BlackBerry Cool

BlackBerry Curve - Inferno and Red on Sprint

2009-07-10T12:19:57Z

Sure, everyone is excited about the BlackBerry Tour’s launch this weekend. Even the GSM folks. Sprint wants you to not forget the BlackBerry Curve 8330 and 8350i, though, by launching new colors. Soon you’ll be able to pick up an 8330 in Inferno and an 8350i in Red. Anyone excited about these new hues?

via

Web-based search and access application for BlackBerry

2009-07-09T20:04:56Z

myCopernic is a web-based application that lets you search and access data stored on your PC.

Once you’ve registered your account, and downloaded the Copernic Connector to your PC, you can access your files OTA from your BlackBerry. Over the web, you get access to documents, emails, email attachments, pictures, music, movies, contacts, etc.

This application, with competitors such as Cortado, is most likely aiming at a Power User and consumer market. If you’d like to see how it holds up for enterprise, you can download a professional version which gives you access to calendar items.

You can purchase myCopernic On the Go for $9.99 per year.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM mobile solution from MobileAccess 4.5

2009-07-09T16:42:29Z

TenDigits Software have announced the launch of their MobileAccess V4.5, mobile CRM solution.

With MobileAccess 4.5, users can have the same Microsoft Dynamics CRM functionality that they get in the office, on the go. From your BlackBerry, you get access to core CRM functions such as CRM record searches and lookups, and creating, editing, deleting and assigning records. Additionally, MobileAccess gives you the ability to:

* Open and forward documents and attachments
* Set independent user personalization
* Quickly share CRM records by email with others
* Receive Alert Notifications of newly created or assigned records

This latest release of MobileAccess includes the Smart Actionable Alerts feature. This feature takes a different approach to alerts in that it does not rely on email or SMS messages. The alerts are available directly on the device, allowing the user to take immediate action. While I am not positive of the technology behind this alert system, I suspect it uses the RIM Push API’s, to have alerts immediately sent to the device.

This latest release also includes the ability to upload photo images, GPS coordinates, or any file (i.e. audio, video) from your BlackBerry to Dynamics CRM. The software also includes support for some of the latest BlackBerry devices, including the Storm and the Tour.

In general, BlackBerry and mobile have had an incredible impact on CRM. Managing contacts is a core strength of smartphones and CRM solutions utilize this technology well. While there are many CRM solutions for BlackBerry, it’s important to evaluate what competitive advantages each solution offers, and which is right for your organization.

For more information, see the MobileAccess site.

ReportAway! - Expense and time sheet capturing software for BlackBerry

2009-07-09T16:02:00Z

ReportAway! is an app to help you capture expense and time sheet information. With ReportAway!. data is stored locally which helps reduce the amount of time it takes to access pertinent information. When you enter a coverage area. your reports are filed through the secure BlackBerry email service.

Features of ReportAway! include:

* Simple User Interface
* Import directly from Calendar and Task applications
* Expense editor is integrated with BlackBerry camera for attachment of receipt pictures
* Time and Expense editors with add, modify, duplicate, and delete functions
* Flexible Over The Air Reporting
* Selectable QuickBooks® “iif”, or “csv” formatted reports
* Direct import of time reports into QuickBooks
* Configurable csv format: selectable fields, field order, and configurable labels
* Integration with DocSnaps online book keeping service
* Offline Operation
* Minimal mobile data usage
* No sensitivity to lack of cellular coverage
* No waiting for web servers to respond over the network
* Customer, Project, Activity, and Expense administration
* Time and expense entries can be associated with locally configured Customer, Project, Activity, and Expense Type data
* 40 built in currencies to choose from
* Configurable expense types with 17 commonly used default types

Purchase ReportAway! for $8.99.

Get software directly from your device with the BlackBerry Cool App Store.

Save money on your voice plan with a simple free BlackBerry app

2009-07-09T15:42:44Z

Some carriers are really harsh when it comes to voice plans and will bill you an extra minute for going even a second over 60. With Fabian’s latest free app, you get a short vibration after every 55 seconds into each outgoing call so that you know when a new minute will start.

By using this app, you’ll know that you aren’t being charged for extra minutes. It’s an easy way to save on your voice plan.

Download MinuteSaver for free for your BlackBerry.

See more great applications from Fabian from his site.

BlackBerry Gemini 8520 from T-Mobile in black and white

2009-07-09T13:50:57Z

Ronen from BerryReview picked up the news that the upcoming BlackBerry Gemini 8520 will be shipping from T-Mobile in both black and white.

Back when I bought the iPhone 3G (don’t give me that look), I made sure to get the white version. Not because I thought it necessarily looked better, but because they made white the limited edition. It would be great to see more limited edition BlackBerry colors and cases being released.

