The best deal we’ve seen with the BlackBerry PlayBook thus far, but nonetheless, it makes owning the highest capacity version very easy going on the wallet. Just before the new year, RIM had a special sale going on for its line of PlayBook tablets.

This time around, the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions of the PlayBook, essentially all models, are now priced at $299 through RIM’s Shop BlackBerry store online. Of course, $299 for the 16GB and 32GB versions is higher than the prices we’ve seen flaunted of late, but the 64GB one is priced considerably lower than before.

The 16GB and 32GB versions, even more when they’re all priced uniformly at $299. Moreover, RIM has decided to really lengthen this promotion more than its last one, seeing that it’s going on well throughout the month and into February  with it ending on February 4th to be exact.

Shipping is included with the purchase, but as it currently stands, they’ll ship within 7 to 14 business days from the time they’re purchased. Either way, you can bet that a lot of people are going to gravitate towards the 64GB model above all.

BlackBerry Torch 9810 will be available to its customers starting on November 9, T-Mobile announced.

The Torch 9810 features the latest version of the BlackBerry OS, version 7, and sports a speedy 1.2GHz processor, a slide away 4-row QWERTY keyboard and a 3.2-inch VGA resolution touchscreen display.

A 720p HD video-capable 5 megapixel camera is also included in the phone.

T-Mobile is offering its own BlackBerry Torch 9810 for a very steep $249.99 price tag, on contract and after a $50 mail in rebate card.

It will be available in stores and online starting on November 9, 2011.

The Torch 9810 was announced back in August of this year and has been available to AT&T’s customers for some time.

We did a full review of the AT&T version of the Torch that you can read to find out how successful RIM was with its second stab at a sliding QWERTY smartphone.

Inside Secure sold millions of its MicroRead and SecuRead NFC chips to manufacturers like ZTE and Research In Motion, which put them in the latest Curve and Bold smartphones.

NFC chip manufacturer Inside Secure shipped over 10 million units so far this year, suggesting adoption of the technology may grow as handset makers find steady suppliers.

“Inside’s NFC chip shipments indicate that this market is achieving significant penetration as more and more mobile device and other consumer electronics device makers begin to integrate NFC functionality into their product offerings,” said Inside Secure COO Charles Walton.

Few handsets on today’s market, other than the Nexus S and a handful of RIM and Sony Ericsson smartphones, contain NFC chips.

But that may change as more handset manufacturers begin to climb onboard NFC technology, responding to pressure from industry coalitions like Isis and services like Google Wallet.

Isis, a consortium of credit card makers, carriers and handset makers, seeks to standardize mobile, NFC based payments across the industry.

Isis recently furthered it goal when itjoined the NFC Forum, a regulatory body aiming to set standards end fragmentation in the market.

As Isis draws disparate companies and services together toward adopting NFC, Google Wallet is slowly putting the service into use at select merchants across the country.

Jamba Juice, American Eagle and Macy’s all offer discounts to those who use their Nexus S phones to purchase goods using NFC payments.

Google Wallet and Isis will need more hardware in the form of NFC equipped phones, however, in order for the technology to gain more traction in the market.

At the time, NXP CEO Rick Clemmer said, “This latest move from Sony Ericsson is another proof point of the strong momentum and potential of NFC.”

More handset makers are adopting NFC technology and may soon make NFC based mobile payments a widespread reality, boosting the profits of chip makers betting on the standard to take off in the market.

Broadcom also unveiled a 40-nanometer chip that is reportedly 90 percent more energy-efficient than standard NFC hardware.

It plans to market the technology next year and will likely see high demand given NFC’s increasing growth, thanks to Isis and Google Wallet.

BlackBerry smartphones are a staple of mobile communications for many businesses, but some of the key productivity features have not been available to small and medium businesses.

BlackBerry Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365 is acloud-based service hosted by RIM that extends the capabilities of BlackBerry smartphones by connecting to andintegrating with Office 365.

Mobile users will be able to connect with the Microsoft Exchange Online data such as email, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes from their BlackBerry smartphones.

Organizations with the resources to deploy and manage a BlackBerry Enterprise Server infrastructure have always been able to take full advantage of what BlackBerry has to offer while also tying in with backend servers like Microsoft Exchange Server.

However, small and medium businesses typically lack the IT skills and resources necessary to support a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, and end up relying instead on consumer-grade BlackBerry services.

