BlackBerry Messenger 5.0, now with mug shots.
(Credit: BlackBerry (RIM))The mobile carriers have in-network calling, and BlackBerry users have BlackBerry Messenger, a BlackBerry-to-BlackBerry instant messenger that works more like e-mail than SMS to send real-time messages through RIM's servers. On Wednesday, RIM released BlackBerry Messenger 5.0, a version that pads the messenger with "avatars" (but they're more like your standard social networking mug shots), group chat, and photo sharing.
In addition to sending photos to contacts, BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 now opens the gates for transferring large files--up to 6MB in size. That's the equivalent of several photos, or one or two songs--maybe a very short video.
RIM also adds a new way to find friends. Users have been able to connect with a PIN, e-mail address, or name. Now they can lock onto each other with bar codes and cameras. One BlackBerry produces a bar code and the other snaps a photo that Messenger 5.0 can read and translate. It may not be as flashy as the Bump app for iPhone, but we'll take it.
The long-awaited BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac is finally at hand, Research In Motion announced Wednesday.
The new desktop software, designed specifically for Mac users, will be available as a free download on RIM's Mac page, starting at 10 a.m. PDT Friday.
BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac allows people to sync data with Mac apps for contacts, appointments, tasks, and notes. The software also allows people to schedule back-ups, encrypt files, and perhaps most importantly, install software updates for their BlackBerry devices.
RIM's new BlackBerry Desktop Manager.
(Credit: Research In Motion)Apart from the business side of things, RIM said the software features BlackBerry Media Sync, allowing people to sync their iTunes music with their BlackBerry. According to the company, people can choose the playlists they want, and all the included tracks will be transferred to the smartphone.
BlackBerry Desktop Manager requires Macs to be running Mac OS X 10.5.5 or higher. Any stragglers still running Mac OS X Tiger or haven't updated their Leopard installations will be left out. The BlackBerry itself must be running BlackBerry OS 4.2 and higher.
BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac is one of the most anticipated releases from RIM in quite awhile. Unlike iPhone software, which works with both Mac and PCs, BlackBerry Desktop Manager has only been available for Windows users. Until now, a third-party tool has been needed for BlackBerry devices to sync with Macs.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
Finally, a polished Web gateway to the BlackBerry App World.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)No matter how much you enjoy perusing BlackBerry apps with your device in-hand, it's a likely bet you'd rather browse on the big screen when you're sitting in front of your computer. RIM, following Apple's iTunes App Store model, has created an online "Web store" for its applications.
Launched on Tuesday, the online version of RIM's BlackBerry App World mirrors the software catalog found in the mobile app, plus a few extras.
There's a spotlight on featured items, a search bar, and the ability to browse by category. You see pricing information and minimum requirements, star ratings, and can access user comments. A large carousel shows screenshots of the app, and there's a list of hyperlinked icons that you can use to virally share information about the app with e-mail contacts or with your social networks.
You can now start the installation process from the computer.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)Most notable of all (and also reminiscent of the iPhone's App Store), you're able to kick-start the application download process from RIM's online App World. At least in theory. The reality is, unfortunately, a tad less sensible.
First, it's not as easy as hooking up your device to the computer--there's no payment process from the Web site, and no direct file transfer to the phone. Here, you'll e-mail yourself a link. Follow it from the BlackBerry, and it opens up the BlackBerry browser, where you'll click yet another link to download the record in the BlackBerry App World app. It's a clumsy process, and you'll only be able to take advantage of it if the BlackBerry browser is the set default. (Check this by choosing Options from the Browser menu-->Browser Configuration-->Browser Identification.)
Click the e-mailed URL to get to this intermediary download page.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)I'll admit, I was a bit underwhelmed by the BlackBerry App World when it first emerged on the scene. While this online storefront doesn't materially change things, the option to search online adds a layer of richness to the offering and to the experience. For those with high-speed Internet and low-speed data connections for the phone, finding and comparing apps online will speed up the process.
Although polished and easy to use, there's room to grow. It would be better if RIM's online storefront integrated your payment account and downloaded files to the phone--just like iTunes for the iPhone. The download process should also be streamlined. In addition to screenshots, BlackBerry's online app store could support publisher's videos, which would take users on a more accurate and in-depth tour of the app. Regardless, the Web catalog is a strong start, and a welcome addition to BlackBerry's universe.
