Gear Diary » BlackBerry Software

Find Partners with SinglesAroundMe App

Douglas Moran — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:00:36 +0000

Once you graduate college or high school and start moseying out into the real world, you start to notice: finding dates is hard. You are no longer surrounded by potential partners just your own age; you're surrounded by, well, everybody. Including old pharts like yours truly. So how do you find a partner? Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Evernote Essentials Extra: Remember the Rare

Dan Cohen — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:15:41 +0000

Many of the people I've turned onto Evernote find it invaluable. Others, however, underutilize the service and, as a result, don't see what the big deal is. That's where Evernote Essentials: The Definitive Getting Started Guide for Evernote by Brett Kelly comes in. As Brett explains:

The amount of information we want and need to keep track of today is, frankly, ridiculous. Not long ago, my desk was covered with piles of financial statements, medical records, automotive service receipts — and that didn’t even include everything dealing with my job. We all struggle to keep our information organized and accessible, but without the right tool for the job, it can seem impossible. Thankfully, a tool

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Evernote Essentials Extra: Howdy Neighbor

Dan Cohen — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:45:00 +0000

As much as I "harshed" on Evernote last week after they released two ridiculous iPhone apps the service remains a key part of every aspect of my life. I've also turned countless people onto Evernote, and many find it invaluable as well. Others however, underutilize the service and, as a result, don't see what the big deal is. That's where Evernote Essentials: The Definitive Getting Started Guide for Evernote by Brett Kelly comes in. As Brett explains:

The amount of information we want and need to keep track of today is, frankly, ridiculous. Not long ago, my desk was covered with piles of financial statements, medical records, automotive service receipts — and that didn’t even

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Twitter for BlackBerry Update Available in BlackBerry App World

Douglas Moran — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:00:52 +0000

No matter what you may or may not have heard, BlackBerry is most assuredly not dead. And despite some really stupid stuff done by the RIM folks over the last couple of years--for more information, see the Gear Diary archives--I really like announcing new software (and hardware) for BlackBerry because, as we've point out here on GD many, may times, we think Competition is a Good Thing. Especially in the tech world. So on that note, let me tell you that Twitter has been updated for BlackBerry, and is now available in the BlackBerry app world. I know, I know; it's just an update. But if you're anything like me--hey, you in the back Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Roboto is Now Available on BlackBerry App World

Douglas Moran — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:00:49 +0000

No, no, we're not talking about the old Styx song from their weird concept album. Not this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Roboto is a side-scrolling action game with deep 3D graphics that has already been released for the iPad and Android Tab, and is now available for the BlackBerry Playbook (Maybe our man Francis will get it!). It made a decent splash when it came out, and was the iTunes "Game of the Week" for the iPad back this summer. If you've been looking for a good side-scroller for your new Playbook, this is definitely something worth checking out. Available for an MSRP of $4.99 at the BlackBerry App World. Full information below.

Follow Roboto, a quirky

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IM+ Now Supports Native BlackBerry Push Service

Douglas Moran — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:15:23 +0000

I don't know about you, but I have a lot of accounts in a lot of different places. Google; Yahoo; Facebook; Skype; I don't know what-all, frankly. And many months ago I thought, "Yeesh; I sure would like it if all my IM accounts were in one place!" And then ShapeServices asked me to review IM+, an app that allows you to access all your IM accounts in one place. I'll keep this short: I use IM+ all the time, both the iPhone and iPad app version, and online via their web interface. I find it an enormous help. Maggie, my 16 year-old daughter, also uses it regularly, so you can see that it's Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Machinarium Now Available for BlackBerry PlayBook

Douglas Moran — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:15:56 +0000

Okay, now I have to admit I'm a little PO'd. A few weeks ago, a new game was released for iOS called Machinarium. I wouldn't call myself a huge steampunk fan, but I am definitely enamored of steampunk-like stuff, and steampunky games. A lot of my enjoyment of Myst and Riven is the steampunk feel of the gadgetry, for example. (I wish they would port Bio Shock to iOS, but I digress.) So when this game was released, I was eager to try it. Except, you know, you can only play it on the iPad 2 -- not on the iPad 1! But hey, I figured if I just waited a bit, they would port it Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Madden NFL 12 is Now Available on BlackBerry App World

