Rabu, 18 Januari 2012

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community

LittleBrother App Grows Up with Auto-checkin to Foursquare Venues

Posted: 18 Jan 2012 02:05 AM PST

Little Brother Foursquare

LittleBrother is a sweet free app from EmacBerry that keeps on getting better and better. At its core LittleBrother was intended to track your location without relying on GPS. Since then it has expanded to track your location or even do things like automatically send emails/SMS when you leave or return to a specific location. It can also do things like turn Wi-Fi on and off based on location which is pretty sweet. You can see the full feature list here.

With that said Matthias from EmacBerry let me know that he has added a slick new feature to LittleBrother. It now has the ability to automatically check you into Foursquare venues based on your location. It takes a bit of elbow grease to setup but Eric let me know that it works like a charm.

You can find the instructions for setting up LittleBrother with Foursquare at this link in the change log. Otherwise check out the app and download it directly from EmacBerry. Kudos to EmacBerry for making LittleBrother a sweet utility!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, January 18, 2012, 5:05 am. | LittleBrother App Grows Up with Auto-checkin to Foursquare Venues | Leave a comment |


What is SOPA? Why Should I Care?

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 09:21 PM PST

caution_tape

In case you have been living under a rock I wanted to bring you up to date on some very important developments in the United States. You might be unaware but quite a few of the internets largest sites are going dark to protest SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and its sister bill PIPA (Protect IP Act) today including Wikipedia and Reddit. These new laws are making their way through Congress in the US and are intended to protect against piracy. The problem is that these flawed laws could destroy the internet as we know it.

I usually avoid anything political on BerryReview but both of these laws offer intellectual property owners like record labels and movie studios way too much unchecked power on the internet. It includes provisions that allow companies to demand that Google or Bing remove a website from search results, force Visa or PayPal to not allow them to receive payments, stop advertising services, and until recently force ISP's to block the websites domain name through DNS. (Thankfully that last provision DNS provision was recently taken out)

While some may think that does not sound all that bad if it was a judge or jury making that decision but there is no such thing. SOPA originally wanted IP owners to simply send a notice based on "Good faith" that the site was infringing and then it would have to be blacklisted within 5 days. This has changed through the many revision but mostly remains the same. The DNS blacklisting provision was also taken out this week because it would have simply created our own Great Firewall of America to mimic the Chinese censorship.

All in all both SOPA and PIPA are the equivalent of giving IP owners a sledgehammer to squash a bug as a sort of Carte blanche situation. It has the potential to destroy the internet ranging from huge sites like YouTube to your own Twitter feed. It would even change how BerryReview runs and subject us to constant fears of censorship. Content creators like the MPAA are claiming that these laws are needed to protect US jobs and lost revenue but scope of their claims repeatedly don't stand up to scrutiny.

Either way we highly recommend you read up on SOPA and PIPA so you are informed about what the MPAA and RIAA are trying to shove down our throats through Congress. This is a global issue since America starting to censor the internet can lead to ramifications around the world. If you live in the US please make sure to contact your representatives to tell them how you feel about SOPA and PIPA before it is too late.

As the saying goes "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." Make sure you are well armed with knowledge!

PS: The irony of this all is that the MPAA thinks that Wikipedia and others going dark to protest SOPA is an abuse of power when the MPAA is essentially promoting censorship…

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, January 18, 2012, 12:21 am. | What is SOPA? Why Should I Care? | Leave a comment |


Samsung Not Interested in Buying RIM – RIM Never Approached Samsung

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 06:14 PM PST

babyeatingfoot

That rumor was quashed fast. Usually companies do not comment on rumors or speculation but Samsung has come right out to quash this latest rumor of a possible acquisition of RIM. Samsung simply says they have no interest in buying RIM. Better yet RIM has never approached Samsung about an acquisition. Here is what they told Reuters:

"We haven’t considered acquiring the firm and are not interested in (buying RIM)," Chung also said Samsung had not been approached by the Canadian firm for a takeover.

