Top Blackberry NewsKeeping you up to date with all the latest Blackberry News!

Long time BlackBerry developer VirtualViews has come up with another unique app for BlackBerrys. This alerts you to new emails by reading them out loud to you when your phone is connected to your PC over USB. Essentially when your BlackBerry is connected to your PC the app can display a popup preview of messages for email, SMS, and calls and lets you hear who is calling or emailing/texting you using the built in voice synthesizer. Pretty cool if you ask me… The app is called Elertify and is available now for $4.99 on sale until Nov 15th after which it goes up to $5.99.

Giveaway Details: VirtualViews has kindly offered 30 free copies of Elertify to readers who comment on this article. Just leave your name and a valid email address in the email field and if you are randomly selected you will win a free copy! Comments must be left before Wednesday Nov 4th at 11:59PM EST to win and winners should hopefully be notified shortly thereafter. Only one comment per user will be accepted!

From the description:

Are you tired of picking up your BlackBerry® every 15 seconds to check messages only to discover it’s ad from Ed’s Furniture Company or another silly joke from Aunt Kathy?
Now you can preview messages while you work on your PC with Elertify!
Elertify can display a popup message on your PC when you receive incoming Email, SMS and Phone calls on your BlackBerry. You can even hear who’s calling, texting, or emailing you by using the built voice synthesizer!
Elertify lets you choose which types of messages you want to receive: Email, SMS or phone calls.
You can set the popup display time and whether you want the voice synthesizer or a ringtone to play when you receive a message. You might even turn off the popups altogether and just listen to the voice synthesizer.
Now you won’t have to look at your BlackBerry unless you really want to.
Elertify works via the USB cable and is for the PC only.
You must install both the BlackBerry and Windows software to use Elertify.
If you use your PC a lot, you need Elertify!

Features:

• Popup Message with Sender & Subject
• Voice Synthesizer or Ringtones
• USB Auto Connect Option
• Auto Run at Startup
• Suspend Option
• Save Time – Stop checking your Berry
• USB cable Charges your BlackBerry

Minimum Requirements:

• BlackBerry OS 4.2.1 or Greater
• Windows 7, Vista, or XP w/ .NET Framework 3.0 or Greater
• BlackBerry desktop software or USB drivers installed
• USB Cable that came with your BlackBerry

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• SmartAlerts Giveaway: Custom Alerts for Email, Missed Calls, & More – 50 Copies!
• Pinger – Free Voice SMS Application
• Giveaway: AddOnis All-in-one Utility – 30 Free Copies
• BerryPopup: Yet Another Email/SMS Popup App – 50 Free Copies
• Giveaway: LaterDude Pro – 200 Free Copies!

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, October 30, 2009, 3:00 pm. | Giveaway: Elertify Uses Your PC to Announce Your Emails – 30 Free Copies! | 109 comments |

Simply login and leave a comment to win 1 of 50 copies of TweetGenius!

It seemed like it came and went. TweetGenius, the first premium Twitter client for BlackBerry, swooped in and then in a poof it was gone again. If you didn't get to purchase it upon the initial release, you were sadly out of luck for the last few months. Well the good news is that its finally here. The minds behind TweetGenius teamed up with BeeJive (makers of the amazing BeeJive IM) and have finally dropped a crazy new pollen-infused version of TweetGenius. The early version had some struggles on older devices (like my 8330) and people had some complaints. Well no comments went unnoticed, and the new version of TweetGenius is much improved, faster and ready for the world again. 

Get TweetGenius: TweetGenius is available for all devices except for the Pearl and Pearl Flip for $7.99. It may seem a bit steep for a Twitter app, but it is well worth the price. It has been overhauled and works with OS 4.3 or higher. You can buy it now from tg2.beejive.com.

Contest: We've got 50 free copies of TweetGenius to give away for free to the CrackBerry Nation! Just leave a comment on this post to enter. Contest ends this Sunday at Midnight PST. Please only leave one comment - multiple entries won't count!

• More information and purchase of TweetGenius>>

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. TweetGenius Officially Released (Again) - 50 Free Copies!

Gadget of the Week: Powermat Wireless Charging Pad

Website: www.powermat.com/us/home/
Price: $99.99 for either the home or the base station. $29.99 for a receiver for a Blackberry or Nintendo DS receiver. $39.99 for an iPod/iPhone receiver.

