Research In Motion’s latest BlackBerry 7 devices has=ve been granted Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 certification by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC). FIPS certification is required before a device can be used by a government agency in either the U.S. or Canada. ”The FIPS 140-2 certification for BlackBerry 7.0 and 7.1 illustrates RIM’s continuing commitment to providing industry-leading, secure, mobile computing platforms for our customers,” said Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Security at Research In Motion. “With all of the latest BlackBerry smartphones and the PlayBook tablet certified under the FIPS program, government and security-conscious customers can deploy our entire range of products with confidence.” Devices that received FIPS 140-2 certification include the BlackBerry PlayBook, the BlackBerry Bold 9900, 9790, BlackBerry Torch 9850, 9860 and 910, and the BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360, 9370 and 9380. RIM’s full press release follows after the break.

BlackBerry 7 and 7.1 OS Achieve FIPS 140-2 Certification

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that BlackBerry® smartphones running on the powerful new BlackBerry® 7 and BlackBerry® 7.1 Operating Systems (OS) have been awarded FIPS 140-2 certification by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC). FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 is recognized by the U.S. and Canadian governments and is required under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA).
All BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry 7 and BlackBerry 7.1 benefit from this certification, including the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900, 9930 and 9790, BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850, 9860 and 9810, and BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350, 9360, 9370 and 9380.

“The FIPS 140-2 certification for BlackBerry 7.0 and 7.1 illustrates RIM’s continuing commitment to providing industry-leading, secure, mobile computing platforms for our customers,” said Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Security at Research In Motion. “With all of the latest BlackBerry smartphones and the PlayBook tablet certified under the FIPS program, government and security-conscious customers can deploy our entire range of products with confidence.”

In addition to FIPS 140-2 certification, the BlackBerry 7 OS has received Common Criteria EAL4+ certification (see announcement – November 14, 2011). The BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet has also received FIPS 140-2 validation (see announcement – July 21, 2011).

Sprint has granted LightSquared six more weeks to gain approval from the Federal Communications Commission to launch its network. This is the second time the carrier has extended it deadline for LightSquared to prove to the FCC that its network does not interfere with GPS systems. There has been quite a battle going on between LightSquared and the government, however. LightSquared and a former FCC engineer have argued that the carrier’s 4G LTE network, which Sprint plans to use to help roll out its LTE service more quickly, was unfairly tested at higher power levels than the network will actually operate at and that testing was “rigged.” The company also said that those who tested its network would benefit from the FCC’s possible decision to prevent it from operating. “Sprint and LightSquared have agreed to extend our network agreement through mid March,” LightSquared said in a statement to BGR. “Sprint continues to support our business plan to bring wireless broadband to more than 260 million Americans and our ongoing efforts to work with regulatory agencies to resolve interference concerns.” LightSquared now has until March to gain the FCC’s blessing to operate.

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LightSquared on Tuesday issued a letter to the Federal Communications Commission ostensibly demanding approval to build out its 4G LTE network. LightSquared executive vice president of regulatory affairs and public policy Jeff Carlisle argued that the GPS industry has had almost 10 years to address issues that cause GPS satellite signals to partially transmit on spectrum that LightSquared has licensed. The letter was written in response to an announcement earlier this week from federal officials, stating that they were still concerned about interference LightSquared’s network causes with GPS equipment after conducting a new investigation into the matter. “LightSquared has had FCC authorization to build its network for over eight years and that authorization was endorsed by the GPS industry, and fully reviewed and allowed to proceed by several other government agencies,” Carlisle wrote in the letter. “Commercial GPS device-makers have had nearly a decade to design and sell devices that do not infringe on LightSquared’s licensed spectrum. They have no right to complain in the eleventh-hour about incompatibility when they had ample opportunity to avoid this problem.” A link to LightSquared’s full letter follows below.

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The Department of Justice recently filed a lawsuit against AT&T in an effort to block its planned acquisition of T-Mobile USA, but that has not stopped 100 lawmakers from signing a letter pushing the government to settle the suit and approve the merger. Interestingly, 99 of the House Republicans who signed the letter have accepted political donations from employees of AT&T within the last two years, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. A total of $963,275 had been donated to these lawmakers, according to the advocacy group Public Knowledge. The donations are still coming in, too. According to Bloomberg, Pete Olson, who already signed the letter, is holding a “Telecommunications Industry Lunch” on Thursday that is “backed by AT&T lobbyists.” Read on for more.

