The concept here is going to sound familiar. When both BlackBerry devices have the Tag app, you can tap them together and they will be able to “share contact information, documents, ULRs, photos, and other multimedia content.” It can also be used to quickly and easily add one another as contacts on BBM. BlackBerry Tag functions by way of NFC.

Since it needs NFC to work, the first phones to use Tag will be the Bold 9900/9930 and the Curve 9350/9360/9370. It’ll be incorporated into the next BlackBerry OS 7 update and we assume that the upcoming QNX-powered BlackBerry smartphones will do it too, though that hasn’t been confirmed. As convenient as this sounds, I don’t think Tag is going to be such a big deal. First, Bump for iPhone wasn’t hugely popular (though some people did use it). Second, most folks are feeling pretty bear-ish about RIM’s future in the age of Android and iOS.

The post BlackBerry Tag with NFC adds “Bump” to Berries appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

For starters, Research in Motion is sticking to its NFC commitment by plunking the wireless tech into these two phones. They’ll also come pre-loaded with the new BB OS7, which includes a full version of Docs to Go, as well as improve browsing, voice searches, and other tools.

The Bold 9900 and 9930 are powered by speedy 1.2GHz processors to better match all the super fast Android phones out there. Everyone is doing at least 1GHz these days. Aside from that, you get the same old trackpad and QWERTY keyboard, but the regular display has been swapped for a 2.8-inch touchscreen. A 5MP camera with 720p support rounds out the package.

Yes, they might not look all that different from the Bold 9700, for example, but these new Bolds carry a few extra tricks for the enterprise-leaning crowd. The 9900 handles tri-band HSPA+ and GSM/EDGE, whereas the 9930 goes for dual band CDMA/EV-DO Rev.A, dual-band HSPA+, and quad-band GSM/EDGE.

The post BlackBerry Bold Smartphones get NFC, OS7 and Touchscreen appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It used to be that Virgin Mobile was the cheap alternative and it was loaded up with all the cheap phones. That’s not the case anymore, because the carrier is getting just as many hot devices as its big brand counterparts. Looking at this leaked Q4 roadmap, there are more than a couple phones to catch your attention.

For the BlackBerry-touting folks in the audience, the two handsets that will likely catch your eye are the BlackBerry Bold 9780 and the BlackBerry Torch. The former is slated for release on October 21 and the Torch shouldn’t be that far off either. If Android is more your thing and the HTC Legend didn’t cut the mustard, you might want to take a look at the Samsung Galaxy S. It’s not entirely clear which version of the Galaxy S that Virgin will be getting, since there are so many, but it’s a reasonably safe bet that it’s the same as the one that Bell gets. Rounding out the list of new launches are the Samsung Gravity 2 messaging phone, LG Sway, and LG Flick. These aren’t as exciting as the smartphones, but they’re probably more affordable. The lines are blurring, my friends, between budget and mainstream brands.

SOURCE: Mobile Syrup

The post Virgin Mobile Q4 roadmap reveals Bold 9780, Galaxy S appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

One of the hottest features on the new BlackBerry Torch 9800 is the new BlackBerry OS 6. What if you don’t want a slide-out keyboard or touchscreen display? Well, based on this video, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 has no trouble with the new OS.

We already knew that this smartphone would be getting the upgraded operating system, but it is good to see the new OS in action on the BlackBerry Bold 9700. The short video seems to demonstrate that OS 6 is relatively smooth on the older hardware and we get to have a look mostly at the web browser.

According to the reviewer in the video, interestingly enough, BB OS 6 might be running even faster on the Bold 9700 than it is on the newer Torch 9800. Maybe this is because it doesn’t have to deal with more complex touchscreen input; there is no pinch-to-zoom, for instance.

It probably won’t be long before OS 6 is made available official to 9700 owners, but if you want the latest you’ll want to wait for the BlackBerry Bold 9780 with its 5MP camera, 512MB memory, and OS 6 pre-installed.

BlackBerry OS 6 for BlackBerry Bold 9700 video walkthrough [BGR]

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As if dropped calls weren’t bad enough, the “death grip” actually increases the amount of radio frequency radiation being pumped from our cell phones into our skulls.  Tawkon, an Israeli mobile software company released a video showing its app measuring radiation output of an iPhone 4, BlackBerry Bold, and Google Nexus One.

 
The devices show significant increases in RF radiation when the phones are gripped firmly in the user’s palm.  This type of grasp blocks the phone’s antenna, so the device must up its RF output in order to remain connected.  The same thing happens when a user steps into an elevator or into any other low-signal area.  So, we’re obviously losing connection during these times, but are we losing anything else?