Summary: If you have multiple devices and are sick of the clutter of wires, the Powermat can reduce the multiple fire hazards into a single wire. Once the Powermat is set up and a receiver is installed on your device, you can charge your device by simply placing it on top of the Powermat. The device will then charge without any plugs or wires. The Powermats can charge up to three devices at once, seriously freeing up outlets and space. The home version of the Powermat is sleek, stylish and functional. The travel Powermat trades the style for form factor and portability. The Blackberry receivers are built into unobtrusive replacement back battery covers, while the iPod/iPhone receivers are embodied in a full case. If you have only one device, then the Powermat probably isn’t much more than a novelty item. But if you have multiple devices that you charge often, the Powermat can be a useful and stylish addition to your home or office.

UnBoxing and Setup: base stations are simple to set up, they are just plug and play. Similarly, the Blackberry receivers are easy to install, just remove and replace the back battery cover. The iPod/iPhone receivers take a few more seconds to install because they require snapping in a pretty hardcore case, but are nonetheless pretty easy.

Learning Curve: Each Powermat has three charging points where you have to align your receiver in order to begin charging. However, there are magnets set up to give a little pull and guide you to where those points are. Its really fairly simple to find. When the receiver aligns with the charging point, the Powermat makes a cute little charging noise and a white LED shines below the charging gadget. It works right away, but you might get more honed at finding the alignment point over a period of a few days of use.

Home Version: The home version has a silver/gray brushed plastic outer rim and a black brushed plastic charging portion. On the underside is a rubber skin to provide friction so that the powermat will stay in place. Overall it has a solid build quality and a very stylish look that you wouldn’t mind having displayed on your counter or desk.

Travel Version: The build quality of the travel version of the powermat seems below that of the home version. The plastic seems lighter and weaker than that of the other unit. The whole unit is black, with small black rubber tips underneath for traction. It is made out of three separate charging portions that are connected with two links each. You can fold all three portions for easy transport, as well as kind of modify how many charging ports you have showing during use–kind of like an origami charger. The travel version has the same functionality as the home version, but the flash of the home version is given up for the ability to fold and travel. To make up for the seeming blandness of the travel version, it comes with a cool travel case that holds the adapter and the travel powermat.

Receivers: The powermat only comes with a powerbube. In order to make the powermat a cool and useful addition to the home it has to be able to charge multiple things at a time without wires. So when factoring in the price for your powermat, you should really include the price of two or three receivers as well. The receivers are mainly a 2 inch by 1 inch magnetic inductor that sits near your battery. For devices who back-panel can be removed, the receiver is built into a replacement back. So for the Blackberry, the replacement panel slides on easy and the receiver only adds to the phone’s thickness minimally. But for devices that have a built in non-removable battery *ahem iPhone* the receiver had to be built into a protective case that completely covers the phone, adding significantly to the iPod/iPhone’s size. If you are the type of person to use a protective case anyway, this isn’t an issue at all. But if you like to carry an iPod/iPhone around without any case, then putting on a whole protective case just to charge might be a little much.

PowerCube: A PowerCube is the only receiver included with the purchase of a powermat. The powercube has a receiver so that it can power up when placed on the powermat, and interchangeable plugs so that you can connect the powercube to any device. But, I think the powercube just doesn’t make any sense. The whole product is directed at reducing the clutter of wires. But when using the powercube to charge something, you are once again plugged something into the wall and plugging something into the device. So what are you gaining? It would make more sense to include a free device specific receiver with every order.

State of Technology note: Someone complained to me “this isn’t real wireless charging, there is still a wire in the wall and you still have to put your device onto the pad!” To some extent they are right, the future of wireless charging is being able to have your phone charge when in a 100ft proximity to a wireless power source, without having to place it on a mat that is plugged in. Just picture it, you come home with your phone in your pocket and the phone automatically starts charging–IN YOUR POCKET. But until then, the powermat is a step in the right direction. While the power isn’t transmitted through the air, the powermat takes a single power source and gives power to other devices without having to have a physical wired connection. Progress.

