Wednesday, January 12, 2011

RIM Launches New Developer Tools and Services for BlackBerry Tablet OS and BlackBerry Smartphones at BlackBerry DEVCON Asia

BlackBerry WebWorks Platform Enables Web Developers to Build Robust Applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet That Also Support BlackBerry Smartphones BlackBerry Smartphone Platform Gets New Releases: Payment Service SDK in Beta, BlackBerry Push Service SDK v1.0.1 and BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse v1.3 (for Windows and Mac)

Bali, Indonesia – BlackBerry DEVCON Asia - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today launched the beta version of the BlackBerry® WebWorks™ SDK for Tablet OS and new services and developer tools for BlackBerry® smartphones at BlackBerry DEVCON Asia.

“RIM continues to invest in a global and diverse developer community and we are offering them a broad range of tools in support of the BlackBerry Application Platform,” said David Yach, CTO for Software at Research In Motion. “With BlackBerry WebWorks, developers will be able to use standard web technologies to build powerful, integrated applications quickly and easily for both BlackBerry smartphones and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and the GitHub open source project around BlackBerry WebWorks means more support for developers, enabling them to fully participate in defining the future of this platform and tooling. We are also excited to launch the new Payment service for BlackBerry smartphones, along with enhancements to the Push Service and an update of the Java Plug-in for Eclipse.”

BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS
Based on robust web standards and drawing on continued collaboration with the open source community, the BlackBerry WebWorks platform will allow web and mobile developers to use the SDK in combination with their web development tools of choice to create compelling and deeply integrated applications for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet that also support BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry 6 operating system.

With features that include access to core functionality in the BlackBerry PlayBook, as well as extensibility and robust security, the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS provides many benefits to developers including:

* RIM's powerful WebKit web rendering engine (which is at the core of WebWorks) supporting the latest web technology standards including HTML5, CSS and JavaScript
* Deep access to device capabilities and components such as native dialogs, application invocation and system information
* A simple command-line tool that allows developers to use their favorite web development environment to develop WebWorks applications
* The capability to automatically transform a W3C widget archive file containing web assets into a BlackBerry WebWorks application package

In order to provide an opportunity for WebWorks developers to qualify for the previously announced ‘free BlackBerry PlayBook’ offer, RIM is extending the offer to March 15, 2011. Starting today, web developers can download the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for Tablets OS, build BlackBerry PlayBook applications and qualify for a free BlackBerry PlayBook. For more details about the offer including the Terms and Conditions visit
www.blackberry.com/developers/blackberryplaybookoffer.
Download the SDK at www.blackberry.com/developers/tabletos/webworks.

A new webcast series to help developers create BlackBerry WebWorks applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook will start on February 1, 2011. Developers will get first hand details on how to install tools, set up development environments, create their first application, and test applications on the simulator. Please visit
www.blackberry.com/developers/tabletos/webworkswebcasts

New Services and Tools for BlackBerry Smartphones
At BlackBerry DEVCON Asia, RIM is also launching the BlackBerry Payment Service SDK in Beta, as well as an update of the BlackBerry Push Service SDK (v 1.0.1) and a new release of the BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse (version 1.3).

Integrated into an application as a library, the BlackBerry Payment Service offers new ways to monetize applications by allowing developers to incorporate options such as subscriptions, feature unlocking and pay per use. For more details on the BlackBerry Payment Service SDK visit www.blackberry.com/developers/paymentservice.

The latest update to the BlackBerry Push Service SDK improves the management of Push operations for Content Providers through a new Subscription Check API, offers simpler Statistics Gathering and Query Capabilities as well as Installer enhancements. The new Subscription Check API provides the ability to check the registration status of a smartphone with the specific application via a server-side framework, ensuring Push only occurs to currently subscribed users of the application. For additional details visit www.blackberry.com/developers/pushservice.

The BlackBerry Java Plug-in for Eclipse version 1.3 includes many enhancements and new features that help making Java development more productive on the BlackBerry platform. For more information on the latest version check out www.blackberry.com/developers/java for Windows and www.blackberry.com/developers/javamac for Mac.

About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

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Monday, December 13, 2010

Brightstar Expands Global Reach into Africa with RIM Distribution Agreement

RIM Selects Brightstar to Distribute BlackBerry Smartphones in Seven African Countries

Miami, FL and Waterloo, ON - Brightstar Corp., a multi-billion dollar global services company providing solutions to manufacturers, operators, retailers, and enterprises in the telecommunications industry, today announced an expansion of its distribution agreement with Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) into Africa.