The 8520 is shaping up to be an interesting device. With a cool new optical trackpad, it don’t matter if you’re black or white.

Stay tuned for the full review of the 8520.

[Via]

Canaccord Adams analyst upgrades RIM after positive sales and financials

2009-07-09T13:40:27Z

Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek is upgrading RIM’s status to Buy from Hold, as recent channel checks with global carriers and partners suggesting the company had a healthy June. Although share price has lost nearly a quarter of its value since last month, the summer tends to be a slow season for the smartphone market.

That being said, BlackBerry sales with AT&T grew in the double digits month-over-month in June. With the launch of the BlackBerry Tour 9630, as well as the upcoming BlackBerry Gemini 8520, RIM is releasing more devices that has convinced Mr. Misek that RIM isn’t losing any momentum.

Even under lacklustre consumer spending conditions, Peter Misek is more comfortable with the company’s risk/reward profile now that the stock is trading at roughly 14 times Canaccord’s forward 12-month earnings projections.

RIM has demonstrated an ability to grow in very difficult conditions due to its stronghold in the enterprise and strong carrier relationships, the analyst said.

Canaccord’s price target for RIM remains at US$95 per share.

[Via]

The BlackBerry Curve saves man from deadly fall

2009-07-09T13:29:41Z

You may not be a fan of the BlackBerry Curve, but 52 year old David Fitzherbert sure is.

While skiing the glacier in the Matterhorn and Monterosa peaks when the snow gave way beneath him, sending him down towards the depths of the crevasse. “After 70 feet it narrowed and I became stuck like a cork in a bottle between the walls,” said Fitzherbert . “Fortunately the extra inches of the Blackberry were enough to block the fall.”

Fitzherbet said the width of his phone was enough to catch and hold him between two rocks. He broke his jaw, smashed his teeth, cracked a bone in his chest, and nearly tore his nose off. His mountain guide made a distress call, and a mountain-rescue team dug him out.

It’s too bad they don’t make an Otterbox case for the rest of your body. Those cases are strong enough to stop an avalanche no problem.

[Via]

The BlackBerry Gemini 8520 battery casing issues

2009-07-09T13:15:41Z

I’ve been trying out the BlackBerry Gemini 8520 and I cannot for the life of me open the battery casing.

It may be that I don’t have enough calcium in my diet or it could also be that this battery casing is blogger-proof. Either way, my fingers are crossed that this changes before the device hits the market.

On a side note, don’t bother complaining about the video quality. I use a BlackBerry to take all my video and device pictures. I refuse to use an extra device. This isn’t BlackBerryandaCamcorder Cool.

Stay tuned because I’ll have a full review of the device up soon.

Self Defense tower defense game for BlackBerry

2009-07-08T23:04:14Z

Bplay has just launched a new tower defense game called Self Defense.

In Self Defense, the goal is a basic tower defense format where you use towers that are carefully placed in order to combat a variety of enemies. While I haven’t yet played the game, I already like the cartoon theme that reminds me of the board game Operation.

A cool feature to the game is that if you unlock 16 levels of play, you’ll get access to a random level generator, so you can get almost infinite replay value.

Purchase this tower defense game Self Defense for $2.99.

App World enters French and European market despite legal issues

2009-07-08T20:00:59Z

Simon picked up the story that RIM VP Jeff McDowell confirmed App World will be hitting France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, this month, with Brazil and India next on the list.

Congratulations to RIM legal for entering the French market, which is a relatively difficult market to enter. The US Commerical Service has echoed this sentiment, and it has portrayed the French market in a way that could be deemed isolationist.

“Enforcement of complex technical standards and lengthy testing procedures sometimes appears to exceed reasonable requirement levels needed to assure proper performance and safety, for example in the areas of electronics, telecommunications equipment, and agriculture phytosanitary standards.”

It takes several months for RIM legal to sort through the legal documents and conditions for App World to enter a new market. It took RIM legal 2 months to get App World to Britain and there are many European countries with more complicated and restrictive laws surrounding content distribution. So while getting App World around the world is a top priority, it could be a couple years before we see global penetration.

[Via]

TELUS BlackBerry Tour 9630 review, pics and comparisons

2009-07-09T15:48:19Z

I’ve been playing around with the BlackBerry Tour 9630 on TELUS and I’ve put together my impressions, pics and some Bold and 8900 comparison points. This BlackBerry Tour is not a commercial unit, so while it’s running final code, it didn’t come with all the branded packaging - not that you would really care.

In general, this device is where the Curve 8900 meets the Bold. This is indicative of RIM’s latest device strategy of making hybrids to satisfy a gray area of customers, while working on the the more evolutionary devices which take longer to produce. This strategy is summed up as follows:

“You may not love every BlackBerry released by RIM, but rest assured there is a BlackBerry for everyone.”

