I have been digging NewsPile on my PlayBook and it just got a nice update. Dennis let us know that v1.0.6 of NewsPile brings the most requested feature. It offers integration of sharing and bookmarking services! With this update you can share the articles you love on the following platforms: Delicious, Evernote, Facebook, Google+, Instapaper, Read it Later and, of course, Twitter. This update has also improved the user interface a bit with the left navigation pane growing a bit to make it more usable.
FileArchiveHaven has released a TVersity client for the popular TVersity server that many people use. In case you don’t know TVersity is a free server to install on your PC that lets you stream video to devices like the Xbox, PS3, and now the PlayBook. TVersity is a DLNA compliant sharing server in other words and this new “Connect to TVersity” app lets you stream videos, audio, and pictures to your PlayBook. The crazy part is that this PlayBook app is not limited to use to TVersity and actually works with any standard web based DLNA server. The only benefit of TVersity server is that it pre-converts videos to make sure they are playable on the PlayBook due to compatible video types.
Sounds cool right? With Connect to TVersity and your TVersity server setup you can:
Stream Audio files
Stream Video Files
Stream Photos
UPNP / DLNA
Supports Subtitles
I have not had a chance to try out this app yet since I have not been home but I will definitely be checking it out. Send us screenshots to our tip line if you get it working! Let us know what you think of Connect to TVersity if you pick it up in App World for $1.99. They also confirm that they have tested it on PlayBook Beta OS 2.0 and it works!
PS: I have had limited success in the past getting the PlayBook to simply work with TVersity without a client by just going to http://<tversity ip address>:<port>/flashlib/ but hopefully this is better!
IMO has been doing a great job of adding features to their multi network IM client. Their client supports AIM, Gtalk, Skype, MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Hyves, VKontakte and Jabber at once with loads of features. They just updated their beta once again this week with some new features including:
Soonr let us know they released their native BlackBerry app this week. Their app takes a different approach from SugarSync and DropBox with more business and collaboration features like teams, remote access and security baked in. They also have SLA’s along with SAS 70 and HIPAA compliance in their own infrastructure to help businesses adopt the cloud approach. You can see the concept in action in the video demo:
Their BlackBerry app gives you access to that data on the go with a Soonr Premium account for $9.95 per month for three users and 25 GB of storage. Soonr Pro is $29.95 per month for five users and 100 GB of storage. Extra storage is available from $.25 per gigabyte and additional users can be added $8 per person. You can get a free trial of Soonr at www.soonr.com and pick up their BlackBerry app in App World. Check out the details in the press release below:
Soonr Releases Native BlackBerry Application to Access, Store, Share and Sync Files in the Cloud
CAMPBELL, Calif.—Sept. 8, 2011—Soonr Inc., a cloud services company focused on team productivity for small and medium businesses (SMB), today announced a native application for BlackBerry touch screen smartphones including the new BlackBerry Torch. Reflecting the way business “works,” Soonr Workplace is a secure cloud service allowing teams to work together on digital content from any device, anywhere in the world.
The Soonr Workplace Touch application is specifically optimized to support BlackBerry devices with touch-based interfaces including the Torch 9800, Storm 9530 and Storm2 9550. The combination of Soonr’s cloud service and BlackBerry touch screen devices provides business users instant access to information on the go. Soonr currently serves over 50,000 organizations around the world, providing mobile access from more than 800 devices including Android, Android Honeycomb, BlackBerry, iPad and iPhone, with patented rendering technology to view files locally in seconds.
“The introduction of BlackBerry touch screen technology is the perfect complement to the ease of use and productivity Soonr enables,” said Martin Frid-Nielsen, president and CEO of Soonr. “We continue to expand support across Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone and other indispensable tools for conducting business today, and remain committed to connecting users to teams and content 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of the device they choose.”
Unlike Dropbox and Mozy, Soonr goes beyond backup and sync and was designed from the ground up with teams, remote access and security in mind. Soonr manages its own secure, carrier-grade infrastructure with geo-redundant data centers. Dedicated to security and reliability, Soonr has achieved 99.9+ percent availability since 2006, and offers 256 bit encryption, SAS 70 and HIPAA compliance.
Pricing, Support and Availability
Soonr Premium is $9.95 per month for three users and 25 GB of storage. Soonr Pro is $29.95 per month for five users and 100 GB of storage. Extra storage is available from $.25 per gigabyte and additional users can be added $8 per person. A free trial of Soonr is available at www.soonr.com.
Soonr supports Mac and PC and more than 800 mobile devices including Android, iPhone and Blackberry, iPad and Android (Honeycomb) tablets.