Final Verdict: When calculating the full price of the powermat setup, you should include the base and three receivers (probably two phones and an iPod)–$199.96. Whether you are buying this for yourself or starting a wish list for the holiday season, the powermat is a pricey but fair investment to make life wire and hassle free. My wife and I have both been using it for a few weeks now and it has definitely freed up outlet space (we only have two outlets in the bedroom), reduced dangly wires, and encouraged us to charge our devices more often because it feels so much easier. When choosing between the two version I would stick with the home version. While the travel version works exactly the same and offers some neat compact foldability, I feel like those who are often on the road would just use a plain old plug when traveling and save the wireless charging for home use.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• WildCharge – Wireless Charging For Pearl & Curve
• WildCharge – Wireless Chargers For BlackBerry Coming Soon
• Review: WildCharger – Wireless Charging Unit For BlackBerry
• WildCharge Wireless Charger FINALLY Coming October 6th
• Seidio Releases Charging Cradle For BlackBerry 8100/8130 Pearl

Posted by David for ©BerryReview, October 30, 2009, 2:00 pm. | Gadget of the Week: Powermat Wireless Charging Pad | 3 comments |

Today the CrackBerry Deal of the Day is a great application at a great discount. Tetherberry made its name offering an easy and affordable way to tether without the need for extra services or carrier fees. The application usually sells for $49.95 which is a turn off to some users, but today only you can get Tetherberry for only $24.97 - thats 50% off! This is a great discount if you've been contemplating pick it up but just haven't pulled the trigger. I've been using it on my netbook since release, and I must say there is no easier way to tether. Just install the app on your device and PC or Mac and you're set. Head over to the CrackBerry App Store to check it out.

• Buy Tetherberry now for only $24.97>> 
• More information on Tetherberry>>

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Get Tetherberry for 50% Off - Today Only!

Many power users are kind of puzzled by TetherBerry. Tethering your BlackBerry is not that complicated to setup for free using one of the multitude of guides available online. Even RIM provides you with basic instructions on how to set it up and offers the option in Desktop Manager 5.0+. In my opinion TetherBerry is the solution for those who cant be bothered and want paid support for setting it up on their Mac or PC.

If you fall into that category you will be happy to learn that the best selling app TetherBerry is on sale today for $24.97 which is 50% off their uber-expensive $49.95 regular price. TetherBerry does a brilliant job of dumbing down the process of setting up tethering for you BlackBerry so definitely check it out if you are having issues!

Let us know if you pick up a copy and why! Maybe it is about time we created our own guide for setting up tethering easily.

PS: All tethering solutions may end up getting you charged by your carrier if they catch you. Most carriers usually require a tethering add-on to your monthly plan called Phone as a Modem or such. If you get caught you could stand with some serious data overage charges. If you do end up paying for the add-on tethering option then your carrier usually provides you with an application that simplifies this whole process making all of these solutions irrelevant.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• TetherBerry for Mac Free Public Beta – Tether Over USB
• TetherBerry – Easily Use Your BlackBerry As A Modem (Tethering)
• TetherBerry – Stable Mac Beta
• HipVoice Bringing Cross Carrier Push To Talk To Companies For $10/month
• BIS 2.6 to Bring New Low Cost @BlackBerry Service – Aimed at Lowering the Barrier & Addicting Price Conscious Customers

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, October 30, 2009, 1:11 pm. | TetherBerry 50% Off Today Only – $24.97 | 2 comments |

• BlackBerry App in development
• Mobile site redone and BlackBerry friendly
• Homescreen shortcut for BlackBerry

Users of DropBox get a bit more BlackBerry support.  DropBox is a free or paid online storage and backup service similar to others you may have heard of such as Mozy.  From your desktop they offer Web support and a great PC/MAC/Linux app to manage your online files.  DropBox recently released an iPhone app and has announced on their forums to be working on a BlackBerry app.

In the meantime they have done two things to support their BlackBerry base.  1)  A new mobile site is pretty BlackBerry friendly, and can be accessed at www.getdropbox.com/m.  2)  DropBox has released homescreen shortcut icons which you can get OTA.

If you don’t have a DropBox account you can signup here for 2 GB free.  Sign up your friends to get even more GBs for free.

