RIM unveils rejigged BlackBerry models

TORONTO/VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Research in Motion is launching variations of two existing BlackBerry smartphones, the company said on Monday, and its co-chief executive hinted that much-anticipated announcements on a new operating system and browser are also on the way.

Technology | Media

But its stock fell as the news fell short of what many investors were hoping the company would announce to counter growing competition from rivals like Apple Inc and Motorola Inc, especially in the consumer market.

"RIM does not have a competing product for the retail space and that is very, very negative for anyone who's buying the stock today," said Barry Schwartz, vice-president and portfolio manager at Baskin Financial Services.

RIM unveiled the new versions of both devices on the eve of its annual Wireless Enterprise Symposium, a three-day event that officially runs from April 27-29 in Orlando, Florida.

A CDMA version of the high-end BlackBerry Bold device will ship in May to both Verizon and Sprint Nextel - two of North America's largest wireless carriers that run CDMA networks, the company said in a statement. The BlackBerry Bold is already available to carriers that operate GSM networks.

GSM and CDMA are the two main types of mobile technology used by wireless carriers across the world. CDMA lost the battle for global dominance but it still has a strong position in some markets.

The Waterloo, Ontario-based company is also taking the wraps off a new 3G version of the Pearl, which is the smallest of its range of BlackBerry devices. The new GSM device will allow for faster data downloads on newer 3G networks.

But the market was hoping for early news about an improved BlackBerry operating system and browser for navigating the Internet, which even devout fans say is not as easy to use as Apple's iPhone and Motorola's Droid.

Co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie hinted that fellow co-CEO Mike Lazaridis could reveal more details in a presentation later on Monday as well as throughout the WES trade show.

"You are going to hear a lot about our web strategy this week," Balsillie said in the opening address at the event.

"I won't steal any of Mike's thunder," he said.

Analysts hope the software improvements will allow RIM to compete more effectively against the iPhone, Droid and a slew of other smartphone devices that have been nibbling away at RIM's market share.

A growing number of analysts argue that rival smartphones could keep taking market share from the BlackBerry, especially in North America, unless RIM delivers an improved operating system and browser.

Balsillie took a more optimistic view of the BlackBerry's outlook. "I think the North American market will continue to grow, and grow quickly for us," he said.

Consumer-friendly enhancements, such as more powerful in-phone cameras and an easier-to-navigate display, are also in the offing, he said.

"You are going to see very powerful extensions on our part. I don't think you have to be too patient either," he said.

RIM's apps store, which analysts say falls far short of Apple's applications' offering, is growing fast with downloads doubling in last 120 days, he said.

RIM on Monday also announced an upgraded version of its mobile voice system (MVS) technology, which allows for the seamless integration of a customer's office landline and BlackBerry device. The technology currently allows the two devices to work as one and a user can route all outgoing calls through his office landline device.

The latest upgrade to the MVS technology will allow users to make and receive phone calls from their BlackBerry devices over a Wi-Fi connection.

RIM's stock fell as much as 2.9 percent to C$68.50 on the Toronto Stock Exchange early on Monday. By late morning, the stock was off its lows at C$69.33, down C$1.23 or 1.7 percent.

On Nasdaq, it was down 1.8 percent at $69.37

original article.

Facebook's 'Like' Button: What We Know So Far

For Facebook's next act, the social networking site will break free of its domain and let you "like" things all over the Web, according to two news reports.

The New York Times and the Financial Times tell a similar story based on unnamed sources: Facebook wants to expand beyond its core site with a "like" button that Web developers can embed in their pages. Yes, it's yet another media sharing tool in the style of Digg and Reddit -- it just happens to be aligned with the second-biggest Web site in the United States.

A Digg Killer?
A lot of sites already use a "share" button to connect with Facebook, letting users post links to their news feed, but a "like" button seems more in line with the simple interaction offered by Digg. In other words, your commitment starts and ends with a simple thumbs up. It also could allow interaction with non-editorial sites, as the New York Times suggests Yelp could use the "like" feature to show users how many of their friends enjoyed a restaurant or business.

That said, we don't yet know exactly how the concept will work. Does liking a page automatically create a news item for your Facebook friends, or is there some other way for Facebook to determine which liked stories get shared?

The rise of Twitter and Facebook have hurt Digg's popularity, but part of the site's allure is its anonymity, and sharing among random strangers. Facebook is all about interacting with your friends. Still, the sheer volume of people using Facebook could quickly cement the "like" button as the premiere way to share Web content.

Privacy Issues, Of Course
It seems like any time Facebook does anything, privacy is part of the discussion. That's likely to be the case here, as some marketers tell the Financial Times that they'll use "like" information to target ads at users. Analysts tell the New York Times that privacy concerns are possible as shares more details about users with external Web sites, though that seems like a more general issue than a specific flaw in the "like" service.

Facebook denies that it will use the service to track users across the Web, saying that it bases ads only on information users fill out in their profiles. "We have no announcements or changes planned to our ad offering and policies," a Facebook representative told the Financial Times.

More "Like" in More Places
Back on Facebook.com, "like" will be implemented in advertisements, replacing the "become a fan" functionality for brands, says the Financial Times. It's not clear what this means for the messages and news postings you get in exchange for brand fandom. Again, liking something seems more casual than becoming a fan, so I'm a bit skeptical that one feature is completely replacing the other. We'll see what happens at F8, Facebook's conference on Wednesday where it's expected to announce the new features.

original article.

Apple iPhone 4G Arrival Won’t Create as Much Buzz as the iPad?

morning!!
well ive been wanting an iphone for forever! and i don't have at&t soo.. i have to Wait for them to come out with one for my phone company. anyways the 4g is out but i agree with the article I'm sure the ipad will get more buzz.

The iPad arrival already sent shock waves across the globe jolting other tablet manufacturers who were hoping to cash in on the iPad failure. The Apple tablet created a rage at Apple stores but the big question is-will the next generation iPhone 4G be able to create the same magic? There have been times when people talk about Apple products being purely applications centric and that is eventually the reason they succeed, given the hefty app count.



But, what people also find adoring about all Apple products is that they are feature rich and these features give the users the opportunity to eventually use those applications
. Therefore, Apple products do well because of the apps and the features they offer.

This is where the next product from Cupertino could be a problem. The world will already know that this iPhone has 4G merely in the name and it is not going to support 4G speeds. The apps are sure there to help but then, this iPhone will require those ‘features’ the most.

The only thing we know about (hopefully) is that the iPhone 4G will come with a front-facing camera and nothing more. Most of the touted features will be improvements over the current generation models. Novelty is the only thing that will save Apple the blushes as Cupertino isn’t accustomed to failure in the recent history.

The iPhone 4G is seemingly more of a face-lift than a feature-lift and if Apple is conscious about the fall of the iPhone regime, it has to shock us with a real stunner of a smartphone.

original article.