The latest IDC numbers are in and they seem to further confirm the trends not just only for those who closely follow the numbers but also for those who follow the industry and what happens in this fast-moving world. Not much has changed at the top of the mobile world, in terms of top six smartphone Operating Systems; Android and iOS are sitting comfortably in the highest positions. Google and Apple have both consolidated their position. Android has a market share of 59.0% in 2012 Q1 (growing from 2011 Q1's 36.1%, with increased shipments from 36.1 million units to a whopping 89.9) while ...

Since the fall of last year, we've heard about or had the opportunity to check out pictures of a number of supposed BlackBerry 10 smartphones. Now that the BB10 Dev Alpha handset has arrived, giving developers a head start on crafting software for the new platform, all those rumored handsets are starting to feel a lot more real; will we be seeing more of them over the coming months as we approach the BB10 launch? It turns out that the new developer's phone might just give us a peek into what we can expect, revealing a list of possible BB10 device codenames. A file on the Dev Alpha phones ...

Almost since RIM first released the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, we've been hearing rumors about a new version that would introduce its own cellular modem, no longer relying on a tethered BlackBerry smartphone in order to get online while on the go. Such devices have popped-up in numerous leaked roadmaps, suggesting we'd end up seeing both an HSPA+ and LTE version of this tablet refresh. About a month ago, we got what may have been our first real look at one of these devices, showing-off the telltale sign of a SIM tray. Today, amidst all the other BlackBerry new that's floating about, ...

Between BlackBerry World 2012 and the BlackBerry 10 Jam, RIM has its hands full at the moment. With all these BlackBerry fans together, what better place, though, to show-off the upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform? Just like we heard, RIM hasn't been showcasing any of the retail hardware that will launch with the OS, but that's not stopping it from demonstrating some of the software features of the platform, as well as give us a closer look at that developer's handset we recently saw leaked. RIM's Thorsten Heins took the stage at BlackBerry World to show the audience some of what BlackBerry ...

NFC has been available on mainstream smartphones for a year and half now, and yet we still find ourselves quite limited in what we're able to do with the technology. There are many reasons why NFC has stagnated, ranging from too few end-users having NFC supported on their phones to make user-to-user communications worthwhile, to the carriers and their financial partners working to block the free availability of NFC-based payment systems. That's why we're glad to see it when anyone does manage to come up with some useful implementation of NFC. The latest to catch our eye is from RIM, with a ...

When RIM officially sent out e-mails about the upcoming BlackBerry World 2012 -- May 1-3, 2012, Orlando, Florida -- and its topics, there were a couple of questions unanswered among which the most important was whether we will see new devices or not. "We are not unveiling any BlackBerry 10 hardware", said a company spokesman. Plain and simple. Instead, this year's BlackBerry World will be all about software, that is BlackBerry OS 10 built on QNX. RIM announced that they will hand out BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha Hardware to Jam attendees but these devices will not be final. Those should hit ...

Last night, we caught a tweet from RIM's Head of Gaming, Anders Jeppsson, mentioning that something wonderful would be available for PlayBook owners today. While there were a number of possible titles thrown around, it started to look likely that the PlayBook would be joining iOS and Android as platforms supported by Rovio's Angry Birds Space (and beating-out Windows Phone in the process). Sure enough, Angry Birds Space is now out for the PlayBook, but that's not the end of things; Jeppsson has teased the release of yet another high-profile app on its way to the PlayBook, one that will ...

The folks at Google are doing a spring cleaning and, as expected, there will be some changes happening (which doesn't necessarily mean that everyone will be happy). BlackBerry users will definitely be sad to find out that Google is ending support for Google Sync for BlackBerry as of June 1, 2012. If you already have the app you will be able to use it but it won't be available for download (so grab your copy while you can). The Mountain View company is also shutting down the mobile web app for Google Talk; mobile users can use the Android app. There are also some changes for APIs: "adopting ...