Posted by Mauricio on Oct 28, 2009 at 2:58 PM | Comments
The Google Voice App for BlackBerry has been updated to version 0.1.6 with no changelog, but the update could be related to Google now allowing its users to use their existing number with their Google Voice account.
By allowing users to use their own number with their Google Voice account, users will be able to take advantage of Google Voice’s features without having to change their number or use a different one.
Up until now, if you wanted to use Google Voice, you needed to choose a new number (a “Google number”). Taking calls through your Google number allows us to offer features like call recording, call screening and getting text messages via email. But we know not everyone wants to switch to a new phone number, so it made sense for us to create a lighter version of Google Voice for people who are willing to trade some features for the ability to use their existing numbers.
We’re excited to announce that you now have the choice to get Google Voice with your existing mobile number OR with a Google number.
One of the features you get if you use your own number with your Google Voice account is the functionality of Google voicemail instead of your default carrier voicemail which, I’m being a bit blunt here, sucks.
Google has a guide for how to set up your existing number with your Google Voice account along with a comparison chart of what you get if you use your own number or a Google number. For more info about Google Voice visit google.com/voice or to download the updated BlackBerry application visit m.google.com/voice from your BlackBerry Browser.
Posted by Mauricio on Oct 20, 2009 at 3:21 PM | Comments
I first told you about Best Buy Mobile’s new and free mIQ wireless syncing service a few weeks ago but totally forgot to follow up with the official launch on October 12th!
mIQ is an awesome app/service that I’m sure many of you will appreciate since you can do so much while on the run. About mIQ:
Mobile technology is pretty amazing, but getting the most out of it can sometimes be challenging. mIQ was created to make it easy for users to unleash the potential of their mobile phone.
mIQ from Best Buy Mobile helps users sync their contacts, text messages, calendar events, calls, photos, videos, and internet favorites from their mobile phones to their private web-based mIQ account. Once in sync, the user can backup and interact with their information, share their experiences with friends and social sites, discover the top solutions available for their phones, and restore their content when moving from one phone to the next.
The mIQ service keeps the phone and the web constantly connected, so that the stuff done on one automatically shows up on the other in just a few seconds, helping users access and share their stuff whether they’re on the go or in front of their computers – no cables or effort required!
For more info and to sign up head to miqlive.com from your desktop browser or m.miqlive.com from your BlackBerry Browser to download the app OTA.
Posted by Mauricio on Oct 14, 2009 at 12:58 PM | Comments
Google has announced via their official Google Voice Blog that they have started to allow current users to invite up to three friends to use the (mostly) free service.
Starting today, we’re beginning to give out invitations to Google Voice users. If you currently use Google Voice, over the next few weeks, you’ll see an “Invite a friend” link appear on the left-hand side of your inbox.
We’ll be rolling out these invitations gradually, so don’t worry if you don’t see your invitations immediately. We’re initially giving out three invites to each account, but we’re planning to provide more invitations in the future.
I’ve been using Google Voice for a while now and I am very pleased with it. One of the pros of owning a BlackBerry and being a user is the Google Voice for BlackBerry application, which makes it easier to call, SMS, view history (and more) while you’re on the run.
If you don’t have a Google Voice account yet you can sign up for one at google.com/voiceinvite, wait for a friend to invite you, or wait for me to give some away through the @BlackBerryRocks Twitter account .
Posted by Mauricio on Oct 5, 2009 at 2:50 PM | Comments
Best Buy Mobile let me know about a new service they are launching on October 12th called mIQ. This service allows you to access, share and manage mobile data through a secure and personal Web portal, all done over the air!
Key Features
Data backup & management: Upgrading to a new phone used to be a hassle. With mIQ, all content that lives on the mobile device — contacts, text messages, calendar events, calls, photos, videos, and voicemail messages — is automatically uploaded and safely backed-up on a personal Web-based mIQ account making it easy to sync, search, interact with, share it or transfer it from one phone to another. Since the mobile phone is constantly connected to the Web, mIQ automatically syncs any changes from the Web to the mobile device and vice-versa, instantly.
