HOT! Google Sync Now Syncs Your Gmail Contacts FREE Along With Your Calendar!!!

Enrico let me know that Google has updated their free Sync application that used to only sync your calendar with your BlackBerry. Now it also syncs your Gmail contacts with your BlackBerry!!! This latest version is 0.5.9.

Very Cool Google! They are getting closer and closer to a free BES-like service every day. Now if only they could consolidate some of these apps

You can pick up the new app at: m.google.com/sync

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/458721468/

U.S. Government can track cellphones without carrier co-operation

Some chilling revelations have come out recently, indicating that the U.S. government has far more power to track its citizens than previously thought. Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation under a Freedom of Information Act request suggest that "triggerfish" technology can be used to pinpoint the location of cell phones without involving cell phone providers at all. By posing as a cell tower, triggerfish, also known as cell-site simulators or digital analyzers, trick nearby cell phones into transmitting their serial numbers, phone numbers, and other data to law enforcement.

As one of the documents intended to provide guidance for DOJ employees explains, triggerfish can be deployed "without the user knowing about it, and without involving the cell phone provider." That may be significant because the legal rulings requiring law enforcement to meet a high "probable cause" standard before acquiring cell location records have, thus far, pertained to requests for information from providers, pursuant to statutes such as the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) and the Stored Communications Act.

This is certainly news that will make you look at your BlackBerry a little differently. Ars Technica has an excellent article on the news; to learn more click the link below.

|via Ars Technica| (c) BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blackberrycool/mYUU/~3/457331320/

Instango 2.0 Now Available For BlackBerry!

One of the best things about our beloved BlackBerry devices is the multitude of options available for communications while using them. Everything from MSN, Google Talk, right down to ICQ (does anyone even use that any more?!). The only problem with all of these options, especially if you are a user of several messaging platforms, is that it means having to open numerous applications all at once on your device, which becomes a pain in the butt. Instango looks to be able to solve this problem for us BlackBerry users and gives us a convergance of those applications and much more.

Their newly updated version of Instango is vastly improved upon the previous versions and brings a ton of new features to the table as well. They have listened to the community and brought us the following with their latest update:
Complete rewrite of the user interface
Multiple Account support (ie: 2 AIM, 1 MSN Accnt.)
WiFi Support
Improved battery cosumption when running the app
Better usage of data compression,saving on data usage
Message list integration on OS 4.6
Many, Many Bugfixes

Having used this application at its first launch, I can say this version is a great improvement over what it was and well worth a look.

For a further peek into the application, head on over to the features page and have a look. The services expand well beyond just IM integration all the way to now using Instango as an RSS reader and sending voice messages, files and pictures.
More Information and Download Instango 2.0 >>

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Instango 2.0 Now Available For BlackBerry!

http://crackberry.com/instango-2-0-now-available-blackberry

Vodafone Storm 101: Set Up Your Email on BIS

Heres a Vodafone Help Center video thatll bring you up to speed on setting up email on your Vodafone BlackBerry Storm.

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Vodafone Storm 101: Set Up Your Email on BIS

http://crackberry.com/vodafone-storm-101-set-your-email-bis

BlackBerry Curve 8900 pops up on BlackBerry Germany site

Well lookie here. We gave you a little hands-on love last month and as our Curve 8900 gets ready to do battle in an upcoming comparison post or two, German BlackBerry fans just got a hell of a shock. The 8900 is now live on the BlackBerry Germany site and apparently almost ready to rock. Looking sexy as ever, the Curve 8900 on the site comes along with a bunch of marketing speak and complete specs. In terms of pricing or timing, it looks like T-Mobile will begin shipping this puppy within a week or two and and it will set you back a paltry €5 with a 2-year contract and a pretty reasonable €360, contract-free. Hit the read link if you read German or jump directly to the translated version.

[Thanks, Hugh!]

Read

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheBoyGeniusReport/~3/450851848/

BlackBerry Curve 8900 emulator now available

RIM is just on fire lately. After a quick 8900 sneak attack from Germany and this morning's little Storm announcement, what more could you want? Well, more info on the Curve 8900's US release most likely, but you know what they say about patience being a virtue. In the meantime if you really can't wait to get your hands on a Curve 8900 to play with, this might tide you over - for about 10 minutes at least. RIM has made the 4.6.1 emulator software available for download from the BlackBerry site for all you developers and serious addicts out there. It's just like the real thing, right? Yeah, not so much. At least you can get a feel for the 4.6 OS as you anxiously await the real thing

Read

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheBoyGeniusReport/~3/451849600/

PeeKaWho v.1.160 Reviewed!

We've talked quite a bit about PeeKaWho here at BlackBerry Cool, but no one's actually reviewed the product. BlackBerry Cool 15 nominee Robert Kao of SmrtGuard - the developer of Followup and SmrtGuard - brings Blackberry users this great piece of software.

If you've been looking for a reliable caller ID function for your incoming email and SMS text messages, look no further. PeeKaWho is great if you want to view your email or text messages at a glance while performing other functions on your Blackberry, like composing an email or surfing in the browser. You can also disallow PeeKaWho pop-ups when using certain applications, great for when you don't want to be interrupted while you're writing an email, viewing a video or dialing a call

PeeKaWho v.1.160 Review Quick Links

KEY DETAILS
INSTALLATION AND SETUP
KEY FEATURES
PROs/CONs
FINAL CONCLUSION
IMAGE GALLERY
KEY DETAILS

OS Support: Blackberry OS 4.1 and above
Price: $6.95
Company: SmrtGuard
Where to buy: The BlackBerry Cool store!
Official user guide: Here
INSTALLATION AND SETUP

Installing and setting up PeeKaWho is simple. First, purchase the software from our online store. Then, click the link provided in the confirmation email to download.

It will then ask you to select the OS you are running on your device. Select the correct link to download the right software version for your device (be prepared for errors if you mess this up!)

Download and install.

Finally, reboot. You can then navigate to your applications menu and click the little envelope icon (the one with the "@" on it).

(c) Jonathan Brandon for BlackBerry Cool, 2008

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blackberrycool/mYUU/~3/448862906/

India adds 7.7 million GSM customers in October (BlackBerry Bytes)

Anyone who wonders why RIM's recent troubles bringing BlackBerrys to India were such a big deal need only look at these numbers to understand. According to the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI), India's GSM networks added a record breaking 7.7 million net customers in October, bringing India's total GSM base to 241.4 million. These figures, however, do not include the GSM subscriber base from Reliance Communications - which although a predominantly CDMA operator has a growing GSM base as well. Adding Reliance Communications' estimated 9.2 million GSM subscribers would bring India's total base to over 250 million GSM customers.

250 million GSM subscribers - just think about that number for a second. That's almost the population of the United States. How much would it improve RIM's bottom line to grab even a small percentage of that number?

|via CN|

(c) BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blackberrycool/mYUU/~3/451507751/

Poll: New Comment System On BerryReview - Reply By Email!

Here at BerryReview we are always trying to encourage conversations between and with our readers. In that vein we are testing out a new comment system on BerryReview and would love to hear what you think about it. The new comment system is powered by IntenseDebate and offers quite a few more features that we did not have in our old comments. My favorite is the ability to easily reply to comments by email. Talk about a BlackBerry friendly feature!

The new comment features include:
Comment threading
Reply to comments by email - Just reply to the comment notification email to respond
Comment voting & reputation points
More streamlined look
& More!

I am really digging the reply by email feature since it lets me easily respond to questions from my BlackBerry. I highly recommend checking it out! During this test period you may run into a couple of bugs. Please point them out to us if you run into them.

Let us know what you think of the new comments in the poll below: Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/451938864/

RIM Launches The Curve 8900 (AKA Javelin) On T-Mobile Germany

So I guess we are ending up with a 8900 Curve instead of a Javelin. I am really starting to hate how RIM recycles the names for newer devices. Just leads to confusion.

RIM announced the 8900 out in Germany on T-Mobile. Don't get excited about these coming unlocked to the US since Germany uses a QWERTZ keyboard instead of a our usual QWERTY keyboard. (Really screws with your head)

Just to remind you the Curve 8900 specs:
480360 pixel display
3.2 MP camera/video with autofocus and flash
Thinnest fully keyboard BlackBerry
EDGE & WiFi
GPS
512Mhz processor

T-Mobile Germany has gotten creative offering 6 months of free email on the device which is a nice perk.

Check out the details in the press release

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/451501090/

PeeKaWho 1.165 Pre-Release - Ads Popup Customization

James & Tashanna let me know that PeeKaWho has yet again updated their application with a pre-release trial of some cool features. They now give you more control over what information shows up in a popup and what colors you wish to show. Another interesting feature they added that I did not consider before is the ability to stop the popups when you are using Garmin or TeleNav for GPS.

Here are the new changes:
Preference for Blinking LED
Preference to change text size
Preference to have more "concise" popup. When this is enabled, no title, no company of the person is displayed. In short, this allows more of the email body to be shown.
Added GPS to the list of Application filter (works with Garmin and TeleNav)
More LED colors added
PeeKaLight (flashlight feature) takes the LED color of email setting.
NOTE: This pre-release is only for OS 4.3.x, OS 4.5.x, OS 4.6.x

You can pick up the pre-release at this link OTA:
www.smrtguard.com/download/1165/421/peek.jad

AutoStandby 2.2.0 Released - Adds Quick Toggle Function & API

I am a fan of the AutoStandby application. It simply puts your phone into standby during certain conditions helping you to save battery life and stop hitting keys on accident. Tom let me know about their latest version 2.2.0 which brings quite a few features to the table that I thought were worth mentioning but one in particular really interested me. You can now toggle the AutoStandby application on and off by hitting the mute button 3 times in a row. Not sure how they did that but kudos to them.

What's new in 2.2.0:
Fixed Homescreen switch bug
Added ability to allow an application to disable AutoStanby only if it's the active window
Added option to minimize an application on standby
Added "Quick Toggle" feature. Press mute key three times quickly to toggle AutoStandby on/off
Added ability to have the Browser and BBM disable AutoStandby if they are the active window
Added third-party API for future integration with apps such as Aerize Alerts

You can pick up the latest version at the store at this link. It worked for me by going to the store link from my BlackBerry and clicking the try button.

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/451637013/

Upvise Out Of Beta - Personal Version Still Free

We have mentioned Upvise a few times on BerryReview and we just got word that with version 2.0 they are finally out of beta. They have broken up their accounts into a free personal account and a subscription business account option. The new 2.0 version of the application adds mobile security settings, export contacts to the phone address book, and send an SMS text message to a contact.

The free personal version has: Wikipedia, Contacts, Notebooks, Shopping Lists, RSS News, and Quote of the Day as the available services. These services sync free with their BlackBerry application.

Their new Upvise Business account is a multi-user account which enables you to share company information and collaborate with your co-workers anywhere, on your mobile and through your web account. Upvise apps include the Business Contact Manager, Projects, Workspaces, Ideas, with Calendar and Tasks coming soon. This information is encrypted and includes HTTPS service. You can even encrypt information on your Berry and password protect it. You can also backup your information with automatic backups with a restore feature. The business service also allows you to import and export your information in CSV format.

Check out the details at www.upvise.com

Thanks Tashanna, YR, and Nikolaus for sending this one in!

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/448942695/

TeleNav launches standalone GPS device, shoots you with a Shotgun

Thanks to the eagerness of TeleNav's web designers, they've let slip one of their most-closely guarded secrets a stand-alone internet connected GPS device. We've got a TeleNav Shotgun in hand, but we weren't prepared to fire that bad boy off until Monday. Since there's this little slip-up though, we'll give you some first impressions.

Marketing and timing aspects aside, the TeleNav Shotgun is actually a pretty sexy unit in terms of appearance. The UI is pretty clean and you could sort of think of it as a big brother to the TeleNav Navigator GPS software you have on your cell phone. The Shotgun uses a built-in SIM card (they won't let us say which carrier, but it is GSM, obviously) to let you get real-time traffic, locations, restaurant ratings, look-ups, and whatever else your heart desires. The unit does work as advertised and we didn't have any real hiccups. All in all it's not bad, it's just not great and we really don't see a place in the market for this thing. We'll let you ponder if you think you're going to get one or not while we put the finishing touches on our review. We're riding Shotgun, bitchez.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheBoyGeniusReport/~3/446726003/

Introducing Datepedia for BlackBerry Smartphones

Launched today by Mobatech, creators of the Mobile Bartender for BlackBerry (one of my favorite apps!), comes Datepedia, a simple and useful application that ensures youll never ever miss out on an important date again. From Mobatech:

Datepedia for BlackBerry Smartphones

National holidays, religious holidays, sporting events and more! With Datepedia, users have instant access to the most comprehensive package of dates for BlackBerry devices. Simply select dates and export them to your BlackBerry calendar at the click of a button. Need to remember a birthday or anniversary? Now you can add your own dates at any time so youll never forget that important event! Not sure if Valentines Day is Saturday or Sunday this year? With Datepedia in your phone youll never have to wonder again!

Features:
View dates for national holidays from multiple countries including US, UK, India, Germany, France and more
View Christian, Jewish and Islamic religious holidays including descriptions of each holiday
View dates for major sporting events including BCS Bowl Games, Golf Major Events, Tennis Grand Slam, Auto Racing and more
Keep track of personal events such as birthdays and anniveraries while on the go
Choose from multipe export options to save Datepedia events to your BlackBerry calendar
View event dates in List View or Calendar View
Quickly search for any dates by category or name, and filter search by year for faster look-up
Option for viewing all events or upcoming events only

For more information, be sure to check out this handy Datepedia Overview Slide. Datepedia sells for $9.95 and due to the nature of the app, no free-trial is available. For more screecaps, info and to purchase, follow the links below...

Get Datepedia for BlackBerry:
BlackBerry Curve / 8300 /8800 Series >>
BlackBerry Pearl / 8100 Series >>
BlackBerry Pearl / 8220 Series >>
BlackBerry Bold / 9000 Series >>

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Introducing Datepedia for BlackBerry Smartphones

http://crackberry.com/introducing-datepedia-blackberry-smartphones

Wirenode - Easily Create Your Own Mobile Site Free

Nick let me know about this very easy to use free service that lets you create your own mobile website free. You can even take your RSS feed from your blog or twitter and make it automatically publish it into a mobile page. They also offer you some free analytics to see how many people are visiting your site.

Essentially it lets you create multiple mobile pages on your site with images and a table of contents. Nothing crazy but a great way to store all of your favorite bookmarks and other useful links.

Check it out at www.wirenode.com

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/445579840/

Premium iBerry Neo Theme from BPlay

Peter just let us in on a new theme design from BPlay.Com called iBerry Neo'. Available for 81xx, 82xx, 83xx, 88xx & 9xxx devices, iBerry Neo theme comes in both Zen and Icon versions. I was able to play around with the Zen version of iBerry Neo and I can really appreciate the overall design of this theme. Firstly, I am always amazed at the gorgeous images of the universe that the Hubble Telescope takes and this theme utilizes similar type images. Secondly, I adore the color purple, so the purplish' color scheme is a big hit with me. I also like the main screen which features a cool, illuminated abstract background gently overlapped by a translucent top bar with clearly visible date, time and battery/signal meters. Bottom dock also has a translucent effect with colorful, iPhone type icons that are easy to read. This is a nice theme overall and prices are just right. Zen version costs $4.99, Icon version costs $5.99. Available at BPlay.Com

*Correction: Please note above that iBerry Neo is also available for Blackberry Devices 82xx & 9xxx

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/444303108/

Verizon Announces Unlimited Global Roaming Plans For Storm

Harrison just let me know that Verizon has announced some upcoming global data roaming plans for the BlackBerry Storm. The plans will be $69.99/month for a standalone plan and $64.99/month when added to a voice plan. I guess they really are planning on capitalizing on the international 3G standard and quad band EDGE that they have in the Storm.

They also announced a discounted international roaming voice plan for $4.99/month which gives you cheaper calls in 130 countries.

Check out the details on the Verizon site

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/444483553/

Special November Sale on all Bold Themes at Themes4BB.Com

Do you currently own a Blackberry Bold or are you soon to be getting one?! If you answered yes to either, then this might be the time to give yours a pimping. Chad from Themes4BB let us know that for the month of November, they're holding a special sale for Blackberry Bold themes where any BOLD theme costs only $4.99! (That's two dollars off the original price.) I stopped by their site to check it out and they've got some cool themes. Two that caught my eye were; XBOLD ELITE and FERRARI (see screenshots below) but there were several more nice styles available. Hurry on down to Themes4BB.Com!

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/444239118/

T-Mobile Makes Free Companion Flight Promotion Official

T-Mobile just sent me an email confirming the details we told you about before regarding their holidays promotion this year. They have confirmed that starting Nov 19th until Dec 24th T-Mobile is offering a free companion flight to new and existing customers who sign up for a two year contract. If you are already on a family plan you will receive a companion ticket for each line up to five tickets

Companion flights have no blackout dates and allow you to travel between over 100 origin and destination cities. Including New York, Colorado, Miami, and Vegas according to the promotion email. The catches are that travel must be done before Feb 15th 2010 and must be booked at www.flywitht-mobile.com.

You can see more information at the now live www.flywitht-mobile.com site.

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/444619616/

FCC Gives Thumbs Up To GSM Storm 9500 - What Gives?

This one really has me shaking my head. Donald over at Engadget spotted a GSM only Storm 9500 in a FCC filing. From what I have heard Verizon has at least a 6 month exclusive on the Storm so I am not sure who would be getting the Storm afterwards. This looks to be the same as the GSM Vodafone Storm which does not support any of the 3G frequencies in the USA. It only supports 3G on the 2100 band which does not exist in the US.

Maybe T-Mobile is planning on getting the device as an EDGE only device? Who knows

Check out the FCC filing at this link

Thanks Tashanna, David, John, & Rob for sending this one in!

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/442894897/

BlackBerry Bold FREE After Rebate via LetsTalk.com

WTF?! It has officially been available for less than 24 hours and you can already get yourself a BlackBerry Bold for FREE. Click on over to Walmarts website or LetsTalk.com, sign yourself up for a 2 year AT&T contract, and the $199.99 priced BlackBerry Bold will be yours for FREE after you send in the $199.99 mail-in rebate.

Like seriously. This is sort of insane. Weve been squalking at the fact the T-Mobile Pearl flip didnt hit the market at $50, and here is a deal to get RIMs flagship smartphone for nothing. I hope RIM left the BlackBerry Bold making factory turned on overnight... theyre gonna need em! Seems almost to good to be true, so if theres something I missed in the fine print post it in the comments.

[ via Engadget ]

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry Bold FREE After Rebate via LetsTalk.com

http://crackberry.com/blackberry-bold-free-after-rebate-letstalk-com

Pre-Paid BlackBerry Coming Your Way?!!

Pre-paid BlackBerry? I know many of you have been asking for this for a long time and its no surprise that RIM has been working on it... you can click here to read some of Jim Balsillies words on the subject from the Q2 Earnings Call held back in September.

What is surprising are the RIM internal docs posted online at BGR today that outline RIMs plans for growing in the pre-paid market:

Theres two concepts RIM is fooling with in regards to how this works. One is purchasing the device with no subsidy (full price) and buying pre-paid cards to fill up their account with. The second is slightly more intriguing, and thats a BlackBerry in a Box. The user purchases the device and one year of BIS service all in one package at the retailer. After a year is up, they can purchase whatever theyd like. Another year, time-based access, monthly, all that.

Youll want to click on over for more info and a ton of slides that outline what prepaid BlackBerry is all about. I have a feeling we better buy some for servers for CrackBerry.com... the Nation is going to get a whole lot bigger when this rolls out around the world!

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Pre-Paid BlackBerry Coming Your Way?!!

http://crackberry.com/pre-paid-blackberry-coming-your-way

RIM’s internal plans for pre-paid BlackBerry service, BlackBerry in a Box

RIM's already gone and launched its pre-paid BlackBerry server in Indonesia, but there's a whole lot of countries that are probably foaming at the mouth. We've been saying this all along pre-paid will take RIM to the next level. Why do you think Sidekicks got so popular? Because every single person in the hood could get one, every one who didn't have perfect credit could get one, and even people that just wanted that flexibility could get one. We have a feeling this is going to be RIM's power play for 2009. There are two different ways of doing BlackBerry pre-paid, one is daily, and one is monthly. We got a hold of pretty detailed document outlined all of RIM's internal strategies for this. Stuff like their pitch to carriers, the target market, how RIM gets paid, when they get paid all of that good stuff. Here's a little synopsis of the key points:
Targeting people that are on a limited budget
People who can not get post-paid carrier credit
Those that do not want to be tied to a long-term contract
People that don't "want to share personal information because of security and tax purposes." DRUG DEALERS!

Here's some of the selling points to carriers:
It takes the risk off of the carrier. Meaning, instead of the carrier shelling out for hundreds of thousands of devices and them sitting in their stock rooms, it would be up to the retailer to sell the devices. By retailer, we're talking about Best Buy, RadioShack, Fye, etc. Please note by the way those retailers are just for an example, there's nothing in here that says anything about them specifically
It increases how much pre-paid users spend
The pre-paid BlackBerry service engages users and reduces the churn rate. Stats show that after 25 days of inactivity, 70% of pre-paid users go bye-bye. With BIS however, the carrier has a direct channel to market to the subscriber and send them offers, campaigns, and other things to try and get them to stick around.

There's two concepts RIM is fooling with in regards to how this works. One is purchasing the device with no subsidy (full price) and buying pre-paid cards to fill up their account with. The second is slightly more intriguing, and that's a BlackBerry in a Box. The user purchases the device and one year of BIS service all in one package at the retailer. After a year is up, they can purchase whatever they'd like. Another year, time-based access, monthly, all that.

Finally, here's some last "marketing practices" RIM is touting:
Don't call it pre-pay. It has a connotation of being cheap and poor.
Upsell the IM services like Google Talk, MSN, etc.
Encourage carriers to put the devices at the front of the store since it's pretty much a no-headache sale.

So what do you think? If RIM can actually start to get carriers to jump on-board with this, we have a feeling this is going to make them absolutely explode with growth at a time where most other manufacturers are looking at cutting jobs and scaling back production. Who's buying a "BlackBerry in a Box"?

Click on over to our BlackBerry pre-paid gallery!

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheBoyGeniusReport/~3/442232468/

Premium Cynosure Theme from Elecite For 8100 8300 & 8800

I can't help it but I get all tingly inside when I hear about a new theme that's come out by Elecite/Eveek. That's because I know whatever it is, it's gonna be good! Their newest creation, Cynosure, is a combination of rich colors (Dark Grey/Black and Luminous Blue) and futuristic design. On the main page, the name of the highlighted application icon appears in the center circle and all icons (which are customizable) are a bright white that turn blue as you scroll over them. I like the slanted font they used which fits the overall theme perfectly yet is very easy to read. Cynosure costs $6.99 and is available for 81xx, 83xx & 88xx Blackberry devices running 4.5 at Elecite.Com

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/442345418/

OS 4.5.0.102 for 8300 & 8320 found online

Secret Agent 004 is back with links to OS 4.5.0.102, now for 8300 and 8320 devices specifically. If you didn't catch the tip in the comment section yesterday, don't miss it now:

8300 - http://www.mediafire.com/?iywrmzgm2wm

8320 - http://www.mediafire.com/?ryme1gmlmzz

Let us know how it goes for you people.

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.

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/441901183/

Free ‘BMW’ Theme for 8300 & 8800

JCalandra continues to add themes to her already extensive collection available on CoolBlackberryThemes.Com. One of her latest, based on the Bold' design, is BMWa customizable bottom dock available for 83xx & 88xx devices running OS 4.2 & 4.5. I'll admit that I am not much of a car enthusiast but this theme will certainly have every BMW fan's engine running with it's vivid images and sharp looking icons.  Best of all, it's a freebie - so better hurry on down to her site and get it for yourself!

8300 can be found here.

8800 can be found here.

http://rss.berryreview.com/~r/Berryreview/~3/441094910/

PeekaWho gets an update! Download the beta now!

My boy Robert Kao of BlackBerry Cool 15 fame (and current guest on the BlackBerry Cool Podcast) just tipped me off that he has released an update to the insanely popular PeekaWho. You can check out the whole change log below:

Change Log - Confirm deletes
- LED Alerts (LED will be on until popup disappear - you can turn off auto fade so the LED is be on until you manually dismiss it)
- Mark as Read (new icon on the popup)
- Added Bedside into the list of application filter
- popup show even when locked
- Title and Corp Name in the popup
- Color on Subj and Body for easy read
- Key Shortcuts while popup is showing
(d for dismiss, i for inbox, del key for delete, f for follow, r for mark as read)
- language support framework (working on the translation)

Known Issue: - International Language problem with RIM's API. When in a language other than English, PeeKaPic will not lookup properly. Also, Email Address Chooser in the email filter will not be able to add emails. We are working with RIM on this.

The best thing about the PeekaWho update? You can get it right now, for FREE, by participating in the PeekaWho beta. Click the link below to download the new version of PeekaWho:

PeekaWho Beta Download

(c) BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blackberrycool/mYUU/~3/440652297/

FCC approves GSM-only Blackberry Storm

All ye' faithful Blackberry fans hear this: the GSM-only Blackberry Storm has passed through the FCC! That's right, Bold folks are just hours away from officially snagging their devices (if they didn't already get it on Nov 2) and Verizon Storm people are still anxiously waiting, but the GSM Storm news has already hit the masses before the latest and greatest hits the streets. This version is apparently only going to sport GSM and WCDMA 2100, not CDMA like the World Phone that is going to be out soon. Here are some specs for the device, practically the same as the Storm 9500, which is what Vodafone is currently offering:
1GB of memory, 192MB RAM
1400 mAhr battery. Standby time: 528 hours
MicroUSB port
MicroSD and MicroSDHC expandable up to 8GB
3.2 megapixel camera, flash, 2.5x digital zoom, auto focus, and image stabilization
Video capture. Normal mode (480×320) and MMS mode (176×144)
Assisted GPS - Enhanced version of GPS that performs at a faster speed
Quad-band

It doesn't look like it will be supporting tri-band HSDPA, however, so it's highly doubtful at this point, if it is just like the Vodafone 9500, that it will be able to get 3G on AT&T's network because it's only a quad-band GSM phone with WCDMA 2100. So, what do you guys think? Is all this Blackberry news just making you go crazy with anticipation and anxiety?

Thanks to everyone that sent this in!

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheBoyGeniusReport/~3/441464158/

VZW Storm Site Updated: NYC Storm Hunt Begins on the 6th!

I just received five emails in the last five minutes from CrackBerry readers saying the Verizon Storm site has been updated! As I type this Im still getting served up the old site, but the screencap sent in above (thanks Nathan!) shows whats in store. * update - new site now loading fine for me! *

In addition to the standard device features and specs stuff on the new and improved teaser site, a BlackBerry STORM Hunt (screw Easter Eggs!) has been planned for Manhattan from November 6th to 15th, so those who would kill for a chance to get their hands-on a Storm early might be lucky enough to do just that. To enter you need to locate the BlackBerry Storms that have been hidden around the city to find the keyword to enter the contest. Five grand prize winners will win a BlackBerry Storm and a $50 Verizon Wireless gift card. For full contest details and for more information on the Verizon Storm, check out the site at www.verizonwireless.com/storm

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. VZW Storm Site Updated: NYC Storm Hunt Begins on the 6th!

http://crackberry.com/verizon-updates-storm-website

Gmail Labs Adds Text Messaging Feature. KTHXBAI. (Update)

We don't see it in our Gmail settings (yet), but Webmonkey reports that Gmail Labs has added a very useful opt-in feature for sending text / SMS messages to mobile phones using the built-in Chat functionality.

Update: the Labs team found a glitch and is pushing the release back a bit ('probably within two weeks').

Turning the option on in your Gmail account settings apparently enables you to send an SMS as soon as you start typing a phone number into Chat's search box. When you enter new phone numbers, it will save the digits in your contact entries as well. This means that when contacts go offline, the chat window will give you the option to switch to SMS.

Our invitation for a live demo was lost in the mail, but Webmonkey has been given a demonstration of the experimental feature by Gmail product manager Keith Coleman and adds:

The first time you send a text message, it will appear on the person's phone as coming from a number in the 406 area code. Google has made several thousands of these numbers available for Gmail users, and once a number is associated with your account, all of the text messages you send through Gmail will come from that number.

The 406 number works both ways, so your friend can reply to you via text message. Also, your friend can save that number in their phone as belonging to you, and they can even use it to initiate new chats with you.

We haven't been able to try this out ourselves yet, but Google does list the text messaging feature on its What's new in Gmail Labs page (only for US phones, for now).

This is probably one of the first results we're seeing from Google's acquisition of GrandCentral (dating back to June 2007 already).

No official word yet on the Gmail blog (the GrandCentral blog has been silent since last April), but we suspect an announcement and general roll-out to follow soon.

(Image credit: monkey_bites)

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/EoPi7vHKaAw/

--
This article was sent using my Viigo.
For a free download, go to http://getviigo.com

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Visit my BB Blog: http://rimberry.blogspot.com

AT&T BlackBerry Bold Unboxed!!

The wait is almost over folks. November 4th is just a few sleeps away and youll be able to unbox an AT&T BlackBerry Bold of your very own. But if you cant wait to see whats inside, why not click over to Engadget Mobiles AT&T BlackBerry Bold unboxing. They snapped a TON of pictures.

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. AT&T BlackBerry Bold Unboxed!!

http://crackberry.com/t-blackberry-bold-unboxed

BlackBerry Curve 8900 hands on

What's that? Thought we were holding out on you? Never! The BlackBerry Curve 8900, also known to the BlackBerry faithful as the BlackBerry Javelin, is the much-awaited BlackBerry Curve replacement. It's definitely been covered in depth so we won't bore you and nitpick the handset. Instead, we'll give you some of our very first impressions and let you decide the next steps.
The size is awesome totally small enough to be pocketable, but not too small where sacrifices on the keyboard had to be made.
Unlike the Bold where some people had trouble hitting the right convenience key since it was too low, on the Curve 8900, it's located perfectly.
The screen, as we're getting accustomed to now with RIM, is flawless! It's smaller than the Bold as you know, and that's an even denser, crisper, and sharper display in our books. Really a job well done.
What about the keyboard? Even better than the first Curve. The keys feel more "fuller" and not hollow like the original 8300 did. They're also decently spaced, and even after using a Bold for 5 months, the second we picked this up, we were off to the races. Another great execution by RIM.
It might just be us, but the fake chrome bezel around the 8900 actually seems like it's more equipped to handle rough usage than the Bold is. We could be wrong, but at first glance it looks like a tougher material or finish. You know how our original Bold fared

So, do you guys want a full on review of the BlackBerry Curve 8900, or do you want one of our oh-so-popular battles? Maybe a Curve 8900 vs. G1? Hit us up in the comments and let your voice be heard. Word. Don't forget to get jiggy with the BGR gallery and check out the pictures!

Click on over to our BlackBerry Curve 8900 hands on gallery!

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheBoyGeniusReport/~3/438109439/

Multiple BlackBerry Curve 8900 reviews released

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 seems to be making a few appearances in the New York region, lately, as both BGR and Gizmodo have posted hands-on impressions of what was formerly known as the BlackBerry Javelin.

Nothing is revealed in the two impressions posts that we haven't heard before, but it's exciting that both sites were so positive on the device. It seems as though the Curve 8900 is a worthy successor to its forefather. We've posted the most interesting bits from both impressions after the jump for your perusal. Enjoy.

Gizmodo Impressions

What's interesting is that even though the Curve 8900 borrows heavily from the Bold in terms of design and in no way feels cheap (well the plastic-y chrome is a little cheap), it's more clearly differentiated from it than the old Curve was from the 8800. It's very much a Curve still, and clearly the consumer model to the Bold's pro position. So what looked to be a hard choice from leaked shots, isn't quite as difficult as it appeared.

The Bold is more substantial, exuding "executive" to the Curve 8900's "middle manager" or "normal person." It's clearly more powerful, and has a bigger screen. The keyboards are way different, too—personally, I prefer the Bold's larger, squishier keys to the Curve's smaller, stiffer ones. But obviously, the biggest thing is 3G. The Bold has it, the Curve 8900 doesn't, and we missed it sorely.

All that said, this thing will sell like a mother, and justifiably so. It pushes the BlackBerry you see in most people's hands (if they're carrying a BlackBerry) into 2008, exceeding the original Curve in every way.

BGR Impressions

* The size is awesome — totally small enough to be pocketable, but not too small where sacrifices on the keyboard had to be made.
* Unlike the Bold where some people had trouble hitting the right convience key since it was too low, on the Curve 8900, it's located perfectly.
* The screen, as we're getting accustomed to now with RIM, is flawless! It's smaller than the Bold as you know, and that's an even denser, crisper, and sharper display in our books. Really a job well done.
* What about the keyboard? Even better than the first Curve. The keys feel more "fuller" and not hollow like the original 8300 did. They're also decently spaced, and even after using a Bold for 5 months, the second we picked this up, we were off to the races. Another great execution by RIM.
* It might just be us, but the fake chrome bezel around the 8900 actually seems like it's more equipped to handle rough usage than the Bold is. We could be wrong, but at first glance it looks like a tougher material or finish. You know how our original Bold fared…

(c) BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blackberrycool/mYUU/~3/438141935/

--
This article was sent using my Viigo.
For a free download, go to http://getviigo.com

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Visit my BB Blog: http://rimberry.blogspot.com