| BlackBerry Curve 8910 Accidentally On Display at CES 2010?
January 26, 2010 at 3:14 PM
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|  David of CB made an interesting discovery that the BlackBerry 8910 was accidentally unveiled at CES, and was only discovered well after CES had finished. After reviewing pictures from the CaseMate booth, it became clear that CaseMate had labeled a Curve 8910 as a Bold 9700. The two look very similar and it’s the lack of frets that really gives it away.
 The Curve 8910 is rumored to be a trackpad update to the Curve 8900 and is targeted for foreign markets. While I’m almost positive this is an 8910, determining from pictures like this isn’t a sure thing. If it is, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on this device.  © Kyle for BlackBerry Cool, 2010 
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| YouMail Connects Visual Voicemail with Facebook
January 26, 2010 at 12:12 PM
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|  YouMail is a cool service that gives you free visual voicemail for your BlackBerry, depending on what carrier you’re with. Recently, they’ve created some tie-ins with Facebook, allowing you to see your friends’ pictures when they leave you a voicemail. You can also share and post your voicemails to your Facebook wall. Personally, I haven’t tried the service as it’s not available in Canada on Rogers, so I’m jealous that Ronen at BerryReview gets to use the service. To enable this feature, click the MySocialNetworks link in your YouMail account and it will connect you to Facebook. The Facebook feature is only available from the web, so don’t expect it to be available in the BlackBerry client. The company will also be extending its Twitter functionality soon so you can share your voicemails on Twitter. © Kyle for BlackBerry Cool, 2010 
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| How to Convert Videos for Your BlackBerry Using a Mac or a PC
January 26, 2010 at 11:06 AM
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|  With specs similar to that of a year 2000 era PC, the BlackBerry is an impressive little mobile computer. With screen resolution getting bigger with every year, I’m finding that video is all the more watchable on your device. So for those of you with a long bus, train, or chopper commute, here’s how to convert video for your BlackBerry. PC users should watch this demonstration on how to use the Roxio Media Manager for Blackberry. The Media Manager is easy to use and works well, if you don’t have it yet, download it here. Mac users don’t benefit from a supported video conversion suite but not to worry: the process is not that much harder to do. All you have to do is choose a file type you would like to convert to, choose the settings appropriate to your device, then drop the completed file into iTunes and sync using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac.
Choose a file type BlackBerrys can play a number of video formats. I find that 3GP, MP4 and WMV perform well on the BlackBerry, and can be used on other mobile devices you may want to play back on too. 3GP is a file type made with mobile phones in mind and is based on the MPEG-4 video compression. Choose this file type if you also wish to load the video on to a non-smartphone too. MP4 is a flexible codec that can perform well on everything from a small iPod or mobile phone, to a 1080p Blu-ray. Choose this file type if you wish to also sync with a video-enabled iPod. WMV or Windows Media Video is a proprietary video codec developed by Microsoft. Originally designed as a streaming RealVideo competitor, WMV now stands on it’s own as a bona fide codec for Windows Mobile devices, Xbox 360, and Blu-ray. If there are a lot of static images in your video, WMV is perfect for reducing file sizes. You can also convert to .AVI and .MOV if you like. Make sure you use H.263, H.264, or MPEG 4 settings if you plan to make a .MOV file. Convert your video Your videos will look their best if they are converted for your exact BlackBerry screen size, with the most frames per second, and with the highest data rate that your device can handle. Here is a slimmed-down list of the video-enabled BlackBerrys. If you need a detailed chart go to RIM’s detailed video codec device page. Bold 9700: 480×360, 2000 kbps @ 30 fps
Storm Series, and Tour Series: 480×360, 2000 kbps @30 fps
Curve 8900: 480×360, 1500 kbps @ 24 fps
Bold 9000: 480×320, 1500 kbps @ 24 fps
Curve Series w/ trackpad: 320×240, 1500 kbps @ 24 fps
Curve Series w/ trackball and 8800: 320×240, 769 kbps @ 24 fps
Pearl: 240×260, 768 kbps, @ 24 fps Here are a few free video conversion programs for Mac. With these you can rip DVDs, or convert nearly any video file to a format suitable for BlackBerry. Redux Encoder
Handbrake
Prism Video Converter Sync with your BlackBerry Before loading anything on to your BlackBerry it’s a safe practice to back it up first. Once you have your converted video file, drag it into iTunes and then sync your media to your device using the media tab of the BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac. © Matt Cameron aka W4LNUT for BlackBerry Cool, 2010 
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| Share pictures, video and audio on Twitter with Tvider
January 26, 2010 at 10:23 AM
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|  Tvider is a free app that lets you share pics, video and audio on Twitter. There are two main ways of sharing files, by uploading on the spot with “InstaPix”, “InstaVid” and “InstaAudio” or using a feature called “MemWhiz” which lets you select a file and attach a Tweet to it. The app is available for most BlackBerrys except touchscreen devices. Download Tvider free OTA from http://tvider.com/u/mobile. © Matt Cameron aka W4LNUT for BlackBerry Cool, 2010 
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| Comparing the Top Apple App Store and BlackBerry App World Downloads
January 26, 2010 at 7:40 AM
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|  The Distimo Report is a monthly look at the five big application stores: Apple App Store, BlackBerry App World, Google Android Market, Nokia Ovi Store and Windows Marketplace for Mobile. This month’s report is based on December 2009 data, and has some interesting findings including: - In Google Android Market, 65% of the publishers are located in the United States, 12% in the United Kingdom, 20% in Europe and 3% in Japan.
