News that RIM’s co-CEOS Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis have stepped down is all over the place. News also has it that Thorsten Heins, one of RIM’s co-COOs, is now CEO.

I first got wind of the news on Twitter this morning, and I was shocked to find that some people were already rallying with statements like, “RIM Co-CEOs step down, RIM is burning”.

In response to that, I tweeted this:

Does a CEO quitting mean that a company is burning? Not necesarilly. We just throw words around carelessly these days. Come on guys!

Freedom of speech is a lovely thing, but that freedom comes responsibility. To think. To understand. To weigh our words before speaking.

I think that it is irresponsible and non-constructive for us to make alarming statements. They do more damage than good.

If you see specific problems with a product or company, spell them out and spell out possible ways out. That’s constructive engagement.

Just saying that something “sucks” or is “burning” is childish, insipid, and many times irresponsible.

How do you even define “burn” in this scenario? it just paints an inflammatory picture. No pun intended.

Just after I began writing this article, I ran into a tweet from @amasonic that touched on another aspect of this subject:

One of the perils of our modern world today is that ppl don’t take time to understand contemporary issues in-depth b4 forming opinions

I see a lot of that on Facebook, Twitter and even here on Mobility blog. But its worse than that. If it is just a matter of forming opinions, it might not be so bad. But people form opinions without understanding issues in detail and then recklessly broadcast those opinions.

I will always stand for responsible use of freedom of speech, and I do not suffer fools gladly. Regulars on this blog know how strong my stand is when it comes to people being irresponsible with their comments.

Inflammatory statements cause more damage than we can ever tell. RIM may be in trouble, I agree – and trust me, everyone has troubles; just of different sorts and magnitudes.

I have had trouble more than many of you will ever know, and there were times it looked hopeless. Thankfully, I deal with them. I am just glad that there were no idiots around to get on Twitter screaming, “The end has come for Mister Mobility!”

When people start saying that RIM is burning, I really do not know.

I have observed that often the more knowledgeable people are more guarded in their statements. I respect people like that. They know the implications of their words.

To you, dear friend, a BlackBerry (or any other) device may just be a mobile. But to others – many others – it is years of investments, and to even many more, its jobs and livelihood.

Think about that.

Having had a BlackBerry 9360 with me for review for the last two weeks, it is now time for it to go. I have found it an interesting device to use – like all others, it has its strengths and its flaws.

However, one flaw that bugs me now when I have to let it go is the fact that the unique PIN that I have used for communicating with other BB users on Blackberry Messenger (BBM) also has to go.

You see, the BB PIN is tied to each specific device. When the device goes, your PIN goes. See the consequent problems?

The problem of retaining your BBM contacts is easilly solved. always backup your BBM contacts on a regular basis. Back them up to your microSD card and make suire that you retain that when changing BlackBerry devices. Slot the card in your new device and restore your BBM contacts. done.

Or use BlackBerry Desktop Manager to switch devices. Your BBM contacts will be automatically transfered to your new device.

The Unsolved Problem

If, however, you have printed your PIN on your business card, letterhead or other literature, or posted it online like I recently did….. errrr… you have to print new materials or go modify your webpage/s. Gross.

The Solution

It is more expedient that the BBM PIN be attached to users’ Blackberry IDs or accounts, so that its a permanent contact that one needs not worry about. I hope that RIM effects a change to reflect this.

At the moment, this device-specific PIN is a clog in having people adopt their BlackBerry PINs as important contact information.

PS: If you added me to your BBM contact list, I’m off BBM till I have to review another BlackBerry device. I do have your details backed up, and I will show up as soon as I am BB active again.

For now, that PIN now belongs to someone else. Yes; shame.

But the Mobility BBM Group is still active, and I have granted Admin privileges to a few trusted individuals, so do keep having fun!

RIM have had a hard year in 2011. There were a number of server failures. The BlackBerry PlayBook has had dismal sales. RIM also had to rename their next generation OS version from BBX to BlackBerry 10. And now, their financial value is down over 70% in a year. A bad year indeed.

Mobility blog has a fast-thriving BBM group. Someone asked this question there yesterday: “Does RIM really need the American market to survive?”

