In case you haven’t already heard, Research in Motion is running a promotion where the company is giving away $77 worth of premium BlackBerry apps to U.S. based BlackBerry users with BlackBerry 7 devices.

The promotion ends May 31st, so, you’ve got two weeks to get in on the promotion.  There are over 20 premium BlackBerry 7 apps to which you can get for free and all you have to do to get them is head over to BlackBerry App World and download them.

This is definitely a promotion that you won’t want to miss…

You’ve got two weeks left to get $77 worth of BlackBerry 7 apps for FREE!!! is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

I once saw a holster for a phone that doubled as battery charger and remember thinking that it was a pretty cool idea.

Research in Motion must think that it is a cool idea as well seeing how the company has recently patented a battery charging BlackBerry holster complete with speakers to make sure you hear your notifications.

[Via Engadget]

Research In Motion Files Patent For A Battery Charging BlackBerry Holster is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

An unscheduled two-man taping of the SMRpodcast episode #117, Chicken Wings and Ribs, is now online and ready for download.  This week the Big Fella and I hold it down while @RodSimmons was out ill.

There wasn’t a lot of wireless news over the last week, but, Chris and I do touch on some pretty unbelievable mobile market share stats, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, and we are trademarking Chris’ phrase from last week…  Cloudifying Your Phone…  We’ve also got a great hardware pick and a great tip for easily accessing various cloud storage folders on your PC.

Check us out!

Download the MP3, subscribe via RSS, or, check us out on iTunes…

SMRpodcast #117: Chicken Wings And Ribs is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

I will admit that BlackBerry Sightings of everyday consumers in the United States are becoming fewer and farther in between, however, Rueters is reporting that, according to research from Kantar WorldPanel, BlackBerry market share in the United States has dropped to just 3%…

I am going to assume that this number represents the number of smartphones being purchased as compared to the number that are currently activated.  Even still, 3% seems awfully low.

[Read]

Rueters Is Reporting That BlackBerry Market Share In The U.S. Is Down To Just 3% is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

Believe it or not, the Porsche Design P’9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry has been awarded Smartphone of the Year 2012 by a distinguished jury at the renowned Plus X Award in  Germany.

I say believe or not because, not only don’t I believe that the P’9981 is the best looking smartphone, I don’t think that it is even the best looking BlackBerry.

That being said, it is kind of cool that a BlackBerry won this award…

P’9981 named Smartphone of the Year

Porsche Design and BlackBerry honoured at Plus X Award® 2012

Stuttgart/Cologne. The Porsche Design P‘9981 smartphone by BlackBerry has been awarded as “Smartphone of the Year 2012” by a distinguished jury at the renowned Plus X Award®. The German luxury brand’s product combines typical straight-line and puristic design by Porsche Design and innovative technologies by BlackBerry.

“Porsche Design has been a symbol for Iconic Style since 1972,” says Dr. Juergen Gessler, CEO of the Porsche Design Group. “Products with clean lines and no frills are at the heart of our design philosophy. Our collaboration with BlackBerry led to a smartphone that implements our credo without compromises. The Porsche Design P’9981 Smartphone by BlackBerry is a modern luxury smartphone that combines timeless design with state-of-the-art technology.”

Axel Kettenring, Managing Director RIM Germany, says: “We are very proud to receive this seal of quality. Receiving the Plus X Award for the Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone confirms we are operating at the cutting edge with our demand for design and quality.”

The Plus X Award is awarded in the categories technology, sport and lifestyle paying particular attention on innovative and future-oriented products that distinguish themselves from others by a noteworthy added value – the Plus X Factor.

Please find more information on the Porsche Design P’9981 Smartphone by BlackBerry under de.blackberry.com/devices/p9981.

The Porsche Design P’9981 BlackBerry Named Smartphone Of The Year is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

A question that we get regularly here on RIMarkable.com is “How do you listen to a podcast on your BlackBerry?”

If you have a relatively new BlackBerry, one capable of running BlackBerry 6 or higher, the easiest way, arguably, is with the native BlackBerry Podcasts app.

Chances are your device already has BlackBerry Podcasts installed, but, if you don’t, you can download it OTA, or, pick it up in BlackBerry App World.

To listen to a podcast, all you have to do is:

• Open up the Podcasts App
• Click on “Add Podcast Channel”
• Enter the URL of the podcast feed (ex.  SMRpodcast.com/showfeed)
• Click Subscribe

The latest episode of the podcast should download to your device.

How To Listen To A Podcast On Your BlackBerry is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

Episode #116 of the SMRpodcast, A Phone With Ebola, is online and ready for download.  This week we had a full cast, in studio, as I made a road trip to the mobile gadget lair, also known as Chris’ office.

