*Finally…. The BerryJoose Review Is Here!
Before I jump into the review, I would like to take a quick sec to apologize to our readers. This review is extremely late. After our security/spam issues, the motherboard blew on my laptop…. ( which by the way, not only SUCKS, it’s expensive!). Without my laptop, not only do I experience withdraw symptoms, I’m almost useless…lol. Now,
I’m Back, with a brand spankin’ new laptop….( which I must admit, is almost as awesome as my BlackBerry, but that’s another store..lol.) Ok, the week before last the , the “BerryJoose” application was all over the BlackBerry scope & pretty much, still is. The phrase that caught my eye was “BerryJoose: Your BlackBerry on Steroids”. A true BlackBerry Addict just can’t ignore something like that. What didn’t surprise me, is that BerryJoose is from The Jared Company. You may be familiar with some of their other apps, such as “ICE – In Case of Emergency” & “The Flashlight”.
I’ll admit, I was tad skeptical when I first read what this app claimed to be able to do. An application that requires no real maintenance, that can speed up & enhance almost all of the features of my BlackBerry was definitely intrigued, to say the least.
So, let’s get to it! BerryJoose does all that it claims. I’m going to back up for a sec and tell you what really sparked my interest in BerryJoose, aside from the obvious. I had a massive memory leak on my BlackBerry 8330. After trying the usual list of actions with no results, I remembered reading about BerryJoose & all of its claims. Now, I don’t purchase apps often. While there are some awesome applications out there, & I have purchased some of them, an app really has to have a purpose & be able to back itself up before I’ll buy it. After reading about BerryJoose, the application’s price had been reduced, so I gave it a shot! BerryJoose is said to run seamlessly in the background of your BlackBerry, while minimizing memory leaks, super-charging the speed of your device ( fewer hour-glass freezes), keeps battery-pulls under control, fewer starts & stops, fewer dropped calls, allows you to run more apps simultaneously, and even more. BerryJoose does exactly what it claims to do!
I loaded the app on my device on the 1/23/10, & within 72 hours, my BlackBerry was Better than New! My pesky memory leak… completely under control. As a matter of fact, it restored memory & I was able to add even more applications on my BlackBerry. My BlackBerry Browser is ridiculously fast, and I am able to run several apps at the same time without zapping my battery. My battery life has increased by roughly 40% while running multiple apps. BlackBerry freezes are now, pretty much, a thing of the past. I experience 10 – 1 ~ less freezes than before I had installed BerryJoose. BerryJoose absolutely delivers what they claim. They even offer a 100% “No Hassle” ~ Money Back Guarantee ~ so you have absolutely nothing to loose & a huge performance boost to gain. The application normally sells for $9.99. You can pick it up in the BlackBerryStuff Store, right now, for just $4.99! If you want to increase the speed & performance of your BlackBerry, BerryJoose gets the job done!
* What Twitter App/Client Are You Using for Your BlackBerry?
Twitter has become quite the internet phenomenon. One of the amazing things is Twitter’s ability to bridge the gap of people all over the globe, regardless of their “social status”. Twitter has connected Super Stars with their fans, aided in saving lives, and is just flat out Fun! There are several ways that a user can access Twitter, that’s no secret. Today, we are going to talk about the mobile apps that are available for Twitter & more precisely, the BlackBerry Applications / Clients, that are available. Now, I have heard it said that the two most popular Twitter apps/clients, are UberTwitter and OpenBeak ( formerly known as TwitterBerry). While I have used and like both of these, ther are several others to choose from with lots of different features and options. Now, try to keep in mind that this review is based on my own exoeriences with the different Twitter Apps/Clients. I have been testing them out over the last two months. I’ve tried to give them all equal time..lol. I am going to focus on the Free Twitter Apps/Clients. In my opinion, there are soooo many applications available for our precious BlackBerry Devices, that an app has to be extremely important and/or needed, to justify paying for it. With that being said, let’s dive right in! While in general, all of the apps that I tried out, had some lag time, none of them significant enough to really stop using them, especially because the majority of them are Free..lol. ( At least the ones that we will be talking about today are.) I have focused on the top 4 Twitter Apps/Clients, with features & user interface, being my deciding factors. I know that 4 seems like an odd number to stop at, but with all of the Twitter Apps/Clients that are available for BlackBerry… this was just where I decided to make the cut. The first one that I tried out was the ever popular UberTwitter! UberTwitter has a paid version that offers no advertisements, & a Free version that has ads. Now, the ads really don’t bother me. They are not that intrusive, take up very little space, and after a while, you’ll forget that they are even there! UberTwitter can be downloaded by either visiting their website or at BlackBerry App World. 
Depending on where you decide to download it from, will dictate the said memory required. Now, when I downloaded it from BlackBerry App World from my device, the required memory stated was 437 KB. I actually downloaded the app from UberTwitter’s Website, & got the Beta 6 pre-release. When you access it from BlackBerry App World’s Online Store, it states 399 KB is required. Either way, not too bad as far as memory is concerned. It is also loaded with a ton of features. One of the coolest features, in my opinion, is UberTwitters GPS ability. It allows you to Tweet your location. It also allows your to create lists! If you have any “Twitter experience”, you know that one of their latest features is the ability to create lists. UberTwitter allows you to do this right from your BlackBerry. UberTwitter has a pretty impressive set of features in their arsenal. * UberTwitter’s features are as follows: - Lists, Lists, Lists!!! – You can create, delete, subscribe, add members, view members, all the functionality you would expect of an Über mobile client! -Retweets – We will support the old method and new method, you decide! - Find People – You can search for people, just like the ‘Find People’ link on Twitter’s home page. - New Icon – We love it! -Saved Searches – Fully integrated with Twitter’s saved search capability. -Update Twitter Profile – Yes, you will be able to update your Twitter profile directly from your phone. -Profile Picture – We have heard you, we will allow you to upload a picture for your Twitter avatar right from your phone! -Über Bar – We couldn’t resist the name! This is a tab bar at the top of the screen, the neat thing is that you can add your own tabs! A list can be a tab, a saved search, and later other types of timelines. -Report Spam – One menu selection to report a tweet as a spam, and optionally block the user. -Twitter Geo-Tagging – We will directly support Twitter’s new geo-tagging capability. You can decide whether to still use myloc.me URLs, Twitter Geo-Tagging, or both! -Twitter name menu – Type ‘@’ and a list of your friends automatically pops up allowing selection -Larger Avatars – Click the profile picture, and view a larger version! I’m having a tuff time deciding between UberTwitter & Openbeak! Uber Twitter allows “List Making”..They are killing me here! My Next pick is TwitXtreme! This is one cool little app & it can be picked up at BlackBerry App World, but again, I downloaded it from TixTreme’s website, ( basically because when I tried to load it from App World, I was prompted that it was not available for my device.) 
I have been going back and forth with TwiXtreme & UberTwitter, to be honest. I like both of them, there are just a few more features on UberTwitter, so that is what I decided to go with for the time being. TwitXtreme has some of the best graphics that I have seen on a Twitter App! This is a free application, and it’s packing some pretty cool features as well. TwiXtreme allows you to Upload Pictures, Re-Tweet, Mentions, Favorites, No Ads, Trends, Direct Messages, Nearby Tweets ( so it also has the GPS feature), Profile View & Search. Not bad for a Free app without ad support..huh! TwiXtreme requires 357 KB of available space. Honestly, any app that comes in under 400 KB, in my opinion, is great in the memory department. As long as the app has the features that support that kind of memory use, that is. My number 3 Twitter App, OpenBeak~formerly TwitterBerry! This app is not available in Blackberry App World at this time. It is by: Orangetame Software. This was my Twitter app of choice until it changed to OpenBeak. While I respect the fact that they want to eventually move beyond the Twitter & BlackBerry Smart Phone platforms, I’m looking at Twitter Apps, here. When I was prompted to upgrade the app, its required memory increased, and I was not thrilled wit the new layout. While this is a personal preference, it is what it is & it’s my review..lol! 
Their website does not give you an actual “required memory”, when you download it, it says it requires 173.8 KB…Oh yeah, I said it! That is awesome for an app of this multitude! In case you have not noticed, I’m a memory nut! I’m almost obsessed with the amount of memory that an App/Client requires. That’s why I’m currently Rockin’ OpenBeak on my BlackBerry! The one thing that I do not like about this app, is the fact that it does not give you the option to get a list peeps that follow you, or peeps that you follow. It gives you a “Friends List” , but that’s just not the same! This is also why I have it ranked at number 3..LOL! OpenBeak does have a pretty good set of features none the less. Their features are as follows: -Post updates to Twitter, including a character countdown from 140 characters. -One-click access to view friends timelines, replies, your favorites, your own timeline, and the public timeline. -Post pictures to Zannel, TwitPic, Twitgoo, or yfrog. - Take a picture with a one-click embedded camera (BlackBerry® Device Software version 4.6+). -Reply to tweets from each timeline view. -Send and receive direct messages. -Mark tweets as favorites. - Notification icon that indicates the number of unread messages, like new emails or missed calls (BlackBerry® Device Software version 4.6+). -Cache all avatar images to internal memory, thus saves network access and helps faster loading. -Search Twitter with a keyword or from a list of currently trending topics. -Active text recognition of @usernames and #hashtags. - New Setup wizard. - Two modes of list views: a “fixed height” view and a “variable height” view. Like I said, for such a light weight app, you really can’t complain with a list of features like that! Now, on to my fourth & final pick, I have chosen TweetCaster, yep, you heard me, TweetCaster! I have been a fan of TweetCaster since it was first released. I love its graphics & features! What I do not like about the app, is its use of memory. It requires 1044 KB of memory, yes, over 1MB of space. That’s just insane for a Twitter App/Client. The only thing that is saving this app for me, is its features & graphics…lol. ( Remeber, I’m obsessed with memory usage). 
TweetCaster can be downloaded for Free at BlackBerry App World ( or you can pay $9.99 for it at the HandMark Store… Ha, Ha, Ha! ) In my opinion, there is No Twitter App/Client that is worth $9.99! Unless a little man jumps out of my BlackBerry & types my messages for me…then I would consider paying $9.99 for that application..lol! ( Cuz that would just be cool! ) Now, TweetCaster was one of the first Twitter Apps that allowed you to toggle between accounts. That has since gone by the wayside, as there are several apps that allow you to do that now. This has never been one of my favorite features, as I only have have 1 Twitter account, right now, just have not seen the need for 2 of them. Along with that, TweetCaster offers all of the desktop features that are available with Twitter & throws some other cool things in with it. ‘TweetCaster offers integrated URL shortening, integrated picture sharing, one-step @reply and retweet capabilities, integrated GPS locator to find fellow Twitter friends near you, and real-time trending topics list. Also, for your convenience- TweetCaster works over Wi-Fi where applicable. Check out the great new features like auto-refresh, with the ability to customize to the frequency that you desire.” If it was not for the memory usage, this would be my Twitter App of choice. The only problem that I see with TweetCaster, from a user stand point, is that there seems to be a bit of lag when switching between features, but with the sheer size of the app, the lag does not exactly surprise me. Well, there you have it! My top 4 Twitter Apps of choice! From a technical stand point, there may be better ones, but these are my faves. ( until someone releases another one…LOL) That is the best part of having soooo many free apps at our disposal, as BlackBerry Users, we can switch them around, try new ones, & ditch the ones we dislike, all without spending a dime…Pretty Awesome…huh!
* iTookThisOnMyPhone~Photo & Video Sharing App!
I’m always on the look out for BlackBerry Apps that are not all over the internet. Sometimes, it seems as though all of the mobile sites are just posting the same thing, one right after another…( that is in no way meant to be a slam towards any mobile websites.) It’s just a fact that sometimes web content can become a bit “Cookie Cutter’ish..lol). I came across this cool little app, while cruising around BlackBerry App World, today. iTookThisOnMyPhone, is a FREE photo and video sharing app for BlackBerry devices. It is supported on all devices, by all carriers & in all countries. It requires 277 KB of memory…so not too bad as far as “Memory Hogs” go…lol. Ok, here’s how it works. Once you have downloaded the app & set up your free account @ iTookThisOnMyPhone.com , you can share videos and pics with a number of the social networking sites. Also, your pics & videos will be stored on their site, so if you lose you phone or memory card, you’ll have a back up ( just in case ya didn’t have one already). 
iTookThisOnMyPhone, uploads to Facebook, Twitter/TwitPic, YouTube, Flickr, Photobucket, etc., and your online photo albums hosted free at iTookThisOnMyPhone.com. Create your own albums for private and public viewing, share with social networking sites. iTookThisOnMyPhone Features: -Automatic photo uploads uploads to our secure website. -Free photo sharing and free video sharing to the leading social networking sites. -Access to your photo gallery from anywhere using a web browser. -Organize photos into albums, share with friends, print and store for a lifetime. -iTook can optionally mark each photo with its GPS location so you ll always know where the photo was taken. ****Download iTookThisOnMyPhone App... ****Sign up for Free iTookThisOnMyPhone Account…
* eBay App Now Available in BlackBerry App World!
Calling all “eBay Junkies”! Now, you can add eBay to your arsenal of BlackBerry Apps. If you are an avid eBay user, then you know exactly what it is like to have plans & have to walk away from your computer while your auctions are in process or even worse, ENDING! Now, you can take eBay with you on your precious BlackBerry. The eBay app is free from BlackBerry App World & as far as memory goes, it requires 702 KB of space..( kinda big but not too bad). 
With the eBay app for BlackBerry, you can keep track of all of your auctions while you are in the go, No more being attached at the hip to your computer…WooHoo! Some of the apps features include: – Real time notifications of bids. – Calender updates & email notifications of ending auctions. – The app is also PayPal compatible ( for those of you that use PayPal ). The eBay App is supported by all carriers, & is also available in The U.S & Canada. You can get your copy @ BlackBerry App World.
* BackGrounds App for BlackBerry!
The Backgrounds App for Blackberry by: Stylem Media, gives you over 2000+ unique designs for your home screen of your BlackBerry. Backgrounds is a Free app from Blackberry App World, & requires 29KB of memory. ( Doesn’t seem to be a “Memory Hog” at all.) 
Over 40 categories / themes: Sunsets, Beaches, Cars, Sports, Animals, Girly, For Guys, Games, People, Flowers, City, Movies, Music, Love, Valentine s Day, Christmas, Military, Funny, Quotes, Money, Cats, Dogs, Hearts, Cute, Peace, and More! They also claim to add pics daily, so if you have been shopping around for screen savers, take this one for a test drive!
* YouMail App for BlackBerry!
Earlier this week, Sprint announced that there would no longer be fees attached to forwarding calls. This eliminated their $0.20 per minute charge for forwarded calls. That’s Great News for Sprint customers that have been interested in using “YouMail Visual Voicemail Plus”! YouMail Visual Voicemail Plus, Is Free from BlackBerry App World. As far as memory usage, it’s not too much of a Hog. The app requires 431 KB of space, which in the world of apps, is not too bad at all. Some of the features, are as follows: “With YouMail Visual Voicemail Plus: - You can scroll through and play your voice messages in any order. - Your voicemails are unlocked, so you can forward them, save them forever, even organize them in folders. - You can block unwanted voicemails. - You can access your voicemail through e-mail or any computer. - You can even set up personal greetings that are heard only by specific family, friends, or co-workers.”
YouMail Visual Voicemail Plus works by replacing your wireless carrier s existing voicemail service with YouMail s improved, free service. It takes just a few minutes to sign up and configure. YouMail is usually free from most AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, T-mobile, and Sprint users.
* Snikkr Mobile for BlackBerry!
I came across another pretty cool app today in BlackBerry App World. Now, I know there are a lot of “Social Networking” Apps out there right now, but with all of the advances in GPS technology, we are getting ready to see a huge influx of GPS based social networking apps & this is one of them. 
Snikkr Mobile is a location based social productivity application for BlackBerry. It allows you to use maps to, get directions, find local businesses and points of interest. It also lets you keep track of where your friends and family are, and share favorite places with them.Trying to get together with friends after work, but are not sure where everyone decided to meet? Snikkr can show you where they are without the back-and-forth phone calls and text messages. And if plans change, Snikkr keeps you up to date. With Snikkr, your friends can share their location with you just when they need to, for as long as they want to. Once the party is over, Snikkr automatically makes your location private again. Snikkr, by Snikkr Inc., can be picked up @ Blackberry App World, and the application is Free. The app is supported on all carriers, devices, & in all locations. As far as memory, it’s not too bad. The application only requires 496 KB of memory.
* Speedtest Application for BlackBerry!
Almost everyone with a computer has used a speedtest program of some type to check the download & upload speeds of your ISP provider. ( If not, you can do so here.) Well now, you can get the Speedtest app for your BlackBerry! As long as you are running an OS of 4.21 or higher & have one of the compatible BlackBerry devices, you are good to go. The Speedtest App is by Xtreme Labs, and as far as memory, it requires 50 KBof space. Speedtest, is a Free application & is available @ BlackBerry App World.
* ICE ~ In Case of Emergency App for BlackBerry!
With the winter weather fast approaching (and it’s already here, in a lot of places), It’s good to be prepared for emergency situations & this app can help with that. ICE – Emergency App by The Jared Company, simple has saved lives, and it could save yours in case of emergency, providing EMTs with critical personal and medical data: your name, who to contact, important notification telephone numbers, blood type, allergies, your physician’s name and number, the meds you take, existing medical conditions – even the name of your health insurer, so you get the medical attention you need now! The downloadable wallet-sized PDF informs medics that I.C.E. is loaded on your Blackberry. You can pick this app up at BlackBerry App World, for just $2.99 & while you are there, you can also check out all of the reviews & comments. We never know what will happen & this app would be well worth the price.
* WordPress App for BlackBerry Updated.
The WordPress App for BlackBerry is one of my favorite apps. It;s a Must for any Blogger! The WordPress app is in beta right now, but still works like a charm. I have not had any “bug issues” to speak of, though some have been reported. The WordPress App for BlackBerry, allows you to sync your WordPress blogs with your BlackBerry. From there, you can add posts, edit your site, and more. The app gives you almost all of the basic functionality that you have when accessing your blogs by the web. There is another update for the WordPress app, which brings us to version 0.9.0.169, and we have have listed some of the new features below: - Improved French language support thanks to Yann Nave of blog.onbebop.net. - Lots of optimizations for uploading photos and videos using base64 encoding. - Improvements in the speed at which you can view and manage comments. – A new file browser that resembles the native BlackBerry file browser. - New option to set media file properties. – The ability to upload videos from your media library. Now, I use the WordPress App, A Lot! It has saved me several times, when I need to edit or get articles published. If you are a BlackBerry User, & a Blogger, you should check out the WordPress App for BlackBerry. You can check it out HERE!
* QuickLaunch by: NikkiSoft App Review.
The QuickLaunch App by: NikkiSoft, is an application that has had quite a bit of attention recently & rightly so! This is one of the most intuitive applications for BlackBerry that I have come across to date. I admit, I was hesitant to put this one on my BlackBerry, I thought that it might be a big ole’ memory hog , just because of all that the app offers, but now that I have downloaded it, I can’t believe that I watied so long to do so. 
QuickLaunch only uses 90kb of memory, and if you have ever taken a look at some of the memory usage of most of the applications that are available, 90kb is very reasonable with all that it does. QuikLaunch was brilliantly designed to seamlessly integrate with your devices OS, which it does beautifully. It creates short cuts to most of the applications on your device. QuickLaunch allows you to setup shortcuts to various functions such as Websites, Email and SMS addresses, Phone numbers, 3rd Party Apps, Videos, Images, Audio files, Device Info, Bluetooth Configuration, Camera, Video Camera, Delete your Call Logs, and other functions such as Blackberry Options, Calculator, Calendar, Event Log, Tasks, WiFi On/Off Toggle and even more. 
They have also added some New Features to the application & they are as follows:
* Get Where You Need to Go with Poynt!
Today, I wanted to give you a quick peek @ Poynt by: Multiplied Media Corporation. The Poynt App uses your BlackBerry’s GPS (or cell-site towers), to pin-point your location to get you the info that you need Now! This is a pretty cool app.
Poynt can give you directions, allows “one click” call access, browse websites & map directions, and soooo much more. With Poynt, you can book movie tickets, make restaruant reservations, add it to your calendar, and invite friends, all from one application..( How Cool is That?!…) Poynt also gives you the ability to add listings to your BB address book, add your movie & restaruant events to your BB calendar, and forward all of the info to your friends via BlackBerry Messages. Now this is one intuitive application!
Poynt is supported by a number of BlackBerry devices, supported by all carriers, and is available in the US, Canada, the UK, & Germany. You can pick up your copy of Poynt by visiting BlackBerry App World, and yes this is a FREE application. I checked out some of the reviews, and it looks like they have “Hit it out of the park”, with this one. Just a little “FYI” for ya, “Poynt won the 2008 BlackBerry Developer s Challenge Grand Prize and was recognized as the Most Innovative Consumer Application in GSMA s Mobile Innovation Grand Prix, EMEA Tournament.” Now, that’s impressive!
* Upvise for BlackBerry -Mobile Cloud Computing Redefined!
While browsing through BlackBerry App World today, I came across a pretty cool & useful app that just happens to be Free. Upvise provides a cloud computing platform for personal & small businesses. It offers a mobile web suite of applications that focus on getting things done.
Want to organize your personal life & have it all at your fingertips on your BlackBerry? With Upvise, you can Upvise your shopping lists, Upvise RSS & News Feeds to read instantly, and bookmark the ones that you will want to refer back to later, & Use the Upvise Wikipedia to have the largest collaborative encyclopedia right on your BlackBerry, at all times. It allows you access to search & read full articles specially formatted to your BlackBerry.
The Small Business features allow you to stay in touch with your team at all times. Sync all of your info between your BlackBerry & computer. The features allow your to Upvise your contacts, sales, ideas, tasks, notebooks, & projects.
There are two options to choose from. The Upvise App is free to download through BlackBerry App World & is available on all devices, and carriers. With the Free Upvise Account, you have access to Contacts, Notebooks, Wikipedia, News Reader, Shopping Lists, Debits & Credits, all with 100 MB of storage. The paid version, which will run you about $49.99 per year/ per user, gives you access to all of the features of the free version & also gives you access to Tasks, Projects, Ideas, Sales, Work Orders, Security & Data protection, Black-up & Restore, and 24 hour – Online Support, all with 1GB of storage.
If this sounds like what you have been looking for, you can grab the Free version of Upvise @ BlackBerry App World right here. If you would like more info on Upvise, you can check out their website Here!
* Snaptu Mobile on Your BlackBerry!
Last night, as I was updating BlackBerry App World on my Curve, I came across Snaptu. Now, Snaptu is an application by: Mobilica, which has offices in both London & Tel-Aviv. Mobilica was founded in 2007, by a group of Mobile technologies & IT experts.
Snaptu, is a Free Mobile Service that once loaded on your BlackBerry, gives you access to several mobile sites & services, a number of which, are based in Europe, as well as some familiar U.S. apps & services. An example of what their menu includes: UK TV, Twitter, Google, FancyAPint, FootBall Scores ( and by football, I mean Soccer), News and Blogs ( you have the ability to add URLs if there is something that you would like access to , that isn’t in the News & Blogs section), and many, many more.
The over all appearance of the app is nice, however I did notice a few issues. Snaptu, gives you an option to add or delete an item from your menu. When I did this, the delete app worked just fine, but when I would add an app, I would click on one item & it would give me the item below it. Now, I tried this several times & even re-installed the app, but this was still an issue.
Over all, I like the application! It looks great & aside from the fore mentioned issue, seems to work great as well. You have access to social media sites, news from around the world, and several sports apps, right there in one application. As far as memory usage, it’s not too much of a hog, it uses 151 kb of memory, and installation is a snap..lol.
When I compare it to some of the other apps that are in the same league, I’d give it a “Thumbs-Up”, even with the small glitch that I encountered. You can check out Snaptu for your self @ BlackBerry App World, and you can also check out Snaptu online before you download it, Here!
* Watch Television on Your BlackBerry with SBP-TV!
You know you want TV access on your BlackBerry & for those of us with Sprint as a carrier have access to Sprint TV ( as long as you have their data plan & a compatible device), but for those of you that do not have Sprint, there is another option. With SBP TV, you get access to more than100 subscription free channels, A wide selections of public TV channels, and TV Guide with Outlook integration for simple scheduling. It also gives you Todays full day guide, current week guide, current & up-coming shows, and calender reminders, all on your BlackBerry.
You can access SBP-TV for just $9.95 w/ a 30-day money back guarantee. SBP-TV is available on all BlackBerry devices, that have an OS of 4.3 or higher, & have high-speed wireless network support ( 3g, Ev-Do, Wi-Fi).
* 1-800-FLOWERS App for BlackBerry!
Ok guys, Ever been a jerk & needed to make up for it, then this is the app for you! The 1-800-FLOWERS Application for BlackBerry features a
Special section for “best selling items & gourmet gifts”, a streamlined browsing and check-out process, integration with your existing contacts, exclusive offers for mobile users, & Secure Local Wallet. So if you are just looking to do something nice for someone, you need to do something nice for someone, or just like to do nice things, then you should check out the 1-800-FLOWERS App for BlackBerry Devices.
This app is available through BlackBerry App World, is available through all carriers & for all devices & by the way, did I mention that the app is FREE!
* Vonage Mobile Now Available for BlackBerry!
Now this is Awesome for those of us who are not packing a Tour or a World Phone! Now, you can grab the Vonage Mobile App for your
BlackBerry for all of your International call needs. Some of the features are said to include: Pay as you go, International calls at a low rate,& Easy to install.
How does it work? The Vonage Mobile App, allows you to dial directly or from your address book on your BlackBerry. The app knows when you are making a international call & automatically routes it through the Vonage Network. You pay as you go & only use “local cellular minutes”. So if you need an International plan, take a look at what Vonage has to offer. It might just be what ya need.
* Teamed Up to Release a New App: “BlackBerry & Tivo”!
This is another one that has been all over the web today. It looks like the folks over @ Tivo have teamed up with our favorite smartphone maker, RIM, to deliver Tivo to your BlackBerry Devices. You can download the Free app right from your BlackBerry Browser or pick it up @ BlackBerry App World. Tivo for Blackberry has the following features: Remote access to television programming guide, Search programming guide based on television show title, actor, director, and category, & Schedule recordings from your BlackBerry…(pretty cool, huh..). You can also set up 1 click recording options, Get a season pass to a TV show, & View recommended television showS based on recent searches.
At this point, Tivo for BlackBerry is only available in Canada & The United States, & there is no indication of branching out the service as of now.
The minimum requirements for Tivo on your BlackBerry device are: A BB device with at least 355 KB of available memory, An OS of 4.2 or later, A Data Plan that supports web browsing, An active Series 2 or Series 3 stand alone Tivo Digital Video Recorder ( DVR for short..lol), and a Tivo user account.
This is enough to make you want to change your cable service provider, especially since my cable has been out for the last 3 days! You will never miss out on another show or movie again with this app & You just can’t beat FREE!
* Get Streaming Movies on Your BlackBerry from mSpot!
This one has been all over the web today, but I still wanted to post it here as well. You can now get streaming movies on your BlackBerry from mSpot. If you are not familiar with mSpot, they have been around for a while. I know that when Sprint TV first launched, you could access mSpot Mobile Movies as a paid service through them.
Well now, you can get it streamed right to your BlackBerry device..WooHoo! Mobile Movies works on over 30 phones, ( of course BlackBerry is one of those). You can watch movie trailers for free, rent single “full Length” movies for $4.99 & up to 4 movies for $9.99, when you join their Movie Club.
With the Movie Club, you pay a monthly fee, & are given “movie credits”, $9.99 gives your 20 movie credits, $12.99 gives you 30 movie credits, & $15.99 gives you 40 movie credits. mSpot also offers ringtones, music by artist , album, or song.
If you have a specific question about the service, you can check out their FAQ section, & You can join Mobile Movies, here.
*Have You Checked Out Nobex Radio Companion Yet?
Well, if you haven’t, you may want to take a look! Nobex Radio Companion, has recently hit a major mile stone with its One Millionth Download, & they offer both a Free and a Paid Service.
With the Free version, you can listen to the radio stations in your country for Free.. ( which is pretty cool by its self ). The Paid version, ( which is $19.99, by the way), allowa you to access over 3,000 radio stations from around the world! The music is brought to your device by Streaming, which is achieved by either Wi-Fi, or through your carrier’s network.
Nobex Radio Companion, allows you to see the lyrics of any song..( no more Wishing you knew
who was singing that song or What were they saying just then?…lol) Now you can see the lyrics of the song playing & the most recent song played. The service also allows you to purchase Songs & Ringtones right from your BlackBerry Device, or you can choose to have the links sent to your email so that you can buy the items from your PC. It also lets you read Song & Artist info and allows you to listen to “song snippets”, to ensure that you are downloading the right song…lol.
Another Great thing about the App, is that it only uses 220 KB of memory on your device, so it’s not too much of a “Memory Hog”.
You can get the Paid & Free versions of Nobex Radio Companion from BlackBerry App World, right from your BlackBerry Browser!
* Visible Vote Mobile Free from BlackBerry App World!
Visible Vote Mobile is a pretty handle little app created for BlackBerry, to track how your Legislators are Voting & allows BlackBerry users to Vote on those same Bills, and then update your Legislators on your voting preferences. The application also gives you an overview of when your Legislators are voting for or against you. … (pretty nifty , huh)!
In this day & age, it is important to stay updated on the current issues & this is a perfect way to do it without all of the time consuming research that comes along with keeping current on the issues that are important to you! With every Bill that is being Voted on, there are tabs beneath it, so that you can research the Bill right from your BlackBerry. Some of the tabs include CNN, Fox News, & more.
Other features include: A Filter tab, that allows you to filter through the issues, to get to ones
that you are most interested in, they include, Social, Defense, Finance, Health, Energy, & Foreign. Visible Vote Mobile, also allows you to view your Legislators Voting record, & lets you Vote whether you agree with it or not. The app also allows your to write letters to your Legislators. You can cast “Real Time Votes” on job approval ratings & monitor Legislators approval ratings.
The application also integrates with Facebook version of Visible Vote. If you use the Facebook version, you sync your BlackBerry with it & get a more detailed view of how your Legislators are Voting.
I really like this app. It has no lag at all, on my Curve 8330, uses only 101 kb of memory, & does exactly what it says it does…(go figure..lol) !
If you are interested in picking up this app, you can grab it from your Blackberry, in BlackBerry App World, or you can check out more details on the app @ The Blackberry App World Webstore. Don’t forget, the App is FREE, & ya just can’t beat FREE!
If you are running an older BlackBerry OS, or have any tech questions / issues, check out Visible Vote.
* Sports Illustrated App Free @ BlackBerry App World!
Hey, Sports Fans! Here it is, the SI All for Blackberry from BlackBerry App World for FREE….. Wooo Hoooo!
Stay updated on all of your favorite sports news for free, by the all time authority in sports news, Sports Illustrated! Get all of the articles, pics, & news right on your BlackBerry. All of the latest News, Scores , Standings & more from all of your favorite leagues: NFL, NHL, MLB, Soccer, Tennis, Nascar, college football & hoops, & a whole lot more. And you can get it all for FREE! Be sure to head over to BlackBerry App World to download your copy, today!
* Edocrab Barcode Scanning App.
I originally learned about this app over @ Crackberry.com & I just had to put a write-up about here, too. Now, this is one cool little app. Edocrab (which is barcode spelled backwards), scans product barcodes & gives you product details, reviews, videos, prices & more, All for FREE!
Requirements are an OS of 4.5 or higher. Due to the new scanning technology, you can choose “Scan”, on the Curve 8900, the Tour, Storm, & new devices as they come out, & the app scans the barcode to give you all of the product details…( How awesome is that ? ~! ). With one of the newer devices, you take a picture of the barcode to achieve the scan. With an older device, like a Curve 8330, you will have to type in the barcode or select the “Keyword” tab to achieve the scan. Either way, you get some pretty cool results.
Once the barcode has been scanned & the results appear, you can choose from reviews, add to list, web, to get online prices, reviews, & save the items for later review. With the Holiday season fast approaching, this will be a pretty handy little app to have. And, Oh Yeah, Did I mention that it’s FREE! All you have to do is go to edocrab.com, from your Blackberry browser & download the app for your device. Even with my 8330, having to manually type in the barcodes, this app is Awesome & works GREAT!
* U2 Mobile Album Available for FREE on BlackBerry App World!
Are you a U2 Fan ? ! Well, if you are, I have some Awesome news for you! Now, you can follow the band on their “360 Tour” using the U2 Mobile Album from BlackBerry App World & best of all, It’s FREE! You can use your favorite device to follow your favorite band! Requirements: a BlackBerry device with an OS of 4.5 & up, & a SDcard are required. You will have access to the songs from ” No Line on the Horizon”, including lyrics & images. Access dynamic News feeds from U2.com & get alerts when there is new content available. You will also be able to view exclusive pics & videos of the band in the studio, and you will also be able to chat & share images with other fans, so you will never miss a beat. Head over to BlackBerry App World & get your copy, Now!
* Y! Fantasy Football Now Available for BlackBerry! !
Football season is upon us ( WooHoo )! Now, you can get Yahoo Fantasy Football on your BlackBerry, ( how Awesome is that?!) Yahoo has released Y! Fantasy Football ’09 on BlackBerry App World, and best of all – It’s Free. Some of the new features of ’09 are, real time games & scoring, roster management, add & drop players, & match-ups.
So now you can take the football game with you no matter where you are going! Check it out by clicking on the link above. You can check out all of the other Sports Apps @ BlackBerry App World here.
*TetherBerry, Internet Access Anywhere Using Your BlackBerry!
Now, I know that I am a bit late getting around to TetherBerry, but “Better Late than Never” ! ?
For those of you who are not familiar with TetherBerry, It allows you to have internet service anywhere that you can make phone calls. It does this by using your BlackBerry
TetherBerry offers up some pretty cool features, too.
- Internet anywhere you have BlackBerry service, Super fast download speeds ( up to 1,800kbps) , No tethering fees ( since TetherBerry uses your data plan, they do not charge tethering fees) , TetherBerry is compatible with ALL BlackBerry Smartphones. TetherBerry is also Windows & Mac compatible, and has been tested with all carriers, all over the world & works with all of them. The only problem they have had, (according to their web site), is that TetherBerry does not seem to work with iDEN Networks & may require APN settings.
Right now, TetherBerry is offering a FREE 7-day trial. TetherBerry also boasts “No Tethering Fees”, however, there is a charge of $49.95, to get the software, which can be paid via credit card or PayPal. All in all, not too bad considering what they are offering. If you have a connection card, this is something that you will not need, but for those of you who do not want to take on a 2-year contract to get a broadband connection card or the monthly fee that comes with that connection card, TetherBerry could be just what you are looking for. And for those of us who have the broadband connection cards, contracts, & fees, this may be something that we will be keeping a close eye on.
* There’s A New Twitter Client, Kids!
While cruising around the web last night, I came across a new Twitter Client, “TwiXtreme” . The self proclaimed “Sweetest Twitter Client for BlackBerry”, is FREE with No ads, & allows you to upload pics, cool graphics, re-tweets, favorites, mentions, trends, direct messages, near by tweets, profile view & search.
The latest Twitter client is from Xtreme Labs, and has two downloads depending on your BlackBerry OS (4.2.1 to 4.5.x or 4.6 and above) . Just visit this link with your BlackBerry Browser & get the client that’s right for you.
* Where Do You Get Your BlackBerry Tunes?
Everyone likes to take their tunes with them, no matter where they go, right?! The two most coveted internet radio apps for BlackBerry users are Pandora Internet Radio & Slacker Personal Radio. Personally, I use Slacker Personal Radio. Now, both are great, don’t get me wrong & both are FREE to download onto your BlackBerry device. You can grab the apps from their web site, or you can get them at BlackBerry App World. I’ll give you the info on both & you can make a decision for yourself, from there.
Let’s start with Pandora. Pandora Internet Radio gives you web access, as well as BlackBerry access ( pretty cool huh..). If you already have a Pandora account, you can access it with your BlackBerry, their service is fully integrated. You can have the custom stations that you listen to online, right at your BlackBerry fingertips. You can also create new stations from you BlackBerry… ( that’s Awesome! ) .
With Pandora, you can search for an artist or song, and from that info, it can build you “custom radio stations”, with similar artists & music. Some of Pandora’s other features, include: “Station Gifting”, which allows you to create a station & send them to your friends ( you have to be a registered member to use this feature). , It gives you concert listings that are close to your area ( they use your zip code for this feature.), Pandora also allows you to bookmark music & other Pandora members.
Once you have registered , you can type in the name of an artist & it will create a list of other similar artists & songs, you can share them, buy them, or bookmark them. All of these things can be done with your FREE account. You can upgrade to a Pandora One Account ( which is a paid account), that allows you to have faster speeds, a personalized desktop application ( so no more web browsing if ya like), and also eliminates advertisements. The Pandora One Account, also carries a Annual Fee of $36.00, so if advertisements do not bother you, I would stick with the free account….lol.
Slacker Personal Radio has some similar features, and I currently use the free account. The Slacker Radio Plus Account, offers unlimited song skips, ad free, and also gives you complete song lyrics. New to the Plus account, a new mini player, that lets you take all of your songs with you. If you are using the internet version, that would be cool, but on our BlackBerry’s, we are already taking our tunes with us. You get all of those features for $3.99/ monthly , that is billed annually for a fee of $47.88 a year. Be sure to check out their web site for a complete list of features, merchandise , & costs.
Slacker also gives you internet & mobile access & the two are integrated as well. You also have the ability to do a search for an artist or song, and Slacker will give you a list of similar artists & songs. This is one of my favorite features, sometimes you cannot remember all of the names that you are looking for, with this option, it helps you get to that artist or song that you are searching for.
Slacker Personal Radio, is also giving away a BlackBerry to celebrate the applications success, so be sure to check that out here!
Bottom line, they are both Awesome apps! What you are going to have to do, is check out both & see which one you like the best. It will probably come down to usability. Both offer great features, low cost, and HUGE catalog of music. As I searched through the catalogs, I was impressed with both. So, it will all come down to which one is easiest for you!
* Where Do You Get Your BlackBerry Apps?
Today, RIM released it’s BlackBerry App World Internet Store! ” While that is very exciting news, Where do you get your BlackBerry Apps?”
BlackBerry App World is Amazing! If you can think of an App, chances are that they will have it! Even with all of the hype, BlackBerry App World is Free to download, however, ONLY accepts PayPal as their payment method. While this works out great for some people, Any one that has ever had a bad experience, ( or several bad experiences), with PayPal, is just out of luck where BlackBerry App World is concerned.
While PayPal is one of the largest payment processors on the web, I know that I am not alone when I say that I Will Never Use their service again. In my experience with PayPal, they had poor security & even worse customer service. On more than one occasion, someone was able to gain access & use my account ( that is attached to my bank account), to buy goods & services over the internet. Not only that, but PayPal, while at fault, never returned the funds. Now, there are people that use PayPal’s service everyday & have never had a single problem with them. I am not one of those people, I am not alone, & I guess I am just out of luck where BlackBerry App World is concerned, because I will Never Use PayPal Again. BB App World, does offer several Free downloads, so if you are like me, & refuse to use PayPal, you can still have access to BB App Worlds free Apps. ( If you are a Non-PayPal user too, try one of these, OboPay, which is a mobile payment processor or Alert Pay. I changed to these services after the PayPal fiasco. ) Although these services are great, they still will not help you with BB App World. OboPay, is actually offered in BlackBerry App World as a download, You would think that you would be able to use it as a PayPal alternative.
That being said, BlackBerry App World is pretty impressive! Let’s start with a few details. As far as system requirements, you will need a BlackBerry smart phone with an OS ( operating system), of 4.2 or higher. It works on devices with both trackballs & SurePress touch screens. You will also need a service plan that allows access to the BlackBerry Browser. In order to use BlackBerry App World, before the web site was launched, you had to download the App to your BB device. Now, if you plan to download any apps from App World, you will still have to download App World to your device, but you can browse available apps via internet on your computer at BlackBerry App World Web Store , or from your device at BlackBerry App World’s Mobile Web Store, before you download it.
Another exciting thing that has happened with BB App World, is that RIM has recently opened App World to Developers. What does that mean? That will mean “More Apps For Us” ~ YAAY ! By opening App World to developers, I predict that BB App World will surpass Apple’s iPhone App Store in no time at all! I even have future plans to develop BB Apps & maybe even offer them on this site, ( that’s is going to be a ways off , though).
While BlackBerry App World, in all it’s glory, totally ROCKS, It’s not the only App Store out there for our precious BlackBerry devices.
CrackBerry.com, also offers an App Store! Not only do they have an App Store, they offer reasonable prices & they are ALWAYS running some type of “special offer”. While CrackBerry.com’s App Store is not as flashy as BB App World, it gets the job done & when it comes down to price, flashy isn’t always better! Just like BB App World, you can download CrackBerry’s App Client right on to your device. Not only do they offer tons of Apps, they offer almost anything that you can think of for your BlackBerry device, so be sure to check them out.
There are several other web sites that offer software for your BlackBerry devices. Although I have not used them, so I cannot comment on them, I will list some of the ones that I have come across so you can decide for yourself.
* The BlackBerry Cool Store – ( they also have a app client that you can download on to your device.), The BlackBerry Blast Store , and HandMark – BlackBerry Software . I will add to this list as come across new and or different web sites.
* New York Times on Your BlackBerry! 
One of the Apps that I use Every Day, is the “New York Times BlackBerry Shortcut” ! This is one of my favorite apps. It really is not a memory hog, considering what you are getting ( an entire newspaper..lol) & it works fast with absolutely no lag on my 8330. If you are a Newbie, it could not be easier to install. Just click on the link above from your BB device & follow the prompts.
You will have full access to all that the New York Times has to offer!
Now, If the NYT’s is not your thing, there is also an app for “Time Magazine”. I used this one for a while, in my case, it seemed to have a bit of lag on my 8330, & it used a bit more memory. It is still an AWESOME App, but it just didn’t suit my needs at the time.
* Does Your Mobile Device Need Anti-Virus / Security Software?
This is something that I have really struggled with, for several reasons. There are so many aspects to consider. If you are like me, you probably feel the same way. I have been doing some research on this topic & here is what I have come up with so far. Yesterday, I came across an article in the New York Times. The article boasts that cell phones, at this time are largely immune to viruses. Their reasoning, they have credited the sometimes strangled structure of the cellular phone indusrty & sheer dumb luck.
As an example, they have used the Apple devices. Stating that though the products are loved by many in The United States, they have not caught on as quickly in other parts of the world. Because of this fact, the Bad Guys ( virus writers), will not waste their time writing malicious code for such a small market.
The iPhones, that are so common in the US, don’t make the cut for the bad guys, because they barley register in other parts of the world. Nokia, which runs on the Synbian system, is the prime target for the virus writers, due to their large numbers everywhere except Northern America. Because of this, those of us that are carrying our precious Blackerry devices & those who love the iPhone, have stumbled upon sheer dumb luck.
Our Blackberry’s seem to be safe for now, as the targeted devices do not reside in Northern America…YET !
Now that we are armed with this info, What Do We Do? Well, honestly, we are right where we started. If you are concerned about viruses latching on to your device, by all means check out some of the programs that are available. The Blackberry Devices do come with some security & the key components of base that the Blackberry devices are built on according to RIM, are Security & Connectivity. If you do not feel the need to put anti-virus software on your device yet, one of the MOST IMPORTANT PRACTICES that will keep your precious device safe, is to update your device on a regular basis. No matter what device you are using, they all have an “Update Device” option. This will install any security patches that are available for your device.
Personally , I am more concerned with theft than viruses at this point. Thas’t why SmrtGuard has peaked my curiosity. SmrtGuard is designed to protect your personal data that is stored on your precious Blackberry device. It will work on all Blackberry devices that have an OS of 4.2 or higher. Not only does it protect your data, It can actually track the device…( How Cool is that?!)
With SmrtGuard, not only can you back up & restore all of your important info, if the unthinkable happens & you are not able to retrieve your Blackberry, you can wipe its memory by remote. Now that’s just Awesome.
Right now, if you take a 10 day trial with SmrtGuard, you could win The Blackberry Curve 8520 , so if you have been on the fence, now is the time to pounce!
* TweetCaster by: HandMark!
* Ok, one of my faortite Apps for the 8330 Curve, so far, has been TweetCaster by: Handmark, & you can get it for the small price of a TWEET , thats right, IT’S FREE! I have read mixed reviews on this app, but I LOVE it! One of the biggest complaints that I have seen is that the App is slow. In my experience, I have had no trouble at all, it moves no slower than any other app out there, so for me, it works great!
It has a ton of features too. Some of them include, Multiple Accounts, Favorites, Todays Trends, Nearby ( which does pretty much what you would expect given its name), Search, Go to User, Profile ( which gives you the ablility to update your profile from your mobile device), Messages, Replies & More!
Before I started using TweetCaster, I had used TwitterBerry & UberTwitter. Now, I have nothing bad to say about these apps, I just like TweetCaster alot better. Mostly due to all of the features & interface.
So, if you are not only a Blackberry Addict , but also A Twitter Addict, you should check out TweetCaster, by clicking on the link above. Enjoy! Again, I want to be clear, I really liked all of these Applications, but as for now, given the features and usablility, I like TweetCaster the best.
