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Zumobi has announced that its widget platform is available for the BlackBerry platform. Now BlackBerry users will be able to take their favorite content with themselves, wherever they happen to be.

With an already robust library of widgets (Zumobi calls them "Tiles") to entice users of Windows Mobile and BlackBerry with news, sports, weather, entertainment, games and more, Zumobi now offers even more new Tiles for users including NPR, AP Olympics report, Major League Baseball as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. Users can also create their own Zumobi mobile widgets from just about any Web content with the new Tile Creation Wizard now available on Zumobi's website.

Convinced? You better be - I'm not aware some better widget solution is available for the BlackBerry platform. Hop over to www.zumobi.com or get.zumobi.com from you mobile web browser to download Zumobi and start expanding your addiction.

Verizon has announced that select BlackBerry users (Curve 8330, Pearl 8130, and 8830 World Edition) can use their addictive smartphones to "stay connected to their financial information while away from home with Verizon Wireless' Mobile Banking application."

With Verizon's mobile banking service, users can:

• Get account balances and account transaction history.
• Transfer funds between eligible accounts at the same financial institution.
• View and pay bills when enrolled in their financial institution's Bill Pay service.
• View the last five transactions successfully completed on their mobile devices.

To get Mobile Banking on Verizon Wireless, users should click on the "Mobile Banking" link from the "VZ Start" homepage to download the app. There is no monthly charge for the application, although data charges may apply.

In addition to BlackBerry smartphones, Verizon's mobile banking app/service is also available on a number of Get It Now-enabled phones.

As the Rogers Wireless' BlackBerry Bold launch date (July 25th) is approaching, so are the rumors about the pricing of the new device. Apparently, the Canadian mobile operator will sell the long-awaited BlackBerry for $299, which is the same price as the 16GB iPhone 3G.

It seems reasonable, but it's also possible that we'll see the price going down as we approach the Christmas season.

In the related news, apparently RIM has sent Rogers a final cut of OS 4.6 last week, giving the operator one less hurdle to jump over.

However, it's also important to add that nothing is officially confirmed at this stage. We keep listening, and as soon as we find out something more, we'll get back to you, k?

[Via: Unwired View]

The Joy of Tech's Nitrozac and Snaggy have a new target for their iPhone 3G comic series. It's Canada-based RIM, which they seem to think will be hit hard by the latest Apple's mobile services. First they've concluded Apple's servers are overloaded. Then they commented on the Mobile Me mess. However, when they came to the AppStore, they couldn't do nothing but surrender. It's kinda funny!

Palringo, a messaging service that extends all the functionality of PC-based IM services like voice and picture messages to mobile devices, has released its client for select BlackBerry smartphones (Curve, Pearl, 8800 series).

Using Palringo, BlackBerry users can chat using voice and picture messages as well as traditional text. Furthermore, they can also chat with their buddies who use other IM clients like AIM, Windows Live Messenger and GTalk through the single Palringo interface.

Like some similar multi-IM apps, Palringo presents user's contacts from all services into one combined, presence-aware list, thus eliminating the need to continually switch between multiple IM tools. In addition, Palringo's "vocal instant messaging" combines walkie-talkie style voice chat, the real-time text functionality of IM and the ability to share pictures — all within the context of one "threaded" discussion.

Palringo's BlackBerry application is available as free download from their website. Finally, in addition to BlackBerry phones, Palringo also works on smartphones running Windows Mobile or Symbian, as well as on Java-enabled feature phones.

What good is a Tuesday afternoon without a preview of the BlackBerry Bold 9000? Boy Genius managed to wrangle himself RIM's newest take on the BlackBerry platform. With HSDPA in tow and a new design aesthetic that we're definitely warming up to, the BlackBerry Bold isn't just another smartphone, it's RIM's newest flagship.

BGR notes that the high-res 480 x 360 display is a sight to behold. And, is even more beautiful when surfing the web with the improved mobile web browser. Of course, we're going to hold off judgment until we get our own grubby mitts on the BlackBerry Bold, but things are looking good fro Waterloo.

