RIM, the name behind the BlackBerry brand, has a lot of work to do if it is to keep pace with the leaders in the smartphone market. The new range of handsets isn't expected anytime soon, with many expecting little until the latter half of 2012. However, thanks to the guys at Crackberry, we have a sneak peak at a possible future release, the BlackBerry London.

One of the many accusations levelled at BlackBerry devices is the lack of innovation in design; whilst the traditional BlackBerry look can be considered a classic, and is very practical for heavy messaging use, it is starting to look a little dated, associated with a different era in mobile phones. It seems RIM have taken this onboard, as the BlackBerry London seems to be more in line with what a modern, smart, up-to-date device would look like.

The BlackBerry London will run the updated version of the BB OS, BlackBerry 10, formerly known as BBX. Little else is known about the device other than the info that can be seen on the slide above. Sporting a large touchscreen, the device shows a rear facing camera with flash, and what appears to be a front facing camera for video calls.

With the claim that the BlackBerry London is 'all about changing the game' we are hoping for a completely fresh, competitive device, that retains what is good about BlackBerry, i.e. excellent messaging and connectiivty.

There's no detail when, or even if, the BlackBerry London will hit the streets. We'll keep you posted when we hear more.

To check out the existing range of BlackBerry devices, see our BlackBerry phones page.

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RIM, the name behind the BlackBerry brand, has announced that founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie have stepped down as co-chief executives and co-chairmen, as part of a major leadership shake-up.

BlackBerry still has a large fan base, although competition from the Google backed Android operating system and the Apple iPhone is causing many to re-evaluate their communication requirements, and whether BlackBerry is up to the job.

At one time the mainstay handset of business users, BlackBerry gained popularity with the teen market, thanks mainly to the BlackBerry Messenger IM service.

In recent months there has been a large swing away from BlackBerry handsets, and the value of RIM has fallen from around $80bn in 2008 to around $9bn.

The new CEO is Thorsten Heins, who moves from Chief Operating Officer, whilst Barbara Stymiest will be the new chair of the board. Mike Lazaridis will take up the position of vice-chairman, whilst Jim Balsillie will remain a member of the board.

It is hoped that under new leadership, RIM can return the BlackBerry brand to a major competitor within the industry, with better innovation and improved handset line-up.

The new CEO is quoted as saying that RIM has learned from the recent challenges faced, and has emerged as a stronger company as a result.

For the latest offers on BlackBerry, see our BlackBerry Phones page.

BlackBerry manufacturer RIM has fallen foul of the UK communications regulator, OfCom, over the way the company filters adult content from being accessed on BlackBerry handsets.

The issue arises due to the way BlackBerry services are pushed out across their own servers, rather than across the mobile networks. This makes it almost impossible to filter out the content, unless the networks sign up to the system used by RIM, which so far only T-Mobile has done. It is much easier to filter content on other popular handsets, such as the iPhone, as data traffic passes through the mobile networks' own servers.

With BlackBerry devices becoming increasingly popular amongst younger mobile users, the concern is that with no filter in place, graphic images and videos can be easily accessed and shared amongst users.

In an effort to resolve the problem, representatives from RIM have been requested to attend a summit, along with attendees from the leading UK network operators, by OfCom.

An OfCom spokesman said: “It was brought to our attention that there was a problem. It is to do with the way in which the BlackBerry operating system works. We are very concerned and want to get this resolved as quickly as possible.”

The issue has even come to the attention of MP Claire Perry, who has promised to raise the issue with ministers in parliament.

The reputation of BlackBerry has taken a battering in the past few months, with the BlackBerry network suffering a complete outage leaving users unable to access email or internet for days, as well as the accusation that the BBM Instant Messaging service was a major communication tool used to organise the London riots.

Good news for BlackBerry handset owners, as RIM are offering access to BBM Music for free, in a deal that is also extended to existing customers.

The original offer with BBM Music gave users free access to the subscription service for two months, and now the trial has been extended to four months. The offer applies to anyone who downloads the BBM Music up until the 4th January.

BBM Music allows you to create a music profile of your favourite tracks, which can be shared with your BBM Music friends, letting them listen in to the tunes you are enjoying. In return, you get to listen to their tunes, too – meaning the more friends you include on BBM Music, the more tracks you get to listen to. With the BBM Music service you can listen to full music tracks, as well as create playlists of favourite tunes, and discuss them in conversations with your friends. There is even an option to listen to the music when you are offline.

