As we told you previously gNewsReader was adding Feedly support now that Google Reader is shutting down. I am now happy to report that gNewsReader has officially received Feedly support in the latest release for the Z10 and Q10. On top of that they are shortly adding NewsBlur support. Additional services will be supported based on popularity and user requests. The developer also let me know that he is taking feature suggestions and laying out possible improvements on their uservoice page.

Check out the latest gNewsReader version in BlackBerry World for $0.99

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | gNewsReader Adds Feedly Support on BlackBerry 10 – Newsblur Coming (Google Reader Shutdown)

CNN has finally gotten their act together and released an app for BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 devices. The main catch is that it is US only with OS 10.1+ for now though hopefully that will change. Also the app is a ported Android app though it does work decently enough. It has all of the CNN news content so its worth checking out.

Features of the CNN app include:

• Get breaking news and follow stories as they develop.
• Watch video clips and coverage of live events as they unfold. 
• Go beyond the surface with international, politics, opinion, tech and entertainment stories and more.
• Contribute your story or opinion to CNN iReport by uploading photos and video directly from your app.
• Follow other iReporters and see stories from their point of view.

Check out the CNN App for BlackBerry free in BlackBerry World

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | CNN News App Makes it to BlackBerry Z10 & Q10 in the US (Android)

BlackBerry is on a roll with the latest Adobe Reader update. It has been getting some pretty consistent updates especially considering the previous versions on the PlayBook. This latest v10.1.4.18 adds copy and paste, Sticky note support, link support, smart zoom, search, and more. You can download Adobe Reader in BlackBerry World.

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | Adobe Reader for BlackBerry 10 Gets Bumped to Version 10.1.4.18

BlackBerry Z10 Apps:

Games:

• Mass Effect: Infiltrator for BlackBerry 10 (Electronic Arts, Inc.)
• Arcadius – Puzzle Adventure (365 Games)

Finance & Utilities:

• TD (Canada) for BlackBerry 10 (TD Bank Group) – also available on the BlackBerry Q10
• ABSA (App from ABSA)

Navigation & Travel:

• RTA Dubai for BlackBerry 10 (Roads And Traffic Authority) – also available on the BlackBerry Q10

Lifestyle:

• Trade Me (Trade Me Limited)
• Major Movie Plus (Major Cineplex Group PLC) – also available on the BlackBerry Q10

BlackBerry Q10 Apps:

Navigation & Travel:

• Indonesia Flight (Ticket Solutions)

Music & Audio:

• Gaana (Times Internet Limited)

News & Magazines:

• Vogue Stylist (Conde Nast India Pvt Ltd)
• Guardian News (SiMedia)

Social:

• VKontakte (Smerdin Corp)

Source: Inside BlackBerry 

Posted by Ricky Lakeit for ©BerryReview | BlackBerry World Wednesday, New Apps and Games From the Past Week

BlackBerry has confirmed another few top shelf apps coming next week. This time we have Iberia, MyDigiPass, Hotelsnapper, and British Airways apps which are coming to BOTH the Z10 and Q10 in the next week. They will also be rolling out Channel4 Radio Network app for the BlackBerry Q10. Let us know when you spot them in BlackBerry World!

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | British Airways, MyDigiPass, Hotelsnapper, and Iberia BlackBerry Z10 & Q10 Apps Coming Next Week

BlackBerry has another awesome contest going this time with Delta and the Keep Moving Tour Sweepstakes. BlackBerry is giving away $10,600 travel voucher on Delta and a BlackBerry Z10. The only catch is you need to fill out your info on the contest page and be in the US legally. We have a few more days left in the contest until June 26th with winners being chosen on July 11th.

Check out the contest page here and enter. Kudos to my buddy Adam @CrackBerry for spotting this one

BlackBerry has had some great contests to coincide with the launch of BlackBerry 10, and the this one pretty much tops them all.

