Contest: Enter to win a BlackBerry Skin Case for your BlackBerry device

The BlackBerry skin case was the first accessory I ever bought when I switched to BlackBerry. They are reliable, durable, and soft to the touch. No matter what cases I've purchased, broken, or abused, the skin case is always the one I fall back on. While it does not offer the all around heavy duty protection like some other cases out there, it does protect your device from accidental bumps, falls, and scratches. Not to mention they come in an array of colors to match your style. Click on the jump for more images and contest rules.

The BlackBerry skin case is thin, lightweight, and offers a no-slip grip with its rubberized exterior. It covers the back and sides leaving openings for the mini-USB port, stereo jack, camera, audio ports, keyboard and screen. It's pretty good at staying put on most surfaces and I've never had it slip to the floor either on my desk at work or at home. I used to pair this with a BlackBerry leather holster for those times I placed my device in my pocketbook.

As you can see from the pictures below the cases tend to attract a lot of dust. However, they are extremely easy to clean by just wiping it away. Other than that its a pretty decent case for the little accidents that may befall your device day-to-day.

BlackBerry Skin cases by BlackBerry are available for the Bold 9000/9650/97xx, Tour 9630, Curve 3G/85xx, Storm/Storm2, Curve 83xx and Pearl 81xx devices. So why not head on over to ShopCrackBerry and take a look at what's available for your device?

Contest: To win a BlackBerry Skin Case just leave a comment to this post and let us know which device it's for and your preferred color. Contest ends this Sunday at midnight PST. Please only leave a single comment. 

More information / purchase a BlackBerry Skin Case

 

  

BlackBerry App Roundup - 50 copies of Snappy by BerryGoodThemes up for grabs!

Welcome to this week's BlackBerry App Roundup! This week we have 50 copies of Snappy by BerryGoodThemes 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.

 

5001 Amazing Facts by XIMAD

This is a fun app to flip through when you have idle moments or when you want to impress someone with some interesting facts. 5001 Amazing Facts is just what it says it is, a whole lot of information, some useful, some interesting, some funny, and some that are just outright weird! The app has recently been updated to integrate with BB6 so you can share facts with friends at the click of a button. For a limited time you can pick 5001 Amazing Facts up for free in App World!

More information/download 5001 Amazing Facts

 

A+ Picture Effects and Photo Editor by shendz

A+ Photo Effects Editor Tool is a sophisticated photo editing tool with very friendly user interface. You can edit, save, and share your pictures very easily. The app is free to download, and is supported by ads. If you prefer not to see the ads, you can make an in-app purchase and remove the ads for just $.99.

Features:

More information/download A+ Picture Effects and Photo Editor

 

The Jumble by Karmic Apps

The Jumble - one of the most unique, entertaining and mind-bending games, full of cute spiders and tangled webs! Poor little spiders are so messed up that they need your help. The goal of the game is to untangle the lines of web and make sure they don't overlap. Touch the dots and drag the lines to untangle them. Game features 20 artfully designed levels (with more on the way) that provide a smooth learning curve and plenty of brain-teasing fun! The Jumble is free and available for most BlackBerry smartphones.

Features:

More information/download The Jumble

 

Private Memo pad by Infinite Appz

If you have memos that you would like to keep private, you can use Private Memo to password protect them. Not only can you create memos within the app, it also adds an option in the memo menu to import your existing memos. You can edit, delete and restore memos as needed, and share memos via email or PIN. Available for most BlackBerry smartphones, Private Memo is $1.99 in App World.

More information/purchase Private Memo

 

Comcast brings the XFINITY Mobile App to BlackBerry

If you are a Comcast subscriber, and a BlackBerry user you will be very happy to know that they have brought the XFINITY application to the BlackBerry platform. The application allows Comcast subscribers to take the best features of their television, internet and home phone on the go with them while on the go and stay connected from anywhere. The application brings tons of features along with it, for example:

More information / download of XFINITY Mobile

 

Snappy by BerryGood Themes

Snappy is a new screenshot app from BerryGoodThemes that makes taking screenshots of your BlackBerry screen fun! The app adds the screenshot option to all menus throughout your BlackBerry, or you can set it to a convenience key. When you capture a screenshot, Snappy pops up in the corner of your screen to let you know you got the shot, but he doesn't appear on your image. Screenshots are saved to your media card for easy access so you can send them via email, BBM, Twitter, etc. Snappy is available for $.99 and is compatible with all BlackBerry devices running OS 5.0 and up, including new BB7 devices!

More information/purchase Snappy

Contest: BerryGoodThemes has given us 50 copies of Snappy to pass on to you guys! If you'd like to enter to win a free copy, leave a comment below. One entry per person please, and the contest ends Sunday at midnight. 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!

From the Forums: A wedding day surprise

We see a lot of BlackBerry addicts around here, which is totally understandable since we're the #1 site for BlackBerry users and abusers. Sometimes, we see stuff in the forums that drives home how deep that addiction can go.