Douglas Moran — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:15:40 +0000

No, that's not a screen shot of Madden NFL 12 for the Blackberry, and I'll tell you why: the screen shots from the Blackberry are just too durn small. Here, take a look: But that shouldn't stop you if you're a football fanatic, or a gaming fanatic, or a Madden NFL fanatic. This is Madden NFL! You can have it on your Blackberry! If I didn't already have you in the title of this post, I'm never going to get you, so I'm just going to encourage those of you with the interest to read the detailed information below, and surf and buy Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

BlackBerry Traffic v3.0 now available in BlackBerry BetaZone

Douglas Moran — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:15:58 +0000

Image courtesy of TheBlackberryFix.com

Now I am not a fan of voice-guided GPS navigation. We've had that in our Van since 2000, and while Sami just loves it--her sense of direction is atrocious--I find it distracting and irritating. So when first Garmin, and then various Smartphone apps became available, I was always in the minority wondering, "Yo, what's the big deal?" But the fact of the matter is that it is a big deal for a lot of people. I'm not selfish or self-absorbed enough to think that hey, just because I don't like 'em, no one needs 'em. No! I'm broad-minded, baby! And now Blackberry, via their Blackberry BetaZone, is offering version 3.0 Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Blackberry Messaging App Currently Being Offered Free

Douglas Moran — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:15:05 +0000

Have I mentioned lately that I really like it when stuff is FREE? I'm sure I have; as Sami often points out, I have an unfortunate tendency to repeat myself. Which doesn't make it any less of a pleasure to let you folks know when there's something available for FREE. Like this here Blackberry messaging app, Chit Chat. I'll let the makers tell it:

We have reduced the price of our instant messenger from $1.99 to free - that's right, it's completely free. Given this price change, I feel that you may be interested in featuring our product on your website.
Why Use Chit Chat?
Allows access to Facebook chat on your mobile world wide

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Research In Motion Offers Free Premium Apps to Customers Following Service Interruptions

Douglas Moran — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:15:26 +0000

RIM is . . . how shall we put this? . . . struggling of late. In many ways, they remind me of Palm, and Palm's product arc over the years: huge, huge lead; inability to keep up with new innovations; massive scrambling to stay "relevant". Will they make it? I don't know; I'm not smart enough to say, but the signs sure don't look good, especially when they keep committing unforced errors like their recent service outage. But they're in there swinging away. And as part of their efforts, they're offering a bunch of apps for Doug's Favorite Price--FREE!--until December 31 of this year. In addition, they're also offering a month of free technical Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Sound ID is Back with the Sound iD SIX, a Siri-Ready Bluetooth Headset

Dan Cohen — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:15:15 +0000

I have had the opportunity to review each generation of Sound iD's Bluetooth headsets. The first was a small but excellent device and with each generation the devices have gotten better and better. Now the company is back with their Sound iD SIX Series headset and it looks great. Here's what the company has to say about it:

Sound ID redefines the Bluetooth experience with the new SIX. Destined to be your go-to headset, the SIX boasts a sleek look and more than one new audio trick, resulting in a true marriage of outstanding sound, true comfort and advanced technology. With innovative features such as VoiceMenu (which enhances traditional voice recognition) the Clear Carbon

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RIM Offers iSpeech DriveSafe.ly Pro As First in a Package of Freebie Apps to Pacify BlackBerry Customers; Will It Work?

Judie Stanford — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:00:43 +0000

If you have a BlackBerry, then you doubt suffered through RIM's outages last week. They want to make it up to you, and in order to do so they are offering free apps -- the first of which rolls out today. Over the next four weeks you'll have other apps to choose from, and this is all in the hopes that it will bee enough to keep BB users happy and away from the iPhone 4s or the Samsung S II.

