Talk:BlackBerry

Models in Separate Section

Allow me to introduce a major contribution: List of BlackBerry Models. It's time to start pruning the models section, it's gotten too big. I recycled the entire table as of today, so this article is a definite superset of the existing table as of October 17th, 2007. The table can now safely be deleted in its entirety in this article, and replaced with a summary-style section, bullet list at one line per major model. I leave this as an exercise to another writer (for now), but if nobody else does it, I will. Mdrejhon 22:58, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

Blueberry

"Newer models with Bluetooth compatibility are colloquially nicknamed "BlueBerries"."

Doesn't the term "BlueBerry" refer to the Blackberry devices that are "blue" in color? I heard this term in reference to the Blue 7230 that didn't support Bluetooth. As opposed to the first Blackberry devices that were indeed all black.

Vandalism

I just edited this.

"In Scotland, the members of the Scottish Parliament who are from the Scottish National Party apparently call their BlackBerry devices "Brambles", which is the Scottish word for a blackberry because they are sad, over-promoted traffic-wardens."

Maybe Im wrong, but this is just antiscottish. Dappled Sage 00:51, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

i just took this out "It is most definitely NOT for thirteen year old girls that have only ever owned ONE cell phone. It is for adults who need business not for simple phone calls. If your son or daughter under the age of 18 wants one tell them they are a spoiled brat and they arent ready for a blackberry, if they ask for one buy them the largest, bulkiest, most retarded cell phone you can possibly find. Especially an older cell phone that has a poorly graphic screen that is NOT LED." Schmiedster 03:32, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Images

can someone help me? I tried to insert some pictures, but they won't show up right. do i need to upload them to the wikipedia server first?

http://www.blackberry.com/images/handhelds/rim850_950_reflect_small.gif http://www.blackberry.com/images/handhelds/landing/950_landing.jpg

Do not upload these images. They are copyrighted by RIM and I don't see any indication that they have been used elsewhere suggesting that they are free to use. KeithTyler 02:02, Jun 9, 2004 (UTC)

"Medium" vs "Large" Size

While the 8700 has a higher rez screen than the 72XX series, the surface area of 8700 screen is slightly less than the 72XX series. Therefore, this is classed as a "medium" size screen, not "large" as it says. This need to be cleaned up. Same goes for the 71XX series, although they are considered very large for non-full-QWERTY cellphone devices (the 71XX being non-full-QWERTY). Mdrejhon 05:00, 6 January 2006 (UTC)

Plural of BlackBerry

Proper nouns ending in 'y' end in 's', not 'ies', so BlackBerrys and BlueBerrys is correct. It looks strange, so I bet that's why RIM always refers to them as "BlackBerry devices" and thus avoid having to deal with it. Bollar 02:50, Sep 10, 2004 (UTC)

What are proper nouns? --Abdull 09:20, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

"Proper nouns (also called proper names) are the names of unique entities." See Noun.

I also think these are sometimes referred to as "Pronouns".(No, pronouns are words used in the place of nouns such as he, she, it, they) And the usage here is like that used with people's names. There is one Danny, or a group of Dannys. --Lucanos 03:06, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

As always in English - there are exceptions to the rule. The plural of 'berry' is 'berries'. This could easily have been verified by referring to any standard dictionary - but it seems that's too much trouble. 24.16.164.253 16:30, 8 April 2006 (UTC) and that this is the bestest

What does this mean?

BES monitors the email stores for users and transmits incoming email to BlackBerry handhelds through the Research In Motion Network Operations Center and then through the cellular network provider that the target device is registered with.

Can someone please clarify that sentence, especially the beginning? I don't know diddly about the server end of these things, but I know that sentence doesn't make a damn bit of sense :) Chris Lawson 05:59, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I don't know anything about how it works beyond what's written above. Deciphering that text gives me the following:

Company provides Blackberrys to employees. Company buys BES software. BES has an email store (place to store email) for each server. BES receives mail for the user, and sends the email to RIM's NOC. RIM's NOC then determines what cellular service the company uses for its Blackberrys, and tranfsers the email over to that cellular carrier's network, which is then responsible for getting it to the actual device.