There wasn’t a lot of mobile tech news over the last week but we did talk about the Facebook IPO, PC ultabooks that look an awful lot like the MacBook Air, and, if anyone will actually buy the brand new BlackBerry Curve 9320 which only runs RIM’s old (current) BlackBerry OS.

We’ve got all this, our picks, and, more in this week’s episode…

Check us out!

Download the MP3, subscribe via RSS, or, check us out on iTunes…

• Rod Simmons @RodSimmons
• Chris Ashley @bigcashley
• Robb Dunewood @RobbDunewood

SHOW TOPICS

Opening Thoughts

• Chris is back from his trip
• Robb is in studio this week

We talk about the Facebook IPO and who is buying it

• Robb says that he is definitely getting a few shares of their stock
• Rod said he put his order in already
• Chris says that he is going in with Rod

There are a few Ultrabooks that released some that look like MacBooks

• Chris talks about an ultrabook that he recently played with
• Rod says that he is holding out for a Windows 8 tablet
• Robb says that he is looking at a Google tablet

BlackBerry Curve 9320 Announced

• Rod asks Robb why is RIM releasing a new device on the heels of announcing BlackBerry 10
• Robb says this move makes no sense to him
• Chris is wondering if they are doing it for enterprise vs. consumer

Some quick hit topics

• Chris talks about AT&T and the Samsung Focus 2 and their new home automation
• Rod asks Chris about their exclusive apps announcement
• We talk about the $99 dollar Xbox

Picks of the Week

• Instagram for Android / FlipBoard for Android (Android Social Apps) Robb Dunewood (RIMarkable)
• Apen A5 Smartpen (Writing Pen for iPad) Rod Simmons (SimpleMobileReview)
• Prototype 2 for Xbox (Xbox Game) Chris Ashley (SimpleMobileReview)

SMRpodcast #116: A Phone With Ebola is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

Press Release

RIM Announces Approval of BlackBerry 7 Smartphones for U.S. Department of Defense Networks

DISA Mission Partner Conference, Tampa, FL - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced DoD-wide approval for the use of BlackBerry® 7 smartphones. Working with U.S. Army and Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) sponsors and partners, BlackBerry 7 smartphones have undergone successful testing through Army labs leading to a subsequent listing on DISA’s Unified Communications Approved Product List (UCAPL).

• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and 9930 (touch screen with keyboard)
• BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810 (touch screen with slide out keyboard)
• BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 and 9860 (full screen touch screen)
• BlackBerry® Curve™ 9360 (keyboard)

RIM Announces Approval of BlackBerry 7 Smartphones for U.S. Department of Defense Networks is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

Press Release

RIM Introduces the BlackBerry Curve 9320-A Stylish, New Smartphone for the Socially-Connected

WATERLOO, ONTARIO – May 9, 2012) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced a stylish new smartphone for socially-connected customers. The new BlackBerry® Curve™ 9320 smartphone features all the core BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features that keep people connected, and it offers global 3G connectivity backed by long battery life to allow users to make the most of their day.

“The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 is designed to make it incredibly easy for users to stay socially-connected,” said Carlo Chiarello, EVP, Smartphone Business at Research In Motion. “The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be especially popular with customers upgrading to a smartphone for the first time and existing Curve customers looking for a step up in speed and functionality.”

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 has everything a customer needs to stay in touch with the people and things that matter most to them. It features a dedicated BBM™ key, bringing the power of RIM’s popular mobile social network up in an instant, as well as the best keyboard in its class for quick and easy typing. It includes a built-in FM radio, allowing users to tune into their favorite local stations, and listening to the FM radio does not require a data plan or use data services. Designed to allow both 3G connectivity and long battery life, customers can get up to 7 hours of talk time or up to 30 hours of FM radio listening or music playback with
headphones.

Customers can easily interact with their social network in real time, using preloaded apps for Facebook® and Twitter®. The new Social Feeds 2.0 app is also preloaded, allowing users to post updates to multiple social networks simultaneously and capture updates from news
sources (RSS), social apps and instant messaging apps all in one consolidated view. The integrated camera includes a flash and supports video recording, and pictures can be tagged with their location thanks to the smartphone’s built-in GPS.

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 comes with the new BlackBerry® 7.1 OS, which supports features such as Mobile Hotspot and Wi-Fi® calling where available.* Parental Controls is a brand new, on-device features that provides parents and guardians with simple options to help protect
children by restricting access to specific functions, features and applications.

Pricing and availability of the BlackBerry Curve 9320 will beannounced in conjunction with RIM’s distribution partners. For more information please visit:http//worldwide.blackberry.com/blackberrycurve/9220-9320.

* Please check with your carrier for availability.

RIM Introduces the BlackBerry Curve 9320-A Stylish, New Smartphone for the Socially-Connected is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...