Calling all BlackBerry Developers… We’re just more than a month away from BlackBerry DevCon 2011 and it is shaping up to be a great 1. If you’re signed up to attend, my session on Working with Bloggers and the Media to Promote Your App is now live in the Session Catalog so be sure to signup for it. I promise it’ll be a excellent time.
RIM has also announced as a featured speaker reknowned gamer (and futurist) Jane McGonigal, who’s going to be delivering a couple of sessions: Com28 on How Gaming Can Change the Globe and Com29 Who’s Got Game? whe you’re you will be able to pitch your app suggestions to Jane. Click this link to find out more.
We had a blast at DevCon last year, so we’re really seeking forward to the show this year. Last year RIM shocked us with the BlackBerry PlayBook. With Tablet OS 2 about the corner and QNX SuperPhones coming in 2012, we’re confident this will be a DevCon you’ll want to attend. Hope to see you there!
Hot on the heels of those newly leaked Motorola Bionic pics we posted for you guys earlier today, is this new sign-up page on Verizon Wireless for the device. All you have to do is enter your email address in the box and Verizon will notify when the Bionic arrives. Once again, this can only add more fuel to the fire that we’re getting close, folks. The eve of the Bionic is almost upon us and if that leaked Verizon doc pans out, we could see the device drop on Sept. 8th.
Something tells me we’ll by notifying you of the Bionic release a lot sooner than Verizon does — but hey, it’s always good to have that second reminder.
The My Live Messenger (EASY MSN) Android App by MiracleDev is an android app that allows the MSN messenger application alternative to be installed on your android device. This app also gives you access to the Windows Live homepages, while also providing access to your Hotmail or Windows Live mail accounts. The app was well designed but could stand for some graphical improvements. Overall the functionality of the app is quite user friendly and does provide many useful tools.
When you open the app you will be asked to login to your MSN account. Once you have done so you will be taken to the MSN messenger homepage. From this homepage you will be able to choose your status (I.e. online, away, etc.), see which contacts are online, and switch to the MSN homepage. From the MSN homepage you will be able to access your e-mail accounts. You will be able to read, reply, and delete e-mails as necessary. You can also click on one of your online contacts to start a conversation and use this as your msn messenger app as normal. Even though there are other apps that do the same thing on the market this is a viable competitor to any of those.
Overall, this is a great app for the MSN messenger services. At the time of this review the My Live Messenger (EASY MSN) Android App is free. Thumbs Up.
Shake things up a bit with this Live Wallpaper/Launcher for your Android device. Gravity Home for Android allows you to turn your device around and upside down to shake up your favorite home screen icons. Watch all of your icons shuffle around the screen as gravity takes over while still being able to press and launch any application. Pretty nifty huh? Ready for the download? Hit the break for the link, where you’ll also find some more info from the developer and another screen shot of the app. And as always, don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below. Read More…
Want to spiff up that home screen with vibrant colors and cool animations? Who doesn’t? We’ve got what you’re looking for. Check out 3D FireFlies Live Wallpaper for Android and wow your friends with this colorful display and array of patterns.
FireFlies Live Wallpaper that uses the movement of fireflies to create a stunning, colorful composition. More stunning than Solar Winds. More colorful than Flurry. This is a must have live wallpaper.
Ready for the download? Head on over to our popular apps database or feel free to download the application from the Android Market. And don’t forget to let us know what you think of it in the comments below. Hit the break for more screen shots and to check out more info from the developer. Read More…
Now that broadband internet has become better at handling larger uploads, online backup solutions have become a much more viable way to keep your most important files and documents safe. They don’t require extra hardware, like external hard drives, and the files are kept in a remote location that will keep them safe if something happens to your PC – or even your home.
A lot of online backup utilities offer a free version with limited space, with the option to purchase more space. This marketing model relies on users signing up for free, then being so impressed that they subscribe to get more space and extra features.
Dropbox is one of the most popular online backup solutions, mainly because of its simplicity – you can back up and sync files by dragging and dropping them into the Dropbox folder.