Soonr delivers a secure cloud service for teams to work together on digital content from any device, anywhere in the world. Built on a carrier-grade infrastructure, Soonr is trusted by the world’s leading brands, service providers and more than 40,000 businesses. Founded in 2005, Soonr holds several technology patents and is a privately held company backed by HighBAR Partners, Clearstone Venture Partners, Intel Capital, Cisco and Presidio Ventures. Connect on www.soonr.com, Twitter, and Facebook.
I am always on the hunt for a better Google Reader experience on both my BlackBerry smartphone and PlayBook. The latest I have found is Web Reader for the BlackBerry PlayBook and I have to say I am impressed. It does cost $4.99 which puts it in stiff competition with the capable and free GeeReader app. Still Web Reader does hold its own with some pretty cool features that simply look good.
IMO let us know that they have updated their BlackBerry Beta Instant Messaging app this week. The first release was decent as a cross platform IM client and this beta is throwing in more features. Check out the change log and new features below:
Voice IMs: send instant voice message IMs up to 30 seconds long
Send files from your device or capture pictures and send instantly!
Facebook Chat and Steam Chat support
Group messaging: create chat groups with other friends using imo (chat groups also available on the web, and on our iPhone, iPad and Android beta apps
The app is still waiting to go live in App World but you can pick up the beta directly at https://imo.im.
We have known for awhile now that RIM is working on a Microsoft SharePoint client for BlackBerry. There are a few third party solutions for SharePoint but RIM usually steps in when it comes to these kinds of things. Al over @CIO noticed that RIM has quietly launched the client and put up a product page on the BlackBerry website. From what we can tell the client is definitely not free and has quite a few requirements for it to work. We have no idea how much RIM is charging for the feature but I know quite a few SharePoint hooked companies that will jump at the opportunity. On the other hand I feel like RIM should have made this simply a free feature of BES Premium to give RIM yet another differentiator in the enterprise space.
The SharePoint BlackBerry client allows:
The requirements are a bit complex requiring Windows Server 2003/2008 along with BES and the BlackBerry Social Networking Proxy server together with SharePoint 2007/2010 and BlackBerry devices with OS 5.0+. This new integration solution might be part of RIM’s closer relationship with Microsoft recently. It should be interesting to see how it plays out. Check out more details about the BlackBerry SharePoint Client solution here.
While IM+ is still waiting for their PlayBook IM+ client to be approved Arturo managed to sneak PlayJabber by the App World reviewers. PlayJabber is a bare bones Jabber chat client for the BlackBerry PlayBook. In case you don’t know what Jabber is then let me explain. Jabber is an open source standards for real time chat that many companies like Google, Facebook, and LiveJournal have use to power their chat clients.
In short that means you can use PlayJabber to chat on Google Talk, Facebook, and LiveJournal from your PlayBook. I cannot promise it will work for you but Google Talk worked for me.
RIM opened up the public Beta Zone version of Facebook for BlackBerry v2.0 back in mid March and it looks like it is finally getting ready to go official. I am not sure what took so long but this updated version brings Facebook chat and many other features to the Facebook for BlackBerry official client. There is no word on what version is going official but hopefully it is not the current beta zone .29 version which has issues with notifications not sounding. N4BB got this email stating that the update is happening tomorrow:
Please be advised that Facebook® for BlackBerry® smartphones 2.0 app is scheduled to release on July 26, 2011* in the BlackBerry® App World™ storefront. You can learn more about the product and features by viewing the training and support documentation below.
Key Features:
Facebook Chat – Facebook Chat is fully integrated with BlackBerry smartphones, so users can start a conversation within the Facebook app or right from the message list on their device. Users never need to worry about missing a chat message since they’ll be notified of new chat messages even when they’re not using the Facebook app.
Brand New User Interface – Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones features a sleek new design which includes a new navigation grid, a notifications bar that borrows from the BlackBerry 6 “Today View” which summarizes all Facebook notifications, Messages, Friend Requests and Chats all in one handy location, and enhanced profile viewing.
WiFi Support – Users can stay connected with friends and enjoy the full functionality of the Facebook app for BlackBerry smartphones while in a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Core Integration – Facebook for BlackBerry is integrated with the BlackBerry message list, BlackBerry Contacts app, BlackBerry calendar, BlackBerry browser, and is now also integrated with BBM.
Redefined Notifications – Users will now be notified of polled items (notifications that aren’t delivered through BlackBerry push technology), such as ‘Likes’ and Event Wall posts.
Please be advised that Facebook® for BlackBerry® smartphones 2.0 app is scheduled to release on July 26, 2011* in the BlackBerry® App World™ storefront. You can learn more about the product and features by viewing the training and support documentation below.