Now let’s take a deeper look at this device.

Operating System

The device came with OS 4.7.1.40 so I wish I could show you some new OS features but there is nothing new here. OS 4.7 is almost identical to the OS that comes with the BlackBerry Storm, except of course you’re browsing with a trackball. The build seems really solid and I haven’t had any white screens of death or crashes since I have been playing around with the device. I wish RIM would launch OS updates a little faster as customers are spending considerable amounts on these devices and they deserve an OS that can compete with the other smartphones on the market. I’m thinking BlackBerry devices will probably start shipping with OS 5 later this year. Hopefully we’ll see it on the BlackBerry Storm 2, with a similar port to trackball devices soon after.

Screen

The screen of the BlackBerry Tour is the same size as the BlackBerry Curve 8900 (480×360), with a Half-VGA resolution, as per the BlackBerry Bold. The colors look great on this device and it’s clear that RIM has made sure to satisfy the video and media needs of consumers with this device.

As the BlackBerry Tour 9630 is a hybrid of the Curve 8900 and the Bold, here are some points relative to each device:

The BlackBerry Tour Relative to the Curve 8900

One of the first things I noticed while handling the Tour is that the battery casing moves ever so slightly just like the 8900 does. On the device I’m using, the issue is less prevalent than with the 8900, but it still worries me that this will be exacerbated over time. Over the course of a year, this issue becomes much like Chinese Water Torture: almost unnoticeable at first but will drive you mad over time.

In terms of form factor, another small but noticeable difference is with the trackball. For some reason, RIM has decided to make the trackball on the Tour is a little more recessed. While this isn’t a big change, I personally like the trackball better on the 8900 as it makes for easier scrolling.

The battery on the Tour is the same battery that comes with the Storm and the Curve 8900. This leads me to believe that RIM has made a conscious effort to standardize the batteries on BlackBerry devices, which is huge for owning multiple devices and sharing battery life. Now, if you buy 5 BlackBerry batteries, you have extras for yourself and your fellow BlackBerry addicts.

While reviewing this device, I noticed that the speaker on the Tour is louder than the 8900. This isn’t so much an improvement, just different. I personally have never found the speakers on the 8900 to be quiet and they’re more than enough for listening to music (rarely without headphones) and conference calling.

The BlackBerry Tour Relative to the BlackBerry Bold 9000

The battery casing on the Bold was just incredible. With the ability to switch it out for leather backs and various colors, it would have been nice to see this on the Tour. While the battery casing isn’t bad, it’s sort of awkward to look at. You can look for yourself in the pics, but it’s something about the fact that the hinge is in the middle of the case makes for an awkward release. Compared to the Bold, it’s a little easier to remove, but I still want RIM to make the battery casing experience easier in general. The Storm casing was the apogee of awkward battery case removals.

The battery on the Tour is great considering it’s a CDMA device. Compared to the Bold, I found the battery life much better, which is strange considering the Bold’s battery is bigger and it’s a GSM phone. It could be for the simple fact that my Bold is older than the Tour, but I suspect there is more to it.

The speakers on the Tour 9630 are definitely less loud than the Bold. This was a little strange to me as speakers seem to be a consumer-centric feature, while the Bold was positioned as a more enterprise device than the Tour.

The keyboard on the Tour is borrowed from the Bold. It has the same ergonomic keys as the Bold except for the keyboard feels slightly more cramped than on the Bold. It’s an incredibly small difference but while typing on the Tour, the keys felt ever so slightly smaller than the Bold, yet drastically larger than the 8900. Personally, I like my keys to be more separated, and I would have liked a keyboard experience closer to that of the 8900. Given RIM’s device strategy, I know that device isn’t far away.

Overall impressions

The first thing that hit me when I saw the official BlackBerry Tour specs was that it does not have WiFi. How can RIM still be releasing devices with no WiFi? It’s bothersome for the 8900 and a blessing on the Bold. If you were going to take the best from both worlds, it seems to me that you would definitely include it.

Other than WiFi, this BlackBerry offers a ton of incredible BlackBerry features for the Power User. Many users, not myself included, will love the Bold keypad, and the 8900 feel to the device makes it a very sexy device to have in your pocket.

This device fits nicely into the RIM product line and reflects their current market which is 50% consumer and 50% enterprise. The BlackBerry consumer will appreciate the 256MB of RAM and the 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, while enterprise will appreciate the World Phone hardware and the Bold keyboard.

Relative to the other CDMA BlackBerry devices on the market, this is the finest BlackBerry to date. I’m still curious how the battery has managed to be so powerful, and if I were a TELUS subscriber, I would be upgrading immediately.

