RIM is so excited it won't tell us what went wrong with BlackBerry

While the world holds its breath for the launch of BlackBerry 10, it seems the execs are struggling to talk about it.

With any brand trying to relaunch itself, we're used to the tranche of interviews with key executive members showing the world that things are now all better and missing out on the new product would mean missing out on the greatest thing ever.

However, sometimes the message can overwhelm the ability to hold a normal human conversation, and that's precisely what happened to Stephen Bates, RIM's European MD, when speaking about the launch on BBC Breakfast.

Bates was clearly ready for this little media tour, having learned the press release by heart, and was full of the buzzwords surrounding "transition" and "mobile computing" and most importantly "excited", a word he used in various guises no fewer than seven times in a three and a half minute interview.

However, at no point did he answer the question about RIM's dramatic plunge in smartphone market share. The question was subsequently asked again, more succinctly: "What went wrong?"

In response, Bates stayed firm in his decision to be a press release on a stool, pointing out that RIM "took the decision" to make its own mobile OS, which will provide all manner of wonderful things for its loyal bunch of users – without coming close to acknowledging the response required.

Embarassingly the question was asked for a third time "– Yes, but what went wrong?" – at which point it became clear that RIM had briefed all staff not to talk about anything other than the "excitement" of the launch today.

The same routine was heard on BBC 5 Live Breakfast – the presenter repeatedly asked what RIM had learned from the rise of the iPhone, and while Bates wasn't so effusive in his use of the word "exciting", he still was unwilling to answer the question, which was asked multiple times and more aggressively in each instance.

After this line of interrogation was given up, when asked about the features users should be excited about for BB10 Bates surprisingly couldn't give an answer beyond a press spiel about BlackBerry Balance that, to those that have never used it, made little to no sense.

Both interviewers were forceful in their questioning, but only because the response to a reasonable question – be it the impact of the iPhone, or why RIM sank from such great heights – was met with the verbal equivalent of a man waving a shining sign with the words 'BLACKBERRY 10 IS EXCITING' on. Both sensed blood over a point many consumers are wondering, and in refusing to even acknowledge the question RIM has shown fear for rival products instead of pride in its ability to compete.

It would be easy to just attack the interviewee, labelling Bates as the wrong choice to be wheeled out to the Cornflake-munching masses, but in truth it paints a worrying picture about RIM's BlackBerry 10 strategy. He was clearly told not to mention competitors or any negativity, and in the face of such direct questioning retreated behind his key phrases.

But that doesn't change the fact that those who aren't really bothered about smartphones but have heard about 'some new BlackBerry' won't have been filled with confidence. Even Nokia, the company that will spend hours talking about how every little thing it does is the greatest thing ever, acknowledged it has made some mistakes – that "burning platform" memo didn't leak itself.

Make it good, make it true

The launch of BlackBerry 10 was supposed to be simply a new OS with alternative phones and the chance for RIM to almost apologise for making a mistake before offering a great solution.

But thanks to these interviews all the talk will be how the company is just another egotistical monster forcing marketing guff down users' throats rather than giving a strong reason to part with a large amount of cash each month.

The horse has already bolted in the UK for RIM in terms of the impression the general public has been given of BlackBerry 10, so here's hoping that when CEO Thorsten Heins takes to the stage to formally reveal an OS we've already seen a few times, he actually talks like a human; one that expresses gratitude for those that have stuck with BlackBerry during the last few years when the competition has given consumers better choices.

Or at the very least, keep away from the word excited.

Sony's Music Unlimited sounds even better with high fidelity streaming

Sony has a treat in store for Music Unlimited subscribing audiophiles: you can now stream music in high quality 320kpbs AAC audio.

Using the service's web, Android, Walkman and PS3 apps, Sony says you can now enable "pristine" high fidelity playback. The entire catalogue offers the 320kpbs AAC option provided by Omnifone, the company that powers Sony's music library.

If you don't want to be stuck with tedious average audio, you'll have to turn the 320kbps streaming option on in Music Unlimited's settings menu.

Sonic Death Monkey

Before today's boost, Music Unlimited used only the HE-AAC v2 codec at 48kbps. So if you aren't running the Android, web or PS3 apps, you'll still be stuck with 48kbps which is crappy at best, but Sony promises a boost to this 'normal' level is coming later this year; it will be going up to 64kpbs HE-AAC v2.

It doesn't look as though the high quality option is available on Sony's smart Bravia TVs nor through its iOS app yet, although Sony promises it will be adding it to other devices "later".

Music Unlimited is Sony's in-house answer to Spotify - the illustrious multi-platform service already offers 320kpbs AAC playback but its quality consistency is questionable at best.

HTC 'M7' confirmed for Feb 19 unveil at New York City, London events

Update: HTC has also sent out invites to a New York City shindig taking place simultaneously across the pond.

TechRadar will be representing on both sides of the Atlantic, so keep it posted here.

Original story continues below...

HTC has sent out invites to a launch event to show the world its latest Galaxy-beating flagship phone.

Although the invitation only confirms that the company is holding an event in London, sources have confirmed to TechRadar that this will be the new flagship phone which has been codenamed the HTC M7.

There's very little information to go on but the new handset is said to sport a full HD screen that will match the dimensions of the Galaxy S3 but destroy it on sharpness by packing so many more pixels in.

Of course we'll likely also see a 1.7-GHz quad-core processor, likely from Qualcomm, as well as a 13MP camera bolted on the rear.

Why then?