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | Delta & BlackBerry Giving Away $10,000 Travel Voucher & a BlackBerry Z10 (US Only)

BlackBerry Q5 preorders opened up in the UK this week on quite a few carriers. Now BlackBerry UK has followed up with a new BlackBerry Q5 commercial. This is a full 2+ minute commercial showing off everything from story maker to BBM video and more. My guess is it will be cut up into smaller segments when it airs. Check it out below and let us know what you think!

Thanks James for sending it in via CrackBerry

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | BlackBerry Q5 Gets Its First Commercial Starting in the UK

AT&T has finally gotten their act together and announced a launch date for the much awaited BlackBerry Q10. Today they announced that it will be available on July 21st for $199.99 with a 2 year contract. They are also including it in the promotion where you get at least $100 off the price of the phone if you swap in your current smartphone. I just did it with an old Android I got on CraigsList to save $100.

Check out the details at www.att.com/q10. Below is the press release:

AT&T to Launch BlackBerry Q10 June 21

The BlackBerry Q10 smartphone will arrive in AT&T stores and online on June 21 for $199.99 with a two-year agreement.

The BlackBerry Q10 smartphone will arrive in AT&T stores and online on June 21 for $199.99 with a two-year agreement.  For a limited time, consumers who trade in their current smartphone to AT&T will be eligible to receive at least $100 off the purchase of a new smartphone, including the BlackBerry Q10.

“AT&T is pleased to add the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone to our growing BlackBerry portfolio,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T.  “The combination of AT&T’s blazing fast 4G LTE network and the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone’s improved physical keyboard and touchscreen will help you stay productive and efficient on-the-go.”

To learn more about the BlackBerry Q10, including full device details, please visithttp://www.att.com/q10.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | BlackBerry Q10 Officially Launches at AT&T on June 21st – Preorder Now

I was waiting for BlackBerry to bring some more accessibility options for the visually impaired on BlackBerry 10. They are doing just that shortly with the upcoming August BlackBerry 10.2 SDK Gold release. That release will allow Cascade controls that will announce the UI to the user who has trouble reading. Here is how BlackBerry describes it:

Cascades applications and Cascades UI controls will be integrated with screen reader functionality, so that visually impaired persons can hear a speech presentation of the UI.

Its nice to see that BlackBerry is once again pushing forward with services for the visually and hearing imparied. I know one visually impaired BlackBerry 9900 user that is dying to upgrade to the Q10 with its physical keyboard.

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | BlackBerry OS 10.2 To Bring Screen Reader Functionality for the Visually Impaired

There are some interesting briefings happening at the blockbuster hacker convention, Black Hat 2013, in Vegas at the end of next month. We have all the major mobile OS developers (except Windows Phone) covered by multiple sessions with Android taking the prize. What I found very interesting is a dedicated session by Ralf-Philipp Weinmann who is a postdoctoral researcher at the LACS (Laboratory of Algorithms, Cryptology and Security) of the University of Luxembourg. Here is how he describes his session:

BLACKBERRYOS 10 FROM A SECURITY PERSPECTIVE

BlackBerry prides itself with being a strong contender in the field of secure mobile platforms. While traditionally BlackBerryOS was based on a proprietary RTOS with a JVM propped on top, the architecture was completely overhauled with BlackBerryOS 10. Now the base operating system is the formerly off-the-shelf RTOS QNX, which doesn’t exactly have an excellent security track record. Moreover, for the first time in BBOS history, native code applications are allowed on the platform.

This talk will present an analysis of the attack surface of BBOS 10, considering both ways to escalate privileges locally and routes for remote entry. Moreover, since exploitation is only half the work of offense, we’ll show ways for rootkits to persist on the device. Last but not least we will settle whether BlackBerry Balance really holds what it promises: are mobile devices really ready to securely separate crucial business data from Angry Birds?

