BlackBerry Unfolds Its First Flip Phone

Problem with IM software at fault, RIM urges upgrade

(AP) - BlackBerry email service in North America was restored this morning following its second outage in less than a week. Research In Motion said the root cause of the 8-hour lapse is still under review, but a flaw in two recently released versions of its BlackBerry Messenger instant messaging software appears to be the culprit. RIM has also provided a new version of BlackBerry Messenger (version 5.0.0.57) and is encouraging anyone who downloaded or upgraded the software since Dec. 14 to upgrade to this latest version, which resolves the issue. More»

RIM hopes it'll draw more customers

(NEWSER) - RIM's latest effort to quench their Blackberry users' iPhone envy is an application store, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company expects about 1,000 applications to be posted at the new App World this week—still a trickle compared to Apple's 15,000. Those now available include apps for social networking, such as Facebook, and the music service Shazam. The announcement comes a day before the Canadian company releases its quarterly earnings, which are expected to fall at the low end of forecasts. More»

(NEWSER) - Dell is considering a move into the smartphone business, the Wall Street Journal reports. The computer company has had engineers working on models for more than a year and could launch a competitor to the iPhone or Blackberry as early as next month. CEO Michael Dell also could pull the plug on the project, which remains officially under wraps. More»

Physical keyboard, just-right size make Curve 8900 a winner

(NEWSER) - Research in Motion’s newest BlackBerry, the Curve 8900, is "a satisfying combination of high-end features, ideal size, and good looks," writes Katherine Boehret for the Wall Street Journal. Unlike the high-profile Storm, the new smartphone has a real keyboard that's "a dream for thumbs," she raves. Overall, the Curve 8900 fits into “the Goldilocks category of not too big, not too small—just right.” More»

Slated June debut of competing 3G iPhone may be the cause

(NEWSER) - Research in Motion’s latest BlackBerry has been delayed two months, Fortune reports. The Meteor phone, to run on AT&T’s 3G network, was pushed back from June to August. No reason was given, but sources say AT&T had concerns about audio quality. More»