My 3G BlackBerry Bold on average will lose it’s charge about twice as fast as my EDGE only (aka 2G) BlackBerry 8900. Part of the reason for this discrepancy in battery life is that during periods of poor signal quality the 3G device is constantly looking for better 3G coverage. All that searching takes more processing time and battery power. Someone on the CrackBerry forums noticed that the latest BlackBerry Bold OS 4.6.0.282 which is downloadable via a link to Hong Kong phone provider CSL Limited which enables the option to turn off 3G in your AT&T BlackBerry Bold. This helps anyone who may be in a fringe 3G area avoid having their Bold constantly draining the battery while searching for a better signal. Prior to this update (which while not an official AT&T provided update will still work in the AT&T device) there was no way to turn off the 3G radio in favor of full time 2G EDGE).

CrackBerry and Step by Step instructions to upgrade your BlackBerry OS

FlyCast delivers music, talk, weather, and traffic to your PC, Mac, and your portable devices — including the iPhone/iPod Touch, BlackBerry Curve, Bold, Storm, and G1.  In nine months, the service has grown from a mere 80 channels to now offering over 1000 options.

FlyCast differentiates itself from other free offerings such as  Pandora and Slacker internet radio by also supporting terrestrial radio channels, as well as promoting a time-shift feature they call StreamSlip.  They have just released a public beta of FlyCast 2.0 for the BlackBerry Curve, Bold and Storm (Sorry, no Pearl 81XX or Pearl Flip support on this particular version as the screen needs to be at least 320 pixels wide) .

Continue reading for a summary of the new and improved features — and link to the beta application.

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This is Mark Rejhon in a YouTube typing demonstration. I found this in a post over on BlackBerryForums where he volunteered to represent the BlackBerry device in a typing competition. He’s a retired moderator over at BlackBerry forums and by all appearances is pretty good at typing on his BlackBerry Bold. Perhaps “pretty good” is an understatement. How does 75 words per minute on a BlackBerry Bold sound? I’m not sure that I can type that fast on a regular keyboard! Take a look at the video proof above.

BBF via Marky

There’s word that NTT DoCoMo, one of Japan’s biggest mobile phone operators, has pulled all sales of Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Bold due to potential overheating problems. It looks like the issue concerns rapid temperature gains while the phone is plugged in and re-charging. So far according to news reports the carrier reports selling about 4,000 Bolds. Customers are complaining the keyboard area has heated up though there are no reports of open flames being spotted.

According to reports, RIM has ruled out a battery problem but seems otherwise puzzled. I’ve only had one or two instances of my Bold heating up and both times I chalked it up to a rogue application that continued running in the background. My symptoms included heat as well as rapid battery drain.

Reuters

If you’re in the market for a BlackBerry Bold case here’s an excellent review that spotlights the good and the bad about the Seidio Innocase. Reviewer Al Sacco liked the protection and good looks. Disliked the price ($29) and the way the side keys were partially obstructed. There’s a lot of nice pictures showing exactly how the case fits. Another good feature is that the case comes in multiple colors and has an optional holster. I’ve used Seidio’s on several of my BlackBerry devices and always found them to be of good quality.

Crackberry