Over the past year, mobile data has become a topic in the mainstream media. The stories are mostly about AT&T’s network growing pains, how iPhone users are overtaxing the networks and are experiencing greatly reduced bandwidth as a result.
Carriers love talking about bandwidth. It seems to be the only thing that matters in terms of mobile data. When the iPhone 3G came out, the dumbed-down line that was used to describe the difference between 2G and 3G in Apple’s marketing was that 3G is “twice as fast”.
I have been trying to make heads or tails of this whole data speed thing for quite some time. I had noticed in more than a few instances that 2G is just as fast, and sometimes faster than 3G. With all this marketing about how much faster 3G is, I set out to do a few tests of my own to determine if 3G is a must-have, or if carriers are trying to oversell the technology as a giant leap when it’s really just an incremental step. Continue reading this article
Loopt for BlackBerry has been updated with a new feature called Tips. The Tips feature is just like foursquare’s tips. If you want to recommend a good dish or comment on the venue, just leave a tip for others to discover. Loopt is also now integrated into your BlackBerry Address Book, allowing you to see where your friends are. This update also includes general performance enhancements.
Calx have a new theme out called Kreep which was inspired by the 90s Playstation game Wipeout. It’s a Japanese style of futuristic drawing that is busy but simple. Kreep has a customizable dock, a quicklaunch shortcut with spacebar, and 3D homescreen graphics.
Applico let us know that they have launched a free wireless backup app for BlackBerry called Aurkon. Aurkon prides itself on being an “install and forget” solution, that lets you backup valuable information without ever having to plug in your BlackBerry.
The most exciting news this week was definitely checking out the BlackBerry Magnum. It’s really a shame that this device will never see the light of day (sources tell us), but it’s still very possible that a touchscreen/QWERTY hybrid is in the cards. Even though the Magnum had no OS loaded on it, we could still see that it used SurePress, which in my opinion would have been a little awkward. On the other hand, the Bold 9000 form factor is one I sincerely miss and hope RIM brings it back.
Thanks everyone for participating in the Epik Cases giveaway contest. We’ve selected 25 lucky winners and they will be contacted by Epik to get shipping information. Remember, if you didn’t win a contest this week, there is always next week. Have a great weekend! Click through for the winners
Thanks everyone for participating. We’ve selected 10 winners for the contest and an email has been sent out. Remember, check your spam inbox if you see your name on the list but haven’t received anything. If you didn’t win, don’t worry you’ll win something soon. We’re going to keep having contests and giving away as much as possible. Click through for the winners
I recently discovered a cool app called Disaster Alert that won the BlackBerry Developer Challenge 2009 in Hong Kong. The app connects you to the most recent information about earthquakes, floods, tropical storms, volcano eruptions and other disasters. The information is presented in a very visual manner and based on your GPS position can tell you how close or far a disaster may be.
Features of the app include:
Always up-to-date.
Lists disasters and catastrophes.
Earthquakes, floods, volcano eruptions, typhoons and cyclones.
The guys behind reQall let me know that their free organizational tool has been updated with new features and a better UI. The app helps with memory and idea management with some pretty cool features such as location-based reminders and a patent-pending reQall Memory Jogger that reminds you at just the right moment.
Since we last wrote about reQall, they have added features such as:
Real-time location-based reminders.
An offline mode.
An automated connection setting.
Support for locations on Verizon Storms/Tours.
ReQall Location with Blackberry map (provided that you have BlackBerry Map installed).
LCAmobile is beta testing a new app for BlackBerry called Guitar Studio. The app lets guitar enthusiasts load Tab and Chordpro files on their BlackBerry and play them hands-free. The app has a 30,000+ chord library with fingering, built-in MP3 player and recorder and a tone based tuner.
