Stories by Al Sacco

RIM developer chief on the future of BlackBerry, BBX

In September, not long before Research In Motion's (RIM) fourth annual BlackBerry Developer Conference--and just a month or so after the company's former BlackBerry development chief stepped down--RIM named a brand new VP of Developer Relations: Alec Saunders.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich: Best new features for business

Earlier this week, Google officially announced the latest version of its popular Android mobile OS, v4.0, a.k.a., "Ice Cream Sandwich," along with a brand new device that runs Android 4.0: The Samsung Galaxy Nexus -- formerly referred to as the "Nexus Prime."

Windows Phone Mango: 10 things you need to know

I was fortunate to sit down this morning with Microsoft's Paul Bryan, Windows Phone senior director of product management and enterprise experiences, to discuss the new software at the company's offices in Cambridge, Mass.

Managing mobile devices: 10 lessons learned, via Forrester

Modern CIOs and their IT department face a new, complex set of mobile device security and manageability challenges as employees bring in their various smartphones and tablets to the workplace, and as additional devices are rolled out across the enterprise.

Android: Wipe device clean, restore factory settings

Whether you just upgraded your Android smartphone to another device, your organization is finally replacing that old Android with something newer and shinier or you've decided to trade devices with a friend, it's a very smart idea to wipe any and all sensitive information from your smartphone before passing it off, not just to ensure that your personal data remains private, but to also make sure your device runs like new for its next owner.

10 best Android tablet apps for news junkies

CIO's gadget guru Al Sacco spotlights 10 great applications for your Android tablet that will keep you up to date on news, sports, entertainment, stocks and much more. These apps look great and perform even better -- and most are free.

Why you shouldn't buy a discounted TouchPad tablet

Last week, Hewlett-Packard (HP), current "owner" of the webOS mobile OS, made an announcement that would ultimately send a ripple through the modern tablet PC space: HP said it would immediately "discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones."

RIM developer guru on why you should believe in BlackBerry

Last week BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) held a first-of-its-kind BlackBerry developer event, called the "BBM Hackathon," in which a group of talented mobile software developers packed into New York City's swanky Ace Hotel for a few days, to share ideas and information and build the best BlackBerry applications that integrate with RIM's popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) IM app as quickly as possible.

RIM unveils new BlackBerrys: 5 facts you need to know

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) this morning took the wraps off of three brand new BlackBerry smartphones, which, along with the upcoming Bold 9900/9930 devices, make up the bulk of the Canadian company's upcoming 2011 smartphone portfolio.

How to manage BlackBerry application permissions

Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry smartphone OS is known for security, and that's for good reason. RIM designed the mobile OS with security in mind from the start, and it shows; the BlackBerry OS offers a number of ways for smartphone owners and IT administrators to control how mobile applications interact with your device and all of the data stored on it.

Four reasons why you don't really need a tablet PC

Tablet PCs are the in thing right now. In fact, you'd be hard put to walk into any sort of electronics store today and not be bombarded with displays for the latest and greatest tablet. But are tablets all they're cracked up to be? Or has Apple and its uber popular iPad duped consumers into tablet envy, and its competitors into a mad scramble to develop their own "iPad rivals?"

Make your BlackBerry PlayBook battery last longer

When I first started using my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet about a month ago, I was impressed that I could get through nearly an entire day of moderate-to-heavy use--non-stop e-mail and messaging, frequent browsing and checking my social networks, along with the occasional streamed video or audio track.

PlayBook quick tip: How to type special characters

The other day, while sipping a latte at the café and attempting to share my caffeine consumption with friends and colleagues via Twitter, I realized that though I've become fairly proficient with my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet's touch-screen keyboard, I didn't know how to type that accented "e" in "café."

PlayBook: New details on Bridge, bluetooth security

Research In Motion's (RIM) popular BlackBerry PlayBook tablet may not ship with native e-mail and personal information management (PIM) applications just yet -- they're expected this summer -- but thanks to the BlackBerry Bridge application, consumers and enterprise users alike can securely access their mail, calendars, contacts, etc., using PlayBook tablets.

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