BackUp Assistant Coming to Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Users on March 9th?

2/26/2010 11:19:00 AM View Comments

The folks over at BerryScoop got a nice tip that the infamous BackUp Assistant, which most Verizon customers are used to, will be available to BlackBerry users on March 9th.  BackUp Assistant will be free and can be easily downloaded. After you've verified your PIN, all of your contacts will begin getting backed up wirelessly. BackUp Assistant has worked great on other phones in the past. It will be interesting to see if it will work just as good on a BlackBerry.

BlackBerry Tour 9630 OS 5.0.0.530 Leaked Online

2/26/2010 08:24:00 AM View Comment

Now here is something interesting! Correct us if we're wrong, but almost certain this is the highest build we've seen so far (except for the 5.0.1.xx builds leaked for Stratus and Atlas). Interestingly enough it's for the BlackBery Tour 9630! This is a non-Verizon release and therefore you must delete the vendor.xml file before installing through desktop manager.

*DISCLAIMER* - This is an unofficial RIM software release. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk! BB Leaks is not responsible for any malfunctions or abnormalities that may occur.

Could This Be What BlackBerry OS 6.0 Looks Like?

2/25/2010 09:41:00 PM View Comments


The Super App webcast held for developers was today and BerryScoop had a guy (@kfow35) send them some interesting pictures from the event. Like it was said over there, I do not think RIM would nonchalantly show off their new OS plans, but it could be a prototype and it looks really cool.

With this Blackberry devices would apparently have live home screen updates, live widgets, and hopefully some memory to spare. It may not be the OS 6.0 we will see, but it shows RIM is on the right track.

RIM Sued Over Visual Voicemail Patent

2/25/2010 09:32:00 PM View Comments

In 2009, Klausner Technologies (a notorious company who sues Apple and RIM repeatedly) filed a lawsuit claiming ownership of several visual voicemail patents that RIM has filed. Boy Genius Report today posted some very interesting information about a letter, written by RIM, being sent to a small App World vendor (apparently wanting to remain anonymous) claiming that the App World may be "responsible for the damages Klausner is seeking under Section 12 of the App World Vendor Agreement."

BIS 3.0 To Arrive March 21

2/25/2010 04:55:00 PM View Comments

When the BIS 3.0 PDF leaked earlier in February we confirmed the dates that it would be releasing.

Now our friends over at Crackberry received an email from RIM officially confirming that they will be releasing BIS 3.0 on March, 21, 2010. We know that it will feature support for both WMA media and OpenOffice.

To read the full email, hit the jump.

Foursquare App Updated to 1.5.5

2/25/2010 04:00:00 PM View Comments


Today the Foursquare team announced another update, this time to 1.5.5. Yesterday the team released version 1.5. Finally this update includes support for Storm users and other cool features worth checking out.

The new features are:

  • Touch-screen support for Blackberry Storm users
  • Much better, faster and more accurate location lookups
  • Improved performance (both speed and battery life)
  • New users can now sign up from the phone
  • Ability to see nearby tips and tip details
  • Ability to add friends
  • Ability to find friends

Mobile Checkbook App Review

2/25/2010 01:21:00 PM View Comments

Anyone out there who has a checking account knows (or should know) the importance of keeping it balanced and knowing how much money you have on tap.  Overdraft fees can be expensive and avoiding them should be a priority.  When a checking account meant you could only write checks, a paper check register worked great.  With the addition of check cards, most transactions occur digitally and pulling out your register to write down the information can be a hassle.  Enter Mobile Checkbook for Blackberry.  Mobile checkbook is the answer to the old school paper registers, allowing you to keep track of transactions with your Blackberry.  I had the privilege of test driving the Mobile Checkbook app, hit the jump for the full review.

Contest To Win Official Twitter For BlackBerry Invites

2/24/2010 09:25:00 PM View Comments


Contest Winners Announced:

Ryan Hamrick
Kiana Mckoy

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest and stay on the lookout for future contests!

