Leaked OS 7.0.0.340 for the BlackBerry Bold 9930

While we just had a leak for the BlackBerry Bold 9930 just yesterday, a fresh leaked OS is again ready to go. This time it's OS 7.0.0.340 and it looks to be a good one as it is sporting some NFC love (not that it's of all that much use just yet). So if you just picked up that new Bold 9930 or you're patiently waiting for it to arrive, download this one and be up to date with the latest leak.

*OS Disclaimer - Please Read: Keep in mind this is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by RIM or your Carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you're comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base - do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). *

Download leaked OS 7.0.0.340 for the Bold 9930

Source: N4BB

Quick Review: Amazon Cloud Reader on the BlackBerry PlayBook

 

Last week Amazon introduced a cloud reader solution for the Amazon Kindle. The motivation for this development was specifically for the Apple iPad due to Apple's new money hungry in-app purchase rules, Amazon need to find a solution outside the Apple App Store. Since Apple has a hate-on for Flash and directing all of their effort to move the world to HTML5, Amazon took advantage of this and developed the HTML5 Kindle Cloud Reader.  The big news for us BlackBerry people is that the PlayBook fully supports the HTML5, therefore the Kindle Cloud Reader works quite nicely with the BlackBerry Playbook.

I was really down on my PlayBook up and till recently because the apps were trickling out a little to slow for my taste. Specifically the Kindle reader, Amazon you may recall was the first partner to announce that Kindle would support the PlayBook. To date no app has materialized, but when the Android player leaked I jumped for joy because I could load Kindle books on my beloved PlayBook. Now with the Cloud Reader it only deepens the PlayBook love.

To begin hit up http://read.amazon.com and sign in with your Amazon credentials.  Some advice to note run in portrait mode and for best results run in full screen mode. Once you're logged in you are shown your full Kindle library. From your library just press and hold a book, you'll be given a popup giving you a choice of downloading the book for offline reading or simply opening the book to read.

After you've downloaded one or more books for offline reading, at the bottom of the screen there will be a toggle between "Cloud" and "Downloaded".

It appears to work quite nicely and the WhisperSync functions as designed allowing for furthest page read and bookmarks remain synced in the Kindle ecosystem. The only real challenge I've encountered is if you try to launch the browser with no WiFi coverage it will error out. This is not a Kindle error but a PlayBook issue, the browser checks for a network connection when you launch it and if there isn't one you are presented network error. If you lose connectivity while reading the offline works well, just don't close the browser.

So far this is not 100% perfect remember it was designed for the iPad, but it's better than the alternative of no Kindle reader. Personally I've invested too much money in Kindle books to start over again with the Kobo reader pre-installed on my PlayBook so until they perfect the Cloud Reader or better yet make a native app this will have to do. 

Mobi Products Hard Shell Case for BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Bold 9930

CrackBerry Contest: Win your choice of FREE BlackBerry 7 Smartphone!

The reviews are in, and it's unanimous... the new BlackBerry 7 Smartphones are the SWEETEST BlackBerry phones yet! So following up our reviews of the BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Bold 9930, BlackBerry Torch 9860, BlackBerry Torch 9850 and BlackBerry Torch 9810 we're giving a lucky CrackBerry reader the chance to win one, free of charge.

HOW TO ENTER:  Just login to CrackBerry and leave us a comment to this post! In your comment, be sure to tell us which BlackBerry 7 Smartphone you want and why! 

Other Details: Contest is open worldwide. Entry deadline is Midnight ET on August 31st, 2011. Please leave only one comment to this post. We'll announce the winner September 1st here on the blogs.  Good Luck!

This contest is sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com - the #1 for store for BlackBerry Accessories!

Official OS 5.0.0.1041 For The BlackBerry Storm 9530 From China Telecom

Software For BlackBerry® Storm™ 9530 smartphone

BlackBerry Handheld Software v5.0.0.1688 (EastAsia)

Package Version: 5.0.0.1688

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. *

What’s with the Kiddish BlackBerry 7 Icons RIM?

It’s been a couple of days now since I got my BlackBerry 9900 and it’s truly every die hard BlackBerry fan’s dream phone. While I could go on about all the vast improvement I have seen considering I was still rocking my old Bold, I will opt to sum up the entire improvements with two words, NO LAG!  RIM has kept its word on improving the overall performance of these new BlackBerry smartphones and customers will show their appreciation by buying these new phones. But one thing seems to be bugging me about my new BlackBerry 9900.

What’s with the kiddish icons? Okay, so maybe kiddish isn’t the proper term or perhaps it sound rather harsh but you can choose to replace the word with what ever word works for you. My point is that these icon just feels too unpolished and cartoonish. While icons like BBM and the music icons look sharper the vast majority of the icons on OS 7 just seems unpolished and unified.

I thought perhaps it was just simply me that thought this way but a couple of my friends have made similar comments. Some even go as far as to say the icons on OS 5 seem more polished. Similar comments are also being made about the new icons on App World 3.0 and the overall UI. It just feels too unpolished at this point of the game and rather silly.

Now saying all that, I know icons are not a make or break thing when it comes to purchasing a phone, but it does add to the overall customer satisfaction with the product. Small crucial details like these are ultimately what will make RIM standout as it eventually matches its other competitors in terms of specs and overall performance. The BlackBerry experience needs unified UI experience to increase the customer satisfaction and having kiddish or cartoonish icons doesn’t help.

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BlackBerry Bold 9930 OS 7.0.0.340 Found Online

The leaks continue for the BlackBerry Bold 9930. We just got v7.0.0.308 last night and now we have v7.0.0.340 thanks to N4BB. This version definitely fixes the back button bug I was running into before along with other users. Just a quick tip for those of you who cannot upgrade. You can fix the back button bug by hitting the top lock key twice to clear it.

You can pick up OS 7.0.0.340 for the BlackBerry Bold 9930 @ fileserve.com

N4BB also extracted:

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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