According to Tawkon co-founder Amit Lubovsky, “Tawkon doesn’t advocate that the “death grip” is necessarily unsafe, because final answers on the health ramifications of mobile phone usage won’t be known for decades, until researchers have had that time to track long-term usage and impact. However, recent studies do indicate a health impact of mobile phone radiation on mobile phone users, especially on people whose usage is termed excessive and cumulative. Until the long-term studies are concluded (decades from now), Tawkon believes consumers should have the right and ability to minimize their exposure to mobile phone radiation.”

Tawkon App on the iPhone showing radiation levels

Still, with acceptable emission levels or not, an increase of radiation near our brains, through something called the “death grip,” is enough to give me the chills.

The post How you hold your phone can hurt you: Death grip increases radiation exposure appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

“Our anechoic chambers are connected to sophisticated equipment that simulates cellular base stations, Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices — even GPS satellites. These chambers measure performance in free space, in the presence of materials simulating human tissue (“phantom” heads and hands, for example), and in use by human subjects. Over a one- to two-year development cycle, Apple engineers spend thousands of hours performing antenna and wireless testing in the lab.”

You would think after spending all that money on a special anechoic chamber they wouldn’t have this problem at all.

The post Apple’s $100 million test chamber, Droid Eris and Blackberry Bold 9700 suffer the same appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

In a nutshell, you make a custom ringtone using the Ringtone Expressions application, the trial version of which is a free download, and then the maker of the winning ringtone will be awarded with a BlackBerry Bold 9700. This is factory unlocked, so you can have your choice of international carriers.

After making the ringtone, you’ll need to compose a Twitter or Facebook update in Ringtone Expressions, including the #CreateRingtonesWinABlackBerry hashtag in there (I didn’t know FB used hashtags) so that they can track the entries. The Bold 9700 sounds pretty sweet and free is even sweeter.

The contest (official page here) starts today and runs until November 3. Even if you don’t win the BlackBerry grand prize, you might be one of the ten finalists to win a $50 coupon to ShopCrackberry.com. If you’re more of an iPhone person, check out our Mophie Juice Pack Air giveaway instead, which ends this Wednesday.

Source: CB

The post Ringtone Expressions Giving Away BlackBerry Bold 9700 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The people at Research in Motion want to give you an idea of what it will be like to own the second-generation BlackBerry Bold, so why wouldn’t you check it out?

Well, for starters, the “checking it out” part is only on a virtual level. They’re not giving you a free piece of hardware to bandy around town. Instead, you can find that the BlackBerry Bold 9700 simulator up and running over at the official BlackBerry Developer site.

This gives you full control over a virtual handset, fiddling around with its various features and functions. This isn’t quite the same thing as having the physical hardware in your hands, but this is as close as you’re going to get before the phone actually launches.

You can download the BlackBerry Bold 9700 simulator from BlackBerry.com and do any developing or fiddling that you’d like in the meantime.

The optical trackpad is there for you too. I’m thinking the transition from the trackball will be easier than the transition from the scroll wheel.

Source: Crackberry

The post Go Hands-On with BlackBerry Bold 9700 Today (Sorta) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

We’ve known about the existence of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 for some time, so the spec sheet doesn’t bring much in terms of surprises. The now-old trackball has been replaced with a trackpad and the overall form factor appears to be a little more compact.

Other highlights include a peppier 624MHz processor, 256MB Flash memroy, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3.2-megapixel camera, 2.44″ 480×360 light-sensing display, full QWERTY keyboard, chrome accents, 3G HSDPA, microSD/SDHC memory card slot, and a removable 1500 mAh battery.

From the Rogers side of the equation, you can expect to pay $299.99 with a qualifying ($45+) three-year voice and data contract.

If you’d prefer to go somewhere else, Wind Mobile sounds like it’s getting the Bold 9700 too, as are Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility. Canadians will be able to find this phone just about everywhere, eh?

Source: Rogers PR

The post Rogers Wireless Confirms BlackBerry Bold 9700 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The details surrounding the initial monthly rate plans have yet to be revealed, but we hear that there will be a total of three plans at time of launch. For all of these plans, you can expect to see caller ID and voicemail included, as well as in-province long distance. That’s not quite as good as the nationwide stuff you get in the States, but it’s a step in the right direction. Wind Mobile also will not have contracts or a system access fee.

What about phones? Wind Mobile appears to be taken a smartphone (or at least smartphone-like) approach from several international manufacturers. Representing Canada is the BlackBerry Bold 9700, which was also known as the BlackBerry Onyx during development. Wind will also get the HTC Snap (Dash 3G) from Taiwan, the Samsung Gravity 2 from Korea, and the Android-powered Huawei U8220 from China. They just need something from Ericsson or Nokia to complete the global perspective.

To cap it all off, every Wind Mobile retail location will be outfitted with a Microsoft Surface computer. I guess you’ll have the ability to adjust your plan or add features to your Wind phone from this.

Source: TheMobileNinjas

The post What We Know about Wind Mobile Launch: Plans, Phones, Surface appeared first on Mobile Magazine.