Diamond Blackberry Curve Only $240,000

9/25/2009 10:12:00 PM View Comments




Have $240k to spend on a lavish gadget? Then you're in luck! Designer Alexander Amosu has created a nifty Blackberry Curve. Here are the specs:
  • Front & Back Diamonds: 4459 Diamonds
  • 18 Carat gold: Approx 62gsm
  • Cut: Brilliant cut
  • Colour: F-G
  • Clarity: VS1
  • Carat: Approx 28.42


Only 3 will ever be made, as each one takes over 350hrs of craftsmanship. You'll get one year free global concierge service, in 44 cities around the world. He also offers the option to have the battery cover personalised with your name. Want to buy one? Click here.

New BBM Update?

9/25/2009 09:30:00 PM View Comment

There have been reports from users that their BBM is asking them to do an upgrade to 2.5 as shown in the image below:

This isn't for BBM5, but we assume that RIM is at least updating their servers in preparation for its official release. Many users received errors when trying to install the upgrade, as it was indicating that their OS was not supported, and only older versions (4.0 & 4.1) were.

Thus far from the leaked version of BBM5 we know that the official release should have the following:
  • The possibility of adding to the BBM contacts SMS - chat will be possible to carry out the BBM, except that the same chat will take place via SMS
  • Create a group - chat with many people, sending images to entire groups, shared calendar, tasks and events for group
  • QRC Barcode reader
  • Ability to set an avatar that's visible to all 
  • Increased maximum size of attachments - pictures and notes to 6MB
  • Sending friends your location - with the possibility to receive their location
  • Wireless backup of contacts on the RIM servers 
Hopefully RIM will keep all of these great features and add even more!

Storm 2 Gets Stripped Down

9/25/2009 09:19:00 PM View Comments


















The guys at BBZ took their Storm 2 and stripped it down, giving us a nice visual and explanation on how the new touch-screen technology works. Check it out here.

U2 Really Doesn't Love Blackberry

9/25/2009 05:07:00 PM View Comments


















As if it wasn't bad enough that RIM has been unloading a ton of money into U2 with out gaining a good return. U2 hasn't showed any love at their concerts, and have sported only a handful of banners. It was just recently reported that none other than Bono and his investment company, Elevation Partners, has purchased 2.2 million shares of Palm stock at $35 million. This puts Bono at owning 42% of the Palm company. While he racks it in from Research In Motion, you can guess what phone he uses.

Source BGR

New Blackberry HS-500 Bluetooth Handset

9/25/2009 08:10:00 AM View Comments


There is a new Blackberry Bluetooth handset, the HS-500, arriving soon to a blackberry near you for $79.
  • Call control button - handles call functions such as receiving, mute, voice dialing and disconnecting
  • Automatic volume control and mute the sound environment - all can hear and be heard loudly and clearly even in noisy environments
  • Cooperates with selected applications to manufacturers of third navigation - to listen to commands navigation 


Blackberry Storm 2 9550 Box Shots

9/24/2009 09:11:00 PM 5 comments

*UPDATE* We got jipped by the source :( The pics have been confirmed to be FAKE. 

Here are a few box shots of  the Blackberry Storm 2 9550 (Odin) sent to us courtesy of our Verizon contact. Thank you J-ay! Model # appears to be RCK71CW, but nothing yet appears on the FCC website.






BBLeaks.com Mobile Launcher

9/24/2009 06:37:00 PM View Comment


Want an easy way to access all of the great news from BBLeaks? Then download our mobile site launcher!

OTA Links:
- for Blackberry's w/ OS v4.2 or higher
- for Blackberry's w/ OS v4.1
- for Blackberry's w/ OS 4.0

For install using Desktop Manager:
- for Blackberry's w/ OS v4.2 or higher
- for Blackberry's w/ OS v4.1
- for Blackberry's w/ OS v4.0

Mac Desktop Manager Confirmed for September 25th

9/24/2009 06:31:00 PM View Comments

Crackberry got a hold of a Bell internal document showing the release date for the Mac version of Blackberry Desktop Manager to be September 25th, which is tomorrow!























