UPDATE This contest has been extended till tomorrow night, November 1st at 11:59PM. *

My buddy @ninja_says (aka NinjaThemes) was nice enough to give me 50 free copies of any of his premium BlackBerry themes to give away as part of the BBRocks! birthday celebration!

In addition to the premium NinjaThemes BlackBerry themes, @ninja_says also has a bunch of awesome, free BlackBerry themes. Make sure you check out NinjaThemes in the store to see what themes are available for your device before leaving a comment.

CONTEST: For a chance to win 1 of 50 free copies of any NinjaThemes premium BlackBerry themes leave a comment on this post using a valid email address. Only leave one comment, duplicates will be ignored and will not increase your chances of winning. This contest will end at 12AM EST on Sunday, November 1st. Comments left after this time will not be considered. *

Note: You can find, purchase and download thousands of BlackBerry themes (including NinjaThemes themes) in the BBRocks! Mobile App Store, downloadable at bbappstore.com.

UPDATE This contest has been extended till tomorrow night, November 1st at 11:59PM. *

I know from personal experience that hardcore usage of a BlackBerry can sometimes drain your battery and if you’re on the run (driving in this case) finding time to charge yours can be difficult.

I have two brand new BlackBerry car chargers, one Micro USB charger and one Mini USB charger.

Features:

• Talk and charge at the same time
• Recharge on the go
• Provides unlimited talk time

Not sure which kind of charger you have? In the picture below the plug on the left is a Mini USB and the plug on the right is a Micro USB.

CONTEST: To win one (1) of these car chargers leave a comment on this post using a valid email address. In your comment be sure to mention which type of USB you have, only mention one. Only leave one comment, duplicates will be ignored and will not increase your chances of winning. This contest will end at 12AM EST on Sunday, November 1st. Comments left after this time will not be considered. *

UPDATE This contest has been extended till tomorrow night, November 1st at 11:59PM. *

Thanks to Twinkler Software and Toysoft Development, I have 20 copies of both AddOnis and ProfilerPro to give away as part of the BBRocks! birthday celebration!

AddOnis description:

AddOnis is the All-In-One utility that your Blackberry can not be without!

With the installation of only one small file, AddOnis adds features normally added by multiple utilities – and with AddOnis – all of these extensions have been designed to work together perfectly in harmony.

AddOnis extends system functionality, enabling features missing from the system that make your device easier and more efficient to use by adding all of the choices you always wanted to your menu selections.

AddOnis also adds features to the device, letting you selectively block or permit calls from certain numbers, adding options to various alerts, adding a configurable missed call indicator, providing In-Call notifications and so much more. Review the full feature list below for a complete listing of what AddOnis can do for you!

ProfilerPro description:

Profiler Pro is an application that lets you automate system sound profile switching during the day. You can schedule profiles each day to change from one profile to another. Each profile you set the time to switch,
the days which the profile will be active eg: Monday to Friday. Optionally if you have BlackBerry OS 4.7 and higher you can set to change a new Wallpaper on the HomeScreen and change a ringtone.

Profiler Pro also integrates with the BlackBerry Calendar application. You can schedule a profile switch by creating a new appointment. The profile will automatically switch when the appointment starts and ends.

If you are AddOnis user Profiler Pro can bring AddOnis out of standby mode if this feature is enabled in AddOnis.

AddOnis is available for $9.95 and ProfilerPro is available for $6.99. Separate reviews for both applications coming soon.

CONTEST: I have 20 copies of both AddOnis and ProfilerPro to give away. For a chance to win one of each leave a comment on this post using a valid email address. Only leave one comment, duplicates will be ignored and will not increase your chances of winning. This contest will end at 12AM EST on Sunday, November 1st. Comments left after this time will not be considered. *

Note: You can find these applications and thousands of others in the BBRocks! Mobile App Store, downloadable at bbappstore.com.

Exactly one year ago this very minute BlackBerryRocks.com went live and since then has grown in so many ways, all thanks to you, the readers!

It’s been a long and fun ride, at times getting a bit rough but all in all very much worth my time, work and effort. I’m not sure if many of you remember but BlackBerryRocks.com was originally MetroBerry.com for a short while before I made the name change. At that time everything on the site was basic with no tutorials, no dedicated pages like what it has now, no stores, no structure, almost no readers.

Believe it or not I was once an amateur theme creator and the original purpose of MetroBerry.com was to showcase the themes I would have created. Once I got into blogging about everything BlackBerry…it was all downhill (in a good way) from there.

After two months as MetroBerry.com I felt a name change was necessary, and so BlackBerryRocks.com was created. I completely re-designed the site and created the logo from scratch. I had no idea BBRocks! would become the site it is today, having amassed a very sizable following and becoming acquainted with a bunch of awesome people in the process.

The site name and logo were both inspired by two of the things I enjoy most: my BlackBerry and Rock music. How did I come up with them? It’s actually a funny, quick story. I was burning out trying to think of a new site name and a logo that would work with it. I had some rock music on in the background while I was brainstorming, and randomly grabbed my BlackBerry while forming the “Rock Devil Horns,” the hand signal commonly seen at rock concerts. Everything clicked at once and it was the perfect, fun way to show the awesomeness that is BlackBerry.

And so here we are an entire year later. I have some plans for BBRocks! that I hope to see come to fruition soon. Just a preview…site and logo redesign, regular reviews with video, regular giveaways and a few other things I won’t mention just yet .

Speaking of giveaways, I know it’s BBRocks!’s first birthday but as it’s already been given the gift of awesome readers, I’ve decided to give back to the readers with a bunch of contests where you could win BlackBerry applications, themes, games and accessories!

