App
Third Dropbox Beta Released For BlackBerry
Aug 19th
I got an email in my inbox this morning telling me that Dropbox for BlackBerry beta had been updated to version 3.
So far the update has proven quite good, and stability has improved. I am running the app on a BlackBerry Torch 9800, and it seems to be pretty robust.
Improvements, according to the company are as follows:
- Support for all devices running 4.5 and above (audio and video supported in OS 4.6 and above only)
- Back-button from main screen hides app
- Fixes around opening files in external viewers (xls, etc)
- Support for open-edit-upload scenario for external viewers (e.g., docs2go)
If you have a spot in the closed beta, head to their mobile website, login to your linked account, and get updating!
UberTwitter for BlackBerry Updated
Aug 16th

This could be the only BlackBerry twitter app to really compete with the official Twitter for BlackBerry client.
Since its launch about a year ago, the updates have been consistent and noticeable. Frankly, If I wasn’t using Tweetissimo (the push twitter app) I would be using UberTwitter for every day use.
Beta 8, release 2, has just been launched to the masses with a bevvy of new features, you can hit the jump below to read up on them or simply download the app as an OTA download by clicking here
- New User Interface – We’ve taken the BlackBerry platform to another level with our intuitive interface.
- Themes – You asked and we delivered the capability to choose a color theme to suit your desires. We do plan to expand the built-in themes and allow you to build your own in the future.
- ÜberChannels provides real-time “Channels” – live streams of relevant messages from respected sources on a particular topic. These topics include cities and countries, sports, entertainment, health, business and political issues, hobbies, pastimes and passions. ÜberChannels crawls more than half a million Twitter lists to identify the most respected sources on Twitter. We will be upgrading this in the near future to include filtered channels in order to provide you with the best real-time content.
- List Search – Twitter lists are great, but how do you find lists about a particular topic? We’ve solved that problem by providing you the ability to search and find lists that interest you.
- Über Bar – No you can’t order a drink there, but you can ‘dock’ your favorite ÜberTwitter functionality to it! Add your favorite user timelines (and we’ll include their picture too!), lists, saved searches, favorites, everyone near you, and more!
- InstaPaper – Configure you InstaPaper account and use the short-cut key ‘I’ or the menu to quickly save tweets for reading later.
- TwitSnap – We now support inline preview and viewing of pictures included in tweets from TwitSnap.
- tmi.me – Have more to say then can fit in 140 characters? No worries, we are now including tmi.me support. This provides the same functionality as TweetLonger, but it has a really cool URL! You can choose between TweetLonger and tmi.me.
- Following and Blocking Status – Open a users profile and at the bottom you can see if they are following you and whether you are blocking them.
- unblocking – You can now unblock users.
- ReTweets of You – Ever wonder who is retweeting what you say? Well no more, select ‘retweets of you’ from the menu to see which of your tweets are being retweeted. Highlight one of those tweets and select ‘Retweeted By’ from the menu to see who retweeted it!
- Conversations – It was nice to be able to click the ‘in reply to’ button to see what tweet a person was replying to, but now, click the ‘Talk Bubble’ icon, select ‘view conversation’ from the menu, or use the short-cut key ‘c’ and we’ll do the heavy lifting and retrieve the entire converstation for you!
- Saved Searches – We are fully integrated with Twitter’s saved search feature. Save searches on ÜberTwitter and they will appear on twitter.com and vice versa. Frequent searches can be added to the Über Bar for quick access!
- Muted Users – Ever had a person you follow who just was spouting off a ton of tweets and you really didn’t want to un-follow them? Well now you can choose to mute them for a day, a week, or forever! They won’t get notified of this unless you ask us to!
- Default Email Recipient – Using the ‘email tweet’ feature from the menu all the time and find yourself entering the same email address every time? Now you can add a default recipient in your account options and it will automatically be addressed to them.
- Easily Direct Message – Select ‘goto user’ from the menu (‘g’ shortcut), highlight a friend and use the menu to select ‘Direct Message’ to compose a direct message to them.
- View Profile – You can view a users profile in many places now, select ‘view profile’ from the menu to view the users profile who sent the current tweet. Highlight an @user anywhere on your device and select ‘View Profile’ from the menu and we’ll take care of the rest!
- Send URLs to Über – From any web page in the browser, select ‘Send to Über’ from the menu and we’ll automatically shorten the URL and bring up the compose tweet screen!
- Hashtag Picker – Hate having to type in those trending topic hashtags all the time? No problem, when you press the ‘#’ key when composing a tweet we’ll bring up the ‘Hashtag Picker’, either pick one that is already saved, or keep typing and press ‘enter’ and we’ll save it for the next time.
