Stories about: RIM

Today I came across a list of what LaptopMag.com is calling the "top ten BlackBerry apps," and since I've been known to offer up my own occasional lists of BlackBerry software downloads-and there are a few on the list I haven't covered in the past-I decided to bring the post to your attention.

There's seemingly an infinite number of software applications available for your BlackBerry--many of which are free--but unfortunately there's only so much storage space in your smartphone's internal memory, and by default Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry maker, blocks the ability to store such apps on microSD media cards.

Remember Palm and its Treo smartphones? Barely, you say? Yeah, me too. But thanks to an entry-level smartphone called the Centro and a couple of new high-end Treo devices, the US-based handheld maker just might find its way back onto your radar in 2008.

"As an IT manager, are you going to put your reputation on the line that five guys from a small startup in Vancouver are to deliver for your organization," asked Jevon MacDonald, blogger and co-founder at StartupNorth.ca.

Some developers spend weeks, even months, pouring through lines of code in attempts to create unique and valuable applications, but a South Carolina-based developer recently demonstrated his .Net Compact prowess-and impressive personal drive--by creating a new Windows Mobile application every day in the month of June.

Last month CIO.com sister publication PCWorld.com posted an article entitled "BlackBerry Bold Beats iPhone to the 3G Punch." The story was written to announce the official unveiling of RIM's latest-and greatest to date-BlackBerry smartphone, but it rubbed me the wrong way from the start.

They don't call 'em CrackBerrys for nothing.

With the unveiling of Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry Bold in May and Apple's next-generation iPhone 3G a month later, there's been a lot of hype around third-generation (3G) data connections for smartphones. Frankly, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.

Whether or not mobile phones can actually lead to or accelerate health problems remains unclear but we do know the trusty little devices emit radio frequency energy, and it's a fact that too much radiation's not a good thing for humans. That's why the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) analyzes and measures mobile device radiation-emission levels before giving them the thumbs up for sale in the United States. That metric is called a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), and to pass the FCC inspection, a phone's SAR must be equal to or less than 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg).

The blogosphere has been all abuzz lately with iPhone and BlackBerry hype.

Research In Motion (RIM), maker of the popular BlackBerry smartphone, which has traditionally been known as a business device, made its first foray into the vast consumer mobile phone space back in 2006 when it debuted the sleek and shiny BlackBerry Pearl 8100. Since then, the company has continued into the land of consumer gadgets, launching the Curve 8300 in May 2007 and its newest device, the Bold 9000, is expected this US summer-both of which feature digital cameras, Wi-Fi, and media players.