Soon, you will be able to transfer downloadable content and interactive features from your Blu-ray Disc to your BlackBerry. With BD Touch, you’ll also be able to use your BlackBerry as a remote control for a compatible Blu-ray player (If supported by playback device).
Features of this new software include:
* Transfer media from Blu-ray player to handheld device
* Remote control – control movie playback using handheld device
* Keyboard – use handheld device keyboard to enter data to player
* Create games based on title that interact with handheld device
* Multiple handheld devices can integrate with a single BD disc
* simultaneously – multi-player games!
From May 5th to May 7th, WES 2009 is shaping up to be a great conference. There have been rumors about a new BlackBerry device as well as a demo of the first 4G BlackBerry. With over 125 sessions going on, including 23 on the subject of BES 5, there will be a ton of content on the site.
Here’s just a sampling from the more than 125 sessions that will be offered this year:
Customer Panel – An Inside Look at BlackBerry® Enterprise Server version 5.0
Best Practices for Measuring Your BlackBerry Enterprise Server Performance
Is Unified Communications and Fixed-Mobile Convergence Right for You?
High Availability for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server – Up Close and Interactive
Who’s Who? Classifying Your Employees’ Mobile Requirements
Mobile ROI: The Trends, Facts and Fiction
Modern Healthcare and Mobility
Coding Shortcuts: Custom Application Development for Multiple BlackBerry® Operating Systems
Looking to get coverage of your company at WES? Email me and we’ll book a convenient time. kyle [at] blackberrycool [dot] com.
YouMail Voicemail Plus (VVP) is a free, visual voicemail app for BlackBerry has had some pretty great success on App World.
VVP launched in BlackBerry App World on Saturday, April 4 and in less than two weeks, the app is amongst the top 15 downloaded apps for the BlackBerry Storm, Bold, Pearl and Curve devices with O/S 4.3 or higher. Here’s the break down for YouMail’s rankings:
Visual Voicemail plus ranked #10 app download on BlackBerry Storm
Visual Voicemail plus ranked #12 app download on Blackberry Bold (ranked #1 in Personal Organization)
Visual Voicemail plus ranked #13 app download on BlackBerry Pearl
Visual Voicemail plus ranked #14 app download on BlackBerry Curve
Additionally, YouMail has updated the “status greetings” on Visual Voicemail Plus allowing users to extend their love for status updates on Twitter and apply it to their voicemail. Users can set up greetings by going to the YouMail Web site and selecting from the greetings available and/or recording their own. With a click of a button, users can tell their callers they are at work, in a meeting, on vacation, working out, etc.
I love productivity and system apps for my BlackBerry. I think there are a few that should be built into BlackBerry devices by default, such as Aerize Alerts (pop-up notifications of incoming mail/SMS/calls), QuickPull (restart your BB with a click), and QuickLaunch (shortcut links on any screen).
I recently tried another app that should come preloaded on the BlackBerry. AutoStandby, from makers, Steelthorn Software (also makers of QuickPull,) is a simple app that RIM should definitely put on all their devices.
Putting your phone in standby mode saves quite a bit of battery life as well as prevents accidental key presses. AutoStandby does this automatically, as the name would suggest, so you never forget. Installation is as you would expect. There is a lengthy EULA you’re made to read, but that’s about it. To save space, AutoStandby doesn’t have an icon. You can access the options via the BlackBerry options. I actually appreciate this as I find “system” program icons can become a little cluttered and I generally hide them anyway. There are a few options available for you as well:
* Disable if connected to PC.
* Disable if externally powered.
* Enable third-party interactions. This is useful for often used programs like Viigo and BeeJive.
* Seconds to wait after screen blanks.
Aerize Alerts is now automatically supported by AutoStandby as well so you know your notifications will still get through. When used in combination with the other system programs I mentioned, you can make your BlackBerry the device it was always meant to be.
It only took me a few minutes to find this app to be a great “must-have” and after seeing by battery life get boosted by at least 30%, I can easily recommend it to everyone.