CrackBerry member TMGould posted in the forums that he's getting married on Sunday, and he threw up a couple of pictures. The first is the wedding day checklist, and the bride (I assume!) is planning ahead, because the first thing on the list is "TAKE TOM'S BLACKBERRY OFF HIM!!!" If that wasn't any indication of his obsession, the next picture, posted above, was a sure sign. Tom has acquired BlackBerry cufflinks for the big day. Seriously, how cool is that!?

Congratulations to Tom and the future Mrs. Tom from all of us at CrackBerry! Enjoy your BlackBerry big day!

Guardly Mobile Personal Safety app now available for BlackBerry smartphones

A new application just released today is the Guardly Mobile Personal Safety application. Guardly is the first mobile personal safety service that instantly connects you to friends, family & authorities in just one tap. Here's a brief overview of what the app can do:

You can read the latest press release here and then head on over to BlackBerry App World and download the Guardly Alerts application. It's a free application with the following features:

Sign up for Guardly Connect ($1.99/monthly or $19.99/yearly) and you'll also have access to the following options:

More information / download Guardly Alerts

Deal of the Day: Save 50% on BodyGuardz Carbon Fiber Armor for the BlackBerry PlayBook - only $14.95!

Personal Guardian now free in BlackBerry App World and OS 7 compatible

Awhile back we told you about Personal Guardian a one-push panic button for your BlackBerry smartphone. If you ever find yourself in an uncomfortable or emergency situation quickly send out a silent distress call by pressing the convenience key. Messages are immediately sent via the various communication methods you preconfigured on your device or the online portal. These include sending an email, SMS text, phone call to an emergency center, or a Twitter message with your GPS location.

While also packaged with SmrtGuard Pro, many of you voiced concern over the hefty one time fee of $19.99. Well fret no more as it is now free to download in BlackBerry App World. As someone who's usually in the city late at night for work I feel secure knowing I have a quick way to reach out for help. Personal Guardian is compatible with most BlackBerry Smarphones running OS 4.5 and higher including the newer OS 7 devices.

Personal Safety Features:

More information / download Personal Guardian from BlackBerry App World

Deal of the Day: Save 63% on the BlackBerry Slip Case for PlayBook - Get it today for just $14.95!

Contest: Win your choice of application from Mobatech

The crew over at Mobatech and their applications are definitely no strangers to the CrackBerry blogs. We've featured several of their applications including my personal fave, Mobile Checkbook, back in my CrackBerry Idol days. Mobatech is known for creating reliable and easy to use BlackBerry applications. All of their applications have been updated to include OS 7 compatibilty & to show their appreciation to CrackBerry users, their giving us 10 copies (winners choice of app) to give away. Read below for a brief description of each app and then drop us a line in the comments telling us which application you'd like to win and why.

This app has been one of the top paid applications in BlackBerry App World several times. This application allows you to keep track of multiple accounts & record your transactions while on the go. Transaction lists can be exported via email with optional XLS or QIF attachments which can then be imported easily into most computer financial software. Mobile Checkbook even has a PIN code password feature that you can set just in case you're worried about someone seeing your financial information if your phone gets lost.

Mobile Bartender puts a full-featured drink-making guide in the palm of your hand. With access to hundreds of drinks, shots & drop shots, you'll never be at a loss when ordering at a bar. Easily filter results by drink type, liquor or drink name. You can also add or remove recipesat any time.

This takes your BlackBerry calendar one step further. With hundreds of dates for national holidays, sporting events & religous holidays, you can simply select the dates you want and then export them to your native BlackBerry Calendar or contacts. The application features a days-till-event countdown & allows the user to create customized reminders.

More information / purchase Mobile Checkbook

More information / purchase Mobile Bartender

More information / purchase Datepedia

Quick Review: Seidio CONVERT Combo for the BlackBerry Curve 3G and Curve 8520/8530

Maybe it’s just me, but I find the BlackBerry Curve Series to be extremely lightweight in design. So much so that it can be effortlessly tossed around, but that doesn’t mean you should actually do it – without proper protection of course. The Seidio CONVERT combo which, like any good onion (or ogre), comes with many layers. Underneath it all is a 0.1 mm thick screen guard to protect your screen against scratches. On top of that is the Seidio Innocase II, followed by the thick, rugged skin and plastic “spine” to hold it all together. All of this is then put in an extremely tough holster with a top clip design (good for belts up to 2 inches thick) to keep your BlackBerry from being easily dislodged.

Once everything is put together, you cannot see the Curve at all; which is good, as you can see in the video above. The rugged skin is thick enough to create a barrier that protects the front surface of the Curve from flat surface damage. Yet, the skin moves out of the way just enough to allow you to use the keyboard comfortably. As I inspected the case after the captured carnage, I couldn’t believe how minimal the damage was to the case. Not to mention that the Curve itself walked away unscathed. Even with the ‘Hulkbuster armor’ equipped, it doesn’t take away from the functionality of the Curve. All buttons were easily accessible, while the ports and camera lens are covered until needed. Rather than buying multiple cases for varying circumstances, why not take the smart (and economical) choice and pick up the Seidio CONVERT case for your BlackBerry Curve 93xx or 85xx smartphone. And yep, you can grab it from ShopCrackBerry.com!