Executives from both RIM and Microsoft praise the new service as an easy, cost-effective means for small and medium businesses to take advantage of what both Office 365 and BlackBerry smartphones have to offer.

For organizations that depend on BlackBerry devices, RIM and Microsoft promise this new service will enable users to have a consistent messaging and productivity experience from their PC, or from their BlackBerry smartphone while they are on the go.

Microsoft Office 365 customers can sign up for the BlackBerry Business Cloud Services beta at www.blackberry.com/beta/businesscloud. The cloud based service is available for no additional charge to Microsoft Office 365 Midsized Businesses and Enterprises plan subscribers and works with BlackBerry smartphones on business or consumer data plans.

Given the recent outage of BlackBerry services, customers may be reluctant to subscribe to a cloud-based service hosted by RIM.

But, organizations that are already invested in BlackBerry smartphones, and already subscribe to Microsoft’s cloud-based Office 365 service should definitely take a look at this service and how it might improve communications and productivity.

Dubbed as the BlackBerry Colt for now, which is aiming for a Q1 2012 release, there are some noteworthy pieces of information regarding the up and coming device.

Obviously, people are still waiting to hear about crazy hardware specs with this one, but interestingly enough, it’s looking to sport nothing more than a single-core 1GHz processor.

Nevertheless, you can’t count on the fact that RIM might end up having a change of heart between now and then – so it’s possible we might see an upgrade to it down the road.

Within the last week, RIM has been able to get the juices flowing by announcing a trove of new next-generation BlackBerry smartphones, but as consumers begin to adopt these new devices, they have to simultaneously know in the back of their heads about RIM’s plans for QNX based smartphones.

Thankfully, we’re getting our first indication of what to expect, as some of BGR’s sources have leaked information regarding the true next-generation BlackBerry smartphone.

As for the rendered image at hand, it’s merely a mockup of what the device might appear like – especially when it’s fairly certain to pack that iconic BlackBerry keyboard. Love it or hate it right now, it’s still too early to say with enough certainty if this one will be a knockout winner.

But it’s clear that RIM is going to make the move and bring QNX based smartphones in the future. Is it a risky move? Of course, but we’ll see how things develop with the Colt first.

Currently in testing with RIM’s software verification team, it appears that they’re in for one massive upbringing with this one because it’s being reported that they’re experiencing some tougher challenges.

Specifically, it seems as though coders are having difficulty with it, which might force them to launch the Colt without that perennial BlackBerry Enterprise Server support.

However, they aim to balance things out by having support for Microsoft’s ActiveSync – thus, appeasing some enterprise users out there in the meantime.

“You didn’t think you would be reading this this morning, did you? Yup. It’s official. The team at Tungle will now be sporting new BlackBerrys.

Tungle has been acquired by Research In Motion (RIM).

… As of today, the entire team is joining the ranks of RIM. It’s playoff season and the Tungle team is focusing on putting the puck in the net for you, our customers.

You have kept us on our toes, given us great ideas and most importantly, have been great supporters. For that, we thank you.

Our objective is to keep innovation at the forefront – to be rebels in our own way. Think, Create, Innovate,” says Marc Gingras, CEO of Tungle.me, now a part of RIM, on the company’s website.

The first real smart phone our VP ever owned was Blackberry. It didn’t even have a camera, but the keyboard was easy to use and browsing the web was excellent. Now, Tungle on the Go! enables RIM users to connect their smartphone or tablet calendar,

“You didn’t think you would be reading this this morning, did you? Yup. It’s official. The team at Tungle will now be sporting new BlackBerrys.

Tungle has been acquired by Research In Motion (RIM).

… As of today, the entire team is joining the ranks of RIM. It’s playoff season and the Tungle team is focusing on putting the puck in the net for you, our customers.

You have kept us on our toes, given us great ideas and most importantly, have been great supporters. For that, we thank you.

Our objective is to keep innovation at the forefront – to be rebels in our own way. Think, Create, Innovate,” says Marc Gingras, CEO of Tungle.me, now a part of RIM, on the company’s website.

The first real smart phone our VP ever owned was Blackberry. It didn’t even have a camera, but the keyboard was easy to use and browsing the web was excellent. Now, Tungle on the Go! enables RIM users to connect their smartphone or tablet calendar, schedule meetings even with others who do not use Tungle, and time zone auto-adjustment. Calendar details are kept private. Others see only FREE or BUSY blocks.