More Pics of the BlackBerry Tour 9630 from TELUS

SIM Detective - the vigilante’s favorite BlackBerry application

2009-07-08T15:30:42Z

Getting your BlackBerry stolen is terrible, but knowing your BlackBerry is being used by the thief who stole it is even worse. If someone steals your BlackBerry and changes the SIM, it is very hard to track the phone and get it back.

With SIM detective, a text or email is sent to a pre-chosen friend with all the thief’s information like the IMSI, carrier, cell number and everything you need to contact the authorities and get your BlackBerry back.

This is a simple application that will hopefully save BlackBerry users a lost device.

Purchase SIM Detective for $5.99.

Wireless carriers to spend $3.3 billion on LTE in 2011

2009-07-08T14:18:53Z

LTE is going to be an incredible evolutionary step for BlackBerry and smartphones. The technology will change the way we use data on our phone as well as aid carriers in coping with an increased network load.

According to research from ABI, wireless operators will spend about $3.3 billion building LTE base stations in 2011. That expenditure will have purchased some 142,000 base stations worldwide. LTE base station equipment spending is expected to rise sharply between 2011 and the end of 2012.

“Vendors will be shipping base station equipment in significant quantities in 2010 ahead of limited trials that typically last about a year, followed by full commercial launches,” says senior analyst Nadine Manjaro. “Many operators have been talking about re-use of existing equipment, but ABI Research understands that while there may be sharing of masts and cabinets most of those 142,000 base stations will have completely new baseband and RF components, because operators will generally try to keep the new LTE networks separate from their legacy networks.”

ABI Research vice president Jake Saunders also points out that, “Due to LTE’s propagation characteristics and higher frequencies, operators will eventually have to deploy extra sites to iron out gaps in coverage.”

That is good news for base station equipment vendors. Some contracts have already been announced: as noted previously, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, and Starent are the winners of a major set of contracts from Verizon Wireless. In Japan, NTT-DOCOMO, in addition to tapping the world’s largest network infrastructure supplier, Ericsson, is also supporting local vendors NEC and Fujitsu.

TeliaSonera has chosen Ericsson and Huawei, while its fellow Scandinavian operators Tele2 and Telenor are also thought likely to settle on Huawei, which is proving a formidable competitor.

“There may be a new opportunity here for Nokia Siemens Networks,” notes Manjaro. “Nortel was early to market with LTE base station equipment, but its bankruptcy preempted that market push. With NSN’s acquisition of Nortel’s LTE assets, it is well placed to benefit from that early market presence.”

“LTE – GSM Long Term Evolution” provides insight into a number of operators’ strategies, vendor solutions, frequency bands used and latest development in the IPR analysis. A list of all operators with defined LTE plans is also included, along with potential CAPEX spending and a variety of forecasts.

The report is part of the Mobile Networks Research Service.

DubMeNow mobile business cards now with LinkedIn

2009-07-08T13:58:11Z

DubMeNow is an easy way to exchange contacts with business partners on the go. DUB sends your contact information from your BlackBerry directly to the address book of your recipient’s BlackBerry.

Recently, DubMeNow have gone version 2.0 with their product and have added a new interface, ability to send LinkedIn invites, faster downloads and more. Version 2.5 will be coming in September and it will include the ability to connect via GPS (no email or phone number needed to send card), add photos and over twenty social media fields to your card, plus a Groups tab so you can see and connect with any member of any Group you join from your device.

Create your DubMeNow card and get started.

Snikkr LBS app now available for public beta

2009-07-08T13:22:47Z

When we last wrote about Snikkr, they were in a closed alpha testing phase and they’ve now gone public beta. The company is looking for a few thousand more beta users in the next six weeks, so if you have a relatively current BlackBerry (OS 4.5+), they would appreciate your feedback.

Snikkr for BlackBerry combines productivity, location and social networking features. The application is a mashup of Loopt, Latitude, Google Mobile Maps, Glympse, uLocate and Where, among others.

The company says their application helps with “social productivity.” The feature set make your social interactions and group events, from lunch to meetings to travel, more productive easier to manage.

Snikkr Mobile is now in open beta release. Register to get in the public beta.

gwabbit giving away a gwabbitized Flip MinoHD camcorder

2009-07-07T20:04:56Z

gwabbit is running a contest called “Get the Gift of gwab” where by sharing gwabbit with your friends and colleagues, you can win a gwabbitized Flip MinoHD camcorder.

It’s so easy – here’s how it works:

1. Go to the Get the Gift of Gwab site.
2. Verify your email address and click either the Facebook or LinkedIn Share icons to share with your friends and colleagues
3. Invite your friends and colleagues to try gwabbit for free

If 10 or more of your friends download gwabbit, you get a free custom gwabbit coffee mug (the gwabbit mug is only available through this promotion). There is no obligation to buy a thing.

