Throughout the many stages of the BOLT BlackBerry Browser private beta, we’ve had a hard time keeping up with the demand for invites to make sure every member of the BlackBerry Nation got a chance to kick the tires, so to speak. Thankfully, Bitstream has answered the call with a public beta of BOLT Browser version .86. To download the latest version for your BlackBerry, hit the link below. Don’t forget to check out our hands-on impressions as well.
Multiplied has now brought Poynt to the BlackBerry Storm and was kind enough to give us a copy early for a hands-on. After the jump you’ll find Poynt for BlackBerry Storm’s feature list, a bunch of screen captures, and impressions from our time with this nifty application. Or you could just download Poynt at the link below, considering this is one of the best applications out for the Storm right now.
Late last week YouMail launched Visual Voicemail Plus, a free visual voicemail application that works on the Blackberry Pearl, Curve, Bold and Storm. I like the sound of free, and a new visual voicemail application is always worth a try, but reports are surfacing that YouMail might not yet be up to snuff. Here’s what our main man Troy had to say over at BlackBerry News:
After 24 hours it is safe to say a lot work still needs to go into the application before it is ready for prime time much like the transcription service they charge for now. Many users including myself have experienced nothing but problems with the application… Maybe with all the ad revenue from placing ads on every aspect of your messages they can now put a little more money into their projects and refine their service. Time will tell.
We’re going to give YouMail our own thorough hands-on, but we recommend that you give it a try and post a comment on your experience. If you’re not willing to take the risk, however, post a comment and let us know of your favorite visual voicemail alternative.
Slacker today announced the availability of the free Slacker Mobile application for the BlackBerry Storm. Slacker Radio, which is optimized for the handset’s unique touch screen, and can be used in both vertical and horizontal modes, is available as a free download by visiting Slacker.com from your BlackBerry Storm.
Slacker station caching, an exclusive feature for BlackBerry smartphones, enables listeners to store favorite stations on a memory card, allowing the Slacker Mobile application to play without a network connection, reducing battery life consumption by up to 5 times that of streaming playback and enhancing application performance. In addition, BlackBerry smartphone enthusiasts can enjoy Slacker Personal Radio while doing other tasks such as emailing, instant messaging or web browsing (sorry iPhone).
As you know, I’m a big fan of Slacker. Now, my BlackBerry Storm friends can share in the same level of excellence from Slacker Radio that I have enjoyed for weeks. The link was scheduled to go live at 8 AM ET, but it appears to already be functional. If you’re in the USA (sorry Canucks), have a BlackBerry Storm or other BlackBerry with OS 4.3 or better, head over to www.slacker.com on your BlackBerry and download the free application. Hit us up in the comments with your thoughts.
When BlackBerry Cool became the first BlackBerry website on the Internet to provide free invites to the BOLT BlackBerry Browser private beta, we never thought so many people would have such rabid interest. After thanking you the readers for providing ’substantial feedback’ on the initial beta release, Bitstream let us know that an updated version is being pushed to users with BlackBerry-specific enhancements. You can find the full list of enhancements after the jump.
For those that haven’t tried the BOLT Browser yet, we have some great news: the ‘berrycool’ code now has unlimited referrals! So head over to the BOLT download page and tell Bitstream ‘berrycool’ sent you.
In addition, Bitstream has set up an email address for people who want to share their experiences using BOLT and possibly be quoted (with expressed permission) in BOLT’s PR efforts. The address is pr4beta@boltbrowser.com. Bitstream has also set up a support form for those with technical issues at: http://www.boltbrowser.com/support.html. So you have your task readers: download the new version of BOLT, keep providing great feedback, and help make a nifty BlackBerry Browser even better.
There are times in life when you anticipate something for so long and it fails to deliver. On the other hand, there are times when things turn out to be more than you expected. I have been using Slacker.com, the personal internet radio, on my computer for the last few months, ever since the BlackBerry application was announced at CTIA this past fall. At CES, after months of anticipation, Slacker launched their BlackBerry application for devices with OS 4.3 and above (4.5+ is best). In short, it is magnificent.
The BlackBerry Cool staff made a resolution that 2009 would be a year of giving back to the BlackBerry community. So just because we’ve given away 2500+ free beta trials of the new BOLT browser in the past two days, don’t expect us to stop. Today we have BlackBerry Cool 15 presenter Ubiquitous Systems, with 200 closed beta invites for their SocialScope application. SocialScope is a social networking application that allows you interact with your Facebook and Twitter accounts at once. Interested? I thought so.
To sign up for the closed beta (I wouldn’t right now if you’re a BlackBerry Storm user), simply follow the link below and hope you’re one of the first 200 people (we’ll work SocialScope for more invites). If you missed out, worry not: our hands on impressions, a list of new feature additions (yep, SocialScope hooked us up with the newest build) and a gallery of screenshots are after the jump.
Didiom announced today the expansion of its mobile media service public beta to include the BlackBerry Pearl today (the beta also supports the BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry 88xx series). Didiom allows BlackBerry users to access their home computer’s iTunes library remotely and buy over 1.5 million high-quality MP3 songs while on the go. Didiom is unique in that it utilizes a bartering system, allowing users to name their own price for MP3 songs and download them to their BlackBerry or PC. In addition, throughout the beta period Didiom is implementing a cash bonus program to reward prepaid users who purchase MP3 songs.
I downloaded Didiom, which requires you to use both a client on your computer (PC only for now) and my BlackBerry Curve 8330 running OS 4.5. While I was able to listen to the songs available from their library, I couldn’t get my DRM-free iTunes music to stream (Didiom has a DRM-free licensing deal with EPM). While this may not be a big deal for most users, about 99% of my music is DRM-free, meaning the service doesn’t really work for me. Anyone else have more luck?
Smarter Agent launches their touted application on Blackberry
January 9, 2008 (Philadelphia, PA) – For the users of Blackberry devices, an exciting and interactive carrier-approved application has been added to the download list. Smarter Agent, the company that invented and patented the mobile location-aware real estate search, announced today that their Homes for Sale mobile application is now live on select Blackberry devices on all major carriers. Unlike other cell phone models, Homes for Sale is a free download for Blackberry.
Not only is Homes for Sale the first consumer-based real estate application that is available for download for the Blackberry, but it is also the only real estate application on Blackberry that is personally branded to brokers and agents for distribution to their clients.
Leading Mobile Broadcast Network Adds Desktop Widget, Android Support, More
CES SHOW, LAS VEGAS, NV – January 8, 2009 – FlyCast announced a number of new
enhancements to its industry-leading mobile broadcast network today, including a move to the desktop with its new player widget for PCs and Macs. Other announcements include support for the T-Mobile G1and other upcoming Google Android-based devices, a new “What’s On Now” program guide feature, a Facebook interface, a partnership with AccuWeather.com and support for AAC+ and Windows Media streams.
“2009 will be a year of transition for broadcasting, as hundreds of millions of new ‘smart devices’ hit the streets, with incredible media consumption capabilities,” noted FlyCast CEO Sam Abadir.
“FlyCast continues to lead the way in offering broadcasters and webcasters innovative platform capabilities to take full advantage of these new and compelling distribution opportunities.”
