By James Kendrick:

I like the iPhone 3G and have liked it since it was first released.  It has changed the way we think about smartphones, no question, and it is a very fine one.  I also like the BlackBerry Storm, an opinion that is more unusual.  It is a BlackBerry at its core, which makes it a fine smartphone in its own right.  I am in an unusual situation since I have both of these smartphones, and I am getting asked frequently to compare them.  This is not something I usually do as I find that there is no one “better” device in cases like this, as one phone will excel in certain situations and not so much in others.  I will thus lay out the things I like and dislike about both of these phones and you can draw your own conclusions as to what each might mean in your particular case.

I will start out by making it clear that I like both of these phones.  They do what they do very well and they each take a different tack to do that.  This is where they differ and why they excel in different areas and fall short in others.

Read more @ jkOnTheRun

Dmglakewood has created yet another fun and free application for the BlackBerry Storm! This time it’s StormSketch, etch-a-sketch for your Storm!

From the description:

What is it? If you don’t know what an Etch-a-sketch is then this app probably isn’t for you lol.

How to use it? Use your finger to draw on the screen. If you would like to have a new drawing board simply shake your phone left and right and it will clear the screen.

Current Build 1.4.7 – If you notice any bugs or anything post them in the thread. I will try and fix them asap.
New – You can now change colors by simply clicking on the screen. There will be a circle in the bottom right hand corner that will be the current color

…

You can submit feedback at the CrackBerry forums thread.

• Download OTA: http://www.stormgrounds.com/downloads.php?file=S485mSk74ch
• More of dmglakewood’s Storm apps: http://www.stormgrounds.com/apps/

If you enjoy any of dmglakewood’s applications, be sure to send him a donation!

Some highlights from the press release:

• Absolute(R) Software Corporation (”Absolute” or the “Company”) (TSX: ABT), the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, computer theft recovery, data protection and IT asset management solutions, today announced that it launched Computrace(R) Mobile for the BlackBerry(R) platform. The new solution delivers asset management, data protection and geolocation tracking for the popular BlackBerry line of smartphones.
• The launch follows a successful beta program that allowed select Absolute customers to test Computrace Mobile for BlackBerry smartphones within their live IT operations.
• After Computrace Mobile is installed and activated on smartphones, it reports asset and location information every 30 minutes. IT administrators can detect hardware and software changes on the smartphone, as well as run daily reports to see its locations using Google Maps(TM) within the secure Absolute Customer Center.
• Computrace Mobile is currently available for BlackBerry OS versions 4.2.1 and later, including consumer models and all future models, as well as all Windows Mobile(R) 5 and 6 handheld devices such as the MOTO Q(TM), Palm(R) Treo(TM) and Samsung(R) BlackJack(TM). Computrace Mobile is available for purchase with an MSRP of $13.95 for a 1-year subscription through Absolute Software at 1-800-220-0733, or go to www.absolute.com for more information.

Read the whole press release after the jump.

CONTINUE READING »

If you’ve been waiting for a chance to get BeejiveIM for BlackBerry on sale…the time is now!  Some people get lucky and find a leaked coupon code for BeejiveIM, most people don’t. For this week only you won’t have to go hunting for a coupon code because Beejive is having their first ever sale on the BeejiveIM application for BlackBerry!

Some highlights from the press release:

• As a thank you to its loyal BlackBerry community, Beejive today announced a week-long sale on BeejiveIM for BlackBerry, the most reliable and user-friendly mobile IM application on the market today. This native, highly customizable application will be available for as little as $14.95, a $5.00 discount, from midnight PT, Monday, February 23, until midnight PT, Sunday, March 1.
• BeejiveIM for BlackBerry supports AIM®/iChat®/MobileMe®, MSN®/Windows Live®, Yahoo!®, MySpace, GoogleTalk®, SameTime®, ICQ®, & Jabber, allowing users to access all of their IM clients from one user-friendly interface.
• In addition to the BeejiveIM for BlackBerry device license being available at a $5.00 discount, the user license will also be available for only $24.95, down from $29.95.

Read the full press release after the jump.

