A hot topic of the past week has been the rumored rooting of the BlackBerry PlayBook. Well, this topic has just been moved from a rumor to a full-on concept. Cmwdotme, one of the masterminds behind the PlayBook root, just Tweeted that the jailbreak is now available for all to download. As of right now, applying the jailbreak only gives the user root access and nothing else. Dingleberry’s creators plan to continue work on the jailbreak and hope to one day have a full-fledged jailbreak like we see on iOS devices.

The current version of Dingleberry is v0.2 and is currently available for download by Windows users. A Mac version of the root installer is coming soon. The release of this jailbreaking tool is huge news for the BlackBerry community and RIM, it will provide users with unprecedented access to the core of the BlackBerry OS but it will also bring huge security issues for RIM. I’m sure RIM is hard at work on patching this jailbreak and the Dingleberry creators are hard at work on the next iteration. It will be interesting to see how RIM and the community react in the coming days and weeks after this jailbreak.

• Download the DingleBerry root for BlackBerry PlayBook Here

Earlier this week we saw proof that the BlackBerry PlayBook had been rooted, or jailbroken as it’s more commonly referred to. This is not the best news for RIM, a company that has security that has been ironclad up to now. RIM issued the following statement regarding the PlayBook jailbreak and was sure to let us know that current BlackBerry SmartPhone OS is still secure and has not been penetrated. Here’s the official word from RIM:

“Research In Motion (RIM) is aware of a claim made on Twitter by security researchers working together that suggests the ability to “jailbreak” a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The term “jailbreaking” is commonly used to describe altering the software on a smartphone or tablet in order to obtain access to systems or applications not officially authorized or distributed by the manufacturer. BlackBerry smartphone users are not affected. RIM is currently investigating this claim and has been in contact with one of the security researchers to discuss it.

RIM is currently not aware of a jailbreak being leveraged by anyone other than the researchers, who claim to have performed a jailbreak on their own BlackBerry PlayBook tablets only. If it is determined that the claim is accurate, RIM will follow its standard response process to develop and release a software update that is designed to minimize adverse impact to our customers or carrier partners. RIM is aware that the security researchers have stated they intend to release a tool to jailbreak the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. If such a tool is released, RIM will investigate it.

The security of mobile devices and major networked systems is tested by third-party security researchers every day. RIM also continually tests the security of its own products, and volunteers its products to recognized industry experts for security testing and certification to help identify possible issues. RIM is committed to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and to working with researchers to continue to protect our customers.”

So there you have it, folks. RIM is probably waiting around just like the rest of us for the jailbreak to be released so they can investigate it and patch it. But like we have seen with Apple and their jailbreakers, once the gates are opened, this type of security vulnerability is nearly impossible to permanently patch. Hopefully RIM has some additional security measures in place for BBX when it debuts on both tablet and smartphones later in 2012.

We heard earlier this week that the BlackBerry PlayBook’s QNX-based OS had been successfully rooted. Many were skeptical when this first came out since RIM has historically been known for ironclad security; however, it’s looking like the root may be a reality. There’s a new video online showing off the root on the PlayBook and it’s shaping up to be legitimate. The rooting tool is set to be named DingleBerry, is being created by xpvqus, neuralic, and cmwdotme, three famous OS jailbreakers/hackers, and is going public very soon.

For those that don’t know, rooting is essentially the same as jailbreaking, it gives the user unrestricted access to the core of an Operating System. This is a good thing for consumers, since it will give them and developers greater access to to the OS and its functions. However, it’s also a bad thing for RIM. With security being a hallmark of RIM and the BlackBerry OS, having the OS rooted will be a big blow to BlackBerry’s historic security. You can check out the video past the break to see the rooted PlayBook in action.

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GameLoft, the maker of hugely popular games for the BlackBerry PlayBook, is permanently cutting the prices on a few of their most popular games. The games getting the price cuts include Uno HD, N.O.V.A 2 HD, Real Football 2011 HD, and Star Front: Collision HD. These games are all being cut to more than 50% off the original prices. These price cuts can be attributed to the larger numbers of PlayBooks that are now in consumer hands. You can check out all of GameLoft’s offerings at the link below.

• Check out GameLoft’s selection for BlackBerry

At the BlackBerry Innovations Forum, RIM showed off OS 2.0 for the BlackBerry PlayBook. As most of us know by now, OS 2.0 will bring three big features to the PlayBook. Those three new features are Native Email, Contacts, and Calendar. RIM was happy to show those apps off at the Forum and they are looking quite nice. BlackBerryCool was there at the Forum and was able to grab some images of these new apps. The Email app is previewed above and the contacts and calendar apps can be seen past the break. Hopefully these leaked images can help keep your PlayBook OS 2.0 cravings in check till February.

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RIM has just pushed the BlackBerry PlayBook Native SDK v2.0 out for developers in Beta form. This new version gives developers early access to the Tablet OS 2.0 Beta release, as well as an updated v2.0 Tablet OS Simulator. The other changes in this update include:

• Added Sensors API (magnetometer, gyroscope, and accelerometer support) (device only for now, not available for the simulator at this time)
• Added Payment Service support for subscriptions and in-app purchasing
• IDE improvements in usability, performance, and reliability
• Scoreloop SDK 1.0 Beta 1 is included – try out some social game features for your apps, such as leaderboards

This update brings developers all the tools they need to begin making great Native apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook’s upcoming OS 2.0 rollout. If your a developer and want to grab this SDK, just hit the link below to get started. And a note to consumers, this is a Beta release of software that is meant for developers. If you install it and things stop working for you, don’t blame RIM. It’s a Developer Beta for a reason.

• Download the BlackBerry PlayBook Native SDK Here

RIM has updated the official BlackBerry PlayBook page with some information that all aspiring PlayBook owners should know. The PlayBook is now being listed as low as $199 at various retailers across the nation. This price is for the 16 GB version of the PlayBook and pricing for the larger versions is showing as low as $248 at some shops. There’s no mention if this is a holiday sale or just a sale to spark the slow PlayBook sales rates. A list of the participating retailers is listed in the screenshot above and links to the deals can be found using the link below. If you’ve been looking to get in on the PlayBook action, now is the time to do it with prices starting at just $199.

• Click here to check out the BlackBerry PlayBook

EA is currently holding a big sale on games for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The games included in the sale are Dead Space, SimCity Deluxe, Bejeweled 2, Madden NFL 12, and Life. These titles are all listed for a deep discount off the regular price. You can hit the link below to go to EA’s App World page where the titles are listed. The 5 titles that are on sale have “ON SALE” listed before the app name. Now’s the perfect time to grab some of these awesome apps while they are on sale!

• Check out the EA Games PlayBook Sale in App World

RIM announced today, via the BlackBerry Beta Zone, that an OS update for the BlackBerry PlayBook is due out soon. This update will not bring any new features to the PlayBook, instead it will bring multiple bug fixes and improvements to the overall user experience. This update is due sometime in the next few weeks and is intended to bridge the gap between now and February, when PlayBook OS 2.0 is due. A small list of the changes coming in this update include:

• Daylight Savings Time: updated some time zones
• Updated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi drivers improving co-existence and connectivity
• BlackBerry App World account payments reliability improvements
• Improvements to VPN connection reliability
• Addressed some scenarios where BlackBerry Desktop Software would not restore applications to the PlayBook

So, while it’s not OS 2.0, this update should fix quite a few of the issues that users have had trouble with and it will be a nice update before the big OS 2.0 rollout. We’ll let you know as soon as RIM gets this update ready and rolls it out for all to download.

This year seems to be a turning point for mobile technology, especially where RIM is concerned. They announced the transition to BBX, the next generation of BlackBerry software. RIM killed Java development for future BlackBerry devices. RIM has built an entirely new development platform for their mobile devices. RIM built and deployed the PlayBook OS using Adobe Flash and AIR. Now, Adobe has forced one more change on RIM, and it concerns that last point I just made about RIM this year.

Adobe has announced that development for Flash Player for mobile devices is dead. This means that BlackBerry Smartphones will never see the Flash Player that they have been waiting on for years. This also means that portions of the current BlackBerry PlayBook software will have to be redesigned. Many functions and apps are built around Adobe Flash and AIR. With Flash out of the picture, RIM will need to center the PlayBook more squarely around AIR and the NDK, while phasing out the portions that use Flash. Adobe has stated that they will continue to issue security updates for Flash Player for both the PlayBook and Android devices, but any further development of the Flash platform is dead.

