As Blackberry's Die, Apple Looks To Fill Void

BlackBerry’s downward spiral is not a new story. But with RIM finally taking steps to possibly phase out their BlackBerry handsets, will Apple’s iPhone 5 be able to absorb RIM’s remaining market share in the business sector?
Anyone who follows mobile computing and technology news has been well aware of RIM’s terminal condition in the smartphone marketplace — we’ve all essentially been waiting to hear of the company’s eventual sell-out or phase-out of its once-domineering BlackBerry devices. In spite of the fact that the BlackBerry brand once ruled both consumer and business sectors of the mobile computing marketplace, it appears that RIM is now taking steps to distance itself from the handset business.

According to the Toronoto Sun:
“BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is considering splitting its business in two, separating its struggling handset manufacturing division from its messaging network, The Sunday Times reported. RIM, which last month hired JP Morgan and RBC Capital to look at its strategic options, could break off its handset division into a separate listed company or sell it, the British newspaper said without citing sources.”

The two options here are interesting, since breaking off BlackBerry into a separate company would dry up much of RIM’s red ink that comes from the failing BlackBerry brand, making it nothing more than a niche player in the smartphone market. To this end, BlackBerry could possibly become a quirkier, more interesting smartphone designer, particularly if their sales expectations becoming considerably lowered.
But the sales option is what strikes a chord with Apple enthusiasts. You might recall that there have been suggestions in the past that Apple could buy up BlackBerry in a bid to completely subsume their market share, thus trumping Android and expanding their appeal to  business users. However, rumors of potential buyers go well beyond Apple: “Potential buyers would include Amazon and Facebook. . . adding that RIM’s messaging network could also be sold, or opened up to rivals such as Apple and Google to generate income.”

One can imagine BlackBerry’s overall design to be best suited for a Facebook smartphone, what with the manual thumb pad, which could appeal to avid social media users.
But as far as Apple is concerned, it would appear that Cupertino will be content to compete in the business sector with the iPhone 5.



The rumored features, as well as the new features rolling out with iOS 6, point to an iPhone 5 that could very well appeal to business users, even beyond the increased market share in the business sector that the iPhone has already managed to achieve. With increased performance thanks to a larger display and more powerful processor, as well as further integration with iCloud and Siri, will continue to appeal to business users who are looking for a unified ecosystem for sharing data and bringing their digital workspace with them wherever they go.

And new iOS 6 features such as passbook and Apple’s maps will appeal to business travelers as well.
At this juncture, BlackBerry’s legacy hardware design would not appear to have much of a future. RIM clearly tried to rebrand its designs starting back in 2007 when the iPhone got going, seeking to suggest that iPhone-style smartphones would not appeal to business users. Both Apple and its competing Android designers, however, have proven that what’s good for their consumer-based target audiences can also work for business professionals as well.
For as much as RIM might try to salvage what they can from the BlackBerry brand, 2012 appears to be the year that BlackBerry will die.

10 Best Call Management Apps For Android Users

Nowadays every smartphone user keeps a handful of essential apps to make most out of their mobile device. Call management app is one of the most important applications used by large number of mobile users. These apps not only makes your daily call management easy, but also provides some extra features to facilitate some uncommon call related tasks that are not possible with the native commands. Android users have the advantage of massive collection of apps for almost every situation. There are several feature-packed call management apps for Android user-base. These apps not only increase your productivity, but also save your time and money. Each of these applications is available through 'Google Play', so you can rest assured that they are free from any kind of malware.

Advanced Call Manager: I've used this app on Symbian platform and found it the best one for complete call management. It has a powerful rule-based filter that intelligently takes relevant actions provided by you. You can create rules for individual numbers as well as for group of numbers. It's light weight and quietly runs in the background. You can create different profiles with different set of rules and can activate the desired profile at your will. This saves your time giving you the flexibility to apply custom rules at different times during the entire day.