Now AVG, best known for its free antivirus software, has entered the ring with its own solution: Live Kive.
Although reasonably easy to use, it’s still a long way from Dropbox’s intuitive interface. From the main page you can select how often you want to back up, when folders and their contents should be synchronised, and when designated files and folders are shared between your devices.
Tabs along the top let you delve deeper into the settings, like which files and folders you want to save online. You can choose the save folders by category – like ‘Music’ or ‘Documents’ – or click ‘Advanced’ to select files or folders.
Live Kive lacks the simplicity of Dropbox, but its comprehensive interface means you can tweak settings to create a backup plan that suits you perfectly. The interface also does a good job of being as straightforward, or as in-depth as you need.
The free version gives you 5GB of storage space, while the paid-for versions give you 25GB or unlimited space.
AVG Live Kive is a strong contender that’s still in its early stages. The free version is well worth trying out, and with AVG behind it we’re sure it will go from strength to strength.
One of the big deficiencies within mobile app store environments these days is the ability to meaningfully discover apps, games and themes that are going to be worthwhile for you. Best Sellers and Top Downloads lists do typically provide a good starting point for app discovery, but moving beyond that app stores tend to fall apart. Star ratings usually regress somewhere to the mean (that 3 star average that leaves you wondering whether you should or shouldn’t download an app) and the comments left by anonymous users far too often provide little or no value (anybody notice all the spam and gibberish in App World these days?). Sum it up, and it’s no wonder so many BlackBerry users check into a site like CrackBerry daily for advice and info on what apps to download. App discovery via the app store environment itself can be frustrating!
That all changes today with the rollout of AppVerse within the CrackBerry App Store. AppVerse delivers a really trusting and engaging app store experience, thanks to the layer of social interaction and features it adds. Should you choose to create your AppVerse account (it’s not mandatory and you can shop in the CrackBerry App Store as you always have), you can setup your public profile which display app purchases you have made, along with reviews and ratings you provide (you can choose to hide apps as well and also have full control over privacy/notification settings from the My Account > AppVerse page). You can follow other AppVerse members, comment on their reviews and rate whether individual app reviews were helpful or not. You can also ask other AppVerse members to provide a review for any app you’re interested in. This social interaction really ups the accountability of everybody in the app store, which delivers reviews that are REALLY HELPFUL. When you tap into the power of AppVerse, that frustration and uncertainty are gone. You can even review apps that are not available in our CrackBerry App Store (ie. it’s in App World and not the CrackBerry App Store catalog yet).
It’s still early days, so if you find any bugs or have any ideas for new features you’d like to see implemented, be sure to drop us a comment. We already have some more features planned for rollout in the weeks ahead, but take a browse around and you’ll see it’s already off to a great start. Not sure where to begin? Try checking out the AppVerse profiles of me and our other writers and forums moderators here on CrackBerry at the link below.
Bold 9700 (left) vs. the new BlackBerry Bold Touch (right)
Gotta love it when a plan comes together! Following up on the 2011 BlackBerry Smartphone Roadmap leaks of January, we’re starting to see these devices take shape for REALZ in February. We saw the monaco/Storm 3 show up on video yesterday, and now today we’re looking at live photos of the BlackBerry Bold Touch, which currently goes by the codename dakota. As you can tell, the newest Bold (pictured above on the right) looks more like the original Bold 9000 from the front than the smaller Bold 9700/9780 we’re currently used to. I can’t wait to pound out emails and BBMs on the Bold Touch’s keyboard… that is the Cadillac of smartphone keyboards right there. As for what the Bold Touch is packing inside, here’s the specs as they have been rumored to date:
Dimensions: 115 x 66 x 10.5mm
Radio: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; Tri Band UMTS
Display: 2.8" diagonol – VGA 640 x 480, resolution 287dpi
Keypad: Wide QWERTY – Physical Send, End, Escape, Menu, Right Side Convenience Key, Volume Control
Memory: 8GB – 768MB RAM – up to 32GB MicroSd Card
WiFi: 2.4 GHZ b/g/n – 5GHz a/n – Mobile Hotspot
Connectivity: Micro USB – Bluetooth – NFC
Sensors: Magnetometer – Accelerometer – Proximity
Lots more photos after the break, so check them out! You don’t want to miss the one where you see that the trim around the Bold Touch’s keypad LIGHTS UP!!! Who’s waiting on this one?? I know I am!