For all of the Mac users who didn't download the leaked version, we know you're ready!

Related Info:

Blackberry Essex to Have Bigger Camera?

9/24/2009 06:25:00 PM View Comments

The Blackberry Essex 9650, the upgraded version of the Blackberry Tour 9630, is said to have many new features coming to the device. The upcoming Blackberry Essex is said to sport Wi-Fi, use a TackPad, and one other upgrade that was previously unknown. Thanks to Salomondrin, we've learned that the next upgrade in the upcoming Blackberry Essex is a bigger camera!

Blackberry Alliance Program Launched

9/23/2009 10:48:00 PM View Comments


 Blackberry recently launched their tiered alliance program to build communication between RIM and businesses. The new program assists businesses, who sell Blackberry's, with marketing materials, sales benefits, tech support and more.

There are four account types:

• Registered Tier: Open to the public community to offer and share BlackBerry information and facilitate networking
• BlackBerry Alliance Associate Tier: Outreach program designed to accelerate development and increase member mindshare of the BlackBerry platform
• BlackBerry Alliance Select Tier: For members with sustainable revenue through various channels
• BlackBerry Alliance Elite Tier: For technology and brand leaders that ensure BlackBerry adoption and foster innovation and channel opportunities

Checkout the program eligibility requirements here

Google Voice is Back and Works on OS 5.0

9/23/2009 10:33:00 PM View Comments


 Google Voice 0.1.5 was released and then quickly pulled down, for no apparent reason. However, it is back and said to be compatible with OS 5.0!

Like we mentioned before, with all of these apps becoming compatible with OS 5.0, it only leads us to believe that the speculated release dates for OS 5.0 devices are true.

Check out http://m.google.com/voice to get the Google Voice.

RIM Walkthorugh on Desktop Manager for Mac

9/23/2009 10:25:00 PM View Comments





















Andrey, one of the leads for the Blackberry Desktop Manager for Mac, made a walk-through of the changes for the official version. Many Mac users have been impatiently waiting for the official release, as it was promised to release by the end of September.




















Some of the main points mentioned in the walk-through:

  • When synchronization of music, we have to choose between memory card and built-in memory
  • DM Preview basic information about the terminal on the main screen DM
  • Automatic synchronization and backup when connected
  • Select the items in the backup
  • Removing all the music one click
  • Syncing multiple calendars
  • Automatic updates
  • Adding and removing applications
  • Restoring a backup 
 Checkout the walk-through  here

Blackberry Storm 2 Releasing October 14th on Vodafone and Verizon

9/23/2009 10:16:00 PM View Comments

An employee for the Vodafone Group made an interesting statement regarding the Blackberry Storm 2 95xx's release date. According to the Blackberry deployment team at Vodafone, the scheduled release date is October 14th - 30th, which is in line with Verizon's. There has been a two week delay because, 'there are a few issues but we are confident we will make October 14th'. The issues that have caused the delay are minor faults with the browser and the screen doesn't always lock down when the phone is locked. He also noted, that the device is running OS 5.0.0.253 and, "A cool little addition to the sms and email functionality is a 'send button' on the screen, i.e. after an email has been typed up, you dont have to hit option>send anymore. You can do it all the on-screen."

Blackberry Innovation Forum in Europe

9/23/2009 10:06:00 PM View Comments













The BlackBerry Innovation Forum has been created for industry and IT professionals, who want to know more about mobility strategies leveraging the BlackBerry platform.
The agenda will feature BlackBerry customer presentations and panel discussions, industry speakers and BlackBerry experts. Breakout tracks will be focussed on different industry segments and lines of business – so you will be sure to find content that is in line with you and your organisation’s needs.

Why attend?