Call Log Manager Pro: This is a powerful call log manager with lots of features. It uses the calendar to log the incoming call details. You can either log a single phone number or can choose selective numbers for logging. It also includes flexible search and export options to find and carry your logged data wherever you want. You can also configure auto-deletion of old call logging data as per your needs. You can also see detailed reports of incoming, missed and received calls in a user-friendly interface so that you can visualize the entire call activity on your phone correctly.

Call Control - Call Blocker: If you're experiencing lots of unwanted and spammy calls and sms from anonymous callers then this application is a must-have for you. This app has a flexible call and sms blocker that intelligently detects known blacklisted phone numbers from across the world. You can also create your own blacklist and white-list to create different filters based on these lists. You can set different actions for blocked numbers like hangup, busy and much more. You can also block unwanted callers on the basis of area code and can also backup your lists both online or on your local data card.

Call Master Key: This is yet another popular call management app for savvy users. It is extremely flexible in call and text routing and can create different rules on the basis of SMS content. It can also block MMS messages coming from selective numbers. Advanced users can also use regular expressions and wildcard characters to create powerful filters. It also supports encryption and password protection for your app-related data. You can also set custom notifications for important events depending on your requirements. This app also supports themes and you can choose one of the available skins that suits or matches with your phone's current theme.

Call Guard(SMS Call Blocker): This application works in invisible mode and supports several modes for flexible call blocking and routing. It can also block outgoing calls so that nobody else can misuse your phone when it is left unattended at public places. You can also password-protect the entire application so that nobody else can change its settings. It also includes a handy widget for home screen so that you can quickly access the application. You can also use different templates for numbers and area codes to block or divert a group of numbers in bulk.

Call Timer Pro: This unique app is ideal for users receiving large number of important calls one after the other. You can set automatic hangups for selective calls that consume your time unnecessarily. It also gives you the flexibility to configure automatic alerts (ring or vibration) that grabs your attention during the call at different intervals. This greatly helps in closing the call as soon as possible. This application has a very large user base that itself tells the popularity of this useful app. You can also create different types of automatic redials based on different conditions. 

Qs Call Manager: This handy app is extremely useful in creating blacklists or for updating existing contact lists with minimum efforts. Once the app is activated, you get a prompt for either adding the unknown number to a blacklist or to the address book as the call is ended. This way you can easily build up both lists without any need to manually enter each unknown number. You can also send customized SMS to miss calls from selective numbers. It's extremely useful for users who receive high volume of calls from unknown numbers on the daily basis.

A+ Call Manager (Backgrounder):This intuitive application gives you a new way to deal with incoming calls. Instead of rejecting or routing these calls you can put the call in background so that you can continue working with some other app. The caller on the other end doesn't notice anything unusual until you bring it to the foreground and continue with usual call related actions. This app is ideal in certain conditions when you're doing some important work on a mobile application and doesn't want any hindrance from the incoming calls. It doesn't consume much system resources and is very memory efficient.

My VIP Calls: This interesting application gives you an option to receive calls from selective numbers even when it is in silent or vibration mode. You can put all these number in the VIP list so that you never miss any call from them. Whenever a call is received from one of these numbers, the usual silent mode settings are ignored by the application and you promptly receive the ring for that incoming call. You can either use the regular ringtone volume or the media volume settings for incoming VIP call alerts. This application also works seamlessly with SMS messages. 

BlackBaller Call & SMS Manager:This is perhaps the most flexible and powerful auto-reply app for SMS and incoming calls. It has lots of unique auto-reply features that are non-existent in other applications. You can also create powerful action-based filters and can schedule them to activate at the specific time of the day. It also has a smart rejection feature that makes the blacklist updation process a cakewalk. It also has an event logging module accompanied with password protection facility for the entire application. If you're looking for a powerful answering machine for your Android device, then this application fulfills that need.

Old Cell Phones Lying Around? We Pay Cash For Cell Phones

Do you have a old cell phone that is lying around gathering dust? Do you have a cell that can not provide you with the functions that your friends are talking about? Cell phone technology moves at the speed of light.

