BIS

mobile
December 12, 2011
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Indonesia threatens to ban BIS, BlackBerry Messenger

By on December 12, 2011 at 11:30 AM.

Indonesia threatens to ban BIS, BlackBerry Messenger

The Indonesian government has threatened to ban Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Messenger and BIS services in the country following the company’s decision to install a server in Singapore instead of in Indonesia. “Because RIM has not been cooperative, it is possible that we will soon end BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service) and BBM service,” a member of the Indonesian Telecommunication Regulatory Authority BRTI told The Jakarta Post. “BlackBerry therefore, would just be like other cellular phones.” RIM told the Indonesian government it would build a “server or data center” in the country as one of four promises it said would be completed by December 31st, The Jakarta Post explained. Read on for more. More →

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mobile
November 9, 2011
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RIM investigating BlackBerry message delays

By on November 9, 2011 at 5:30 PM.

RIM investigating BlackBerry message delays

RIM acknowledged that many its users have reported delayed message deliveries on Wednesday, although it remains unclear what the culprit might be. “We’re getting reports that some users are experiencing delays,” RIM said on its official Twitter account. “We’re investigating and will update you ASAP.” A BlackBerry outage affected millions worldwide for several days during October. The downtime resulted in a class-action lawsuit and could cost RIM an estimated $100 million.  More →

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mobile
October 13, 2011
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RIM: All BlackBerry services have been restored

By on October 13, 2011 at 10:45 AM.

RIM: All BlackBerry services have been restored

Research In Motion co-CEO Mike Lazaridis confirmed on a conference call Thursday morning that all BlackBerry services have been restored globally. The co-chief had issued a video apology to customers earlier on Thursday, offering reassurances that the company was doing everything in its power to resolve service interruptions that had extended into their fourth day. A switch failure followed by a large backlog of emails is being blamed for the service outage, which affected millions of BlackBerry users across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, North America and South America. RIM said it is putting fixes in place to prevent a recurrence of this issue in the future, and it is currently considering how it might reimburse carriers and BlackBerry users for the disruption caused by this week’s outages.

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mobile
October 12, 2011
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BlackBerry outage affects millions for third day [updated]

By on October 12, 2011 at 7:25 AM.

BlackBerry outage affects millions for third day [updated]

After having initially said the issues were resolved following one day of service interruptions, millions of BlackBerry users across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and even some areas in South America still find themselves without access to the Wen or messaging services for the third consecutive day. Research In Motion confirmed earlier that a bug on a Blackberry server was responsible for knocking millions offline on Monday, and the Waterloo, Ontario-based smartphone maker elaborated on Tuesday that the continued interruption was caused by a core switch failure. RIM now says the outage has caused a large backlog of data that must be cleared before service can return to normal. No firm timeline has been issued.

UPDATE: Our inbox is starting to get hit with reports of service interruptions in the U.S. and Canada as well. Is your BlackBerry not working this morning? Leave us a comment below and let us know.

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mobile
October 11, 2011
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BlackBerry EMEA outage spills over to second day [updated]

By on October 11, 2011 at 12:30 PM.

BlackBerry EMEA outage spills over to second day [updated]

BlackBerry users across Europe, the Middle East and Africa again find themselves without service on Tuesday as a bug that knocked millions of users offline on Monday has seemingly resurfaced. Research In Motion announced early Tuesday morning that BlackBerry service across the EMEA region had been restored, but the Associated Press later reported that Internet and messaging services for users across the region are again offline. The report was later confirmed by several carriers including T-Mobile UK, Vodafone UK and Etisalat in the United Arab Emirates. The cause of the outage is unclear, however a report on Monday attributed the massive service interruption to a bug on a RIM server in England.

UPDATE: RIM has stated that Tuesday’s outage was due to a core switch failure. More →

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mobile
October 10, 2011
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BlackBerry bug knocks millions of users offline in Europe, Middle East and Africa

By on October 10, 2011 at 12:01 PM.

BlackBerry bug knocks millions of users offline in Europe, Middle East and Africa

BlackBerry users in Africa, the Middle East and Europe have been without service since 11:00 a.m. Monday, The Telegraph reports. A bug on Research In Motion’s server in Slough, England is to blame and it appears to have impaired all users, independent of carrier or device. RIM has not issued a statement on the matter. “There is an issue with BlackBerry services at present,” a T-Mobile UK representative said on Twitter. “RIM [is] investigating this at present.” Additionally, Batelco, a wireless carrier in Bahrain, issued a statement that confirmed the service was out in the entire country and explained the issue is being “dealt with by BlackBerry providers in Canada.” More →

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Business
July 12, 2011
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Analyst calls for RIM to break apart handset, network businesses

By on July 12, 2011 at 9:00 AM.