It's not nonsense, and the method described also makes sense.

- Keith D. Tyler [flame] 07:27, Jan 24, 2005 (UTC)

I'm gonna head over to RIM's site and see if I can find any docs there that explain this better. The part I'm having the most trouble with is "the e-mail stores for users" -- I just don't get what that's trying to say at all, and your explanation (no offence, Keith) doesn't sound like you have any idea either ;) Chris Lawson 07:54, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

You might want to start by researching how an email server works. When a server receives email, it doesn't just lump it all into a big mess, it puts it in separate stores for each user. Sometimes these are called "mailboxes", or especially in Outlook, "e-mail inboxes". "...the email stores for users...": stores, plural form of "store", a noun, commonly referring to a place to store something in server lingo. Not stores, a verb, being performed by the subject noun "e-mail".

Looking at this comparative review of BES at Techworld, it sounds like BES monitors the user mailboxes maintained by another MTA like Exchange, and picks up messages to forward to the device associated with that person. This assumption is backed up by the existence of different versions of BES for three major commercial enterprise mail servers.

- Keith D. Tyler [flame] 21:13, Jan 24, 2005 (UTC)

I know how an e-mail server works, but for someone who doesn't, that made no sense at all. I've fixed it to read more clearly to the layman without being overly technical. I also left a comment on the original author's talk page, so maybe that individual can weigh in with more details. -- Chris Lawson 03:36, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC) funky fresh yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!

size

What is the size of a BlackBerry? --Abdull 09:20, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

"RIM xxx" name of old devices

I've changed eg. "850" to "RIM 850" in the list of old devices. This page shows that the naming scheme only started calling the devices "Blackberry" after the 957.

They were called blackberrys back then but RIM decided to change the name for differentiation purposes. --Blah666 23:52, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Blackberry v. Technology Patents, not just NTP

The Blackberry v. NTP, Inc. case is a critical case that affects not just users of the Blackberry but all new technologies and business tools current and future.

If NTP wins this case, it will affect more than just Blackberry users as the case will be used to support other companies with patent lawsuits many of which have been filed to suppress new technology so that companies that manufacture older technology continue to dominate the market. A majority of these patent infringement lawsuits have been described as frivolous technology patents that prevent advancements in important and useful technologies.

What if opponents of stem cell research file patents for stem cell development so they can prevent anyone from using that technology? The old industries would find new ways to prevent new industries from replacing or superceding their business because it would render their industry obsolete?

We've seen this already with the oil industry, the software industry, and the media industry. Plans for cars that get better gas mileage prevented from being manufactured. Newer software by smaller software companies never get to consumers who seek better business applications.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office mounts case against NTP patents

Research in Motion (RIM), provider of BlackBerry mobile e-mail, may well prevail over patent rights claimant NTP despite losing a major court case to NTP in November, 2002, and in subsequent appeals.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has reviewed and is proposing to overturn all cited claims in the five patents that NTP relied on to win its case. While NTP representatives have told reporters that NTP will act to support and maintain the patent claims, the strength of those patents has become doubtful in the light of extensive, though still preliminary USPTO findings.

On its own initiative, the USPTO began reexamining five NTP patents in December, 2002, including four of those cited in the court decision. In August, 2003, RIM challenged the fifth patent that was cited. The USPTO began a reexamination of that patent as well as other NTP patents that were not cited in the court decision, for a total of eight NTP patents under review.

The eight NTP patents were all by inventors Thomas J. Campana, Jr., Michael P. Ponschke and Gary F. Thelen, from the Chicago area, filed between May, 1991, and December, 1999. They are quite bulky, with from 62 to 665 claims, and they are densely interrelated.

