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RIM plans to open its first Middle East retail store in Dubai

With slumping sales in the West, Research In Motion has plans to go to the East. The BlackBerry maker is in the process of opening retail stores throughout the Middle East starting in Dubai, according to Bloomberg.

"We're getting the first one up and running and then we'll be looking at other cities across the Middle East -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar," Sandeep Saihgal, the managing director of RIM's Middle East business, told Bloomberg in an interview earlier this week.

The Dubai store in the United Arab Emirates will be the flagship shop and Bloomberg … Read more

Smartphones now account for half of all mobile phones

Market research firm Nielsen today announced that half of all mobile phone subscribers in the United States now own a smartphone.

According to data compiled through February 2012, smartphones have grown to account for 49.7 percent of all mobile phones, up considerably from 36 percent just one year ago. What's more, in the last three months alone, two-thirds all handsets purchased were smartphones.

Neilsen also tracked which mobile platforms are popular. Of the handsets sold in the last three months, Android remains the top draw for new buyers with 48 percent of the market, but it's followed … Read more

Hey, what's wrong with a small iPhone?

Is a bigger iPhone a better iPhone?

The iPhone rumor du jour this week was about a big screen. In fact, "iPhone 5" rumors going way back almost invariably cite a bigger screen. Sizes run the gamut from 4-inch screens to 4.2-inch to, now, 4.6-inch.

The iPhone currently has a 3.5-inch screen.

And that's just fine with me. A smartphone should be as small as possible. Certainly not BlackBerry Curve small but not so big that it isn't compact. It's a phone, after all.

The brave new big-honking-iPhone world that Reuters claimed is coming (… Read more

RIM, Samsung accused of emoticon patent infringement

The latest in the everyone-sue-everyone patent war is an alleged infringement by Samsung and Research In Motion for installing emoticon shortcut menus on their mobile phones, according to tech news site Ars Technica.

A firm called Varia Holdings began the process of suing both cell phone makers on Thursday for using its "emoticon input method and apparatus" patent, reports Ars Technica. The company asserts that it owns the idea of pop-up emoticon menus, which let users easily insert a happy or frowny face without having to type out the characters one at a time.

"It is known … Read more

RIM acquires Paratek to boost BlackBerry

Weeks after Research In Motion's shakeup, losing two co-executives and gaining a new CEO, the company is beginning to make some changes. The latest is acquiring Paratek Adaptive RF, which designs and manufactures adaptive radio frequency front-end components for cell phones.

"Watch out providers of mobile phones," General Partner of Polaris Venture Partners Alan Spoon, which is a lead investor in Paratek, wrote in a statement today. "Integrating Paratek's technology into mobile phones is a game changer."

Spoon writes that Paratek technology will allow Blackberry users to upload and download large amounts of data … Read more

RIM shows off crazy collaboration app for PlayBook

Despite the aura of doom and gloom surrounding Research In Motion, the company demonstrated an amazing concept app at Mobile World Congress 2012 that could make you a believer again.

Confetti, a colorful collaboration app for PlayBook tablets, aims to make meetings more lively by adding a little flair to file and image sharing. The setup creates a virtual space for PlayBook tablets, and a demo shows that an optional cheap QVGA Webcam allows you to position PlayBooks in multiple configurations (like in a circle or together in a cluster) for enhanced interactivity. File sharing appears simple, as you can flick content from one device to another over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. … Read more

Wrap your head around this BlackBerry concept

Remember Nokia's concept phone with a flexible screen?

Well, designer John Anastasiadis has applied it to a BlackBerry concept phone featuring a display that wraps around to the back.

The additional screen real estate enables separate work spaces to be set up on the front and back of the phone. Due to the flexible screen technology, the phone is light and has the ability to differentiate between an intentional command and a hand that's just holding the phone. … Read more

Halliburton to drop BlackBerry in favor of Apple's iOS

According to a report from AppleInsider, oil field services provider Halliburton has decided to drop Research In Motion's BlackBerry platform in favor of Apple's iOS for its workforce.

An internal newsletter outlined the plan for the nearly 70,000 employees who work for Halliburton in more than 70 countries. "Over the next year, we will begin expanding the use of our mobile technology by transitioning from the BlackBerry (RIM) platform that we currently use to smartphone technology via the iPhone."

After what is dubbed as significant research, Halliburton determined that Apple's iOS offers greater security, … Read more

BlackBerry London's makeover gets leaked

In November, the new look for the upcoming BlackBerry London designed by Porsche was leaked to the Web. Photos of the metallic, angular smartphone surfaced along with information about the London being the first phone to run the QNX operating system.

Today, however, new photos of quite a different looking phone were leaked, according to CrackBerry. Looking strikingly similar to an iPhone, this new BlackBerry London is sleek and black with rounded edges.

"London is about changing the game," reads the BlackBerry marketing info. "Hardware & Platform, fused into one polished experience."

The London is the … Read more