Bplay sale tempts potentially productive students with BlackBerry themes and games, Sep 04

We’ve written quite a few posts today and in recent weeks pointing out that AT&T still hasn’t released the BlackBerry Bold, while most international carriers have beaten them to the punch. We like doing this — maybe out of friendly U.S./Canada sibling rivalry, maybe because we’re just not nice people.

However, we feel for the American members of the BlackBerry Nation, and we’re looking to help them out. A BBCool reader has tipped us off that the New York BlackBerry Center is selling AT&T BlackBerry Bolds a little sooner than they should. While anyone in the NYC area can swing by the Time and Life Building on 6th Ave. and West 50th to pick one up, the New York BlackBerry Center also has them available for sale at their website BlackBerryBusiness.com. The damage? USD $1,500!! But hey, pre-release BlackBerrys don’t come cheap.

If any of our NY readers can swing by the New York BlackBerry Center to snap a picture, we’d be much obliged.

Fresh off the tip line comes yet another country not named America to launch the BlackBerry Bold. We’ve been told that Movistar Venezuela has officially launched the BlackBerry Bold for enterprise customers, with availability for the general populace to come next week, around the time that many hope the AT&T version will make an appearance.

Movistar will be offering the BlackBerry Bold for BsF 1,999 or USD 928. Our friends over at zonablackberry.com.vehave a press release available (if you speak Spanish), as well as pictures from Movistar’s recent BlackBerry Bold launch event.

Thanks for the tip Master Chief!

Click here to read the Ultimate BlackBerry Bold Review (with full device specs)

I know that many of you in the BlackBerry Nation have just gotten your hands on OS 4.5, and unless you’re packing a BlackBerry Bold (like us), haven’t even seen OS 4.6 yet. But the time has come to start talking about OS 4.7, which we’ve heard will make its debut with the BlackBerry Javelin, otherwise known as the BlackBerry 8900.

While we haven’t heard much about the incremental updates OS 4.7 will feature over the current BlackBerry Bold OS, we do know that it will feature an update to the BlackBerry Browser which should fix the Javascript issues which currently plague the BlackBerry Bold. This news falls in line with earlier reports that with the 4.6 version of the BlackBerry Browser, RIM had focused on stability over speed, and would be looking to optimize performance in future versions.

We’ll keep our ears to the ground in the hopes of telling you more about OS 4.7. For now, check out all known BlackBerry Javelin specs and a list of related articles after the jump.

Click here to view BlackBerry Javelin specifications

Considering that RIM has pimped out their Facebook application across all carriers in North America, it’s likely that you’ve accessed a social network via your BlackBerry (although we prefer m.linkedin.com, and are patiently waiting for a native BlackBerry app). Analyst ABI Research speculated earlier this week that by 2013, there will be more than 140 million mobile social network subscribers worldwide, and generating subscription revenues in excess of $410 million. To put these numbers in perspective, that’s more than the current worldwide unique visitor numbers of either MySpace or Facebook, which hover somewhere around 115 million.

The question to be asked is where all that money will come from — both MySpace and Facebook currently have mobile web-accessible versions of their sites, and the aforementioned BlackBerry Facebook app costs you nothing but time and data. ABI Research speculates that the revenue come not via advertising, but through a subscription model for social network access, likely in the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

Here’s a question (or two): how much would you pay to use a BlackBerry Facebook app per month? How much for a LinkedIn app?

(via CN)

Joining the growing number of countries that will receive the smartphone before RIM’s largest market, Maxis announced the release of the BlackBerry Bold in Malaysia yesterday. It now seems like every country other than the United States has the BlackBerry Bold — maybe they missed some sort of giveaway at the recent Olympic Games in China.

While Maxis doesn’t have firm pricing details on their website, expect it to be upwards of RM2,000 (they are currently offering the BlackBerry 8820 for RM2,500 and the BlackBerry 8310 for RM2,000).

Click here to read the ultimate BlackBerry Bold Review (with full device specs)

(via RIM)

No, this isn’t the latest BlackBerry Cool Weekly Contest giveaway (we wish). Cruising around BlackBerry.com this morning, I discovered that Ford and RIM have teamed up to offer a 2009 Lincoln MKS as part of their ongoing WinWithBlackBerry.com promotion! The Lincoln MKS of course can sync with your BlackBerry, allowing you to do hands-free calling and other cool things.

RIM and Ford are also giving away 10 BlackBerrys (most likely Bolds), so go now! Registration was quick and easy. Although, if we win, what are we going to do with the current BlackBerry Coolmobile?

Click here to register to win a 2009 Lincoln MKS!