Key Features:
Facebook Chat – Facebook Chat is fully integrated with BlackBerry smartphones, so users can start a conversation within the Facebook app or right from the message list on their device. Users never need to worry about missing a chat message since they’ll be notified of new chat messages even when they’re not using the Facebook app.
Brand New User Interface – Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones features a sleek new design which includes a new navigation grid, a notifications bar that borrows from the BlackBerry 6 “Today View” which summarizes all Facebook notifications, Messages, Friend Requests and Chats all in one handy location, and enhanced profile viewing.
WiFi Support – Users can stay connected with friends and enjoy the full functionality of the Facebook app for BlackBerry smartphones while in a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Core Integration – Facebook for BlackBerry is integrated with the BlackBerry message list, BlackBerry Contacts app, BlackBerry calendar, BlackBerry browser, and is now also integrated with BBM.
Redefined Notifications – Users will now be notified of polled items (notifications that aren’t delivered through BlackBerry push technology), such as ‘Likes’ and Event Wall posts.
We have been having fun with the Android Player on the BlackBerry PlayBook since it was discovered by some devs early this morning and then subsequently leaked. We have found that the build has some built in apps including an email client and browser! it also uses the Android keyboard which is interesting. Just to give you an idea this early build of the Player is build 0.0.1.152 which should give you some idea of how early of a build we are talking about.
Check out the email client in action in the screenshots! More screenshots after the jump!
A new PlayBook IRC client slipped into App World this week. PlayIrc is a simple yet useful flash IRC client for the BlackBerry PlayBook. I also dig the tabbed conversation view. It has some nice features packed under the hood including:
Twitter for BlackBerry has been pushed out to some through app world with v2.0.0.16. This new version has the same features as the one that was released to Beta Zone members a few days back. Through app world it will be available for those who can’t become a Beta Zone member.
If is not showing up for you at this LINK through app world Roy has provided OTA links for you to download.
BlueBox has been stealing all the thunder with their BlackBerry PlayBook DropBox client. Now we have competition in town from Files & Folders by Innovatology. Their new app is a file manager for your BlackBerry PlayBook with integrated DropBox support. It lets you manage your file on DropBox as if they were local letting you copy and paste folders and files between the cloud and your PlayBook.
I don’t have an active DropBox account to test this out with but a friend said it works nicely. Innovatology is selling Files & Folders for $1.99 in App World with a trial available.
I have been watching the PlayBook development scene with great interest since the device launched. RIM has been slow at releasing the BlackBerry PlayBook Native SDK which is promised to come this summer. Still that has not stopped devs from pushing the envelope. Marc Paradise, developer of the popular LogicMail BlackBerry email client, detailed some of his latest developments in our forums.
He has confirmed that he has successfully compiled and built a basic SSH client on his BlackBerry PlayBook using a native ARM binary to port libssh over to QNX with a simple front end. Currently this client can only be executed from an SSH session to the BlackBerry PlayBook so it is of limited use other than a proof of concept. Still its a big step proving the usefulness of POSIX compliance on the QNX OS. It also may mean that developers will have a way to create apps for the PlayBook without waiting for the native SDK to launch.
Tweetcaster was released by Handmark back in mid-2009 without much of a flurry beyond charging a “tweet” for the app. Ashley let us know that they have updated their app with a new beta that once again only costs a tweet. I am not sure how I feel about that but the app is pretty slick though it is a bit slow. They seem to be having some fun throwing a jab at Seesmic by saying they are just getting started for BlackBerry while others are abandoning it.
Features of Tweetcaster include:
Multiple Twitter account support ♦ Simultaneous posting to Twitter and Facebook ♦ Retweet with or without comment ♦ Manage Twitter lists ♦ Advanced profile editing ♦ Nearby/Geolocation functionality ♦ Save and manage drafts ♦ Advanced search ♦ Full trending topics ♦ Share tweets to email, SMS or Facebook ♦ All standard Twitter functions—reading timeline, viewing profiles, sending tweets, clicking links
If you have a BlackBerry OS 5.0 or higher, you can pick up Tweetcaster for the price of a tweet at tweetcaster.com. More details on their blog.
Those of you who have been using RIM’s Facebook for BlackBerry 2.0 beta in the Beta Zone got a nice update today. RIM let us know that the beta zone program has been updated to v2.0 beta 3 release which includes updates that users were requesting. There is nothing terribly huge in this update like staying signed into Facebook chat consistently but they have added:
Wi-Fi support
The ability to delete comments and posts
New delete prompts
Here is the direct link to the Facebook for BlackBerry v2.0 beta program:
