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

Pandora for BlackBerry has been updated to version 1.1.1 with a few bug fixes:

• Fixed HTTP 502 issue (and other networking-related issues such as the “connection closed” problem on the 8350i)
• Fixed volume going to “full” after an audio system alert (phone, email, IM) on Storm
• For listeners who use the low end of the volume scale, the jump from 3 bars to 4 bars isn’t as jarring anymore

Pandora will work on the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 series, Pearl Flip 8200 series, Curve 8300 and 8900 series, 8800 series, Bold 9000, Storm 9530 and the Tour 9630.

Download it now by visiting Pandora.com from your BlackBerry Browser, or visit the Pandora for BlackBerry page for more info.

via CB Forums

WhatsApp has been released for BlackBerry!

• What is WhatsApp?
  WhatsApp is a status indicator for your iPhone and BlackBerry phones. This application allows users to share their availability status with each other. WhatsApp revolutionizes the way we communicate by eliminating poorly timed calls.

WhatsApp is available for all BlackBerry devices with a data connection running OS 4.2.1 and higher. In order for WhatsApp to work both parties must have it installed on their BlackBerry.

You can download it by visiting whatsapp.com/bb from your BlackBerry Browser, or visit whatsapp.com for more info.

It looks like Ed Hardy themes are very popular these days. Here are a few more I found today for the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8200 series, Bold and Storm series.

• How To: Install applications and themes via OTA with or without using data

Ed Hardy theme for the Pearl Flip (by T4BB member lvmx69)

• Download: OTA
• Info: Ed Hardy for the Pearl Flip theme page

Ed Hardy theme for the Bold (by T4BB member hesslerten)

• Download: OTA
• Info: Ed Hardy for the Bold 9000 theme page

* UPDATE Mark Freeze let me now that Pandora is no longer available outside the US. *

The free streaming radio application known as Pandora has been updated to version 1.1 for BlackBerry with some nice new features and bug fixes.

New Features

• Significantly better audio quality over mobile network – now using stereo AAC+ (HE-AAC) for both Wi-Fi and mobile connections
• Listener preference option to select “High” quality stream over mobile network or “Normal” for slower connections. Both are stereo.
• Create Station screen now has auto-complete functionality as you type
• Added user preference option to enable or disable station auto-start
• Moved “Log Out” from main menu into Options screen, it now shows the currently logged-in username
• Visual overlay when changing volume; easier to see actual volume level
• Application will check for correct application permissions on startup, and offer to set them to appropriate values if required
• You can now get to the “Options” screen from the menus of both the Station List screen and the
  Now Playing screen
• Reduced download size of app by about 30-40%

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed stream resume problem on some Storm devices after being interrupted by a system alert (phone call, SMS, email, etc)
• Fixed bug where Wi-Fi capable devices without a SIM card or data plan were not able to use Pandora over Wi-Fi
• Fixed reports of “low volume” settings not being low enough – the lower volume settings now go as quiet as possible before being muted
• Fixed bug where album art may not have been displayed for some tracks
• Mute button should now properly sleep the device when holding it down

Pandora will work on the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 series, Pearl Flip 8200 series, Curve 8300 and 8900 series, 8800 series, Bold 9000, Storm 9530 and now the Tour 9630!

Download it now by visiting Pandora.com from your BlackBerry Browser, or visit the Pandora for BlackBerry page for more info.

* UPDATE Comments submitted after 12AM EST on June 18th will not count. *

BAK2u let me know that PhoneBAKup has been officially released for BlackBerry and have given me 20 free copies to give away!

PhoneBAKup allows you to backup and restore your BlackBerry entirely Over-The-Air with a daily, weekly or monthly schedule. Easily backup all your device’s Address Book, Task, Calendar and MemoList to any predefined email address, all automatically.

Features:

• Backup: Just schedule the time ONCE to backup and it will run on the background, sending all the important data hassle free, daily, weekly or monthly. Backup to the storage card or Backup and Email directly to selected email address
• Restore: Simply download the backup files from the email to the device’s storage card and with a click, restore back all the vital information easily.
• Information can be restored to other devices as long as there is PhoneBAKup program running.

PhoneBAKup is available in the store for a one-time cost of $19.90 with a free trial available, no subscriptions or annual fees. You can also find it in the Mobile App Store soon.

This application is compatible with the BlackBerry Pearl (8100,8110,8120), Pearl Flip (8200,8220), Curve (8300,8310,8320), 8700 C/G/R, 8707 G/V,  8800, 8820, 8830, Curve 8900, Bold 9000 and the Storm 9500.

* The Giveaway Thanks to BAK2u I have 20 free copies of PhoneBAKup to give away. All you have to do to be considered is leave a comment on this post saying how useful you’d find this application! It doesn’t have to be an elaborate explanation, either.

This will end June 18th at 12AM EST and winners will be selected and announced later that day. Please use a valid email when leaving a comment so I can contact you if you are chosen. Good luck! *

My buddy Sados Demetrios is awesome with PipBoy 3000 themes! He has just created a version for the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8200 series available for free.

What sets this version apart from the other PipBoy themes is the exterior screen, which looks real cool with the green PipBoy look!

• Download OTA: PipBoy 3000 v8.2 for the Pearl Flip 8200 series
• More themes by: Sados Demetrios
• How To: Install applications and themes via OTA with or without using data

Found an awesome and free theme for all you BlackBerry Pearl Flip owners .

This theme is called FlipDroid, a theme that is loosely based off of Google’s Android smartphone.

• Download/Info: FlipDroid for the Pearl Flip series theme page
• How To: Install applications and themes via OTA with or without using data

Next week Poynt will enable a new auto-update feature, but for now they made an announcement that Poynt version 1.0.1.59 is available for all 8000 series devices, as well as the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Storm.

Changes and improvements:

STORM:

• Fixed no results found errors popping up when a cell-site location was found.
• Improved touch list performance.
• Search speed and data improvements.
• Improved saved locations mechanism
• Allowed search radius as small as 5 km

BOLD/JAVELIN/CURVE/PEARL/FLIP:

• Improved UI, re-written from the ground up to increase performance.
• Inertial scrolling on result lists to enhance visual feedback.
• Fixed BB Maps crashing issues.
• Cell-Site GPS – Fast and reasonably accurate initial locates while your GPS chipset is warming up and scanning the sky for true satellite GPS locks.
• Improved GPS speeds. Note to Verizon Customers: Full GPS is still unavailable for these devices, but the new Cell-Site GPS feature is available. It is automatic, so no additional configuration is required.
• Improved network module. Poynt’s network heuristics provide a seamless and fast user experience in a variety of different network scenarios.
• Improved location lookup service (click on the search location bar at the top and select new search location).
• Non-intrusive auto-complete mechanism for typing in previous search terms.
• Add to Calendar feature for movie showtimes
• Improved data storage system to minimize memory footprint on the device.

…

NOTE: If you have Poynt installed on any other device besides the Storm, you MUST delete the previous version (0.9.7 or below) or you will receive a download failed error.

• Download OTA: Poynt
• How To: Install applications and themes via OTA with or without using data

I thought it would be helpful to put all the guides in one location for reference, so here is a page containing all available Getting Started Guides, Tips, User Guides, Safety and Product Information documents for all BlackBerrys.

This page will be updated whenever there is a new BlackBerry and guide available from RIM.

Check it out: blackberryrocks.com/blackberry-guides-tips-info/

This list is pretty big just in case. Please keep in mind that all links lead to PDF files.