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Joe

BlackBerry News From The Wire for the Week of 7/27/09

Posted by Joe on July 30, 2009

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.

BlackBerry Curve 8520 to hit T-Mobile August 5
We’d been hearing word for quite some time, but RIM made it official this week: the BlackBerry Curve 8520, a/k/a the Gemini, will hit T-Mobile on August 5. The official BlackBerry blog runs down some facts and figures about the new Curve, including a bit about the optical track pad. It will supposedly run $129.99 at T-Mobile outlets, but will be less than half that at Wal-Mart. Not sure if that’s going to change between now and then. Look for the CDMA version, the 8530, to hit Verizon, with Wi-Fi, sometime soon.

Verizon announces its own app store
There are many who are disappointed with BlackBerry App World. There should be an upgrade coming sometime soon, which will be nice. But will it put App World over the top? I doubt it. The competition might be heating up soon, as Verizon plans to offer its own app store. They’re actually partnering with RIM, which will include pre-loading Verizon’s app store on BlackBerry devices. Anything in App World will be available via Verizon, and the store will utilize Verizon’s billing platform. In other words, it looks like Verizon’s store might be the better of the two.



New device to salivate over: 9700
The Tour is out. The Onyx is coming. The Storm 2 is making a debut this year. So what are we going to have to look forward to in 2010? The Boy Genius gives us a preview: the BlackBerry 9700. It actually doesn’t look all that special, which is a bit disappointing. Perhaps there’s some misinformation in there. Still, it’s a new device, so it’s something to talk about.

RIM brings new tools for BlackBerry developers
I’m not privy to much of the BlackBerry development world, so forgive me if I seem naive on this topic. It was announced this week that RIM introduced a new set of tools for developers, which enables them to “create a wide variety of mobile applications that connect BlackBerry(R) smartphone users to the information they care about.” Click the link for the specifics. I can’t imagine this being a bad thing, as it will make it easier to create applications. And we all love more applications, right?

Skyfire pulls alpha test of BlackBerry browser
Just when people were starting to get amped up over the Skyfire browser for BlackBerry, a few bad eggs ruin it for everyone. The alpha app was leaked, and Skyfire responded by pulling it completely. It should be back in a few weeks with a new build, so this might just be a minor delay. Still, poor form in the leak.

Onyx officially joins Bold line with leather battery door
Kevin has a snapshot of the BlackBerry Onyx with a leather battery door. Not huge news, no, but it’s a plus for those who like a customized BlackBerry. There are a few more images, too, though the particular unit has a trackball, while the official unit should have a track pad.

Google Apps Connector coming in August
First it was coming in July, but the month is already over. Now Google is saying that their Apps connector will be available in August. This will integrate with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, and will do just what the program title suggests: work with BES to integrate Google apps. This includes Gmail, contacts, and calendar, the mainstays. We’ll hopefully get further word on it in the next few weeks.



Using your BlackBerry to remember where you parked. It’s a little pricey, but this is a solution so you can find your car with ease. Remember, we parked in the Itchy lot.

Wicked WordPress for BalckBerry. This is a paid alternative to the official WordPress BlackBery app. It seems powerful enough, but the official app seems to get upgrades about once a week.

BBTweet: another simple BlackBerry Twitter client. This one integrates with your messages rather than having an interface in the application itself. Good for casual users.

Twitter Help roundup. You have questions, we answer them.

Create a new profile on your BlackBerry. Here’s a way to set all sorts of custom alerts without disrupting the factory-made profiles.

Three new BlackBerry theme reviews. The latest and greatest in premium BlackBerry themes.

Stitcher for BlackBerry podcasts. It’s not available for all models, but this looks like a good way to listen to podcasts, like the BBGeekcast, on your Berry.

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