Those attending the lunch can reportedly choose to contribute $500, $1,000 or $2,500 to Olson’s campaign for a Congress seat. An Olson spokesperson said AT&T has not sponsored the event, however, and that AT&T is a supporter of his campaign because the company “[employs] thousands of people in the State of Texas.” The spokesman continued, “This letter simply urges the President to focus on creating jobs in America and bringing other jobs back from overseas to further strengthen our economic recovery.”

AT&T has long argued the merger will help create jobs, but the U.S. government has argued it will “remove a significant competitive force” from the U.S. wireless market. “This is why AT&T is so effective on Capitol Hill,” Public Citizen government affairs lobbyist Craig Holman told Bloomberg. “The game isn’t just lobbying activity, it’s making sure there’s an extensive fundraising apparatus that goes on full time. That’s exactly what played out here.” Bloomberg’s report names several other Democrats and Republicans who have accepted campaign contributions from AT&T and who have sent letters to the FCC and the Department of Justice asking for briefings or urging for the deal to be approved.

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Sprint has received subpoenas from Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington regarding its opposition of AT&T’s planned $39 billion T-Mobile USA acquisition, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division also issued a subpoena. Sprint has been a staunch opponent of the deal and its CEO Dan Hesse has said the acquisition will “stifle innovation” in the U.S. wireless market. He also said that “clearly, purely, [Sprint wants] to win and block the merger,” when it was revealed that Hesse was working with 18 state regulators to block the acquisition. The deal is getting an in-depth investigation from both the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission. On June 22nd, AT&T’s General Counsel Wayne Watts said that the acquisition was on schedule for approval in March of next year. An AT&T spokesperson told Reuters that AT&T also received the same nine subpoenas.

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Late last week Google took the wraps off of its new social network, Google+. The search engine giant released an Android application in tandem with the launch of Google+, and now it’s been confirmed that an iOS version its on its way. A Google technician, Erica Joy, confirmed on her Google+ page that the iOS app has already been submitted and is simply awaiting Apple’s approval. We’ve been using the new social network for a few days so far and are already really appreciating its “Circles” option — which allows users to share updates, photos, and more, with a specific group of friends or colleagues — and so we’re definitely excited to hear news that the iOS app is imminent.

[Via Apple Insider]

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In a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission, Microsoft and other companies expressed their support for AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA. “Many policy-related efforts will not be able to quickly address near-term capacity needs,” the letter stated. “The FCC must seriously weigh the benefits of this merger and approve it.” Other big names, such as Facebook, Research in Motion, Oracle and Yahoo!, have also voiced support for the merger, while Sprint has been the most outspoken opponent of the deal, which would make it the smallest major carrier in the U.S. behind AT&T and Verizon Wireless. The FCC and DOJ are in the midst of a thorough review process that promises to scrutinize every aspect of the proposed merger.

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AT&T will pay T-Mobile $3 billion in cash, a $1 billion roaming agreement, and $2 billion in spectrum if the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice reject AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile. The agreement’s 15% breakup fee would shatter global records, Reuters said, noting that the 7.7% breakup cash agreement is already high. On Wednesday, AT&T’s CEO Randall Stephenson met with the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss the acquisition. AT&T’s CEO Randall Stephenson has argued that there’s already plenty of competition in the U.S. wireless market and that the deal will actually create jobs. Similarly, the Communications Workers of America backs the deal and believes it will be a “victory for broadband proponents. AT&T’s competition isn’t so sure. Sprint’s CEO, Dan Hesse said the deal would “stifle innovation” and the carrier believes it would create a “vertically integrated duopoly.” Verizon has kept to itself, but did note that, if confirmed, the deal could be “an excuse for the government to insert itself into the marketplace.”

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It’s no secret that U.S. wireless provider Sprint is not a fan of the proposed AT&T and T-Mobile merger. The company’s CEO, Dan Hesse, has been very forthcoming with his concerns — mainly that the merger will create a duopoly between AT&T and Verizon Wireless — and now the carrier is looking for even more anti-merger ammunition. Bloomberg is reporting that Sprint representatives have “signed confidentiality agreements in advance of possibly gaining access to filings that won’t be available to the public.” The merger, were it to go through, would relegate Sprint to a distant third-place amongst U.S. wireless carriers, having just over half as many customers as its next competitor, Verizon Wireless. AT&T is seeking FCC and Department of Justice approval for the blockbuster merger that is expected to be complete within the next year.