The 5 participants with the most friends will get a gwabbitized Flip MinoHD camcorder.

gwabbit will keep score and send participants a note from time-time to let them know how they’re doing. Get the Gift of Gwab runs from July 7 through midnight pacific time July 17.

The contest guidelines are:

Limit one prize per participant
Must be 18 or older to play
Email addresses must be valid to count toward prizes

Schedule SMS messages from your BlackBerry with TimelySMS

2009-07-07T16:55:24Z

TimelySMS is an easy way to schedule your SMS messages. Scheduling your SMS messages can be useful in a variety of situations, much in the same way scheduling emails can be. If know you’re going to miss a birthday wish or update, schedule it.

Features of TimelySMS include:

* Schedule SMS messages.
* Set frequency as one time message, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly.
* Pick recipients from address book.
* Keep history of all sent messages.
* Enable or disable schedules.
* Invoke TimelySMS from address book, phone application, phone logs, browser, email, SMS and related windows.

TimelySMS for BlackBerry is available for $3.99.

Get the BlackBerry Cool App Store for more software deals.

LBS personal safety app iWitness for BlackBerry

2009-07-07T16:35:49Z

London-based Origin8 Technologies have released iWitness for BlackBerry. iWitness is a personal safety solution that provides a suite of GPS enabled alert and reporting tools, with server side location tracking and one touch ‘panic button’ emergency activation.

iWitness features include:

Create an iWitness Alert Group of up to 16 friends, family members or professionals. One touch instantly sends an email alert to group members, including the user’s GPS location.
Customise Alert Group settings and compose alert texts in advance. Store personal information, medical conditions and GP details for easy emergency access.
A remote server can track the user’s GPS location at automatic intervals for added peace of mind.
Record events with the BlackBerry’s camera or microphone, then email recordings to contacts in an iWitness Alert Group. Recordings are also stored on a secure server, meaning evidence is not lost even if the phone is stolen, broken or confiscated.

Purchase iWitness for BlackBerry for $4.99.

Cloud computing as it pertains to mobile application development

2009-07-07T15:15:30Z

At WES 2009, RIM made it very clear that cloud computing was on the long term agenda for developing useful services for enterprise. While handsets are becoming more powerful and network infrastructure can handle stronger loads, cloud computing will help push the industry even further by taking the lion’s share of these stresses.

A new architecture based on software running in the cloud will drastically change the way mobile applications are developed, acquired, and used. According to a new study from ABI Research, this will be a profoundly disruptive development that could eclipse the current mobile application model by 2014, delivering revenue of nearly $20 billion annually by the end of that year.

“Mobile application developers today face the challenge of multiple mobile operating systems,” says senior analyst Mark Beccue. “Either they must write for just one OS, or create many versions of the same application. More sophisticated apps require significant processing power and memory in the handset. Using Web development, applications can run on servers instead of locally, so handset requirements can be greatly reduced and developers can create just one version of an application. This trend is in its infancy today, but ABI Research believes that eventually it will become the prevailing model for mobile applications.”

This approach is not without challenges, chief among which is intermittent network availability. A cloud-based application stops working if you lose your connection. However new programming languages such as HTML 5 will enable data caching on the handset, allowing work to continue until cellular signal is restored.

“Cloud computing will bring unprecedented sophistication to mobile applications,” Beccue notes. “To mention just a few examples, business users will benefit from collaboration and data sharing apps. Personal users will gain from remote access apps allowing them to monitor home security systems, PCs or DVRs, and from social networking mashups that let them share photos and video or incorporate their phone address books and calendars.”

Consider reading ABI Research’s new study “Mobile Cloud Computing,” which details the mobile applications that will lead the growth, the key technologies, players and initiatives involved, new business models that will be introduced, and the barriers that must be overcome.

Open Source WordPress application for BlackBerry now in Public Beta

2009-07-07T14:51:51Z

The WordPress BlackBerry client has finally launched in public beta. The app is Open Source, as per the guiding ideology of the WordPress organization, and has been long awaited by micro-bloggers everywhere.

The app is a collaboration with the fine folks at Danais, who lead the MoPress Open Source project.

Here are some things to consider while taking a tour of this new BlackBerry app:

* The app is for WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress version 2.5.1 or newer
* This app should work with any of the new BlackBerry devices such as the 8700, Pearl, Curve, Bold, and Storm
* BlackBerry OS requirements are OS 4.2.1 or newer

Being a public beta, it’s important to realize the large amount of potential bugs that can occur, before writing this app off as not what you want. If you’re not interested in trying a pre-release version of this software, you should wait until 1.0 is out.

To install the beta application: Point your BlackBerry browser to http://blackberry.wordpress.org/install and follow the instructions.

We’ll keep you posted about updates on this application.

