Industry coverage, news, original feature articles, how to guides, videos, podcasts and reviews of BlackBerry service providers, software, accessories, hosted exchange providers and more

It’s all devices, all the time at the BBGeekcast. Or at least it is this week. We’ve seen a few new releases over the past few weeks, including the Storm 2, the Bold 9700, and the Curve 8530. Never the types to be satisfied, we run down what’s in the near future for RIM.

So click on over here to hear the BBGeekcast (10 min, 7 sec)

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss future episodes!

You can also subscribe to the BBGeekcast in iTunes.

Highlights include:
Read the rest of BBGeekcast: November 20, 2009 – Episode 91…

BlackBerry themes have been a prominent topic this week. It started on Wednesday when, as we do every other week, we reviewed three premium BlackBerry themes. Two of these were created using BlackBerry Theme Studio 5.0, so yesterday we went over how to create your own BlackBerry theme. I kiddingly urged someone to make me a custom theme, but I think I’ve found something to keep me occupied for a bit. Via BBCool, I found out that Bplay has launched a series of themes for cities around the world. Yeah, I’m totally getting the New York one, pictured below.

Read the rest of A BlackBerry theme for every city…

Purchasing a BlackBerry is a serious decision. Not only does the device cost up to $200, but you’re then committing to two years of service. We discussed the total BlackBerry cost a while ago. Voice plan, messaging plan, data plan — it all adds up over two years. Earlier this year we saw a prepaid carrier, MetroPCS, launch the BlackBerry Curve 8330. The service cost $50 per month for unlimited voice and messaging, plus BIS ($60 for BES), making it cheaper than most other BlackBerry service plans. It’s attractive because there is no commitment — not in the contractual sense, at least. The device cost over $400, and that kind of investment can keep you tied to the service. It appears T-Mobile is trying a similar gambit.

Read the rest of BlackBerry News From The Wire for the Week of 11/16/2009…

As mentioned in yesterday’s theme review post, RIM recently released BlackBerry Theme Studio, an application which allows anyone to create new BlackBerry themes. While we’ll always appreciate the work of the professional designers who create vibrant premium themes, we also know that many people have an idea for the perfect theme in their heads. I know I do. There have been a few themes that have come close to that, but none have been the perfect Joe Theme. If you’ve been longing for your own perfect theme, and you have some time on your hands, you can now give it a try.

Read the rest of Create your own themes with BlackBerry Theme Studio…

Over the weekend I had a big choice to make. As I mentioned Monday, I got a BlackBerry Tour on Saturday. After I set up all the technical aspects, I was left with a decision over which theme to choose. I went through a bunch of our theme reviews, and eventually cape upon something interesting. Apparently, I said that I’d load up the Aliencology theme once I got a Tour. So, true to my word, that’s what I picked. It’s just as awesome as I remembered. But, I still want to find alternatives. It’s not perfect, at least for me. I think there’s a perfect BlackBerry theme for everyone, and that’s part of the purpose of this feature. Let’s see if you find yours this week.

Read the rest of Theme Review: GreenTech, Winter Wonderland, Liquid Chrome…

It was barely a month ago that we re-reviewed TwitterBerry. We originally reviewed it in early 2008, but the company behind it, Orangatame, brought it up to date, adding many features that users demanded. Unfortunately, TwitterBerry is no more. Orangatame has changed the name to OpenBeak in hopes that it “allows the app to grow beyond both the Twitter platform and BlackBerry smartphones.” With the name change comes a few new features, including two that I had complained about in the TwitterBerry review. Read the rest of TwitterBerry changes name to OpenBeak…

There are many applications that make your BlackBerry and even better productivity tool. Last week we examined StudentDocket, an application that provides organizational tools superior to those natively on the BlackBerry. While StudentDocket can streamline your professional and personal lives, it doesn’t streamline your BlackBerry itself. This week we’re going to look at an application that does. It’s called QuickLaunch, and the name couldn’t be any more appropriate. It will make navigating your BlackBerry that much easier.

Read the rest of Walkthrough of QuickLaunch for BlackBerry…

One thing I noticed after getting my BlackBerry Tour is that there are three keys which you cannot assign a speed dial. Holding down the “A” key locks the system, holding down “W” goes to voice mail, and holding down “Q” puts you into quiet mode (vibrate only). These can be convenient, but for someone who had older operating systems and were used to having these keys available, it can be a slight nuisance. We at BBGeeks are dedicated to eradicating those nuisances so you can better focus on the big issues. So today, a quick way to assign speed dials to A, W, and Q.

Read the rest of Change your “A” , “W”, and “Q” speed dials…

What at one point appeared to be another frustrating BlackBerry weekend turned into a pleasant surprise. After upgrading the BlackBerry WordPress app, I rebooted my Curve, as required. The next time I checked it, it was frozen. I rebooted again, but soon found myself in the same situation as a few weeks ago, when my Curve died. This time I took it to the Verizon store, knowing that even if I fixed it again, I’d get the same problem again eventually. The rep was receptive to my plight, and offered to exchange my Curve for a Tour. I couldn’t say no. Immediately after booting up and activating, I noticed an issue with the font.

Read the rest of Making the font smaller on your BlackBerry Tour…

It’s a change of pace this week on the BBGeekcast. While we’re usually all over the latest devices, this time it’s about the software. RIM just held the second annual BlackBerry Developers Conference, and we got some interesting news that could enhance the BlackBerry platform. That’s going to be the next step for RIM, and that’s our main topic on the BBGeekcast.

So click on over here to hear the BBGeekcast (12 min, 2 sec)

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast so you won’t miss future episodes!

You can also subscribe to the BBGeekcast in iTunes.

Highlights include:
Read the rest of BBGeekcast: November 13, 2009 – Episode 90…