BerryReview.com

eBay Beta Push BlackBerry Application Launches Today!

Ronen Halevy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

We told you that eBay would be putting out a new push application in November but the app is scheduled to drop today. RIM & eBay let us know that their beta application launches today for all North American users. eBay for BlackBerry smartphones will be available for download through App World and will even get its own reviews and feedback section in the official BlackBerry support forums.

The app will let users search, buy, pay and check their eBay activity from the app. It also uses the RIM push API to notify you of the status of eBay listings in real-time like winning an auction, being outbid, or a listing on their Watch List is ending soon.

Other features:

Add to Calendar – Users can add the end time and reminders for auctions to their calendar
Payments – Users with a PayPal account can purchase directly through the application
Search by Location – Buyers can specify their search for items up to 1,200 miles from their home location

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 25, 2009, 8:00 am. | eBay Beta Push BlackBerry Application Launches Today! | Leave a comment |

50% Off Black Friday Deals: Nov 25th – Nov 30th

Ronen Halevy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:38:00 +0000

A couple of developers got together and sent us some great Black Friday deals they cooked up together for 50% off some great BlackBerry software. Twinkler Software, ToySoft, Fabian Heuwieser, & Trimax84 themes are part of the collective and have ALL of their apps listed for 50% off from today Nov 25th until Sunday Nov 30th. There are some real gems in there!

You will need to use the coupon codes listed below on each developers software so make sure to take note of them!

Twinkler Software – Coupon BFTW
ToySoft – Coupon BFTS
Fabian Heuwieser – Coupon BFFH
Trimax84 Themes – Coupon BFTR

Twinkler Software, is featuring AddOnis the “Swiss-Army Knife” of applications with integrated Vibration options, LED management, Call Firewall, and Send To Contacts, Calendar, Memopad, or Tasks and our newest addition WiFi Hero, which will automatically turn your Berry’s WiFi on and off in the presence or absence of WiFi – thus saving precious battery life. And don’t forget, the rest of Twinkler’s apps are on sale too!

Toysoft is featuring PictureID which displays full screen picture caller ID and allows the user to assign different picture ID’s for different contacts; and ProfilerPro which automates scheduled sound profile switching and integrates with both the Calendar and AddOnis applications. And keep in mind, all of Toysoft’s great apps are on sale as well!

Fabian Heuwieser is featuring LaterDude Pro which simply reminds you to call, SMS or email someone by efficiently interacting with the system and creating a new event which is placed into the internal calendar application. Keep in mind, all of Fabian’s other great apps are on sale too!

Trimax84 is known for making uniquely stylish and functional themes. The Elverado series for the Curve/Pearl/Storm devices, sports high quality images and clean lines. His newest series, Momentum, known as “The Theme in Motion” boasts impressive homescreen animations with Tour, Bold (9000/9700), and 8900 support. They are all on sale for your enjoyment!

Twinkler Software	Toysoft	Fabian Heuwieser	Trimax84 Themes
USE COUPON CODE “BFTW”	USE COUPON CODE “BFTS”	USE COUPON CODE “BFFH”	USE COUPON CODE “BFTR”
AddOnis	Kama Sutra	TyperSpeed	Elverado Today
SendX	myScheduleNFL	VibandRing	Elverado Dock
AddContactX	Periodical Table	WallpaperShuffle	Elverado Double Dock
WiFi Hero	Dipcalc	BlinkWhileCall	Elverado SideU
	Ballz	Laterdude Pro	Elverado Today-L
	GoFish		Elverado Arcs
	Luck7Slots		Elverado Blank Tags
	Sea Battle		Elverado L
	WackOMole		Elverado Today Extended
	BatterInfo		Elverado Dock+
	IconManager		Elverado L Slider
	magicIcon		Elverado Double Row
	PictureDial		Elverado Hidden Today
	PictureID		Elverado Icon
	PictureLink		Elverado U
	VisualArts		Elverado Hidden Arcs
	bQuiet		Elverado Hidden Dock
	KoolSounds		Elverado Assemble
	Location Profiler		Elverado L+
	ProfilerPro		Momentum Glyde
	RandomTones		Momentum Flyout
	BuzzOff		Momentum Lift
	CallNotes		Momentum Rotunda
	FakeCall
	myCallLogs
	NotNow
	SendIt
	SmsCounter
	TipCalc