Expanding its global operations into Africa, Brightstar will begin distributing BlackBerry® products to seven countries in the Sub Sahara Africa region, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Cote D’Ivoire, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique.

Through its distribution centers and staff in Africa, Brightstar will initially distribute the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8520 and BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700 smartphones, in addition to BlackBerry software and accessories. The BlackBerry smartphones will be available from various network operators and retail outlets throughout Sub Sahara Africa.

“This expanded agreement underscores the strategic nature of our alliance with RIM and our growing global presence within the industry,” said Arturo Osorio, President Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa at Brightstar. “We look forward to taking our customized channel solutions and insights and working together to bring a larger portfolio of BlackBerry smartphones into this new market.”

“We are pleased to further our relationship with Brightstar in order to expand our reach in the market. We look forward to working with Brightstar to bring more BlackBerry smartphones to more countries in Africa,” said Deon Liebenberg, Regional Director for Sub Sahara Africa at RIM.

For more than five years, RIM and Brightstar have enjoyed a strong and growing global relationship and, with today’s announcement, the companies have now expanded their collaboration to 67 countries and regions. In addition to Africa, Brightstar currently distributes BlackBerry products to network operators, retailers and Value-Added Resellers (VARs) in the United States, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.

About Brightstar Corp.
Brightstar is a multi-billion dollar global services company providing solutions to Manufacturers, Operators, Retailers, and Enterprises serving the telecommunications industry. With sales and distribution facilities on six continents, Brightstar offers its customers the largest global reach, enabling the right product to be in the right place, at the right time. For more information on Brightstar, please visit http://www.brightstarcorp.com.

About Research In Motion (RIM)
Research In Motion, a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

rim.com

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

DOCOMO Launches the BlackBerry Curve 9300 Smartphone in Japan

Tokyo, Japan - NTT DOCOMO, INC. today launched the BlackBerry® Curve™ 9300 smartphone in Japan.

The BlackBerry Curve 9300 is a light-weight, compact smartphone that offers global 3G connectivity and features a comfortable full-QWERTY keyboard for fast, accurate typing, and an optical trackpad for fluid navigation. It includes built-in GPS and Wi-Fi®, as well as dedicated media keys located along on the top of the smartphone to provide handy controls for accessing multimedia and voice calls, such as skipping music tracks, pausing a video or muting.

The new smartphone also features a camera that can record video and a microSD/SDHC slot that supports up to 32 GB memory cards for media storage. With the included BlackBerry® Media Sync application, customers can easily synchronize their iTunes® and Windows Media™ Player digital music collections with the smartphone. In addition, users can customize the smartphone with a wide variety of applications found on BlackBerry App World™

The new BlackBerry Curve 9300 is supported on BlackBerry® Enterprise Server and BlackBerry® Internet Service allowing customers to access multiple supported email accounts, social networking sites and popular instant messaging services including BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger), with messages automatically pushed to the smartphone. The i-mode email service is also supported.

About NTT DOCOMO
NTT DOCOMO is the world’s leading mobile operator and provider of advanced mobile services. The company serves over 56 million customers in Japan, including 48 million using i-mode™, the world’s most popular mobile e-mail/Internet platform, and 54 million using FOMA™, the world’s original 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA. As a leader in the development of cutting-edge mobile technologies, DOCOMO is continually expanding the role of mobile phones as versatile and highly personalized "lifestyle tools" for everyday life, including with a wide range of innovative services for mobile payments, GPS, mobile TV, multimedia content and much more. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.nttdocomo.com.

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BlackBerry 6 Gains FIPS Security Certification for U.S. Government Agencies

BlackBerry Torch and Other BlackBerry Smartphones Running the New BlackBerry 6 OS Now Certified for Use by U.S. Government Agencies

Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM, TSX: RIM) announced today that BlackBerry® 6, a powerful new operating system for BlackBerry® smartphones, is now FIPS 140-2 certified. This FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) certification provides confidence to a variety of security-conscious organizations, including U.S. government agencies, companies in regulated industries and other organizations dealing with sensitive information, that data stored on smartphones running BlackBerry 6 can be properly secured and encrypted.

“This FIPS certification will help extend the reach of BlackBerry 6 to users in a wide range of government agencies and other security-conscious organizations in the U.S.,” said Scott Totzke, Vice President, BlackBerry Security Group at Research In Motion. “BlackBerry 6 offers an exceptional mobile experience for BlackBerry smartphone users on the most secure wireless platform in the industry.”

