Creating your own blackberry theme can add so much to your phone when personalizing your multimedia interests. The software has far surpassed the standard ‘create wallpaper’ to encompassing all the attributes of UI (User Interface) design. The Plazmic Content Developers Kit or CDK for blackberry smartphones allows users to completely upgrade their multimedia content.

The kit consists of the tools Plazmic Theme Builder and Plazmic Composer. The Plazmic Composer interface will be immediately familiar to anyone with some design experience. It utilizes the same layers and object catalogs as seen in Photoshop for example. Web designers will love the tool’s ability to weave interactive web pages for viewing in the blackberry browser, plus the vector and animation tools. Designers will also appreciate how it can create banners and embed web links.

The software which is free, can be downloaded here. It allows you to create your own themes, animated themes too, and splash screens. It also comes with a simulator that will test your work before you send it to your phone. It comes with a lot of samples that you can easily customize.

There are some known issues and you should check the site, though generally it’s ok. Some blackberry models like the 8700 may need the installation of the plazmic reader before the kit can work. Your latest install of Windows 7 may have the reader pre-installed, check with your vendor. This is the only software you need as the kit is a suite of tools for facilitating multimedia content.

Of course, most of us will be happy to just download the many freely available blackberry themes. What the kit offers you is the ability to create a set of themes and graphics that is personal to your phone, not used by anyone else; of course, if your theme is that good, you could consider allowing people to download it from your site.

Plazmic software is becoming ubiquitous. It is being seen as a useful add-on to the standard blackberry interface. The software creates the designs and does not require too steep a learning curve. Multimedia developers will love the tool. It’s a new challenge moving from the web to multimedia production for the phone.

Plazmic software is currently for the PC. If you wish to create your own themes and customize your blackberry phone to your heart’s desire, give the kit a whirl and see what graphical content you can weave together. By Stephen Davies – via viralelectronics.com

I am sure many BlackBerry users don’t only use thier devices for just talking to a friend on the phone or for SMS messaging.  Some of you use your BlackBerry phones to listen to your favorite music on the go.  It’s great especially if you have a big SD card that you can throw a lot of music onto and take with you on the bus, train or on the airplane.

Have you ever wanted to play the music on your BlackBerry while you’re at home but don’t want to plug your headphones in?  Maybe you want to play the music on your BlackBerry during that big party at your house but don’t have the right equipment to play it in. Well I have come across a gadget that lets you listen to the music on your BlackBerry.

The product is called MusicNao and it is from the company Cignias.  It is an Advanced Wireless Music Station.  Now what is so great you might ask about this product?  Well this product lets you play music from your BlackBerry through the speakers on the MusicNao stations.  The speakers on the device aren’t some crappy speakers, they are really good speakers.  This product is very well crafted.

The best part about the MusicNao is how it plays music from your BlackBerry device.  It plays music one of two ways, either through Wi-Fi if you have a BlackBerry with Wi-Fi on it, or through Bluetooth.  Imagine being able to play music through speakers while your BlackBerry is sitting in your hands not connected through wires of any kind.  Although there is an USB port on the back of the device that you can connect your devices too but hey that wouldn’t be any fun now would it!

MusicNao comes with an application for your BlackBerry that makes it easier to play music when you are connected through Wi-Fi.  The only downer right now to the device is that it doesn’t support the BlackBerry Storm2 for Wi-Fi yet but you can still use it through Bluetooth.  Another great thing about the MusicNao is once there is an update for the device you will get the update through the application on your device so you won’t have to worry about buying a newer model.

The MusicNao is a bit pricy at $299.99 but it is well worth the money spent.  Check out the Cignias website for more details and to find out how to order one. – by Brad via berryreporter.com

Despite its many flaws, the BlackBerry does make searching the web pretty easy. The Go To screen contains an address bar, a search bar, your bookmarks, and recently visited sites. For most users, that’s enough. More intense mobil web users might prefer wider reaching search options, beyond the basics — or, for Verizon customers, beyond just Bing. SearchIt has been available for a while, though I have to say I hadn’t seen it before today, when Obi at CrackBerry noted an update. Shaosoft has added plenty of features to an already excellent application

After launching the application a dialog box appears on the screen. It contains a search bar, a search button, and a search using field. Scroll down to change the search engine you wish to use. SearchIt browses 22 sites and engines currently, plus two user-defined sites. You can hide any of the engines or sites by clicking Search using and scrolling to options, at the bottom.

In the options menu you can choose to show or hide the search engine and site categories, turn as-you-type suggestions on or off, and select your default site or engine. At the top there’s a check box that allows you to add SearchIt to the system menu. With that feature activated you can select text in any application, press the menu button, and select SearchIt. Now the selected text will appear in the search bar. You can also set your browser, with choices of the default, Bolt, and Opera.

SearchIt allows for two custom sites, which you can set from the options menu. Click under custom search, and then enter the sites’ URLs into the appropriate fields and name the site. You can select them at the bottom of the search engine list.

Hardcore mobile web surfers can get a copy of SearchIt for $2.49 until January 23, when it goes up 50 cents to $2.99. – via bbgreeks.com

Turn your BlackBerry into a Wired or Wireless Mouse and Keyboard with MobiMouse!

