The Royal Bank of Canada shut down PIN messaging on most bank employees' BlackBerry handhelds. Employees that are in close contact with clients are suffering withdrawal after the feature was disabled last Wednesday. PIN-to-PIN service bypasses regular email by sending messages directly to other BlackBerrys using the personal identification number. PIN messages can be deleted before being sync'ed up to the company server preventing audit trails. But bank regulators want to record all transmittals between employees (think Sarbanes-Oxley for Canada) plus PIN messages that were not deleted have been used in court to bolster a lawsuit brought by another Canadian bank on its former employees. It's all a bit confusing and reduces communications capabilities, which is unfortunate for now. However, the RBC apparantly plans to hire consultants to help find a way to save PIN messages, keeping audit trails intact.BlackBerry Withdrawal Hits Bank Employees
The Royal Bank of Canada shut down PIN messaging on most bank employees' BlackBerry handhelds. Employees that are in close contact with clients are suffering withdrawal after the feature was disabled last Wednesday. PIN-to-PIN service bypasses regular email by sending messages directly to other BlackBerrys using the personal identification number. PIN messages can be deleted before being sync'ed up to the company server preventing audit trails. But bank regulators want to record all transmittals between employees (think Sarbanes-Oxley for Canada) plus PIN messages that were not deleted have been used in court to bolster a lawsuit brought by another Canadian bank on its former employees. It's all a bit confusing and reduces communications capabilities, which is unfortunate for now. However, the RBC apparantly plans to hire consultants to help find a way to save PIN messages, keeping audit trails intact.A Week in the Life of a BlackBerry IT Guy
David Williams is an IT Manager for a large Australian company. In this post on IBBUG, he writes about his day-by-day experiences employing BlackBerry in an enterprise environment over the course of one week. He tells us, among other details and insights, about setting up a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES 2.2), finding a "Kill Bill" ringtone for a user, how he supports a company 24/7, and that having a BlackBerry lets him get away from the office while staying in touch. Read this extended account of an IT Guy who just can't get enough.
New Handhelds on CBS TV
Janie Chen from CNET.com stopped by The Early Show on CBS television to showcase some gadgets that help you stay in touch. This video segment highlights nine of the newest handheld gadgets including the BlackBerry 7100g. "We don't live under an umbrella of technology that can do all this stuff yet... We're getting there."(via BlackBerryCool)
RIM Patent Suit Reinvigorated
The NTP vs. Research in Motion patent suit will probably resurface this Spring due to a recent effort by the Government of Canada and other Canadian organizations to have the case reheard in U.S. Federal Courts. It's not clear if the U.S. patent applies to RIM, a Canadian company, because key elements of the technology in dispute are not employed on U.S. soil. Nevertheless, the case brings to light the need for innovative companies to obtain patents on their technology. Something that, apparently, Canadian companies aren't doing as much as their southern counterparts.
Health Advice for BlackBerry Thumbs
Thumbs aching? Wrist hurting? Firey pain in your shoulders? It could be all those emails you're sending. Typing out 50 to 100 emails a day 7 days a week adds up to repetetive stress injury. Awareness is continuously rising about the risk of using only your thumbs to type, i.e. BlackBerry Thumb. This article gives some good background on why your thumbs tire out faster than your fingers and gives some good advice on how to feel better without giving up your email fix. Try using different fingers to type, hold your BlackBerry at a more comfortable angle, use a squeezey ball in between text sessions to increase blood flow to your hands, and as we noted earlier, sync to your laptop when you can.The Independant UK Reviews the Siemens SK65
This review covers the basics of the Siemens SK65, one of the first phones to license BlackBerry software. The phone gets high marks on including BlackBerry support, its ingenius and physically usable design, and solid feel. But it lags bad in the user-interface department with the reviewer calling the menus "confusing", "too complicated", and saying that it's sometimes hard to know which button to press. The article doesn't include pictures so here's a link to Engadget's review with a number of close-up pics.Cellular Security Wake-up Call Raises BlackBerry Esteem
Many cellular devices are insecure, as noted in this article and other recent news, but the BlackBerry is being held aloft as a safe and secure platform. Most of the positive attention is due to the centralized management available through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and the software that can be installed onto the BlackBerry itself. When businesses are allowed to control what's on the platform, and how it's being used, benefits like higher security are available. Last week's "cellular wake-up call" marks the necessity for increased security on regular cellphones. Maybe carriers and manufacturers will wake-up. But until then, BlackBerry looks wide awake.Philly Inquirer Adds "CrackBerry" to Lexicon
The Philadelphia Inquirer adds the common term for BlackBerry addicts to its list of "terms or meanings that may not yet have entered your vocabulary." Next to CrackBerry are some of our other favorites like, Astroturf, Exobiologist, and of course, Vlogging.
