YouMail let me know they’ve released a new version of their application for BlackBerry smartphones. Now at v2.5.17, this update adds some new features that make it an even better voicemail alternative. I’ve used YouMail since early 2008 and couldn’t be happier with the service, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative to the default voicemail provided by their carrier. Here are the changes for the new version:

• Visual caller id. Now you’ll really know who your callers are – even when they’re not in your address book! You’ll see a picture, name, city and state, and number for almost every call!
• Contact uploads. Now you can upload your contacts, link them to Facebook, and get even better Caller ID and smarter greetings. To upload contacts, hit Menu, Settings, and Upload Contacts. To connect to Facebook, hit Menu, Settings, Account, and Connect to Facebook.
• Faster playing. You can now hit the “space bar” to play a message- no more scrolling to the play button.

For more info go to youmail.com or to download the BlackBerry app find it here in BlackBerry App World.

YouMail let me know they’ve released a new version of their Visual Voicemail Plus application for BlackBerry smartphones. Now at version 2.3.4, the app now lets users access some website content right from the BlackBerry app. Here are the new features in this version of the YouMail app:

• In-App Community Greetings. Users can now easily browse, search, and add to YouMail’s growing set of tens of thousands of user-provided greetings within YouMail’s BlackBerry app itself. With a few clicks, YouMail’s users can let people know they’re in a meeting or on a plane during the day, while turning on humorous greetings (including “Rickrolling”) for friends and family at night.
• Number Search. YouMail has also added one-click search within its BlackBerry application. The YouMail user now need only choose the “Caller Search” menu option to search for more info on the caller’s phone number..

“YouMail is known for great caller ID and its greetings community,” said CEO Alex Quilici. “We’ve extended the application to make it easy to find even more information about callers and to easily find and use pre-recorded greetings.”

YouMail is available to post-paid mobile users in the US on all major carriers including AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile. YouMail can also be used to unify a user’s mobile voicemail with their voice messages from VOIP service providers such as Google Voice, MagicJack, OOMA, and Vonage.

I’ve used YouMail since early 2008 and couldn’t be happier with the service. It’s a very useful voicemail app/service that every BlackBerry owner should try if they’re looking for a better, alternative voicemail option. To download the YouMail Visual Voicemail Plus app you can find it here in BlackBerry App World or for more info go to youmail.com.

It’s been a while since we last mentioned an update to the YouMail Visual Voicemail Plus application for BlackBerry smartphones. This app allows you to connect to your online YouMail account to sync voicemails and contacts, download audio, edit settings, greetings and more. Here’s the changelog for version 2.2.6:

• Eliminates places where the app seems to “lock up” and/or drain the battery.
• Makes the app behave better if it’s having trouble talking to our servers.
• Adds internal monitoring so we’ll more quickly know about any problems.

For more info and to download the free YouMail app check it out here in BlackBerry App World.

Google announced today that they’ve partnered with Sprint to offer Sprint customers Google Voice features. With this integration Sprint users will be able to use their Sprint number as their Google Voice number, or they can choose to replace their Sprint number with their Google Voice number. By integrating Google Voice users will be able to choose multiple phones to ring when receiving a phone call as well as getting transcribed voicemail messages sent as emails or viewable online. Some features include:

• One Number for all your phones
  Pick the phones you want to ring (home, work, etc.) when your Sprint number is dialed, so you’ll never miss a call.
• Online Voicemail
  Check your messages by phone, email, or on the web and keep them for as long as you’d like. Plus, your messages will be converted into text and sent to you via text message or email.
• Customization, control & low-priced international calling
  Create and assign personalized voicemail greetings based on who’s calling you, block unwanted callers, mark telemarketers as spam and make international calls at our very low rates.

Google says this integration “will be available soon to Sprint customers in the United States” so sit tight till then. For more info go to google.com/voice/sprint or check out the video below.

WATCH THE VIDEO!

