RIM has let us know that BlackBerry OS 7.0 and 7.1 devices are now officially certified for  use by both the US and Canadian Governments. BlackBerry 7 has received FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 Certification from the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). This top-level certification is required for secure communications by both the US and Canadian Governments and their agencies. This is more good news for RIM, as the security certifications for their BlackBerry 7 and QNX devices begin to pile up.

Just last week the BlackBerry world was shaken up by the announcement that Jim and Mike, RIMs Co-CEOs, would be stepping down from the world they created. But today we’ve got another little shake-up happening.

CrackBerry.com was able to get images of what appears to be one of the two BlackBerry 10 devices to launch this year. There isn’t too much known about this guy, other than it will run a 1.5 GHz Dual Core CPU, which is similar to the new PlayBook that should be launching this year, as well. We also know that the device will pack LTE in addition to HSPA+ for those not yet setup with the new, blazing-fast connection. So what do you think? Good, bad, or amazing!?! Let us know in the comments below.

Source : CrackBerry.com

The last bit of information that we get from the plethora of leaked slides this morning is about the BlackBerry “Knight.” This device is the Porsche Design BlackBerry P’9531 and it looks to be nearly identical to the P’9981 that has already launched around the world. The P’9531 looks to be a North American version for the exclusive Porsche Design line and we could see it launching on any of the North American networks between March and May this year. Hit the break for some more details on the P’9531.

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Source : BGR

We’ve been detailing all the information from the leaked batch of RIM slides device by device, but in this post we’re going to take a look at the big picture for RIM in 2012. What you see above is the device launch roadmap for RIM in 2012. Yes, I know the dates on the slides say 2013, but that’s because RIM likes to use fiscal quarters, which are a year ahead. Let’s take a look at what’s to come this year from RIM.

First, we’ll discuss what’s probably the most important thing on the slide. There’s a box in the top right corner of the slide that says “Device” and has the words “Next Gen OS” above it. Can you guess what that is? It’s the forst BlackBerry 10 device! The roadmap has it releasing in October or November, something that the rumor mill has been confirming for a while now. The next big device to look at is the BlackBerry PlayBook 3G+. This is a fully refreshed PlayBook with HSPA+ connectivity. This device is currently slated to launch between March and May of this year. Head past the break for more information on decoding the BlackBerry 2012 roadmap.

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Source : BGR

What’s this we have here? Leaked specifications on the upcoming BlackBerry Curve 9220? The Curve 9220 is another device coming to the Curve lineup from RIM. This device will accompany the Curve 9320 to the hands of BlackBerry customers in emerging markets. The specs aren’t too shabby for a Curve, featuring a 2.44″ display, 512 MB of RAM, and WiFi b/g/n, the curve looks to be a great device for first-time BlackBerry owners. We haven’t confirmed if the new BBM key will be features on this device, but it’s a possibility. Look for the 9220 to launch sometime in March, April, or May of this year.

Source : BGR

Another of the leaked slides from today shows off RIM’s White series of BlackBerry devices. It lists the current family of the Torch 9810, Bold 9900, and Curve 9360, alongside the upcoming additions to the family, the Bold 9790 and Curve 9380. The white option is a highly desired option that not only RIM is embracing, but many other manufacturers are, as well. If you’re a fan of White devices and you want a Bold 9790 or Curve 9380, then you may want to hold off till Q2 to get your hands on one.

Source : BGR

This is something new for RIM. It seems that the upcoming BlackBerry Curve 9320 will feature a dedicated BBM key to get you straight to your favorite BlackBerry chatting app. In addition to the new BBM key, the Curve 9320 will feature HSPDA connectivity, 512 MB of RAM, and a 2.44″ display. We can expect to see the 9320 hit store shelves around May or June of this year.  You can check out the full spec sheet on the BlackBerry Curve 9320 after the break.

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Source : BGR

We had suspected that the Porsche Design BlackBerry P’9981 would hit the US sometime in January or February, and with this latest find, that’s shaping up to be true. The FCC has gotten ahold of the new Porsche Design BlackBerry and given it the full FCC certification treatment. There’s not much to see in this filing besides the pretty shot above of the internals; however, if you’re interested in all the technical information, you can hit the link below to check out the full FCC filing on the P’9981.

• Check out the P’9981′s FCC Certification

Source : Engadget

During CES 2012 we let everyone know that Verizon had announced the Curve 9370 to their BlackBerry line up, and with an announcement comes a launch. Verizon has officially made the BlackBerry Curve 9370 available for order in corporate stores and almost anywhere a Blackberry is Sold. The new device will run you about $99.99 on a two-year voice and data plan. If you’re looking at picking up this bad boy, grab the link below and it’ll take you where you need to be.