The answer, in my opinion, is a No, and I will state why. First take a look at the following:

• There are a number of mobile manufacturers who build exclusively for the Japanese market and are doing fine. One market, yet healthy and profitable.
• Huawei has slugged its way up to the top 5 manufacturers list without being able to win the U.S. market.
• Market advisers have often said that it makes sense to focus on where one has comparative advantage or where you have a ready market.
• Motivational speakers will also tell you to go where you are celebrated. For RIM, that should mean that they focus their most energies elsewhere, if only for now.

RIM Needs To Go Radical – In A Different Way

Here is a saying of mine. For the records, I made it all up, and it reflects my often non-conformist, adventurous and radical nature:

Doing and saying what is popular may indicate a lack of creativity, courage or intelligence. Possibly all.

Every manufacturer is copying the iPhone, though they won’t admit it. In my opinion, they all lack either courage to be different or creative. Possibly both.

Some so lack this creativity that they copy its weaknesses too – hook, line, and sinker! Bummer!

Interesting enough, the iPhone didn’t become so popular by copying anyone. Go figure.

RIM, Stand Out

RIM, stick with your strengths – those great keyboards, that excellent form factor, and your security. But be creative.

For example, provide the option to choose to use a BIS plan or not for internet access on your devices.

By all means stick primarily with QWERTY keyboards. Add a Communicator form factor (side-sliding QWERTY). Keep one full touchscreen range. But let your mainstream devices be those great candy QWERTYs that people so love.

Full touchscreen slabs may be popular, but it doesn’t mean that the QWERTY market is not sustainable. It is! And for now, RIM is king there.

Stand out! Don’t conform!!

Go Where You Are Celebrated

RIM has the strongest following anywhere but the US market and need to wake up to this reality. In the UK, BlackBerry devices are still some of the most desirable smartphones. There’s also the Netherlands, Brazil, and Nigeria, among several others.

RIM needs to focus their energies in these places.

If RIM is waiting for BlackBerry 10 to turn things around for them in the U.S. and in the eyes of the U.S. media, they are probably in for a surprise. On the contrary in the markets where RIM has good mindshare, both users and the media are constantly singing the praise of BlackBerry and talking about how awesome it is. RIM needs to focus on the markets where it needs the least energy to sell.

RIM will continue to sell to their die-hard customers in the U.S. too, but that is not where they are celebrated now.

Africa, South America, Asia

RIM needs to ride on the wave and hype that BlackBerry already has in these regions. The hype is much, though Blackberry devices are not really as popular.

So many people in Nigeria think that Blackberry is the most popular phone in Nigeria right now. Even media houses and tech people (who should know better) help spread this impression though it is very untrue! That’s tremendous market advantage.

Young and mid-age people in several countries across the world are going Blackberry-gaga. That’s where RIM should be looking.

My almost 70-year old dad wants a Blackberry. His business partner has one. Almost every university undergraduate wants one. My kids want one each too.

They know a BlackBerry when they see one. Think about that. I can’t say the same for most other brands.

Come on, guys! Come and ride on this! Get on TV, in newspapers, on blogs, and on buses – and push this thing!

Push it, or go the way of the dinosaurs.

Conclusions

RIM did not achieve its great successes because of the American market. They achieved it when they started selling their BlackBerry phones elsewhere on the planet. That is exactly what they need to keep doing and pushing harder.

If you know anyone in RIM who can pass this article up, please refer them to it. I would hate to have to refer to this article a year from now with regrets.

I rest my case.

Here are some comparison pictures of the Blackberry Curve 9300 (running OS 6) and its upgrade sibling, the 9360 (running OS7).

Specs-wise, the 9360 leaves the 9300 in the dust, but you also have to see them together to appreciate the beauty and sleek lines of the new guy, the 9360.

Left: 9360. Right: 9300

Top: 9300. Bottom: 9360. Note how slim the 9360 is.

The 9360 is sure a looker. But it doesn’t end there. It runs on an 800 MHz processor and 512 MB RAM, and has a 5 megapixel camera. Under the hood, there’s also A-GPS and NFC. Note that display is non-touchscreen – which is not necessarily a bad thing.

This is a Curve that can hang around Bolds without feeling or looking out of place. I call the Blackberry Curve 9360, a bold new Curve.