TaskMaster, a juiced version of the integrated BlackBerry Tasks app, has slashed its price from $29.99 to $9.99 until September 12th. - a crazy discount no matter what software you’re looking at buying. One-click category switching, Outlook synchronization, and task creation by hotkey. Although this might seem like it replaces the BlackBerry Tasks app, it actually syncs up with it. NextAction! integration is also available, so you’ll always know what you’re supposed to be working on. Interested? Check out TaskMaster!

We’re still crossing our fingers for a September 12th. BlackBerry Bold launch on AT&T, but if you aren’t holding your breath for it, the Wi-Fi BlackBerry Curve (8320) is aiming for a late September launch, which will finally complete AT&T’s Wi-Fi BlackBerry lineup. Included will be OS 4.5 (also due to hit BlackBerry 8120, BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry 8310, and BlackBerry 8300), along with all of the associated goodies like e-mail search, free/busy lookup, Documents to Go… Of course, Wi-Fi in and of itself will offer access to AT&T’s some 17,000 hotspots across the U.S., which ain’t nothing to sneeze at, and it’ll be supporting AT&T’s Push-to-Talk service. While no pricing was mentioned, you can expect this one in the $100-range (like the 8310) and coming in a dashing new sapphire blue paint job.

If your company is serious about utilizing mobility to enhance productivity, you’re already familiar with Rove Mobile, whose products have garnered significant acclaim in the BlackBerry space (most notably ours). Today Rove announced an update to their flagship product, Mobile Admin 4.0, which allows IT Administrator the ability to manage their systems remotely.

Feature Highlights of Mobile Admin 4.1

SSH and Telnet Integration:
Create secure SSH and Telnet connections to manage a wide range of network systems and devices, including UNIX, Linux and AS/400 servers.

RDP and VNC Integration:
Create secure remote connections to Windows servers and graphically administrate your server and desktop applications.

Shortcuts to Common Tasks:
Catalog and access frequently used network administration tasks.

Mobile Admin 4.1 launches on September 16th. Existing Mobile Admin customers will be able to download the update from Rove’s website free of charge with a valid maintenance contract.

Click here for a full Mobile Admin 4.1 FAQ

A bunch of new free ringtones for BlackBerry popped up on mobile.blackberry.com which kind of look like they didn’t make the final cut to be prepackaged with the BlackBerry Bold, as they’re sporting the familiar Inspired and Pro series names. They’re all the high quality you’d expect right from RIM, and worth nabbing real quick if you’re looking for a taste of the Bold on another device.

(via BerryReview)

Hit the jump for direct download links to the free BlackBerry ringtones!

It’s been confirmed that Brazilian carrier Claro is now offering the BlackBerry Bold in all of its 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, crystal-clear-screeny goodness, although it’s apparently not showing up in their online store. We had heard of Claro bringing the BlackBerry 9000 to Chile around this timeframe, so maybe some Chileans out there can let us know if they got it too. Head on over to Claro’s site to find the retailer closest to you and see if they have it in stock.

Thanks Luciano!

(via BlackBerry World BR)

There are whispers that Rogers will be revamping their data costs as of October 1 for the better.

• $15 - 2 MB
• $25 - 500 MB
• $30 - 1 GB
• $60 - 3 GB
• $80 - 8 GB

  While those might not add up much to the $30 for 6 GB promo plan that was going in August (looks like it’s going to be extended through September), there are a few more things that make these new data rates way more appealing. First off, the first three months of data usage will be free, allowing subscribers to figure out which plan suits them best. Second, users will now get SMS alerts when they approach their limit so they won’t get dinged with heavy-duty overage charges. Thirdly, even if you happen to go over on data, those costs will capped at $100. This is awesome news for those of us who happen to be a little zealous with our mobile browsing, and makes tethering a much more realistic option. Telus and Bell will really have to step up to the plate in order to compete with a plan this appealing… Maybe their supposed HSPA partnership will bring something juicy to customers, like, say, the BlackBerry Bold.

  (via BlackBerry News)

It looks like the BlackBerry 8900 is really making the rounds these days, as separate sources have been able to provide some side-by-side shots of the upcoming Javelin against the BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Curve, and the BlackBerry Kickstart Pearl 8220. This is the first time that we’ve seen all three of RIM’s next-gen devices in one spot together, and I think will be a good indicator of what the BlackBerry web page will look like in the next couple of months. When the touchscreen BlackBerry Thunder Storm 9500 gets thrown into the mix, we’ll have four new classes total, but as is, these three will be replacing the old Pearl, Curve and 8800 lineups. What do you guys think? Are these three an honest evolution to RIM’s existing strategy? How well will the BlackBerry 9500 fit in?

