The development of the WordPress Beta app for BlackBerry is definitely coming along nicely. WordPress has just released an updated version of the BlackBerry client that refreshes the user interface and adds some much needed features.

New in v0.9.0.169:

• Based on all the great feedback, we reworked much of the UI layout for the main view, blog view, and media view
• Ability to upload videos from your media library
• New option to set media file properties (filename, caption, title, and position)
• Created a new file browser that resembles the native BlackBerry file browser
• Big improvements in the speed at which you can view and manage comments
• Lots of optimizations for uploading photos and videos using base64 encoding
• Indonesian language support updated thanks to Kate of Pixel Insert
• Improved French language support thanks to Yann Nave of blog.onbebop.net

Download the latest version by going to blackberry.wordpress.org/install from your BlackBerry Browser or visit the main site for more info. If you already have this application installed it should automatically prompt you to update. Let me know how you like this new version in the comments!

I first told you about Best Buy Mobile’s new and free mIQ wireless syncing service a few weeks ago but totally forgot to follow up with the official launch on October 12th!

mIQ is an awesome app/service that I’m sure many of you will appreciate since you can do so much while on the run. About mIQ:

Mobile technology is pretty amazing, but getting the most out of it can sometimes be challenging. mIQ was created to make it easy for users to unleash the potential of their mobile phone.

mIQ from Best Buy Mobile helps users sync their contacts, text messages, calendar events, calls, photos, videos, and internet favorites from their mobile phones to their private web-based mIQ account. Once in sync, the user can backup and interact with their information, share their experiences with friends and social sites, discover the top solutions available for their phones, and restore their content when moving from one phone to the next.

The mIQ service keeps the phone and the web constantly connected, so that the stuff done on one automatically shows up on the other in just a few seconds, helping users access and share their stuff whether they’re on the go or in front of their computers – no cables or effort required!

For more info and to sign up head to miqlive.com from your desktop browser or m.miqlive.com from your BlackBerry Browser to download the app OTA.

Thanks George!

Best Buy Mobile let me know about a new service they are launching on October 12th called mIQ. This service allows you to access, share and manage mobile data through a secure and personal Web portal, all done over the air!

Key Features

• Data backup & management: Upgrading to a new phone used to be a hassle. With mIQ, all content that lives on the mobile device — contacts, text messages, calendar events, calls, photos, videos, and voicemail messages — is automatically uploaded and safely backed-up on a personal Web-based mIQ account making it easy to sync, search, interact with, share it or transfer it from one phone to another. Since the mobile phone is constantly connected to the Web, mIQ automatically syncs any changes from the Web to the mobile device and vice-versa, instantly.
• Contacts: mIQ helps users easily manage and track the communication with all their contacts. Contacts from Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and other sources can be imported into the mIQ account and synchronized with the mobile phone. Users can then add, edit, or delete contacts from the personal mIQ account – the changes will be instantly pushed to the mobile phone and backed up on the web. Additionally, mIQ enables users to easily view text messages and calls associated with each contact.
• Enhanced text messaging: The mIQ Web platform provides an instant message-like experience by organizing SMS text messages into a conversational format. mIQ automatically uploads text messages to an inbox in the personal mIQ account where they can be read, forwarded, or responded to from any computer. Unlike other Web messaging solutions that deliver texts from random phone numbers, mIQ sends the text messages through the user’s mobile phone, ensuring that the recipient will always know who the message is from.
• Calendar: Instant access to appointments and events is important whether sitting in front of a computer or on the go. mIQ automatically uploads appointments and events from the phone calendar to the Web. Users can then add, edit, or delete calendar entries from either the mobile phone or the mIQ account and changes are automatically synched between the two platforms.
• Photos and videos: mIQ enables users to do more with the memories captured with their smartphones. mIQ automatically uploads photos and videos from the mobile phone to the personal mIQ account – as soon as they are taken – making it easy to organize them by adding titles and descriptions, share them through email and text messages and post them to social networking sites.
• Social media connectivity: Social networking on mobile devices has taken connectivity to a whole new level. Updating friends on the latest happenings no longer requires a trip to the computer. mIQ features instant connectivity to popular social sites like Facebook, Flickr, FriendFeed and Twitter, helping users share their mobile experiences – status, photos and videos – directly from their smartphone, wherever they may be.

Pretty awesome and best of all…it’s FREE!

Right now you can sign up for an invite and take a tour of this service at miqlive.com. For more info check out the press release after the jump. Once the service launches don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments!

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RIM has just announced that they have officially launched their own YouTube channel at youtube.com/blackberry.

What will you find on YouTube.com/BlackBerry?

“How to” videos such as “How to Change Your Ringtone” and specific BlackBerry smartphone videos such as “How to take a picture with your BlackBerry Curve 8520”

Videos on development such as “How to Debug your Application on a Live Device” and “Get your Application Preloaded on the BlackBerry Smartphone”.

And, more to come in the future! We will be adding new videos regularly – so make sure you subscribe to the channel so you never miss a new video.

On more than one occasion I’ve searched YouTube for new BlackBerry commercials only to find that BlackBerry didn’t have their own channel. Hopefully they’ll also be including commercials and teaser videos in addition to their video guides.

Check it out at youtube.com/blackberry and let me know what you think!

It’s been a few months since we first heard about the it but RIM has finally launched the free U2 Mobile Album for BlackBerry in the App World.