BlackBerry 6, which debuted on the BlackBerry® Torch™ smartphone earlier this year, retains the trusted features of the BlackBerry brand while delivering a rich experience that’s powerful and easy to use. It has a redesigned interface, includes expanded messaging capabilities, enhanced multimedia support and a new and rich WebKit-based browser that delivers fast Internet browsing. In addition to the BlackBerry Torch, BlackBerry 6 ships on the new BlackBerry® Bold™ 9780 and BlackBerry® Style™ smartphones. BlackBerry 6 can also run on the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650, BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700, BlackBerry® Curve™ 3G and BlackBerry® Pearl™ 3G smartphones (subject to carrier certifications).

FIPS is a U.S. government computer security standard for certifying cryptographic modules. The standard was developed through the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP), which certifies products for use by U.S. government agencies and regulated industries that collect, store, transfer, share and disseminate sensitive information. Product certifications under the CMVP are performed in accordance with the requirements of FIPS 140-2.

In addition to various FIPS certifications, BlackBerry® products have passed rigorous security assessments from a variety of other independent organizations around the world. For example, the BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution has been approved through the CESG Assisted Product Scheme (CAPS) in the United Kingdom and by the Defence Signals Directorate in Australia, and has also received Common Criteria EAL 4+ certification.” As a result, the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution has been approved for storing and transmitting sensitive data by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as well as government organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria, Australia and New Zealand.

For more information about security and the BlackBerry platform visit www.blackberry.com/security.

About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

rim.com

Thursday, October 21, 2010

RIM Lighting Up the BlackBerry Torch Smartphone in Australia

Highly anticipated BlackBerry Torch 9800, first to feature BlackBerry 6, combines touch screen and easy-to-use keyboard plus rich new browsing experience

Sydney, Australia - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone in Australia. The BlackBerry Torch is the world’s first smartphone to combine a user-friendly BlackBerry® keyboard with a full touch screen experience and the first to include the new BlackBerry® 6 OS.

“The BlackBerry Torch has been highly anticipated here in Australia and we are very proud to be launching this innovative new smartphone with our carrier partners,” said Adele Beachley, Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Research In Motion. “The new BlackBerry Torch smartphone builds on the familiar and powerful capabilities of the BlackBerry platform to provide the features that are ideal for socially connected consumers while also providing the tools that business customers trust.”

The new BlackBerry Torch features an exciting combination of a large touch screen, optical trackpad and backlit slide-out BlackBerry keyboard. It offers support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks around the world, includes the latest generation in Wi-Fi® (b/g/n) connectivity and features built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging. Its 5 MP camera takes exceptional pictures with continuous auto focus, image stabilisation, scene modes and zoom, and it also supports video recording. In addition, it comes with a combined 8 GB of media storage out-of-the-box and includes a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that can bring the total storage memory to 36 GB for customers who want more.

BlackBerry 6
The BlackBerry Torch is the first BlackBerry smartphone to launch with BlackBerry 6, a new operating system that retains the trusted features of the BlackBerry brand while delivering a rich experience that’s powerful and easy to use. It includes expanded messaging capabilities with intuitive features to simplify the management of social networking and RSS feeds (Social Feeds), and provides integrated access to BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger), Facebook®, Twitter™, MySpace™ and various instant messaging applications available on the BlackBerry Torch smartphone. Its enhanced multimedia experience rivals the best in the industry and includes a dedicated YouTube app and Podcasts app.

BlackBerry 6 has a redesigned interface and integrates a new and rich WebKit-based browser that renders HTML web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. It features tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, pinch to zoom for easy navigation and a zoom feature that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page's key elements (simply double-tap on the BlackBerry Torch).

“One of the new features of BlackBerry 6 that I particularly like is Universal Search,” said Beachley. “It is easily accessible and allows users to search through everything on their handset – email, messages, contacts, music, videos and more – as well as extend their search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World™.”

Pricing and Availability
The new BlackBerry Torch smartphone is expected to be available from Optus ‘yes’ stores from the 21 October 2010. The BlackBerry Torch 9800 will be available from Telstra and VHA in the coming months. Please check with carriers for in-store dates and pricing.

About Research In Motion (RIM)
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionised the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

rim.com

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

MTN South Africa Launches the New BlackBerry Torch Smartphone in South Africa

Combines New Touch Screen Experience with Easy-To-Use Keyboard First to Feature New BlackBerry 6 with Rich WebKit Browser

Johannesburg, South Africa - MTN South Africa today launched the new BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone in South Africa. Ideal for socially connected consumers and packed with the tools business customers love, the new handset offers elegant styling with top-of-the-line features and functionality. It’s the world's first smartphone to combine a BlackBerry® keyboard with a full touch screen experience and the first to feature the new BlackBerry® 6.