As it goes you have to take rumors with huge grains of salt especially from certain sources. Who knows what the truth is but I think we can let this one go for now. Samsung did not specifically say they were not interested or approached about a licensing option but that is yet another rumor…

So what’s next? Anybody taking bets on the next rumor being Google buying RIM? Or better yet how about Apple or HTC or even Verizon? My gut tells me it is all a bunch of stock manipulation but I have no proof either way.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 9:14 pm. | Samsung Not Interested in Buying RIM – RIM Never Approached Samsung | 7 comments |


Latest Alec Saunders Interview details “The Road to BB10” & Cascades UI

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 02:50 PM PST

IMG_5141

Alec Saunders has been making the rounds of many websites in interviews but a few friends pointed out his latest one with The Verge. They do a nice job of describing what they call the "Long road to BlackBerry 10." Its a nice interview that will get you up to speed with some interesting tidbits but the main highlight to me is what I have been describing to potential developers. The upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 is not BlackBerry 10 but more of a stepping stone to BlackBerry 10. One of the key pieces missing for developers is the Cascades UI engine/framework that RIM first demoed to us at BlackBerry DevCon in October.

Right now RIM does not have a UI framework for native apps that developers can tap into. This native framework is the reason RIM acquired The Astonishing Tribe and you can see their touches in many of the current (calculator) and upcoming (Print to Go) apps but more is on the way. Their UI engine is called Cascades and promises to bring an easy to implement yet visually stunning interface for any native app. So far this has not been exposed to third party developers but many of them are waiting for it. The question is just a matter of when. Check out this video below to see what we mean:


Desktop Video Link | Mobile Video Link

If you want to catch up on what we currently know about Cascades I recommend reading up on our previous coverage. Personally I am just waiting for RIM to start hitting the gas and delivering ASAP!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 5:50 pm. | Latest Alec Saunders Interview details “The Road to BB10” & Cascades UI | 12 comments |


T-Mobile US BlackBerry OS 7.1 In-Market Beta Program on Beta Zone

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 11:44 AM PST

Beta Zone OS 7.1

I am not sure what to make of this latest program RIM has launched in the Beta Zone. Tashanna let us know that RIM sent out an email inviting T-Mobile customers to a BlackBerry OS 7.1 in market beta in Beta Zone. In market betas could mean a launch is very soon especially since the CDMA version has already gone live for many devices. Either way if you are a T-Mobile BlackBerry OS 7 device owner I would highly recommend heading over to the Beta Zone:

www.blackberry.com/beta

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 2:44 pm. | T-Mobile US BlackBerry OS 7.1 In-Market Beta Program on Beta Zone | 2 comments |


Latest WTF Survey: 42% of UK iPhone Users Have Phone with Cracked Screen

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 10:41 AM PST

Shattered iPhone 4s

I always wondered if I was the only one cringing every time I saw somebody using an iPhone with a shattered screen or back. Turns out there are tons of them and they still work. According to a survey by UK comparison site MyVoucherCodes.co.uk of 1,112 iPhone users found that:

  • 57% had broken their iPhone screen at some point in time
  • 27% of those had broken the screen within the first month
  • 50%+ broke their iPhone within the first three months
  • 51% said their iPhone worked fine even with the broken screen
  • 42% continue to use their iPhone even with the broken screen
  • 32% didn’t want to claim insurance for the damage
  • 41% said they did nothing to protect their iPhone like buying a case or screen protector

Anybody surprised? Once again this is just another WTF survey but I still cringe every time I see somebody with a broken iPhone screen…

Thanks John for the tip! via PCAdvisor.co.uk – image credit: Love for Tech

No related posts.

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 1:41 pm. | Latest WTF Survey: 42% of UK iPhone Users Have Phone with Cracked Screen | 4 comments |


Latest Rumor Has Samsung Looking Into RIM for Acquisition

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 10:27 AM PST

RIM Stock

The rumors are really swirling around RIM these past 12 months. This time we have Samsung proposed as a likely suitor according to sources close to the BGR. The rumor has RIM looking at an outright sale of one or multiple devices and even considering selling the whole company. Jim Balsillie is supposedly "going hard after Samsung" for some sort of licensing or acquisition. The main factor seems to be price with RIM looking for $10+ billion for a sale.

I would definitely take this one with a huge grain of salt since these rumors tend to get bandied around all the time. As you can already see some unscrupulous traders take advantage of rumors like these to manipulate stock prices before selling. This has already happened with this rumor according to Bloomberg.

