7Digital have officially announced the launch of their BlackBerry app with access to over 7 million MP3s. The app allows users to download music over GPRS/EDGE/3G or WiFi, and build a library of DRM-free MP3s on their BlackBerry.
The app, developed in partnership with DevelopIQ, will also let users access purchased tracks on 7digital.com via the built-in digital locker. You will be able to listen to the tracks from an integrated media player, as well as stream them to your car or home via Bluetooth.
The 7digital app is available for the Bold, Curve 8900, Tour, 8520 and Storm.
RIM, in partnership with Zain Saudi Arabia and Alcatel-Lucent, have launched the BlackBerry solution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Alcatel-Lucent is leveraging its strong local presence in the region to provide Zain Saudi Arabia with the project management, end-to-end implementation, installation, commissioning and on-going support for delivering the BlackBerry solution to the Saudi market. With Alcatel-Lucent managing integration and deployment, Zain Saudi Arabia can focus on managing subscribers and providing adequate customer care.
When the program launches, Zain will be offering its customers the BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Bold 9000, BlackBerry Pearl 8120 and BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220. Customers will also have access to BES and BIS.
Hopefully Saudi Arabia will also be able to get their hands on some of the latest devices that will be launching this fall in North America.
The above is a Zain network coverage map of Ghana. As you can see, major roads are the focus of coverage and BlackBerry devices will be a welcomed addition to the country’s infrastructure.
In a partnership with Zain and EMS, RIM have announced the availability of BlackBerry in Ghana, one of the most stable countries on the African continent.
The carrier Zain has a 3G network, which means that customers and government clients will be able to have access to enterprise-grade smartphones. The first devices to hit the market include the BlackBerry Storm, the Curve 8900, Bold 9000 and the Pearl Flip 8220.
The partnership brings together three crucial companies for helping to further expand the country’s infrastructure and better channel resources to the eradication of extreme poverty. Increasing productivity and transparency are two key elements of improving governmental and corporate affairs, and it’s the hope of BlackBerry Cool that RIM will be a significant player in this regard.
Imagine the following scenarios:
BES infrastructure is implemented in all major organizations to ensure communication is instant and efficient.
Government workers are able to send communications from the field directly to the departments responsible.
Small businesses are able to better serve their clients and be constantly available, regardless of whether or not they are in office.
Logistics for delivering food, materials and aid are all greatly improved by the BlackBerry solution.
This is surely going to have a positive impact on the economy.
Native threaded SMS is just around the corner for BlackBerry users and now you can get an advanced preview if you’re using a BlackBerry Curve 8900 or Bold 9000.
The latest OS leak, OS 5.0.0.190, delivers native threaded SMS for BlackBerry. While you won’t get the tabbed browsing as seen in previous OS 5 leaks, the native SMS client is reason enough to download. But remember, as with all OS leaks, proceed with caution! Always back up your device first because you may lose data.
If you haven’t already updated your BlackBerry Bold to OS 4.6.0.297, you’re missing out! With the latest OS update, you get a number of enhancements including:
General handset optimizations.
The ability for the user to manually select whether they want their smartphone to connect to either 2G and 3G networks, depending on availability, or to connect to only to 2G networks.
A download icon for AT&T’s Visual Voicemail service, plus a variety of additional icons for applications including MobiTV, Mobile Banking, Tetris and Scrabble.
Rumor has it that the upgraded BlackBerry Bold OS for AT&T subscribers will come with Visual Voicemail tomorrow, Tuesday, August 25th.
Check your AT&T Bold to see if your OS has the Visual Voicemail icon, and if so, give customer service a call and have them add the free Visual Voicemail feature to your account.
With Visual Voicemail for BlackBerry, you will get:
Store up to 40 voicemails for up to 14 days
Archive voicemails to device memory or on a microSD card
Forward voicemails as an MMS to other users or an email address
Save phone numbers in your Visual Voicemail inbox to your address book
Setup your voicemail including greeting right from the application itself
Voicemail is the bane of many BlackBerry users’ existence as it is the slowest possible way to check a message. With email and SMS, you have to wonder why people still insist on leaving voicemails. At least visual voicemail makes the process a little faster.
Aloqa, is a location based service that integrates content from 15 publishers including Yelp, Eventful and Craigslist. The beta, originally available for Android, is now available for for the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and the Bold 9000.
The app helps BlackBerry users in that it takes away the need to find information via the browser and it proactively pushes out recommendations about social network friends nearby and interesting local opportunities to users on the go. These are all qualities of a good LBS app.
Their are also some bright minds behind this app. The company is headed by CEO Sanjeev Agrawal, former Global Head of Google Product Marketing and subsequently VP Products at TellMe Networks (acquired by Microsoft).
Conquest is a theme for the Tour, Bold, Curve, 8800 and 8700 model BlackBerry devices. It was originally designed for the Storm, and it has been ported over for trackball devices. Currently, the theme is on sale and will continue to be 50% off through Friday, August 21st.
The Conquest theme features:
An edgy, progressive design.
Original visuals, icons, and buttons.
Hidden homepage menu that fades in and out.
Vivid colors
Hotspots for Application Menu, Clock Profiles, and Messages (Storm only)
Unsynced is a BlackBerry music manager that is currently in a free beta. It’s a slick looking app that is available for the BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry Curve 8900.
The latest beta updates include the addition of album art, as well as more efficient scanning and playlist creation.
Unsynced features include:
Painstaking care has been taken to ensure Unsynced Music is efficient and predictable.
The Unsync button will capture song information. Unsynced does a search on their end and e-mail you the most relevant results so that you won’t forget to “purchase” it when you get home.
Use any PC to drag and drop music into folders on your BlackBerry using Mass Storage Mode. Listen to your newly added songs through Browse Files, or quickly create new playlists through Create/Modify Playlists, giving you the freedom to add to your music experience not just at home, but wherever you go.
Progress indicators for those long podcasts.
Customizable color themes to match your style.
Send song info to friends to share your tastes.
Get it now because the beta may not be free forever!
Vringo is a video ringtone service for your mobile device that includes a social component so you can share your favorite videos with friends. Their application is being developed for the BlackBerry Bold, and they’re looking for early adopters to try out their fully functional social and visual ringtone application.
The service provides a large catalog of free video ringtones and it also lets you turn your own videos into a video rintone format.