In your own personal collection you can add up to 50 tracks, so the more friends you have that add up to 50 tracks, the better selection of music you will have available to you. Each user gets to select their tunes from a catalogue of millions, from leading labels such as Universal Media Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, EMI, IODA: Independent Online Distribution Alliance, Merlin, VidZone Digital Media and The Orchard.

To use BBM Music, you need a BlackBerry device running OS 5 or higher, and with BBM version 6.0 or higher. You will need a BlackBerry App World account, and an SD card in place for caching songs for offline playback.

BBM Music can be downloaded from the the BlackBerry App World.

The Curve range of handsets from BlackBerry have proven to be very popular, and helped BlackBerry to make the transition from the perception of being a phone just for business users, giving access to a much wider market share. With the Curve, BlackBerry were able to hit a lower pricing point, which helped grow the appeal among younger users, an area where BlackBerry perform very well. The latest addition to the Curve family is the BlackBerry Curve 9380.

The first obvious thing to note about the Curve 9380 is the lack of a hardware QWERTY keyboard. The 9380 is a full touchscreen phone, the first device from BlackBerry to market under the Curve name that is full touchscreen.

The display measures in on the small side for a full touch device, just 3.2 inches, with a pixel resolution of 360 x 480. In general day-to-day use this isn't a major issue, viewing email and web browsing is adequate, but it does have a negative impact on the multimedia aspects of the phone, such as watching YouTube videos, TV Shows or Movies on the go.

The Curve 9380 has a generally small feel to it all round, measuring just 109 x 60 x 11.2mm and weighing only 98g. Despite its compact size, the handset feels well made, and is very pocketable. You certainly wouldn't worry about carrying this phone around with you all day. Underneath the display are the familiar BlackBerry control buttons, the BlackBerry menu key, back button, plus send and end call keys, flanking an optical trackpad.

The trackpad works really well, as expected, and comes in very handy, despite the Curve being full touchscreen. Given that much of the lower menu on BlackBerry devices tends to be a long list of options, it isn't always that easy to select what you need. In such cases, it is much easier to scroll down the list using the trackpad instead of trying to select the option you want with your finger. It can feel a bit clumsy, constantly switching from touchscreen to the trackpad, but you soon get used to it.

The 9380 is powered by an 806 MHz processor, not quite as powerful as that found on other recent BlackBerry handsets, but in general usage the phone operates well and doesn't appear to have any noticeable lag. The device runs BlackBerry OS 7.0, the latest version of the BlackBerry operating system, which allows RIM to include support for features such as NFC, which the Curve is capable of.

Onboard the 9380 includes a 5.0 Megapixel camera, which offers support for geotagging, face detection and image stabilisation. The camera can record VGA resolution video clips, but there is no front facing camera for face-to-face video calls. Image quality on the Curve is nothing spectacular, but it performs well as a point n shoot device.

A full media player is included, with support for a range of media formats for both music and video. The device offers 512 MB internal memory, which can be expanded with Micro SD memory cards, with the device officially supporting cards up to 32 GB in size. A 3.5mm audio jack is available on the phone, too, allowing you to listen to our music using your own preferred headset, rather than being restricted to the basic set that BlackBerry issue.

Social networking support has always been a strong feature of BlackBerry handsets; as well as the extremely popular BlackBerry Messenger, the phone supports integration of Twitter and Facebook, with alerts and updates from these and other services being pushed out to your unified messaging box, allowing you to keep up to date with all the latest news from your friends and family. Obviously email integration on the Curve is top class, it is still an area where BlackBerry excel over all other devices. Multiple accounts are supported, which can be viewed individually or as a whole via the unified messaging inbox.

High speed data is fully enabled on the Curve 9380, with support for both HSDPA and HSUPA included as well as WiFi 802.11 b/g/n. The handset offers quad band GSM connectivity for worldwide roaming, and also includes GPRS and EDGE as well as Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and EDR. The device also includes a full GPS receiver supported by A-GPS, allowing you to use navigation and location based services on the phone.

Although the BlackBerry Curve 9380 may not be as powerful as some other BlackBerry handsets on paper, in general usage the Curve 9380 performs very well. The touchscreen is responsive, if a little small, but text entry via the onscreen QWERTY works well, and is comfortable to use in both portrait and landscape mode.

Given the lower spec on the Curve 9380, the handset comes at a very competitive price point, with contract offers starting from less than £20 per month. And at such a low price, the Curve 9380 offers excellent value for money.