- Über Tweet – Tweet from any application on your device, just open the menu and select Über Tweet and we’ll bring up the compose tweet screen.
Changes and Fixes for release 2
- Fixed issue where timelines would freeze
- Fixed issue where @replies would show up late
- Improved memory management
- More efficient timeline scrolling
- No longer relies on the device time/timezone being correct
- Added ‘Mentions’ button to user profiles, taking you directly to a timeline of tweets that mention that user
- BlackBerry notifications can now be turned on/off within options for regular tweets, @replies, and DMs individually
- Added a ‘Delete All’ to the ‘Hashtag Picker’ menu
- Restored the ability to ‘load more’ tweets on timelines
- Fixed a bug in our cell tower geolocation capability which was preventing some towers from being recognized
- Fixed a bug where if you select it, the location field in your profile wasn’t getting updated
- The ‘enter’ key will now work the same as a trackball click on one of our custom buttons
- Fixed bug that was causing input exceptions when composing a tweet on Storms
- Improved the visual quality of the icons
- Allowed older devices to select the larger icons
- Fixed the sound alerts so that only one alert is received for 1 or more new tweets/@replies/DMs
- Fixed the countdown of unread tweets when putting the application in the background
- Caught a condition where some users were trying to send a tweet and it would send out the text ‘null’ instead
- HTML entities are now converted to the correct Unicode character
- If you have unread marks set to auto-manager, then leaving the @replies screen and DMs screen will mark all of those as read
- Added back the ability to select SSL connection to Twitter
- The number of tweets returned in ‘Everyone Near You’ and searches now respects the setting under ‘options’.
[via IntoMobile, Source @UberTwitter]
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PingChat! for BlackBerry updated to 0.5.0
Aug 10th
Remember that popular app PingChat!? The one that bridged the gap for new iPhone users trying to satiate their BBM addiction since moving from a BlackBerry.
Well it’s back with a vengeance, this time for BlackBerry devices and loaded with a tonne of new features. It’s clean, smooth, and works great as a cross platform instant messaging application. It supports many of the popular features we have grown to love and have become accustomed to from BBM. However, it doesn’t show the D/R that makes BBM the staple that it is.
So if you have friends who have moved on from BBM and you find text messaging soo 2000, go ahead and download the app while it’s still free
Download PingChat! for Blackberry here
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Blackberry Desktop Manager 6.0 available for download
Aug 10th

Having finally launched the 9800 to the masses last week, it seems only proper that RIM now launches the long awaited upgrade to its Blackberry Desktop Manager software with full support of the device and its new OS.
This version of desktop manager totally changes the way you interact with your Blackberry. It keeps track of all devices that have been plugged in and adds a few cool new features to the mix, though for now it’s available for PC download only.
To read up more on Blackberry Desktop software 6.0 and download it for yourself visit Blackberry.com
Follow me on twitterBlind iPhone Typing: There’s an App For That [Video]
Jul 21st
One of the biggest accessibility drawbacks to the iPhone is its lack of physical keyboard. Blackberry users remain loyal, (other than BBM) based on its ease of communication and QWERTY keyboard functionality. Heavy Blackberry users are able to compose basic text and email messages without looking at the device, because they are so familiar with the keyboard and its layout.
But, what if there was an app that enabled users to type up emails/SMS/IMs without looking? Say hello to BlindType. Instead of being stuck to just the tethered keyboard that pops up at the bottom, BlindType simulates a keyboard anywhere you place your fingers on the screen and adjusts to the users typing style, allowing you to compose a message, even with limited vision. The app is still in development, but feel free to watch the video below to get a better understanding of what it does.
[Click here for mobile friendly viewing]
Read more on BlindType here
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Foursquare for Blackberry V1.9 Now Available
Jul 20th

Everyone’s favorite friend tracking app has been updated to V1.9 and is loaded with plenty of new features to keep you busy “checkin”ing to venues. One of the notable new features added to this new version (other than increased battery life), is the ability to upload photos from your check-in. This enables users and their friends to upload different photos from the same venue allowing followers to see a photo stream from different aspects of the event.
Other features added include:
- Sort Check-ins – Quickly sort your nearby check-ins by time (most recent check-in) or by distance (closest check-in).
- See Specials Nearby – Now you can see what venues feature specials when searching for what’s nearby.
- BlackBerry Maps Integration – From a venue details page, click on the Google map tile and automatically get launched into BlackBerry maps.
- Improved Battery Life – foursquare is always focused on battery performance and has made a few improvement. Expect even more improvements in the future.
