A few weeks ago I let you know that RIM introduced their new BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express (BESX) offering which would be a free download. BESX today was made available as a free download.

Connect two people via BlackBerry® smartphones and ideas get bigger. Progress happens faster. Answers get smarter. So imagine what happens when you give a business the freedom to connect all its employees.

BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express enables businesses of any size to quickly and easily get started with the BlackBerry solution. It provides advanced BlackBerry smartphone features with no additional software or user license fees, and works with any Internet-enabled BlackBerry data plan or a BlackBerry enterprise data plan.

Features:

• Productivity
  Help your employees do more – with everything from business applications to synchronizing email, calendar, contacts, tasks, memos and more, all on a BlackBerry smartphone.
• IT management and support
  Get advanced IT control even for employees who choose to bring their own BlackBerry smartphone into your business.
• Proven security and manageability
  Enjoy peace of mind with controls and advanced security features.

For more info and to download head to blackberry.com/besexpress.

RIM today announced their new BES solution for small businesses called BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express. BES Express allows company employees to wirelessly access their corporate email without compromising security and manageability.

Today we are announcing an exciting new offering that further expands the market opportunity for the BlackBerry platform,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “In a marketplace where smartphones are becoming ubiquitous, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express significantly raises the bar by providing a cost-effective solution that allows companies of all sizes to support enterprise-grade mobile connectivity for all employees without compromising security or manageability.”

With the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express users will also be able to:

• Wirelessly synchronize their email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks
• Manage email folders and search email on the mail server remotely
• Book meetings and appointments, check availability and forward calendar attachments
• Set an out-of-office reply
• Edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files using Documents To Go®
• Access files stored on the company network
• Use mobile applications to access business systems behind the firewall

BES Express is expected to be available in March as a free download. For more info visit blackberry.com/besexpress or check out the press release after the jump.

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Rory over at Twinkler Software let me know that they’re having a 25% off sale on their premier all-in-one BlackBerry utility, AddOnis.

AddOnis extends your BlackBerry’s functionality by adding missing features to make it more efficient as well as blocking or permitting calls and adding different notifications. The feature list is a bit long (this is a good thing) so I included it after the jump.

This application is normally $9.95 but for today only you can get it for $7.46 at 25% off. AddOnis is available for all BlackBerry devices running OS 4.5 and higher.

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A few days ago I posted a hands-on video of the LinkedIn application for BlackBerry smartphones. While browsing the LinkedIn site I came across a dedicated page for the BlackBerry app that says “Coming Soon” and has details and features.

LInkedIn for BlackBerry puts your professional network at your fingertips. Walk into any interview or client meeting with the ability to look up the details and connect with over 50 million professionals worldwide, in real-time

• Works with BlackBerry Contacts, Calendar and Messaging
  Instant access to the professional identity of anyone you know, meet or email.
• Find What You’re Looking For
  Find the person, knowledge or company that can help you close the deal.
• Business on the Go
  Receive information, ideas, and opportunities from your LinkedIn network right in your BlackBerry inbox.
• Spark a Conversation
  Get the latest updates from your contacts, send the info they need, congratulate them on a recent promotion, and more.

Other than the information in the video and on the web page no other details are available at this time. Let’s hope “Coming Soon” means sooner than later, especially since Rob from LinkedIn said it would be available in “a little over month or so”. For now you can keep an eye on linkedin.com/blackberry and blog.linkedin.com for any updates about the app.

UPDATE This offer has been extended to the end of today, December 15th. Don’t miss out! *

Copy and paste is a feature I use constantly on my BlackBerry but it’s limited to single copy and paste functions. This can become annoying if you’re constantly copying and pasting but want to do more at one time. SmrtGuard let me know that they have released SmrtClipboard, a clipboard app with more functions than the native app.

Features:

• Copy multiple pieces of info into clipboard
• Paste with visual clipboard
• Get copy confirmation with a short, crisp sound confirmation
• Copy from Email Application and Paste to Calendar, Memo Pad, ToDo Item, Call Notes.
• No fuss, no setup. Just install and works!
• 5 Day Trial

SmrtClipboard is available for all BlackBerry devices running OS 4.2 and higher. Normally $3.95, you can get it at 50% off today only by using the coupon code SMRTCLIP at checkout, or get it entirely free when you buy SmrtGuard’s Monthly Service. To get SmrtClipboard for free you have to first place the SmrtGuard Monthly Service in your shopping cart and then add it from the choices at the bottom of the screen.

@AtilaUno let me know that RIM has released version 1.0.2 of BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac.