Review coming up as soon as possible.

RIM has just announced two new smart phones the Bold 9790 and the Curve 9380.

I am looking at the all-touch Curve 9380 and thinking of why I believe it can be better than the previous touchscreen BlackBerry smartphones such as the BlackBerry Storm series.

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is the first touchscreen Curve in the market. Over the years I’ve seen that people have a tendency to believe that BlackBerry Bold and Curve are the best products from RIM. People have not been very satisfied with the BlackBerry Storm series as the Touchscreen experience was sub-par to that from the competition.

However, of late, RIM has come up with huge improvements to the touch screen experience on their devices. That’s why I believe that the BlackBerry 9380 has advantages over past all-touch BlackBerry devices and thus promises to be a great smartphone.

Some of the key features of the 9380 are -

- 360 x 480 pixels, 3.2 inches display

- 806 MHZ processor

- NFC support

- BlackBerry OS 7

We’ve already learnt that BlackBerry has enhanced the NFC experience by introducing BlackBerry Tag. As 9380 will not be as expensive as the BlackBerry Torch or the recent BlackBerry phones, it will be a great buy for someone who wants to stay up to date with media and social networking experience.

I really hope that BlackBerry can provide better touchscreen performance in their latest phones which will be a key improvement in order to impress consumers.

We’ll find out how the BlackBerry Curve 9380 performs once it hits the stores in the up coming weeks.

RIM has announced two new smartphones running BlackBerry OS 7. Below are brief specs sheets of the respective devices.

BlackBerry Bold 9790

• 2.45″ touchscreen display
• 1GHz processor
• 768MB RAM
• 8GB internal storage
• 5 megapixel camera
• Augmented Reality technology
• HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC

BlackBerry Curve 9380

• 3.2″ all-touchscreen display
• 806MHz processor
• 512MB RAM
• 8GB internal storage
• 5 megapixel camera
• Augmented Reality technology
• HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC

The new devices will begin to be available from various carriers around the world over the coming weeks.

RIM have expanded accessibility to the BlackBerry App World by adding another 9 African countries to the list of supported countries.

The countries are:

1. Cameroon
2. Cote D’ivoire
3. Madagascar
4. Malawi
5. Mauritius
6. Mozambique
7. Uganda
8. Congo
9. Lesotho

BlackBerry users in these countries can now access the App World to make purchases and download items to their smartphones.

From the Google Apps blog:

Beginning November 22, 2011, we will end support for the Gmail App for Blackberry (installed native app). Over this past year, we’ve focused efforts on building a great Gmail experience in the mobile browser and will continue investing in this area.

Users may continue to use the app, if installed, however it will not be supported by Google, or available for download starting November 22. BlackBerry users can continue to access Gmail through the mobile web app at http://www.gmail.com in their BlackBerry web browser.

Source

Lagos, Nigeria and Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the launch of two new BlackBerry® Torch™ smartphones in Nigeria, both featuring the new BlackBerry® 7 Operating System (OS). RIM, in conjunction with carriers and distribution partners in Nigeria, is rolling out the new BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860 and the BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810.

BlackBerry 9860 Torch

The BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone offers fast and fluid performance in a stylish new all-touch design. With a spectacular new 3.7” display, the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone, the new all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9860 is optimized for high-quality multimedia, web browsing and gaming. In addition, the BlackBerry Torch 9860 delivers the industry-leading real-time communications and collaboration experience that is loved by millions of BlackBerry smartphone users around the world.

BlackBerry 9810 Torch

The BlackBerry Torch 9810 is a powerful evolution of the original BlackBerry Torch 9800 model. The new model is faster and more fluid with high performance hardware features and the new BlackBerry 7 OS delivering an enhanced multimedia experience. Featuring a large 3.2”, high resolution touch display and a distinctive BlackBerry keyboard that easily slides out to allow fast typing; the BlackBerry Torch 9810 truly delivers the best of both worlds.

The new BlackBerry 7 operating system introduces the next generation BlackBerry browser, featuring a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience that is among the best in the industry. Combining the dramatically improved performance of the advanced WebKit browser engine together with powerful hardware enhancements, BlackBerry 7 based smartphones deliver browsing results that are up to 40% faster than BlackBerry® 6 based smartphones and up to 100% faster than BlackBerry® 5 based smartphones*. Additional enhancements to this next generation BlackBerry browser include optimized zooming and panning for smoother web navigation and optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences.