Analyst calls for RIM to break apart handset, network businesses

With Research In Motion’s annual shareholder meeting scheduled to take place later today, one popular RIM-focused analyst is calling for the company to split its handset and network businesses into two separate companies. “RIM’s organization, like its handsets, needs modernization. By acting now, splitting RIM into network and handset businesses may target opportunities and unlock significant shareholder value,” RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Mike Abramsky wrote in a note to investors on Tuesday. “RIM’s end-to-end solution was conceived when data devices and networks were nascent — but times have changed,” the analyst continued. Abramsky believes the standalone network business can target a market of roughly 400 million Android devices, Windows Phones, tablets and other devices with “affordable, efficient, cross-platform mobile push messaging, social networking, cloud and business data services (and software)” that is already interconnected with 595 carriers around the globe. On the other end, splitting off RIM’s devices business could accelerate handset innovation, strengthen developer relationships and help the company prioritize its customers and developers over its carrier partners — a sentiment thought by some to be paramount to RIM’s success moving forward. Abramsky reiterated his price target of $35 for RIM stock, noting above-average risk.

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Software
March 14, 2011
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RIM exec says India making ‘astonishing’ security demands

By on March 14, 2011 at 4:48 PM.

RIM exec says India making ‘astonishing’ security demands

Robert Crow, a VP for Research In Motion, recently told The Wall Street Journal that India’s security agencies are making “rather astonishing” demands for access to RIM’s secure messaging and email networks. India and RIM have been up in arms since October 2010 when India gave RIM until January 2011 to comply with India’s intelligence laws. RIM fired back in January saying that there was no possibility to provide access to its secure email services, but has allowed Indian authorities “lawful” access its BlackBerry Messenger service.  ”I think this may well go on and on in India, and frankly it will be one of those factors that people talk about in the Indian business environment—not one that will be seen in India’s favor in international comparison,” Crow said. Crow also discussed RIM’s plans to expand its footprint in India, where 11,000 developers work on BlackBerry apps, and added that there’s a possibility that RIM may begin to manufacture BlackBerry parts in India. More →

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mobile
January 29, 2011
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BlackBerry BIS down nationwide?

By on January 29, 2011 at 11:00 AM.

BlackBerry BIS down nationwide?

We have been getting tips all morning that RIM’s BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) has been down for a number of hours nationwide, for all carriers. Unfortunately this outage looks like it’s not just the email portion of the BIS service, but all data as well, which is quite frustrating. Is your BlackBerry data not working? Hit us in the comments with your carrier and approximate location, alright?

Thanks to everyone that sent this in!

143 Comments
mobile
January 17, 2011
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RIM eyes competitors’ platforms in search for new revenue channels

By on January 17, 2011 at 6:59 PM.

RIM eyes competitors’ platforms in search for new revenue channels

At an event last week in Boston, RIM VP Pete Devenyi said the company is exploring the possibility of introducing cross-platform solutions that would allow IT professionals to manage smartphones made by companies other than RIM. “BlackBerry is and will continue to be dominant in most corporations,” Devenyi said in an interview. “It’s not going to be the only device, given the fact that consumers have the choice to bring in their own devices, and IT departments are often letting them in. So there’s a question there: do those corporations have to manage those devices differently or is there the possibility that RIM might extend capabilities to make it easier for those corporations to manage those devices as well?” This is hardly the first time RIM has explored its competitors’ platforms as a possible way to widen its net. For years, RIM has been experimenting with a variety of cross-platform tools that might help the company develop new revenue channels. The most well-known example is likely RIM’s BlackBerry Application Suite, which we showed off exclusively two years ago. BAS would have allowed BlackBerry software to be installed on platforms like Windows Mobile and Symbian so that companies could deploy BlackBerry services on a variety of popular smartphone operating systems. The current state of RIM’s BAS software solution is unknown. More →

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General
August 9, 2010
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RIM's next BlackBerry Internet Service update detailed?

By on August 9, 2010 at 4:31 PM.

RIM's next BlackBerry Internet Service update detailed?

Polish site bbnews.pl has published what looks to be the release notes for RIM’s BlackBerry Internet Services version 3.2. Some of the highlights in the new version include: synchronization with Google Calendar, Improved BIS password security, corrected automatic login, improved WAP interface, re-validation of Windows Live accounts, and added Administration Tool functionality for carrier administrators. We’ve got the detailed list ready for your scrutiny after the break. Let us know what you think. More →

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Services
June 25, 2010
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BlackBerry Shield screenshots emerge at long last

By on June 25, 2010 at 8:14 AM.

BlackBerry Shield screenshots emerge at long last

bb-shield

It’s been a long time since we first mentioned BlackBerry Shield, but that all changed Thursday. BNews.pl managed to get a hold of a handful of screenshots of the security service which lets users remotely locate, lock and wipe their misplaced and/or stolen BlackBerry just like iPhone users can do Find My iPhone. When it’s released — and it’s not clear when this is going to happen, other than it’s going to enter testing “very soon” — BlackBerry Shield will be free to BIS users. More →

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Software
May 19, 2010
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RIM and Prism settle patent dispute

By on May 19, 2010 at 2:15 PM.

RIM and Prism settle patent dispute

blackberry_logo_preferred_colour_r

A five-month old ITC patent dispute between Research In Motion and Omaha-based Prism Technologies has been settled. Back in December of 2009, Prism had asked the ITC to block the importation of BlackBerry smartphones, servers and sofrware into the U.S. on the grounds that RIM was violating one of Prism’s patents. At the heart of the dispute was a Prism patent described as providing an “innovative way of controlling access to protected electronically stored data and information requested by a device using an Internet Protocol network.” The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but documents filed with the ITC reveal that the companies have entered into a “license and settlement agreement.” More →

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