Get this cool Tungle.me fact. Their apps are available for iPhone, BlackBerry AND soon Android as well.

So, how does one use Tungle.me?

Mobile Monday chose the representative of Finland for 2010 MobileMonday Peer Awards who competed in the semi-final Great Interactive, Powerkiss and Sibesonke. The public’s favorite semi-final winner was chosen Powerkiss, which the Finnish at the Peer Awards finals.

“Semi final victory came to us completely by surprise, but it is an honor to represent in the Finnish Peer Awards finals. We have developed a wireless charging technology for mobile devices. The service has received a welcome reception from the public and at MobileMonday. We believe that Mobile Monday is a great place to network and create new lines of business in a spirit of open innovation, “commented Powerkiss founder and CEO Maija Itkonen.

Founded in 2008, Powerkiss develops wireless charging systems. Powerkiss products can currently be downloaded and used on mobile phones, MP3 players and tablets.

MobileMonday Peer Awards are organized since 2005. This year the competition final was held in connection with MobileMonday Summit on Monday 27/09/2010. The finals noted Powerkiss as a great addition among the mobile industry’s growth companies in Israel, Japan, Kenya, Pakistan, Uganda, Brazil, Argentina, Norway, Estonia and France. This year’s Peer Award local winners competed in the Future Potential and Base of the Pyramid categories. Announcements of final winners will follow soon.

The First Peer Award Winner Quickclic Finland Oy’s Managing Director Hannele Laurila, commented: “Peer Award was a victory in 2005, and it brought us the business operations we needed at the beginning and the credibility our country needs. It opened doors for us and allowed the cooperation with others. The award also brought us visibility in the international market. “Quickclic develops e-service solutions to health care and the integration of electronic services in the healthcare, commercial and industrial businesses and organizations.

Helsinki and Tallinn Summit organized to celebrate the tenth anniversary MobileMonday. Ten years, MobileMonday has grown a dynamic global community, which consists of 105 local committees of more than 50 countries, including major cities such as New York, Tokyo, Mumbai, Shanghai, Berlin, Johannesburg and Buenos Aires, but also the most exotic areas that hold exciting mobile innovations and potential, such as Kampala, Uganda; Ramallah, Palestine; and Karachi as well as Islamabad, Pakistan.

Alone in the past 12 months, approximately 150,000 mobile professionals have participated in MobileMonday activities on all continents. MobileMonday activities are based on an open and independent community force.

For more information:

Jari Rosendal, CEO of MobileMonday, jari.tammisto (at) mobilemonday.fi, 358 (0) 400 333 366

Minna Särelä, MobileMonday minna.sarela coordinator (at) mobilemonday.fi,
358 (0) 50 589 4131

Maija Itkonen, President Power Kiss Ltd, maija.itkonen (at) powerkiss.com,
358 (0) 44 059 3313

Hannele Laurila, CEO, Quickclic Finland Oy, hannele.laurila (at) qc.fi,
358 (0) 40 759 0119

When Apple came out with the IPAD, it was something I looked forward to and after using it I became very dismayed that all my hopes and dreams were quashed as it was basically a larger version of an ipod and a toy that I found only useful to a geriatric who needed to hold a screen big enough to play their songs. As a business tool it was fragile and useless and defied all the laws that a conventional business would need. So in short it was just a frail effort that apple came out with to try and excite the overtly gay MAC user.

After this, as I am coder, I was introduced to the new RIM 9800 which was as we call a hybrid – an iphone with blackberry services… Ho hum now we can get mails and still look at a small screen… When the PLAYBOOK was an idea, I was worried that RIM had stretched its self too thin and it was going to be a disaster merging the world of multimedia with the world of business… Sadly I am wrong and RIM has done an excellent job at bringing business to the MAC world.

The playbook is a powerful tool and is capable of several multitasking functions yet with the ability to enforce serious gaming and graphical attributes that it boasts… The play book is not a toy rather it is the ultimate weapon for the new corporate soldier. This tablet has everything that one could want with expansion capabilities and a standby time that is unheard of… It has the ability to remotely login and control an entire government facility and also has two cameras one in the front and one at the back which allow you to smile at a person and take multiple images or record hi definition movies at the same time…

The new operating system is superfast and you will be sure that when your torches go out and you’re in the dark the playbook will allow you the luxury of dancing to the tunes that you missed on the radio whilst delivering your invoices to those who need them in a glance.