Campana, who died in 2004, formerly headed ESA Telecommunications of Chicago, and Ponschke and Thelen worked there as programmers. In 1990 ESA engaged in a remote communications project for Telefind of Coral Gables, FL, and an AT&T division located in Somerset, NJ, involving technology related to the patents now being reexamined. So far as can be seen, ESA had little commercial success in developing this type of technology, but Campana, Ponschke and Thelen continued to describe their inventions in patents that were assigned to NTP.

NTP has submitted thousands of pages of documents responding to the USPTO. In February, 2003, Campana executed a 27-page affidavit with several attachments, recorded by the USPTO July 6 in connection with reexamination 90/006,491. Exhibit 6 of that affidavit is a memo written by the head of Telefind recounting a demonstration that took place in New Jersey on October 26, 1990, further described below.

By late June, 2005, the USPTO had published initial findings for the eight patents, proposing to overturn some patents entirely and others partly. All patent claims cited in the court decision were rejected in the initial USPTO findings.

As of early January, 2006, the USPTO had reviewed responses from NTP to the initial findings for seven patents and was still proposing to overturn all patent claims cited in the court decision. Final actions from the USPTO are expected during the first half of 2006. NTP was allowed until December 28 to respond to one set of findings, and the USPTO will be reviewing its response.

During reexaminations, the USPTO built detailed cases against NTP patent claims developed largely from information contained in other U.S. patents. The USPTO found that U.S. patent 5,159,592 by inventor Charles E. Perkins, assigned to IBM, anticipated many claims in the NTP patents and was filed earlier than any of them. NTP has apparently been unable to show to the satisfaction of the USPTO that its inventions were documented or demonstrated before the Perkins patent held by IBM was filed.

The October 26, 1990, date claimed for ESA's demonstration to AT&T could be significant, because the Perkins patent application was filed October 29, 1990. However, according to the Telefind memo, what was demonstrated then was a "wireless modem to download data and messages" and not the more complex system of e-mail processing and routing that is described in the patents under review.

U.S. patent 5,278,955 deals with e-mail processing and cites an article from 1989 by Richard D. Verjinski entitled, "PHASE, a portable host access system environment," published in an IEEE proceedings. The USPTO found Verjinski's article anticipated many NTP patent claims.

Besides the Perkins patent and the Verjinski article, the USPTO found several other prior publications describing techniques claimed in NTP patents, including a RIM patent and documents published by Norwegian Telecommunications in 1986 and 1989. For many of the NTP patent claims it now proposes to reject the USPTO cites multiple prior disclosures.

Until recent years U.S. patent applications were not published. NTP inventors would have been unable to learn about the Perkins patent application when they applied for the first three of the eight patents now being reexamined. However, the Verjinski article was published before any NTP patent application, and the Perkins patent had been published before applications for the last five NTP patents were filed.

The USPTO has assembled substantial evidence that critical NTP patent claims are invalid. Despite persistent attempts by RIM to intervene in the reexaminations, the USPTO has generally built its own cases without accepting arguments advanced by RIM. So far the USPTO has not explained why the NTP claims now being rejected were instead accepted when the NTP patent applications were originally examined.

NTP has made some adjustments in response to the USPTO findings but is attempting to justify and maintain most if not all of its claims. If the USPTO follows through with final actions rejecting any claims not conceded or adjusted by NTP, NTP has available to it both administrative and court appeals, likely to take many years.

While it would be difficult for anyone but a patent attorney to assess the depth of the flaws in NTP claims currently identified by the USPTO, the breadth and detail of the USPTO findings are apparent. Through events mostly outside its control, RIM has exited the year 2005 in a stronger position than it entered. Now NTP is under attack, and NTP will need to defend its interests more effectively than before.