Keep an eye on BBRocks! throughout the day for the contest posts. You won’t be disappointed .

Not even thirty minutes after I posted the leaked version @MoeStepp let me know that Verizon has made the official version available for download! Better late than never right?

OS 5.0.0.328 for the BlackBerry Storm 9530 is available for download through Desktop Manager or through Verizon’s BlackBerry software download site vzw.smithmicro.com/blackberry. I tested it and you can enter any number to get the download, it doesn’t have to be a Verizon number. Feel free to use the one I entered in the screenshot above.

I’ve included the full changelog after the jump. Let me know how you like this update in the comments!

CONTINUE READING »

UPDATE This leak was officially released by Verizon. Click here for more info. *

I guess someone decided they couldn’t wait for it to go official . I’m not sure if this is the version that was meant to be released but click here to view the changelog of the official version.

• Download via MegaUpload: OS 5.0.0.328 for the Storm 9530
• How To:
  • Backup And Restore Your BlackBerry
  • Upgrade your BlackBerry Operating System (OS)

Please report any feedback/findings in the comments.

DISCLAIMER: Install at your own risk. This is Leaked/Beta software that is not guaranteed to be stable, and therefore will not be supported by RIM or your wireless carrier should you run into some problems. As a precaution, if you decide to upgrade, it is highly recommended that you make a backup before using this software. If you are not comfortable using Leaked/Beta software you should probably wait for the next official release. *

Thanks @MoeStepp!

UPDATE 10:30PM EST Verizon has finally released this OS. Click here for more info. *

UPDATE 6:47PM EST Just called Verizon and they said the update is “available as of today”. It’s probably a slow rollout. If you get it let me know when and where you are. *

UPDATE 6:30PM EST Anyone having any luck? Don’t forget to try through Desktop Manager or through Options > Advanced > Wireless Update. *

A few days ago I let you know that the Storm 9530 will be getting OS 5.0 from Verizon today. The same Verizon Assistant Manager I spoke to about the Storm 9550 launch also told me that OS 5.0 for the Storm 9530 will be made available at 6PM EST, less than an thirty minutes away!

The Assitant Manager told me that the update will be available through vzw.com/storm, which basically ends up taking you to the BlackBerry update page for the Storm at worldwide.blackberry.com/update/blackberrystorm.jsp. If you have a Storm 9530 and are able to get this update today at 6PM EST (or whenever it becomes available today if not at that time) let me know in the comments!

I was also able to get the changelog for this release which I’ve included after the jump. The list is long and full of lots of fixes and improvements.

CONTINUE READING »

I drove over to my local Best Buy and Verizon stores today to see if I can get any updates about the BlackBerry Storm 9550. Upon arriving at Best Buy the first thing I saw was a Storm 9550 dummy unit on display. I decided to ask the Best Buy reps if they knew when it would launch in their stores and they were clueless, telling me maybe November.

After Best Buy I drove over to the Verizon store to see if they knew anything more about the Storm 9550. I was able to talk to an Assistant Manager who instantly responded with “it should be launching October 28th”.

The October 28th launch date has been spotted a few times so this isn’t new information, but since this Verizon location is just a retail store, I would say that the October 28th launch date is solid. We’ll find out soon enough since the 28th is only three days away…

Yesterday I mentioned that the Verizon BlackBerry Storm 9530 might be getting OS 5.0.0.328 tomorrow. Since that post I’ve received a bunch of emails asking whether a certain BlackBerry model will get OS 5.0.

Up till now I could only base my answers on leaked information, but  thanks to a new knowledge base article posted by RIM we now know exactly which BlackBerry devices will get it!

List of the supported devices:

• BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip 8200 series smartphones
• BlackBerry® Curve™ 8330 smartphones
• BlackBerry® Curve™ 8350i smartphones
• BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 smartphones
• BlackBerry® Bold™ 9000 smartphones
• BlackBerry® Storm™ 9500 series smartphones
• BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630 smartphones

Your BlackBerry must have at least 64MB of available memory in order to upgrade to OS 5.0 once it’s available.

According to the knowledge base article not all wireless service providers will support BlackBerry OS 5.0 for the devices listed above, meaning you might have to get it from another service provider. This isn’t a problem for those that don’t mind using an OS not issued by their carrier.

Here’s to hoping an OS 5.0 launch for all devices is just around the corner!

via KB17984

Darren let me know that he has updated his BlackBerry Master Control Program (MCP) to version 0.9.2.0 Beta 10.

MCP is a must have application for moderate to advanced BlackBerry users that allows you upgrade or downgrade your OS, load/save/erase modules, take screenshots, perform Java Loader commands, reset to factory defaults and so much more! What makes MCP awesome besides for all its features is that it comes in a portable version that you can install on a portable memory device (like a USB drive), allowing you to plug it in for use on any compatible PC.

Here are some info and download links for each version:

• Standard / 3.27 MB (3,439,240 bytes)
  • Information:  http://mcpfx.com/download.php?view.4
  • Download:  http://mcpfx.com/request.php?4
• Portable / 3.29 MB (3,454,016 bytes)
  • Information:  http://mcpfx.com/download.php?view.5
  • Download:  http://mcpfx.com/request.php?5
• Stand Alone / 1.45 MB (1,530,848 bytes)
  • Information:  http://mcpfx.com/download.php?view.6
  • Download:  http://mcpfx.com/request.php?6

Make sure you have BlackBerry Desktop Manager v5.0 before using MCP. I’ve included a changelog of this update after the jump.

CONTINUE READING »