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Not really digging the $800 price-tag set to be placed on the 3G Motorola XOOM tablet? Help may be on the way. A recent filing shows that the FCC is testing a “wireless tablet with embedded WLAN” manufactured by Motorola. Now, there’s no way to know exactly what this is… but our money is on a Wi-Fi only XOOM. The tablet in question, being referred to as the IHDP56LU1 in documentation, is only having its Bluetooth and Wi-Fi a/b/g/n chipsets tested — there was no mention of a cellular radio anywhere. Hopefully, with wireless carriers out of the picture, Moto can get a little more agressive with the pricing.

[Via Wireless Goodness]

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It looks like the Wi-Fi only variant of the Samsung Galaxy Tab — a device Samsung said they were working on that recently made an appearance in a Best Buy advert — has crossed the FCC’s desk. The only difference between the carrier branded Tab and the Wi-Fi only Tab, other than the absence of a cellular radio (duh!), is the device’s model number: GT-P1010. If Best Buy’s advertisement-oopsie was accurate, we should see the Wi-Fi device priced around $499; $100 less than an unsubsidized 3G model. What do you think? Worth it?

[Via IntoMobile]

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There hasn’t been this much controversy about a ban since Pete Rose was ousted from baseball. Okay, maybe that was embellished a bit, but this is still a highly-debated topic. Sean Kovacs, developer of the exiled, iOS, Google Voice application GV Mobile, tweeted the following late yesterday:

Good news: I did get confirmation back from Apple that it will most likely get back in once I resubmit.

The news comes just one day after Apple announce less stringent iOS development mandates and published an application-approval guideline document. iPhone users have been without a native Google Voice app since Apple dropped the ban hammer on all such applications back in July of last year. Anyone out there — other than BG — dying to see a native GV application back in the App Store?

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Good news for Nokia, as the Finnish company is slated to be the first company to receive approval from China for its online mapping service. Nokia submitted an application for its Ovi Maps when a new Chinese law requiring regulatory approval for all online mapping services went into effect in June 2010. According to a representative from the the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, Nokia’s application is slated to get the rubber stamp of approval from China’s regulatory body and will be subject to public opinion before receiving final approval. Though twenty-six companies are currently seeking approval, Google and Microsoft have not submitted an application for their respective mapping services. With all the drama surrounding Nokia and its Symbian^3 OS, it is a refreshing change to see the Espoo-based company get some positive press.

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Apple strikes again. Normally, when an iPhone/iPod touch app gets updated it’s good news. Woo hoo — new features, new fun! iStat users who updated their app to the latest version that became available this afternoon however, were in for a little surprise… From iStat developer Bjango’s site:

Where did ‘Free Memory’ go?

iStat’s Free Memory function was removed at Apple’s request.

This decision was completely out of our hands. Please note that all other apps with Free Memory appear to have been removed or updated without their Free Memory function too.

This was not taken lightly—we examined our choices, taking a lot of public feedback on board. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused and we do not plan to remove any other features from iStat.

If you choose (and you haven’t already updated), you can continue to run iStat version 1.0. You’ll miss out on new features, but you’ll get to keep the Free Memory feature.

We are very committed to ensuring iStat is the best iPhone and iPod Touch monitoring tool. Free Memory has been removed, but a lot of other useful features will be added in its place.

Garbage. The free memory function found within iStat and other similar applications allowed users to clear out wired and inactive memory, thus reducing drain on battery life and improving device performance without the need for a reboot. To be perfectly frank, it was the only reason we purchased and continued to use iStat. Forgetting about this specific function for a moment, it is completely unfair to both developers and users alike for Apple to approve functionality in an application and then force its removal in later versions. Moreover, it is absolutely unethical. In other industries, this practice is a form of ‘bait and switch’. In the App Store, it’s just another day at the office.

In the ongoing drama that is the App Store approval process, Qik scored a half victory last night when its updated iPhone app gained approval. The new version supports video uploads via 3G whereas previous versions were only able to upload videos over Wi-Fi. We say half victory because the features paramount to Qik’s app/service combo — the ability to stream live video and see viewer comments pop up on your display — is still notably absent from Qik’s iPhone offering. In a word: garbage. As the FCC continues to crack down on Apple’s App Store shenanigans, we can only hope that the company eventually begins to allow apps like Qik and Sling Player to implement the core functionality that makes them great. That is, instead of crippling them to the point of near-uselessness where their intended functionality is concerned.

[Via The iPhone Blog]

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