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 25, 2009, 7:38 am. | 50% Off Black Friday Deals: Nov 25th – Nov 30th | Leave a comment |

Made Simple Learning BlackBerry Training Videos & eBooks on Sale

Ronen Halevy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Most power users will wonder why anybody would need a training video for their BlackBerry. On the other hand I get asked quite a few times a day how to do what I consider the simplest BlackBerry tasks. For example, how to search your email and save a search or how to uninstall and application.

For those of you who are having difficulty with your BlackBerrys or want to learn more about how to use it Made Simple Learning let us know they are having a 35% off sale for Thanksgiving. All of their videos and eBooks are 35% off when you use the coupon code 29833EDA32 from Wednesday through Sunday 11/25/2009 – 11/28/2009.

How to use the coupon:

Go To: www.madesimplelearning.com
Click on any of the BUY buttons.
At the bottom of the Purchase / Account Setup page, copy and paste the coupon code in the "COUPON" field at the bottom and press the Continue button.
You will see the discounted amount on the next web page.

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 25, 2009, 4:00 am. | Made Simple Learning BlackBerry Training Videos & eBooks on Sale | Leave a comment |

BerryReview Websignal Beta Currently Unavailable

Ronen Halevy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Some of you may have noticed that the BerryReview Websignal Beta is currently down. This is because of our recent move to a new more powerful dedicated server for BerryReview. Sadly that move required us to change our IP address which broke our communications with RIM.

RIM is working on the situation but they estimate that it will take about 3 weeks for the firewall rule to be updated which will allow our new server to communicate with the Websignal infrastructure. They are hoping that the request may go in faster but understandably other higher priority requests have precedence.

We will let you know when the beta is back up and running! On a side note let us know what you thought of the beta while it was working!

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 25, 2009, 2:00 am. | BerryReview Websignal Beta Currently Unavailable | 4 comments |

New York Times Releases free BlackBerry App

Ronen Halevy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:05:00 +0000

When I first heard about this I could have sworn that the New York Times already had a BlackBerry app. Turns out they only had a homescreen shortcut. The Times developed this new app in house and it looks pretty good. It is sponsored by UPS for now which probably means that they will not be charging for it in the future (hopefully).

You can find the app at www.nytimes.com/bbapp and more details at this link from your desktop.

The app downloads articles for offline reading which is nice but sadly it only supports the BlackBerry Tour, Storm, Bold, and Curve 8900. Everybody else is expected to make due with their homescreen shortcuts at mobile.nytimes.com.

via Editor & Publisher

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 25, 2009, 12:05 am. | New York Times Releases free BlackBerry App | 12 comments |

Google Apps Connector 1.5 – 3rd Party Hosting Coming Soon!

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:53:13 +0000

Google just announced Google Apps Connection version 1.5 which lets the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) connect to Google Apps email, calendar, & contacts. They have doubled the supported users per BES to 500 and added support for BlackBerry Professional Software in this release.

The biggest deal I see in this update is that Google has made it possible for one BES server to serve multiple Google Apps domains. This means that BES hosting providers are soon going to be able to offer low cost Google Apps with hosting with PIM sync just like BES. Google Apps Connector is a bit limited (no 2 way calendar sync) but it would probably be cheaper than traditional BES service especially if you already use Google Apps.