- Publishers located in Europe price their applications highest with an average of $4.42, which is 49% higher than publishers located in the United States.
- Applications in Apple App Store, Google Android Market and Nokia Ovi Store are priced at around $3.50. Windows Marketplace for Mobile and BlackBerry App World are more expensive, averaging $6.99 and $8.26 respectively.
- Because of Microsoft’s market validation guidelines and additional fees for distributing applications in more than one country, the number of applications available in some countries is only a small percentage (<5%) of applications available worldwide.
What’s also interesting out of this report is a comparison between the top rated paid applications in the Apple App Store versus BlackBerry App World. I like comparing iPhone and BlackBerry, because they’re the most relevant for North Americans. Sure, Nokia sell the most devices worldwide, but as smartphone manufacturers they just don’t interest me.
From the list, it’s clear that BlackBerry users are more interested in paying for apps that complement the BlackBerry user experience, and customizing the device as much as possible. There isn’t a single paid game on the top 10 list, and the apps are geared towards either improving your BlackBerry or your life. Since this is based on December 2009 data, I would like to see how January and February will look as themes gain more traction. Since it’s clear BlackBerry users are into customization and improving the user experience, two themes which a theme can do, I suspect they’ll begin to dominate the list. 
The top paid apps in the App Store are exactly how you would imagine them to be given the constraints on an iPhone and the focus on visually rich and fun apps. Games completely dominate the platform and there isn’t anything in the top 10 geared towards productivity or lifestyle In terms of free applications, there seems to be a similar trend, but users tend to like the same apps when price is not a factor. 
Media and content apps seems to be a big player in the free section of App World. This makes sense as these apps generally rely on an ad-based model that allows the user to get the content for free. It’s a little strange that RIM put BlackBerry Messenger on the list, but at least it shows that App World is still effective at distributing core BlackBerry apps. 
Again, games dominate the iPhone top 10 free section. Number 6 is an app called Beautiful Boobs, and it makes you wonder if this sort of thing would be allowed in App World. During the Themes webinar, I asked RIM if they would allow adult content themes on App World and the answer was something like “no for now but not never.” It’s not that one platform is absolutely better than the other, but it’s clear that both platforms are lacking what the other supplies. The iPhone has a total lack of customization and ability to provide the user with apps that help manage life’s most routine elements. This probably has a lot to do with the lack of a keyboard and the ability to run apps in the background. BlackBerry lacks the ability to provide users with a truly fun experience. I know BlackBerry users would love to have cool games on their device, but we’re just not there yet. I’m sure in the next few years we’ll see these platforms start to come to a mid-point, driven by the app economy. © Kyle for BlackBerry Cool, 2010 
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| Verizon to Offer Prepaid BlackBerry Plans with Voice and Data
January 26, 2010 at 6:36 AM
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|  BerryScoop is reporting that Verizon will be offering a BlackBerry data plan within the next 90 days as part of their prepaid service. We don’t know what devices will be available on a prepaid service, but my guess is it will be relegated to the older and cheaper devices. The data plan is rumored to run an additional $35 on top of the voice plan. Any Verizon users looking for a prepaid plan? © Kyle for BlackBerry Cool, 2010 
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