Now that is definitely a session I would love to sit in on though I am not sure if it will have any practical ramifications. The main thing Weinmann is highlighting is that the BlackBerry OS is no longer a black box like the previous models. On the other hand we have quite a few researchers digging into some crazy exploits on Android and iOS. We have one team who is going to detail exactly how to inject malware into iOS devices via malicious chargers. This exploit works on non-jailbroken and jailbroken devices and all current generation devices.

On top of that they have quite a few sessions on Android security issues. The most interesting one is the “Android: One Root to Own Them All” which is essentially a huge security bug that was disclosed to Google in February. It allows any malicious developer to modify an APK install file without breaking the signature and add malicious code. It works on a wide number of Android devices across generations and architectures with little to no modification. This is stressed even further by the Spyphone briefing where researchers are showing off how they can inject a SpyPhone service into any Android application and track the phones location, intercept phone calls, sms, email, contacts, camera, and everything without being detected. There are a few others that are also of interest attacking NAND flash itself and attacking page tables.

Let us know if you will be going to Black Hat 2013!

PS: There is also a great session at the DefCon conference on Defeating the NSA’s SEAndroid which Samsung is using to tout their enterprise readiness and security. Pau Oliva Fora is set to describe how Vendors “FAIL in properly implementing SEAndroid protection.”

Image Credit: Failblog

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | Black Hat 2013: Sessions on BlackBerry 10 Security, Ultimate Android Root Exploit & iOS Charger Malware

Appcelerator has added support for BlackBerry 10 in their Titanium cross platform development product a bit back. Its nice to see they are continuing that support with their subsequent updates including their latest v3.1.1 release. This version includes the latest BlackBerry SDK Beta along with integrating the Studio for app creation.

Check out the details on their blog or at www.appcelerator.com

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview | Appcelerator Titanium v3.1.1 Released With Updated BlackBerry SDK Beta

Digitimes is usually spot on when it comes to what is going on at Taiwanese manufacturers. Their latest report has suppliers stating that “order visibility has risen to 2-3 quarters from a prior 1 quarter” and state that is because of “plans to release 3-4 new models in the second half of 2013.” One of those models is clearly the Q5 but there is also the A10 and what I am calling the Z5 in the pipeline. They are also confirming that BlackBerry is maintaining a shipment of 1 million units of Q10 and Z10 devices as they are ramping up. Good news for BlackBerry all around.

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | Taiwanese Manufacturers Reporting Large Increase of BlackBerry Orders With Launch of Q10 & More Models (A10? Z5?)

The Guardian has continued with its promised leaks from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. The latest ones talk about data the NSA accessed at the 2009 G20 Summit and includes mention of accessing delegates email and phone calls. I am confident that any BES emails would not be able to be tapped by the NSA unless they magically managed to break 3DES or BlackBerry has given them a backdoor that they vehemently deny doing and would be technically improbable.

My guess is that there were delegates using BIS email that is sent in clear text between the BIS infrastructure and email providers like Gmail that anyways send email unencrypted. BlackBerry put out this response in regard to the allegations:

"While we cannot comment on media reports regarding alleged government surveillance of telecommunications traffic, we remain confident in the superiority of BlackBerry’s mobile security platform for customers using our integrated device and enterprise server technology," a BlackBerry spokeswoman said in a statement. "Our public statements and principles have long underscored that there is no ‘back door’ pipeline to that platform. Our customers can rest assured that BlackBerry mobile security remains the best available solution to protect their mobile communications."

In short I would not worry about BES emails being decrypted unless you are sending them outside of your organization after which it really is out of BlackBerrys hands. Also once you realize how the internet backbone works and how much data carriers are storing or buffering (loads of netflow data) then you start becoming a little disenchanted by the government snooping in your personal information. I am just hoping this revelation about the total invasion of privacy by spy organizations will lead to a limitation in the scope of such unwarranted invasions.