If you find bugs: Review the How To Report a Bug documentation and submit tickets over on blackberry.trac.wordpress.org.

For developers out there wanting to get involved, you can browse the source code and check out a copy of the app via SVN.

Bonus Yachtzee for the BlackBerry Storm - giveaways and discounts

2009-07-07T15:22:05Z

Bonus Yachtzee is two Yachtzee games rolled into one. Classic Yachtzee closely follows the rules of the classic Yahtzee dice game that you have played for years.

Bonus Yachtzee plays very much like Power Yahtzee. It is the high scoring, action packed cousin of Yahtzee. Bonus Yachtzee is played with a bonus die in addition to the 5 regular dice. The bonus die may allow a player to earn 2 or 3 times the regular score for a given roll. It also may have the player freeze, and be forced to score their roll immediately. Additionally, the bonus die may allow the player to record the roll under 2 scoring categories or allow them an extra roll (very helpful when going for a yachtzee). Bonus Yachtzee also has additional categories in which a player can record a score.

You choose whether you want to Shake to Roll or Click to Roll your dice.

Features:

Shake to Roll (uses Storm’s accelerometer) or Click to Roll
1 - 4 Players. Play by yourself or with some friends.
2 games for the price of one. Bonus Yachtzee and Classic Yachtzee.
Great soud effects.
Addictive game play.
Easy and instinctive game play.

The first 25 BlackBerry Cool readers can use the coupon BBCOOLFREEYACHT for 25 free apps.

If you miss the free copy, you can always use the coupon BBCOOLDISCYACHT

This is a $1 discount good through 7/12/09 for BlackBerry Cool readers only.

Download the BlackBerry Cool App Store or use the code in our online store.

UPDATE: The company has removed the Shake to Roll feature from the current version of the software. They are currently working on refining the Shake algorithm. When the Shake algorithm is done, it will be included as a free update so that it can be dowloaded by all.

Wireless Usage and Roaming Survey - support the unlocking industry

2009-07-08T13:05:39Z

Cellfservices Wireless Usage and Roaming Survey – Are we ripping ourselves off?

On May 22, 2009, Cellfservices took a survey on wireless usage and travel. The wireless carriers are not to blame since they are doing their job, running a successful business. But what are we doing to ourselves? Is this sign true? Are we ripping ourselves off? Let’s find out…

After some extensive research, approximately 70% of cell phone users in Asia are using unlocked phones. In Europe, approximately 80% use unlocked mobile devices. Finally, North America is in last place with a whopping 5% of unlocked cell phone users. Bloggers, theorists as well as tech gurus think that it’s primarily because wireless phone providers in North America provide massive subsidies on hardware in return for an extension of their contract. Makes sense doesn’t it? Another interesting fact: people in Europe and Asia are more willing than North Americans to spend $600-$700+ USD on unlocked mobile devices, while we’re a little more hesitant. So what’s stopping us from purchasing a $20-$60 unlock code to give us mobile freedom when traveling?

Here are the answers that I’ve heard from some clients, friends and the random end users I meet in coffee shops etc. Underneath, I’ve left my own comments.

1.) There are too many scams on the Internet with things like unlock codes.

1. There are several scam sites out there. Why not read a few reviews on certain sites, go to a local cell phone shop or purchase from a reputable company?

2.) I don’t need an unlocked phone. I’m already with Rogers and I use a Rogers phone

1. That’s not the main benefit of unlocking your phone. The beauty of it is to eliminate all roaming fees – in response I hear, “What? Tell me more!”

3.) Isn’t it illegal?

1. If it’s illegal, I guess a lot of us will be going to jail…. In all seriousness, it is NOT illegal to unlock your cellular phone. In Canada, Bill C-61 – An Act to amend the Copyright Act was introduced on June 12, 2008 (http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Docid=3570473&file=4). In a nutshell, this bill discusses copyright laws and would make ‘unlocking your cell phone’ illegal. Fortunately, it was never passed! It is also legal in the United States and almost all other countries. It is best to check your jurisdiction before attempting to unlock a cell phone.

The Survey:

We surveyed 1003 working class professionals to get an understanding of how people use their phones when roaming. It wasn’t a shocker to see that the majority of North Americans think it’s more important to stay in touch and that roaming fees are not an issue to worry about. Let’s let the statistics speak for themselves. We asked 5 multiple choice questions…

1.) Which wireless carrier do you currently use?

1. Rogers Wireless or Fido (Canadian GSM)
2. Telus or Bell Mobility (Canadian CDMA)
3. AT&T or T-mobile (USA GSM)
4. Verizon or Sprint (USA CDMA)

2.) How often do you travel internationally?

1. 0 Times/Year
2. 1-5 Times/Year
3. 6-10 Times/Year
4. 10+ Times/Year

3.) How long is your typical stay when you travel internationally?