And make sure that you follow the BBLeaks team on Twitter: @bbleaks @DerrellJamison @bbandrew_nash @matthiasj50 for updates and the latest in BlackBerry news!


I've gotten my hands on a few invite codes for the Official Twitter for BlackBerry application and thought this would be a good chance to give back to the BlackBerry community.  We are now hosting a contest to give you a chance to win one of the invite codes.  Winners will be announced on Saturday (February 27, 2010).

To enter the contest, all you have to do is comment on this post!

Verizon Says Goodbye to 4 BlackBerry Devices

2/24/2010 09:20:00 PM View Comments


GizmoFusion has gotten word that Verizon has confirmed the End of Life for the 8830, Curve 8330, Storm 9530, and Pearl Flip 8230 BlackBerry devices.  More than likely, this decision results from the fact that most of these devices have been replaced by newer models [Curve 8530, Storm 9550, Tour, etc.]. 

After these devices are gone, Verizon will be left with the Curve 2, Tour 9630, and Storm 2.  But with the Tour 2 Bold on the way and rumors of a Storm 3 in development, Verizon will still maintain a pretty impressive BlackBerry lineup.  I'm glad that I held on to my Curve 8330 after I got the Storm 2 last year though, because it might become a collectors item in the future [wishful thinking].

Slacker Radio Updated to 3.0.451, US Release

2/23/2010 11:54:00 AM View Comments

If you'll remember Slacker Radio underwent a major overhaul and update back in January, but only Canadian users got the Slacker love.  Fortunately, Slacker is spreading the love and now offering their popular radio app for US residents.  The update includes a significant UI upgrade, more customization options, better battery life, and the long awaited station caching feature where you can save stations to your memory card for listening when you don't have signal.  (Station caching only available for Plus subscribers.)  Hit the jump for the full press release.

Poynt Updated to 1.5.3.14

2/22/2010 04:17:00 PM View Comments

Poynt, the popular location based search app has been updated to version 1.5.3.14. I haven't noticed any major changes, probably just bug fixes. If you'll remember Poynt underwent a major overhaul a few weeks back that updated it's UI and made it a lot more functional. Poynt is a great app and can help you find restaurants, gas stations, and much more based on your cell tower position, or GPS location.  Thanks to @droidberry for catching this. 



Blackberry 9650 Delay Information

2/21/2010 06:58:00 PM View Comments

The new Blackberry 9650 has caused quite a stir of rumors. The guys over at Mobilitysite.com had a guy ("BBMike") from inside RIM email them with important information:

  • Some Verizon stores recieved the 9650, but were sent back for "updates"
  • Verizon will not release the 9650 until the official OS 5.0 is released for the Tour 9630
  • The 9650 will not be called the Tour 2. It will be the Bold 9650.

This is very interesting and could mean that the 9630 users will be getting OS 5.0 soon.

Amazon Kindle For Blackberry Review

2/20/2010 12:11:00 AM View Comments


Kindle from Amazon is one of the most popular e-book readers on the market. Kindle currently has about 444,000 books available for their device. Well now Amazon has created Kindle for Blackberry. The release has created quite a stir in the Blackberry community and people cannot get enough of it. I at first was skeptical about reading books on my Blackberry but am pleased to say I am now a Kindle user also.

The app's interface is very good looking and easy to navigate and is very similar to the Amazon App for Blackberry that came out last year. Kindle for Blackberry is very easy to use. You simply go the Kindle Shop in the app, and there you will find 444,000 books in your grasp, many of them free.


Best Twitter Applications For BlackBerry

2/19/2010 10:23:00 PM View Comments

Twitter is a social networking site that many of us are very familiar with. Over the past year it has developed a large following of dedicated users and has become one of the most popular websites for social networking [watch out Facebook]. The driving force behind Twitter's exponential growth in popularity lies solely in its vast selection of mobile applications that allow users to "tweet" from any location, any time. For us BlackBerry users that are always on the go or simply need another excuse to play with our devices - mobile applications are a must have. Here in this article, I will do a brief review of some of the most popular and (in my opinion) best Twitter applications for BlackBerry.