  • You will go away with ideas and inspiration for developing a mobile strategy for your organisation
  • Presentations and panel discussions with existing BlackBerry customers will show how deploying BlackBerry has helped their business
  • Find out about new ways to manage, monitor and extend your current IT and mobile architecture, to optimise its value
  • Meet some of our Alliance Members and BlackBerry experts in the Solutions Showcase area, who will demonstrate the latest applications and solutions for the BlackBerry platform

Who should attend?

  • Enterprise and IT Decision Makers from mid to large organisations and Public Sector
  • IT Administrators
  • Existing BlackBerry customers
  • Anyone interested in finding out more about BlackBerry.
The cost for attending this exciting, one-day event is just £395 per person. Numbers are limited, so register today to make sure you secure your place!

Dates:

  • 15.10 - Madrid, Spain
  • 20.10 - Paris, France
  • 22.10 - London, UK
  • 10-11.11 - Frankfurt, Germany



Bold OS 4.6.0.297 Re-released by AT&T

9/23/2009 10:01:00 PM View Comments

Originally AT&T released OS 4.6.0.297 for the Blackberry Bold, but decided to yank it once the OS was reported to have conflicted with AT&T's network. The original release was maintenance bundle 508, but the new one is 517.

Here is the e-mail that was sent from AT&T:

NEW BlackBerry Bold Maintenance Release v4.6.0.517 now available
BlackBerry Bold Maintenance Release bundle version 4.6.0.517 (comprising application version v4.6.0.297 and platform version 4.0.0.247) is now available for customers to download.  Bundle 517 contains all the functionality of the recently-removed bundle 508, but addresses the software issue affecting the interaction between the device and network enhancements being deployed.  There are no additional changes in bundle 517 (as compared to earlier BlackBerry Bold MR bundle 508) other than addressing the software issue.  For a review of the added functionality contained in this release, please see the original communications for BlackBerry Bold Maintenance Release.
Customers who downloaded bundle 508 should upgrade as soon as they are able as bundle 508 contains the software issue that is addressed in bundle 517. Customers on earlier versions (bundle 298 and maintenance release bundle 438) should be made aware of the performance enhancements and added capabilities of bundle 517 and should be encouraged to certify and upgrade their users.
Bundle 517 Maintenance Release is available for customers to download though 2 means:
  • Over-the-air delivery via OTASL (For information see “FOTA For BES Administrators” on the BlackBerry Enterprise Product Page in OIL)
  • Download from  www.att.com/bbdownloads
Visual Voicemail provisioning has also been re-instated for customers who have upgraded.

Facebook and MySpace Now Work on OS 5.0

9/22/2009 10:57:00 PM View Comments



Facebook and MySpace have been updated, and what's better than an update when it works with OS 5.0! The new Facebook version is 1.6.0.22, guess we can stop looking out for version 1.7...unless that version includes FB Chat! Simply point your browser to http://mobile.blackberry.com and you should be able to download both apps OTA.

Having all of these key apps (app world, IM clients, and now Facebook and MySpace) releasing can only mean one thing. Blackberry's running OS 5.0 are launching soon!

BIS Outage Again?

9/22/2009 03:29:00 PM View Comments


There are many reports that BIS is malfunctioning in North America...again. There was a BIS 2.8 upgrade that was to be completed last Sunday. However, many users are claiming their e-mails aren't arriving on time, many in spurts, or not at all. We know from previous reports that BIS 2.8 was working correctly in some European countries, but we thought this problem was going to be solved world-wide.

U.S. Leads In Mobile Data

9/22/2009 11:19:00 AM View Comments



It was reported last week that China now has over 1 billion mobile users. India is up and coming with over 20 million mobile users. However, no one can beat the over consumption of data like the U.S.  According to Chetan Sharma, who is a member of the GigaOM Pro Analyst Network, he says U.S. companies are showing strong growth both in terms of overall traffic and revenue. This overhaul of the data market is largely in part of flat-rate services, 3G, and mobile devices such as iPhone and Blackberry.

