Attention all BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) App Developers… Looks like RIM is having another informational and educational webcast. This one is titled ‘Small Screens, Big Dreams: a Detail-Oriented Approach to User Interface Design‘. Translation: Learn tips, tricks and methods to get the most out of your user interface. The webcast will run on February 16th, starting at 2PM EST. Presented by Brian Zubert (Senior Application Development Consultant), he’ll discuss everything from colors and fonts, to layout, alignment and other details often overlooked in UI design.
I know many an AT&T (NYSE: T) Bold 9000 user has asked me when we’ll see 5.0. It’s been a bit of a wait for sure… and while this isn’t an official release from AT&T, it is official from another carrier. Via Zain Kuwait, OS 5.0.0.464 is now available. With this dropping (and other official releases sure to come) I’m sure we’ll get the official down-low from AT&T sooner rather than later.
Still, if you’re tired of waiting for AT&T, you can pick up OS 5.0.0.464 via Zain Kuwait right here.
Note: As always, be sure to backup your device and take all necessary precautions before you proceed!
Just a quick OS update notification here for the Storm2 9520 users out there. Looks like OS 5.0.0.436 has gone official on multiple carriers, as listed below. If you’re rockin’ the 9520 and decide to update, be sure to backup your device and take all necessary precautions before you install. After installation, be sure to let us know of any major changes or fixes you see in this build. Happy OS updating!
In their latest version, WorldMate Live has included some new functionality with professional social network, LinkedIn. Basically, this would broadcast your travel plans to all of your connections so they have an opportunity to meet up with you if the opportunity’s there. Even if you don’t have the time to check your LinkedIn feeds to see who’s going where, mobile alerts through the app will now let you know if any connections are in town.
WorldMate Live is one of my favourite travel planning apps for BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM), hands-down. In plugs into Outlook, it’s easy to update your itinerary with new items (hotel, travel, meetings, etc.), and access flight info for peace of mind. The social networking aspect of travel apps isn’t entirely new, though – TripIt recently made its way to BlackBerry, and established itself initially for sharing location information with LinkedIn contacts. I’ll have to compare the two at some point, for Mobile World Congress next week, I’m going with WML. Hit up WorldMate Live for more info, or App World to download the free version – a premium Gold subscription provides a few extra goodies for the serious globetrotters.
Pricing-in at $4.99, Craigslist Mobile for BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) is the optimal method of using Craigslist while on-the-go. Search, browse and bookmark posts… Plus you can also reply to posts, save searches, and much more. Pretty much everything you find on the main website is supported here in the app. All categories and countries are supported… So if you’re a Craigslist junkie, this one may be worth a look.
Remember the T-Mobile BlackBerry Trackball replacement program I told you about a little while ago? The program was slated to offer owners of the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Pearl 8100/8120 and Curve 8320 free trackball replacement… as long as the device was purchased through T-Mobile (NYSE: DT). Last I heard, the program was set to kick off on February 15th.
It turns out that some changes have been made to the trackball replacement kits themselves, which has translated into some delay. RIM has been busy updating their own processes and procedures due to the new replacement kit, so T-Mobile reps will have new training materials in-hand when they get back to it. From all accounts, T-Mobile representatives could start training on the new kits at some point today. Due to the new kit involved, T-Mobile expects to push the launch date back on this program to February 24th.
Yet another OS 5.0.0.419 update for BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Tour 9630 owners. First, we had an initial update via Sasktel, followed by TELUS. I may have missed a release or two in between, but as far as I know, this latest update via Alltel is the most recent. Good news for Tour 9630 owners on Alltel for sure, you can grab the update to 5.0.0.419 right here.
As always, be sure to backup your device and take all necessary precautions before you proceed. If you do install, be sure to let us know any marked changes or improvements in this build!
One of my old favourite gaming webcomics, PvP Online, has been doing a few strips about mobile check-in apps like Foursquare and Gowalla. Brent, the resident Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) fanboy and general snob, claims mayorship of the nearby coffee shop, only to be ousted by teenage coworker and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM)-user, Francis. I’ve been following these kinds of apps pretty closely lately, and the mentality that is required to drive them to such success is pretty aptly captured in these comics. Anyway, start reading here, and brace yourself for hilarity.
Anyone remember the BlackBerry Application Suite, a project at RIM designed to replace Connect by emulating the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) operating system (and services) on other devices? Well, either some clever Chinese hackers have figured out a way to fake what looks like BlackBerry assets onto other phones, or BAS has actually moved to Nokia (NYSE: NOK) devices, shown here on both the E71 and 5700.
As we know it, BAS only worked with Windows Mobile, so making it to Symbian would be quite a big step in this project, at least as far catching up to the devices Connect supported goes. BAS has been in the works for upwards of three years now, with only the odd hint that it’s still alive. There’s a fair bit of controversy as to whether or not these videos are legit, but I think it’s even cooler if this actually isn’t a RIM-approved affair. There are plenty of good reasons to expect BAS is still kicking, though.
Most corporate grunts will take whatever phone is issued to them, but there are always a token few who insist on supporting their personal favourite, and barring the mass consumer demand for iPhone, that usually leaves the tech-heads who won’t let go of an uberfunctional Windows Mobile or Symbian devices. To be fair, there are bound to be sectors with particular solutions that are only available on WinMo or S60, and necessitate largish non-BlackBerry deployments. End-users aside, BAS does have appeal to mobile administrators who want to be able to control non-BlackBerry devices too, however few there may be in their particular rollout, and covering the Symbian base would be a pretty big part of BAS meeting that demand.
A clever tester has spotted the installation file for the Visual Voicemail app for the upcoming (but unannounced) BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) 9650 Tour, also known as the Essex. If you’re quick, you can nab it now before it gets taken down, though unless you’re some leet haxxzor who can look around in the code and find something useful, odds are you won’t be able to do much with it.
The BlackBerry 9650 will essentially be an updated Tour, including a trackpad and Wi-Fi, and though it hasn’t been officially announced, it’s only pseudo-secret. Sprint (NYSE: S)’s CEO acknowledged it openly, and picturesofthedevice have been making the rounds for some time now. BlackBerry’s official Facebook page even said the new Tour was coming soon. As far as specifications are concerned, we can expect that they’ll largely be identical to the existing Tour: 3.2 megapixel camera, 256 MB of memory, GPS, HVGA display, and the usual BlackBerry amenities.
It’s a good thing that the Tour is getting updated with a trackpad, because the old one had a terrible record with trackball failures, and the lack of Wi-Fi put a real crimper on my enjoyment of the original phone. We don’t have any fresh information on an actual launch date, but it seems like things are reaching a critical mass, at both RIM and the carriers (Sprint and Verizon (NYSE: VZ)).
One of my old favourite gaming webcomics, 
