Last week I told you about Blurts no longer being in beta and getting released as a free and premium version. To celebrate the success of the launch with BBRocks! readers, MLH Software has given me 50 free copies of Blurts Pro to give away!

Recap on the Blurts Pro features:

• Display Caller ID Alert
• Display Email Alerts for all email accounts
• Bluetooth auto connect
• Display SMS/Text Alert
• Send SMS/Text from your computer
• Answer call from your computer
• Ignore call from your computer
• Activate Speaker phone from your computer
• Control call volume from your computer
• Place/Dial call from your computer
• Disconnect call from your computer
• Blurts will auto start on device reset
• Options to control alerts

Blurts Pro is currently on sale for $4.99 until November 15th and will work on all Bluetooth-enabled BlackBerry devices running OS 4.2.1 and higher.

CONTEST: For a chance to win 1 of 50 free copies of Blurts Pro leave a comment on this post using a valid email address before 11:59PM EST on Tuesday, November 17th. Only leave one comment, duplicates will be ignored and will not increase your chances of winning. *

Back in September I told you about the Blurts Beta application which allows you to send alerts from your BlackBerry to your PC over a Bluetooth connection. MLH Software let me know that Blurts is out of beta and available as a free and premium version.

• Blurts Features:
  • Display Caller ID Alert
  • Display Email Alert
  • Bluetooth auto connect
• Upgrade to Blurts Pro for even more features:
  • Display Caller ID Alert
  • Display Email Alerts for all email accounts
  • Bluetooth auto connect
  • Display SMS/Text Alert
  • Send SMS/Text from your computer
  • Answer call from your computer
  • Ignore call from your computer
  • Activate Speaker phone from your computer
  • Control call volume from your computer
  • Place/Dial call from your computer
  • Disconnect call from your computer
  • Blurts will auto start on device reset
  • Options to control alerts

Blurts and Blurts Pro will work on any BlackBerry running OS 4.2.1 and higher with Bluetooth support. Blurts is available as a free download and Blurts Pro is available for $4.99 until November 15th, after that it goes up to $5.99. Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments!

Last Monday BBRocks! celebrated its first birthday by having a whole bunch contests with some awesome giveaways as a thank you to all our readers. It took a lot longer than I expected but I was finally able to finish the random selection process for all comment entries left before 11:59PM EST last night. Check out all the contests and winners after the jump. All winners can expect a message from me soon with either the code to get your free BlackBerry software or asking for your shipping info if you won a product.

Many of you participated in multiple contests, some of you actually won in multiple contests . Big thanks to everyone who participated and told their friends about BBRocks! We’ll have some more giveaways in the near future…

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

I’ve been using a BlackBerry VM-605 Bluetooth Visor for a few months now and I am very happy with it. I use my Bluetooth Visor almost every day when I’m driving for both listening to music and talking on the phone. As part of the BBRocks! birthday celebration, I am giving away two of these.

The BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone VM-605 is a hands free Bluetooth speakerphone from RIM. Enjoy your calls and your favorite music from your BlackBerry smartphone with the convenience and sound quality of your car’s FM stereo system. It’s easy to use. Just clip it to your car’s visor, turn it on, and you’re ready to start making and taking hands free calls on the go. And because it supports voice activated dialing, caller ID, and verbal notifications to let you know who’s calling, you can stay in touch while keeping your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

The BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone is available in the store for $84.95. The Visor comes with its own Micro USB car charger that you can also use to charge your BlackBerry (if compatible).

CONTEST: For a chance to win 1 of 2 BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphones 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. *

For a while now there have been rumors about a “BlackBerry watch” being developed by RIM. Back in May BGR was able to sit down and talk to Antoine Boucher, Vice President of Accessories Integration, about some upcoming BlackBerry accessories. During this chat Boucher indirectly mentioned the possibility of a BlackBerry Bluetooth watch being in the works.

Today CrackBerry Kevin broke the news that yes, RIM is working on a Bluetooth watch and it will be announced soon! Along with this news Kevin has provided renderings of the actual watch and some key features:

• it has been designed specifically for BlackBerry from the ground up – developed by a new BlackBerry-dedicated accessory company
• it features an OLED screen that we hear is “big, bright and beautiful” and optimized for displaying text clearly, and thanks to OLED has solid battery life
• it’s designed to show you notifications and previews of messages arriving on your BlackBerry
• judging by the filename of the photos as they were sent in to us, we’re thinking it’s going to branded the inPulse smartwatch

These renderings look a lot better than a possible early prototype found by a commenter over at CB. As always with leaked info you can consider this a rumor until RIM officially announces it which, according to Kevin, should be soon.

Would you buy and wear the “inPulse smartwatch”?

7digital has launched a mobile application that allows BlackBerry users to wirelessly browse, search, discover and purchase tracks from their catalogue of over seven million MP3 tracks.

“We’re excited to be bringing high-quality MP3 over-the-air downloads to the BlackBerry platform. This application demonstrates exactly why we developed our API, to allow third-party developers to integrate digital music download functionality into their product offerings,” said Ben Drury, CEO of 7digital. “The ability to buy tracks and albums on the move, or on impulse, is what the consumer wants.”

Features:

• High quality, DRM-free MP3 music store
• Latest charts, new music and weekly features
• Flexible downloads via wireless carrier or WiFi with auto-replace
• Integrated advanced media player
• Headset, speaker and Bluetooth audio streaming support

The 7digital app is available for the BlackBerry Curve 8520 and 8900, Bold, Storm and Tour. You can download it by visiting 7digital.com/bb from your BlackBerry Browser or check it out in the BlackBerry App World. More info in the press release after the jump.