Version 1.0.2 includes improvements to device connectivity, synchronization and various fixes such as issues with your BlackBerry Calendar, Contacts, Notes and Memos. There are still some known issues that RIM offers workarounds for in this version’s release notes, linked below.

• More Info And Download BlackBerry Desktop Manager For Mac 1.0.2
• Version 1.0.2 Release Notes (PDF)

Let me know how this version works for you in the comments!

It’s a good thing when you don’t have to wait in line to save big on Black Friday, especially when (in this case) what you’re waiting in line for doesn’t run out. NikkiSoft is currently having a Black Friday sale for their incredibly popular and useful QuickLaunch BlackBerry app where you can get it at 50% off today only!

QuickLaunch allows you to setup shortcuts to various functions such as Websites, Email, SMS and PIN addresses, Phone numbers, 3rd Party Apps, Videos, Images, Audio files, Device Info, Bluetooth Configuration, Camera, Video Camera, Delete your Call Logs, Manage Connections, Device Reset, Google and Wikipedia Search and other functions such as Blackberry Options, Calculator, Calendar, Event Log, Tasks, WiFi On/Off Toggle (Bold and Curve Versions) and more! Configure a convenience key to activate QuickLaunch and when pushed a menu will popup showing a scrollable list of your configured actions. The menu can be set to appear on the Right or Left side and can be shown on virtually any screen so you can perform any action without backing up and navigating through your homescreen and folders saving you time. Quick easy access to what you want to do wherever you are!

I’ve had QuickLaunch since it was in beta for my older BlackBerry and all I can say about it is that it’s definitely a must have application. Normally $4.99, QuickLaunch is available for $2.49 until 12AM CST tonight.

The Google Apps Connector for BES was launched back in August and today, the Google Enterprise Blog has announced that they are now connecting businesses of all sizes by increasing the amount of devices supported per server with the release of version 1.5.

With Google Apps Connector for BES version 1.5, large businesses can now support 500 BlackBerry devices per server, double the previous capacity. This lets them serve more users with fewer servers.

Small businesses get more flexibility too. The Apps Connector now supports BlackBerry Professional Software, which is designed for up to 30 BlackBerry smartphones. We’ve also made it possible for a single BlackBerry Enterprise Server to serve users across multiple companies, enabling low-cost hosting services to be offered by hosting partners.

Features recap:

• Messages sent to your Gmail inbox are pushed to your BlackBerry within 60 seconds.
• Emails read/deleted on your BlackBerry are marked as read/deleted in Gmail, and vice-versa.
• Emails archived/starred on your BlackBerry are archived/starred in Gmail, and vice-versa.
• BlackBerry folders are synchronized with labels in Gmail.
• You can search for contact information of coworkers from the global address list on your BlackBerry.
• Contacts in Gmail are automatically synchronized with your BlackBerry address book.
• You can view your Google Calendar schedule with the native BlackBerry application, with one-way synchronization from Google Calendar to your BlackBerry device. Two-way calendar sync with the ability to accept, decline and schedule meetings from your BlackBerry device is not available with this release but we are working on it.
• Administrators can use the management and security tools that are part of BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

Google Apps Premier and Education Edition customers worldwide can get the Google Apps Connector for BES free of charge. For more info visit www.google.com/apps/mobile.

People often ask me where’s the best place to find cheap games, electronics, etc. My first answer is always eBay, as I’ve been an eBay bidder and seller for quite some time. Up until now I would use the full site and mobile website when I had to watch items or place bids but thankfully (and finally), eBay has released a  beta BlackBerry application on App World that should make things a lot easier.

Current features:

• Real-time home screen notifications of bids
• Calendar reminders and email notifications for auction end dates
• PayPal™ compatibility

As it is a beta I would recommend backing up all your BlackBerry’s data before installing it just in case. Click here if you need help with that.

You need to have an active PayPal account before using this application in order to make purchases from it. The eBay beta app for BlackBerry is available for all devices running OS 4.2 and higher and can be downloaded directly from the App World.

@FabianMH is having a sale on his LaterDude Pro BlackBerry application where you can get 50% off today only!

For those who aren’t familiar with LaterDude Pro, here is the app’s description:

LaterDude Pro is an application that reminds you to call, SMS or email someone. The efficiency of it is that it interacts with the system and creates a new event into the internal calendar or task application.

LaterDude Pro is available in the store for $1.47 until 12AM CST tonight, after that it goes up to $2.95. This app will work on devices running OS 4.5 and higher including OS 5.0. Let me know if you get a copy and if it increased your day-to-day productivity in the comments!