What do you think about this latest addition of Samsung to the rumor mill? Share your thoughts in the forums!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 1:27 pm. | Latest Rumor Has Samsung Looking Into RIM for Acquisition | 13 comments |


Backup Your Sent & Received SMS to Your Email Using Txt2mbox

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 10:00 AM PST

Txt2mbox

There have been quite a few solutions over the years that allow you to backup your BlackBerry SMS but Txt2mbox seems to do it a bit differently over IMAP. What it does is backup your sent and received SMS text messages to your webmail email as long as you have IMAP access to your account. If you have Gmail and other good email services then this works like a charm. If you have an email account like Hotmail or Yahoo you will need their premium paid email to get IMAP access.

Either way Txt2mbox works by using IMAP to access your email and putting your sent SMS in your sent mail folder and putting your received email in your inbox. The app also nicely has a free trial in App World after which you can pick it up for $2.99 or you can find more info on their website.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 1:00 pm. | Backup Your Sent & Received SMS to Your Email Using Txt2mbox | Leave a comment |


SodaStream Fizz Chip

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 09:12 AM PST

Certain technology items have become kitchen gadget must-haves over time. A SodaStream soda maker is one of them. Our team has previously reviewed  models of the SodaStream line (seen here). I will focus on the latest addition to their product line.

The latest SodaStream model is called the FizzChip, easily identifiable by the the mini display located on the front of the device. A chip is located there, inside the machine, that measures the quantity of CO2 remaining in your carbonator. Life is made just a bit simpler with the addition of this display, so you know in advance that it’s time for a refill exchange. Previously, with Fizz Chip-less models, you were able to identify that your carbonator was running low when each press resulted in less carbonation, and it became a guessing game as to how much was left in the carbonator. The Fizz Chip has solved this issue and I now always know the level of carbonation remaining. This has eliminated the occasional gaps in my seltzer drinking during the exchange process.

Second Level Fizziness

The small display on the front also has a vertical line of 3 icons that declare how much fizz you are putting in your bottle of soda. This is can be great for trying out different levels of fizziness and determining what you like best, as it can take time to determine how much carbonation makes your perfect bottle of soda. If there are a few members in a family with different soda preferences, the display makes it simple to create bottles to each one’s liking. After a while, you perfect your technique and the icons may no longer be as useful.

As in typical SodaStream fashion, the look of the machine has been updated. This one in particular has a smoother front and a carbonating lever that took me an extra few seconds to figure out was a lever as it looked like part of the decor of the machine! The entire machine weighs no more than a regular bottle of soda and is slim enough to be put anywhere in the kitchen. It comes in several colors, now including pink! (for the Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation). It also does not use any electricity to power it.

The box contains: 1 SodaStream Fizz Chip Home Soda Maker, 1 BPA Free Plastic Carbonating Bottle, 1 60L Carbonator, 1 extra battery (now available in all kits in response to complaints of battery issues and the front display not matching up properly with the contents of the carbonator) and a box of 12 syrup samples to try out.

As far as flavors go, there are dozens available so you can make your own favorite soda at home. SodaStream proudly states that there is no high-fructose corn syrup in regular flavors and no aspartame in their diet flavors. They have recently released a full line of completely natural flavors as well, made from cane sugar, all-natural ingredients, no artificial ingredients and no preservatives. Those flavors range from basic Cola to more exotic Black Currant Pear. There is also a line of MyWater Essense Flavors that add a minor touch to the seltzer and they taste exactly like a purchased bottle of flavored seltzer. I appreciate that SodaStream continuously promotes a healthy drink-style.

Carbonating in Action

For the people who go through more selter or sparkling water than other drinks, a SodaStream Soda Maker is truly a great purchase. There may be a slight savings by using this method as opposed to purchasing single bottles at a local store, although not too much if you are using flavors to make soda. The convenience of not having to drive/walk to purchase and carry multiple soda bottles is undeniably great.

What makes this version worth it?The Fizz Chip and the ability to hold both sizes of carbonators (60L & 130L) makes this latest model a hit product. For those who already own a SodaStream Soda maker, the addition of the Fizz Chip alone shouldn’t warrant purchasing the new version. However, if your current SodaStream only supports the smaller carbonators, the Fizz Chip plus the ability to use the larger carbonators should give you reason to consider this model. Finally, for those who have yet to purchase their first SodaStream, I strongly suggest this model.

