There are analysts that believe BlackBerry has had its day and is only heading in a downwards trend although you’ll certainly find those that think that idea is a complete joke, and we know what the opinions of Android and iOS users will be considering these are by far the two most supported platforms in terms of apps.

Will there ever be a Simsimi app for BlackBerry? This is a hard question to answer and it could very well be that the BlackBerry users wont be able to talk to Simsimi anytime soon, although we’re finding hundreds of forum posts demanding the app on BlackBerry but is it enough? We’ve contacted the developer for word on this matter and are waiting for a response, it’ll be interesting to see if they will port the app to BlackBerry considering the reach Android and iOS has.

Signs of an effort being made but from the wrong developer – when we searched the BlackBerry App World today we can see an app called “Simsimi Indonesia“, which has had almost 2,000 ratings at only 2 stars. The app seems to be almost the same as the English version enabling you to talk to Simsimi, but considering the low ratings, the comments and the fact that the official Simsimi website found here only lists Android and iOS versions – we’d recommend keeping away even if you’re from Indonesia.

Would you like the Simsimi app on BlackBerry? You can read some recent news here, which details the battle Simsimi devs are having with abuse on the iPhone and Android versions.

More About: blackberry, Simsimi

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 should be an ideal upgrade to anyone who owned a Curve or Bold 9700 in the past, it is not quite as impressive as the Bold 9900, in fact you would find it pretty hard to tell the 9700 and 9790 apart in terms of aesthetics, but ‘beneath the hood’ there’s lots of reasons why the 9790 is a worthy upgrade – most noticeably this shiny new BlackBerry runs OS 7, which is snappier and far more intuitive than previous versions.

In terms of technical specifications there’s a 1 GHz Marvel processor, a physical QWERTY keyboard, 768MB RAM, a 5 megapixel camera, 8GB of internal storage, a microSD memory card which supports cards of 32GB, a 2.45-inch touchscreen display which outputs at 360 x 480, WiFi b/g/n, NFC and Bluetooth connectivity – you can see a full breakdown of tech specs and features here. As for size it measures in at 110 x 60 x 11.4 mm and weighs 107 grams.

So how much will Three charge you for this smartphone? Well as usual you can buy it outright and opt for a pay as you go deal, but this will mean you pay £319.99 for the handset. Alternatively there’s a few different 24-month deals to check out, all of which ensure that you get the Bold 9790 for free as part of the agreement.

You can see full pricing details over at Three’s website, we’ve embedded an image below which pretty much summarizes the options available:

As you can see there’s options to suit most people. Personally I would opt for the Text 500 All-you-can-eat tariff, paying £31 for all-you-can-eat data is something I’d be interested in and 5,000 texts is a lot, also as I don’t talk a lot on the phone 500 minutes should be adequate.

My only issue is that the price tag does seem a little high, the Lumia 710 is a lot cheaper than this and Windows Phone 7.5 is arguably superior to BlackBerry OS 7 (not in regards to enterprise usage), make you mind up and tell us what you decided to buy!

More About: blackberry, Blackberry Bold, BlackBerry Bold 9790, Three

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis who were both responsible in getting BlackBerry to their previous position of the number one smartphone maker, have both stepped down from their positions with immediate effect. According to a report on The Telegraph German executive Thorsten Heins, will be taking the rein.

The iconic brand was once the device of choice for business executives and bankers alike for checking emails and other information when away from their PC. But along came the Apple iPhone and the Android platform to steal away the company’s market share. This saw both Mr. Balsillie and Mr. Lazaridis under pressure from the company’s investors as the RIM share price fell away.

This announcement comes ahead of the news of a management review into the company, but both former CEOs said the decision wasn’t down to the pressure from investors. Lazaridis who originally founded the company in 1984 will now be vice chairman, with Basillie remaining on the company’s board.

Since its peak in 2008 the company has lost more than $70 billion of its value, and continues to experience delays in releasing a new operating system. The BlackBerry PlayBook has not captured the public’s imagination while competing with Apple’s iPad. Thorsten Heins has said he will be looking to employ a new marketing chief, but whether it’s too little too late remains to be seen.

Do you think it’s too late for RIM?

More About: blackberry, RIM

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

The good folk over at BGR were the source of this news as they received a preview copy of the BlackBerry smartphones’ latest version of WhatsApp. They suggest the entire app has been refreshed bringing a whole new user interface to the app to start with, amongst other improved features. They also claim the new interface is one of the best you can find on a BlackBerry product.

The other features of the app that have been noticeably updated for the RIM devices include a more light and natural feel to the five basic WhatsApp tabs; settings, status, contacts, favorites and chats. One of these changes is the addition of an ‘intuitive’ context button which is now located on the top tab bar’s right side. It changes and offers useful shortcuts depending on what tab you’re on. For example it becomes an add a friend button when on the settings tab, add a status when on the status tab and start a new chat button when in the chats tab.

Despite BGR’s overall praise for the preview there were a few issues they found with the new version of the app which they hope will be addressed once it has started rolling out. For starters the rows that list contacts and favorites are very narrow making them difficult to select with the touchscreen and the touchscreen tab area buttons are very small which could lead to users selecting the wrong ones.

What do you think of the new version of WhatsApp for BlackBerry?

More About: blackberry, RIM

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

While the main reason for the missed targets is largely down to the slow PlayBook sales, ultimately the cause for the lack of profit will come from the $485 million charge that the company is to incur to cover the write-down of the tablets’ inventory value according to the Financial Times. A charge of $50 million was also taken by them that covered the outage. The company’s shares value decreased to $16.85, a 9% drop in New York trading.

