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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…

BlackBerry App World isn’t perfect. It’s sometimes slow, sometimes not intuitive, and sometimes makes it difficult to find certain applications. (For instance, a search for PressReader came up empty yesterday from my handset, but it was there on the website.) There was even an issue yesterday where it was not working for a while. The main complaint I’ve heard, though, is that PayPal is the exclusive purchasing platform. Some people just don’t like PayPal, or otherwise don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up an account and adding funds. Thankfully, that will soon change. At the BlackBerry Developer Conference, co-CEO Jim Balsillie noted that carrier billing is coming in 2010. Soon you can make all the impulse purchases you want, and you won’t see the bill until the end of the month.

* Usually we save newsy posts for News From The Wire, but I didn’t see this until after it was posted and thought it was worthwhile. Stay tuned. The BBGeekcast is coming up soon.

In the digital age many of us have become accustomed to RSS readers. They’re simple, they’re convenient, and for the most part they deliver just the information without all the frills. But sometimes people want the frills. After all, it’s not so long ago that we went to the end of the driveway to pick up the newspaper every morning. To that end, there is Press Display, a service which allows you to view your favorite newspapers from around the world, right down to the formatting. You download the publication, meaning you can read it offline, a huge, huge plus for the traveling worker. Their latest development, as we learn from jkOnTheRun, is PressReader, an application which allows you to view those publications on your BlackBerry.

Read the rest of Keep up with your favorite publications with PressReader…

Sometimes when I’m bored, I’ll head to Craigslist on my BlackBerry to kill some time. It’s usually a big waste, though sometimes you can find a gem in the Rants & Raves section. One big complaint is about the interface. Craigslist is full of links, and the layout doesn’t transfer well to the BlackBerry, leaving you with a vertical smattering of blue hyper text. Thankfully, help is on the way. From Movela, the folks that brought you the Netflix queue BlackBerry app, we’re soon to see the official BlackBerry Craigslist app. That should help you cure your boredom in a more organized manner.

Read the rest of Craigslist app for BlackBerry nearing App World release…

One key to staying organized is having a constant reminder of what needs doing. Even if you know what you’re supposed to be doing, that constant reminder can be your signal, even your motivation to go ahead and do it. For years I’ve tried to organize myself. Kept notebook upon notebook of lists, carried around packets of index cards, even tried to follow David Allen’s Getting Things Done to a T. Still, it wasn’t until I got my BlackBerry that I started implementing all of these methods successfully. The difference was having a virtual pad and paper around all the time. That, and using a few choice BlackBerry apps, including StudentDocket. It’s a great tool that can keep you moving, even when you don’t feel like it.

Read the rest of Geek Review: StudentDocket organizer for BlackBerry…

Last week, the people from Loopt, the location-based social network, offered to send me some embargoed information. I ignored the email. It’s nothing against them specifically — I’ve just found location-based social networks to be a bit creepy. But then, after reading the information on CrackBerry, I realized that I was being a bit selfish. Just because I don’t prefer something doesn’t mean that the BBGeeks out there feel the same. If you like to explore the social networking possibilities from your BlackBerry and have friends who do the same, Loopt is probably for you. They recently announced a few upgrades, which makes even a skeptic like me think that maybe the service is worth trying.

Read the rest of Location-based social network Loopt adds new features…

Ever since we took our first look at Gym Technik, a fitness tracking service for your BlackBerry, we’ve been wondering when they would release the dedicated application. They did make some improvements, but still no app. That is, until recently. They’ve been keeping me updated, and over the weekend let me know that they’ve release their NextGen BlackBerry app, which brings all the features of their web-based app to your BlackBerry. It’s now easier to record and track your fitness progress.

Read the rest of Gym Technik adds NextGen BlackBerry App…

Oftentimes we get excited when we see that a popular application has been updated. For me, the excitement comes from wondering whether any of the improvements I’ve thought about have been implemented. That makes it a bit disappointing when an update comes without a change log. Google has done this twice recently. They’ve updated their Google Maps and Gmail applications for BlackBerry, but haven’t let users know exactly what changed. That usually means there are just some bug fixes, which is fine. If you have these apps, you probably want the bug corrections.

Read the rest of Google updates Maps, Gmail BlackBerry applications…

I’ve seen a lot of online file storage sites over the past few years, but for some reason Dropbox is catching on better than almost all of them. Maybe it’s because they’ve developed an excellent application across the three major platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux). Maybe it’s because their interface is the most user-friendly i’ve seen. In any case, I’ve been recommending it to people ever since someone at the office got me hooked. You can also access Dropbox from your BlackBerry, and according to BerryReview, it could be getting easier.

Read the rest of Use Dropbox to back up your BlackBerry and more…