Price: $149.99 

Carbonating in action

Size Comparison to a Typical Brita Filter

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Posted by shannonaf for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 12:12 pm. | SodaStream Fizz Chip | 7 comments |


Official OS 7.0.0.579 for the BlackBerry Porsche P’9981

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 07:14 AM PST

 

 

The BlackBerry Porsche P’9981 smartphone is due this year, with its launch being in February. The team over @N4BB saw the OS for this premium device being posted by Brightpoint, one of RIM’s big distribution partner. Most of us probably wont have this phone with us, but, for those lucky to have it, here you go!

Also, the N4BB believes that this should be the OS that will be preloaded on the P’9981 handset when it ships.

Download from:
BlackBerry.com OR FileFactory mirror

Warning: This OS will NOT install on any other BlackBerry besides the one mentioned above. If you do not know how to upgrade your BlackBerry OS please start by reading this step by step guide. Don't forget to delete the vendor.xml file located in c:program files>common files>research in motion>apploader to install it on a different carriers device. Don't forget our usual warnings: do not download and install these updates if you don't know what you're doing. Incorrect procedure or just bad luck could render your BlackBerry inoperative or unstable.

 

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Terrence T for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 10:14 am. | Official OS 7.0.0.579 for the BlackBerry Porsche P’9981 | Leave a comment |


Dingleberry v3.0.2 Released to Fix Bugs – Full Change Log

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 07:13 AM PST

Dingleberry update

DM let us know that the Dingleberry team has updated both their PC and Mac Dingleberry apps to v3.0.2 after their release yesterday. They have also nicely posted up a full change log of the new versions. If you were having issues downloading the downgrade or with Hulu then check it out at www.dingleberry.it.

Here is the change log:

3.02
New download server (bnxtreme) to replace the old one that wasn’t working anymore. Server is no longer hardcoded.

3.0.1

  • Detects if user is already rooted and if so, bypasses the restore process. Works on 6xxx firmware.
  • Fixes an issue with Hulu that killed Flash Player for some users.

3.0

  • Displays a notification on Playbook once the exploit has been delivered successfully.
  • Prevents ‘erroring out’, sudden black screen and doubt over whether exploit succeeded.
  • Removed backup and restore requirement.
  • Removed reboot requirement after Dingle.
  • Removed File Sharing, Wifi Sharing and Password Protect settings requirement.
  • Removes ‘host’ requirement on SSH. You can SSH from any IP.
  • Removes playbook firewall on startup (eg. localbar, pbconnect).
  • New scp/ssh code to allow jailbreak to work faster, bug-free with less dependencies.
  • Fixed known_hosts openssh issue in Dingle SSH.
  • UI fixes and overhaul (size, shape, clicks).
  • Root works *every* time without hammering Playbook.
  • Huluberry browser added. Allows viewing Hulu.
  • Downgrade feature added. Allows downgrading to rootable firmware.
  • Fixed bug which required developer mode to be on for BDM, restore or downgrade.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 10:13 am. | Dingleberry v3.0.2 Released to Fix Bugs – Full Change Log | 3 comments |


Free & Fun Castle Escape Game for BlackBerry Smartphones

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 07:01 AM PST

Castle Escape2 Castle Escape

Contlex Ventures is on a roll with slick free BlackBerry smartphone games. They released Castle Escape awhile back but I finally had a chance to check it out. The game is actually a fun and addictive puzzle game that really will have you hooked. You are trying to escape the castle with the fewest moves and the levels simply get more difficult.

You can pick up Castle Escape free in App World now!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by the BerryReview Team for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 10:01 am. | Free & Fun Castle Escape Game for BlackBerry Smartphones | One comment |


Devs: RIM Details One of the Ways to Get Your App Featured in App World

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 06:14 AM PST

App WOrld Carousel

DN pointed out to me that RIM slipped a little bit extra information in the previous tips we mentioned earlier today for developers to maximize their profits on App World. For awhile there has been a sort of unofficial way to submit your apps for consideration for RIM's App World featured carousel. Now they have more or less made one of them official in their previous blog post. It seems like you need to pitch RIM by following the instructions below and providing the correct information. Not a bad deal though I wish it was more streamlined and merit/potential based:

BlackBerry App World Promotion Opportunities

There are many opportunities for promoting great apps or content items on the BlackBerry App World storefront. All you need to do is submit a proposal including specifics on why your app is great, what you are doing to promote your app, and which countries and device models should be targeted in the promotional campaign. Submit your proposal today to BlackBerryAppWorldMarketing@rim.com.

