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CANADIAN MOBILE PHONE OUTFIT Research in Motion (RIM) is in talks with four major record labels to start a Blackberry music service.

The company has struck a deal with at least one of the four – Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI Music – according to Cnet. A test version of the service could go live within the next few weeks.

RIM told The INQUIRER, “BBM is a dynamic social platform and one of the largest mobile social networks in the world with over 45 Million BBM users. However, I’m unable to comment on this specific report as RIM’s standard policy is to decline comment on rumours and speculation.”

It is unclear exactly how the service will work with the Blackberry messaging service (BBM), which is the main reason that the handsets are popular with young people. The service will be announced by the time Labour Day comes in the US on 5 September, according to Reuters.

Details are thin on the ground but we suspect the service will be similar to the popular Spotify, with users being able to stream music to mobile devices. The service is likely to offer both free and paid subscriptions, we reckon.

It is unclear whether the service will be available on RIM’s Playbook tablet, which only has access to BBM when paired with a Blackberry handset.

RIM launched its latest handset, the Bold 9900 recently, which was supposed to be available from the beginning of Summer. The firm must be hoping that it, along with the new lure of the music service will get its sales back in shape after a shaky start to the year that saw poor results and the layoff of 2,000 employees.

Music continues to be an attractive element for consumers with rival phone maker HTC recently buying a major stake in Beats Electronics. This move could reignite RIM’s smartphone campaign, if it gains traction. µ

THE BLACKBERRY Bold 9900 has been delayed by four days, according to recent reports.

According to online retailer Clove’s blog, it originally expected the Blackberry Bold 9900 to arrive on Monday 15 August, but stock will be now be delayed until Friday 19 August.

Apparently, this delay will apply to all UK BlackBerry stock.

Clove promised Blackberry fans, “We will still be one of the first online vendors to receive stock of the 9900 next Friday. As always we will begin shipping orders the day that stock arrives subject to the time that it actually gets here.”

At the start of this month Research in Motion (RIM) announced its “biggest launch ever” of two Bold and three Torch models along with its Blackberry 7 operating system (OS).

All of the smartphones including the thin Bold 9900 have a 1.2GHz processor, HD video calling, 24-bit high resolution graphics and advanced sensors supporting augmented reality apps such as Wikitube.

RIM’s Blackberry 7 OS apparently introduces a significantly faster web browser that RIM claims delivers a “more fluid” browsing experience. Other features include zooming and panning plus optimised HTML5 performance for better gaming and video responsiveness. µ

RESEARCH IN MOTION’S Blackberry Torch 2 retains the same hybrid touch-screen and keypad design as its predecessor, with the majority of changes under the hood.

RIM will ship the 3.2in smartphone with a 1.2GHz processor, 8GB of internal storage and Blackberry OS 7.

The handset is aimed at those who like a large touch screen alongside the traditional Qwerty keyboard.

The Torch 2 is set to go on sale in the UK during September, and will be available on major networks. Pricing is yet to be confirmed. µ

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THE BLACKBERRY Torch 9860 will come with a 3.7in touch-screen display, the largest that RIM has to offer. The device is optimised for video and internet browsing, and has no physical keyboard.

A 1.2GHz processor will power the BlackBerry 7 OS handset, and other features include GPS and a 5MP rear camera with HD 720p video recording capabilities.

RIM expects to start shipping the Torch 9860 in September. The manufacturer said that all major networks will carry the device, with prices at a mid-tier level expected to be somewhere between the Bold Touch 9900 and Blackberry Torch 2 9810. µ

Almost exactly a year ago, AT&T and RIM announced the BlackBerry Torch 9800, which we reviewed and found brought a much-needed new WebKit based browser and OS update, but still wasn't quite the BlackBerry we were looking for. Well, one year is up, and it's time for an update with the BlackBerry Torch 9810 (which really sould be called the Torch 2) to take its place in AT&T's BlackBerry lineup.

The Torch 9810 keeps the same slide-out form factor, but brings a number of hugely-needed improvements. Chief among those is inclusion of a much faster single core 1.2 GHz MSM8255 Snapdragon SoC, which will no doubt provide a noticeable boost in speed compared to the Torch 9800's underwhelming and outdated 624 MHz Marvell Tavor PXA930 SoC. The 5 MP camera can shoot 720p video this time around, no doubt thanks in part to having an actual modern SoC, and there's HSPA+ 14.4 connectivity. There's also a VGA 3.2" panel now, instead of the Torch's rather anemic 360×480.

But probably the biggest note is that the 9810 (and the other two devices I'll mention in a second) will launch running BlackBerry OS 7, which brings a host of performance improvements and modernizations. We look forward to getting some hands on with the Torch 9810 when it launches sometime this August. 

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The next two devices are the BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860 which seem to resemble something of a storm reboot, with a 3.7" WVGA (800×480) display. It also includes a 1.2 GHz MSM8x55 SoC, 5 MP camera with flash and 720p video recording, and the usual fixings. Last but not least is the already well-understood and anticipated BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 update, which also gets the same list of SoC and display upgrades. That means a 2.8" VGA display, 1.2 GHz MSM8x55 SoC, 5 MP camera with 720p video recording, and NFC support. I'm also told that all three devices will get a welcome 768 MB of LPDDR2 RAM. Again, specifics and details are relatively scant right now, but we look forward to playing with these when the time comes. AT&T has announced that the Bold 9900 and Torch 9860 will be out by the end of the year.