1. 0-3 Days
2. 4-7 Days
3. 7-14 Days
4. 2-4 Weeks
5. Longer than 1 Month

4.) What is your primary method of transportation when traveling internationally?

1. Airplane
2. Train
3. Chartered Bus
4. Car
5. Boat
6. Other

5.) Do you use your cellular phone when traveling?

1. All the time. It’s more important to stay in touch than paying roaming fees
2. All the time! I use prepaid SIM cards.
3. If I receive a call, I’m not going to ignore it.
4. Only for emergency calls
5. Never. I either use it as an alarm clock or leave it at home.

Here are the percentages we received from our faithful survey participants.

Click to enlarge the charts.

Overview:

Wireless Carriers:

Out of 1003 people, 51.2% of North Americans are GSM users while 36.9% are CDMA users. The other 15.5%, we have ignored since all of them do not reside in North America.

# of Times Traveled/Year:

66.7% of people travel 1-5 Times/Year. While only 5.4% of people travel 10+ Times/Year. The funny thing we found is that

Average # of Days/Trip:

32.7% of people travel 0-3 Days/, 28% of people travel 4-7Days/Trip, 32.7% travel 7-14 days/trip, 8.9% travel 2-4 Weeks and 3% travel more than 1 month.

Method of Transportation:

This was a dead giveaway. 87.5% of people travel via. Airplane. Traveling by car is in second with 14.9% of people.

Wireless Usage when Roaming:

51.2% of people believe that it is more important to stay in touch than paying roaming fees, while 41% of people only use it when they have to or never use it. Only 18.5% of people use prepaid SIM cards.

Analysis:

First, because this is an online survey we would like to note that the majority of people who took this survey are somewhat tech savvy. We received several surveys from our partner Blackberry Cool and other cellular phone forums we participate in regularly.

From this study, we are able to conclude a few things that may help you realize how much money is truly being ‘wasted’ on roaming fees. Since the only wireless carriers that are able to use unlocked phones with prepaid SIM cards are GSM carriers, we will narrow our wireless carrier question down to the following. In our survey, 58.12% are GSM Users and 41.88% are CDMA North American users. GSM of course dominates North America. Surprisingly enough, 77.5% of GSM users said that it is more important to stay in touch than pay roaming fees. This means that the majority of tech savvy GSM users do not know the benefits of unlocking their mobile device. What does that say about our not so “techy” people?

Moving on to our # of times traveled/year and average # of days/trip. The majority of users travel at least 1-5 times/year. On average, we will say that the majority of people travel 2.5 times/year. 72.6% of people travel for more than 4 days at a time which could mean HUGE savings with an unlocked phone and prepaid SIM cards. The fact that more than 50% of people are willing to pay large roaming bills which will range anywhere from $100-$2000+ scares me.

Finally, 87.5% of people travel via. airplane. The majority of people who travel from a North American country to a country overseas or even within the continent are amongst the richest people in the world. In fact, if you have spare change in your ‘coin jar’ etc, you are within the top 80% of the wealthiest people in the world. But why do we use our resources on something like roaming bills? It’s simple….

We don’t know how to save money when roaming!

It’s either that, or we don’t care about throwing money away.

Let me paint a picture for you. The following is a chart of North American GSM roaming rates.

When I take a look back at my trip to Boston in July of last year, I saved a ton! I used prepaid SIM cards and did the following over an 8 day period… I am currently on the Rogers network.

240 Minutes Local Time – 20 Minutes Back to Canada – 60 texts sent – 75 texts received – Data for my Blackberry. I spent less than $120 for that which sounds like a lot at first glance, but take a look at this.

Roaming in USA Calling to Canada: $1.7 x 20 = $34

In Country Calls (even with ignoring incoming calls): $0.95 x 240 = $228

Sent Text Messages: 60 x $0.60 = $36

($298 + $40 + $6.95 (saf) + 0.50 (911 fee)) x 1.13 (Ontario Tax Rate)

= $390.36

In that 8 day period, I saved $270.36. Now imagine if I happened to be roaming in Europe or in Africa. The thought of spending that much money on a phone bill appalls me.

Conclusion:

It is bias for us to conclude that unlocking your phone is the way to go, but take a moment to think about it. Being in the industry of unlocking GSM phones, we feel that it is our responsibility to inform the public – end users, of the true benefits of the service we provide.

We provide a valuable service that has been around for years, but is still undermined by most North Americans. Our hope is that this article and survey results have helped at least one person understand the potential in being economically efficient with your wireless usage.