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MLH Software let me know about a new beta BlackBerry application and desktop software they are working on called Blurts.

If you are like us, you sit in front of a PC most of the day with a BlackBerry in your pocket. Every time it rings you have to dig it out just to see who is calling, and you think to yourself, wouldn’t it be nice if the caller ID just popped up on my computer screen so I could see who is calling before going through the trouble to dig it out of my pocket?

Well that is exactly what Blurts is designed to do. A desktop app and a BlackBerry app talk via Bluetooth to display caller ID info and more.

I’m being told that this software might be available in two versions: a free version that will allow you to view alerts and a pro version with more features that will allow you to interact with those alerts (and more).

Here is a list of devices this software is available for (OS 4.2 and higher):

• BlackBerry Tour 9630
• BlackBerry Bold 9000 smartphone
• BlackBerry Storm smartphone
• BlackBerry Pearl Flip Series
• BlackBerry Curve 8300 Series
• BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone
• BlackBerry 8800 Series
• BlackBerry Pearl Series

In order to use the desktop software your PC must be Bluetooth enabled whether it’s internal or through a Bluetooth dongle/adapter. If you’re interested in becoming a beta tester send an email to beta@mlhsoftware.com and check out the product page for more info.

Are you a developer looking to get your application tested? Send an email to info@blackberryrocks.com with details!

Stitcher has updated their streaming radio BlackBerry application to version 1.2 with new features like improved navigation, increased stability and Bluetooth integration.

In addition to now being able to listen through wireless headsets, car kits, and other Bluetooth devices, version v1.2 is Stitcher’s next step to improving “Smart Radio”.

Smart Radio is a rapidly emerging media category that combines the mobility of radio with the content availability and choice of Internet technology. With Smart Radio, anyone with an Internet connection can stream on-demand audio to their mobile devices, customizing their programming to fit their individual preferences and interests – from music to talk to information.

This app is available for the BlackBerry Curve 8300/8310/8320/8900, Bold 9000, Storm 9500/9530, 8800/8820 and will soon also be available for the 8830, Curve 8330 and Tour 9630.

To download this app visit stitcher.com/dl from your BlackBerry Browser, or go to stitcher.com for more info. Full press release after the jump.

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UPDATE Verizon and RIM have pulled OS 4.7.1.53 after releasing it for only a few hours. Apparently this OS was bad and really messed up some Tours. If you attempted to upgrade to this OS let me know if you were successful in the comments. *

BlackBerry OS 4.7.1.53 for the Tour 9630 was just leaked a few days ago but it looks like Verizon has decided to make it official and is pushing it out through BlackBerry Desktop Manager.

Here is a changelog put together by BGR:

• Improved MMS notifications
• Improved Visual Voice Mail app
• Improved sound quality for Bluetooth headsets and voice calls
• Fixed geo-tagging error in the camera application
• Fixed an error with DRM music skipping
• Improved video player
• Added BlackBerry Messenger update notifications — check for new BBM updates automatically or manually.
• Fixed an issue with device restarting after activating morning alarm
• Fixed an issue with memory cleaning and sluggishness
• The first character is no longer duplicated when dialing from the
  home screen.
• Your smartphone may not have detected headset removal, causing it to remain connected to a disabled headset.
• When prompted to add an email account in the Setup Wizard, your smartphone may have jumped to “Bluetooth® Setup,” leaving you unable to navigate back to email setup.
• If you tried to save changes to a contact that only contained a company name, you may have received the error message “Contact updated externally. Changes will be lost and the view closed.”

This update is only available through BlackBerry Desktop Manager and not through Verizon’s BlackBerry Downloads site (at least right now). To get this update load BlackBerry Desktop Manager and plug in your Tour 9630. Everything should be automatic from there.

Even though this is an official update you should always backup beforehand in case something goes wrong. Let me know how you like the update in the comments!

Security is very important to businesses, which is why many trust the security that BlackBerry offers. Last week I posted about BlackBerry’s 26 advatanges over the iPhone, one of my favorites being:

Blackberry is an encrypted military-grade security platform, with 100% market share at FBI, CIA, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, major consultancies and major investment banks. In contrast, iPhone has security vulnerabilities.

RIM announced today a new model for their BlackBerry Smart Card Reader that is a lightweight, wearable, ISO 7816 compliant card reader that enables proximity controlled access to a users BlackBerry and computer.

Features:

• Enhanced Design – a sleeker design measuring only 3.98” x 2.4” x 0.57” and weighing only 2.26 oz. makes the peripheral more comfortable to wear. It also features a larger display and backlighting for easier viewing, as well as power management features that can extend battery life between charges (900mAh integrated lithium ion battery).
• Increased Security – when used with the BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution, the new BlackBerry Smart Card Reader offers additional security options that can be set by the IT administrator.
  • Additional Content Protection – IT administrators can configure settings to allow handset passwords to work only if the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader is within range. These settings add another layer of protection on top of the handset password and will also be enforcable for a secondary password* required to unlock encrypted data on the handset.
  • More Complex Bluetooth Passwords – the previous BlackBerry Smart Card Reader model supported a randomly generated 8-digit numeric Bluetooth pairing PIN and this new model can now support more complex Bluetooth pairing PINs with both characters (symbols, letters, capital letters) and numbers.
• Support for a Wide Range of Smart Cards – the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader supports all ISO 7816 compliant smart cards and provides out of the box support for Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards, Common Access Cards (CAC) and Safenet 330 cards.

The new BlackBerry Smart Card Reader is expected to be available in September and is being previewed this week at the LandWarNet 2009 Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

For more info visit blackberry.com/go/smartcardreader or check out the full press release after the jump.

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