For the latest prices on the 9380, check out the BlackBerry Curve 9380 deals page.

RIM has put a beta version of the popular BlackBerry Messenger in the BlackBerry Beta Zone, adding some neat new features that further extends the capabilities of one of the most popular IM services currently available.

The new beta BBM 6.1 offers support for animated avatars, which are a bit limited in choice at the moment, although more should be added going forward as the beta moves towards a full release, following testing by registered users of BlackBerry Beta Zone. Currently there are three to choose from, a smiley face, a laughing face and an in love face.

There are also some new emoticons added, 12 in number, making it easier to express yourself in pictures as much as in words. Also the number of characters that you can use in your personal message has been increased to 160, the number of a standard SMS text message.

Support is included for coloured chat bubbles, so you can specify a certain colour for a particular contact, instead of sticking with the standard default colour. Colours can be chosen for group chats, personal chats and multiperson conversations, and can easily be switched back to the default setting at any time.

It is also now easier to set a picture from your BlackBerry phone as your BBM display picture, by selecting the 'Set As BBM Display' option from the settings menu.

To download the latest beta version of BBM, or register as a beta trialist to give the beta whirl, head on over to the BlackBerry Beta Zone.

Research In Motion, the name behind the BlackBerry brand, has announced the public availability of BBM Music in the UK, a cloud based music sharing service that is built around the popular BlackBerry Messenger service.

The service was originally launched as a closed beta service back in August, and is now extended to all BlackBerry users. The service allows users to build up a profile of up to 50 songs, which can be listened to offline on a user's BlackBerry device.

Additionally, users can share details of their music profile with friends who are subscribed to their list, and those friends can also listen to a profile, even offline.

The service is powered by Omnifone, which offers access to a wide range of tracks from the catalogues of labels such as Sony, Universal, Warner and EMI. Each month, users will be able to replace up to 25 tracks from their personal music profile, as well as create playlists from their own music and that of their friends.

Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO of RIM, said: “More than 45 million customers already love the social communications benefits delivered through BBM and we are thrilled to be extending the experience into a uniquely social and interactive music service. We have partnered with leading music companies to provide a 'full track' music sharing and discovery experience that will provide users with quality music on demand and allow them to connect with friends on a whole new level.”

BBM Music carries a monthly subscription charge of £4.99, although access for new subscribers is free for the first 60 days. More information, and to download the BBM Music App, head on over to the BBM Music page.

After weeks of rumours, RIM have finally unveiled two new BlackBerry smartphones running on the new OS 7.0, the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380.

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is the first device to be marketed under the Curve name that will be all touchscreen. The device has a 3.2 inch display, and includes a 5.0 Megapixel camera, with video recording facility, and supports the major social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, along with the ever popular BlackBerry Messenger. The 9380 is powered by an 806 MHz processor, along with 512MB of internal memory, which can be expanded with Micro SD memory cards.

The 9380 weighs in at just 98g, and includes the traditional BlackBerry navigation keys, including the optical trackpad, which are situated underneath the screen. Other notable features include WiFi, GPS, HSDPA and HSUPA, and the phone also includes support for NFC wireless technology.

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 is a more traditionally styled BlackBerry device, boasting a 2.45 inch touchscreen display, supporting up to 16 million colours. The phone has a four row QWERTY keypad, with an optical trackpad for menu navigation.

Onboard memory is a generous 8 GB, which can be expanded with Micro SD memory cards, up to 32 GB in size. The device has HSDPA, HSUPA and WiFi, plus a built in GPS receiver with A-GPS support. There is a 5.0 Megapixel camera, with VGA video recording, and as with the 9380, the Bold 9790 supports NFC wireless connectivity.

Both the Curve 9380 and Bold 9790 are scheduled to be released in the coming weeks.

Research In Motion, the company behind BlackBerry phones, is set to offer users of BlackBerry devices up to £63 worth of free premium apps, as an apology following the three day global blackout last week.

The network outage caused outrage amongst users of BlackBerry phones, as millions were unable to access email, browse the web or use BBM.

Users took to popular social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to vent their frustration, further adding to the embarrassment for the Canadian based company.

The range of premium apps will be made available to customers via the BlackBerry App World store, and will continue to be available up until the 31st December, 2011.

RIM Co-CEO, Mike Lazaridis, said: “Our global network supports the communications needs of more than 70 million customers. We truly appreciate and value our relationship with our customers. We have worked hard to earn their trust over the past 12 years, and we are committed to providing the high standard of reliability they expect, today and in the future.”