But of more interest is the fact that HTC has decided to announce the M7 before MWC 2013 begins in Barcelona later in the month… clearly the Taiwanese firm is worried about being lost in the noise by revealing the handset amid the fervour in Spain.

TechRadar has already booked its place at the upcoming launch for the HTC M7 handset, so make sure you're back here bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on February 19 to get all the news, reaction, analysis and most importantly, our definitive hands on review with the new handset.

Acer alludes low-priced 8- and 10-inch tablets are in the works

Acer has two new low-cost tablets on the way, according to a Tuesday report from the China Times.

According to the Chinese site (as translated by Google), Acer's president in Greater China, Linxian Lang, revealed plans to release 8- and 10-inch tablets at "aggressive" price points.

Acer's new budget slates will follow in the footsteps of the Iconia B1, a 7-incher that goes for UK£99, though it's not available in the U.S.

The new devices will reportedly feature quad-core MediaTek processors that will provide a speed boost over the Iconia B1's dual-core MediaTek.

U.S. release

TechRadar asked an Acer rep for further comment on Tuesday's report and we will update this story if and when the company responds.

It's also unclear whether the tablets that Lang hinted at will ever make it to the U.S.; despite rumors that the Iconia B1 would be released in Europe, Engadget reports that it's "been ruled out" for a U.S. release.

TechRadar is hoping to get confirmation on that point from Acer as well.

Year of the budget tablets

Going by the Google Translate transcript of the original China Times article, Acer's new budget 8- and 10-inch tablets will apparently "revive the tablet momentum" of the company.

Lang expects Acer's overall tablet shipments to increase in 2013 in part, it seems, due to the new low-price tablets that will put forth.

Acer probably won't be the only company releasing budget tablets in 2013, though; a cheaper Nexus 7 has been rumored for some time, and more are sure to follow in Google's and Acer's footsteps.

Especially if Acer's new budget tablets are as successful as they seem to think they'll be.

White Nexus 4 may have mystically appeared online

Like a unicorn, spotting a white handset in the wild can be a magical experience.

Especially if that phone is as hotly hard to find as the Nexus 4, a handset that has only today reappeared on the Google Play store in Germany, Canada and the United States.

Phone Arena apparently got its hands on an image showing the whitewashed back of the Google/LG-made phone. While there's no way to tell for sure if it's the real deal, the site ran some Photoshop tests and the pic passed, lending some credence to its authenticity.

The photo comes courtesy of an anonymous source and was captured using an LG Optimus G last week, which could be construed as a clue the photographer works at LG or is just consequential.

Phones in white satin

Another sign the phone is the pearly partner to the slate Nexus 4 currently on the market is its reflective back pattern.

A black shiner

Earlier Tuesday, BlackBerry's Z10 also looked to make an alabaster appearance. The touchscreen phone, due to debut tomorrow, has popped up several times in black, though previous leaks have also tipped a white version exists.

The Z10 is shown with a black bezel, a stroke of design inspiration that could really set the handset apart. While an all-white iPhone is clean, it lacks the dimensionality a two-tone phone can boast.

We have no idea what the front of the supposed white Nexus 4 looks like, or even if it exists at all, but so far, we like what we see.

Storage isn't what it seems in Microsoft's Surface Pro

On Feb. 9, Microsoft will finally release the Surface Pro to the masses eagerly awaiting the company's more robust entry into the tablet battle.

Unlike the Microsoft Surface RT, which uses Windows RT, the Surface Pro will include the full Windows 8 Pro operating system.

That notion alone has been a key reason may supporters have chosen to wait for the more expensive, but more powerful, tablet.

However, those devoted faithful may soon be a bit disappointed for another reason altogether, as the Surface Pro isn't going to come with storage as spacious as advertised.

Space invader

According to Microsoft, the base model Surface Pro with 64GB of storage will actually only come with 23GB of free storage.

That means Windows 8 Pro and whatever other default programs and apps come loaded on the tablet will leave just 36 percent of the hard drive open for users.

The 128GB model fares just a bit better, with 85GB (64.8 percent) of the storage space left open for consumers to use.

Of course, this is par for the course, as the Surface RT also went through some similar memory troubles.

The 32GB Surface RT included just 16GB of storage when it arrived, and the 64GB version allowed users to work with 46GB of space.

The Surface Pro is compatible with USB 3.0 and includes a microSDXC card slot for expandable memory, but that doesn't make the lack of on-board storage any easier to swallow.

Via Engadget

BlackBerry Z10 sparkles in white pre-launch

New images of the BlackBerry Z10 have surfaced online, showing a distinctly paler version of the handset.

The leaked images show the touchscreen BlackBerry 10 smartphone in white, with a slight black bezel surrounding the screen making it stand out against the white borders above and below it.

The black on white color scheme certainly helps the Z10 differentiate itself from the look of other smartphones on the market, showing more of an eye for style than is typical for Research in Motion's handsets.

Aside from the color though, little appears to be different from the previously leaked black Z10 photos, as the white model shows the same textured back and side ports for micro USB and micro HDMI.

Announcement imminent

A total of six BlackBerry 10 handsets are expected to launch this year, including the full touchscreen Z10 and the QWERTY-equipped BlackBerry X10.

It seems RIM will complement the variety of handsets with color options too, with at least white and black variants seen so far.

More will be shown of the BlackBerry Z10 at the big BB10 launch event tomorrow, where TechRadar will be in attendance to bring you all of the latest news that RIM has to offer.

Via Gadget Helpline