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

Since we started doing our bi-weekly theme feature, the format has been the same. Pick three themes, grab a screenshot from each, and describe what’s going on. That usually works well enough, because there’s always a link where you can see more screen shots. Many themes these days, though, come with demo videos. So, instead of a 200×150 image of the home screen this time around, we’ll embed the video for each theme after a brief description. If you’re a fan of this feature (and I realize not everyone is), let me know which format you like better.

BeDroid

Android is the hottest platform on the market. It’s not the market leader, not by a long shot. But it has plenty of buzz, mainly because Verizon recently released its first Android phone, the Motorola Droid, to much fanfare (and a huge marketing campaign). Like iPhone themes before it, people will certainly want the Android look on their BlackBerrys. Ahaz Designs has their take on it, with BeDroid.

For the non-touch BlackBerrys, this is a pretty basic theme. What distinguishes it from others is that it has an about screen plugin. This screen gives you information about the battery level, in percentage, the device temparature and voltage, memory information, and then basic BlackBerry facts like PIN number, signal strength, and OS version. It’s a quick shortcut away on any screen, which can save you from clicking through the Options menu. On the Storm version users can press various parts of the screen (those which are not filled with icons) to lock the device or pull up the about screen. BeDroid also has a dedicated spot for a weather application and a dedicated shortcut for Quicklaunch.

You can get the BeDroid theme for $3.99 until December 5. THat works on BlackBerry OS versions 4.5 and up.

Perception Mini

When a new BlackBerry device hits shelves, there are sometimes few, if any themes compatible with it. I don’t feel bad for Bold 9700 users — after all, they got a shiny new BlackBerry device, one that many have dubbed the best BlackBerry ever. Plus, they have benefitted from the release of BlackBerry Theme Studio 5.0. Users can now easily create OS 5.0 themes, which are compatible with the 9700. Over at Themes4bb, they have a new version of the Perception theme just for the 9700.

It’s called Perception Mini, because of the miniature icons on the home screen dock. That allows them to squeeze 11 user-customizable icons on the home screen, plus dedicated spots for three Today previews: messages, calendar, call log. All of the other screens are pretty standard, but the transition is unique. Instead of just cutting to the applications menu when you press the Menu button, Perception Mini does a screen fade. It’s the same way when you go from the applications menu to the home screen. It’s a neat effect for a neat theme. I also like the black and white trees background, and the Mac icon set.

You can get the Perception Mini theme for the Bold 9700 for $5.99.

Simple Black

For our final theme this week, we turn to BlackBerry Theme Park. I do love that name, I must say. It accurately describes the site while evoking fun memories. The theme we’re looking at this time is Simple Black, one of their newer themes. I love it because it’s so simple. Yes, I clearly have a thing for complex themes with a lot of features, but every once in a while it’s nice to take a step back and stare at a black background.

The icons on the home screen are in an L shape. The bottom dock of five icons is user-customizable. Not only that, but users can use 10 icons and scroll through them. This makes total sense to me. Why don’t more themes do this? It takes up less screen real estate, and allows users more time on the home screen. The left side of the screen features three static icons. The Calendar and Messages apps generate a Today preview, and the browser icon is just the browser icon. Okay, so it looks like I ended up choosing a theme with a few cool features. I still dig the black background, though.

You can get the Simple Black theme for $5.99. that’s the link for the Tour version. You can also get it for the Curve 8520/8530 (OS 5.0 only) and the Bold 9700.

Share on Facebook | Add to De.licio.us | Digg This! | Technorati