One interesting downside to the BlackBerry Bold's sleek new design - it scratches way too easily. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Head on over to BGR for the full review.

[Via: BGR]

Can't stand the veritable flood of iPhone 3G news? Well, worry not, BlackBerry fanatics. RIM's touchscreen answer to the iPhone 3G is on its way to a smartphone market near you. And, to make sure the world isn't so caught up in iPhone hype that they forget about the rest of the smartphone industry's touchscreen offerings, it seems that RIM has let a few pictures of their highly anticipated BlackBerry Thunder handset.

What you see here are real-deal, live pics of the BlackBerry Thunder and its rumored buggy UI hanging out with its big 'ole touchscreen for all the world to see. The pics looks real enough, so we'll stop short of calling this a rumor outright.

A quick refresher - the BlackBerry Thunder will be toting RIM's new BlackBerry OS - BlackBerry OS 4.7 - and a localized haptic feedback system that vibrates a specific region of touch-input rather than vibrating the entirely device. As soon as RIM works out the bugs, we're sure the BlackBerry Thunder's haptic feedback system will boost the handset as a serious touchscreen competitor in a rapidly crowding smartphone segment.

The display features both vibration feedback and an audible "click" to announce that a virtual-key has been pressed. There's apparently a glass-overlay, a la the iPhone, that is said to allow multi-touch interaction. And, would you look at the size of that screen? It's almost as wide as it is tall - and it's not short by any measure. Bring on the touchscreen revolution, with gigantic multi-touch displays in tow!

[Via: CrackBerry]

Looks like a BlackBerry Bold doesn't it? That is actually the BlackBerry Javelin and while it may look like the Bold, it lacks 3G and … well that's about it. The 2 megapixel camera in the Bold is now a 3.2 megapixel in the Javelin, the all black color for the Bold is now two tone, the processor inside is called Argon V, 480×360 pixel screen, WiFi, GPS, OS 4.6, no clue on date and price.

[Via: Boy Genius Report]

As far as RIM is concerned, there are no more legal hurdles standing on their way for the BlackBerry Bold launch. Yes, this means the long awaited BlackBerry has been approved by the FCC. The variant that's on their pages shows UMTS working on 850/1900 MHz and those are just the right frequencies for AT&T, which will be the first carrier to launch the device in the States.

However, we're still not aware of the official release date. With iDay scheduled for tomorrow, RIM will have to hurry up and bring their baby out as soon as they can, so that Apple doesn't steal them all the customers — at least those that find both the Bold and the iPhone 3G compelling choices. We'll certainly watch this closely. Stay tuned…

[Via: PhoneArena]

The iPhone 3G will be launching at 8am local time on July 11. And, as soon as sales go live, the US is going to see a tremendous shift in the smartphone market. According to a new survey from ChangeWave Research, consumers are looking more toward the iPhone 3G than either the RIM-made BlackBerry lineup or any smartphone offerings from Palm. So much so, in fact, that the iPhone 3G could have a "tsunami-like" impact on the US smartphone market.

While the iPhone 3G currently ranks as the third most popular smartphone in the US with 11% market share, compared to RIM's 42% and Palm's 14% share, ChangeWave suggests that the iPhone could skyrocket to at least second place with the iPhone 3G.

Surveying 3,567 consumers following Apple's June 9th iPhone 3G announcement, ChangeWave found that 56% of consumers planning to purchase a smartphone in the next 90 days are looking to fill their needs with Apple's next-generation iPhone 3G. Of the respondents, 23% plan to get a RIM-made BlackBerry handset, while only 3% of smartphone enthusiasts have a Palm device in mind.

The BlackBerry Bold will likely hold up RIM's side of the smartphone market, while the Palm Treo 800w will be giving Palm-fans a does of new hardware. But, with the iPhone 3G-fighting BlackBerry Thunder reportedly delayed until the end of 2008 due to developmental struggles, how will RIM fare against Apple in the US?

If these figures project reliably in to real-world consumer intentions, we'll be seeing twice as many new iPhone 3G handsets hit the market over the next few months than we will any BlackBerry handset.

ChangeWave Research

Note: the chart focuses on those respondents indicating interest in smartphones