Posted on April 8, 2010, at 6:39 AM .
Mac users for some time had to get a little creative when syncing information to and from their BlackBerrys. Today, we’ll have a look at how to get creative with your tasks and sync them with your BlackBerry.
Since the inclusion of “system-wide to-dos” within Mac OSX 10.5 (known as Leopard), developers of to-do applications received a new set of API’s to work with, and unknowingly simplified a BlackBerry user’s life. Developers of such apps include an iCal Sync feature which allows a sort of information highway between their task management application, iCal, Mail and other 3rd party apps that include that same feature.
Here is a little guide I’ve made, to get you started:
Continue reading ‘[Video] Creative Task Sync Between Mac OSX Leopard and BlackBerry’
Posted on April 7, 2010, at 2:08 PM .
The latest version of Google Maps is out and ready for download. The latest version 4.0.1 includes a Google Buzz layer, the ability to search by voice, synchronized starring and more. The latest Buzz layer lets you see anyone who is “buzzing” near you, and allows you to buzz from within the app. I don’t use Google Buzz much myself, but I might start using it within the Google Maps app as a discovery tool for people and places around me.
Download Google Maps from m.google.com/maps
Posted on April 7, 2010, at 1:08 PM .
According to Myxer, a ringtone and mobile entertainment provider with 33+ million users, BlackBerry holds an overwhelming majority in the US, with a 63% operating share. BlackBerry also accounts for 72% of total downloads from Myxer.
The press release from Myxer points to recent analyst reports that paint a negative picture of the BlackBerry market share, and state that their numbers dictate otherwise. In the end, the numbers are saying something but it has nothing to do with device market share. Myxer provide ringtones, wallpapers, games and videos: mobile content that simply makes no sense to purchase from a third party source with an iPhone. According to Myxer, iPhone represents 2% of their downloads, which in my opinion, is a very large number considering the environment.
Continue reading ‘Myxer Report Proves App World Needs More Content’
Posted on April 7, 2010, at 11:51 AM .
It’s rumored that Apple’s iPhone will get OS 4.0 tomorrow and there are a lot of rumors flying around about what it may include. It’s sort of funny to break down the feature set, as you immediately realize how far ahead BlackBerry is in terms of smartphone capabilities. Just so you know, the Apple even takes place tomorrow at 10AM PDT if you’d like to tune in.
Here are some rumored features with OS 4:
- Multitasking: I’m running 3 third party apps as I write this. It would be cool to see an Exposé-style multitask screen, but I would be surprised if you can’t develop an app for BlackBerry that mimics this feature.
- Homescreen Contacts: Apple might be implementing something like Iconify.
- Advertising Service iAd: This will be a mobile advertising service that sounds a lot like the advertising APIs already announced by RIM. These were supposed to be launched right around now, but at least we know they’re coming.
- Bluetooth/WiFi Printing Feature: Cortado already has a great cloud print service for BlackBerry.
- Global Inbox: Oh right, it’s a pain to manage several email accounts on an iPhone. That must be really annoying.
- An Improved UI: I have a new improved UI regularly; it’s called a theme.
Continue reading ‘iPhone OS 4 to Get All the Features BlackBerry Already Has’
Posted on April 7, 2010, at 9:43 AM .
The BlackBerry 7270 launched in April of 2005
We are going on 5 web years here at BlackBerryCool which, in human years, is about 160. It’s interesting how history repeats itself and this is nowhere more apparent than on BBCool. Some articles that were written years ago, such as “BlackBerry Devices Finally Launch in China”, are still relevant in 2010. Other articles, such as “Blackberry Reaches 5 Million Subscriber Mark”, make you realize just how far we’ve come.
Check out below for articles from the past. Granted, they all don’t fall on exactly April 7th, as previous writers sometimes took a day off, but they’re all within a day or two. It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come (and haven’t).
Continue reading ‘This Day in BlackBerry: What Was Hot Today for the Past 5 Years Pt. 2′
Posted on April 7, 2010, at 9:03 AM .
There are a ton of memory improving apps in App World and the Mobihand Network. They all offer different feature sets, but the common feature is that they all claim to free up memory. So how do they do this? To understand, you need to know a little about how the Java Virtual Machine works and a process called Garbage Collection. Garbage Collection is the process of automatically freeing up objects that are no longer referenced by the program.
Java uses an automatic garbage collector to manage memory. When the developer writes an application, they are going to determine which objects are created and use memory and the Java runtime is responsible for recovering memory that is unused. If no references to that object are made, the garbage collector can free up this memory. This is often where memory leaks happen. If references to an object remain, but that object is not in use, you begin to see the effects on your device.
Continue reading ‘How Memory Management Applications Work and How to Save Money’