Here are some of Chetan Sharma's findings for the first half of 2009:
  • Mobile data now accounts for 25 percent of total global service revenue.
  • Verizon is the second-largest carrier in terms of mobile data, edging past China Mobile and closing in on NTT DoCoMo, which had revenues of $8 billion.
  • U.S. data revenues were $20.6 billion vs. $16 billion for Japan and $8.6 billion for China during the first six months of this year.
  • Top 10 global wireless carriers now account for 63 percent of global mobile data revenue.
  • Biggest mobile growth was registered by Verizon, AT&T and Softbank. Two out of those three companies sell iPhones.
  • Data revenue for the overall industry was up 10 percent from the second half of 2008, showing that the current craze for smartphones is helping to boost mobile Internet usage.



Analysts: RIM Earnings Surprises

9/22/2009 10:51:00 AM View Comments



Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) has topped expectations for 3 consecutive quarters. Ahead of the company's fiscal second-quarter report, 3 analysts have raised their projections. The changes were not significant enough to move the Zacks Consensus Estimate from its current level of $1 per share, though the most accurate estimate is a penny higher, at $1.01 per share. Research in Motion is scheduled to report on Thursday, Sep 24, after the close of trading.

Since 1988, the Zacks Rank has proven that "Earnings estimate revisions are the most powerful force impacting stock prices." Since inception in 1988, #1 Rank Stocks have generated an average annual return of +26%. During the 2000-2002 bear market, Zacks #1 Rank stocks gained +43.8%, while the S&P 500 tumbled -37.6%. Also note that the Zacks Rank system has just as many Strong Sell recommendations (Rank #5) as Strong Buy recommendations (Rank #1). Since 1988, Zacks Rank #5 stocks have underperformed the S&P 500 by 111% annually (-0.8% versus +8%). Thus, the Zacks Rank system allows investors to truly manage portfolio trading effectively.

Blackberry's Getting Military-Grade Encryption?

9/22/2009 01:32:00 AM View Comments



Gold Lock Enterprise, created by the Israeli Government, is a new triple layer end-to-end encryption suite that has been made for Blackberry's. The software utilizes AES 256-bit and Elliptic Curve 384-bit encryption for protecting data and Diffie Hellman 4096-bit key exchange protocol for securing key transfers. All encryption is executed using the protected device's native processing power, so no additional hardware or training is required. Gold Lock says that they are so sure their app secures all encrypted data and voice communications, file transfers and SMS messaging. Despite numerous attempts made both by internal Gold Lock experts and external hacker teams, not a single successful decryption has ever been executed since 2003.

Sounds interesting, but just how secure is your Blackberry already? Granted Blackberry's aren't a Sectera Edge or Qsec, but the BlackBerry, usually (data) gets encrypted before it leaves the network operations centre, then gets re-encrypted when it gets to the BES, then a third time when it hits the device. With the recent aquisition of Certicom by RIM, Blackberry's should be getting even better security. Once RIM utilizes Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), which is also used by Motorola, IBM and a number of others, will an app such as Gold Lock be necessary? It could be if you're a secret agent...

Check out Gold Lock here.

Storm 2 OS 5.0.0.243 Screenshot

9/22/2009 12:55:00 AM View Comments

Nice screen showing OS .243? Interesting, considering that this wasn't the OS version confirmed for the release of the Blackberry Storm 2 9550. Either way, it has been said (and I can mildly attest to this) that OS 5.0 makes the Storm 1 come very close to the Storm 2. Only difference in the Storm 2 is of course it has more RAM, Wi-Fi, better touch-screen, and well, is NEW hah.



Blackberry Tour OS 5.0.0.230 Leak?

