Daniel Garcia is a web developer/software architect by day, rebellious tech-punk twenty-something by night. He is a contributing writer to BlackBerry Rocks! who reviews applications for BlackBerry devices, as well as shares the occasional tip for fellow Rockers. He has a BlackBerry Storm 9530, soon to be 9550. If you would like to know more about him, you can follow his Twitter account: @buzzedword.

Earlier this month, Verizon pushed out Bing for Mobile to all Storm handsets, as well as preloaded the software onto all new Storm 2 units. If you haven’t already heard, Bing is the new kid on the block to the search market, going toe to toe with the big dog: Google. Why should you be using Bing, instead of Google? Can’t say. I’m here to rock the BlackBerry, not worry about petty search wars.

Read the full review after the break.

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A few hours ago my area (Central Jersey) was hit with a network outage affecting voice and messaging services, so I sent a tweet to @Tmobile_USA about it. I soon found out that this outage was a nationwide issue and not just in my area, according to chatter on Twitter.

@Tmobile_USA sent out their own tweet vaguely addressing the issue but a T-Mobile Forums moderator posted a more detailed response:

We’re making good progress restoring voice and messaging service to affected customers.
At this time, approximately 5 percent of T-Mobile customers are experiencing service disruptions.

Issues began at approximately 5:30 p.m. Eastern time.  Our rapid response team is working continuously to fully resolve this disruption.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused our customers.

My service seems to be restored but I’m getting reports that users are still being affected in other areas. Were you affected by T-Mobile’s network outage? If so let me know when and where in the comments!

The Google Voice App for BlackBerry has been updated to version 0.1.6 with no changelog, but the update could be related to Google now allowing its users to use their existing number with their Google Voice account.

By allowing users to use their own number with their Google Voice account, users will be able to take advantage of Google Voice’s features without having to change their number or use a different one.

Up until now, if you wanted to use Google Voice, you needed to choose a new number (a “Google number”). Taking calls through your Google number allows us to offer features like call recording, call screening and getting text messages via email. But we know not everyone wants to switch to a new phone number, so it made sense for us to create a lighter version of Google Voice for people who are willing to trade some features for the ability to use their existing numbers.

We’re excited to announce that you now have the choice to get Google Voice with your existing mobile number OR with a Google number.

One of the features you get if you use your own number with your Google Voice account is the functionality of Google voicemail instead of your default carrier voicemail which, I’m being a bit blunt here, sucks.

Google has a guide for how to set up your existing number with your Google Voice account along with a comparison chart of what you get if you use your own number or a Google number. For more info about Google Voice visit google.com/voice or to download the updated BlackBerry application visit m.google.com/voice from your BlackBerry Browser.

via Google Blog

* UPDATE Google Voice app info page available. Added a video above and updated the post below. *

Google has released their own FREE Google Voice Application for BlackBerry!

Make calls and send SMS from your Google Voice number. Listen to your voicemail and read transcripts! Requires a Google Voice account. This service is free from Google, except for Google Voice charges for international calls; additional carrier charges may also apply.

Yesterday I mentioned the GVdialer app getting an update. It looks like they might be out of luck because the official Google Voice app can already do what GVdialer does, it looks nicer and best of all it’s free!

Visit m.google.com/voice from your BlackBerry Browser to download it OTA or visit the Google Voice application page for more info.

In early April I mentioned the  GVdialer application for BlackBerry, which gives you the ability to easily make calls using your Google Voice account. I recently got an invite for Google Voice, so I decided to try this application out.

At the time I had downloaded GVdialer it seemed like it was more about convenience than an application with features. GVdialer would automatically make phone calls after you inputted your Google Voice account information. This could be done without GVdialer, but the process was a bit slow.

The new GVdialer however adds some nice features which I believe will make it a good Google Voice application (until another comes out anyway). Here are the features in the new version:

• New user interface and account screen
• Option to check for online software updates
• Make calls in two ways
  • Regular call out
  • Data triggered call back, just like you can do from your Google Voice account
• Send text message using GVdialer from your Blackberry’s Options menu. You can also use it to reply to your phone’s regular emails & text messages, or from the call log & address book.

GVdialer is available for $9.99 as part of an introductory offer for a limited period of time but there is also a 30 day free trial in case you wanted to test it out before purchasing it. Head on over to GVdialer.com to check it out.