So we’re still in Barcelona and we’re having a good time. Sweet! And to take a break from all the touristy stuff we’ve been doing and all of the… “business” we’ve been doing at certain Irish… “establishments”, we’re going to jump on another episode of the Phandroid podcast. No one seems to know how, but we’ve made it to episode 36, and while it may be one of the most random episodes we’ve ever done, it’s going to be just as entertaining as any of them. (Are any of them even entertaining? I wouldn’t know.) Anyway, it’s episode 36 and you’ll probably want to listen in if you need some entertainment tonight.
style=' float: left; padding: 4px; margin: 0 7px 2px 0;' class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-25373" title="Talk Stream Live app" src="http://www.appcraver.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/TalkStreamLive-200x300.jpg" alt="listen to internet radio on iphone" width="200" height="300" />Thanks to the Talk Stream Live app by talk Stream Live, LLC, my son’s spring season soccer practices will be a blast!
First off I must admit, as a listener and also a
title="swoop's world radio" href="http://www.swoopsworld.com" target="_blank">broadcaster, that I love Internet radio. What I don’t like is having to be tied to the computer all the time to listen live to my favorite shows. I have spent many an hour sitting at the park while my son is at soccer practice wishing that I could listen to one of my favorites while watching the practice. Instead, I’d listen to music or some older show I’d already downloaded onto my iPhone. That was until I discovered
title="download the talk stream live app" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talk-stream/id402203488?mt=8&partnerId=30&siteID=saW0nB/fQ6o" target="_blank">Talk Stream Live.
Talk Stream Live is designed to allow you to listen to Internet radio talk shows live on your iPhone, iTouch and iPad. When you activate the Talk Stream Live app you immediately see a list of Internet radio shows currently streaming live—and also some replays.
Read the rest of
href="http://www.appcraver.com/talk-stream-live/">Listen in Real Time With Talk Stream Live Internet Radio Player
Twitter released it’s 2.0 update today providing users a plethora of new enhancements to both the UI and overall performance. The new changes implemented are as follows:
Easier navigation and layout
Scanning your contacts to help locate your friends on Twitter
The website itself is pretty sleek and pleasing to the eye, which is hopefully a sign that the Toshiba Tablet will be just as great. The Android section of the website confirms that the tablet will be running Honeycomb and allow custom desktops, apps, and the like.
Take a look at TheToshibaTablet.com by clicking the source link. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the upcoming Toshiba Tablet in the comments.
As expected, Motorola took their shot at the iPad with their full length commercial during the Super Bowl Ad extravaganza. Give it a gander below and let us know what you think. In addition, Motorola has launched the official page for the Xoom and provides tons of pics, videos, and an in depth look at the features. Check it out here. And lastly, the guys over at Engadget caught wind of a Best Buy circular showing the Xoom to initially come in at $800.00 with a Feb 24th launch date. Will you get one, or will that price tag deter you? Hit the break to check out some more pics and to view the Xoom ad aired during Super Bowl XLV.
If you’re watching the Super Bowl, and if you live in America you probably are, you also probably saw the Motorola XOOM commercial. If you didn’t, check it out below:
The Motorola XOOM minisite also went live which offers a pretty in-depth look at the device:
The European version of the T-Mobile G-Slate – being called the LG Optimus Pad – will be on hand at Mobile World Congress according to this Korean press release. (Translated via Google Translate.)
Although the G-Slate/Optimus Pad has been official for quite some time, T-Mobile and LG were not ready to show it off in any capacity. All of that should change starting February 14th. We’ll be most excited to get our hands on it in Barcelona.
It also means we’re nearing a release date. At least for the American version, T-Mobile’s sign-up page for the tablet has gone live. If history is anything to reference, we should see a device launch by the end of this month.