“We live in an age where people want to connect to the Internet and their social networks at anytime and from anywhere. MTN is committed to ensuring it offers its customers innovative solutions that meet their diverse needs and communication requirements,” says Serame Taukobong, Chief Marketing Officer at MTN South Africa.

The new BlackBerry Torch features an exciting combination of a large capacitive touch screen and optical trackpad with a backlit slide-out BlackBerry keyboard, designed to feel optimally balanced when opened for typing. It also offers support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks around the world, includes the latest generation in Wi-Fi® (b/g/n) connectivity and built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging. Its 5 MP camera takes exceptional pictures with continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes and zoom, and it also supports video recording. In addition, it comes with a combined 8 GB of media storage out-of-the-box, and includes a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that can bring the total storage memory to 36 GB for customers that want more.

The BlackBerry Torch is the first to launch with BlackBerry 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry smartphones. It features a redesigned interface, and a new and rich WebKit-based browser that renders HTML web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. The browser includes tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, pinch to zoom and an auto-wrap text zoom feature that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page's key elements (simply double-tap on the BlackBerry Torch).

BlackBerry 6 features a redesigned interface that seamlessly works with the touch screen and trackpad, includes expanded messaging capabilities with intuitive features to simplify the management of social networking and RSS feeds (Social Feeds), and provides integrated access to the BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), Facebook®, Twitter™, MySpace™ and various instant messaging applications available on the BlackBerry Torch smartphone. Its enhanced multimedia experience rivals the best in the industry and includes a dedicated YouTube app and Podcasts app. A universal search feature allows users to search for content on the smartphone, as well as extend the search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World™, which is included and now supports credit card payments.

The BlackBerry Torch smartphone is expected to be available from MTN South Africa in mid-October through all MTN outlets and on all MTN price plans. For more information visit www.mtn.co.za or www.blackberry.com/torch.

Register for Rica wherever you buy an MTN PayAsYouGo starter pack or get an MTN TopUp or MTN AnyTime contract. Registration is free of charge. Just remember to bring your ID book and proof of residential address.

ABOUT MTN GROUP
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: "MTN".

As at the end of 30 June 2010, MTN recorded 129.2 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The MTN Group is a global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and has exclusive mobile content rights for Africa and the Middle East. Visit www.mtn.com and www.mtnfootball.com.

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

RIM Introduces the New BlackBerry Curve 3G Smartphone in Singapore

New addition to the globally popular BlackBerry Curve series is fast, easy-to-use, richly-featured and BlackBerry 6 ready

Singapore - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 3G, an exciting addition to the popular BlackBerry Curve series of smartphones. Designed to provide the growing mass of smartphone purchasers with a distinctly powerful, approachable and affordable choice, the BlackBerry Curve 3G supports high-speed 3G (HSDPA) networks around the world and gives users the exceptional communications features they need to accomplish more than ever, when they’re at home, at work and everywhere in-between.

“The BlackBerry Curve 3G is both an accessible and feature-rich smartphone, which will be popular with customers in Singapore who highly value communications and productivity tools that help them get ahead of their day. With the ability to connect to 3G and Wi-Fi networks, users can access information and communicate quickly with the people that matter most, as well as take advantage of useful features like built-in GPS to share their location on BBM and social networking sites,” said Gregory Wade, Managing Director, South East Asia, RIM.

The BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone features a comfortable full-QWERTY keyboard for fast, accurate typing, optical trackpad for fluid navigation, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi®, as well as dedicated media keys, so music lovers can easily access their tunes while on the go. The new smartphone also features a camera that can record video and a microSD/SDHC slot that supports up to 32 GB memory cards for media storage. Support for 3G networks makes browsing faster, streaming music smoother, and gives users the ability to talk on the phone while they browse the web or instant message with BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger).

The BlackBerry Curve 3G ships with BlackBerry® 5 and is BlackBerry® 6 ready. BlackBerry 6 is a new operating system for BlackBerry® smartphones. It retains the trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh and engaging experience that is both powerful and easy to use. BlackBerry 6 is expected to be available for the BlackBerry Curve 3G, subject to carrier certifications, in the coming months.

The new BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone (model 9300) is expected to be available in Singapore in the coming weeks.

For more information about the new BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone visit www.blackberry.com/curve3G. For more information about BlackBerry 6, visit www.blackberry.com/6.

About Research In Motion (RIM)
Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM’s portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry® wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

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