Please verify you have provided the following assets and information so your app is ready to be featured if/when the time comes:

  • Feature Image for your app (1920×1186.PNG) is uploaded on the BlackBerry App World vendor portal.
  • Feature Description (50 characters max) of your app is uploaded on the BlackBerry App World vendor portal in every language your app supports (e.g. if your app supports EFIGS languages, please provide feature descriptions in all 5 languages)
  • Illustrate that you are using the "Get it At BlackBerry App World" logo on your Web properties and linking it back to your app on BlackBerry App World – if you require this logo, or logos in other languages, please contact BlackBerryAppWorldMarketing@rim.com.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 9:14 am. | Devs: RIM Details One of the Ways to Get Your App Featured in App World | 3 comments |


RIM’s VP of App World Offers Devs Tips for “Making Money from Apps”

Posted: 17 Jan 2012 05:44 AM PST

App World of Possibilities

I know it seems like the latest get rich craze is "make an app and become a bajillionare" but there is definitely money to be made is solid mobile apps/services. RIM has offered some tips in the past on how to market, promote, and ultimately profit from your apps but now we have some straight up tips from Ronjon Nag, RIM's VP of BlackBerry App World. Ronjon came to RIM is 2012 when they acquired Celmania and offers his tips on raking in the big bucks with your apps in this post with the highlights below:

Optimize Your App

  • Your App Name Is Key
    • Have fun with your app name, but keep it simple and immediately recognizable.
    • Give your app a relevant name to boost discoverability and make it memorable to help your app go viral through marketing and social media channels.
    • Remember to include your app name and a few keywords in your description to increase search result placement.

Best Ways To Make Money

  • Optimize Your Price
    • Pricing and value associated with apps differs throughout the world.
    • Be aware of these sensitivities and price your apps accordingly; i.e. in the US, customers might pay $5 for a one-off app purchase, but in developing economies you'll want to charge much less or use a different payment model.
  • Ads Can Make You Money
    • Advertising Service can simplify your path to in-app ad revenue. It takes care of the commercial and technical requirements so you can focus on what you do best: building fantastic apps. Learn more about Advertising Service.
  • Analyze Your Performance and Adjust To The Market
    • Analytics Service is a FREE analytics service powered by Webtrends. It helps you improve your end user experience, optimize your app and know – not guess – where to invest your resources to increase your ROI. Learn more about Analytics Service.
  • Respond To Negative Feedback
    • If you feel any of the reviews of your app are unwarranted or inaccurate, you can apply to ask RIM to have the review removed by going into the BlackBerry App World vendor portal, flagging the particular review for removal and outline your reasons for doing so. For more information, please refer to the BlackBerry App World administration guide.

Social Media and Cross Promotion

  • Get Tweeting
    • Take advantage of social media channels including Twitter® – they're free and a brilliant way of spreading the word.
    • Follow relevant people and encourage your own followers – build a community and expand the viral spread of your app.
    • Use tools such as TweetDeck to help find your audience, and mention others in your tweets to encourage reciprocation and wider promotion.
    • When you tweet, deep link straight through to your app on BlackBerry App World.
    • Note: Ensure that whenever you use Twitter to promote your app, you follow their applicable terms and conditions of use
  • Create a Facebook® Page
    • Build a social community around your app by creating a Facebook page.
    • Include links to your app, screenshots and useful information.
    • Get your users interacting and commenting to spread the word – it's also a useful channel to gain direct feedback from your users for future app optimization.
    • Note: Ensure that whenever you use Facebook to spread the word about your app, you follow their applicable terms and conditions of use
  • Get Users to Your App Quickly and Easily
    • Use the BlackBerry App World logo on your own webpages and ads to drive users to where they can find your app. The logo is instantly recognizable and trusted, directing users straight into the store to find your app.
    • Note: Ensure that you follow the BlackBerry App World naming and logo guidelines.
  • Cross-Promote
    • Take advantage of any cross-promotion activities, especially if you have more than one app.
    • Link from each of your apps to the others for increased awareness.

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, January 17, 2012, 8:44 am. | RIM’s VP of App World Offers Devs Tips for “Making Money from Apps” | One comment |


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