RIM's Stock Drops on Competition Fears and Paris Hilton
RIM took a beating today on Wall Street. Bear Stearns lowered their price target for the stock and said competition from the likes of Microsoft, Nokia, and Motorola add to RIM's "risk profile." The timing is partly based on the upcoming CTIA conference where cellular companies often make new product announcements. (Watch for marketing slogans with the phrase "BlackBerry Killer.") But I also think the stock was hurting this week because of Paris Hilton's Sidekick getting hacked while the media kept calling it a BlackBerry.SureType Makes the 7100v More Phone-like
This Australian paper takes a look at the BlackBerry 7100v and determines that it's worth putting up with the scaled-down, two-letters-per-key, keyboard and SureType's predictive text input for a better feeling phone.The 7100v is offered by Vodafone in the Aussie market, and sports standard fare common for cellphones: Bluetooth, polyphonc ringtones, and a speakerphone. Brighthand Finds the Killer App
An editorial praising the BlackBerry... now that's a trend worth watching. This from Brighthand claims to have found the killer app for handheld smart phones and goes on to explain why BlackBerry excels at two essential parts of that app: 1, Simple text input with a built-in QWERTY keyboard. And 2, Push technology (where a server sends data to your device without having to sync.) I bet you already know and use this the killer app a hundred times a day, so I won't spoil the surprise. Let's just say that it entails a lot of messages about "Vi4gkrA".BlackBerry Love from Philly CIO
Diannah Neff is the driving force behind Philadelphia's information technology revolution. Philly is the centerpiece for a national debate about whether or not cities should be building and running their own wireless network.So what does this ultra-connected CIO use to replace her cellphone, pager, and Palm Pilot? That's right, the BlackBerry 7280. It's the Mayor's communications device and Neff is right there with him and loving it according to this article from Forbes.Minesweeper for the BlackBerry, Finally
BerryVine Sweeper is a variant of the popular, mindless, and totally engaging Minsweeper game that comes built-in to Microsoft PcketPC and Windows. As far as we know, this is the first of its type for BlackBerry. The game sports several modes of play, including multi-player. It was created by RSIC from the Netherlands and is designed for the latest color BlackBerry models. A free trial download is offered for a quick fix until payday.VoIP, SIP, WLAN, and BlackBerry 7270
Nortel and 3Com are going to develop SIP-based voice over IP support to the BlackBerry 7270 to make phone calls using campus area wireless LANs. The Nortel client software will integrate with their own Multimedia Communications Server while the 3Com client will integrate into RIM's server product. The fact that this is SIP-based could mean the VoIP protocols will be open to multiple manufacturers devices on a network. But using a central server and new client software may mean higher costs to implement.BlackBerry Boasts Bluetooth Barcode Scanner
The Flic barcode scanner that currently works with PocketPC and PalmOS now integrates into Bluetooth-capable BlackBerry devices. The scanner links to the BlackBerry and can instantly transfer scanned information back to a corporate database. The Flic scanner works with a variety of data collection software residing on the BlackBerry platform. Logistics management is one of the killer apps for handheld computers and adding realtime wireless access via BlackBerry makes products like this more attractive for companies looking for more than just email.