MobiMouse supports USB, Bluetooth, WiFi and Mobile connections.

Mobimouse allows you to control the Windows cursor with your BlackBerry trackball or the touchpad on your BlackBerry Storm.

NEW! Version 1.5 has “Motion Control” which lets you control the cursor by tilting your BlackBerry Storm!

Press the trackball for left click and the escape key for right click.

You can even adjust the Windows volume control using the volume keys on your BlackBerry or press the mute key on your BlackBerry to mute the sound.

Mobimouse supports full use of the BlackBerry keyboard. You can type on your Blackberry it will show up in whatever Windows application your are currently using.

MobiMouse allows you to assign Windows Applications & Shortcuts to BlackBerry convenience keys. For example, you can launch Windows Media Player, iTunes, PowerPoint, or even a DVR application right from your BlackBerry! You can also assign shortcuts to close an application, open the default Browser, Task Manger, and many more!

Use the “Arrow Mode” in the menu to simulate pressing the arrow keys on the Keyboard. This is great for controlling a program guide on your Media PC or navigating a spreadsheet or menu that typically use the arrow keys.

Version 1.3 of MobiMouse has password support for IP Networks and supports connections via most mobile networks.

MobiMouse is great for a Windows Media PC or for giving presentations with PowerPoint.

Don’t carry a mouse around with your notebook – use MobiMouse!

Features:

• NEW! Motion Control using Accelerometer (Storm only)
• Tap touchscreen to show/hide keyboard (storm only)
• Access Scroll & Drag Mode from the Menu
• Click & Hold Trackball or Touchscreen for Drag Mode
• Assign Apps & Shortcuts to the BlackBerry Escape Key
• Simulate Scroll Wheel with Alt+Trackball (Trackball devices only)
• Full Screen Portrait & Landscape mode on Storm
• Connect using the mobile network
• Use Arrow Mode to simulate pressing Arrow Keys
• Adjust the Backlight Brightness and Timeout
• Options to Hibernate, Suspend or Logoff the PC
• Assign Windows Apps & Shortcuts to Convenience Keys
• Remotely Control a Windows PC
• Wired or Wireless Control
• Move the cursor with the trackball or touch screen
• Control Windows Master Volume
• Escape key to right click
• Works with USB, Bluetooth, WiFi & Mobile
• Support most Windows Bluetooth Stacks
• Works with Windows 32 & 64 bit systems
• No need to carry extra mouse with laptop
• Use MobiMouse with your Media PC
• Use MobiMouse for PowerPoint Presentations
• Use MobiMouse to type on the keyboard

Minimum Requirements:

• BlackBerry OS 4.5 or Greater (4.5.0.80 for WiFi)
• Windows 7, Vista, XP or 2K w/ .NET Framework 2.0+
• BlackBerry desktop software or USB drivers for USB
• Built in bluetooth or bluetooth Adapter for Bluetooth
• WiFi enabled PC & BlackBerry on a WLAN for WiFi
• Data plan & port forwarding for mobile connections
• How To Turn Off Word Completion (Storm w/ 5.0)
• ———————————————————
• Home Screen > Options > Language and Text Input
• Change Input Style to “Auto Correction”
• You must enter your BlackBerry PIN on the order form when purchasing this product. The PIN is an 8 digit code used to identify your BlackBerry; it may contain letters as well as numbers. If you do not enter your PIN correctly on the order form, your registration code will not work.

Display Dimensions
160×160, 240×160, 240×240, 240×260, 240×320, 320×240, 480×320, 480×360
Operating System
4.5, 4.6, 4.7 Non-Touch, 4.7 Touch Screen, 5.0 Non-Touch, 5.0 Touch Screen

Price: $9.99
via store.pdablast.com

Datepedia is the ultimate BlackBerry calendar companion with hundreds of dates for national holidays, religious holidays, sporting events and more! Simply select dates and export them to your BlackBerry calendar at the click of a button.

Need to remember a birthday or anniversary? Now you can add your own dates at any time so you’ll never forget that important event! Not sure if Valentine’s Day is Saturday or Sunday this year? With Datepedia in your phone you’ll never have to wonder again!

• View dates for national holidays from multiple countries including US, UK, India, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and more
• View Christian, Jewish and Islamic religious holidays including descriptions of each holiday
• View dates for major sporting events including BCS Bowl Games, Golf Major Events, Tennis Grand Slam, Auto Racing, Olympics, World Cup Finals and more
• View dates for multiple years including 2009 and 2010
• Keep track of personal events such as birthdays and anniveraries while on the go
• Choose from multipe export options to save Datepedia events to your BlackBerry calendar
• View event dates in List View or Calendar Month View with day of week for each event
• Quickly search for any dates by category or name, and filter search by year for faster look-up
• Includes option for viewing all events or upcoming events only

via mobatech.com

Ever wonder how much time you spend    sending messages on your BlackBerry? How about the amount of time you play Word Mole? A handful of applications will provide you with a rough breakdown, but none I’ve seen are quite as elegant as SmrtMonitor. It’s from the makers of SmrtGuard, a wireless backup and remote tracking service for BIS users. The application tracks how much time you spend on each BlackBerry application and then presents it in a number of formats.