Sell your old cell phone and get rid of the item that only gathers dust.  With the money that you get paid for the cell phone that you are selling, you could easily shop around for something else.

If you contemplate on replacing your current cell, sell your old one. Regardless of the make of your cell phone, you could use a newer version. If you know of others that would want to sell their cell, let them know that they can get money for their old cell phones even if they paid nothing or very little for it when it was new. The sale of one or more cells will allow you to obtain a newer and better cell phone.

Cell phone makes are sometimes more valuable to the user when the cell is used over a long period as the user got accustomed to the functions of the cell and it has become a trusted friend when one is needed. Should you not be happy with the phone that you currently have after finding out there are better makes on the market, then it makes sense to sell it and get a better model. You could get what you want after the sale is made.

The big question which naturally comes to mind is how much money can one make when dealing phones for cash? Well, depending on the condition of your apparatus, we are willing to pay you up to $300 for a used smartphone model. Even though it may seem contrary to intuition, the truth is there are people that still buy those ,especially when they are looking to save some money. In order to find out the value of your model all you have to do is perform a simple search online and you will quickly find how much various companies are willing to pay you.

When you want to trade your mobile to cash, you have to also remember the following to combat any type of fraud:

1. If you are on a contract with your mobile phone provider, make sure that you have ended the contract first before selling it.

2. Delete all of your phone’s memory, files, etc.

3. Remove your phone’s sim card.

Have you seen your friends with new cell phones and you are still sitting with one that you are no longer contending with? Then it is time to sell it. Visit our web site and see how you could sell your cell phone. Remember the longer you wait, the less your old cell phone will be worth.

Cell Phone Privacy and Data Security

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is investigating the issue of cell phone privacy and data security and is seeking public comment on the matter.

In a public notice issued on May 25, 2012 the FCC, in conjunction with the Wireline Competition Bureau, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and the Office of General Counsel, announced that it is soliciting comments “regarding the privacy and data security practices of mobile wireless service providers with respect to customer information stored on their users’ mobile communications devices, and the application of existing privacy and security requirements to that information.”

The request comes after the FCC determined that technological advances in the past few years have given wireless service providers access to new personal information about their customers. The new data carriers now collect and store renders previous views on the responsibility of ensuring the security of private information antiquated. As stated in the FCC notice, “In recent months, it has become clear that these submissions are badly out of date. Mobile carriers are directing the collection and storage of customer-specific information on mobile devices”.





The old rules regarding data collected and security was based on the assumption that wireless carriers served only as the intermediary between mobile device manufacturers and the end-user. However, in light of advances in technology, the FCC wrote that “the devices consumers use to access mobile wireless networks have become more sophisticated and powerful, and their expanded capabilities have at times been used by wireless providers to collect information about particular customers’ use of the network — sometimes, it appears, without informing the customer”.

The FCC acknowledged that in recent months, several lawmakers have criticized wireless carriers for their use of “Carrier IQ,” a software that collects data on how and where consumers use their smartphones. While the companies said they only used the software to collect general information about the performance of their phones and networks, lawmakers suspect that Carrier IQ gives companies access to the phone numbers consumers dialed, the contents of their text messages, the websites they visited, their search queries and even their locations.

While the commission went on to note that this data can be used as a “legitimate and effective way to improve the quality of wireless services”, they also noted that “the collection, transmission, and storage of this customer-specific network information raises new privacy and security concerns”. What’s more, it remains unclear as to who receives this information and for what purposes. Namely, what are the parameters of network diagnostics and customer care.

In general, telecommunications companies are obligated to protect the personal information of their customers, and the FCC has the authority to enforce that requirement. The FCC is currently reviewing its policies and regulations to update the antiquated privacy guidelines. The commission will accept comments and feedback related to the issue for a period of 30 days. The FCC is looking into questions about the level of consumer choice over data collection, whether companies should design their software to better protect privacy, and whether there is anything the FCC can do to encourage better privacy practices.

To help with gauge consumer awareness, FCC.com wants to know how much knowledge you have with respect to the data collected by your wireless service provider.