As you may recall, the device codenamed the BlackBerry Colt is going to the first smartphone from the Canadian company to be powered by a QNX-based operating system. They’re still working out all sorts of kinks, but sales are slumping on current smartphones. More specifically, the BlackBerry 7 launch has been anything but stellar. The numbers are lower than expected and this could be mostly because all the RIM fans would rather wait it out to get the QNX-based Colt instead.

However, they could be very disappointed when the Colt eventually appears. It turns out that “the integration of BES/BIS email/calendar is proving difficult,” wrote Peter Misek, an analyst from Jefferies & Company. “We think a QNX phone without these would be a disaster,” but this is sounding more and more likely with each passing day. No support of BlackBerry Enterprise Server would be huge, rendering the phone virtually unusuable by many corporate customers. And corporate/enterprise is RIM’s bread and butter.

I’m Canadian, so I’m trying to remain optimistic about Canada’s only real player in the smartphone world, but my optimism is waning and fast.

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Set for release in the first quarter of next year, the phone itself isn’t exactly a huge departure from the Curves, Tours, and Bolds we’ve seeing for some time. You still get a hardware QWERTY keyboard and an optical trackpad, but it’s the miniaturized version of the PlayBook’s OS that is the real star. The phone version is pretty much the same, only smaller… which is kind of the reverse of what Apple did with iOS for the iPad.

Since RIM is apparently having so much trouble getting the BES code to support QNX, it’s quite possible that the Canadian company is creating a QNX-specific BES. In the meantime, though, the BlackBerry Colt may not support BES at all. Does this make it dead on arrival? Maybe, maybe not. You can use Microsoft ActiveSync out of the box though.

So, where do you stand? Are you going to grab something from the BlackBerry 7 line or are you going to wait out for some QNX-based first-gen goodness next year?

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Instead of being bound to one operating system or another, the Echoworx Mobile Encryption Platform is designed to automatically encrypt all incoming and outgoing communications at the source with no need for user intervention. This is largely catering to folks who need enterprise email and data protection, but anyone who wants to keep their data private could be interested.

The cloud-based solution should work “with all major mobile operating systems including iOS, Android and BlackBerry OS with native apps.” Because it’s cloud-based and encrypted at the source, it means that your data stays safe even if you use unprotected Wi-Fi networks for access. That’s almost better than BES, isn’t it? Almost.

In any case, expect the Echoworx Mobile Encryption Platform to filter through their partner channels next month.

[via echoworx]

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The unveiling of the BlackBerry Torch with an abysmal display has really been overshadowed by Research in Motion’s woes in the Middle East and other countries. As you may have heard, the BlackBerry ban on service is happening in a number of nations who have already banned, or are in the process banning the Canadian-made messenger device. In an effort to get back in, RIM is apparently installing new servers.

Whether they’re going to do this for every market being affected, remains unknown, but it has been confirmed by Reuters that RIM is installing at least three BlackBerry servers locally in Saudi Arabia. This will better satisfy the government’s query in wanting the power to intercept BlackBerry communications from “bad guys.” However, if these negotiations are similar to what’s going on with BlackBerry in India, the information accessible by government officials could be no more than simple message metadata. It’s better than nothing, I suppose, but it’s not like RIM is just going to hand over the keys, right?

The three new local servers are only setup to serve the Sauds. Is RIM prepared to fork over the money to do the same for UAE, Kuwait, Lebanon, Indonesia, Tunisia, and Algeria? And more countries are likely going to join the list, probably a far cheaper solution than losing those customers.

[Reuters]

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Even if you’re not using the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and you’re simply connecting through BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS), you can try your hand at the newly announced BlackBerry Protect. This is “consumer-grade” protection software for BlackBerry smartphones. With BP in place, you can remotely wipe or lock your device from your desktop computer, remotely add contact information to the BlackBerry home screen, track a lost phone via GPS and cell tower triangulation, remotely activate a loud ringer, back up data over Wi-Fi, and restore data to a new smartphone.

The closed beta for BlackBerry Protect starts this week and the more open beta should follow a little later this year. When it hits the primetime remains to be seen.

[BGR via BlackBerry Blog]

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