We wanted to provide you with an update on RIM’s offer of free premium BlackBerry apps to customers as an expression of appreciation following last week’s service disruption. Starting today

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“Brief Me” News and Social Media Reader Released

Douglas Moran — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:30:24 +0000

Well, you knew that Flipboard wasn't going to have the entire field to itself, right? Software mavens/boffins/hackers the world over have struggled since the beginnings of the Web (as a commercial space, anyway) to figure out how to filter and deliver information to the average Joe or Jane (or Jean or Ivan or Sathish or whatever) on the street. Twitter, Facebook, thousands (millions?) of web "news" sites, aggregators . . . Good Lord, it can make you insane. "Brief Me" is a new entrant in the field, a news and social media reader Available both on iOS and Android (yay!). Check it out; after all, it's available at Doug's Favorite Price™ of Free Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

eBay v2.0 Beta Now Available for BlackBerry

Douglas Moran — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:30:14 +0000

In case we haven't mentioned it often enough, the folks here at GD are big believers in competition (in the tech world, anyway!). So while I am wedded to iOS, and others here are confirmed Android users, we have Linux folks and Windows folks and all kinds here. Which is why I'm glad to see that, though RIM does seem to be running behind iOS and Android in the mobile market right now, they're still in there swingin'. And in that vein comes the newest beta version of eBay 2.0 for BlackBerry. I'm personally not a big eBay user, but plenty of folks are and if one of those folks is you and you're still addicted Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

RIM’s Tablet Suddenly Becomes Useful as Evernote Arrives on BlackBerry PlayBook

Dan Cohen — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:00:53 +0000

Well would you look at this… the BlackBerry PlayBook just got a whole lot more useful! YEAH!!! Evernote just announced the release of an Evernote app for the PlayBook. Rather than simply port the tablet app from iOS or Android the Evernote team thought about the PlayBook, its 7" size and its overall form factor when designing the app. The result was a decision to use a two-column approach for notes with "a Snippet-filled note list along the left and the selected note on the right." When selecting a note the user has a choice of either viewing it in the two-column view or going into full-screen mode with the simple tap of the screen Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Would You Like an Invite to BlackBerry’s New BB Music Service?

Judie Stanford — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:45:33 +0000

image courtesy of BlackBerry Smartphones Week

If you live in North America or the UK, and if you have a BlackBerry, you have no doubt heard about the new BlackBerry Music service that we mentioned earlier this week. $5 per month gets you 50 songs that you can share with your friends ... but only if you own a BlackBerry and they own one, too. And this service is not available to the general BlackBerry population yet. According to Digital Music News, the plan details are:

(1) $5 a month. (2) User chooses 50 songs to access anytime, on-demand. (3) User then invites other ‘BBM’ friends to download the app and join the circle

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Music Diary Notes: RIM’s BBM Music Poses the Question: Perhaps Late is NOT Better than Never?

Michael Anderson — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:30:26 +0000

Imagine if back in 2006 someone told you that RIM was offering a music plan for the Blackberry that would allow you to get 50 songs per month, share them with all of your friends who also have a Blackberry, unlimited and on-demand. And that it would have cost $5 a month! You would likely have lamented that you couldn't also get them on your PC or iPod ... but would otherwise been pretty thrilled and signed up immediately! This was the time before the iPhone, before Spotify and Slacker, and when RIM ruled the enterprise phone market. This was before RIM was bleeding market share ... well, because of moves like Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Cobra Tag Helps You Find Anything Including Your Phone

Joel McLaughlin — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:30:33 +0000

Are you the type that misplaces things like keys, your car remote or your purse? Then the Cobra Tag may be for you. Cobra Tag is a Bluetooth device that works in conjunction with your phone. Once set up, if you walk away from the item your phone will alert you that you forgot your keys. What if that item is your phone? Cobra Tag has that covered too. If you walk away from your phone AND have the tag, then the tag itself will alert you that you left your phone behind. The app works on Blackberry and Android devices. No word yet on iPhone availability, or on how they plan to fix the problem when you leave both your Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

