Posted on July 9, 2009, at 10:42 am .
Some carriers are really harsh when it comes to voice plans and will bill you an extra minute for going even a second over 60. With Fabian’s latest free app, you get a short vibration after every 55 seconds into each outgoing call so that you know when a new minute will start.
By using this app, you’ll know that you aren’t being charged for extra minutes. It’s an easy way to save on your voice plan.
Download MinuteSaver for free for your BlackBerry.
See more great applications from Fabian from his site.
Posted on October 17, 2008, at 10:19 am .
A week ago we told you that Vlingo was running a closed beta for its Vlingo 2.0 voice-powered application. I’ve been told by our friends at Vlingo that the 2.0 beta is now open to all residents of the UK, US and Canada!
Because Vlingo is an application that learns and improves based upon user feedback, it’s really important that the BlackBerry Nation helps Vlingo out to make their application as useful as possible. This is especially true for UK BlackBerry users!
In addition to participating in the Vlingo 2.0 beta, you can also fill out a quick 10-15 minute survey. Doesn’t sound like your thing? What if I told you that everyone who completes the survey will be entered in a drawing to win an 8GB iPod touch or one of 3 $50 Amazon.com gift certificates! I thought that might peak your interest!
You can find everything you need to know about the Vlingo 2.0 open beta and survey after the jump. BlackBerry Nation, Assemble!
Vlingo 2.0 Open Beta and Survey
Posted on September 29, 2008, at 9:10 am .
What the Gubernator wants, the Gubernator gets (or he’ll be back). Starting in January of 2009, citizens within the great state of California will no longer be able to text message while driving. This new law covers not only sending, but the reading and writing of text messages as well; violators will be charged $20 for the initial offense and $50 for each recurring violation. The primary motivation for the law was SkyNET
“Banning electronic text messaging while driving will keep drivers’ hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, making our roadways a safer place for all Californians,” said Schwarzenegger.
Californians take heart, however: you can have both safety and text messaging via Vlingo, a free voice-enabled application that’s extremely easy to use! Read our review below to learn more.
Vlingo 1.1 for BlackBerry Reviewed
Posted on August 20, 2008, at 7:48 am .
BoxTone just launched a free application for monitoring your BlackBerry’s health, and as someone who needs to count every kilobyte lest he be smoten by the Almighty Rogers Overage Charge, I can say this is a must-have for the heavy-duty BlackBerry user. Graphs show the progress of 24-hour monitoring of vital information like…
• Signal strength
• Battery remaining
• Memory free
• Data sent/received
• Calls made/duration
Solid app, and big ups to BoxTone for making the utility free to all. Hop in on the open beta at my.boxtone.com/insight.
Posted on August 13, 2008, at 10:31 am .
It’s been a pretty busy week so far, so some cool apps slipped under our radar. No fear, here are a bunch of recent BlackBerry software updates and launches that you might be interested in checking out.
- GPSed updated to 0.999: Now with social track sharing on Facebook, MySpace, twitter, and Blogger.
- Tiggit launched: An alternative e-mail client that lets you access IMAP, POP3 and SMTP e-mail.
- Vlingo updated to 1.1: Now featuring e-mail replying and forwarding, along with connection improvements. Works with OS 4.5!
- MyCaption launched: Transcribes your e-mail to text – just start talking.
- PictureDial launched: Browse the web and your address book with pictures rather than lists.
Posted on August 8, 2008, at 7:57 am .
The latest Q3 documents from Rogers are showing the Wi-Fi BlackBerry Curve right next to the BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry Kickstart Pearl 8220 for upcoming devices. It’s clear that Rogers is making a big push for their newly rebranded UMA service, TalkSpot, what with all of the Wi-Fi BlackBerrys coming down the pipe. They’ve had the BlackBerry 8820 and BlackBerry 8120 out since earlier this summer, all touting voice-over-Wi-Fi, but it looks like the BlackBerry Bold won’t be supporting it for some reason. Too bad, because unlimited long-distance calls in Canada when connected to any Wi-Fi network is pretty sweet. For those plenty satisfied with the BlackBerry Curve, you can expect to pick it up around the end of September for something in the neighbourhood of $199.99 on a three-year plan, and TalkSpot will cost you another $15 to $20/month on top of your regular e-mail, voice and data plans.
(via CB)
BlackBerry 8320 specifications behind the jump…
Posted on August 7, 2008, at 8:17 am .
WiAV Solutions has recently unloaded both barrels of legal action on RIM, Apple and Palm regarding what’s called Adaptive Multi-Rate compression, a GSM voice compression technology. AMR is used to detect silence rather than sound, altering music to accommodate voice, and power management. Up to ten patents are supposedly being infringed upon, but AMR was included in the GSM standard back in ‘98, so you have to wonder how it will all end up. WiAV only actually owns two of the offending patents, while they’re dragging their liscensor, Mindspeed, into the case to defend the rest of the technologies. On the whole, it sounds like this is a shaky case already, and probably won’t get too far. If you’re fluent in legalese, you can take a look at some of the court papers here.
(via Engadget)
Posted on June 25, 2008, at 8:20 am .
If the WES keynote video of the BlackBerry Bold wasn’t enough for you, maybe you’re looking for something a little more high fidelity… Check out this new trailer that shows off all of the BlackBerry 9000’s prominent features. One of the big things they’re pushing is simultaneous voice and data transmission, allowing you to talk to coworkers about files as they’re being sent. Of course if you’re in the U.S., don’t salivate too much – you’ve got to wait until at least mid-August before it comes your way. Rogers customers can keep an eye out for it in early July.
Posted on May 29, 2008, at 7:42 am .
Using an on-device app, MO-Call is offering cheap voice calling worldwide. Now available on a bevvy of BlackBerry devices, this sounds like a much smoother approach than dialling through a lengthy calling card processes, and who doesn’t want to save some coin on international calls? Cheers Hayden!
Posted on May 22, 2008, at 7:51 am .
Now here’s an interesting service. Telus just announced Outlook Voice Access for their hosted Exchange server, which lets users dictate, listen and forward e-mails through their BlackBerry, as well as a bunch of other web-based Outlooky options, like access agendas, documents and contacts. Hosted Exchange is a fine option for SMBs, and this new Outlook Voice Access is some fine icing on the cake. You’re looking at $14/month for the professional plan, plus another $10/month for BlackBerry syncing, but there are a few other BlackBerry voice services through Telus that might be worth looking into. For more details, head on over here.
