Thanks to Raffy for sending this one in. RIM is finally holding its own against the requests from India’s government. They have answered that they do not have the technology (and should not) to decrypt and spy on their users emails.

From the coverage by the WSJ’s Livemint.com:

“The Blackberry security architecture for enterprise customers is purposefully designed to exclude the capability for RIM or any third party to read encrypted information under any circumstances,” the company said in a statement.

I personally thought that this whole fiasco should have ended at day 1. RIM should have just made the same statement and said sorry guys no-can-do. Did they really think it would be a good idea to set a precedent for monitoring the BlackBerry email network? That would compromise the whole security not to mention the reputation of the BlackBerry infrastructure as a whole.

So RIM, I have to ask. What took so long?

Abdul got the skinny on another free GPS application for BlackBerry. The features look really cool. I like the fact that it tells you the best time to take your trip to get there on schedule.

From the description:

Proxpro Prompt (beta) provides a real-time picture of your next journey before you’ve even set off. It calculates the optimum route and consults real-time traffic conditions, so traffic never catches you by surprise. Fused with the BlackBerry calendar and GPS Proxpro’s patent pending technology is ultra practical and easy to use.

Special features:

• get “when to leave alerts” aware of real-time traffic
• see the optimum (fastest) route avoiding congestion
• confirm on-route you will arrive on-schedule
• store customized locations
• check daily commute for accidents and construction
• all automated on your BlackBerry for the most convenient and accurate advanced traveler information solution ever.

System requirements:

• BlackBerry 8800, 8830, 8320 & 8310
• USA and Canada only
• GPS activated

Its in closed beta currently but you can signup at this link by entering in your email address.

Hope you guys are having fun with OS 4.5… The links had to be taken down per request. We didn’t start the fire I recommend searching the web if your still looking for the latest OS versions.

GPSed is a great free application that we have mentioned quite a few times. They have updated their application over the weekend with a much needed facelift for the User Interface. The new UI looks much better and actually brings the app up a notch in my book.

Some other features in the new version are

• Easy-to-use intuitive navigation between the application screens
• Graphical course indicator (something like a compass)
• The correct track length and speed displaying
• The work with the track list was improved
• Some other small bugs were fixed

If you are a GPSed user you can download the latest version from www.gpsed.com/mobile

I never thought I would promote the idea of using your BlackBerry to stay in shape but I just found this new application called xFit. It has a database of 50 exercises that do not require any equipment so you can truly learn how to workout anywhere. I am actually about to grab a copy and check it out for myself tonight.

There is a trial but it is a little hard to find. Personally I found that you can just go to the link below from your BlackBerry to install the trial OTA or using one of the options on this page.
www.mobileXware.com/xfit131.jad

If you like it you can pick it up from the BerryReview store for $19.95 which is cheaper than the $24.95 that they are asking for on their website.

From the product description:

Do you want a better, easier way to get fit and stay in shape?

Perhaps you just can’t find the time to squeeze a workout into your busy schedule; or you simply lack the motivation. But the fact remains that you must exercise not only to look better but also to feel better - by leading a healthy lifestyle.

What if you could lose weight, gain strength and feel great without going to the gym? What if you had everything you needed for a complete workout, whether you’re at home, at work, on the road or on vacation? What if it cost less than a month’s gym membership? What if we gave you a free trial version and a 90 day money back guarantee? What if we told you that you already carry the device for this tool just about everywhere you go? You would have to check it out, wouldn’t you?

There are many options when it comes to staying fit: paying for gym memberships, hiring personal trainers, and spending money on exercise equipment. But are these options necessarily the best solutions to leading a healthy lifestyle?

We at mobileXware make getting in shape and staying fit simple and convenient. That’s why we offer you xFit, a full-body workout on your mobile device consisting of 50 exercises that require no weights or special equipment (so you can do it anywhere!).

How does it work? Simply install xFit on your mobile, shuffle the exercise slides and you’re well on your way to getting fit and staying fit: with xFit.

Features:

• 50 unique exercise slides
• Total-body workout
• Strengthening and aerobic exercises - so you gain strength and lose weight
• No weights or equipment required - so you can do it anywhere
• Keeps track of where you left off - so you exit and come back to the same exercise
• Targets four Body Regions: Upper, Lower, Middle and Full
• Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels of intensity
• Easy-to-understand image and instructions for each exercise
• Shuffle exercises to mix up your workout routine
• Sort exercises by Body Region or by Title
• Additional stretching exercises included

Thanks to a very friendly birdie we can offer you some insight as to what is new with the BlackBerry 4.6.0 Java Development environment we mentioned before.

I copied some of the items I found interesting below but you can get the full PDF by going to this link on RapidShare. I wonder what all this will mean for BlackBerry developers. Or better yet the kind of applications these new features will allow them to create.

Working with HTML email messages
You can create an application that can work with HTML email messages and perform actions, such as retrieving the body of a message with or without an attachment.

Obtaining location information for an address
You can use the Locator class to obtain latitudinal and longitudinal information for an address and send address information to an LBS locator server. If the request is successful, the server returns an enumeration that contains data for the address. A BlackBerry application can request latitudinal and longitudinal information for one address at a time.

Creating an application with spell check  functionality
You can use the spellcheck API to create a BlackBerry application that can check the spelling of text in certain fields and display a UI that the user can use to resolve spell checking issues.

Support for JSR 226
Java Development Environment (JDE) version 4.6.0 supports rendering scalable 2D vector graphics and files Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format

Setting the background for a screen in a BlackBerry application
You can use the Background class, located in the net.rim.device.api.ui.decor package, to create a custom background for a screen or override the background provided by a screen or a field. A background represents a rectangular region in a screen or a field.

Setting the border for a field in a BlackBerry application
You can use the Border class, located in the net.rim.device.api.ui.decor package,to create a custom border for a field or override the border provided by a field. A border is four edges (top, right, bottom, and left) around a rectangular region in a screen or a field.

Using custom messages and folders
You can create an application that can register and use custom messages and custom folders. Custom messages are similar to email messages. An application can add custom messages to the global message list. The global message list is a chronological list of messages that contains different types of messages, for example, email, SMS Text, MMS, instant messaging, phone calls, and other types of messages.

Chalk this one up to the RUMOR category. Josep just caught some interesting information in the device.xml file. (Translated to English) It seems like there is reference to a new (SYM) Symbian virtual platform for BlackBerry.

I know it has been over a year since RIM mentioned the Virtual BlackBerry experience for Windows Mobile and they have still not delivered. Well along with the old Windows Mobile entry in the device.xml there is now an entry for Symbian. You can see it in Josep’s screenshot below:

I wonder if this is again some vaporware or it will actually pan out with a Symbian Client. The whole BlackBerry connect fiasco was a real pain and I would hate to see a repeat. On the other hand I can see some real potential for RIM to spread out to more devices.

I was reading a great post by Unreal on BBforums. He managed to find a great resource, www.iconarchive.com, where you can pick up a ton of free 32×32 icons.

So you might ask why you would need such icons? They are great for the free Web Shortcuts Application by Jonathan Fisher.

Web Shortcuts is a free application that lets you add up to 6 icons on your homescreen to launch any website you want. This is something RIM should let us do by ourselves. Jonathan has provided this great stopgap until RIM wakes up and smells the coffee.