry PlayBook is a great device for games and applications, and combining this with content distribution via BlackBerry App World brings an exciting new ecosystem for developers.”

RIM has also been working closely with Unity Technologies, providers of the highly popular, multi-platform Unity development platform and Union, the firm’s games distribution service. Through Union, dozens of high-quality Unity-authored games are slated to make their way to BlackBerry App World for the BlackBerry Playbook.

“With a sharp focus on the multimedia experience, very powerful hardware, and fantastic games in the pipeline, the BlackBerry Playbook has all the right ingredients to be a mainstream hit,” said Brett Seyler, GM of Union at Unity Technologies. “Through Union, Unity developers have an opportunity to reach a new audience and grow with another great new platform.”

Availability

The new app players for the BlackBerry PlayBook are expected to be available from BlackBerry App World this summer. More information and demonstrations of the new app players will be shared at BlackBerry World. The BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will be available in beta later this year and will also be showcased at BlackBerry World.

We’re guessing that the developers will like the idea of having more users potentially buying their apps. Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. And, as usual, stay tuned by following us on Facebook, Twitter and/or by subscribing to our RSS Feed.

You may also like to read:

• RIM Challenges iPad 2 With PlayBook Starting April 19th
• Blackberry PlayBook Release Date And Accessories Pricing Revealed
• RIM Launches “Built for BlackBerry” Program For Accessory Makers
• RIM Demo’s BlackBerry PlayBook’s Web Fidelity
• Competition Mounts For iPad From Tablets Expected At CES 2011