Senin, 30 April 2012

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community


More BlackBerry Developer Alpha Eye Candy

Posted: 29 Apr 2012 09:44 AM PDT

blackberry-10-alpha-1If you are anxious to see what RIM is cooking for BlackBerry World here is an early preview of the Developer Alpha device that developers will get at the BlackBerry 10 Jam. We don't expect RIM to show us the actual hardware of the future BlackBerry 10 devices so this is the closest that it will get. RIM is going to showcase the OS and developer tools for BlackBerry 10. This is mainly where the future is at, the BlackBerry 10 OS, and the hardware may be totally different from this Developer mini PlayBook looking device.

So are you excited about this week? Sound off below, Ronen and Tim will be in Orlando covering the news from BlackBerry World. So keep your RSS and this page on refresh to keep up with the news.

blackberry-10-alpha-3

blackberry-10-alpha-2

blackberry-10-alpha-4

Via : CB

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Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, April 29, 2012, 12:44 pm. | More BlackBerry Developer Alpha Eye Candy | Leave a comment |


Sabtu, 28 April 2012

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community

BerryReview.com Giving Back to the BlackBerry Community


BlackBerry 10 Development Smartphone Shows its Face

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 06:05 PM PDT

bbx5Days before the second BlackBerry World kicks off we get a first look at what is expected to be the BlackBerry development phones. TRlPPlN over at crackberry posted what looks to be the best glimpse yet of what awaits BlackBerry users. The device looks the size of the most android phones, and I have to say it is looking much better. This is probably not the device we will see release in the fall but what developer will get to test BlackBerry 10 apps. 

 

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Via: CB

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Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, April 27, 2012, 9:05 pm. | BlackBerry 10 Development Smartphone Shows its Face | Leave a comment |


2012 BlackBerry Conferences Wallpapers By Pootermobile

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:50 PM PDT

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, again, folks. BlackBerry World is only days away, and I’M GOING! I haven’t figured out what I’m going to wear yet, but my faithful BlackBerry, Agent 99, and my PlayBook, CONTROL, will be decked out in some of these stylish wallpapers from Pootermobile:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Available in sizes fit for pretty much every BlackBerry out there, including the PlayBook, they cost you nothing. Get them in the right size for all your devices directly from Pooter’s site, The World of Pootermobile. Thanks, Poots!

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Posted by rrrebo for ©BerryReview, April 27, 2012, 5:50 pm. | 2012 BlackBerry Conferences Wallpapers By Pootermobile | One comment |


Carcassonne Tile Board Game for BlackBerry Smartphones & the PlayBook

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:58 PM PDT

Carcassonne Carcassonne2

I am always on the lookout for fun games for my PlayBook and Bold 9900. When Jeremy first pointed out Carcassonne to me I was not really interested but once I played it I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Turns out that Carcassonne is a pretty popular turn based tile board game. Each user must create a landscape by placing tiles with roads, cities, and more. Players deploy their followers, knights and such, to raise their score. It lets you play against the computer or up to 4 players locally but hopefully a online version is coming.

Check out Carcassonne for $3.99 in App World and let us know what you think!

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 27, 2012, 3:58 pm. | Carcassonne Tile Board Game for BlackBerry Smartphones & the PlayBook | Leave a comment |


Peggle Game Comes to BlackBerry Smartphones Courtesy of EA

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 10:50 AM PDT

Peggle Peggle2

Thomas let us know that EA has brought the popular Peggle gameplay to BlackBerry smartphones. If you have not played Peggle before check out the web version of the game. Peggle has you clearing every level by shooting your limited number of balls at a screen of colored pegs to clear a specific color. The better shot you are the higher your score. There are quite a few quirks but I don't want to give away the whole thing.

Check out Peggle in App World for OS 4.6+ device for $3.99

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 27, 2012, 1:50 pm. | Peggle Game Comes to BlackBerry Smartphones Courtesy of EA | Leave a comment |


Find or Start a BlackBerry Developer Group In Your Area

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 08:02 AM PDT

Devs Talking

Over the last year or so RIM has been pushing hard to develop an ecosystem of BlackBerry developer groups around the world. That has lead to RIM now having almost 35+ developer groups from Chicago to Cairo and Kharkiv to Buenos Aires. RIM lists all of these developer groups on their website here along with details on how you can create your own developer group in your area.

Let us know if you are part of a Developer Group and what your experience has been. I have been the the New York City developer group and it was a very handy resource and great way to meet other developers nearby.