IM+ Update on Blackberry

Douglas Moran — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:15:45 +0000

Image courtesy of PocketBerry

I'm always happy to get a news item about a product with which I'm familiar, like the iFrogz cases, or the Mophie Juice Packs, or ScotteVest gear. It's so easy to say, "Hey, check this stuff out!" when you're personally familiar with it, you know? In that category is IM+, a central IMing app that lets you consolidate all your various messaging apps into one place. I use IM+ Pro on my iPhone, my iPad, and via their online site as well, and it makes a huge difference in my messaging (although there are a few glitches in the online version with regard to Facebook, but honestly that's a minor nit) Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Slacker Radio Premium Subscription Giveaway!

Jason Reese — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:00:27 +0000

Slacker Radio is really one of my 'can't live without' services. It's one of the first things I put on any smartphone or tablet. I use it on the PC and Mac. I stream music from custom stations in the car, at work, home -- and just about everywhere in between. What's great about Slacker -- besides being able to use on any Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone (yes, your WP7 and your WinMo 6.5 phones), webOS and Nokia Symbian -- is that the basic service is 100% free. Listen to custom stations based on the artists or songs you like. Choose Slacker stations based on types of music with minimal ads. Maybe you need a bit more to kick back and really enjoy the remainder of your summer. Maybe your next BBQ or party could benefit from some Slacker love? Maybe, just maybe you could use a Free Three Month Slacker Premium Subscription? We got those. And we're giving 'em away! That's right, we'll be giving away a total of Five 3-Month Slacker Premium subscriptions to Gear Diary readers. Read on to find out how to enter. Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

BlackBerry News 1.0 for the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Available Now

Douglas Moran — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:30:13 +0000

Reading on a tablet (or dedicated device like a Kindle) is one of the great breakthroughs of modern technology, so far as I'm concerned. I'm a naive utopiast, yes, but I firmly believe that the more people learn, the better their lives can be. And if you can't read, or don't have access to information, you're really stuck at the starting gate. The internet, the Web, and now devices like the iPad, the Tab, and BlackBerry's new PlayBook give more people (so long as they have money, yes; I'm not that naive) the ability to access information. Why am I going on about this? Because while I love iOS and Instapaper and the various book and Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Adobe brings Flash, AIR and More to the Blackberry Playbook

Douglas Moran — Tue, 17 May 2011 19:20:53 +0000

As much as I love my iPad -- and I definitely do -- I'm always glad to see other folks starting to compete in the tablet market space. Samsung got there reasonably quickly with their Tab of course, and RIM has entered the field with their new Blackberry Playbook (which Dan got a look at not too long ago). One of the knocks Apple has taken with regard to their iPad (and iPhone) is the lack of Flash support. Well, RIM isn't going there; the Playbook supports a whole buncha' Adobe features. "What features are those, Doug?" I hear you cry. Well, read on!

Aside from Flash Player support for a full web browsing experience

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Slacker Launches Slacker Premium Radio with On-Demand Access to Music Library

Dan Cohen — Tue, 17 May 2011 07:00:41 +0000

I'm a huge fan of Slacker Radio but I have to admit, it has been a little long in the tooth lately. I mean, they still haven't got an iPad app which means you need to use the Slacker iPhone app at 2X resolution on your iPad. Ugly!! Moreover, services like RDIO have made selective music streaming seamlessly ease while Slacker has kept to their same old model. Well, Slacker is hitting a milestone today with the release of a new iPad app AND Slacker Premium, a service for selectively streaming the music you want when you want it! Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Poynt Hits the BlackBerry PlayBook in a Big Way

Jason Reese — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:15:56 +0000

One of the applications I love -- not only on the BlackBerry, but on iOS, Android, webOS and Windows Phone 7 -- is Poynt. It is my favorite do-all location-based search utility. I'm fortunate to get to test different phones and tablets, and Poynt is one of those apps I always load up when I am taking a device out for a test drive. That's why when I started using a PlayBook recently, I was very pleased that the app was already optimized for the BlackBerry tablet's QNX operating system. Whether you're looking for the cheapest gas prices (and these days, who isn't??), trying to find a new restaurant close by, or Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

BlackBerry World 2011: Is RIM Knocking It Out of the Park or Lobbing Soft Balls?

