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

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.

Pearl 8230 flip to hit Telus, Verison
There wasn’t much this week in terms of BlackBerry device rumors, but we did get a look at the Pearl 8230 flip, the CDMA version of the not-so-popular Pearl 8220. We saw it pictured with Verizon branding, though it’s still unknown if Sprint will pick up the device. Meanwhile, BlackBerry News reports that Telus is “on track” to launch the device by the end of the month. Still, I have to wonder if the CDMA version of this phone will do any better than the GSM one. Speaking of the GSM one, you can get one for $9.99 from Rogers from now through February 16.

Sprint Curve and Pearl get OS 4.5, MMS
Sprint customers got some good news this week, as the company has finally released OS 4.5 for the Curve 8330 and Pearl 8130. I know many out there have downloaded the firmware from other sources and have been running it for a while now, but those who like to stick to the operator updates can now take advantage. With the official release, there are reports that Sprint has enabled MMS on these 4.5 devices.

Prepaid carrier MetroPCS to get Curve 8330, EVDO data
MetroPCS, a prepaid wireless carrier which offers unlimited calling and other features at a flat monthly rate, is going to get into the data game. They will reportedly roll out the service later this month, and along with it will launch the BlackBerry Curve 8330. From what I’m reading of the report, it will likely require the $50 monthly rate plan, plus $10 per month for BIS access. At $60 per month — including unlimited voice, messaging, and data — it represents a good deal for BlackBerry users. They’ve recently expanded to New York and Boston, so there will be an even bigger market for their services.

YouMail visual voice application not worth it
It was barely a week ago that we gave an update on YouMail’s service. Since then they’ve made another improvement: an application for your BlackBerry. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like a winner. BlackBerry News notes that “Many users including myself have experienced nothing but problems with the application.” Ouch. So it looks like the old interface is still best if you go with YouMail. There are a number of other visual voicemail services available. Personally, I’m using NowMessage.

RIM to bring more push features with 3rd party apps
The non-technical among us might not understand this very well — I had to read it over a few times myself. Over at BerryReview, Ronen raves about RIM’s new Hosted Push API beta. We’re all familiar with push service (think your BB email), which is data “delivered as soon as it is available without the device having to ask for it.” It looks like third party developers will be able to use RIM’s push infrastructure to create push apps. This means no more polling (device requesting updates, service sending back either an update or nothing), which eats battery life. Check out Ronen’s post, though, in which he shows he’s much more comfortable with this sort of jargon than I am.

RIM ups bid for Certicom
It looks like the RIM/Certicom saga will soon come to a close. If you’ll remember, over the past month RIM has been trying to acquire the security software maker, but have faced opposition from the company, which included them running a newspaper ad to inform shareholders. Last week it looked as if Verisign would end up with the best bid for the company, but RIM swooped in with a better offer this week, which was approved by Certicom’s board of directors. Verisign has five business days to decide whether to up the offer or walk away.

Under the Storm hood: $203
After a new phone hits the market, we like to know how much it cost to assemble. At least I do. When the iPhone 3G hit shelves we learned its parts cost $175. The Bold was a bit less at $169. The Storm? Looks like it’s the most expensive of all, costing $203 in parts. That’s just the hardware. It also costs money to assemble the device, box it (with all the included material), ship it, keep the lights on at the factory, pay the workers there, pay the sales force…you can see what I’m getting at.

Orange announces pay as you go BlackBerry
We’ve been waiting for this a bit, but Orange UK has announced a pay as you go BlackBerry program. BIS will cost £5, which is comparable to the $10 MeroPCS is charging for its prepaid BIS. This seems the best model. Let them use carrier voice and data services, and add a monthly BIS charge. It’s better than trying to meter the services.

BlackBerry message screen shortcuts. This can help you navigate your message screen a bit quicker.

Measuring your thumb typing speed. Some people can type really fast with their thumbs. Can you? Test out your speed with TyperSpeed.

Will RIM succeed with its new 2009 models? With the U.S. in a recession, is now the best time to roll out high end devices? RIM will find out in 2009.

Bolt browser gets an update. Not only did they improve the Bolt browser, but they addressed every issue I had with the original build. Go BitStream!

How to send and receive faxes on your BlackBerry. Faxes might seem primitive to some, but for others they’re still a necessity. Here’s how to handle them from your BlackBerry.

Slydial straight-to-voicemail application. This application sends a voice message straight to a user’s voicemail, so you don’t have to actually talk to them. The possibilities are endless.

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