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 27, 2012, 11:02 am. | Find or Start a BlackBerry Developer Group In Your Area | 2 comments |


Leaked Photo of a BlackBerry London Packaging

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 07:54 AM PDT

I was just emailed this picture of what appears to be a photo of the BlackBerry London packaging.  The emailer didn’t want to be named, or say how he/she got the photo, but what does everyone think? Maybe this is a leaked photo of the BB Jam devices. Or it could just be a nice fake.

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Posted by Fubaz for ©BerryReview, April 27, 2012, 10:54 am. | Leaked Photo of a BlackBerry London Packaging | 20 comments |


How to Get Amazon Kindle Working on BlackBerry OS 7 & 7.1 Devices

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 06:48 AM PDT

Kindle Kindle2

Many users who upgraded to BlackBerry OS 7 and 7.1 devices were sad to learn that Amazon has not updated their app to support the latest BlackBerry devices. This is a shame since the app actually does work and could easily be updated by Amazon. I have been meaning to mention this little trick for getting Amazon's Kindle app working on BlackBerry 7 and 7.1 smartphones. All credit for discovering it goes to ljcn who detailed the steps on CrackBerry Forums. I have confirmed that it does work on my Bold 9900 along with a friends 9810 and 9360.

Here are the instructions:

  1. First download the Amazon Kindle app directly from Amazon at:
    http://klamath.s3.amazonaws.com/KindleBB102b/kindle.jad
  2. When you open the app you will see the Kindle splash screen and it will hang
  3. While your BlackBerry is hung on that screen connect your BlackBerry to your PC using the USB cable
  4. When it pops up asking you to choose between the three connection methods select "USB Drive"
  5. After a few seconds disconnect your BlackBerry from your PC and the Kindle app should have started up
  6. You are not logged in so you will just see a bar that says "Archived Items (0)"
  7. Click on that bar and you will be taken to the Kindle login page
  8. Login and it will work!

Keep in mind you will need to do this every time you reinstall the application or reload your OS. Ljcn also rightfully points out that you can use the Kindle BlackBerry app to read books that you did not purchase from Amazon. You just need to put the Mobi formatted books in the SD card folder \kindle\books and they will show up. If you have those ebooks on another device then the WhisperSync will also keep your page in sync between devices!

Kudos to Ljcn for the instructions and Tammy for reminding me that I needed to write this up!

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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 27, 2012, 9:48 am. | How to Get Amazon Kindle Working on BlackBerry OS 7 & 7.1 Devices | 4 comments |


Review: BlackBerry Mini Keyboard for the BlackBerry PlayBook

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 05:45 AM PDT

Review: BlackBerry Mini Keyboard

Cost: $119.99

Buy: ShopBlackBerry.com 

The Mini Keyboard makes the PlayBook a mobile work Horse!

mini-keyboard-12

 

The BlackBerry PlayBook has not been short on accessory options, with RIM has releasing a few of its own, the latest is the BlackBerry Mini Keyboard. This addition to the BlackBerry PlayBook makes the device more useful, than it already was.

Design: The BlackBerry Mini Keyboard is comprised of a carrying case technically a redesigned convertible case and the actual keyboard that is the size of the PlayBook but thinner. The Keyboard is not attached to the case it can be removed or placed back into the straps.  The back of the case also has a strap that you can place around the case when it is close to keep the case from opening when you are carrying the device or place it on your bag before a trip.

The keyboard itself is easy to power on and off with a button on the lower left corner to conserve batty when you are not using. Another method is turning the Bluetooth off on the PlayBook and leaving the keyboard turned on.

Form Factor: Adding to the design the case encloses the PlayBook inside which makes it hard for the PlayBook to fall of. The back of the case has a kickstand and camera access and it also has access to all your ports for charging, and mini-HDMI. Overall the case adds portability, secures the PlayBook inside and makes it easy to carry around.

Weight: The keyboard itself does not weight much but when you combine all three things together, the PlayBook, case, and keyboard it adds a bit of weight but not to the point where it becomes uncomfortable to carry.

Pairing the BlackBerry PlayBook Mini Keyboard:

Pairing the device is super easy the first time, simply turn the PlayBook bluetooth on, and the same on the mini keyboard.

