BBCool AppStoreThe voice of the BlackBerry community.
Starting today and ending tomorrow night, Elecite is throwing a great 2 for 1 sale. The buy-one-get-one-free sale applies to all Elecite themes and will only last for these two days.
To take advantage of this sale, you just add two themes to your cart and apply a discount code: “241”.
RealPlayer SP has launched in beta today and the service allows you to transfer any video to your BlackBerry for free. For $40 [one-time cost] you can upgrade to the RealPlayer Plus SP, which supports h.264 video conversion, DVD playback and DVD burning.
Once a video is downloaded, simply select the make of your mobile phone, portable media player, or games system from the menu — and RealPlayer SP automatically does the rest. The same videos can be shared with friends through Twitter, Facebook, or email with one extra click. Mac support will come later this year.
Features of this application include:
RealPlayer SP beta is available as a free download.
Stitcher is a free media/podcast player is currently available on App World. The app is available to AT&T and T-Mobile customers and they’ve just made it available for the BlackBerry Curve 8900.
I’m looking forward to the next update for Stitcher, version 1.2, which is set to launch in early July. This update includes; full seek functionality, improved handling of longer shows and support for Bluetooth streaming.
Download Stitcher for the Storm, Curve 8300, 8310, 8320, 8900 and Bold 9000.
Sometimes I wonder if Viigo will ever hit a maximum capacity for content. What happens when the entire Internet and all its services can be found in Viigo? It seems that we’re going in that direction.
This morning Viigo announced a partnership with Gazaro. The additional means a new Viigo module called Deals and Gazaro is the founding service. The module offers the ability to monitor and identify the best deals on computer and electronics and allows people to make purchases directly from their BlackBerry any time they want.
Download Viigo today for your BlackBerry.
I haven’t used Nimbuzz before but I’ve been desperate for a good VoIP solution for BlackBerry. While Skype promised to give us an app back in May, they haven’t lived up to this promise. There are a few decent alternatives out there such as iSkoot, which has worked somewhat well for me so far.
Nimbuzz has partnered with Voxbone to provide a unique VoIP solution for BlackBerry. When you launch Nimbuzz, the new “blade” pops out alongside Nimbuzz’s toolset of aggregated IM services, mobile VoIP, social networking, tweets, and file-and-photo sharing.
According to the company, even if you’re out of 3G or Wi-Fi range, you still can make mobile VoIP calls on your BlackBerry.
The company is offering a pretty awesome service in that you don’t have to know the number, carry a card or even realize you’ve stepped beyond Internet reach. The Nimbuzz app, adding 750,000 sign-ups per month and operating in 200 countries, notices for you. It automatically steps in and requests permission to dial the right access number for you, which it knows, and routes the call over the Internet. Voxbone provides numbers and origination services, grabbing the call for Nimbuzz and converting it to IP.
Could this be the VoIP solution we’ve been waiting for? Comment your thoughts about this application.
Download Nimbuzz by heading over to their site and getting an SMS download link.
[ED NOTE: Tried on the BlackBerry Storm and it's not compatible. Looking to try it on a Curve 8900 in a moment but wanted to give you a heads up about the application.]
Canpages is a Canadian business directory, very similar to 411. They’ve recently launched a free voice recognition search application for the BlackBerry. The application lets you speak a search request into your phone and then receive the results in text—leaving your hands free for other more important activities.
The app lets you speak the area or location of the business you’re searching for into your phone or you can simply search for a business “nearby” using the phone’s GPS capabilities.
Although the app is a good idea, it’s strange that it’s SMS-based. SMS applications are usually reserved for feature phones and “dumb phones”, while the BlackBerry should be emailed based. I guess this is for the BIS folks who don’t like email.
[UPDATE: The applications is not SMS based – rather, it actually uses 3G and doesn’t rely on text or email. You don’t need to request the app using SMS, although it is convenient. You can download the Canpages application by opening a browser on your Blackberry and going to canpages.ca/bb. From there you are able to download the app directly and it works great. It’s also available through Blackberry App World on your phone.]
To download the application for free to a BlackBerry text “blackberry” to 898411.
[ED NOTE: I'm having trouble getting the number to accept the text from a BlackBerry Storm 9530. Comment and let me know if you've had more success with this. The news came from a trusted PR company so I know it's legit.]
Tripit is a simplified and easy to use travel planning system. Travelers simply forward their travel confirmation emails and TripIt automatically creates a master itinerary that combines all their travel plans plus weather, maps, restaurants and more.
Today, Tripit Pro has been announced. The premium service is designed for frequent travelers, and features a collection of time-saving travel functionality. Some of the major upgrades include:
• Mobile Alerts - Receive the latest info about flights delays, cancellations, connections, gate changes, baggage claim and more, on any mobile device, for any airline regardless of where the flight was booked.
• Alternate Flights - Get unbiased re-booking options for any flight delays or cancelations, including flight status and available seats, across all available airlines.
• Point Tracker – Keep track of frequent traveler accounts, balances and expirations, all in one place.
• Inner Circle – Identify key people, like an administrative assistant or spouse, who get automatic access to every trip.
TripIt is inviting travelers to try TripIt Pro free for 30 days.
The standard price is $99 per year but travelers who join by July 31 will lock in a charter price of only $49 per year, a 50% discount. Charter members of TripIt Pro will never pay more than $49 per year.
The Zune HD Series themes are modeled after Microsoft’s Zune HD media player. The theme comes with Today views and it’s available for all the most current devices.
It’s a lot of fun using themes that mimic another device. While your friends are playing around with their Zune, you can show them you’ve already got a Zune, but its got a BES connection.
Purchase the Zune HD Series theme for $4.98.
Scalix, a subsidiary of Xandro, provides Linux email, group calendaring, and messaging. Recently, they’ve announced the beta version of their new Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server.
Together with the recent implementation of the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync Protocol in Scalix ActiveSync 1.0, the new support for Blackberry is positioning the Scalix platform as an alternative to Microsoft Exchange. The commercial release is expected in the third quarter of 2009, but a free public beta is now available.
Recently, the ambassador of Canada was asked to say a few words about Canada and Canadian identity. Rather than talk about our unique natural landscapes, endearing cultural norms or even how we pronounce words funny, the ambassador chose to talk about Tim Hortons.
For the ambassador, Canadian identity was more about a relatively small coffee chain than it was about our historical accomplishments. While Tim Hortons does make an awesome cup of Joe, and I do appreciate their low prices, it’s not a very global company.
Canadians love to identify themselves as being a diverse nation with an interest in all things global. We celebrate Toronto’s diversity and the word “diversity” comes up in Canadian culture as much as the word “freedom” comes up in American.
The company that embodies this spirit isn’t Tim Hortons, but rather RIM. RIM is a Canadian company building a product that is truly global. The BlackBerry is helping economies be more efficient, as well as helping us stay in touch, thus strengthening the bonds of society. Canadian identity should be linked to something that empowers people, rather than make them fat.
Andrew Cohen, a professor of journalism and international affairs at Carleton University, wrote a good article on this subject that appeared in the Ottawa Citizen (no link). He also backs RIM as Canada’s best foreign policy tool.