The Optimus Pad and G-Slate are LG’s Tegra 2 tablets that will come shipped with Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The tablet will also have dual cameras on the back to facilitate capturing 3D photos and recording 3D video.
Its screen size isn’t as big as most would hope – clocking in at 8.9 inches – but it’s still a pretty decent size. A lot of people actually prefer the Galaxy Tab’s 7 inches for comfortability, but LG must have been going for a happy medium with 8.9.
After all we’ve seen come out of Google’s press briefing Tuesday morning regarding the new tablet-specific version of Android, there should be no reason to not be excited. [via Android Community]
As we mentioned a few days ago, our inbox was graced with an invite from Google to attend their headquarters in Mountain View for an “in depth” look at Honeycomb. And though we’ve seen a bit of the new OS at CES, we’re looking forward to grabbing a bigger tidbit from the event. Well, that day is here and we’re all underway. If you’re not able to attend the event in person, Google will be streaming the event live at 1pm eastern on the search giant’s YouTube page. There’s also a big chance that we’ll hear more on the new online Android Market and music services. Enjoy!
Our first podcast in 2011! Tune in as we recap our CES in Las Vegas and look forward to the upcoming Sprint event and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We’ll have a heavy heap of Android goodness to discuss as usual… things like the XOOM, Android Market improvements, Eric Schmidt no longer being Google CEO, and other good stuff. Feel free to call in with your own discussion!
Over the weekend I found this very useful little application. It is called WP Clock Light. It is in essence a
href="http://androidspin.com/tag/Live-Wallpapers/" target="_blank">live wallpaper, but more my style then the conventional ones you generally think of. Instead of pretty lights or rolling water,
href="http://www.appbrain.com/browse/dev/tom+bernard+anyz">tom bernard anyz took the idea and made it simple. It is just a clock, but a customizable clock.
style="text-align: center;">
class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-46734" title="LWP 1" src="http://androidspin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/LWP-1-180x300.png" alt="" width="180" height="300" />
class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-46735" title="LWP 2" src="http://androidspin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/LWP-2-180x300.png" alt="" width="180" height="300" />
class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-46736" title="LWP 4" src="http://androidspin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/LWP-4-180x300.png" alt="" width="180" height="300" />
style="text-align: left;">You can choose between 12 hour and 24 hour time formats, font color (white or black), and background image. So even if you have a wallpaper that you absolutely love on your device, this application won’t make you sacrifice it. It comes through easily on the lock screen of my device and should be similar on any other device.
style="text-align: left;">Tom also has a paid version of this application available. It is only .69 cents and gives you many more settings. In the full version you gain more customization of the appearance of the clock like transparency, font and background slideshows. It will also allow you to add more information to it as well, such as battery status.
style="text-align: left;">Take a look below to pick up the lite version and see what you think.
style="text-align: left;">Click or Scan the QRCode below to find out more information about the WP Clock Lite application.
Summary and Downloads:
Application: WP Clock Lite
/> Developer:
href="http://www.appbrain.com/browse/dev/tom+bernard+anyz">tom bernard anyz
/> Cost:
href="http://androidspin.com/tag/free-apps/" target="_blank">FREE
Line2 has been a powerhouse app on the iPhone for quite a while. As of yesterday, the company released its services for Android users.
“We are so excited to bring Line2 to Android devices.” said Peter Sisson, Founder and CEO of Toktumi. “We designed Line2 for Android from a clean slate, rather than just porting over the user experience from our Apple version. We kept all the features, but we adopted UI conventions familiar to Android customers, and took advantage of some cool Android capabilities.”
What does this mean for us? Well, Line2 does exactly what it says. It gives you a second number attached to your Android device. I know this has been a repeated question asked by consumers when I worked for T-Mobile. Many people really want or need a second phone number for business purposes or just because. It was always a headache and a hassle to try set up call forwarding on many land line carriers. All that stops now.
Set up is simple, download the app from the market, it’s FREE. Follow the on screen instructions and you are ready to rock a second number in less then 5 minutes. The app allows you unlimited calls and texts through Line2 using Wi-Fi or 3G/4G data services. Using VoIP services to allow you to call and text an unlimited amount of time with out the need for cell coverage.