Features:

• Get inside the album with access to songs from No Line On The Horizon with images, lyrics, interviews and videos
• View the original, origami-style photo displays inspired by the music
• Access dynamic news feeds from U2.com and receive alerts when new content is available
• View exclusive images of the band in the recording studio and on the road
• Mark your place in the crowd with geocoding, chat and share images with other fans, and view postings from the band (coming soon!)
• Tap into the Who’s Listening section and see when and where other users are listening to the album (coming soon!)
• Track the tour as the band moves across the globe – see where they’re going and where they’ve been (coming soon!)

The U2 Mobile Album is available for all BlackBerry devices (OS 4.5 and higher) and all countries, except for China. For more info check it out in the BlackBerry App World.

As a U2 fan, does the U2 Mobile Album meet your expectations and satisfy your needs when it comes to keeping up with the band and other fans?

Made Simple Learning let me know that they now have Training Center DVDs available through Amazon and at MadeSimpleLearning.com.

Made Simple Learning guides are made to help new BlackBerry owners quickly learn everything they can about their device. The Training Center includes:

• Videos Now – full Video Library (over 80 Videos per device) which can be viewed on any PC or Mac
• Videos to Go – full Video Library in a self-installing file (for PC users) and easy install (for Mac users) which loads the videos right onto your Micro SD card. (Videos to Go requires a BlackBerry 96xx, 95xx, 90xx, 89xx, 88xx, or 83xx BlackBerry Smartphone with at least 250 MB free on a Micro SD media card)
• Made Simple Guide Book – The most comprehensive Guide Books available for BlackBerry Smartphones

The Training Center DVDs are currently available for the BlackBerry Curve (83XX, 8350i, 8900) series, 8800 series, Bold, Storm and Tour, with others coming soon. Each DVD is available for $31.99, a 20% savings from the regular list price of $39.99.

You can also find Made Simple Learning products in the store.

Viigo has just launched their new YouTube service where you can search through 15 categories and 9 channels of videos from 23 different countries.

To add a YouTube channel open the Entertainment module, select “Add Channel” then “YouTube”. From there you can select the region, category and channel you want to add. It is important that you make sure you have at least OS 4.3 with a data plan that can cover the extensive data usage that results from streaming videos, or just use WiFi.

Visit GetViigo.com from your BlackBerry Browser for an OTA download, or from your desktop computer to have a download link sent to your BlackBerry.

Dazzboard let me know that they have launched the public beta their universal media management webtop application.

“We see our webtop app as a kind of ‘open iTunes,’ allowing for free and easy data flow from various mobile devices to social media accounts and vice versa,” commented CEO Tero Salonen. “By streamlining the upload and download process and eliminating the need for installing a variety of proprietary desktop applications for each device, Dazzboard will drastically simplify people’s lives.”

Features include:

• One-Click Distribution. Send and receive media to and from online services, including Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more.
• High Quality. All media from HD Video to high resolution Photos and quality MP3s are supported, with no limits on transfer.
• Plug and Play. Transfer instantly from Flickr to camera to laptop to mobile to digital frame to … your toaster, and back again!
• No Desktop Application. No need for proprietary software to connect your phone, media player or other portable device again.
• Many devices, One Solution. All major portable devices are automatically recognized.

You can click here to sign up or visit dazzboard.com for more info.

Read the full press release after the jump.

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YouTuber Salomondrin has a bunch of videos of the BlackBerry Onyx, one of them even showing BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 running on an Onyx!

The videos I grabbed are of the Onyx but he does have some of the Tour and the Gemini, in case you wanted to check those out as well. The videos I have included in this post are a hands-on, two unboxings, one showing what taking a picture with the Onyx is like, and last but not least, one showing BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 running on an Onyx.

Check out the rest of the videos after the jump.

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Made Simple Learning let me know that they have just launched their BlackBerry Curve 8350i Training Center!

If you have a Curve 8350i (or any BlackBerry for that matter) and have been looking for a way to learn all there is about it, Made Simple Learning is the way to go.

Here are some highlights of what the Made Simple Learning Training Center offers for the Curve 8350i:

• Dozens of hidden or little-known time-saving tips and tricks.
• Using the Wi-Fi and GPS Features of the Curve ™ 8350i
• Using “Direct Connect” or “MIKE” walkie-talkie feature
• Synchronizing your BlackBerry with your Windows™ or Mac™ computer.
• How to squeeze every ounce of power from the Address Book, Calendar, Tasks and MemoPad.
• How to become “Master of Your BlackBerry Email”
• How to use Google Sync for true “Wireless Sync” without an Enterprise Server
• Support for both BlackBerry Internet Service and Corporate BlackBerry Enterprise Server users.
• Tips and tricks to unlock the rich Media Features of the BlackBerry 8350i.
• How to  turn your 8350i  into something that could replace a video and audio “iPod™”
• How to use your 8350i for Mapping (including Google Maps.)
• Learn how to go Online as well as update your Facebook and Myspace pages – right from your BlackBerry

The Complete Training Center is available for $29.95.  The Videos can be purchased separately for $19.95 and the EBook can also be purchased separately for $14.95 until July 30th, after that it goes up to $20.99.

In the store, Made Simple Learning offers Ebooks and training for various BlackBerry devices on sending email and typing basics, learning about your BlackBerry’s camera, tips for watching videos and much more. Ebooks and training from Made Simple Learning will soon be available for the Tour 9630.

Visit the Made Simple Learning BlackBerry Curve 8350i Training Center for more info, or check out the full press release after the jump.

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