BlackBerry Instant Messaging Clients Updated

2009-07-07T02:10:24Z

The BlackBerry Instant Messaging & Social Network clients have been updated. Some of the updates include Facebook up to 1.6.0.21, Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk and others were bumped up to 2.1.48. As usual, there’s no documentation detailing the updates, so please let us know if you notice any changes in the comments. You can get the updates on your BlackBerry via http://www.blackberry.com/instantmessaging Thanks to Dave Peckens for the heads up!

XING launches BlackBerry app for social networking service

2009-07-06T18:22:39Z

XING is very much akin to the social network for enterprise, LinkedIn. The site has a similar look and feel while clearly targeting the same demographic.

The site has launched a free piece of software that keeps track of all the user’s contacts, and makes phone numbers and email addresses available online. Your contacts are automatically updated online by the members themselves.

XING has done a great job of recognizing their target market are on BlackBerry, while I still haven’t seen a BlackBerry app for LinkedIn. This app is sure to please XING users, and ideally help them better network in their industry.

To download the free app, visit XING.com from your BlackBerry Browser.

The XING app requires an Internet-enabled BlackBerry smartphone running OS Version 4.2.1 or later with at least 64 MB internal memory and 170 KB of available memory.

Tumblr app for BlackBerry with video and audio to come

2009-07-06T16:40:31Z

Tumblr is a great platform for the casual, personal style blog and they’ve got a BlackBerry app. This isn’t breaking news or anything but we haven’t written about them yet.

Hippocamp developed the Tumblr app which allows you to create, edit and post direct to your Tumblr blog all from your BlackBerry. The application is free and regularly updated.

Be sure to keep an eye on this app, because video and audio uploading are coming in soon to be released versions.

Download the Tumblr client for your BlackBerry.

[Via]

RIM developing an Enhanced Gmail Plugin for BlackBerry

2009-07-06T15:20:18Z

To date, the Gmail experience on BlackBerry hasn’t met the standards that most users expect. According to a few screenshots leaked on BlackBerryForum(de), RIM is going to be improving the experience with an upcoming Enhanced Gmail Plugin. As you can see above, it includes:

* See your Gmail based emails in Conversation View for simple topic management
* Add and remove labels and stars to emails to keep inbox organized
* Archive and report as spam actions for mailbox management on the go
* Search your entire Gmail inbox

You’ll need BIS 2.7 for the plugin, and feel free to try and get in the beta program. If you do get in the beta program, let us know what you think.

[Via]

BlackBerry Bold 9000 in top 10 smartphones in Japan

2009-07-06T14:48:32Z

A recent survey of 2,300 Japanese retail stores conducted by the market research company BCN in Japan revealed that the BlackBerry Bold is number 6 on the top 10 smartphones list. The BCN ranking is a weekly top 10 list of bestselling cellphones (not just smartphones) for the June 22 to 28 period.

The iPhone dominated the upper ranks of the list but the survey is a little misleading. The survey was conducted during the launch of the iPhone 3Gs and therefore the hype surrounding the device skews the numbers.

According to TG Daily, Apple has sold 1 million iPhones since July 2008 through Softbank, its exclusive Japanese carrier. Number 3 in the BCN survey is the NTT DoCoMo Aquos SH-04A, designed by Sharp.

[Via]

BlackBerry Developer Challenge 2009 first 4 finalists announced

2009-07-06T14:35:51Z

The BlackBerry Partners Fund have announced the first four Finalists in the 2009 BlackBerry Developer Challenge. The four Finalists are Fierce Towers (by Nickel Buddy), Astraware Solitare (by Handmark), Expense Manager (by Total Wireless Solutions), and Vision for YouTube (by Metova). Finalists were selected by a panel of judges based on the following criteria: compelling product or service; clearly defined value proposition; viable business model; and technical execution.

Each Finalist will receive a prize package that includes one week on the BlackBerry App World Featured Application Carousel; one BlackBerry Developers Conference pass; one BlackBerry smartphone; and, guaranteed participation in the BlackBerry Sweet 16 Demo Event at the 2009 BlackBerry Developers Conference.

Four additional Finalists will be selected and announced at the end of July, August and September respectively. Over the course of the four-month challenge, a total of 16 Finalists will qualify for the BlackBerry Sweet 16 Demo Event. Entries for the BlackBerry Developer Challenge will be accepted until September 25, 2009 at 11:59pm EDT.

Official BlackBerry OS 4.6 updates for Pearl Flip 8220 and Bold 9000

2009-07-06T14:03:04Z

There are a couple sweet official OS updates for you for the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 and the BlackBerry Bold 9000.

Download the official OS 4.6.0.278 for the Pearl Flip 8220 from Indosat.

While CSL Limited has already released OS 4.6.0.477 for the Bold, this version comes from Rogers. Some people just trust their own carrier more.

Download: OS 4.6.0.282 for the Bold 9000 from Rogers.

[Via]