Some key features about the application:
* Your own unique phone number
* Make calls over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G cellular data networks using VoIP
* Make calls using cellular voice calling when VoIP isn’t an option
* Call waiting, call hold, call transfer, and conferencing
* Visual voicemail on your phone or by email
* Text messaging (SMS) in portrait or landscape mode
* Low international rates
Now I told you the app is free, I am sort of right. The Line2 application is a free download in the market. They offer you a 30 day free trial to test out the service. Once the 30 days is up then you can sign up for a simple monthly cost of only $9.95 a month to continue to use the service. Which really isn’t a bad price for unlimited calls and texts in the U.S. and Canada. Plus all the above mentioned other perks.
Something that might interest our international travelers, Since this is a VoIP service, you don’t have to worry about those pesky international roaming charges anymore. Simply make sure you are on a a data connection, you are good to go. I am not sure how well it works personally but I am certain is should work really well. You can learn more about the international costs on their website.
I set this application up today with minimal difficulty. It integrates into your phone book, so no worries of trying to add you contacts or anything. You can either open the application and make your call or even go through your normal phonebook, when you try to call someone, it will prompt you to use your phone or Line2. Makes using the feature very easy.
Click or Scan the QRCode below to find out more information about the Line2 application.
Summary and Downloads:
Application: Line2
Developer: Toktumi, Inc.
Cost: FREE
Live! with Regis and Kelly had a segment today on some of the best gadgets shown at CES 2011. Leo Laporte brought several devices to talk about, and one was the BlackBerry PlayBook! Although we’re still wondering who he had to wrestle at RIM to get one.
Check out the video above to see the segment. The PlayBook is the first device he talks about and is covered in the first minute of the video. Some of the other gadgets he talks about are pretty cool too so you may want to stick around for the full 7 minutes to see the rest.
Good morning Indonesia and good evening North America! I’m live on location in Bali, Indonesia for the first ever BlackBerry DevCon Asia. We have a number of speakers hitting the stage today, so I’ll be blogging things up here to keep everybody in the loop. I don’t think there will be too much in the way of big announcements here, but I’m sure we’ll learn a new thing or two (that’s usually the case when RIM hits the stage) so you’ll definitely want to keep it locked here.
Remember, comments are not automatically published… I’ll try to publish as many as I can as long as they’re on topic. Enjoy the show!
If live wallpapers are your thing, you’re going to want to check out Solar Wind Live Wallpaper. I’ve seen some pretty nice live wallpapers in my day, but this is probably the most visually stunning example I have ever seen.
It is extremely well optimized for OpenGL, and runs like butter on my Incredible. It comes with five pre-installed settings: Classic, Undertow, Cosmic, Space, and Jiggly. You can also customize your own, with options for particle number, size, speed, and advanced options like wind speed.
Also, because it is so well optimized, I found that it did not drain my battery as much as some other live wallpapers I’ve tried. So, if you’re running Android 2.1 or higher, I highly recommend checking this one out. Hit up our app database link below to download Solar Wind Live Wallpaper for free!
Happy New Year everyone! This is our first post of 2011, and for those of you who are really interested in the HTC EVO Shift 4G, this one is for you. The latest 4G slider from Sprint now has a pre-order page on Amazon.com, and is currently priced at $199.99 with a new 2-year contract.
Now, you may recall a couple stories we featured last month where the price seemed pretty firmly set at $149.99. The first was an internal Best Buy document, although the authenticity of the photo was somewhat in question. However, the second instance of this price came from a RadioShack ad showing the same $149.99 price.
I am not entirely sure what the cause of this price difference is, but I find it hard to believe that a $50 price difference between retailers will last. Furthermore, when you actually try and continue through to pre-order from Amazon Wireless you are greeted with a lovely 404 page, so perhaps we’ll see a change in price before customers are actually able to buy the phone. Stay tuned.
Jason Snell and Dan Moren provide live coverage of Apple’s conference call with investors, following the company’s quarterly earnings statement.
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