RIM Taking on Apple, Focusing on BlackBerry App Advertising

2/18/2010 10:40:00 AM View Comments


A tipster let us know that @GoRumors has found some patents filed by RIM relating to the Blackberry Advertising Service announced late last year.  The Blackberry Advertising Service would help developers connect their apps with ad networks to help monetize their applications.  This is a smart move by RIM which would attract more developers who would like incentives $$$ when creating apps.  Apple provides developers with access to ad networks to help keep apps cheap or free.  If RIM is able to implement this they should be able to attract more developers.  The first patent is titled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INCORPORATING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT INTO A MESSAGE HANDLED BY A MOBILE DEVICE," and the second patent is "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EVALUATING ADVERTISING METRICS."  

Amazon Kindle App Released for Blackberry

2/18/2010 09:40:00 AM View Comments

It looks like Amazon is finally showing Blackberry users some love by releasing a Kindle app for Blackberry.  If you've been holding off on purchasing a Kindle then consider this.  Amazon offers the Kindle app for Blackberry, free, which gives you full access to the Kindle library (over 400,000 books).  The app also supports Whispersync which syncs your last read page and annotations between other Kindle devices with Whispersync.  With the Kindle app you can create bookmarks and view annotations made with your Kindle, computer, or other Kindle compatible mobile device.  Hit the jump for more information about the Kindle for Blackberry app.


ShopBlackBerry Shows Up In BlackBerry AppWorld

2/18/2010 06:00:00 AM View Comments


The folks over at CrackBerry have gotten the news that BlackBerry App World recently added a mobile application that links directly to the website that RIM uses to sell accessories for their devices. The idea is that you will now have a mobile application that will allow you to take advantage of the Official BlackBerry online accessories store no matter where you are. Part of the description outlines some key features:
  • Automatic device detection
  • catalogue updates
  • address book integration
  • secure credit card purchasing
Head to the download page and give it a try.

BlackBerry Storm2 9520 Released for T-Mobile UK

2/17/2010 10:28:00 PM View Comments

Thanks to one of our readers we've learned that the BlackBerry Storm2 9520 has officially released on T-Mobile in the UK. "T-Mobile’s first full touchscreen BlackBerry has it all, for business and pleasure. From 10 email accounts to instant messaging, from 3G internet to iTunes sync, from WiFi to a 3.2 megapixel camera. Get it on the best smartphone network now."

T-Mobile is currently advertising it for "free"; from £30 a month plus £5 BlackBerry email Booster. You can choose a plan anywhere from £10 to £40.

Buy Storm2 9520 From T-Mobile UK >> 

Could this mean the secret T-Mobile meeting we heard about might be for a possible T-Mobile USA release?

Rogers Getting Storm 2 or Marketing Mistake?

2/17/2010 03:53:00 PM View Comments


Our friends over at BlackberryCool.com received word of an interesting ad in March 1st's of Canadian Business showing the Blackberry Storm2 being available from Rogers Wireless. "See all there is to see with Blackberry Storm smartphones from Rogers and other major retailers..."

For awhile now there have been rumors of the Storm series coming to Rogers but nothing set in stone. BlackberryCool seems to thinks it could be possible that the ad department got "lazy" and switched out Verizon for Rogers without thinking.

YouMail for Blackberry App Updated

2/17/2010 12:16:00 AM View Comments

YouMail notified all their email subscribers that they have just released an update to their popular voicemail application. YouMail gives users an alternative to carrier voicemail by bypassing what the carriers offer while giving you a host of new features. I personally use YouMail and enjoy visual voicemail that most carriers didn't offer for Blackberry's until recently. This update brings a lot of new features to the application, better performance, improved battery life, and gives you more control over your YouMail account. Continue reading for more information, and a full list of updated features.

Download the YouMail app from the Blackberry App World