More Rumored PlayBook OS 2.0 Screenshots

RIM said they would release the native PIM apps and the android app player late summer. Most of you are probably aware they are notorious for pushing deadlines to the last minute. New rumors point to a September launch of those much awaited native apps. New screenshots of the PlayBook OS 2.0 help fuel that rumor. The screenshots appear to be real, check them out for yourself below.

Source: and

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BBM Music Needs “Thumbs Up/Down” Song & User Ratings

I have more or less replaced my Slacker listening with BlackBerry Music since yesterday and I have to say I am impressed. I have found some great songs from BBM friends and contacts that I would never have heard otherwise. I find it interesting that my friends tend to avoid the latest Top 100 hits to define themselves and rather are choosing some classic favorites. The thing it not all of them have anywhere near my music taste or simply have bad taste… That is why I am really hoping RIM throws in some social voting options in BBM Music.

RIM does let you ignore songs or ignore songs from an artist that you don’t like but I wish they made my preference more transparent. Wouldn’t it be slick if you could see if users like the songs you selected or not? Maybe a sort of Rotten Tomatoes style “rotten meter” to show what others thought of your song. I love that it shows you how many times people listened to your songs but I want more. Simply leaving a comment on the song is just not good enough. I have been playing with the idea of using some sort of ASCII emoticon to simulate votes but don’t think it will work well unless RIM integrates it natively.

I will give you a walkthrough and more in depth review of BBM Music hopefully today or next week but until then I am really liking the service. The music player puts the native BlackBerry Media Player to shame and really works nicely. I have to say RIM put quite a bit of work into the app and usability is really nice and solid especially for a beta product.

Still I am really looking for things like the ability to show what I am listening too in BBM Music on the BBM status message or be able to keep a record of the songs I liked by my friends without adding it to my songs. If you have been using BBM Music let us know what you think!

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BBM Music Feature & Functionality Walkthrough in Screenshots

As I mentioned before I have really been enjoying BBM Music. I am not ready to do a full review but I thought I would share a ton of screenshots of the app since very few people have access so far. Let us know if you have any questions about the features shown off in the screenshots and I will have somebody answer to the best of our knowledge.

 

 

 

 

 

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Official OS 6.0.0.650 For The BlackBerry Curve 9300 From Mobilicity

Software For BlackBerry® Curve™ 9300 smartphone

BlackBerry Handheld Software v6.0.0.2858 (Asia)

Package Version: 6.0.0.2858

Consisting of:

Note: The Software Platform and Applications version numbers can be found under Options-About screen on the handheld.

Download:

How To:

Please report any feedback/findings in the comments or in the forums.

REMEMBER: It is recommended that you make a backup before attempting to upgrade your BlackBerry just in case something goes wrong during the upgrade process. *

Official OS 6.0.0.650 For The BlackBerry Bold 9700 From Mobilicity

Software For BlackBerry® Bold (TM) 9700 smartphone

BlackBerry Handheld Software v6.0.0.2858 (Asia)

Package Version: 6.0.0.2858

Consisting of:

Note: The Software Platform and Applications version numbers can be found under Options-About screen on the handheld.

Download:

How To:

Please report any feedback/findings in the comments or in the forums.

REMEMBER: It is recommended that you make a backup before attempting to upgrade your BlackBerry just in case something goes wrong during the upgrade process. *

Soocial Syncs Your Contacts Between Multiple Sources & Your BlackBerry

We mentioned Soocial a LONG time ago in November of 2008. Since then the service has come out of beta and really fleshed out. A friend asked me if there was a service that lets you sync your contacts between your BlackBerry, Gmail, Google Apps, and Outlook and I told him to look Soocial up. In that vein I thought it would also be worth mentioning it to all of you.

Soocial is a really slick service but the big problem is the cost. The service is free to sync up to 250 contacts between two sources. If you want to start synching more like Gmail, Outlook, Google Apps, Yahoo, Windows Live, and more you will have to pony up for a monthly plan starting at $4.99. Soocial is definitely worth a look if you need such a service for work or can live with the free plan at www.soocial.com. Otherwise check out Gist.

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Let SugarSync Know You Want a PlayBook App Now!

Its no big secret that I am a big fan of SugarSync. They made my day earlier this week by adding folder sync to their BlackBerry smartphone app but there is a major hole in their BlackBerry support. They currently do not have an app for the BlackBerry PlayBook and their website seems to act up for some PlayBook users. I reached out to SugarSync to see what they had to say about PlayBook support.

SugarSync got back to us and let us know that they are still monitoring how the market reacts to the PlayBook and if they see enough demand they will develop an app. You want to know how to show SugarSync that there is demand for it? Request a PlayBook app in this thread on their forums. SugarSync told us they keep a close eye on their forums and it influences their feature development decisions.

About SugarSync’s website acting up in the PlayBook browser they have been getting mixed messages. According to many customers the browser experience works fine (I would say about 90% in my experience) but some users have expressed complaints. SugarSync does not have any timelines but they are researching the issue and are investigation how they can optimize their website for the PlayBook.

So what are you waiting for? Make sure to make your voice heard in the SugarSync forums.

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