RIM Forced To Rename 'BBX' To 'BlackBerry 10'

We've heard of RIM's BBX, the QNX-based OS forBlackBerry devices, back at the beginning of October and ever since, the phone-maker and everyone was referring to the upcoming platform as BBX. Now Research if Motion has to rename BBX because of an Albuquerque U.S. Federal Court temporary restraining order. 

Today is the start of the RIM Asian DevCon conference, held on December 7 and 8 in Singapore, and the company will not be able to use the BBX trademark. Opposed to company policy, RIM has made a statement: "RIM doesn't typically comment on pending litigation, however RIM has already unveiled a new brand name for its next generation mobile platform. As announced at DevCon Asia, RIM plans to use the 'BlackBerry 10' brand name for its next generation mobile platform". 

Basis International, and Albuquerque-based company, has claimed trademark ownership of the "BBX" name and, despite reported legal action threats, RIM was still going to use the moniker. This led to Basis International asking for a court order for stopping the phone-maker from using its name. It appears RIM has already given up on it. Not a flawless start for the platform that is supposed to bring the BlackBerry back on track. 

Verizon HTC Rezound With Beats Audio Unboxing (Video)

In this video we unbox the new HTC Rezound with Beats Audio. The Verizon 4G LTE Android not only sports some a cool headset but also has some impeccable hardware that would make any smartphone enthusiast jump for joy. 

In this video we unbox the new HTC Rezound with Beats Audio. The Verizon 4G LTE Android not only sports some a cool headset but also has some impeccable hardware that would make any smartphone enthusiast jump for joy. 

Motorola Droid RAZRMAX: RAZR Refresh With Larger Battery?

When we're looking at very thin phones, or at ones with LTE radios, battery life is a concern we keep front in our minds. When both those circumstances apply, as with the recent Motorola Droid RAZR, our awareness of power issues is piqued. Especially considering that the RAZR's battery isn't user-replaceable, its performance could easily make-or-break the handset. When we reviewed the RAZR, we found its battery life adequate for our tests, though it was definitely pushing the boundary of having enough capacity to make it through the day; for heavy users, the phone might just fall short. Could Motorola be aware of this limitation, and be working on a slightly-revised RAZR to address battery concerns? Today we uncovered some signs that might point to the existence of just such a model. 

We came across a series of photos that, while not showing-off anything interesting themselves, hid some tantalizing clues away in their EXIF data, marked as being shot by the Motorola Droid RAZRMAX. That's the first time we've seen that name, though the Motorola RAZR Maxx, sans Droid and with an extra "x", was an old flip phone on Verizon. 

Armed with this name, we went looking for any other evidence of the phone, and found some forum comments from earlier this week that mentioned a "Razr Max". The poster recalled a visit to a Verizonstore, where he claims a Verizon employee told him such a phone would be coming out in the future, a little thicker than the Droid RAZR we know now due to the inclusion of a larger-capacity battery. 

On its own, it's easy to dismiss a story like that as coming from the imagination of an overzealous retail employee, but the fact that we already had the RAZRMAX name before coming across the post has us thinking that there might actually be something to it. 

We're not sure just what the plans are for this hardware, but we'll definitely be looking to find more information to help flesh-out our picture of it. Might there just be a new battery, or could Motorola have other changes (like a new HD display) in store for the phone? 

Samsung Wave 3 hands-on (video)

Had enough Samsung this morning? Well, how about a little more Samsung, then. Also on the company's laundry list of new devices is the Wave, which was announced earlier this week. The Wave 3 is the highest end of the three new devices carrying that name, packing a zippy 1.4GHz processor, which seems to handle tasks with ease. Like most of the rest of the products introduced here at IFA, the screen is the centerpiece of the device, a brilliant 4-inch WVGA unit. Also like the rest of Samsung's handsets, the hardware is really terrific on the Wave, glossy screen complimenting a brushed aluminum back.

The handset runs Bada 2.0, which means that we're not likely to be seeing the thing in the US any time in the near future -- Samsung has largely backed away from US support for the mobile operating system, though it promises to expand its selection of applications from third-party app developers. Also new on the software front is ChatON, a mobile messaging service which we were unfortunately unable to give a spin here in Berlin.

Click on past the break for a hands-on video.

Samsung Wave 3 hands-on

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Lenovo LePhone K2 to arrive with 4.3-inch IPS display, 1.5GHz dual-core chip

Frankly speaking, the phones that Lenovo have announced so far this week haven't been all that exciting (unless, of course, you're somehow aroused by its 5-inch tabletphone), but it turned out the folks had a little surprise for us: the LePhone K2. What we got here is a 4.3-inch IPS display (resolution of which not yet announced), a powerful dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 chip, 1GB RAM, 1GB ROM and an eight megapixel 1080p camera. Sadly, like the S2 and the S760, this crouching tiger also packs Android 2.3.5 instead of Ice Cream Sandwich, but without a price or a release date, perhaps there's still a small chance that we'll see it eventually launching with the newer OS. Anyhow, that's just our wishful thinking. Chinese hands-on video after the break.

Lenovo LePhone K2 to arrive with 4.3-inch IPS display, 1.5GHz dual-core chip