9/21/2009 09:10:00 PM View Comments

Apparently OS .230 has been leaked four the Blackberry Tour 9630. Earlier last week OS .230 was "leaked" for the Blackberry Storm 9530, but it was met with some speculation as to it's authenticity as a leak. The OS leak strikingly like a Hybrid OS, masked as a true OS leak. Nevertheless, below is the link to get a copy of this OS for all the Tour owners out there.



 >> Discuss OS 5.0.0.230 in the BB Leaks Forums

- Blackberry Tour 9630 OS 5.0.0.230

*DISCLAIMER* - DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL AT YOUR OWN RISK. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MALFUNCTIONS OR ERRORS THAT MAY OCCUR.

Free Create-A-JAD Program!

9/21/2009 08:54:00 PM View Comments

One of the best OS Hybrid designers, Lyricidal, has create a tool to create OTAs (.jad) and/or Desktop Installers (.alx) for apps of your choice.


- Create-A-JAD zip

Instructions
1. Enter information requested (All are required except for description)
2. Drag and drop all the files needed for your app install into the white box under Files.
3. If you haven't already, enter the filename (no extension) and choose what type of install you need: .JAD is for OTA, .ALX is for Desktop Install, and Both does both of them.
4. Click Create It!
5. Enjoy your new OTA/Desktop Install!

Get Your OTA Up and Running
1) Upload all .cods required, the .jad, and the .htaccess file created to your webspace
2) Go to the link to your .jad file from your phone
3) Install away!

To Use In Desktop Install
1) Copy and paste the created .alx file in your OS's folder (ie. 9530-v4.7.0.167_P4.0.0.205)
2) Copy and paste the .cod files into the Java folder (if you checked that box when creating the .alx) or into the same OS folder as step 1 (if you left the checkbox unchecked)
3) Install using AppLoader (Loader.exe) or Desktop Manager

To Use JavaLoader.exe Install
1) Put created .bat file, JavaLoader.exe (autodownloads), and the .cods into the same folder
2) Plug in phone and run the .bat file


Change Log
V1.3
- Save to location added
- Better error handling
- JavaLoader.exe install creation added
- Check for updates button
- Minor bug fixes
- Status bar to let you know what the app is doing

V1.2
- Added "Always On Top" checkbox
- Added .alx functionality
- "Clear" only checked options

Blackberry Storm 2 No Clicking Video

9/21/2009 11:07:00 AM View Comments

Like we suggest in our poll. Do you want the ability to be able to decide if you want the infamous 'click' when pressing down on the Storm 2 screen?


Thanks Salamondrin for another great video!

IM 5.0 Clients Leaked

9/21/2009 11:00:00 AM View Comments

Do you miss AIM, Yahoo, or Google Talk since you've installed OS 5.0 on your Blackberry? Good thing the new OS 5.0 versions of these Instant Messaging clients were leaked! 

You will first need to download the free Blackberry Swiss Army Knife application in order to install the apps on your Blackberry.

- Package of all IM clients

Individual OTA links:
*DISCLAIMER* - DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL AT YOUR OWN RISK. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MALFUNCTIONS OR ERRORS YOU MAY OCCUR.

App World Works on OS 5.0

9/21/2009 10:53:00 AM View Comments

A few berry addicts were able to get the .COD files from the 1.1.0.17 version of Blackberry App World. By installing these files using the free Blackberry Swiss Army Knife application you will be able to run App World on OS 5.0.0.190!

















- Download COD files via RapidShare
- Download COD files via Mega Upload


*DISCLAIMER* - DOWNLOAD AT YOUR OWN RISK. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MALFUNCTIONS OR ANY ERRORS YOU MAY OCCUR.

First Plazmic 5 Screenshot?

9/21/2009 10:41:00 AM View Comments

With the new OS 5.0 on the verge of release, it would make sense that there should be a new Plazmic release as well. Plazmic makes theme building possible, among other things. Just like the version 4.7 was leaked, we're sure Plazmic 5 will leak sometime soon.