This is not a toy – repeat it is a weapon that will have the ability to make you or break you if you sit down and once get adjusted to its complexities… The funny thing is that since RIM has created a perfect hybrid that merges all the functions that one would need it makes me question one thing… Is this the next gen laptop from a company that made ugly phones… They say if you dress anything in black, it will look good, and the playbook looks damn sexy. The image its design conveys is that of pure beauty and sleek class that one finds hard to buy.

The best thing is that whilst it’s a tablet one can conveniently hide it away in a medium sized handbag as it is not at all bulky. Rather this book I am sure will be the easiest to swallow tablet that any tech company made. With this in mind I am happy to state that RIM today is one company that has evolved with time and adapted to the need to of the consumer and one of the best things that RIM has done is price it right… Sadly the saying “once you go MAC there’s no turning back! Is no longer true as this is the future from a company that has managed to draw the line and mark its self as one who understands its clients… For the first time RIM is allowing its consumers to define what they want by writng applications that they will actually use globally… For more information please see what is written on BBC website and I look forward to you trying the playbook… I know it will be a brilliant investment… If you’re looking for what to do with your IPAD my suggestion is that it would make a funky coaster for your coffee.

Read more at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11416190 and http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/27/rim-introduces-playbook-the-blackberry-tablet/.

Amyn A. Ghulamali is a guest editor for Techistan. (The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Techistan.) Read his blog.  Amyn is known for his skill at caricature, satire, irony, and in-your-face opinion or truth in writing.

Register for any of show pass types and see more than 200 companies showcase wireless applications, solutions, hardware and software on the CTIA Enterprise & Applications™ 2010 exhibit floor this October.

Technology Pavilions:
Multiple technology pavilions will highlight emerging market segments, introduce new industry players and support one-stop-shopping for mobile business products and services.
Launch Pad — introducing start-up companies looking to break into the competitive mobile marketplace.

M2M Zone — offering wireless Machine-to-Machine communications products and services.

mCommerce Pavilion — demonstrating mobile solutions for payments, banking, remittance and emerging mobile money services.

Mobile Applications Pavilion — showcasing the latest mobile platforms, content, social networking, and application delivery solutions.

Mobile Cloud Computing Pavilion — displaying resources from public and private clouds to utility and hybrid cloud services.

Telecom Council Innovation Showcase — promoting innovative entrepreneurs and start-up companies through live demos and presentations.

Wireless Dealer Expo — providing a one-stop-shop for wireless retail buyers and suppliers.

Wireless Health Pavilion — offering the latest products, applications and network management solutions that empower healthcare providers and enhance communication among health professionals and patients

RIM (think “Blackberry and Research in Motion“) announces this week its Mobile Voice System 5 and a new device, the Blackberry Pearl 9100. The MVC 5 makes VoIP calling over WiFi for small business users more a reality than ever. Listen to a podcast and video of an example of a company already leveraging (for the past 3 years) RIM, IP PBX, and domestic/international direct inward dialing on iTunes #69 and Youtube.

The Mobile Voice System 5  works with Cisco’s Unified Communications Manager. It can find the location of a Blackberry that is connected via WiFi to an actual desktop phone number. As a result, users can send and receive calls like they are back in the office.

In February 2009, Omar Chohan of SACS stated, “The way we’ve been doing this for the past few years or so … Calls are routed via SIP into our PBX for example in our USA or Dubai office or while we are out anywhere just holding our Blackberry cell phone. They are provisioned as Blackberry calls One Number Reach. In addition, the MVS offering enables DID to be used as a mask for inbound and outbound calls. The caller ID will not be the Blackberry number but instead the DID from DIDX.”

These solutions that have been around long before this recent Blackberry announcement, as Chohan shows, enables individuals and organizations the opportunity to record calls, forward calls, block calls, call hunt and other things that the Internet-protocol based PBXs have enabled for many years.

Mobile Voice System 5, itself, will be available sometime in 2010. Meanwhile, check with your favorite vendors of IP PBX who leverage the RIM and other mobile platforms, wholesale or retail, on how to use this type of service in the future.