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• YouMail 0.9.6.1 Released Along With DropBox Support for VOIP Voicemails
• FoxNews.mobi – Mobile Friendly Version Of Fox News
• Bank Of America Homescreen Shortcut Now Marginally More Useful
• American Express Mobile now has a home screen shortcut
• AT&T HTC Tilt Leaked With BlackBerry Connect Support

Posted by Nikolaus for ©BerryReview, October 30, 2009, 1:00 pm. | DropBox gets more BlackBerry support | 7 comments |

Toysoft has dropped another great app for the Storm and Storm2 called CallerInfo. The app displays custom information on the screen for incoming calls. When a person in your contacts calls, CallerInfo shows their city and last call date as well as any custom info you have entered (birthday, anniversary, note). When a call is ended, the app will prompt you to enter a note that will display the next time the user calls. If you are looking to get a little more out of your device, you may want to give this app a go. It is cool to see the info when the contact calls, and you can be sure you won't forget important dates (just pay attention so you know if someone is calling you on their birthday!). CallerInfo is on sale in the CrackBerry App Store for $2.99 until tomorrow.

• More information and download of CallerInfo>>

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. CallerInfo for BlackBerry Storm Shows City, Birthday and More

Thanks to Shape Services we ran a great contest with over 300 submissions for their updated IM+ application. You can find the winners announced after the jump. IM+ lets you connect to multiple popular instant messaging networks at the same time from one application aggregating your contacts from Google Talk, AIM, Facebook, Skype and more. The app usually carries a hefty $39.95 price tag but until Nov 22nd it is on sale for $27.95 which is a pretty good deal.

In case you did not win you can pick up a copy of IM+ in the store for $27.95 at this link or check out all of Shape Services apps at this link.

Congrats to all the winners below! You should be contacted by Shape Services shortly! Don’t forget to thank them in the comments!

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Giveaway Winners: AddContactX Utility
• Giveaway Winners: SendX – Easily Pass Information Between Apps
• Giveaway: IM+ v8.3 All-In-One Messenger Released – 30 Free Copies
• Giveaway Winners – Addonis All-In-One Utility
• Giveaway Winners: iconManager Homescreen Widgets

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, October 30, 2009, 11:49 am. | Giveaway Winners: IM+ All-In-One Messenger | 29 comments |

We have all been through this. Install a great application only to find out that it eats your device memory until it cannibalizes your emails and call logs when it runs out of memory. RIM was even guilty of this themselves when OS 4.2+ introduced a ton of memory leaks that slowly or rapidly ate away at your available memory. This even introduced a new class of applications designed to reset your device before memory leaks became ugly. In the latest revisions OS 4.5+ RIM has been steadily improving all the memory leaks that cropped into the BlackBerry OS even including my current Bold OS which is pretty stable. OS 5.0 promises much better days ahead but it is still in very limited circulation.

The problem is that a poorly coded application can easily break the peace and solitude you have found by forcing you to reset every day. Kamen over at the official RIM Developer Blog has published the first of three articles in a series that I think is a must read for all developers. It highlights what a memory leak is and how they come about. The next two articles in the series which are hopefully coming next week will detail how to find these leaks and fix them.

Check out the first in the series of “How to find that memory leak!”

If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:

• Memory Eye: Monitoring Low Memory to Save Call Logs & Email Pruning
• Latest OS 4.3 For Sprint 8130 Fixes Memory Leak & Data Connection
• RIM Explains How To Calculate Free Memory
• RANT! My BlackBerry Has Lost Its Memory… Part III
• QuickPull Pro Released: Adds Advanced Scheduling Memory Monitoring & More

Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, October 30, 2009, 11:40 am. | RIM Developer Explains How To Find A Memory Leak | Leave a comment |

After writing the review for GPSed, I had the urge to go on another trip. During the summer, we took an amazing family trip to Gibsons, British Columbia. I did promise not to touch my BlackBerry during that week, and I did surprisingly well (I only twitched a little). A promise is a promise, but I didn’t even think to argue its usefulness; even on vacation! It only makes sense to do anything possible to make your trip (business or personal) productive, stress-free and exciting…or relaxing. The last thing you want to do is become stressed with planning your vacation and even more stressed during it.

So, without jumping off the travel train, I’ve compiled a list of applications you may want to look at before your next trip. Have to check your flight? Need to choose a hotel?
Where are you going to eat? How do I say this? With so many applications available to you, it’s hard to decide which ones you actually need. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to juggle through applications that aren’t required, and miss enjoying your trip. Before you pack your bags, pack your BlackBerry with much needed travel apps!

read more

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Business Trip or Backpacking, Bring your BlackBerry