--Craig Bolon 20:08, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

posted from a BlackBerry

Yes indeed, this message was posted from my Blackberry (model 7105). 216.9.250.61 04:47, 16 February 2006 (UTC) a.k.a. Bobak

Problems Section

Anyone have any citations for the "BlackBerry Thumb" paragraph in the Problems section? Sounds like clap-trap to me --Lucanos 03:06, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

BES/Domino on a MSCS cluster?

Is anyone out there running BES on a MSCS-based cluster for HA from a hardware perspective? I know BES is not cluster-aware, but if you alias the VIP of the cluster and SAN-mount the BES/Domino/SQL bits as single-instance installs refencing the alias I would think this should work. Anyone?

We're looking at going down the Doubletake road from NSI Software as a partner in our clustering initiative for the BBs, so if anyone has any insights about them/product that would be great too.

--BartL 16:37, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

Keyboard

The 7100 series models feature a reduced-key keyboard and use SureType technology to allow each key to represent multiple letters, numbers, and symbols. klalkaslaslslskj - WHAT IS THIS???

Delete this part?

"In FOX's animated political satire American Dad!, Steve picks up a BlackBerry after Dick Cheney was shocked many times. Steve starts to prank all countries which leads them into a small trouble."

I'm confused - this looks like gibberish. T. J. Day 06:01, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Not Wifi compatible?

"BlackBerry devices still depend on mobile phone service coverage and are not Wi-Fi compatible unlike similar handheld devices that are on the market now.", see: http://www.blackberry.com/products/blackberry7200/blackberry7270.shtml - it is a pure Wifi blackberry that uses SIP for Wifi phone calls. MrMabs 13:30, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

This is no longer true, given the 8820 development —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.68.113.112 (talk) 09:11, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

"External links" section needs work

The subheadings for the "External links" section need work.

1. I think that "Corporations" should be substituted for "Corporate."
2. Under the "Other" section, several of the descriptions sound like advertisements instead of like an encyclopedia; see in particular the "SmartphonesTalk.com" and "PinStack.com" links.
3. For "BlackberryCool", should the sub-site mentioned in the description be made into another link that is indented from the first?

--Whiteknox 20:44, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Is this justified?

"text messages" in the following line was added today by a user who was not logged in. I don't think it is entirely justified:

The ease of keying in and sending not only e-mails, but mobile "short messages"/text messages

--Whiteknox 19:26, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

redirect

shouldnt it go to Blackberry (disambiguation) ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.134.188.14 (talk) 14:12, 4 January 2007 (UTC).

Wikipedia for BlackBerry?

Cool article. Maybe off article, but is anyone out there creating Wikipedia software or an interface for BlackBerry? I would love to be able to catch changes to articles as I drive. CreativeLogic 22:21, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Word choice in opening paragraph

The original BlackBerry device had a monochrome display, but all prevalent models have color displays.

I think this author may have meant most subsequent or possibly all the most popular rather than all prevalent

Technical info

It seems to me this article lack compeltely of technical information. For example there is no mention on how the BB network or their push technology works. I am not sure the protocol specification is public domain or reserved, but I suppose a bit of technical information is available anyway. Unfortunately I do not have that much experience in the field, but maybe there is someone here expert in wireless communication that can improve this article. Luca Mauri 06:52, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Popular Culture section

The "in Popular Culture" section of this article seems a bit long, and contains numerous grammatical errors and unsourced statement. Posting here before hacking it down or removing it entirely. Ryanjunk 16:22, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

The bit about BlackBerrys still being mostly unknown outside USA should be made somewhere on the page tho. This is "common-knowledege", difficult to source.

There was nothing of use there, so I removed it today. But if somebody thinks it's absolutely essential that this article include mention that Hillary Duff has been seen with one, please make your protest known now. -- MisterHand 19:51, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

Redberry

Now that RIM has been granted access to China, do you believe that something should be mentioned about how a Chinese company was originally selling Redberry's. This was a method of protectionism to establish a domestic company before the foreign one entered? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060411.wredberry11/BNStory/Business/home Canking 15:39, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Criticism

How is a touchscreen significant?