Industry coverage, news, original feature articles, how to guides, videos, podcasts and reviews of BlackBerry service providers, software, accessories, hosted exchange providers and more
If you are new here, you may want to subscribe to my feed or subscribe to us on Twitter!
Feeling overloaded with BlackBerry news and rumors? We know the feeling. We hear new things almost every day, and it can be tough to keep up with it all. that’s why we’re bringing you BlackBerry News from the Wire every Thursday.
We’ll catch you up on everything ‘Berry that happened over the course of the week. Not only that, but we’ll rank ‘em by importance, so you can more easily skim the items and read the ones of most significance. If you only have time to read one article, for instance, you might want to head down to our 5-star section. It’s All the BlackBerry News Fit to Geek.
![]()
A hands-on look at the BlackBerry Storm
As November draws close, we’re all starting to get even more amped over the BlackBerry Storm. It’s been officially announced, and recent rumors have it coming sometime mid-month. Until then, you can sate your hunger with Kevin’s first impressions of the Storm. It’s a long read, but it’s totally worth it if you’re thinking about picking one up.
AT&T offering free WiFi for BlackBerryBold
Back when the iPhone 3G was released, AT&T said that they’d provide free access to their WiFi hotspots to iPhone customers. They’ve since stopped, and then started again. Basically, it’s one big mess. AT&T plans to clean it up, though, as they’re offering free WiFi with the BlackBerry Bold. Actually, it looks like they’ll offer it with all smartphones. This covers AT&T’s nationwide WiFi hotspots. Why are they being so generous? It probably has something to do with maintaining capacity on their 3G network.
![]()
Rogers starts getting Pearl 8220 flip launch kits
While the Pearl 8220 is already out with T-Mobile, it’s still absent north of the border. Not for long, though. Kevin gets word that the new BlackBerry could be released by Halloween. Which, in case you’re not near a calendar, is tomorrow. There’s no word on the price, though Rogers fliers has it at $150, the same as T-Mobile. We’re still waiting for that price dip. Kevin also tells us that the Curve 8320 is headed for Rogers. Over at T-Mobile, you can get the Pearl flip in red. Surely more colors are to come.
Pricing details on the BlackBerry Bold
Earlier in the week, BlackBerry News got their hands on some Bold release documents. There’s not much new, since we know it’s going live on November 4. However, these documents clear up the issue of pricing. From the fourth through Christmas, the device will come with a $100 mail-in rebate. That means you’re paying $299.99. It will cost $549.99 without a contract. Also, a note for those who are looking for the subsidy: “Requires activation on a BlackBerry Personal Plan or a $40 or higher BlackBerry data rate plan or a $20+ Messaging Plan plus an AT&T voice plan of $39.99 or higher.” Yeah, because that’s not confusing at all.
Rating each carrier’s GPS software
Via BerryReview, we learned that PC World compared the native GPS clients on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. Before even going in, AT&T was superior to Sprint. They both use TeleNav, though AT&T’s has more features. So how did AT&T compare to Verizon’s VZNavigator? Favorably. They came out on top. Not surprising.
![]()
BlackBerry Partners fund doles out some cash
BlackBerry needs a few good developers. After all, one of the draws is the selection of third party software available. So the BlackBerry Partners fund, a $150 million venture capital fund, has pumped money into a few software companies. These are buzzd, a location-based social network; Digby, a mobile commerce solution provider; and WorldMate, which makes travel software. Hopefully these investments pay off in the form of better and more applications.
BlackBerry Master Control in second public release
This looks like a helluva cool application. Using the Javaloader file, BlackBerry Master Control does just that: puts you in complete and intuitive control of your device. It gives a nice graphic layout of the Javaloader functions, allows you to upgrade/downgrade operating systems, and gives you access to BlackBerry tools. I know some aren’t keen on testing releases, but once this baby hits beta (it’s currently in alpha), it might be something to check out.
Storm, Bold get priced at Best Buy, CompUSA
Didn’t CompUSA go out of business? I guess not. Instead, they’re trying to get you to overspend by a ton. Their price for the BlackBerry Bold, which is in stock and ready to ship? Try $799.99. Yikes. Considering you can get it for a $250 cheaper with AT&T without a contract, yeah, if a single one of these sells I’d be surprised. The price isn’t much better at Best Buy, which plans to sell it for $679.99. They’ll also get the Storm, possibly on November 16, for a $699.99 price tag. You’re certainly better off going to a Verizon or AT&T store and getting these devices sans contract.
![]()
If you all the sudden find your BlackBerry Browser missing, read this. Happened to me last week. I have no idea where it went or how it got there, but here’s how I got it back.
Shutting off and removing voice dialing. I thought this would be a help for those who want to free up memory. Apparently, judging by the response from the BBGeeks Twitter account, many of you still use it.
Vocab nerds will love Big Kahuna Words. Those vocabulary lessons I took were very…good. Big Kahuna words is a very addictive word game, and oftentimes less frustrating than Brick Breaker.
Managing your Netflix queue with your BlackBerry. How soon until we can just stream movies? Hey, they’re getting it for the XBox 360 and TiVo.
Take and share videos with Qik. It’s still in alpha, but it works pretty well. If you want to share videos with family and friends, you could do a lot worse than Qik.
Mobylo SureWipe kills applications dead. We’ve all had an instance where we’ve deleted applications from our Berrys but come back to find them still there. This happens constantly with me and the Facebook quick launch. This application should wipe them out for good.
What is OTA and how can I use it? Just a quick guide to a frequently asked question.
How to stream Internet radio on your BlackBerry. It’s what all the cool kids are doing.
And, of course, make sure to check out these themes from BlackBerry ThemePark.
Subscribe to the BBGeeks RSS Feed
Add to De.licio.us |
Digg This! |
Technorati
Filed under : News




The Newest BlackBerry Software:
Related Posts:
RIM sitting pretty with fourth quarter resultsBBGeekcast: February 13, 2009 - Episode 51
The BlackBerry Store at the ATL airport
Is it the BlackBerry Application Suite or Store?
BBGeekcast: October 17, 2008 - Episode 34
Leave a Reply