- Improved Location Support – Additional improvements have been made to location, allowing for better location support when checking in.
- Small Tweaks & Fixes – foursquare is always listening to user feedback and making small fixes & tweaks along the way.
Pick-up Foursquare V1.9 OTA on your Blackberry here.
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This Week In BlackBerry 4/11-4/17
Jul 18th
BlackBerry leaks have been very light this week, but RIM has really picked up the slack with their official presence. The new BlackBerry 6 teaser video, BBM commercials and RIM’s Annual General Meeting definitely kept us entertained throughout the week.
Just when everything was calm again, Steve Jobs brought BlackBerry news back to life by attempting to pull RIM into Apple’s faulty antenna situation. Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie usually aren’t the type to respond to other Smartphone companies, but in this case, they felt it was necessary to put Steve Jobs in his place. Antennagate is so newsworthy, even people who normally don’t follow Smartphone news were talking about it and passing phones around, attempting to ‘death grip’. Hit the jump to see what you may have missed this week in BlackBerry.
News
RIM Releases Another BlackBerry 6 Teaser Video
RIM Finally Starting To Push BBM Through TV Commercials
BlackBerry 9800 Slider Parts Starting To Surface
Another Year, Another RIM-shot
Bell Dropping the Blackberry Bold 9000?
Blackberry 9800 To Be A Rogers Exclusive?
Apps
Bolt Browser updated to v2.11 fix a major bug!
Editorials
Viigo app to become a thing of the past?
Accessories
BlackBerry Accessory Review: Otterbox Commuter Case for Bold 9700
Skype Sues Fring – Confusion Ensues
Jul 13th
Recently, Fring pulled support for Skype on their platform after being sued by the internet calling juggernaut. It’s likely that Skype was Fring’s most used service, which is particularly crushing. It appears that the four year relationship was ended after Fring added 3G video calling on the iPhone platform, then pulled it soon after, prompting Skype to block them. So now, Fring claims Skype is being anti-competitive, Skype claims Fring is lying and pulled Skype because the network strain was too high.
The way I understand it, if a Skype licensor pulls Skype support from their product, they violate the agreement, which causes Skype to pull support. If that’s the case, Fring, collapsing under the incredible demand of iPhone 4 video calls, pulls the ability, which violates the agreement with Skype, whom in turn, doesn’t let Fring use their service. It’s also possible that Fring can’t handle the video demand and is looking for a scapegoat, as Skype claims.
This whole ordeal also raises a bigger question: why is there no Skype app for iPhone that supports video chat? Or that does iOS4 background calling? It’s clear that Skype is acting defensively in this case; I just wish they had something more robust that they were defending, since third parties like Fring have to date been our only option. -Gizmodo
Is what happened here? I’m not totally sure. Gizmodo has a good point. Fring has always been the innovator here. They had 3G calling, background calling, and video chat first — way before Skype. If Skype can’t deliver than we need these alternatives. We’ll probably see this unfold soon.
Read more about it here, here and here.
iBooks Available Now, Many Apps Updating
Jun 21st
The official release of iBooks is available now for download, get it here. In my quick look, it’s super smooth. Definitely blows GoodReader out of the water for PDF support. Animations are smooth, and effective. Like the iPad version, the application has hardware control over the brightness (cheaters). Chapter selection on PDFs does not appear to work, it goes by page instead. Bookmark syncing, notes, highlights and searches (on words) are all fully functional…, except in PDFs. I can’t seem to get it to work there. Don’t forget that Winnie-the-Pooh is free!
Also pouring in are iOS 4 enabled applications. Many simply getting fast app switching (which is just like multitasking for apps that don’t “do anything” like WordPress), but others getting legitimate multitasking capability as well. Engadget has a preliminary list here. Ars Technica has a massive, seven page epic on the new operating system for those that have some free time.
iOS 4 Sneak Peek: Game Center
Jun 17th
I’m sorry to report that there just isn’t much to say about Game Center yet. iOS 4 capable devices are few, so friends and friend requests are non-existant. The first tab has a status message, and it uses your iTunes account. I can elaborate on my one and only hope for it since I can’t actually test it (and these sneak peek photos don’t say a whole lot to me). All I want is a comprehensive solution to gaming with friends. The other networks (Plus+, Crystal, OpenFeint, etc) allow the connections, but I still never ever game with anyone. It’s too complicated right now to set things up. I want Game Center to permeate every game, and have everyone use it…, so there is no excuse anymore. Hopefully the transition is smooth and encompassing.
















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