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | Latest Leak Raises Questions About BlackBerry Email Security @ G20 in 2009

Source: N4BB

Posted by Ricky Lakeit for ©BerryReview | BlackBerry Grabs the #2 spot for Canadian Market Share Beating out Android

One of the cool new additions in the latest BlackBerry 10.2 SDK release is the Identity Service Library. This library allows developers to tie into a external identity provider, like BlackBerry ID or even Facebook/Twitter/etc, to log into their app. This way you can allow users to use the authentication information they already have in their accounts tab to sign into your app. What I like about this is it saves you from having to remember yet another login.

The coolest part is that BlackBerry has specifically added the ability for developers to tie into the BlackBerry ID system to authenticate users. This is a direction I was really hoping BlackBerry was going with BBID and now it is here. Even better is the ability BlackBerry adds to store a limited amount of data about the user in the cloud in encrypted storage that is tied to a users BBID. That hopefully means app settings can be backed up to the BlackBerry Cloud.

Check out the new Identity Service Library documentation here

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | BlackBerry 10.2 Brings New Identity Service Library for BBID & Offsite Settings Storage

Source: N4BB

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview | BlackBerry PlayBook Listed as OS 10.1 Compatible in Vendor Portal

Google Reader users like myself are most likely aware that Google is once again pissing off users by shutting down a well used service. The “Going Dark” date is set for July 1st so the clock is ticking for getting your data off and into another service. The service taking the majority of the Google Reader evacuees is Feedly.com which has cloned Google’s Reader API making it easy for apps to migrate. Also popular is NewsBlur and FeedBin.

Currently I am using the awesome gNewsReader app on my BlackBerry Q10 with Google Reader. I am happy to report that the developer of gNewsReader has confirmed that the next release will support Feedly as a backend. You can report back to the developer on his BBM Channel using the QR code below. I highly recommend at least migrating your data to Feedly or one of the other services now before the shutdown since it will be much harder later.

/RANT: BTW I am absolutely pissed at Google for shutting down Reader /RANT

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | gNewsReader To Support Feedly In Next Update (Google Reader Shutdown)

That’s right, the best Twitter app on BlackBerry 10 has been updated and back in a big way! You can find it in BlackBerry World. Prepare to be surprised, there’s a lot in this update, for both those with 10.0 and 10.1 and from Q to Z. What’s new in Blaq for BlackBerry 10? Let’s look at the changelog.

Shortcuts for Q5 and Q10:

• [C] Create
• [T] Jump to top
• [B] Jump to bottom
• [R] Reply – only in tweet detail screen
• [S] Search
• [Space] Scroll down a page
• [Shift + Space] scroll up a page

Added:

• BeBuzz 10 Pro integration
• Report Spam
• Block/Unblock
• Translate tweet (Tweet options)
• Scroll-loading of friends and followers
• Scroll-loading tweets
• Save search
• Delete saved search (hold down on one in search screen)
• Search @mentions on profile
• List management – Add, edit or delete a list. Add and remove users from lists
• Change trend location
• Edit profile
• Edit avatar

Enhancements

• Time on each direct message
• Send on enter is now optional (Settings)
• Q5/Q10 UI tweaks
• Home loading more indicator
• Retweet options – Choose which type you want by default or have it prompt you everytime (Prompt, Regular, Quote Tweet, Classic RT, Tweet Via)
• Mention notification is now cleared once read in the home timeline
• Search field focuses automatically [Q5/Q10]
• Hold position between launches
• Share directly from the timeline by selecting tweet options
• Notification when photo uploads post successfully or fail
• Quote Tweet now posts as a reply to a tweet
• Easier to reach New Direct Message button in Direct Messages tab
• Faster start time
• Reduced memory usage

Fixed

• Non-JPG images not uploading
• Duplicate streamed tweets
• Crash when scrolling to top
• Retweeted status from muted users still show
• When composing a new direct message and a new one comes in, your message is cleared.
• Font size in DMs doesn’t match other parts of UI
• Block/report spam are in current user profile
• Empty searches
• Crash on RT of user RT
• Wrong photos on tweets
• Viewing following/followers of protected accounts causes crash
• Active frame showing notifications when there aren’t any
• Regular expression muting doesn’t match against links
• Hashtags with similar sequences break each other
• t.co links are returned when copying or sharing a tweet
• Active text in tweet detail not tappable
• Minor cosmetic fixes

This is a huge update for Blaq for BlackBerry 10 and we’d like to thank Jerome Carty for a great job and fantastic dedication to Blaq and its users. Now all that Blaq needs is Hub integration for BlackBerry 10. I’m hoping that @MichaelClewley and BlackBerry make it happen soon so Blaq for BlackBerry 10 will be complete.