Contacts: mIQ helps users easily manage and track the communication with all their contacts. Contacts from Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and other sources can be imported into the mIQ account and synchronized with the mobile phone. Users can then add, edit, or delete contacts from the personal mIQ account – the changes will be instantly pushed to the mobile phone and backed up on the web. Additionally, mIQ enables users to easily view text messages and calls associated with each contact.
Enhanced text messaging: The mIQ Web platform provides an instant message-like experience by organizing SMS text messages into a conversational format. mIQ automatically uploads text messages to an inbox in the personal mIQ account where they can be read, forwarded, or responded to from any computer. Unlike other Web messaging solutions that deliver texts from random phone numbers, mIQ sends the text messages through the user’s mobile phone, ensuring that the recipient will always know who the message is from.
Calendar: Instant access to appointments and events is important whether sitting in front of a computer or on the go. mIQ automatically uploads appointments and events from the phone calendar to the Web. Users can then add, edit, or delete calendar entries from either the mobile phone or the mIQ account and changes are automatically synched between the two platforms.
Photos and videos: mIQ enables users to do more with the memories captured with their smartphones. mIQ automatically uploads photos and videos from the mobile phone to the personal mIQ account – as soon as they are taken – making it easy to organize them by adding titles and descriptions, share them through email and text messages and post them to social networking sites.
Social media connectivity: Social networking on mobile devices has taken connectivity to a whole new level. Updating friends on the latest happenings no longer requires a trip to the computer. mIQ features instant connectivity to popular social sites like Facebook, Flickr, FriendFeed and Twitter, helping users share their mobile experiences – status, photos and videos – directly from their smartphone, wherever they may be.
Pretty awesome and best of all…it’s FREE!
Right now you can sign up for an invite and take a tour of this service at miqlive.com. For more info check out the press release after the jump. Once the service launches don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments!
Posted by Mauricio on Sep 29, 2009 at 9:48 AM | Comments
mSpot has launched a new Mobile Movies site where users will be able to buy and stream movies directly to their BlackBerry (and other smartphones).
mSpot Mobile Movies lets you watch a movie on your cell phone instantly when you want, where you want! We partner with major Hollywood studios to bring movie hits to your phone for a premium, on-demand mobile experience.
Mobile Movies works on 30+ different phones (incl. iPhone, Blackberry, Android and more)
Watch movie trailers for free
Rent single full-length movies for only $4.99
Up to 4 movies for $9.99 when you join the Movie Club
Not all movies are available in the Movie Club.
To watch mSpot Mobile Movies on your BlackBerry visit m.mspot.com through your BlackBerry Browser. Once there you can use a credit card to watch individual movies or join the Movie Club for their subscription service. Rental time ranges from 24 hours to 5 days depending on the movie, which is pretty standard for movie rentals. For more info visit mSpot.com.
If you try this out let me know what you think about the overall quality of the movies and service in the comments!
Posted by Mauricio on Sep 28, 2009 at 8:12 AM | Comments
Earlier this year I mentioned the HulloMail visual voicemail service and how some T-Mobile UK customers were petitioning for T-Mobile UK to stop divert charges just because they didn’t want to use their default voicemail. T-Mobile UK was probably charging their customers for using services like HulloMail because they want them to keep using their own service, but default carrier voicemail is very inadequate when it comes to features and ease of use.
That’s why there are services like HulloMail and YouMail (one of the first visual voicemail services). These services allow us to do more with our voicemail rather than just calling in, listening to annoying prompts and then our voicemails.
HulloMail lets you:
Receive and play voice-emails directly in your inbox, mobile and the web
Get notified of any missed call, even in areas with no mobile reception
Take control of your voice-emails – it’s up to you, not the operator
Share, delete and keep your voice-emails forever, within a click
See who’s calling you instantly from your email contacts
Access, view, and manage your voice-emails, all from one place
The HulloMail mobile application also gives you:
One click access to all your voice-emails
An enhanced single view of your voice-emails
Embedded rich contact information from your phone or your Gmail contacts
The HulloMail visual voicemail app is available for the Curve 8900, Bold 9000 and Tour 9630 with support for other models coming soon. To download it directly to your BlackBerry visit hullomail.com from your BlackBerry Browser for “early access”. Both the web service and app are available free.
More info in the full press release after the jump.
(If you’ve used YouMail and try HulloMail, let me know which you think is best in the comments!)