Jason Reese — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:00:40 +0000

[image via Yahoo News]

This week's BlackBerry World Conference is meant to show off the latest and greatest BlackBerry products and software offerings -- as well as give a sneak peek into what RIM, the makers of the popular BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBook tablet -- have planned. Unlike many prior years (where the conference was branded as the Wireless Enterprise Symposium, or WES for short), there is a sense that RIM is struggling with the challenge of reinventing its brand and platform. Recent announcements such as the new crop of BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBook updates are...to be blunt, falling a bit flat. A touchscreen Bold running OS 6.1 Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

RIM Announces Multi-Platform Enterprise Mobile Support and some Bold New Phones

Francis Scardino — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:05:32 +0000

Image courtesy of Blackberry

Recently at Blackberry World Conference 2011, RIM made some announcements on a few new devices, apps, OS 7, and most notably the new Multi Platform Blackberry Enterprise Server. Blackberry has been under some pressure in the past few years, mainly because they are losing market share daily to both mobile hardware and software competitors. Most of the recent phone offerings have not quite set the world on fire, and the OS leaves much to be desired. As most of the smartphones sold now offer all the things that once made Blackberry great, I feel like RIM has been left behind with their mediocre hardware and all but non-existent app store. We have been Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Video Chat And Facebook Apps Coming to RIM Playbook Tomorrow

Dan Cohen — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:20:57 +0000

Image Via MobileCrunch

I've had a BlackBerry Playbook for a couple of weeks now. I really like the device but have to concur with the many reports that it is, sadly, unfinished. The hardware is great. The OS is smooth. The cameras take FANTASTIC pictures and video. And I can actually use it to write a blog more easily than ON ANY OTHER MOBILE DEVICE I HAVE TRIED. But the device is unfinished. Yes, RIM, the company that built its reputation on email, shipped a device that didn't natively do email (more on that later this week) and they released something with so few apps that it has not yet shown its practical side Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Poynt Now Lets You Share Your Location via Facebook and Twitter

Jason Reese — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:00:26 +0000

One of my all-time favorite mobile applications is Poynt, the location-based search juggernaut that helps you find businesses, people, movies, gas, restaurants, events -- or even just the weather. All from a single app so you don't have to clutter your phone with five or six different options. As soon as I pick up a BlackBerry, iPhone, or Android device (I swap between devices quite frequently ;) ), Poynt is one of the first apps I load. Today, the Poynt team announced the ability for BlackBerry and Android users to share their locations and searches via Facebook and Twitter directly within the Poynt application. The feature is currently for Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Australia. Hit the jump for the full scoop on this enhancement. With the various ways to tell your friends where you are -- Foursquare, Facebook, etc. -- will you be using Poynt as your all-in-one solution? Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

SPB TV 2.0 Comes to BlackBerry and Becomes Free

Douglas Moran — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 16:00:57 +0000

For a long while on my iPhone there, I kept thinking, "Man, I wish I could listen to NPR on this silly thing." It was just about the only thing I missed, honestly; a radio connection. NPR, maybe a couple of my favorite radio channels . . . why couldn't I have them, too? Well, eventually NPR developed and made available a free streaming utility, and so did various radio stations. SPB has been doing something similar in the television realm for a while now (I had their Windows Mobile version installed on my HTC Universal). SPB is simple: ad-supported streaming TV with no subscription fees. SPB has had a solution on a number Continue reading on Gear Diary ...