While this is bad news for RIM, it is also good because RIM is on the leading edge of HTML5 development. HTML5 is a relatively new web standard that the vast majority of the web as started to adopt. Adobe has stated that they will be moving their efforts towards HTML5, and with Adobe moving that direction, there are virtually no major players left who plan to support Flash. RIM has been developing and implementing an excellent HTML5 rendering engine since BlackBerry 6, and now that Flash support is dead and gone, RIM can further refine that HTML5 experience to make browsing on the BlackBerry the best mobile browsing experience out there.

Source: TheVerge

There was no fanfare from RIM or the carriers this time around, but it seems that the BlackBerry PlayBook price cuts are happening again. This time around, we see Canadian carriers Bell and SaskTel getting in on the PlayBook liquidation madness. Both retailers have cut the price of the PlayBook by $200 on all three models. That means you can get the 16GB for $299, 32GB for $399, and 64GB for $499. There’s no official word on how long these cuts will last but rumor has it they will be in place till November 17th. We can also expect to see some price cuts across the board for the Holiday shopping season starting around Thanksgiving. If you’re looking for $200 off now then hit either link below to grab yourself a shiny new PlayBook.

• Purchase a PlayBook from Bell
• Purchase a PlayBook from SaskTel

Via: Mobile Syrup

A new version of BlackBerry PlayBook OS v2.0 has hit the web this morning, but sorry consumers, this one’s only for the developers. The new version, OS 2.0.0.3894, is now available for developers who are participating in the PlayBook Developer Beta Program. The changes RIM has listed for this release include:

• BlackBerry WebWorks applications can now successfully call GPS
• Wi-Fi® profiles are now saved and no longer disappear during tablet reboots

There’s also been mention that this build does not contain a copy of App World. This seems like an effort to stop consumers from downloading the update and damaging their PlayBook, but this exclusion hasn’t been confirmed yet. Also, there’s no word if BlackBerry Bridge has been reactivated in this version. If you’re a developer and you download this update, be sure to let us know what changes you find.

• Visit the BlackBerry DevBlog to Download PlayBook OS 2.0

RIM is currently hosting a BlackBerry PlayBook: Back to Business promotion for enterprise and business customers. The promotion allows business purchasers to buy 2 PlayBooks from an authorized, value-added retailer and they will receive a third PlayBook for free. In addition to the free PlayBook, purchasers can also choose one free PlayBook accessory for each of the three tablets. This promotion runs from now until December 31, 2011 and is a great way for businesses to deploy PlayBooks to their employees while cutting some costs. You can view all the program details plus a list of authorized resellers at the link below.

• Check out the BlackBerry PlayBook: Back to Business Promotion

Speed testing apps are a common sight on all devices that connect wirelessly to the internet. Until this week; however, the BlackBerry PlayBook was one of the only devices out there that didn’t have a speed testing application. That has all changed with the release of Speedtest HD from Xtreme Labs. Speedtest HD works just like you would expect an app of this type to. It tests the latency, upload speed, and download speed of your PlayBook’s wireless connection. The app keeps track of your historical speed data as well as the location and type of network you’re using. Speedtest HD is a free download from App World and is also ranked 19th in the “Top Free” category for PlayBook apps.

• Download Speedtest HD for BlackBerry PlayBook

TVO and RIM have just announced and released 5 new apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook. These 5 apps are part of the new TVOkids line and are focused on helping children develop through the use of technology. Kids these days love to get their hands on technology and the PlayBook is no exception. With these new apps you can help your child familiarize himself with technology and learn a few useful things. The new apps are as follows:

• TVOKids Alphabet Goop  (Ages 2-5) Helps kids recognize and match letters of the alphabet. (Free)
• TVOKids Get Growing  (Ages 2-5) Teaches kids how and why plants grow. (Free)
• TVOKids Sign Match (Ages 2-5) Helps kids learn about important signs they encounter every day. (Free)
• TVOKids Spelling Fleas (Ages 6-11) Asks kids to fill in the missing letters in words, find the correct spelling of words, identify verbs and select pictures to match sentences. ($1.99)
• TVOKids Space Trek Galaxy (Ages 6-11) Strengthens kids’ deductive and logical reasoning skills. ($1.99)

If you have a child in one or more of these age groups you may want to hit the link below and try out these new apps today. These 5, in addition to the 3 TVOkids apps already available, make BlackBerry a great platform to help your children learn with.

• Check out the TVOkids line of BlackBerry PlayBook apps