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Every once in a while a media outlet comes up with reasons why the iPhone will surpass BlackBerry in cell phone market share. The latest is Forbes magazine, though the analysis comes from company called Trefis. They break down the trends of each company, and have determined that the iPhone will overtake BlackBerry in early 2011. As in, a year from now. The main evidence is that Apple has grown a bit faster, going from .3 percent market share in 2007 to 2 percent in 2009, while RIM went from 1 to 3 in that period. Further, they expect RIm to have an 8 percent cell phone market share by 2016, with Apple ahead of them at 11 percent.

Read the rest of BlackBerry News From The Wire for the Week of 3/8/2010…

I never quite understood the purpose of standby mode. I did use the function regularly, though not intentionally. This actually happens a lot with my Tour, since it’s easy to press the mute button while shoving the device into my pocket. I suppose it saves battery, and it’s not really that big a pain if I do accidentally hit it. I’m sure many of you use the function — or used it, depending on your OS version. As Bla1ze reports, RIM has disabled standby mode in recent OS builds, starting with version 5.0. It appears that this isn’t just the mute key that’s changed, but rather the entire feature being disabled. If anyone has a workaround, leave it in the comments.

It’s time again for your bi-weekly helping of premium BlackBerry themes. This week we’ve got new designs from two of our favorite theme developers, Hedone Design and Elecite. They both brought the goods, releasing two excellent, standout themes. I go through a lot of these in order to write this feature, and it seems that while there are a lot of developers that do go out of their ways to create something new and fresh, these two accomplish it regularly. And now I’ll stop gushing and get to the themes.

Read the rest of Theme Review Wednesday: Explicit, Clarion…

If you tether your BlackBerry smartphone to your laptop for data usage, you might have heard of TetherBerry. Last year we wrote about the company, noting how they could help Mac users in particular. A few things have changed since then, most notably their name. They’re now just plain Tether, though they’re offering the same great tethering service. The company recently turned one year old, and they’re celebrating in grand fashion. They’ve given us 25 copies of the application, which we’re giving away to our readers. Plus, they’re also holding a contest where you can win one of three BlackBerry smartphones, or, if you’re so inclined, one of three Android handsets.

Read the rest of Win a copy of Tether, or even a new BlackBerry…

Your wireless carrier does not want you to leave. It likes your predictable monthly payments, and loves that you’re under contract for two years. The contract isn’t the only measure your carrier takes to retain its existing customers. It also locks handsets to its network. This, it hopes, makes you think twice about leaving. Who wants to pay for a new device, even when subsidized, when you have a perfectly good, working device already? Many people will stay with their current wireless carrier because of just this reason. Thankfully, this is not a necessity. If you feel your wireless carrier has wronged you, or else you just want to take your phone to another network, you might be in luck. There are ways to break the carrier’s lock on your BlackBerry.

NOTE: Read all the way to the end for an incredible offer from BBGeeks and CarrierUnlock.com
Read the rest of The ins and outs of unlocking your BlackBerry…

Encountering a BlackBerry error can be the most frustrating experience. Many of us rely on our devices, and to have it down even for a day can be a catastrophe. When you see an error message, you know you’re in for some pain. They don’t just appear for no reason, and oftentimes it’s not something you can fix yourself. Take, for instance, JVM Error 102. The blackberry.com description claims that, “The only recovery method is to wipe the device and restore a new system.” Yikes. That means you have no chance to backup any of your information. Gone are your applications, your emails, your contacts — everything. Thankfully, it appears there is a workaround for this one.

Read the rest of What to do if you encounter JVM Error 102…

Your BlackBerry address book is boring. It just lists your contacts in alphabetical order, like every other address book on the planet. Wouldn’t it make sense to have different organization options? I’d like, for instance, to have my address book by default sort my contacts by the frequency with which I contact them. That would make things a little easier. If you’re among those who don’t think that is a trivial functionality, you can check out SwooshContact. It’s a new application that gives you greater control over your address book.

Read the rest of Better organize your BlackBerry contacts with SwooshContact…

It’s not every week that we’re expose to a new BlackBerry model. But when we are we tend to yap about it. This time it’s a BlackBerry touchscreen slider, a device we’ve been hearing about for years now. In fact, it was just about two years ago that we saw a patent application for a slider, though this one’s a bit different.

So click on over here to hear the BBGeekcast (7 min, 26 sec)

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You can also subscribe to the BBGeekcast in iTunes.

Highlights include:
Read the rest of BBGeekcast: March 5, 2010 – Episode 106…

As Apple will remind you, there is an app for nearly everything. If you look through the BBGeeks Store or App World you’ll find thousands of apps that can accomplish everything from making your BlackBerry glow to performing advanced calculations. This is mostly great, but like all good things it also comes with drawbacks. Your device has limited memory, so it can only store so many applications. Many of these apps cost money, and most people only have a limited amount of disposable income for software. The developers at VersatileMonkey know how you feel, and they’ve done something about it. Their new app, VersaTool, combines the functionality of multiple applications into one.

Read the rest of Get more out of your BlackBerry with VersaTool…

It seems that at every year at this time we’re anxiously awaiting a few new BlackBerry devices. Last year it was the Curve 8900, though by this point it was already released, and the Tour, which was still a ways off. This year the Pearl 9100 is like the Curve, and I suppose the 9650 is like the Tour. Ah, but it seems RIM is doing us one better. This week we’ve seen pictures of a new kind of BlackBerry. A touchscreen with a slide-out, portrait keyboard, the device could be the next in the Bold or the Storm lines. Either way, it’s sure to get BlackBerry geeks talking.

Read the rest of BlackBerry News From The Wire for the Week of 3/1/2010…