OR

• Download OTA: www.beejive.com/download

CONTINUE READING »

• Download: OS 4.7.0.109 for the BlackBerry Storm [Uploaded.to]

REMEMBER: Install at your own risk. Always make backups before making major changes/upgrades/downgrades to your BlackBerry.

|source|

By Stefanie Hoffman:

A new Internet worm targeting mobile devices is loose in the wild and spreading rapidly via SMS messages, researchers at Fortinet warned.The mobile worm, deemed SymbOS/Yxes.Alworm, but also known as “Sexy View,” targets mobile devices running SymbianOS S60 3rd Edition FP 1, affectingNokia (NYSE: NOK) 3250 handsets and other mobile devices with Internet capabilities.

Once installed, the worm executes as “EConServer.exe” masked alongside the legitimate process “EComServer.exe” and runs every time the device is rebooted. In addition to comprising multiple variations, the worm is designed to destroy certain processes, such as the application manager.

…

Meanwhile, security experts say that they expect to see a rise in worms and other malware attacking mobile platforms in months to come as the increased functionality of BlackBerry and other smartphones applications opens more security holes that can be exploited by hackers.

Read more @ CRN.com

Zach from Z Man Designs let me know that he has just released his first, free and exclusive BlackBerry Storm theme called Storm X.

Features:

• Fully skinned *EXCLUSIVELY TO STORM* theme
• Vivid Icons
• Easy to read fonts
• Colorful menus
• User customizable wallpaper
• User defined font for menus and lists

Don’t forget, all Storm (and Curve 8900) themes are currently being created through the Plazmic CDK 4.7 beta that was leaked. Some themes might have problems, so make backups just in case. I’ve already downloaded a few themes created through the leaked Plazmic and I haven’t run into anything serious.

• Download:
  • OTA: Storm X for the BlackBerry Storm
  • ZIP: Storm X for the BlackBerry Storm
• Info: http://www.thezman.us/stormx/
• How to: Install Applications and Themes via BlackBerry Desktop Manager

So the truth comes out about the real reason Barack Obama wanted to keep his BlackBerry…BrickBreaker!

Well that’s what some people are saying. I wouldn’t doubt it either. According to the article:

Star Magazine reports that the president plays BrickBreaker to unwind every night before bed. This is an executive decision I can totally understand.And he apparently has a high score of 15,000. Not too shabby.

How cool is that. “President and gamer-in-chief” indeed .

Michael from BlackBerryThemes.co.uk let me know about a bunch of new themes he created for the BlackBerry Storm 9500 and 9530.

All these themes look great! I’ve seen a lot of cool themes for the Storm these last few days, I hope most of them come out for the BlackBerry Curve 8900 too.

• Check it out: Storm themes by BlackBerryThemes.co.uk

Jamie just sent me this article about a guide on how to fix the annoying Nextel BlackBerry Curve 8350i echo problem.

Sprint released a statement today stating that:

“A voice echo issue with the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8350i has been reported on a limited subset of devices. The root cause of the voice echo issue has been identified and is being addressed in a software release MR2 that should be available in March.”

AND

“Meanwhile if a customer is experiencing the voice echo issue we suggest using the wired headset that comes in the box or using the speakerphone until the new software is available.”

WTF?!?!?!

SERIOUSLY???

USE YOUR SPEAKERPHONE OR HEADSET THAT COMES IN THE BOX?

Being the BlackBerry Bad-ass that I am, I have put together the following “How To” on how to do RIM and Sprint’s job for them, and create a “Hybrid Operating System” using parts of the Telus 8350i Operating System to fix your echo echo echo issues.

Be sure if you do this that you follow these instructions carefully. I am not zip up this “Hybrid OS” and post it because, well…I don’t want to get SUED BY RIM for hacking their shit. So it’s up to you…Either wait until MARCH or proceed at your own risk.

NOTE: I have successfully done this and confirmed the echo is gone on 10 Nextel 8350i’s.

While I am not responsible if you do something stupid (IE: NOT follow these instructions) and jack up your device, I will keep my eye out for anyone who is having issues and assist them…

Read more @ BlackBerryHomePage.com