Now if only they could find a way to just avoid using BES altogether so we don’t need to have a more expensive data plan…

Check out Google Apps Connector at this link

Overview of features

Messages sent to your Gmail inbox are pushed to your BlackBerry within 60 seconds.
Emails read/deleted on your BlackBerry are marked as read/deleted in Gmail, and vice-versa.
Synchronize BlackBerry folders with labels in Gmail.
Search for email addresses and phone numbers of other users on your company domain.
View your Google Calendar schedule on your native BlackBerry application, with one-way synchronization from Google Calendar to your BlackBerry device.
Contacts in Gmail are automatically synchronized with your BlackBerry address book

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 3:53 pm. | Google Apps Connector 1.5 – 3rd Party Hosting Coming Soon! | 2 comments |

WiFi Hero – Controls WiFi Based On Location & Status

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:43:18 +0000

Twinkler Software let us know about their latest application called WiFi Hero. This app automatically controls your WiFi Status and helps save your battery. The app works on all OS 4.5+ devices but obviously requires a WiFi enabled device. The cool part is that the app is only 12K so it also saves your memory. I am not sure how the app knows your location but it looks like it remembers your cell tower location… Still waiting for Twinkler to confirm.

The application has three working modes:

Location Based. In this mode, WiFi Hero will automatically learn the location of the WiFi Hotspot you are currently connected to, and when WiFi is not connected (you are out of range of this Hotspot), WiFi Hero will automatically turn off WiFi – and when you come back to the same Hotspot location, it will automatically turn on WiFi.
Screen Status. In this mode, WiFi Hero will automatically turn on WiFi when the screen is on and automatically turn off WiFi when the screen is off – making this very useful when you use your Blackberry to browse the web.
Charging Status. In this mode, WiFi Hero will automatically turn on WiFi when the device is on charge, and automatically turn off WiFi when device is not charging and on battery power.

Check it out for $4.99 at this link in the store. The options for the app are under the main BlackBerry options menu.

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 12:43 pm. | WiFi Hero – Controls WiFi Based On Location & Status | 5 comments |

Apple & AT&T Fire Back @ Verizon Ads…

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:14:35 +0000

This just keeps on getting better. Apple has entered the fray with AT&T to defend against Verizon’s gutsy “There is a map for that” ads. The retorts from AT&T are pretty pitiful but the Apple ads are decent arguments about simultaneous voice and data. Check them out below and let us know what you think!

Though personally I would rather 3G coverage over being able to talk and use the internet at the same time.

via BusinessWeek via IntoMobile

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 12:14 pm. | Apple & AT&T Fire Back @ Verizon Ads… | 8 comments |

Giveaway: ShakeItUp Application for BB Storm 25 Free copies

Luis Merlos — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:00:34 +0000

Here is a neat application by mblware called Shakeitup, and it does exactly what the name suggest. The application makes use of the BlackBerry Storm accelerometer to initiate frequently used BlackBerry applications. This looks like a fun application to use, all you have to do is shake the BlackBerry and a menu pops up that lets you select from a list of your most used features/applications. Simple and fun to use when you shake the device the list gives you easy access to options such as compose an Email, SMS, Address Book, Calendar, Browser or use the mblware ‘Shake & Shuffle’ Music Player.

The application has custome shortcuts for the apps you like to use the most, the other cool thing about it is that the music player it comes with lets you shuffle songs by just shaking the device. You can check out the video below for a demonstration.

YouTube Video Link

The application is available in the mobihand app store for $3.99 you can pick it up at this link.

For more information read the product description:

Quick, easy, and fun way to initiate common BlackBerry programs such as Email, SMS, and the mblware ‘Shake & Shuffle’ Music Player, Address Book, Colander, Browser, and more (see Features).
Shake your BlackBerry Storm to open the app, then choose to compose an email, sms a contact, play a random song, or open the Shake & Shuffle music player.
To shuffle through songs using the mblware ‘Shake & Shuffle’ Music Player, simply ShakeItUp, and your Storm will pick another song from your SD Card.
** MUSIC **
ShakeItUp looks for music in the SDCard\Music folder. If you get an error saying it can’t find any songs, please move your music to that folder.
Features:

Shortcuts for the following:
SMS
Email
Address Book
Bluetooth Config
Calculator
Calendar
Camera
Maps
Memopad
Search
Tasks
Browser
‘Shake & Shuffle’ Music Player (Shake your Storm to shuffle songs)
Supports mp3, m4a, wma

You are wondering what to do for a free copy correct? You know the drill simply leave a comment below, no more than one comment per reader. The giveaway will run from today until Wednesday midnight Easter time. Make sure you have the correct email address registered with us so we may contact you once the contest is over. We will select the winners randomly & announce them within the two days after the contest is over. Good luck to all of you.

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Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 11:00 am. | Giveaway: ShakeItUp Application for BB Storm 25 Free copies | 38 comments |

Last.FM Launches Free BlackBerry App

the BerryReview Team — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:46:17 +0000

xjonx let us know that Last.FM has joined the mobile streaming radio fray with their own BlackBerry app. For those not familiar with Last.FM it is an internet website which claims to have over 30 million users. With this app available users have access to music from big name bands/artist to indie and smaller local artist. You can pull up artist bio, similar artist, upcoming events etc. It looks like it is available for the Bold 9000 and Curve 8900 devices in the UK and the United States and works over EDGE, Wi-Fi, or 3G. I hate when popular apps don’t wait until they have full device support before launching…

Check it out at www.last.fm/blackberry or download it from App World at this link.

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Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 10:46 am. | Last.FM Launches Free BlackBerry App | 4 comments |

BlackBerry Storm2 9520 OS 5.0.0.341 Found Online

the BerryReview Team — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:34:58 +0000

The BlackBerry Storm2 9520 has not been getting as much love as the CDMA version of the Storm2. Adam @Crackberry is working on rectifying that situation by pointing out a leak of OS 5.0.0.341 for the 9520.

Download @ Rapidshare

NOTE: Do not install this software if you do not know what you are doing. It may make your BlackBerry FUBAR or just plain angry.

Keep the tips coming!

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Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 10:34 am. | BlackBerry Storm2 9520 OS 5.0.0.341 Found Online | 4 comments |

RIM Launches BlackBerry Media Sync 3.0 – Adds 2-way Photo Sync

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

UPDATE: RIM let us know that they Media Sync 3.0 software will only be available starting at 12pm EST.

RIM gave us an advanced preview of BlackBerry Media Sync 3.0 and I have to say I am liking RIM’s new approach. I have always harbored a bit of hatred towards Roxio and never used it for my BlackBerry. BlackBerry Media Sync started by synching your music but now RIM has extended it to sync your pictures too.

The new version 3.0 adds simple photo sync to the music sync already available in previous versions. The picture sync is really cool and lets you easily back up your pictures to your PC. I just wish it gave you a little more control over what was synced since it would be really nice to be able to automatically sync specific pictures you store on your PC back to your BlackBerry. RIM even provided us some stats from a Penn Schoen Berland Multimedia study in April that shows 70% of BlackBerry consumers take pictures at least weekly and 73% of consumers view pictures on their BlackBerry weekly. Sadly the picture sync will only be available for PC’s at launch.

PC to BlackBerry sync capabilities:

Add folders for syncing with option to optimize pictures for device
Smart memory management: optimizes photo size, allowing for storage of more pictures on device

BlackBerry to PC Import capabilities:

Media Sync alerts users when new pictures are available to import when device is connected to PC (via pop-up on the pictures tab)

With the new version you can sync specific playlists from iTunes or Windows Media Player to your BlackBerry. It even gives you the option to fill your SD card with random music…

BlackBerry Media sync is supposed to be available today at the link below and will also ship on the Desktop Manager CD’s in the future.
www.blackberry.com/mediasync
The app will support Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP SP2+, Mac OSX 10.5.5+ (music sync only) and will need Desktop Manager 4.6+ along with Windows Media Player 10+ or iTunes 7.7.1+ for music sync.

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 10:00 am. | RIM Launches BlackBerry Media Sync 3.0 – Adds 2-way Photo Sync | One comment |

Premium Iconic Theme from MBCustomz Designs

Vicky Pazienza — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:48:10 +0000

If you’re a fan of R&B and hip hop…and a bit of bling, you’re gonna really appreciate this new theme release from the likes of MBCustomz called, Iconic. Featuring a home screen that changes backgrounds with images of music legends Michael Jackson, Tupac, Notorious B.I.G. and Eazy E is definitely a slick looking theme.

Now y’all know how I feel about themes that cost $7.99 (as Iconic does) but this theme does have a lot of unique features like the animated background, customized bottom dock and other customized icons, so for many of you…it may be worth the price. I did test the 9700 version and it worked fine for me. Iconic is available for a variety of BlackBerry devices. More info including screen shots and purchase links can be found at Themes4BB.Com.

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Posted by Vicky for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 9:48 am. | Premium Iconic Theme from MBCustomz Designs | 3 comments |

SmrtGuard Updated to v2.0.2 – Adds New Remote Features

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:25:00 +0000

SmrtGuard let us know that they have released version 2.02 of their popular application. This new version adds a few features but the main thing is a new free trial option for new users. It used to be that you had a free 10 day trial after you signed up with PayPal but now you don’t need to put in payment information. They have also allowed for Remote Backup letting you remotely initiate a backup before you wipe a BlackBerry.

What’s new in v2.02:

Risk-free Trial without payment information: www.smrtguard.com/riskfree
Added Remote Backup Function to allow ad-hoc backup to be trigger remotely. (Issue a remote backup before a remote data wipe)
Added a new Location History Tab on the SmrtGuard Dashboard that displays all of your historical locations.
Remote Listen feature now allows users to issue call forwarding remotely. This is useful when user forgot smartphone at home but need to re-route calls to another phone.

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 9:25 am. | SmrtGuard Updated to v2.0.2 – Adds New Remote Features | Leave a comment |

BlackBerry Master Control Program 0.9.2 Final Released

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:33:00 +0000

Sgt-d let us know that his team has released BlackBerry Master Control Program 0.9.2.0 final today with a slew of new updates. The new version supports the new JavaLoader 5 beta 5 which should improve things but requires Desktop Manager 5.0.

You can read more about this awesome free utility at this link or download the release at this link.

General Changes

MCP now supports Java Loader 5.0.0 Beta 5 (JDE)
Stand alone EXE now downloads the correct Java Loader EXE (5.0 Beta 5)
Stand alone EXE now downloads the correct images
Note: Existing users: close MCP, delete the images and icons folders, run mcp.exe again

Operating System Management (OSM) Changes

"More/Games" section is now "More/IM’s" (Instant Messengers)
"Instant Messengers" section is now "BlackBerry Games"
More/IM’s > More Modules: Added: CityID
BlackBerry Games: Added: Block Breaker Deluxe 2, Bejeweled, Twist Demo, Monopoly, Peggle Demo, Tetris, Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, The Sims 3
Confirmation page for OS now shows your PIN in the sample image on the right side

More Changes (Since 0.9.1.1)

MCP gets a major facelift! Brand new graphics for the navigation panel and installers! – Thanks Shane!!!
Save Modules now allows user to create ALX/JAD for saved modules (http://mcpfx.com/page.php?21)
Added Backup & Restore for third party applications (2 clicks) (http://mcpfx.com/page.php?21)
Added ALX/JAD Builder with drag & drop window for building the module list (http://mcpfx.com/page.php?21)
Hotkey Navigation (F-Keys) updated (http://mcpfx.com/page.php?22)
Load/Erase (and other) information popups are now modal (main screen is disabled until operations complete)
Left side navigation panel reduced number of icons dramatically (it was too cluttered)
MCP navigation icon hints are now more detailed and describe what each page can do
MCP Live Support tool (separate download -> bin\support.exe) allows remote viewing and interaction
MCP installer now adds "MCP Log" and "MCP Live Support" to the Windows Start Menu
External apps icons: added intelligence to left click… if app exists, execute it, if not, go to website
External apps icons: hints updated to acknowledge ability to middle click for settings
OS Management: Added "Delete JVM" checkbox (if checked Application Loader will start with the /nojvm parameter which will destroy JVM on the device)
OS Management: Added "Full Wipe" checkbox (if checked Java Loader will "Wipe" the device destroying any existing IT Policies prior to the OS installation)
Navigation: Load/Erase/Save Modules used to be "hidden" under the "Java Loader" page, they are now in the main navigation area
Development platform upgraded from "Windows XP SP3 / CodeGear RAD Studio 2009" to "Windows 7 RC1 / Embarcadero RAD Studio 2010"
Load Modules > Locate files now initially shows all COD and JAD files, selector allows user to filter differently
MCP Bin folder path corruption bug fixed – this was fully annoying!

More Information

For all of the details on this build please visit http://mcpfx.com/page.php?28

Standard / 2.94 MB (3,086,296 bytes)

Information: http://mcpfx.com/download.php?view.1

Download: http://mcpfx.com/request.php?1

Portable / 3.07 MB (3,220,576 bytes)

Information: http://mcpfx.com/download.php?view.2

Download: http://mcpfx.com/request.php?2

Stand Alone / 1.45 MB (1,526,208 bytes)

Information: http://mcpfx.com/download.php?view.3

Download: http://mcpfx.com/request.php?3

RIM BlackBerry Desktop Manager 5.0 or higher is required.

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 8:33 am. | BlackBerry Master Control Program 0.9.2 Final Released | One comment |

T-Mobile Black Friday Weekend – $50 More Off BlackBerry Bold 9700

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:41:00 +0000

T-Mobile let us know that they are having a sale on the BlackBerry Bold 9700 during Black Friday weekend (11/27 – 11/29). During that time you will be able to pick up the new Bold 9700 for $149.99 with a two year contract instead of the regular $199.99.

T-Mobile is really pushing their new contract free Even More Plus plan where you can give a phone as a gift and the recipient can activate service with unlimited plans starting from $49.99/month. Though I am not sure how many people are going to shell out $449.99 for a holiday gift…

Let us know if you are going to pick up a 9700 this Black Friday!

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 7:41 am. | T-Mobile Black Friday Weekend – $50 More Off BlackBerry Bold 9700 | 2 comments |

IM+ for Skype v4 Beta – One Step Closer to True VOIP!!!

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:47:00 +0000

SHAPE let me know that they have just opened up the public beta for their IM+ for Skype application. This app will be adding a huge feature which is free calling over Wi-Fi with some MAJOR caveats but still this is HUGE! The problem is that the app only currently supports half-duplex mode which is kind of like a walkie-talkie. You hold down a button to talk and let go to listen.

In order to place the VoIP call you need to select the proper call type under Settings->General
Then select the contact from your contact list or Call->Call phone from the menu.
Please press left convenient key to talk and release to listen

The open beta is available until December 8th at the links below

Desktop Link: IM+ for Skype :: BlackBerry :: Products
OTA Link: wap.shapeservices.com/skype-beta

Shape let me know that active beta tester will be getting free license codes!

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 4:47 am. | IM+ for Skype v4 Beta – One Step Closer to True VOIP!!! | 5 comments |

Bing Search App Released For 83XX, 85XX, & 88XX Devices

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:25:00 +0000

DavidH let us know that Microsoft has released a Bing app for BlackBerry which is targeted towards the 8300, 8500, & 8800 series BlackBerrys though David was able to find the download link for the Tour 9630.

You can find the new app at m.bing.com (choose the download interactive client link) or read more about it on their blog at this or this link. It looks like Bing is first targeting devices with 320×240 resolution with others coming next. David found the OTA link for the Tour 9630 at this link OTA.

You can find the feature list below along with features like voice search and some daily wallpapers.

Search Home with a brand new search experience

New and Improved Home Screen with links to the user’s most favorite tasks.
Voice-Enabled search functionality
Autosuggest-enable text box that serves up your recent searches and favorite locations
Top News and Business Directory to expose news and local queries
Rotating promos to boost user involvement and knowledge of the application

Web, Local, News and IA

Relevant and up-to-date web, news and local results
Easy access to interaction (Call, directions, map, save as favorite) for local businesses
Instant Answers for Movies (Showtimes, Theaters, Now Playing), Weather, Finance and Locations

Maps, Traffic & Directions

Search the map for businesses around you.
Easy access to directions, favorites, centering yourself on the map
Step by Step directions to your locations of interest
Track your location on the map using responsive and highly accurate Location Based Services.

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 4:25 am. | Bing Search App Released For 83XX, 85XX, & 88XX Devices | 7 comments |

RIM Sued for Visual Voicemail by Patent Troll

Ronen Halevy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

I could have sworn RIM was already sued over Visual Voicemail but it looks like they only sued AT&T previously. (Thanks Bla1ze) Joe let us know that RIM was just sued by patent troll Klausner Technologies Inc over Visual Voicemail. The funny part is that it looks like RIM violated the patent on the Bold 9700 only since previous BlackBerrys have licenses from Klausner… Wonder how that happened.

Klausner has already sued and settled with Apple, AT&T, & Google over the same patent and is currently suing Cisco and Avaya over the same 24 visual voicemail patents.

I love patent fun! Wonder how long it will take RIM to settle or fight out this one…

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 24, 2009, 1:00 am. | RIM Sued for Visual Voicemail by Patent Troll | Leave a comment |

Review: Jawbone Prime Bluetooth Headset

David — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:43 +0000

Jawbone Prime

Price: $109.95 @ the store
Rating: 9.5 out of 10 stars

What’s new: The Voice Activity Sensor still touches your jawbone so that it can detect speech separate from background noise. But for the times where the sensor isn’t touching your jawbone, dual microphones blackout background noise. Using the microphones and the jawbone sensor, the headset utilizes some fancy algorithms to reduce more wind effect than ever before–even notifying you when the wind is just too loud for you to be heard. Plus, its pretty slick lookin!

Fit: The Jawbone Prime uses the earpiece condom (a rubber that goes over the earphone) and a nub that presses against the cavity of your ear to keep the headset in place. I like these new ear nubs better than the traditional earloop, it feels more snug and there are less pieces to worry about overall.
Design: The new textured surface is high end, making the Jawbone prime seem like something less embarrassing to pull out of your pocket to make a call with.
Controls: There are two control buttons, the entire front of the faceplate and the back most part of the faceplate. But because both buttons are under a single faceplate they are harder to differentiate than you may think. I hung up on my mom inadvertently more than few times when trying to adjust the volume.
Does it deliver? Overall yes. I sat at a table with my wife, brother and sister-in-law all yapping at a table while I made a phone call and the other line said that not only could they hear me, but they barely even noticed that there were other people talking. I also tried talking to my dad with both the television and music on, and while he could still hear the sound from the television and music because they were so loud he said that they were more distant and faded as compared with my voice. All in all, the Jawbone technology allows the Prime to isolate your voice and minimize all other sounds.
Gripe: The Jawbone Prime charges with a specialty charger cable. The charging cable can be used with a wall adapter or charged straight from the USB port of your computer. However, this adds to a myriad of other chargers I already have. The Jawbone Prime would have been perfect if it utilized one of the standard mini or micro USB ports as most other headsets already do.

Conclusion: The Jawbone Prime is a slick looking headset that enables you to have a clear conversation in a room full of people without too many “can you hear me nows”.

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Posted by David for ©BerryReview, November 23, 2009, 3:00 pm. | Review: Jawbone Prime Bluetooth Headset | One comment |

BES 5.0 SP1 Coming Next Month – Adds Open Office File Support

Ronen Halevy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:42:00 +0000

One of our secret agents sent a link over with the documentation for the upcoming release of BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) 5.0 Service Pack 1. I don’t have a solid date for release but they told me that it should be coming either by the end of this month or the next. There are some interesting new features additions in this new version but here are the highlights:

Open Document Format (ODF) Support – Support for .odp files and .ods files on BlackBerry devices. These are OpenOffice format files for wordprocessing, spreadsheets, and presentations.
VMware Certification
BlackBerry Browser device dashboard – Mobile friendly
Support for Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008
Support for Windows® Internet Explorer® version 8
Support for importing Wi-Fi® profiles and VPN profiles from a .csv file

You can find the full document at this link

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 23, 2009, 12:42 pm. | BES 5.0 SP1 Coming Next Month – Adds Open Office File Support | 6 comments |

Bowers & Wilkins Mobile Hi-Fi headphones

David — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:28 +0000

Bowers & Wilkins Mobile Hi-Fi headphones

Our glorious leader Ronen

Set to come out early 2010, are Bowers & Wilkins insanely luxury and expensive Hi-Fi headphones. We had the pleasure of trying these out early and they are fantastic. Im not an audiophile but the quality was great. But more importantly the soft leather construction of these heaphones is really what its all about. The top of the headset is coverd in soft leather where it sits atop your head. Also, the earphones are covered in soft leather and press against the ear to block out background noise. They push against the ear enough to pay solid music and block out noise, but not so hard as to hurt your ear. The unofficial price is about $600 (no that wasn’t a typo). But if you are serious about sound, this is definitely something you should keep track of for early 2010.

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Posted by David for ©BerryReview, November 23, 2009, 12:00 pm. | Bowers & Wilkins Mobile Hi-Fi headphones | 2 comments |

Pandora v1.1.2.1 Released – Minor Update

Ronen Halevy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:21:58 +0000

Usually I would not mention an update from version 1.1.2 to 1.1.2.1 but I know thousands of our readers are using Pandora. Nikolaus let me know about the slight version bump that looks like a bug fix.

Pandora is a pretty stable app on my BlackBerry and I am absolutely loving it on my Bold 9700. If you are not already using it check it out by heading to www.pandora.com from your BlackBerry browser.

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 23, 2009, 11:21 am. | Pandora v1.1.2.1 Released – Minor Update | 5 comments |

Google Shutting Down Original GrandCentral Website

Ronen Halevy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:11:00 +0000

Google is sending out emails to all original GrandCentral users that they will be shutting down the original GrandCentral website as of December 31st, 2009. Most people have migrated to Google Voice but may have some messages or contacts on GrandCentral that were not ported over.

Google is reminding you to listen and download the messages and contacts that you may want to keep at www.grandcentral.com. I guess there was never a promise of “one website for life”

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, November 23, 2009, 10:11 am. | Google Shutting Down Original GrandCentral Website | Leave a comment |

OtterBox unveils a full line up for the BlackBerry Storm2

Greg Myers — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:56:48 +0000

The team over at OtterBox have had their work cut out for them lately trying to keep up with the release of the new BlackBerry devices to hit the market.

Their first offering is a full range of protection cases for the BlackBerry Storm2. This will cover just about everybody from the executive business person to the labour intensive tradesperson in keeping their new investment well protected.

The pricing is quite reasonable at $19.95* the Impact Case, $34.95* for the Commuter and $49.95* for the Defender Case.

You can check them out at the official OtterBox site at: BlackBerry Storm .

I could never really see the point in trying to protect the original Storm as it was, in my opinion, the worst BlackBerry ever to be released to date. But from all accounts, the Storm2 has had some rave reviews so maybe this new release may just be worth protecting…

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Posted by Greg for ©BerryReview, November 23, 2009, 9:56 am. | OtterBox unveils a full line up for the BlackBerry Storm2 | Leave a comment |