Tag: mobile technology

A new report from BerryReview has stated that this new device is currently in the works by the handset maker.

Blackberry Ltd is, according to a recent BerryReview report, currently testing out a new design for a device that has a storable keyboard and that uses a pivoting smartphone cover in order to achieve this purpose.

The report indicated that a device of this nature may actually be launched notably sooner than expected.

In fact it is quite likely that the BlackBerry device that is currently under review could potentially be launched within the second quarter of 2015. Its code name is currently Visa and Victoria. The new feature with the storable keyboard was revealed when it was discovered that a patent for it (#8,830,667) had been filed on September 9 with the United States Patent Office.

BlackBerry has been known for its practical smartphone keyboards that are considered one of their best features.

The patent pointed out that the smartphone keyboard element can move freely from a position where it is, to where it is not deployed. It explained that “A cover pivotally couples to the housing and is configured to at least partially cover the keyboard portion when the keyboard portion is in the non-deployed position and to reveal the keyboard portion when the keyboard portion is in the deployed position.”

There are three rows in the keyboard that is described by the patent filing, which may be comparable to that of the upcoming square Passport smartphone from that manufacturer. With this keyboard element, when it is displaced, one row will be left behind for use as a trackpad and will reveal a small number of important keys.

That said, it is unknown what true benefit will be added by shifting the keyboard, as removing it will not provide any greater screen size. That said, there were no further details of that nature revealed in the patent filing. This patent is being taken quite seriously in the mobile technology news world and is believed by many to be another device that is in development as a part of the latest strategy by the company’s CEO John Chen, to claw the business back into serious relevance.

Microsoft acquires Iain Kennedy, former payments product manager for Amazon

Microsoft may be getting serious about mobile payments. The company has recently hired Iain Kennedy, who was the payments product manager for Amazon for the past six years. Kennedy has extensive experience in the payments field and his work has helped Amazon find more success in the mobile space. Kennedy is now the product manager of Microsoft’s commerce platform, which may signal that the company is planning to take a stronger approach on the matter of mobile commerce.

Microsoft shows modest interest in mobile payments

Microsoft has a relatively modest interest in mobile payments. The company has dabbled in the field of mobile commerce in the past, but found that the market was too young and volatile to continue putting any serious effort into the sector. Now, consumers throughout the world have become enthralled with the idea of mobile payments, and many are demanding new payment solutions from the companies that they favor. This demand was enough to push Apple into the mobile payments space, but Microsoft’s efforts may be delayed to ongoing concerns regarding security and the viability of the market.

Kennedy could help bring Microsoft into the mobile commerce market

Kennedy has been involved in the developed of various mobile payment products. One of the products that he and his team at Amazon created was a digital wallet application, which could be used to make payments from a mobile device. This experience could go a long way with Microsoft, as the company has expressed interest in digital wallets in the past. A mobile wallet that is connected to the company’s gaming platforms could be well received by consumers, but exactly how popular it would be is impossible to say for certain.

New projects have yet to be revealed by Microsoft

While Kennedy has become the product manager for Microsoft’s mobile commerce platform, his work with the company may be completely unrelated to mobile payments. There has been no information given about the products that he will be working on, apart from the suggestion that they could change the way people buy and sell products in the real world.