If you’ve been trying to check your BlackBerry messages today and aren’t getting anything, you’re apparently not alone. According to widespread reports, it seems that RIM’s BlackBerry network is having some problems today and there does not seem to be a fix in sight just yet. We’re seeing reports fromliterally hundredsof Twitter users, andBGRhas gotten a number of direct reports as well. We do have confirmation that the service is working in other parts of the world....

Research In Motion’s Blackberry line might be losing market share in North America but it is growing rapidly in Africa. In South Africa for instance, it commands a whooping 70% of the smartphone marketaccording toestimates by Vodacom. In August this year, RIM’s Regional Director for East, Central and West Africa, Waldi Wespenerrevealed in an interviewwith BusinessDay that Nigeria is one of RIM’s fastest growing markets globally. In a short period of time, the Blackberry has quickly become synonymous with what iscool and hipin many parts of urban Africa....

Dubai doesn’t seem to be able to get enough of the BlackBerry Messenger service. The Middle Eastern city is certainly at the forefront of finding innovative ways to use BBM beyond just a messaging service. First the Dubai Policeannouncedtheir very own BBM pin number for communicating with Dubai residents and informing them of awareness campaigns. Now Simon Hudson and Amanda Hollinshead have decided to launch a start-up catering to that very demographic....

Silicon Valley is home to many accelerators but not many that are housed in a pimp-daddy style mansion with hot tubs and jacuzzis; cueBlackbox Mansion, co-founded byBjoern Lasse Herrmannand Fadi Bishara it is home to a number of startups whose founders stay at the mansion and benefit from the co-working space, easy access to Silicon Valley and Sandhill Road for funding trips and the inspiration of entrepreneurial people coming through the doors....

Du, the UAE’s second largest telecom company and official reseller of iPhone 4 devices has banned all prepaid sales of iPhone 4 devices due to the fact they’re being sold in the black market at 50 to 80 percent more than their original price. Reported byArabianBusinessSmartphones sold unlocked for AED2,100 (almost USD $325) under the pre-paid package were being traded on the black market at a 50 to 80 percent mark-up, said Farid Faraidooni....