Due to the lackluster reception of the BlackBerry PlayBook rumors have begun to circulate suggesting RIM is to abandon the tablet. This forced the company’s senior management to produce a statement suggesting that this was not the case despite the mixed reviews. Co-chief Executive Mike Lazaridis said ‘RIM is committed to the BlackBerry PlayBook and believes the tablet market is still in its infancy.’

RIM also noted that they had sold 14.1 million smartphones and about 150,000 PlayBook tablets in the third quarter which ended last month. While they have been enjoying continued growth outside of North America, they also face deserters including consumers and employees joining rivals Apple and Android. Do you think RIM is in trouble? What do you think of their products?

More About: blackberry, RIM

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

So the ‘best BlackBerrys to date’ might just have one of the worst bugs that have ever been experienced too. The problem that has become apparent is bricking issues which have been indicated by RIM who ensure customers there is a fix on the way. According to Phonedog, several complaints have been received from owners saying that their device simply won’t turn on. This problem seems to derive after the handset has been on charge, although the cause has not yet been identified.

Confirmation of the issue came from the company who said in a statement ‘limited number of customers have reported an issue where their device does not power on’ and that they are ‘actively working on a software update to resolve this issue.’ The main concern is not only for the 9930/9900 owners but for BlackBerry owners in general, as this problem comes off the back of a major outage that the company experienced recently and with their flagship models now suffering the reputation of the company is now in jeopardy.

What’s less reassuring is there is no actual date mentioned when the update to fix this bug issue is to be released. In the meantime those concerned can check out the company’s forums or look out for an update from us about when the issue is resolved. Have you experienced these bricking problems with your BlackBerry Bolds?

More About: blackberry, RIM

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

The company has announced it will cease support for the Gmail application on the BlackBerry platform on November 22nd. The Huffington Post is reporting that the company took to its Google App Updates blog to announce the news. They said they were removing the app to concentrate on Gmail in the mobile browser.

If you already have the app downloaded it will still work, but the company won’t continue to provide any updates or any other support. Owners of BlackBerry devices have until the date to download the application and install it onto the device.

Google didn’t give any real reason for the decision but said “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.”

Now that the Gmail application is leaving BlackBerry and along with the iOS debacle, and the fact it’s nonexistent on the Windows Phone platform it will only be available on Android in the US. Google recently relaunched the Gmail app with more HTML 5 features, and RIM has been trying to encourage more developers to its platform by pushing HTML 5 app development.

BlackBerry users can also push Gmail to their BlackBerry devices, but unfortunately it’s not the same experience as the native application. Are you disappointed with the news from Google?

More About: blackberry, gmail, google

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Research carried out by WDS has found that Android devices break down more compared to other operating systems. The inquirer is reporting that the research covered a twelve month period, and more than 600,000 technical support calls to the company. It was found that calls relating to hardware on the Android platform had the most calls.

Of all the calls received fourteen percent were for Android hardware problems, while Windows Phone 7 made up eleven percent. Apple’s iOS platform fared better with only seven percent with BlackBerry devices making up six percent. Tim Deluca-Smith of WDS stressed the findings doesn’t mean there is “any inherent fault with the Android platform”.

He added that the platforms success was proving to be challenging, and the survey hints that the often lower cost of some Android handsets were often the cause of issues. Microsoft has minimum specifications for devices on its platform, and Apple and RIM have total control that can result in fewer problems.

The main problems found with Android handsets were often related to the display and charging, and a possible cost of returning and fixing the problems with Android devices could be up to $2 billion per year. It’s not surprising to hear lower cost devices causing problems, and it has to be remembered that there are far more Android handsets out in the wild to begin with.

Have you had any issues with your handset?

More About: Android, blackberry, iPhone

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

When the company announced BBX they didn’t give any information when the first devices running the software will be available. Now an article on N4BB has an image of what the first BBX device may look like, which you can see below. It is has the codename of BlackBerry Colt, and is thought to be coming around the middle of 2012.

While the look of the device may change slightly the website also has some specs for the device. It is thought it will come with a dual-core processor of some description, and be thinner than the Bold 9900 and 9930. The device is said to be getting a touch screen display of at least four inches with a resolution of more than 900. It will also feature two cameras that will have enhanced flash and focus.

It has to be remembered none of these specifications have been confirmed and are only rumors at present, but the company will surely pull out all the stops to provide an impressive device to showcase its new operating system.

Do you think the BBX operating system will save the BlackBerry platform?

More About: BBX, blackberry, RIM

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Gazelle who take in unwanted gadgets from consumers in exchange for cash are reporting it saw an eighty percent increase in BlackBerry trades last week. This is up from record highs earlier in the month according to Cnet. The increase in trades has been put down to the release of the iPhone 4S, and the service outage that also occurred this month.

Anthony Scarsella of Gazelle said it was “easily the highest volume of BlackBerry trades ever seen period”, and added it must be mainly down to the new iPhone. Scarsella also said the company had seen an increase in Android trades as well, but this couldn’t be put down to a single event though.

Most of the Android trade-ins though were for the Sprint network, which has already reported the iPhone 4S launch was its most successful so far. There may be many Android users planning ahead though, as the likes of the Motorola Droid RAZR and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus are soon to be released.

Gazelle are reporting that it has seen a total of 65,000 iPhone’s being traded, with the number expected to reach 75,000 by the end of this week. Before the launch of the iPhone 4S the company saw a big spike of iPhone’s being traded, with owners getting ready for the new model.

Have you traded your BlackBerry recently? If so what device did you get instead?

More About: apple, blackberry, iPhone 4S, RIM

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad