BlackBerry App Roundup - Win 1 of 25 copies of Preset Timer by Vorino Software!

Welcome to this week's BlackBerry App Roundup! This week we have 25 copies of Preset Timer by Vorino Software Inc. to give away! We have searched high and low and found some neat apps to share with you this week, so head on past the break to check them out and enter the contest! If you have an app you want to see featured in the roundup be sure to check the end of the post for information on submitting it to us.

 

ZonaSnap by ZonaBlackBerry

ZonaSnap is an application with BBM 6 integration which allows you to capture the screen of your BlackBerry and then gives you a range of options such as send to Twitter, send to BlackBerry Messenger Contact , save, send as Email and send to Photobucket. It's the union of these features what makes ZonaSnap unique . Is very easy to use and also highly practical. The application is available in English and Spanish.

New Features:

ZonaSnap has a 7 day free trial. After the trial all options are still available, however a watermark will be automatically added to all screenshots. The full version is available for $1.99 which gives you the option to remove this watermark.

More information/screenshots and to download

 

MenuX 1.5 by Bach Khoa University

MenuX is the first software that can help you to customize your Blackberry menu with tons of feature. A great tool for system enhancement. You can add items such as phone numbers for calls or SMS, email, boost memory, current time, app monitor or wifi toggle to your BlackBerry menu so that you have quick access. MenuX has recently been updated with a new UI and backup/restore/transfer for your data. You can get MenuX for $1.99 for most BlackBerry smartphones.

More information/screenshots and to purchase

 

Slider Lock - Slide To Unlock by Ajani InfoTech

Slider Lock automatically locks your keyboard when the backlight goes off to prevent unwanted keypress activity. No more battery loss because you forgot to lock your phone and an accidental key press launched a GPS app in background. No more accidental calls because you forgot to lock your phone!

Slider Lock starts itself automatically when your device starts, no more worries about complex settings! You can toggle Slider Lock on or off at anytime. Slider Lock also lets you set autolock option on Native and Third Party apps! Slider Lock allows you to set the amount of time that elapses before the BlackBerry device automatically locks. You can also choose whether you want a particular app to lock or not when in foreground.You can pick up Slider Lock for your Torch for $1.99.

More information/screenshots and to purchase

 

I want to be a Pirate by Genera Mobile

Enjoy this quirky rhyming story of a young boy who would like nothing more than to be a pirate with an octopus captain and a parrot who loves chocolate cookies.

You will love this creative story with interactive images! Feed the parrot cookies, say hello to the mermaids, the possibilities are many! I Want to be a Pirate is compatible with most BlackBerry smartphones and is available for just $.99.

Features:

More information/screenshots and to purchase

 

Panda vs Bugs FREE by TechSoft Ventures

Bugs climb the trees all the time. Bugs try to sting the Lovely Panda. They appear from nowhere with the only aim – to hurt. But our Panda is not a weakling! Our Panda is a true warrior! Panda vs Bugs is free and available for most BlackBerry smartphones.

The principles of the game are the following:

More information/screenshots and to download

 

Multiprotocol IM client imo beta now available for BlackBerry

Imo has announced a beta version of their multiprotocol IM client for BlackBerry. The app is free to download and features multiple services including AIM, Yahoo!, Gtalk, Skype, Jabber, MSN and more. The company has had a web app for quite some time, but this is the first release for BlackBerry Smartphones. While it's still a bit rough around the edges, imo is a pretty decent client if you like the ability to use multiple IM services all in one place. There are plenty of features to keep most users happy, and pretty much all of the "big name" services are included. The app is free (for now) in it's beta form and will soon be on the way to BlackBerry App World. Hit the link below from your device to download.

Download imo OTA to your device

More information on imo for BlackBerry

 

Preset Timer by Vorino Software Inc.

A simple to use countdown timer with editable presets, optional warning chime, a highly readable display and color preferences. Handy for all sorts of activities, such as parking, lectures & presentations, cooking, laundry, fitness, meditation, etc.

You can grab Preset Timer for $2.99 for most BlackBerry smartphones.

Features:

More information/screenshots and to purchase Preset Timer

Contest: We have 25 copies of Preset Timer to pass on to you this week, courtesy of Vorino Software. To enter, leave a comment below! Contest ends Sunday at midnight. One entry per person please. Good luck!

 

Well there you have it folks! Be sure to check out New BlackBerry Apps, Updated BlackBerry Apps and Free BlackBerry Apps available at ShopCrackBerry.com. If you are a developer and want to have your app shown in the roundup or you're interested in having us host a contest for you, drop me an email at cbmichelle[@]crackberry.com. See you all next week!

Tap Madness for the BlackBerry PlayBook

 

If you're looking to kill a couple of hours with an interesting touch game then look no further than Tap Madness by Matt Fisher. For a chronic ADD person such as myself this game is able to hold my attention and manage to be frustrating (in a good way) at the same time. Before you know it you'll find yourself hooked just like me. 

Tap Madness is an easy to play arcade game for the PlayBook. The premise is simple: all you have to do is tap the dots or balls on the screen as they appear to destroy them. Each level comes with its own target number to detonate. Miss a ball or tap on the death ball and you lose. Levels become increasingly difficult especially when multiple targets start filling the playing field all at once.  

The graphics and soundtrack are decent and it's a really fun and time consuming game. One of the reasons why I find it hard to put down is that I'm trying to beat everyone else out there. Let me explain. When connected via WiFi users' high scores can be submitted and viewed on the public stats page. So part of the desire is trying to knock out the top spot for myself which unfortunately I have not been able to do. Personally I find it to be a great stress reliever. Nothing like destroying flying objects when you've had a rough day at work.

As far as actually playing the game I'm stuck on level 12. What I like is that you can start a new game from the beginning or select from any level already completed. I did notice a slight hesitation when everything starts to explode at once but by then I've already lost. Plus there's no pause button. Other than that it's a really enjoyable game that will be sure to get your fingers tapping all day long. It's definitely worth checking out.

Tap Madness is available for free from BlackBerry App World. So let the games begin folks. Do you think you have what it takes to win the top spot? 

More information / download Tap Madness from BlackBerry App World 

Deal of the Day for Friday August 5th - Save 50% on BeBuzz!

BlackBerry News for the BlackBerry PlayBook updated to 1.0.0.91, returns to the future

 

Yesterday - and I'm talking less than 24 hours ago - I noticed a curious thing about BlackBerry News for the BlackBerry PlayBook: it was living in the past. Restarting the app and then the PlayBook did no good. The application simply refused to show any articles posted later than July 31, 2011. As to why, I couldn't tell you. Perhaps the app just couldn't come to grips with the fact that Sunday would have been Harry Potter's 31^st birthday.

Today, Research In Motion quickly fixed that bug by releasing version 1.0.0.91 of BlackBerry News for the PlayBook, specifically to fix the "known issue with timestamp." A quick download and BlackBerry News is working just fine.

If you're not familiar with the application, BlackBerry News is an RSS news reader that presents your feeds in a layout similar to a newspaper or magazine. It offers a much more visually appealing look to your news than the standard lists of lists. The tablet app also syncs to its smartphone counterpart. Something I missed on my first review, RSS feeds added using the BlackBerry News Feeds smartphone app will be added to the BlackBerry News app on the PlayBook and vice versa.

It's nice to see Research In Motion move so quickly to fix the date problem on BlackBerry News. It's good to know that RIM supports and stands behind even this humble (and Awesome!) application. BlackBerry News for the PlayBook and BlackBerry News Feeds for the BlackBerry Smartphone are available to users in Canada and the United States.  

More information / download BlackBerry News App for PlayBook

More information / download BlackBerry News Feeds for the BlackBerry Smartphone

Weekly Accessory Roundup - Win a set of v-moda Vibe stereo headphones!

Ever been sitting somewhere, totally bored, wishing you could listen to music? Only to be sad when you realize you have no headphones around? Often times many people forget about headphones, not that they don't want them, but more so that they aren't on the top of their mind. The past few months I have been using the v-moda Vibe in ear headphones and I must say I am quite surprised. An important thing about headphones is the ability to handle a wide variety of sounds and music genre's, and these headphones do this quite perfectly. Whether listening to top 40 tunes, hip hop, R&B or classical music -- the sounds are amazing and extremely crisp. Don't be caught without a nice set of headphones while on the go anymore! Enter below to win your own set today!

 

To enter to win a set of v-moda Vibe headphones, simply leave a comment to this blog. Contest ends this Sunday night at Midnight PST. Please, just one entry per person.

 

New BlackBerry Cases

 

New BlackBerry Batteries

 

New Bluetooth Accessories

 

 

Until Next Time...

That's it for this week's roundup! We hope you enjoyed it! If you come across accessories you'd like to see featured in an upcoming roundup, please send us an email to blackberryaccessories @ crackberry.com.

Three UK confirms it will be getting the BlackBerry Torch 9810, gives a sneak peak video

Following BlackBerry UK’s announcement of their new and shiny BlackBerry 7 devices, Three UK confirms that they will be stocking the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and has given us a video sneak peak. No release date has been confirmed but it is showing as coming soon on their website.

Three UK now has two of the upcoming BlackBerry 7 devices on their coming soon pages, hopefully we can get confirmation dates and pricing plans soon.

Source: Three UK Blog

Friday Fun: BlackBerry 7 Smartphone NickNames... We dub thee Bold 9900/Bold 9930 the Gretzky!

We recorded a CrackBerry Podcast earlier today, talking about all of the newly-announced BlackBerry 7 Smartphones. It's a fun show, so be sure to listen. But by the end of it, we realized we NEEDED to come up with some shorter nicknames for this next generation of BlackBerry Smartphones. Ater sixty minutes of CrackBerry talk tossing back names like Bold 9900, Bold 9930, Torch 9850, Torch 9860 and Torch 9810 we were getting tongue tied and parched lips. Back in June I wrote a ranty editorial titled Can we just call it the BlackBerry Bold Touch already? This Bold 9900 / Bold 9930 thing is driving me crazy! which highlighed my annoyance that in order to address the new Bolds in a technically correct way, I could never just say Bold 9900 (as that ignores it's CDMA counterpart the 9930). Oh if only there were a unique way to identify both devices in one sentence, life would be grand.

With the Bold Touch or Touch Bold sounding a bit too much like a bad porno, I've tried to let that name slip from my vocabulary. But on today's podcast we managed to wrangle up a fitting name for the Bold 9900 / Bold 9930... the GRETZKY! Think about it. Gretzy was #99 (9900), Canadian (BlackBerry is from Canada), RIM loves hockey (remember Jim Balsillie wanted to buy an NHL team) and Gretzky is the Great One, just as the Bold 9900/9930 is the greatest of the traditional BlackBerrys to date. So there ya have it... if you want a good, short and fitting nickname that encompasses the Bold 9900 and Bold 9930, just refer to the new Bolds as the Gretzky.

As for the new Torches, here's where we're at. Since the Torch 9800 was the first Torch, it's still the Torch to us. So we're calling the new Torches by their last two digits.  So we got the ten (Torch 9810), the fiddy (Torch 9850) and the sixty (Torch 9860).  And if you want to refer to both the Torch 9850 and Torch 9860 together, just call it the fiddy sixty, which is super fun to say.

So if you're going to hit the bar this weekend and the topic of RIM's new BlackBerry Smartphones comes up, make things easy and talk about the Gretzky, the ten, and the fiddy sixty. Have any better nicknames for these new BBs? Drop em in the comments!

Leaked OS 7.0.0.244 For The BlackBerry Curve 9360

Download via FileServe:

How To:

Please report any feedback/findings in the comments.

DISCLAIMER: Install at your own risk. This is Leaked/Beta software that is not guaranteed to be stable, and therefore will not be supported by RIM or your wireless carrier should you run into some problems. As a precaution, if you decide to upgrade, it is highly recommended that you make a backup before using this software. If you are not comfortable using Leaked/Beta software you should probably wait for the next official release. *

Review: Rivet Leather Folio for BlackBerry Playbook

Rating:

Web Site: Rivet

Price: $79.90

Rivet has recently released their Leather Folio for Blackberry Playbook and they were very kind to send us a review unit. The black leather case fits snuggly to the Playbook and provides decent protection with access to all the buttons.
 Packaging:

The unit comes in a cardboard box that is nearly twice the size of the unit, with no instructions. When I pointed this to Rivet acknowledged both issues and they are working on it. To get the unit to the market quickly, they used their existing boxes for iPad folio. It is a good thing their shipping company is not charging by volume, rather by weight.

Usage:

The Playbook fits in snugly into the case. It is very lightweight and does not add too much to bulk to the unit. Initially the lid was bending slightly upwards, at the line where you fold it to make it a stand. The lid takes around a week to stretch and fit perfectly. So when you get the case and use it for the first time just give it some time.

While the case protects most of the Playbook, there is weak spots I found. First one would be at the back of the unit, where there is an opening for the camera:

The opening is great for using the camera while Playbook is still in the case, but I believe it is too big and makes the back/camera vulnerable to drops/spills.

The second part is the top of the Playbook. This really is tough spot to cover though, as the case has to leave spots open for microphones, headset jack and other buttons. At least the corners are fully covered. The corners are most prone to damages.

Other than these minor issues, the case works great. The lid stays in place with the aid of a red elastic band. You can quickly slide the band, fold the lid to the back and your Playbook is ready to use. The lid also can be folded near half ways to convert into a useful stand. This can be quite handy when you are watching your favorite show.

The ports on the bottom of the Playbook are accessible only when the lid is folded back. For my daily use, this never presented an issue.

The case is bit pricier than some others. However, Rivet has used high quality leather for their case, it feels great, it is built to last and it will keep your Playbook protected. There’s a soft interior lining and the outer shell is made using rigid plastic. When all these are combined, it gives a great protection against shock and other types of damage, while keeping the bulk to minimum. The Playbook looks great and stylish in Rivet Leather Folio as well.

Overall, I love the Rivet Leather Folio for Playbook. It is stylish, lightweight and offers great protection. Highly recommended.

Pros:

Lightweight

High quality leather

Case doubles as a stand

Cons:

Camera can be susceptible to damage.

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Berzerk Ball para BlackBerry PlayBook

Stefano desde bbworld.info nos comenta que en App World hay un juego muy adictivo para BlackBerry PlayBook y es gratuito: Berzerk Ball

Os dejo con el vídeo que el propio Stefano ha realizado, está en italiano, pero con algo de atención y esfuerzo se entiendo perfectamente:

El link para su descarga vía App World: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/36055

Definitivamente la tableta BlackBerry PlayBook es un tablet profesional…pero para los profesionales del juego también

Fixmo Web Messenger (BBM via PC)

Fixmo ofrece la oportunidad de entrar en Blackberry Messenger (BBM) desde el PC mediante una sencilla interfaz web:

Mas informacion

Descarga: OTA directo

Descarga via app world: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/47563

Which Carrier Will Sell the BlackBerry Bold 9900 first?

There is rampant speculation going on about release dates for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930. Its a pretty sure thing that some carrier in North America or internationally will launch the Bold 9900 before the Torch 9810 or 9850/9860 launch. The whole situation sort of reminds me of the BlackBerry Bold 9000 launch which came out in Canada before the US though thankfully this time it is not an AT&T exclusive.

So I thought we could have some fun placing gentlemen’s bets on who gets the 9900 out first. My bet is sadly on Rogers though I wish it was AT&T or Verizon.

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BlackBerry App World 3.0 disponible en la zona Beta

Parece que RIM ha hecho pública, bueno parcialmente pública, en versión Beta la próxima versión de App World, la versión 3.0.

Pero por ahora solo está disponible en algunos países y entre ellos no se encuentra España No me cansaré de repetir que odio cuando RIM hace esto y solo pone software Beta o versiones finales solo para algunos países, RIM es una empresa global con clientes globales y dispuestos a instalar una versión Beta de App World 3.0 aunque no esté traducida al castellano (no si si esta es la razón).  Nada tendremos que esperar que alguien de esos países afortunados descargue la aplicación y la ponga a disposición de todos de manera no oficial o esperar de buen seguro un par de meses para que se decida RIM a publicarlo en otros países.

Un nuevo interfaz de usuario y accesos directos a Twitter, BBM, Facebook, más opciones de búsqueda … son algunas de la novedades más visibles:

External speakers: Getting quality sound out of small devices, a review of the Bowers & Wilkins MM1 and the Jawbone Jambox

Whatever device you have, chances are, your stock speakers are underpowered and underwhelming. Speaker quality simply isn’t a high priority on cutting edge devices because typical consumers value portability and size over sound quality and bass; and unlike a display, that can be made both high quality and small (think Retina display, Super AMOLED), speakers can’t be made smaller without sacrificing quality and volume.  But external speakers give you the best of both worlds–they let you rely on small, portable internal speakers when portability is a primary concern, and let you plug in to some power when you have an itch for some bass.  Read on to find out more about two of the best options out there, the feature heavy and super portable Jawbone Jambox and the ear-meltingly awesome Bowers & Wilkins MM1 powered computer speakers.

What you came for–the Sound:The clarity of the sound that you are going to get from your speaker is going to be directly dependent on the size of the driver (the cone-like structure in the speaker).  A larger driver produces deeper sounds best, while a smaller driver produces higher sounds best. The larger B&W MM1 speakers are big enough for have larger and smaller drivers for distinct deep and high sounds.  The Jambox compensates for its small drivers by using a new system of producing deep bass–a flat structure called a moving-wall passive bass radiator.

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BlackBerry Curve 9360 Also Sporting Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot

One of the features RIM has been very coy about in BlackBerry 7 has been the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. We saw it pop up in documentation and even devices before but all the devices RIM has been showing off don’t have it featured. They also seem to be glossing over mentioning it on any of the devices they have announced. We are pretty sure that it is coming to the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Torch 9810, 9850, and 9860 but RIM has not confirmed it as far as I have seen.

That is what makes it interesting to see the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot feature show up on the lower end BlackBerry Curve 9380. As you can see in the pictures the feature is there and alive. I am sure RIM is going to find a way to make sure carriers get paid extra for you to use the feature but I think it would be a huge boon for PlayBook users. It would simply allow you to tether to your BlackBerry using Wi-Fi though I am curious what it will do to battery life.

I know quite a few of you are waiting for RIM to release such a feature. Let us know why!

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Devs: BlackBerry PlayBook NDK Beta Coming to Beta Zone Soon?

It looks like developers waiting for RIM to release the BlackBerry PlayBook QNX Tablet Native Development Kit (NDK) won’t have much longer to wait. According to BBNews.pl the public beta of the NDK will be opening up soon but we don’t have an exact date. It looks like you will be able to apply to participate in the beta through the Beta Zone so keep an eye out over there.

The NDK is a huge deal for developers since the PlayBook QNX is POSIX Compliant which means quite a bit of code and even full apps can be ported easily. It also gives developers a whole lot more power than the Flash or WebWorks SDK’s. At the beginning this will be mostly for games and high end apps but once RIM releases a UI framework manager things should get really interesting.

Keep an eye out on the PlayBook development landing page for more details

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Unannounced BlackBerry Curve 9360 OS 7.0.0.244 Found Online

The unreleased devices keep on getting OS updates but now we have unannounced devices getting them at the same time. Ashley pointed out that the BlackBerry Curve 9360 now has OS 7.0.0.244 available. Not much most people can do with this OS but if you guys are looking for one of these prerelease devices let us know.

You can pick up OS 7.0.0.224 for the BlackBerry Curve 9360 @ fileserve.com

Warning: This OS will not install on any other BlackBerry besides the one mentioned above and is not an official release.If you do not know how to upgrade your BlackBerry OS please start by reading this step by step guide.Don’t forget to delete the vendor.xml file located in c:program files>common files>research in motion>apploader to install it on a different carriers device. Don’t forget our usual warnings: do not download and install these updates if you don’t know what you’re doing. Incorrect procedure or just bad luck could render your BlackBerry inoperative or unstable.

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ZonaSnap Screenshot App Adds BBM 6 Integration

 

I was waiting for this app update to drop and Javier from ZonaBlackBerry let me know it is public. ZonaSnap is my favorite BlackBerry screenshot app and it just got better. Back in OS 5 it used to be able to send screenshots over BBM but that was unavailable in OS 6. Now thanks to the new BBM Social Platform you can once again send screenshots to BBM contacts.

New Features include:

• Added integration with BBM 6 for send the capture to BBM Contacts
• Added new feature for Edit the Capture
• Fixed the blurry in some water marks
• Added new feature for Get the License from the Menu in the Register Screen

You can pick up ZonaSnap for $1.99 in App World with a 30 day free trial

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BlackBerry App World 3.0 Now In Beta Zone!

The time has come for BlackBerry App World 3.0 to start its public beta. RIM let us know that the download is now available for BlackBerry smartphone users in the Beta Zone. It has a slick new look and now splits out Apps, Games, and Themes. Check out all the new features below and in the announcement blog post.

New features include:

You can pick up the new version of App World in the Beta Zone at www.blackberry.com/betazone

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BlackBerry Curve 9360 Has NFC Built In? (Pictures)

We mentioned when RIM announced the BlackBerry Torch 9810 & 9850/9860 that we were surprised they did not have NFC built in like the Bold 9900 and 9930. We just assumed that meant that previous reports of the BlackBerry Curve 9360 packing NFC were also incorrect. One of our new tipsters did some sleuthing and found that the BlackBerry Curve 9360 actually HAS NFC according to its OS. Odd right?

 

As you can see in these pictures the BlackBerry Curve 9360 reports back that it has NFC along with the same options as the Bold 9900. Also notice the little NFC lightning bolt style icons in the picture above. The main oddity is that it does not have the NFC antenna in the battery door like the Bold 9900. I am not sure what to make of that. Let us know what you think!

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BlackBerry Bold 9900 OS 7.0.0.303 Found Online

The leaked OS fun continues with the BlackBerry Bold 9900. We now have OS 7.0.0.303 available thanks to N4BB. Not much most people can do with this OS but if you guys are looking for one of these prerelease devices let us know.

You can pick up OS 7.0.0.303 for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 @ fileserve.com

Warning: This OS will not install on any other BlackBerry besides the one mentioned above and is not an official release.If you do not know how to upgrade your BlackBerry OS please start by reading this step by step guide.Don’t forget to delete the vendor.xml file located in c:program files>common files>research in motion>apploader to install it on a different carriers device. Don’t forget our usual warnings: do not download and install these updates if you don’t know what you’re doing. Incorrect procedure or just bad luck could render your BlackBerry inoperative or unstable.

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BlackBerry Torch 9860 & Bold 9900 OS 7.0.0.296 Found Online

Last of the leaks for this morning is a newer OS for the Torch 9860 but an older one (compared to .303) for the 9900. We now have OS 7.0.0.296 leaked thanks to N4BB. Not much most people can do with this OS but if you guys are looking for one of these prerelease devices let us know.

You can pick up OS 7.0.0.296 for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 @ fileserve.com

You can pick up OS 7.0.0.296 for the BlackBerry Torch 9860 @ fileserve.com

Warning: This OS will not install on any other BlackBerry besides the one mentioned above and is not an official release.If you do not know how to upgrade your BlackBerry OS please start by reading this step by step guide.Don’t forget to delete the vendor.xml file located in c:program files>common files>research in motion>apploader to install it on a different carriers device. Don’t forget our usual warnings: do not download and install these updates if you don’t know what you’re doing. Incorrect procedure or just bad luck could render your BlackBerry inoperative or unstable.

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