Do you use Twitter? Upgrade your Blaq now! If it’s not showing up in the updates yet, keep checking, it’s on the way!

Blaq for BlackBerry 10

Posted by Susan for ©BerryReview | The Wait Is Over, Blaq is Back With v1.1!

MyTrendyPhone has a massive selection of accessories for all of your mobile devices, computers, consoles, and more. We have featured a few of their products before and as a token of their appreciation they are offering a discount code exclusively to our awesome readers here at BerryReview! The code will be active from right now until Friday June 21 and works for the MyTrendyPhone.com site in Canada and the US. I have verified that it works so go snag some sweet accessories now!

The code is: berry10

After adding the products you want to your basket, head to the checkout, enter the code, your shipping information and payment choice and watch the savings build. Note: The discount code will NOT work at MyTrendyPhone.co.uk. 

Here are some links to get you started:

MyTrendyPhone.com homepage

Mobile Accessories (all brands)

BlackBerry Accessories (choose your model)

Z10 Accessories

Z10 Car Holder as featured in our article

Q10 Accessories

PlayBook Accessories

Bold 9900 Accessories

Bluedio Bluetooth headphones as featured in our article

Enjoy!

Posted by Jay Harker for ©BerryReview | Exclusive 10% Discount Code for MyTrendyPhone.com For A Limited Time

I am constantly impressed by #TeamBlackBerry, but, today, Pootermobile took the cake.  I saw this on twitter and was just simply blown away.  I had to post this.

Mr. @Pootermobile drew up this concept of a simple, yet brilliant, modification to the dropdown settings menu in BB10.  Its just so brilliant.  Click on the image above or go to the Pootermobile website.

Standing ovation Pootermobile.  Well done. Well done.

Posted by BBA Brian for ©BerryReview | Brilliant Concept by Pootermobile to modify the BB10 Dropdown Settings

Those of you with BlackBerry stock saw a nice jump yesterday as Societe Generale’s Andy Perkins upgraded the stock to a buy. I just thought it was worth mentioning after the fact because his stock “checks” show that BlackBerry has sold more Z10’s and Q10’s in the last month than Wall Street is expecting. Enough sales to actually jump his stock target to $17 from $13. Here are some of the details from Barrons:

However, our channel checks have come up with some surprisingly strong numbers for RIM’s unit sales for Q1 FY14. We forecast Z10 unit sales of over 4m. Although the initial reaction to the Q10 has been positive, it has only been available in a few countries for a limited period. We would be surprised if total sales of the Q10 model exceeded 1m units. In total, we believe that Blackberry 10 handsets could record sales in excess of 5m units. We believe that this is above consensus which is between 3m and 4m units for the quarter. As for the older units, we still believe there is demand for the 9220, 9320 and 9900 handsets but that this is falling rapidly.

It should be interesting to see who is right when BlackBerry announces their numbers. You always have to swallow a huge grain of salt when it comes to analysts…

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview | Analyst Claims BlackBerry Z10 & Q10 Sales Are "Much Stronger Than Thought" By Wall Street

Those of you with BlackBerry OS 7.1 and older devices just got a nice update to Twitter. BlackBerry has rolled out Twitter v4.2 in the Beta Zone for all of you to download. They were even kind enough to include a change log:

• Photo Card Support – Photo thumbnails will be displayed for any Tweet that has a photo card.
• Tweet Attributes (Glyphs) – Glyphs are attached to tweets in a timeline when the tweet in question has more content that is viewable on the tweet details screen.
• Retweet/Favorites "Dog-Ear" – Whenever a user retweets or favorites a tweet, that tweet should be updated to graphically represent the state of the tweet with a dogear.
• Promoted Accounts in "Similar" section of Profiles – A "Similar To" section has been added to profile screens as well as a specific "Similar To" screen.