• Get the full scoop on the BlackBerry Curve 9370 from Verizon

If having up to 32 gigs of music on your BlackBerry wasn’t enough, get ready top have every FM radio station on your berry. As RIM preps to do a mass release of OS 7.1 for their newest line of BlackBerry smartphones a few unknown features are making their way to the surface. Namely support for FM radio. Officially there isn’t a date set just yet for a wide spread OS 7.1 launch, but I have a gut feeling that we’ll be seeing things moving quite quickly in the coming weeks, stay-tuned.

Source : CrackBerry

We have heard lots of rumors lately about RIM being bought out or the software and services being licensed out to other manufacturers. The latest rumor comes to us courtesy of Peter Misek of Jefferies & Co. and would really shake up the world of BlackBerry if it pans out to be true. Misek says that RIM is already in talks with hardware manufacturers to license the BlackBerry 10 OS out to them. Samsung and HTC are the two manufacturers that are named and here’s an excerpt from Misek’s report:

“We think some of this has already been started with RIM likely agreeing to license Blackberry 10 to Samsung, HTC, and possibly others. This would help create a critical mass for the ecosystem and maintain RIM’s monthly service revenue; however, it puts more pressure on the hardware business in the short term. Longer term, it possibly gets people hooked on the RIM ecosystem and may in fact allow them to sell more BB 10 handsets (if they are able to create compelling handsets).”

While this is just a rumor right now, it’s quite possible that this may happen sometime in the near future. Here are three compelling reasons why BlackBerry OS licensing may become a reality. First, there’s a lot of talk that Mike and Jim will be ousted as Chairman and the RIM Board will begin to take control of the company from them. This is probably the only way that the Co-CEO’s would let another company handle manufacture of BlackBerry devices. Second, the BlackBerry ecosystem is being developed and will rapidly expand in 2012. This ecosystem would allow RIM to stay afloat while dropping hardware development and focusing on the software side of things. Third, this wouldn’t be the first time RIM has licensed part of the BlackBerry OS. Back in the mid-2000′s, RIM was licensing out the BlackBerry Email client on devices like the HTC Tilt.

While we aren’t saying this will actually happen, but it’s always a possibility and something to think about, especially for the BlackBerry faithful. Here at TheBerryFix.com we’re hoping Mike, Jim, and the rest of the team at RIM can get the issues straightened out and push out a BlackBerry 10 family of devices that will bring BlackBerry back to the top. But since it’s just the first week of 2012, we’ll have to wait and see what happens as the year goes on.

Source : Mobile Syrup

While the BlackBerry 10 rocking Milan was never officially announced, we knew of its existence through a leaked mockup image from RIM. When we saw this device we heard it would feature a 4.2″ touchscreen with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The latest info on this device is that it has been completely cancelled. The explanation for the canceling of the device is “Hardware Concerns.” That most likely means that a device that size with a sliding keyboard would be hard to manufacture and even harder to actually use. Don’t fret though, BlackBerry 10 is still on track for a late-2012 release and we know we will be seeing a full-touchscreen device as well as a full-QWERTY device, so whichever style you prefer, you’ll still be able to get your hands on.

Source : CrackBerry

The Porsche Design BlackBerry P’9981, or the expensive Bold 9900 as I like to call it, is now available for pre-order from Porsche Design Stores in the US. The device is going for $1,700 and that gets you the exclusive design and icon set of the P’9981, plus the exclusive BlackBerry PIN that these devices feature. The device is rumored to be releasing in February and you can hit the link below to check out the device on the Porsche Design website and find a retail location near you.

• Check out the Porsche Design P’9981 

Source : N4BB

Most of the recent BlackBerry Devices go by two names, the model name such as Bold, Torch, or Curve, and the model number like 9900 or 9810. There has been much speculation as to what RIM would be doing with BlackBerry 10 device names and numbers. Today we may have some of the answer, and believe it or not, it makes perfect sense. In Asurion’s, a wireless device insurer, database is a listing for the BlackBerry Torch 10,000.

What does this mean exactly? Right now it doesn’t mean a whole lot, especially since the first BlackBerry 10 device isin’t slated till late 2012. However, it does give us a clue to where RIM may be going with the new QNX-based BlackBerry line. With the next-gen platform being called BlackBerry 10, it would make sense to go to the 5 digit numbering system. The 10 signifies it is BlackBerry 10 and the three digits past that are the model number. There’s not much more to go on right now, so let the speculation begin!

Source : PocketNow