Posted by Mauricio on Sep 28, 2009 at 7:15 AM | Comments
David let me know that he has recently launched a new BlackBerry community site called BerrySocial.
Here’s what this site is about:
BerrySocial is a, you guessed it, social networking site aimed at BlackBerry users near and far. We hope to bring together regular users, business users, providers, developers, technicians and anyone else in the BlackBerry loop closer together for a richer, fuller BlackBerry experience.
BerrySocial has some neat features. Here are a few:
Posted by Mauricio on Sep 14, 2009 at 12:56 PM | Comments
UPDATE Someone just pointed out that BeBeMe is both free and premium.
According to the image above yearly is free but they seem to be offering premium plans for longer periods of time. Is anyone else getting something similar when they check? If you find a free one then good, if not I don’t recommend paying for it. *
BeBeMe has launched their new social networking site for BlackBerry users allowing you to conveniently create a single “PIN alias” that would stick with you for life (should you choose), versus the BlackBerry PIN being unique to each device.
What is BeBeMe?
BeBeMe is a social network and a new global identification system for BlackBerry users. It’s a global address book where the BlackBerry users can be reached easily by converting PIN and Emails to an easy to remember Number or Name and makes it easy to add friends to their BlackBerry Messenger and contact list.
BeBeMe simplifies sharing a handset’s Personal Identification Number (PIN), enabling everyone to communicate more conveniently with friends, with communities, anywhere in the world.
BeBeMe offers many value added services, including storing all contacts online, interacting via personal profile pages on www.bebeme.com, and maintaining the same BeBeMe account regardless of whether a handset is broken, lost or upgraded.
With the way everyone communicates continuing to evolve, BeBeMe helps everyone to connect.
It’s free. It’s instant. It’s fun. And it has no boundaries.
The idea of one BeBeMe for all your BlackBerry devices (new and old) is something I’m sure many of you would appreciate. The downside is that BeBeMe is only available for devices running OS 4.6 and higher with support for the Storm on OS 5.0 coming soon.
For more info and to download the app head on over to BeBeMe.com or check out the full press release after the jump.
Posted by Mauricio on Aug 5, 2009 at 9:19 AM | Comments
The Official Google Blog has announced that they have launched a new program where active U.S. service members who have a .mil email address can get a Google Voice invite within a day!
It’s not easy to stay in touch with friends and family when you’re fighting in a country thousands of miles from home. I spent 13 months in Iraq as an Army journalist where I flew in Black Hawks over Balad and Baghdad working to generate news coverage about my fellow soldiers. The whole experience was physically and emotionally draining, but it was especially difficult when I called home at the end of the day and nobody was there to answer.
For servicemen and women who are constantly on the move, having a single number and an easy way to retrieve messages from loved ones can be invaluable. To help our service members communicate with their loved ones and show our support to those serving our country, Google is launching a new program. Starting today, any active U.S. service member with a .mil email address can sign up for a Google Voice account at www.google.com/militaryinvite and start using the free service within a day.
This is great news for our active servicemen and women, especially if you own a BlackBerry. If you’re an active service member who owns a BlackBerry and is planning to get a Google Voice account, be sure to check out the Google Voice BlackBerry app.
Posted by Mauricio on Aug 3, 2009 at 6:00 AM | Comments
CarrierUnlock.com let me know that they are currently having a promotion where you could get $4 off BlackBerry unlock codes, bringing most of them down to only $5.99!
CarrierUnlock offers BlackBerry unlocking services for the US and Canada with carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Rogers, Fido and a bunch of others.
Here’s the site’s description:
Welcome to CarrierUnlock, your one stop shop for all your carrier unlocking needs. This is the place you want to be if you want a remote unlocking code prompt and painless. If you have a device from another carrier other than your own that you purchased fro a friend, auction or a store. This is the place to be in order to get it carrier unlocked and running on your GSM network.
Those who want to get $4 off their BlackBerry unlock code can use the discount code BBRocks. This promotion will run through August 31st.
Head on over to CarrierUnlock.com to get your BlackBerry unlocked. They also have helpful unlocking instructions that can be viewed here.
Subscribe to the BBRocks! Store Feeds to stay up-to-date on the latest BlackBerry software, accessories, special offers, best sellers and the deal of the day!
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