Check it out in the beta zone here

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | Twitter for BlackBerry v4.2 Released in Beta Zone for Legacy Devices

I dug a little bit further into the new Peripheral Discovery Library in BlackBerry OS 10.2 and discovered something very interesting. It seems like BlackBerry has specifically called out support for the Android Open Accessory Protocol which allows devices to easily be detected and setup communication with your BlackBerry 10 device. This protocol was specifically created by Google to make sure that devices could connect without having to pay licensing or fees so it does not have to use USB Host. Electronics Weekly has a good description of what Open Accessory Mode is all about.

Also of interest is that the Peripheral Discovery Library also calls out support for Networking, Audio, Display, Printer, and other custom types. Hopefully this means we will be seeing way more accessories supported on BlackBerry 10 in the near future!

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | Android Open Accessory Protocol Support Coming in BlackBerry OS 10.2

I was digging through the change logs for the latest BlackBerry OS 10.2 SDK and found some nice additions beyond the big updates BlackBerry mentioned. First of all I was glad to see BlackBerry add a Screen Capture screenshot API both in native and Cascades. This just allows apps to save a picture of any screen and save it to the camera roll. That is what happens now with the volume button screenshot keys but developers can add their own screenshot options. They can also choose to save the screenshot in JPG or PNG formats.

Another interesting addition is the new “Peripheral Discovery Library” that allows you app to get notified and grab information for any devices connected over USB, Bluetooth, DisplayPort, & HDMI. I didn’t know BlackBerry’s could even do DisplayPort but that is pretty cool. It will tell your app details about the connected device and even has a specific serial profile for printers. (hint hint) This is all that developers should need to start getting USB and Bluetooth accessories working with BlackBerry 10 along with enabling USB Host.

The other interesting service I found did not have its documentation available yet. It is called the Identity Service and this is how BlackBerry describes it:

The Identity Service supports multiple identity providers, including BlackBerry ID, and can be used to allow your users to access off-device services and content from within your app.

This seems to mean that you can use the credentials for the accounts on your BlackBerry 10 device to authenticate yourself in an app. Think of using BBID, Foursquare, Facebook, or Twitter to login to apps.

Last but not least was a new API to check what lines are available on the phone. This is specifically useful for BlackBerry MVS (Mobile Voice System) so I guess that is coming in 10.2?

Let us know if you spot anything else!

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | BlackBerry 10.2 Adds Screenshot & Peripheral (USB, Printers, etc) & Identity APIs

One of the main updates in BlackBerry 10.2 is the upgrade of the Android runtime to v4.2.2 of Jelly Bean. This will add support for many more applications and better UI elements but there is one major feature that really sticks out which is Hardware Acceleration. Hardware Acceleration came to Android in v4.1 to v4.2.2 as part of a project Google called Project Butter (as in smooth as butter). BlackBerry 10 has long supported hardware acceleration for the UI and it is a feature that always made the iOS UI seem much more fluid. BlackBerry did something similar in OS 7.0 which made the UI more fluid.

The new Hardware Acceleration support for the Android Runtime in BlackBerry 10.2 should lead to games and apps with increased performance and smoothness as long as they take advantage of it. Apps with complex UI elements will look much better and not seem to get “stuck” anymore. If you have loaded up the BlackBerry 10.2 SDK OS let us know what you think of the newer sideloaded apps that utilize hardware acceleration.

Check out more about the BlackBerry 10.2 Jelly Bean runtime on the BlackBerry DevBlog. ImgCredit: FoodNetwork

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview | BlackBerry 10.2 Packs Android Hardware Acceleration (Jelly Bean – Project Butter)