Whether the move will be enough to appease the many angry BlackBerry users remains to be seen, as daily reports suggest large companies, who make up a fair proportion of the BlackBerry user base, are looking to alternative products, with the iPhone a popular choice.

The range of apps will start to be made available over a period of four weeks, starting from October 19th. The selection of apps that will be included in the premium give away include SIMS 3, N.O.V.A., Bejeweled, Bubble Bash 2, Photo Editor Ultimate, Dive Safe.ly Pro, iSpeech Translator Pro, Nobex Radio Premium, Shazam Encore and Vlingo Plus, amongst others.

Lazaridis added: “We are grateful to our loyal BlackBerry customers for their patience. We have apologised to our customers and we will work tirelessly to restore their confidence. We are taking immediate and aggressive steps to help prevent something like this from happening again.”

RIM had a few attempts at making a decent touchscreen device, which they finally managed with the BlackBerry Torch. The Torch combined a decent touchscreen along with a traditional, BlackBerry styled QWERTY keyboard, which slid out from the bottom of the phone when needed. Although the Torch is still a rather recent handset, it has some hardware limitations which prevent the device being able to run the latest BlackBerry operating system, OS 7.0. As the original Torch proved to be popular with consumers, RIM has released an updated version to the Torch 9800, the BlackBerry Torch 9810.

At first glance, you wouldn’t tell the original Torch and the 9810 update apart. The styling of the device is exactly the same, with the 9810 sporting a 3.2 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display, supporting up to 16 million colours. Whilst the size of the screen is exactly the same, the Torch 9810 does have a higher pixel resolution, offering 480 x 640, as opposed to 480 x 360. The gives the new display a greater pixel density of 250 ppi, making images appear sharper, crisper and clearer than on the previous model.

The Torch 9810 has the same, comfortable to use slide out QWERTY keyboard, and is the same dimensions as the original device, and also the same weight, 161g. As well as the hardware QWERTY keyboard, the Torch also includes a software keyboard, which is ideal for tapping out a quick email or text message. In practice most users will find they will only open the keyboard for composing long messages, where the hardware keypad is much more comfortable to use.

The control buttons on the handset remain the same; the main navigation is done by an optical trackpad, found on many new BlackBerry devices, and this button is flanked to the left by the Call send key and the traditional BlackBerry menu button, and to the right is the back button and the call end key.

The main feature inside that gives the device the power needed to run the more demanding OS 7.0 is the 1.2 GHz processor. As well as the updated processor, the Torch 9810 also has a larger internal memory capacity, offering 8 GB which can be expanded by the use of Micro SD memory cards. The handset can officially support cards up to 32 GB in size, giving a potential memory capacity of up to 40 GB. Pretty useful, indeed.

One of the main benefits of OS 7.0 is the support it offers for NFC, or Near Field Communication, which is available on the 9810. NFC is still a fledgling technology, but there are great hopes that it will grow in popularity as more and more manufacturers include NFC on their handsets. NFC is a contactless data exchange system, which will give much improvement to ticketless systems, as well as enabling devices to act as micro wallets, handling small monetary transactions.

The BlackBerry brand is well known for excellent messaging support, and messaging remains at the core of the 9810. The device can handle multiple email accounts, as well as supporting a range of instant messaging services. BBM has been a real driver of BlackBerry sales amongst certain market segments, and with BlackBerry App World offering easy download of applications to the handset, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 proves to be a very capable messaging device, with all round top media performance.

The media credentials of the device are enhanced with the inclusion of a 5.0 Megapixel camera, which has an LED flash, support for autofocus, Geotagging and image stabilisation. The camera module is capable of recording video, and supports continuous auto focus, which helps keep recorded video clear and in focus.

A full media player is included, with support for multiple media formats, including the popular DivX and XviD video formats, which have been supported on many previous BlackBerry devices, too.

The Torch 9810 also scores well for connectivity, another area where RIM have upped their game in recent times. The handset offers quad band GSM connectivity for extensive roaming support worldwide, along with support for HSDPA and HSUPA for high speed web browsing. WiFi 802.11 b/g/n is included, and we also find Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support.

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Given the popularity of the original BlackBerry Torch, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 should prove to be just as popular. The updates may be minor in some respects, but in areas that count, with more memory, better display, faster processor and of course, support for BlackBerry OS 7.0