Qwell let me know that they’re privacy solution for BlackBerry smartphones is now available for free and fully featured, not slimmed down to a “lite” version. Although this app is available for free, Qwell mentioned they’ll eventually offer a “Pro” version with additional features like personalized outgoing messages. Here’s the description for the free version:

When Qwell is enabled, Callers will hear that you are not taking calls at this time, unless it is an urgent matter. If the call is urgent, Qwell gives the caller the option to alert you and connect the call. If the call is not urgent, they can leave a voicemail or simply hang-up without your phone ringing. It’s that easy! A Qwell call log keeps track of all call activity while you’re in “Qwell Mode” so that you can see Missed Calls and Voicemail at a glance. Plus, Qwell voicemail is delivered through email. This way you can listen to your voicemails (in the order you choose) from your computer, Ipad and of course your phone.

Qwell was originally available for a monthly subscription of $3.99. If you’ve looked for an app like Qwell and held out for a free service, you can now head on over to qwell.com and get it for free! For more info and to download the app visit their website or watch the video below.

WATCH THE VIDEO!

RIM just let me know that the update to their BlackBerry Mobile Voice System mentioned at WES2010 is now available. BlackBerry MVS 5.0 mobilizes desk phone functionality and offers the following features:

• One Office Identity & Voicemail
  Employees can enjoy one business phone number, one caller ID, one voice mailbox and more, whether in the office, at home or travelling. Leverage these features on your service provider’s mobile network or over Wi-Fi® networks where available.
• Calling features
  BlackBerry® Mobile Voice System (BlackBerry® MVS) provides features for easy call management and improved productivity. Dial extensions from the corporate address book on a BlackBerry smartphone or easily move a call from a smartphone to a desk phone or a one-time number.
• Voice over Wi-Fi Calling
  Make and receive calls using your business phone extension on a BlackBerry smartphone over a Wi-Fi network. It works in the office, at home or even at Wi-Fi hotspots.
• Administration features
  BlackBerry MVS provides flexible administration tools to manage user profiles and features, call routing and more.

For more info or to request to be contacted about BlackBerry Mobile Voice System go to blackberry.com/mvs.

Google Voice has been around for about a year now but not everyone was able to sign up because the service was accessible by invitation only. The official Google Voice Blog has announced that as of today the service is open to everyone with no invite needed. Some of Google Voice’s features include one number to ring all your phones, online voicemail that works like email, free calls and text messages to the U.S. and Canada, low-priced international calls and more.

If you sign up for Google Voice be sure to also download their free BlackBerry app and take advantage of the following features while on the go:

• One number
  Make calls and send text messages from your Google Voice number.
• Voicemail transcription
  Voicemails are automatically transcribed to text so you can read them like email.
• Free text messages
  Send and receive text messages through the Google Voice app for free.
• Cheap international calls
  Make low-priced international calls directly from your phone.
• Integration
  Google Voice integrates with your phone’s native address book or Google Contacts.
• Custom greetings
  Set up different greetings for different callers.

For more info about Google Voice go to google.com/voice or to download the BlackBerry app go to m.google.com/voice from your BlackBerry browser.

Note: Google added the following to the end of their blog post (bummer!):

Just to clarify, though we’ve opened up sign-ups, Google Voice is still limited to everyone in the U.S. for now.

BerryBuzz for BlackBerry today was updated to version 3.0.66 with a few new feature additions, improvements and bug fixes. Here are the changes in the new version:

• Added support for YouMail Visual Voicemail
• Added support for Tweetissimo
• Added support for crunchSMS
• Improved contact matching for incoming calls (fixes LED not working for contacts)
• Fixed SocialScope support
• Fixed clearing of IM+ notifications
• ‘Clear messages on first key activity’ now applies to messages, not only e-mail/SMS
• Fixed activation not working via direct TCP/IP
• Fixed custom profiles being deleted on BerryBuzz deinstallation (OS 5.0 only)

I’m glad Bellshare continues to update BerryBuzz with support for other applications because it makes it that much more useful and versatile. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to extend their BlackBerry’s alert system with custom LED colors, vibrations and more. If you have a BlackBerry running at least OS 4.2.1 you can get the free trial or buy it in the store for $5.95.