  1. Turn Bluetooth on both devices
  2. Go to the PlayBook options/Bluetooth/Add new device
  3. Once the PlayBook finds the keyboard, click to connect. When connected, type the numbers shown on the PlayBook on keyboard and hit enter. This will finish pairing the devices.

Enable paring mode or Paring to another device: If for some reason you need to delete the pairing  and pair the devices again you need to hold the "CONTROL" key at the same time that you turn on the keyboard to enable pairing mode.

Device Specifications:

Part Number: ACC-41616-001 UPC: 843163090279 EAN: 0843163090279
Packaging & Documentation Languages English, French, Spanish
Mini Keyboard Dimensions (Length x Width x Depth) 194mm x 130mm x 6mm
7.60" x 5.10" x .24"
Case Dimensions (Length x Width x Depth) 201mm x 140mm x 28mm
7.90" x 5.50" x 1.10"
Retail Package Dimensions (Length x Width x Depth) 210mm x 145mm x 50mm
8.50" x 5.75" x 2.0"
Master Carton Dimensions (Length x Width x Depth) 307mm x 230mm x 156mm
12.10" x 9.06" x 6.15"
Keyboard Weight (g) 179
Case Weight (g) 268
Final Product Weight (including the PlayBook tablet) (g) 918
Master Carton Weight (kg) 3
MOQ 5
Battery Life up to 30 days on a single charge
Encryption 128bit
Charger Micro US/Can be charge with PlayBook charger
Compatible with third party devices Must be Bluetooth HID profile

Before you beging there are some special Tips & Trick You should learn: This will make your experience better, and will see yourself learning how to use it faster.

Using the touchpad

ScreenHunter_01 Apr. 24 20.59

Navigating Using the Touchpad

ScreenHunter_02 Apr. 24 20.59

Typing: The keyboard feels a little cramped because it is small the keyboard takes time for somebody with fatty fingers to get used to it. It took me a few days of about 1 to 2 hours use to actually begin to feel comfortable typing on it without missing keystrokes, or clicking the wrong key.  The touchpad/mouse also takes some time to get used to it, and it is because it does not function just like a regular touchpad works on a laptop. RIM has integrated some customized gestures that take a little while to learn but are definitely pretty cool to use once you get used to it. If you think about how the PlayBook functions with gestures it makes sense at the way RIM added this features to the keyboard touchpad.

Once I felt comfortable with my typing speed, I began to leave my laptop at home and taking my PlayBook to school for note taking, viewing my school books on PDF, printing school material from my pc to the PlayBook with print2go. When people see me using the PlayBook and the mini keyboard they are intrigued to see at the functionality, that the keyboard adds to the PlayBook.

The best part about using the Touchpad and the mini keyboard to type and browser is the fact that half the screen is not covered with the virtual keyboard. This gives you more screen real-estate to multitask, browse, read, send emails, type notes, and edit documents. 

I decided not to do a video review since RIM already has a pretty good video that shows the main features of the KeyBoard.


Desktop Video Link | Mobile Video Link

 

 

Pros:

  • Gives you access to a faster typing method on the PlayBook
  • Full screen view – virtual keyboard hides away
  • Similar to using a laptop, with a small learning curve
  • Supports 3rd party devices with HID profile
  • Portable
  • The elastic strap makes it easy to keep the Mini Keyboard and PlayBook close, and Open it when needed.
  • The keyboard and PlayBook can be taken out of the case for use when you have the PlayBook connected to an HDMI cable
  • You get a case and a keyboard all in one

Cons:

  • Keyboard is compact but it is to be expected for the size
  • Taking the PlayBook out of the case can be a pain sometimes
  • The kickstand does not hold good in slick surfaces, and if you tap hard on the PlayBook it will fall back.
  • The price may throw some buyers off but your are actually getting a case+keyboard in one which if you bough separately you may pay just about the same price.

The BlackBerry Mini Keyboard, is not for everyone but if you can actually see yourself using it than you should buy one. If you really don't see your self using it than don't because it may not be the thing for you. Ask yourself what activities that I use my PlayBook would this keyboard make it easier for me?. If you do quite a bit of note taking, you want to be able to write ideas on the go, or simply be able to send out e-mails faster with a physical keyboard then it might be the accessory for you.

You can purchase the PlayBook Mini Keyboard from RIM but at this time it seems they are out of stock.

Download the User Guide

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Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, April 27, 2012, 8:45 am. | Review: BlackBerry Mini Keyboard for the BlackBerry PlayBook | 6 comments |