The Internet is always good for a hoax now and then. We see them all the time, and have seen quite a few BlackBerry related ones. Someone gets their hands on an image and Photoshop and just can’t help themselves. They mock up a phone to make it look all neat and pretty, but in the end it’s just a normal device. We got something of that this week. A Sprint-branded BlackBerry Essex showed up in image form, but something about it didn’t seem right.
That’s a long shot of the device, and if you know what to look for you can see where the Photoshopper got sloppy. Engadget notes that the trackpad looks crooked, but even worse, you can basically see the lines where the Photoshopper laid the trackpad over a Tour trackball. Even worse, it doesn’t have actual Sprint branding. It just has a Sprint wallpaper. Nice try, Matt_25. But the folks out there in BlackBerry land are too savvy to fall for this.
That’s not to say the Essex (Tour 2) won’t hit Sprint. In fact, it probably will. The only CDMA BlackBerry to not hit Sprint over the past two or three years is the Storm (and Storm 2, of course). Other than that, Sprint has been in on everything. They’ll probably have the Tour 2 around the same time as Verizon, though as we’ve seen they sometimes get the device a few weeks later. It’ll be there, though.
If you want to see a real branded Tour 2, check out Salomondrin, who has one with Verizon branding.
Tip of the week: Remember more stuff with reQall. I love this application because it keeps reminding me of things I need to do. Like today, when I knew I needed toilet paper. The app reminded me while I was out, making it tougher to forget.
Comparing the two Pearls
That’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it? We’ve been hearing a lot about the new BlackBerry Pearl lately, and all signs point to a first quarter 2010 release. Photos and videos have leaked all over the Internet, but this week we saw a side-by-side comparison of the Pearl 9100 to the Pearl 8130. The new one looks so much prettier, mainly because it contains changes RIM has implemented on other BlackBerry models. As Kevin from CrackBerry notes:
As you can see, at first glance the new and old Pearl are similar in appearance, and then the latest RIM BlackBerry styling from devices like the Storm2 and Bold 9700 jump out at you on the 9100 – trackpad and beveled edges on the glass like the Bold 9700, battery door cover like the Storm2, sliced into a narrow form factor with a fierce looking keyboard.
To his question of whether the Pearl, absent the trackball (the pearl itself), needs a manlier name. I say yes. But that’s mainly because I’d like to see RIM try out some different names, rather than recycle the old ones.
Oh, and as if it was a question at this point, the Pearl 9100 will have Wi-Fi.
WIND Mobile changing the Canadian wireless landscape
Last year, Canada staged a wireless spectrum auction, with the intention of allowing new participants to compete with the reigning triumvirate: Rogers, Bell, and Telus. A number of new bidders emerged, but perhaps none as threatening to the status quo as Globalive. They’ve expedited their efforts to launch wireless network, and now everything seems in place. They gained clearance late last week to offer services, and boy, are they going to tick off the Big Three.
We could go on and on about how different WIND mobile really is — the biggest thing for them is not requiring a contract. Boy Genius Report explains the difference between owning a BlackBerry on Rogers and one on WIND Mobile.
* $45/month for 400 minutes, unlimited calling after 9PM, and a choice of either unlimited Rogers-to-Rogers calling, my5, unlimited SMS, or an extra $100 minutes. Let’s assume you chose unlimited Rogers-to-Rogers calling.
* $25/month for a 500MB data plan for your BlackBerry (BIS not BES)
* $20/mo for unlimited SMS, caller ID and voicemail for a smartphone
* Total with fees of around $93/month (excluding taxes).Over the life of your cell phone contract of three years (yes, it’s three years in Canada), you’ll have paid approximately $3348 to Rogers, and you’d have a brand new BlackBerry 9700 for which you paid $249.99 for. All in all, $3597 before tax. Here’s a WIND plan:
* $45/month for unlimited minutes, unlimited SMS to U.S. and Canada, voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding
* $35/month for unlimited BlackBerry dataWe’re at $80/month with unlimited everything, no contract, and no fees to change plans or features.
The savings per month aren’t huge, but add that up over three years, the life of a Rogers contract, and the savings become more pronounced. The only downside of having no contract is the lower subsidy. The Bold 9700 will cost $450 on WIND, though a non-contract Bold 9700 on Rogers costs $599.99. If WIND can hold itself to a high level of service, it could completely change Canadian wireless.
Weekly app info
We deal with BlackBerry applications all week, but we can’t hit everything. Here are some interesting app developments, plus a recap of what we’ve looked at already.
- Discover new apps with BlackBerry Arcade. App World is a great place to find stuff for your BlackBerry, but how do you know what to search for? Mplayit has a new Facebook feature which allows you and your friends to share BlackBerry app information. It’s another good filter to a good platform.
- A Kindle reader for BlackBerry? Sounds good to me. Yeah, I like other readers, like Mobipocket, but it’s the Kindle platform that’s interesting.
- Own a small business? Then you should check out the new UPS BlackBerry app and the PayPal Send Money app. Both have great benefits to small business owners and employees.
- Remember the rumors of the official BlackBerry Twitter app? It looks like some people are testing it. I’ll welcome it at first and give it every chance. The idea of integrating @replies and direct messages into your Messages app is appealing for sure.
Oh, and make sure to check out Cooper’s review of the SuperQWERTY BlackBerry shortcut application. People really want this thing, it seems.
This post originated at BBGeeks.com – home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.
BlackBerry News From The Wire for the Week of 12/14/2009
This post originated at BBGeeks.com – home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.
BlackBerry News From The Wire for the Week of 12/14/2009