When you open the program you’ll see a list of your most used BlackBerry applications. This includes the amount of time you’ve spend on the application, plus a percentage breakdown. The user in the sample screen shot, you can see, spends about 45 percent of his BlackBerrying time in the messages app. He also likes to remind himself that he spends that much time on his Berry, apparently, because he spends 11 percent of his time on SmrtGuard.

The application provides further detailed information on each application, including the minimum, maximum, and average session times, dates of your first and last usage, and a breakdown by day of the week. You can also sort your master list by different categories, including most and least time, most and least frequent, and most and least recent. SmrtGuard allows you to reset the timer for each application at any time.

If you’re interested in your BlackBerry usage breakdown, you can get SmrtMonitor for $3.99 until December 31. If you aren’t interested, you can find out why I find the name SmrtMonitor so funny. By Joe, via bbgeeks.com

Overview

BBSmart Alarms Pro is the most visually stunning, fully-featured, and powerful multi-alarm application available for the BlackBerry® today. Set alarms on your BlackBerry®, any time, all the time, with confidence in BBSmart Alarms Pro!

BBSmart Alarms Pro was designed with usability in mind; which means that it is simple, quick, and easy to use without getting in your way and it does all this with style!

Key Features

No limits! Create as many alarms as you want!

Choose from four cool built-in alarm sounds or pick your own mp3’s to wake up to!

Set snooze times for 1, 2, 5 minutes all the way up to an hour

Easily set quick alarms – perfect for alarms to grab the washing (30 minutes from now), or just to grab a quick power nap (wake me up in 15 minutes!)

Friendly, easy to use software designed by people for people (big buttons easy to read in the morning with sleepy eyes)

Create alarm templates so setting new alarms with your favorite preferences is a breeze!

Requirements

BlackBerry® Operating System (OS) v4.2 or higher

Compatible Devices

8700, 8703e, 8707v, 8100 (Pearl), 8300 (Curve), 8310 (Curve), 8320 (Curve), 8330 (Curve), 8350i (Curve), 8800, 8820, 8830, 8110 (Pearl 2), 8120 (Pearl 2), 8130 (Pearl 2)

Bold (9000), Storm (9500, 9530), 8900 (Curve), 9630 (Tour)

via blackberrysmart.com

                                                                     via cellphonedigest.net – Air Canada’s new Web Signals service allows BlackBerry users to receive Air Canada information on their BlackBerry mobile device’s home screen via the Web Signals logo which links directly to the “My Message Service”.  The My Message Service allows BlackBerry users to get their Electronic Boarding Passes and flight notifications.

To access your My Messages inbox from one of the following:

• The Air Canada Web Signals logo on your mobile device’s home screen
• The link on your Electronic Boarding Pass email
• The link on your Flight Notifications email

You can view your My Messages inbox via the Web or from an Internet enabled mobile device.  You can register for Web Signals during a Web Check-in or Mobile Check-in.

For more information visit AirCanada.com.

by Brian – via mobilewhack.com.

One thing that any mobile phone owner would hate is missing a text message. The importance of text messages cannot be sorted out but regardless, generally putting them into practically the same degree of importance is what this new Blackberry software can do so you don’t have miss any of them again.

The application presents a simple, seamless solution that converts between text messages and e-mail so that BlackBerry smartphone users can read and reply to text messages as e-mails, both on their smartphone and when accessing their e-mail on a computer. The convenience of converting e-mail and text message communication allows users to work more efficiently and with greater ease.
“The addition of SMS2Desk into Cortado’s extensive portfolio of free services simply adds to the comfort and practicality of using mobile solutions,” says Roger Guerrero, Cortado Enterprise Sales Manager, North America. “Even when your smartphone is still in your pocket, SMS2Desk users can receive and answer text messages on their computer. Never miss a text message again!”
The SMS2Desk application is compatible with the following BlackBerry smartphones: BlackBerry 8700, BlackBerry Curve series, BlackBerry Pearl series, BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Storm.

If you are somehow unfamiliar with BeeJive, it is one of a handful of must have applications for any BlackBerry user, and is the only app that we fully recommend purchasing.

There is no better time than the next week to make said purchase; BeeJiveIM will be on sale from Midnight PT Monday, February 23, until Midnight PT Sunday, March 1. Both the user license (normally $29.95 USD) and the device license (normally $19.95) will be discounted $5.00 for the next week. If you are one of the few that haven’t previously purchased a license for the app, you’ll want to get on board as BeeJive prepares for a major upgrade to the app in the next few weeks. Our hope is this is the much anticipated Storm update. As usual, the upgrade will be free of charge.

BeeJiveIM supports AIM/iChat/MobileMe, MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo!, MySpace, GoogleTalk, SameTime®, ICQ, & Jabber and puts all of your accounts in a single application on your BlackBerry device.

To purchase BeeJiveIM for BlackBerry at the sale price, visit http://beejive.com/blackberry/.

If you are patiently waiting for the Storm release, sound off in the comment section. via blackberrynews.com