Waldi Wepener, Regional Director at RIM said, “The BlackBerry solution offers a best-in-class mobile communications experience that customers love and we think they will be thrilled by the faster performance, enhanced browsing and richer multimedia delivered by these powerful new BlackBerry Torch smartphones.”

The new BlackBerry 7 based smartphones will be available from local carrier partners Airtel, Globacom, Etisalat and MTN Nigeria.

For additional information please visit www.blackberry.com

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 was the first BlackBerry 7 (OS) device introduced to the Nigerian market in September 2011.

Engineered Luxury Meets High-Powered Performance

Stuttgart, Germany/Waterloo, Ontario: Today, Porsche Design and Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM ) announced the elite new Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry®. Designed by Porsche Design, in collaboration with RIM, the luxury brand’s first smartphone delivers engineered luxury and performance.

The Porsche Design P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry is instantly identifiable as a Porsche Design product. The exclusive material choices for this unique smartphone include a forged stainless steel frame, hand-wrapped leather back cover, sculpted QWERTY keyboard, and crystal clear touch display. This customized Porsche Design P’9981 comes with an exclusive Porsche Design UI and a bespoke Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app experience. It also includes premium, exclusive PINs that help easily identify another P’9981 smartphone user.

“Since 1972 Porsche Design has presented milestone products with iconic style, and the P’9981 smartphone from BlackBerry will be our next landmark,” said Dr. JuergenGessler, CEO Porsche Design Group. “The pure and distinctive design, coupled with authentic materials and an emphasis on the manufacturing process, perfectly match our philosophy and complement the Porsche Design product assortment.”

“This collaboration stems from a shared belief that form equals function,” said Todd Wood, SVP for Industrial Design, Research In Motion. “The Porsche Design P’9981 is a truly modern luxury smartphone, where the timeless style of Porsche Design meets the unmatched mobile experience provided by BlackBerry.”

If you have a Blackberry device that has an available firmware update, but for some reason you are unable to update via the regular process, here is how to go about it.

1. Download software update from here
2. Run and install the newly downloaded program
3. Do not mark the option to open Desktop Manager when finalizing the install
4. Go to C:Program Files/Common Files/Research In Motion/AppLoader and delete Vendor.xml
5. Connect BlackBerry to USB
6. Open Desktop Manager

You should be prompted for the update at this point. (If not, select “Update” in desktop manager) and you’ll get the prompt for the update. When presented with the menu in the shot below, select “View other Versions”, and pick the appropriate firmware version installed on your PC (local installation).

Complete the process from there.

Precaution
Please backup your Blackberry device first using the Desktop Manager

Disclaimer
This how-to is a public service only. You upgrade your device manually at your own risk.

ChatPics changes how you share pictures with BBM, delivering more from your BBM.

With ChatPics send real-time pictures and chat simultaneously using BBM and ChatPics, launching BBM to new levels of functionality and fun. No more hunting for pictures in your folders, no more attachements, snap a pic and it’s there instantly.

Here’s some tips to get you going with ChatPics.

- ChatPics is an app you use with someone else who also has ChatPics, so get your contacts to download ChatPics by clicking “Tell A Friend” from the Menu list in ChatPics.

- Click on the Invite button at the top of the ChatPics screen to start chatting (only friends that have ChatPics will be listed).

- Your friend will get a BBM to accept your invitation, once they accept, ChatPics will launch on their device and you will both be “Connected” in Chatpics.

- Chatting in Chatpics is the same as BBM, except for the magic with pictures.

- Click on “Snap Photo” and take a picture, you’ll see the picture in ChatPics and your friend will see the picture in a just a few seconds.
Click on any picture to see it full screen.

- Your friend can also “Snap Photo” and you’ll see their picture. There is no limit to how many pictures you and your friends can take.

- You or your friend can invite as many of your other friends that have ChatPics to join your chact and see your pictures, all of you will see each others pictures and you can all chat together.

Click Here To Download ChatPics From BlackBerry App World