The BlackBerry App World application runs on BlackBerry phones with version 4.2.1 of the operating system, or higher.
You can now archive apps on your MicroSD card.
(Credit: RIM/BlackBerry)One of my biggest complaints when BlackBerry App World debuted this past April at CTIA 2009 was that applications installed to Flash memory, giving you no option to store more apps on a microSD card. On Friday, RIM, the company behind BlackBerry, began rolling out an update to the App World, version 1.1, that takes a few steps toward dealing with this. In addition, the update enhances the storefront's organizational features.
App World 1.1 features a new menu option called "Archive," which will temporarily dispose of your file to free up some space, until you decide to reactivate it. Select the archive option and App World will actually uninstall the application from your internal storage and reinstall it on your microSD card, after which you may need to reboot the BlackBerry, depending on the app.
How will you know when an app has been stowed? The bottom left corner of the application's icon will display a green arrow. Once archived, you can always restore it to the main device memory with a click (and possibly another reboot.)
The archive feature, while one way to get apps you rarely use to relinquish their hold on your device memory, is still only a workaround. It costs you extra steps to archive, restore, and possibly reboot (the greatest timesuck of all), and still doesn't offer the solution to install programs to the device memory in the first place, as does Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform.
Filters
Like the iPhone App Store, BlackBerry App World 1.1 will now display the top 25 paid and top 25 free apps in the catalog. The filtering metaphor also extends to the search results, where you can now sort software titles by date, rating, name, price, relevance, and developer name.
In addition, RIM has added a few more categories and subcategories to help you narrow down your browsing.
New users can download the app store from mobile.blackberry.com or blackberry.com/appworld from the mobile browser. If you've already got the app installed, keep an eye out for the red notification badge on the App World icon on your phone.
BlackBerry App World 1.1 comes in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, and is available, for free, in the US and UK, Canada, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, and the Channel Islands.
BlackBerry App World is compatible with BlackBerry phones running operating system 4.2 or higher, that also have a track ball or touch screen. Read more details on the BlackBerry blog.
BlackBerry Desktop software, currently available only for Windows, is coming to the Mac.
(Credit: RIM)At long last, Research In Motion is bringing its BlackBerry Desktop software to Mac OS X.
In a blog post on Monday, RIM announced that a version of its smartphones' desktop software will be released this September for Apple computers.
According to the smartphone maker, users will be able to sync their iTunes playlists, calendars, contacts, notes, and tasks from their Mac. They will also have the option of adding applications, updating the BlackBerry when new software is made available, and managing multiple handsets on their Apple computers.
BlackBerry Mac software will let you sync your BlackBerry with iTunes.
(Credit: RIM)Although users will be excited to know BlackBerry software is finally coming to their Mac, some of those users might not be satisfied. RIM said only Mac OS X versions 10.5.5 and up will be supported, meaning that Mac users who haven't updated Leopard or those running Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger likely won't be able to run the software.
Unlike iPhone software, which can be installed in both Windows PCs and Macs, RIM's BlackBerry software has been available only for Windows; a third-party tool has been required to enable communication between Macs and BlackBerrys.
If you want to be notified when the software is available when it's released in September, you'll need to sign up on RIM's Mac page.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
The latest version of Facebook for BlackBerry released earlier this week with a handful of practical, if not flashy, feature enhancements to partially merge your Facebook profile pictures with your BlackBerry address book, and to add your Facebook events to your native BlackBerry calendar.
Turns out, many users experienced calendar screw-ups that caused Facebook's calendar to cannibalize the native one. In addition, the contact-syncing feature, while handy, irritatingly was sending a phone number request to those Facebook buddies you have manually associated with a BlackBerry contact. For the record, the calendar syncing issue didn't affect our Curves tied into a corporate policy.
RIM has been quick to reissue the app with fixes. The calendar feature should play nicer with merging now if you're installing Facebook for BlackBerry fresh, but those whose calendars have already been thrown out of whack will need to manually reset it using the BlackBerry's advanced options (Default Services-->Reset Calendar.)
In the meantime, take a look at the app's new features in our First Look video. Despite the initial hiccups, we recommend the update for existing Facebook for BlackBerry users, as well as for new BlackBerry owners.