Source: AT&T, RIM, RIM (specs)

MOBILE PHONE RETAILER The Carphone Warehouse has confirmed that it will stock the Blackberry Playbook a day early at selected stores.

The Playbook will be available at a few Carphone Warehouse stores in the UK a day earlier than in its online shop and at other retailers on 15 June. If you’re desperate to get the tablet 24 hours earlier then you can head to Selfridges store on Oxford Street, Westfield shopping centre, Manchester Trafford Centre, Bluewater and Bristol Cribbs.

The maker of the Playbook, Research in Motion (RIM) today said that it will launch the device in 16 more countries including the UK over the next 30 days. The list includes India, France, Germany and Hong Kong along with 12 other nations.

The Playbook is RIM’s first tablet and it comes with its own Blackberry Tablet operating system and a 1GHz dual-core processor. The Carphone Warehouse has the Playbook priced at £399 for the 16GB model. Double the storage to 32GB and you’ll have to pay £479, and the price for the top of the range 64GB version is £559.

It is unclear how well the Playbook will sell in the UK after initial reports that it’s been struggling in the US and Canada.

Our first impressions of the tablet were good, so we think it’s got a chance, with a special appeal to Blackberry phone owners because of the tethering features. µ

MOBILE PHONE RETAILER The Carphone Warehouse has confirmed that it will stock the Blackberry Playbook a day early at selected stores.

The Playbook will be available at a few Carphone Warehouse stores in the UK a day earlier than in its online shop and at other retailers on 15 June. If you’re desperate to get the tablet 24 hours earlier then you can head to Selfridges store on Oxford Street, Westfield shopping centre, Manchester Trafford Centre, Bluewater and Bristol Cribbs.

The maker of the Playbook, Research in Motion (RIM) today said that it will launch the device in 16 more countries including the UK over the next 30 days. The list includes India, France, Germany and Hong Kong along with 12 other nations.

The Playbook is RIM’s first tablet and it comes with its own Blackberry Tablet operating system and a 1GHz dual-core processor. The Carphone Warehouse has the Playbook priced at £399 for the 16GB model. Double the storage to 32GB and you’ll have to pay £479, and the price for the top of the range 64GB version is £559.

It is unclear how well the Playbook will sell in the UK after initial reports that it’s been struggling in the US and Canada.

Our first impressions of the tablet were good, so we think it’s got a chance, with a special appeal to Blackberry phone owners because of the tethering features. µ

SMARTPHONE MAKER Research in Motion (RIM) has shown off its tablet device called the Blackberry Playbook in the US with a cocktail splashed party but apparently an inferior product.

Some might have expected the firm to throw a party, but although there were cocktails at the event it was light on big speeches, which was probably wise because the last time RIM took to the public arena it sulked off halfway through.

Earlier this week during an interview with the BBC, CEO Mike Lazrides took offence to a line of questioning about the firm’s disputes with various governments, a topic that must have been on a ‘do not mention’ list that somehow did not find its way to his BBC host.

“That’s not fair. You implied we had a security problem,” said Lazaridis before walking out. “We’ve just been singled out because we’re so successful around the world. It’s an iconic product.”

Whether a big fanfare would have improved the device’s reception is moot, as early looks suggest that it comes up lacking when compared against other 7-inch tablets and is more of a trial run for the Canadian firm than a finished product.

“I’ve just come from RIM’s launch event for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The tablet has evolved since CES, but my impressions of it remain the same. In short, it’s a racecar that’s missing a wheel,” said Forrester’s Sarah Rottman Epps on her blog.

Most bizarrely, and most open to criticism is the mysterious lack of an email client, which surely would have been on any list of features expected on a Blackberry device. Although Blackberry handsets can communicate with the Playbook using Bluetooth, other users will have to make do with webmail.

“The PlayBook is a powerful device with solid hardware, lighter and more compact than the iPad. But by requiring a Bluetooth connection to a BlackBerry phone for basic applications like email, calendar, and IM, RIM has sacrificed consumer-friendliness for CIO peace-of-mind,” added Rottman Epps.

So, it looks like the Blackberry Playbook tablet has missed the Ipad trick of being sort of business friendly and having definite consumer appeal, for now at least.

RIM will release the Blackberry Playbook on 19 May. µ

I suppose it's fitting that I should be the one to write our PlayBook review. Before Android and the iPhone, there were two mobile platforms/devices that I was hugely fond of: the Palm V and my BlackBerry. In fact, it wasn't until the iPhone that I finally let go of my last BlackBerry – moving on from the email era into the smartphone age.

Today's BlackBerry is of course very different than the devices I used in college. And the PlayBook is unlike anything RIM has ever done.

I don't believe any tablet maker has perfected the formula just yet. I made that abundantly clear in our review of the iPad 2. While you can't argue that Apple is the forerunner in the smartphone based tablet space, over the long term I still believe this is anyone's game. Remember, the leaders in the early days of the PC industry weren't the ones who ultimately dominated the mature market.

What follows is our review of RIM's first attempt at building a tablet. The PlayBook is far from perfect, but there's a foundation here that can be built upon if RIM has a good roadmap and good execution. And if you're a BlackBerry user, there's a lot of synergy to exploit.

Let's get to it.