The BlackBerry 8220 will be RIM’s first flip device, and will be due on Rogers for around $150 on a three-year plan (no word on T-Mobile’s pricing) sometime this September, while the BlackBerry Javelin (8900) should be coming a little bit later, around November or December. It doesn’t have the 3G that the Bold does, but will have a nicer camera, a slimmer profile and a screen that’s just as nice. If you can’t wait for the Kickstart, there’s one up on Ebay now…

(via CB, HowardForums)

Check behind the jump for BlackBerry Javelin versus the BlackBerry Curve, the Kickstart against the Bold and the World Edition, and purported device specs…

Ah, Labor Day: in which we pay homage to the day pilgrims of ancient times gathered together to celebrate the long weekend. Not ones to turn down an excuse to hit the cottage, the BlackBerry Cool staff has ventured off to enjoy the death of August and birth of September, so expect infrequent posting, unless a new BlackBerry is born today too.

However, if Labor Day means purging your inbox while surfing the Internet for the latest in BlackBerry news, why don’t you sit back and enjoy BBCool Simon’s last podcast, while you help us figure out what is going on with the BlackBerry Bold’s web browser. Perhaps you’d also like to invest in some back-to-school BlackBerry applications for the little one.

Have a safe and happy holiday, everyone!

A bit of a slower week newswise, though still plenty of interesting Bold-related stuff, including upcoming AT&T availability, OS 4.6 browser speeds, as well as some fresh pricing info on the BlackBerry 8220 and some more confusion on the BlackBerry 9500’s naming scheme. This is Simon’s last podcast on BBCool, so you better soak it all in.

Click here to listen to the BlackBerry Cool Podcast: Episode 39

While BlackBerry Cool was the first website on the Internet to bring you competent speed testing of the BlackBerry Bold and iPhone 3G web browsers, it seems as though our initial tests were not as definitive as we would have liked them to be. This past week, we have been working with Kevin from CrackBerry.com, who has been trapped in BlackBerry purgatory trying to get any sort of positive browsing experience. While we suggest you read his two long and passionate posts on the subject (which describe crackberry addiction better than anything else on the Internet), here are the problems in a nutshell:

– The BlackBery Bold from Rogers has some serious issues when you attempt to enable Javascript support while browsing the web over 3G.
– There has to be some sort of issue with the Bold and WiFi/HotSpot Browser that pops up under specific circumstances. I don’t know what is yet, but I’m sure there’s something up.

While we were initially surprised to hear that Kevin had been having such problems, because we had not encountered them at all in our testing. However, out of BlackBerry unity, we agreed to give him some help and adopt his testing methodology. Once we did, it became clear that we were facing (some, but not all of) the same problems as Kevin. Which means that something is going on with the BlackBerry Browser.

Click here to read more about BlackBerry Cool’s BlackBerry Bold Browser testing

Various Nokia handset enjoy a little function that automatically changes the calling profile (vibrate, quiet, etc.) based on your GPS location and the time, which fellow blogger Gordon Dewis would love to see on his BlackBerry Curve so much that he’s putting $50 out there for anyone willing to cook the app up. Personally, I think anyone who made something like this could make a hell of a lot more than $50 after putting it up on Handango and MobiHand… Some of the features needed include…

1. the last-known location as determined from the GPS using proximity to a waypoint (eg: “when I am within 200m of this location, use the Quiet profile”).
2. GSM cell ID (eg: “when I am ‘here’, use the Loud profile”).
3. time of day/day of week ranges (eg: weekdays between 0900 and 1700, use the Normal profile).

This sounds like a great project for any budding coders, or even more established ones looking for a quick distraction. Of course, there may be some difficulties in automating the profile-changing process that I might not know about. Any devs out there think this app is doable? Anyone else who would like to see this come to life can chip into the bounty via Paypal (paypal AT dewis DOT ca with “BlackBerry bounty” in the comments).

(via Gordon Dewis)

Yeah, that new bottom-bar Precision Zen theme is pretty slick, but some of us are still plenty happy with the oldies, like Today and the slightly-newer L theme. Well, it looks like someone over at Howard Forums has managed to hack in the old styles onto the Bold, and they look alright! Of course we’ll have to wait until the official Theme Developer Kit for OS 4.6 comes out before we can see some stuff that really takes advantage of the Bold’s screen and processor. The Plazmic CDK for 4.5 was just released late last month, so it might take awhile before we start seeing some proper shiny new themes, but this does get us day-dreaming about what’s next.

Thanks Nu!

(via HowardForums)