(Source: CrackBerry)
(Credit:
Screenshot by Bonnie Cha/CNET)
Delivering on its promise, Google released a new mobile application on Wednesday that brings its Voice Search feature to BlackBerrys, much like it did for the iPhone and Android-based T-Mobile G1.
The Google Mobile App is available now as a free download and allows you to conduct searches with the sound of your voice. To do so, you simply hold down the Talk button on your BlackBerry and then speak your search term into the phone. Brits, you'll also be happy to hear that the app now supports British English accents.
Perhaps even more powerful, the app also includes support for Google's My Locations feature, which brings up search results based on your location as determined by your BlackBerry's GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular triangulation.
Other enhancements include shortcuts to several Google services, such as Gmail, Maps, News, and Reader. To get Google Mobile App on your BlackBerry, you can point your phone's browser to http://m.google.com or enter your mobile number here. Be aware that the app requires you have to have BlackBerry OS 4.1 or higher and BlackBerry OS 4.2 or higher for Voice Search.
(Sources: Google Mobile Blog, Information Week)
(Credit:
RIM)
Updated 4:24 p.m. PST with RIM's response about a March launch and more information on the app store.
BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion announced that its upcoming application storefront will officially be called BlackBerry App World. The developer site will be updated Wednesday night to make appropriate changes but will be live again by 7 p.m. PST, according to RIM. In addition, anyone interested in finding out when the store goes live can sign up for alerts on the BlackBerry App World site.
RIM opened up application submissions in January, and the store is scheduled to launch sometime in March. We asked our contact at RIM if the store is still on track to open this month, and a representative from the company's press agency confirmed that BlackBerry App World is still set for a March debut.
Download.com associate editor Jessica Dolcourt also received this additional information about distribution:
Q: Will BlackBerry App World be a downloadable mobile app for existing BlackBerry owners and a preloaded app that will ship on forthcoming BlackBerrys?
RIM: BlackBerry App World will be a downloadable application at launch. Future versions and distribution models haven't really been decided yet.
Q: Will there be a desktop version, etc.?
RIM: There will be a Web-based catalog at launch, but for the first version BlackBerry App World is a mobile app.
Our hardworking colleagues at CNET have been in the thick of the action at the CTIA wireless show this week and we figure Crave readers will want in on the fun, too.
(Credit:
RIM)
In case you haven't seen, today Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, made a whole slew of announcements about bringing popular consumer applications to the device. It already has Facebook for BlackBerry, but now RIM is expanding.
• As CNET News reported earlier this week, Microsoft Live Search will be integrated with the BlackBerry Browser.
• BlackBerry users will now be able to schedule their TiVo recordings from their phone, and in the future, view those recordings from a BlackBerry. (Possibly stealing SlingPlayer for BlackBerry's thunder? Sling, by the way, said today SlingPlayer for BlackBerry is on track for release later this year.)
• RIM is also apparently not playing favorites: it will be offering a MySpace app for the BlackBerry as well.
• There will be a customized TicketMaster app for RIM phones, which means users can buy tickets right from their phones.
• And last, RIM is partnering with Internet radio site Slacker to allow BlackBerry users to make customized music channels. Phone owners can also store up to 1,000 songs on the device.
For full details on each application, see Maggie Reardon's article at CNET News.
You won't be able to turn people into zombies with Facebook for BlackBerry (quick link), but you will be able to perform the essential Facebook maneuvers to keep up with your friends. Since launching in late October 2007, the wildly popular app has topped 1,000,000 downloads. With intuitive actions and a familiar look and feel that mimics the online site, it's easily a must-have BlackBerry app.
Be forewarned that the application doesn't scrimp on profile photos, so data transfers can sometimes limp along. Have patience. Also, since Facebook for BlackBerry's functionality is currently limited to proprietary apps, you'll have to learn to live without those third-party diversions that have given Facebook renewed soul. However, what you lose from Scrabulous deprivation, you partially regain by being able to tag and upload photos from your phone to your profile.
P.S. Does this video seem familiar? It's not deja vu, we just really like this app. This version corrects errors in which carriers the app supports and how users can get started with Facebook for BlackBerry--to save you some search time, we've made it easy with this link.
