BlackBerry Gets a Bold Facelift

Business-friendly Bold tips hat to Apple, but doesn't cede ground

(NEWSER) - The release of the new 3G BlackBerry Bold Monday sent Research in Motion’s shares up 6.93%, to $141.97. The reason, according to Forbes, is the BlackBerry’s business focus, which lets it maintain its edge over the popular but business-weak iPhone. The Bold apes the iPhone in design, but integrates smoothly with business email and other systems, unlike its smartphone rival. More»

The Bold 9900: 'Does Anybody Care'?

(NEWSER) - There’s a new BlackBerry on the market, but the “the question is: Does anybody care?” Apple and Google dominate the market, and things are “not looking good” for Research in Motion, which just laid off 2,000 people, writes David Pogue in the New York Times . That aside, how’s the new Bold 9900? “Gorgeous,” and the thinnest BlackBerry yet, with a “comfortable” keyboard and a “beautiful, responsive touch screen.” It’s a great phone—yet it’s not enough to compete with iPhone or Android. More»

Passes Symbian; iPhone at No. 3

(NEWSER) - Google’s Android is now the world’s most popular smartphone platform, having edged past Nokia’s Symbian in the fourth quarter of 2010. Vendors shipped 33.3 million Android-based phones that quarter, beating Symbian’s 31 million, a report out today finds. That’s good news for Android phone vendors LG and Acer, who saw sales volume boosts of 4,127% and 709% from Q4 of 2009—and for Samsung and HTC, who together shipped nearly 45% of all Android phones in the period, reports CNET . More»

Heavy-using customers frustrated in busy areas

(NEWSER) - The iPhone has a slick package and a supercool image--but when it comes to speed, the gadget can be a clunker, the New York Times reports. Customers are fed up with the long waits that stem from heavy traffic on the AT&T network, currently the only one available to iPhone users. They use the internet to download, watch, and listen as much as 10 times more than typical smartphone owners. More»

(NEWSER) - For BlackBerry users, the lure of the iPhone can be hard to resist, despite the Apple device's lack of a keyboard and AT&T-only service policy. The Wall Street Journal followed five BlackBerry users who switched to the iPhone and charted the highs and lows: All of them said they adjusted quickly to typing on the screen, though some said they were typing slower. Several complained about the iPhone's inferior battery life, and others wished they still had BlackBerry's IM service. More»