New in the store today is bChat, a threaded text messaging application for BlackBerry by ALL KAPPS Software.

It’s already known that threaded SMS is supposed to be available with OS 5.0, but many of you may not be able to wait for this feature. If you can’t wait and don’t mind spending $0.99, then bChat is definitely a good alternative.

Features:

• Texts organized by conversation/contact
• Allows texts longer than the standard 160 characters
• Customize the UI colors
• Integration into your profiles
• Save your chats to the device or memory card for your records
• Follow links and emails directly from the conversation, no need to copy and paste the link
• Send texts with just a press of the enter key, just like BlackBerry Messenger
• Track how many texts you send and receive

For only $0.99 this app offers some great, useful features that I’m sure many of you will appreciate.

This app is currently compatible with all BlackBerry devices running OS 4.5 and higher except for the Storm. Check it out in the store or in the on-device Mobile App Store and let me know what you think!

* UPDATE Added some features and screenshots. *

Here are some features and a few screenshots of the leaked BlackBerry Messenger 5.0.

• Avatars for contacts and yourself as well as syncing them to your address book
• Crop and save images for sending or using as your avatar
• Set conversation subjects
• Your own BBM barcode
• Location and timezone options
• Backup/restore contacts to your media card or device
• Save message history on your media card or device (none, 25, 50 or 100 updates)
• Different chat styles
  • standard
  • chat bubbles
  • stripes
• New and more smileys
• New options to add a contact (via PIN, barcode sharing/scanning)
• Better “send file” options

I was able to install it on my Curve 8900 running the official OS 4.6.1.250 and haven’t had any problems yet. If you decide to try BBM 5.0 make sure you MAKE A BACKUP. A few people have been saying they lost contacts and they didn’t make a backup, so it’s important that you do so. If you want to try BBM 5.0 click here.

Overall I am very pleased with it and can’t wait to see what other new and cool things BlackBerry OS 5.0 will have.

If you notice any additional features or options feel free to share them in the comments. Check out the rest of the screenshots after the jump.

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* 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! *

I was going to get a 16GB media card for my new BlackBerry Curve 8900 (when I get it)…but I think I’ll wait for the SDXCs to come out.

Some highlights from the press release:

• The next-generation SDXC (eXtended Capacity) memory card specification, announced today at the 2009 International CES, dramatically improves consumers’ digital lifestyles by providing the portable storage and speed needed to store weeks of high-definition video, years of photo collections and months of music to mobile phones, cameras and camcorders, and other consumer electronic devices.
• The SDXC specification, developed by the SD Association, leapfrogs memory card interface speeds while retaining the world-leading SD interface.
• A 2TB SDXC memory card can store 100 HD movies, 60 hours of HD recording or 17,000 fine-grade photos.
• SDXC is also the first memory card specification to provide 2TB storage without hindering the high-speed performance necessary for high-end photography.

Check out the full press release after the jump.

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That’s what I’m talking about RIM! Way to stick it to the iPhone. I’ve always said “the iPhone may have 16GB of memory, but BlackBerry has unlimited memory.” By this I meant that BlackBerry devices can change out their media cards, which really means an unlimited source of memory (in regards to media and such).

Now that is even moreso true. How awesome is that?!

(via BlackBerry Support Center)

BBGeeks has posted a great guide on how to install a media card in your BlackBerry.

This guide is especially useful if you are planning on purchasing a media card, or if you already have one and aren’t sure how to install it.

The guide has a few pictures to help with the process.

Click here for the whole guide.

I like to make sure all my gadgets are at their best performance. I regularly defragment and disk clean my laptop to make sure its running well in that respect. I also defragment my BlackBerry’s media card. Believe it or not, your media card can become cluttered with fragmented files depending on how often you use it and for what purpose. To defragment your media card follow the instructions below:

These instructions are intended for anyone using a PC. You must already have installed the necessary BlackBerry software onto your PC for this to work. Click here to find the right software.

Please make sure your BlackBerry’s media card settings are as shown in the picture above. You can find these settings under Options>Advanced>Media Card. Once the settings are as seen above, proceed to connect your BlackBerry to your PC via USB cable.

Once it is connected a screen should pop up asking how you would like to view the files on the media card, close this screen. Go to Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools and select Disk Defragmenter. If you do not see this there, try using your PC’s search function to find it. Once you open it you should see the following:

In this screen shot my media card is labeled as Kingston (F:). Yours may be labeled as media card, microsdhc, etc. Once you know which drive is your media card, highlight it and select Defragment at the bottom of the window. You can select Analyze if you just want to see howfragmented your media card is without defragmenting it right away.

Once you select Defragment, it will first analyze your media card and then start defragmenting it right away. The color coding is labeled at the bottom. Once it is finished you will see the following screen:

At this point the process of the defragmenting is complete. You can either View Report or Close the window. If you decide to view the report you will see the following:

This will show you the results of defragmenting your media card in detail. That’s it! Hope this was helpful.