Vodafone Spain and BlackBerry have just announced they are launching the BlackBerry 7130v to individual and corporate users in Spain.
The companies said they are positioning the device as one which is ideal for those users who prefer a slim handset with wireless functionality.
"A key factor for success in juggling both a career and a busy personal life is the ability to access information when you need it," RIM's vice president and managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa Charmaine Eggberry said in a statement.
I love it: BlackBerry-Eggberry...
"The BlackBerry 7130v keeps users connected to the people and information they need to make better and faster decisions on the move," Eggberry added. "The BlackBerry 7130v also delivers these advantages in a sleek mobile phone design making it ideal for people looking to replace their older mobile phone."
Writing in Wireless Watch Japan, commentator Daniel Skuka quickly dismisses the impact of BlackBerry's move into Japan this fall.
That would be through Japanese wireless services provider DoCoMo.
His objections seem to center on the reality that since pretty much everyone in Japan has a phone anyway, there is little incentive for enterprises to invest in BlackBerry solutions.
Research In Motion is looking for a new direct marketing ad agency for their U.K. business.
According to U.K.-based marketing news site DMBulletin, RIM is engaging in the hunt to expand their base of consumer users- especially in lieu of competitive threats from Nokia and some software company based just outside of Seattle whose Chairman was TIME Magazine's co-person of the year.
And whose OS I am typing this blog entry in right now.
Karl Weaver, who is a wireless analyst specializing in the China market, did a seven-minute interview on Blackberry's chances in China for the Canadian financial tv program "Squeeze Play."
A principal at Woodinville, Wash.-based Newport Technology, (not Newport Technologies, as the tv show's caption erroneously shows) Karl's posted his interview on YouTube.
He has a lot to say about BlackBerry's chances against the quite-similar Chinese RedBerry product.
Mobile software developer MicroHill has just released a 36,000-word English/Chinese dictionary.
I guess this product is especially useful if you can read Chinese characters, or are a Mandarin-speaker looking for an English translation of particular words or phrases.
Given the amount of trade between the U.S. and China- and between Canada and China as well- there's more of a demand for a product such as this as you may think.
MicroHill's English-Chinese Dictionary costs $9.98 on Handango.com, but is priced at just $8.98 for Club Handango Members. Minimum requirement: OS 4.0.
Click the Read link below this post and you'll arrive on Handango.com's page for this product.
Telefonica Moviles Espana, Palm, Inc. and Research In Motion have just announced that BlackBerry Connect will be available for the Treo 650 on the carrier's Movistar network.
"Demand for wireless email solutions is driven by the need for increased productivity amongst movistar's enterprise customers," said Luis Ezcurra, general director of market development and marketing for Telefonica Moviles Espana. "Movistar believes that working closely with Palm and RIM to provide the feature-rich Treo 650 with BlackBerry Connect functionality will address this demand, as enterprise customers are very interested in investing in solutions that support their business, operational and IT objectives."
"BlackBerry has been embraced by millions of mobile professionals around the world because it is a scalable, secure, and proven wireless solution," adds Charmaine Eggberry, vice president, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) at Research In Motion. The Treo 650 with BlackBerry Connect delivers more choice for mobile customers by offering the combined power of the BlackBerry architecture with the feature rich Treo 650 smartphone,"
At the time I made this post, the 8707v was not yet posted on the Vodafone Ireland ste. But give it a day or two at most.
Obligatory happy talk:
"BlackBerry from Vodafone has become hugely successful in Ireland, helping mobile staff to save time and boost efficiency. Likewise, thousands of companies are benefiting from our UMTS network," says Shane Brodbin, BlackBerry Product Manager at Vodafone Ireland.The BlackBerry 8707v leverages the Vodafone network to provide BlackBerry customers with access to the Internet, e-mail, phone and corporate data applications quickly while out of the office."
There's this new technology called bCODE that enables paperless event tickets to be forwarded to you via your BlackBerry.
Movie tickets, for example. Like what is going on in the pix at the top of this post. H'es just getting his etic and she thinks it is kind of cool.
As do I.
Today, mobile ticketing software solutions developer bCODEannounced a deal with Sydney, Australia-based Manly Cinemas. You book a showing online, then they send an electronic ticket to you on your BlackBerry or other mobile device.
You can even forward this ticket to a family member, friend or colleague, such as for a gift.
Hmm, I am thinking. It would be kind of cool if Fandango.com offered this feature.
WCDMA (Wideband Code-Division Multiple Access)- capable Taiwan Mobile and Research In Motion today announced plans to launch BlackBerry in Taiwan during the summer.
We don't know the model number yet, but because of the WCDMA, I think we are talkin' UMTS-based BlackBerry 8707.
Belgian-based mobile service carrier Proximus and BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion have just announced the launch of the BlackBerry 8707v for corporate and individual users in Belgium.
The BlackBerry 8707v will run on Proximus UMTS network.
"The BlackBerry 8707v is the perfect handset for users who want an unrivaled mobile experience using phone, email, browsing and business applications, on the go," Fred de Braey, Director Business Mobile Division at Proximus said in a statement announcing the rollout. "We are proud to be working with RIM to launch the new BlackBerry 8707v to customers in Belgium."
If you are an existing or prospective Vodafone subscriber, and have either just bought or are thinking about buying a BlackBerry 7130v, you'll be interested to know that the BlackBerry Technical Knowledge Center has just posted a Getting Started Guide for the 7130v.
As with all GSGs, this one has a cover shot of the handset, with arrows pointing to the features.
If you agree that you can't tell a Getting Started Guide from the cover, well, then, the Table of Contents will tell you the knowledge that awaits within:
With more than 3.6 million customers, Mobiltel is Bulgaria's largest mobile operator.
Along with BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion, Mobiltel said yesterday it would launch the BlackBerry 8700v in Bulgaria.
"The introduction of BlackBerry is a testament to Mobiltel's leadership in providing innovative products and services," said Mobiltel chief marketing officer Stelios Malis. "We pleased to be the first to introduce BlackBerry in Bulgaria. The BlackBerry 8700v will allow customers to save time and stay connected whilst on the move."
Oh, I love the word "whilst." Sounds so much cooler and more refined than, uh, "while."
Research In Motion director of global carriers Paul Lucier tells Avi Krawitz of the Jerusalem Post that a Hebrew-language BlackBerry is on the way. Lucier says the move is desirable because without the support for Israel's national language, BlackBerry sales have not reached their full potential in that nation.
"We have not yet localized for the Hebrew market and it is in our road map to do so," Lucier is quoted as saying.
Apparently the Hebrew BlackBerry will come in stages.
"In the next version of our software, we do give you the rendering capability to read Hebrew email, but being able to input Hebrew characters is coming in the near future," Lucier said. "I am hopeful that we will have it ready by the end of the year."
