News and Rumors

Verizon Wireless has just released a list of more cities and areas that are now covered under their 4G LTE service. It's nice to see that some of these areas being covered now are mid sized towns. This is a great sign that 4G is not too far off from reaching rural communities and small towns. Keep in mind that some of the cities listed below already had 4G but have been expanded even more.

• Fayetteville / Springdale / Rogers, AR
• Albany, NY
• Tucson, AZ
• Ithaca, NY
• Bakersfield, CA
• Rockland / Westchester, NY
• Salinas / Monterey / Seaside, CA
• Syracuse / Central, NY
• Fort Collins, CO
• Cincinnati, OH
• Washington, DC
• Columbus, OH
• Atlanta, GA
• Altoona, PA
• Tampa, FL
• Johnstown, PA
• Boston, MA
• Memphis, TN
• Worcester, MA
• Ogden, UT
• Baltimore, MD
• Provo, UT
• Lansing, MI
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Omaha, NE

Is your city on the list? Let us know in the BBOS forum!

Facebook v2.0.0.45 has started rolling out to BlackBerry users. If you don't see the update yet, you most likely will within 24 hours. This update addresses the issue of the application freezing and the News Feed not refreshing. Let us know how the update works for you in the comments below!

• Discuss any findings/fixes in the BBOS forum

Watch my quick preview of how Dead Space by EA Games runs on the BlackBerry PlayBook. I can say that this game runs very smooth, no lag, graphics are awesome, and audio is great. This game on the PlayBook is equal to the play experience on the iPad if not better because of the size of the screen, controls, and better audio. You can purchase Dead Space in BlackBerry App World for $9.99.

• Purchase Dead Space in BB App World
• Have you tried the game yet? Let us know what you think in the forum!

EA has just released one of their top action games, Dead Space, for the BlackBerry PlayBook. This stunning vision of the Dead Space franchise reproduces the cinematic horror of the console game with rich effects and atmospheric lighting. Experience the hardcore gameplay as you struggle to survive the Necromorph onslaught in 6 varied environments. Access the Plasma Saw and Core Extractor, plus 3 more weapons from the Dead Space universe - then get on with the business of strategic dismemberment! Let us know how the game works for you!

• Purchase Dead Space for PlayBook for $9.99 in BB App World
• See the Dead Space video trailer and discuss in the BBOS forum

Several new features to the BlackBerry News app for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet are now available. BlackBerry News is a news aggregator that enables subscribing to RSS feeds provided by many different content providers to enable a single location to get your latest news. New functionality includes:

Just a short clip on how awesome the new Bold 9900/9930 looks as it fades away into the dark of the night.

I asked... can your iPhone or Droid do that?

• Leave us your thoughts on the Bold 9900/9930 in the BBOS forum

BlackBerry Desktop Manager 2.1.2 Build 8 has been released. It appears the only changes thus far is added support for the following BlackBerry 7 devices:

• BlackBerry Torch 9810
• BlackBerry Torch 9850
• BlackBerry Torch 9860
• BlackBerry Bold 9900
• BlackBerry Bold 9930

You can read more about the update with these Release Notes. You can also read more with the User Guide as well.

• Download Desktop Manager for Mac 2.1.2
• Sound off in the forums about Desktop Manager 2.1.2

Today RIM launches BlackBerry Management Center, a free online service that helps small businesses automatically back up smartphones on a regular basis, locate lost devices, reset a device password, or remotely erase the information stored on a device if it is lost or stolen.

What is the true cost of a lost smartphone? For businesses, the cost can far exceed the actual cost of the device. Factor in the cost of lost productivity with the time it takes to set up a new device and recover lost information, and the cost can climb into the thousands of dollars. Costs can soar even higher in cases of the loss or theft of unsecured or unprotected devices that allow confidential customer or company information to fall into the wrong hands.

Mobile security is an important consideration for small businesses and one that needs to be taken seriously. BlackBerry Management Center is just one of the ways that RIM is helping SMBs manage, secure, and protect BlackBerry smartphones and the information stored on them.

• Head to the free BlackBerry Management Center
• Read the full press release
• Discuss this with us in the BBOS forum

Well with little fanfare from the folks over at Verizon, they have officially launched the new BlackBerry Bold 9930. Pricing for the 9930 is $509.99 with no commitment or $249.99 with a 2 year contract.

• Will you be ordering a 9930 from Verizon? Let us know in the forums!
• Verizon BlackBerry 9930