Every few months I get an email from RIM asking me if I want to assist them with a new market survey. The all seem to have the same questions and then throw in the screwball questions.

They go from: “How would you rate your post-sale BlackBerry experience?”

To the esoteric: “How would you rate the information emailed to you by BlackBerry?”

To the downright ridiculous: “Below are a number of recreational activities. Please indicate the frequency that you participate in each. Running, fishing, hunting, cycling, mountain biking, and swimming.”

Seriously RIM how the hell are you going to be using your BlackBerry while swimming!!!

Oh as a PS I hope people have been filling “BerryReview.com” in response to the question: “Where do you typically search for BlackBerry related information?”  If you promise to do that you can go take the survey at this link. I am not sure if we are supposed to post this but I don’t think RIM is going to care if more people take the survey.

JC Designs - Gadgetbean.com is proud to present Real World - Icon/Today/Zen for the Curves/8700s/8800s and Pearl! This theme is consist of clean sleek icons as expected from all JC Designs - Gadgetbean themes alike. It is a theme with the feel of that World Traveler / Where in the World is Carmen San Diego feel to it (also reminds you of those old movies… Indiana Jones, Casablanca, etc. where they show the world map and the flight path from city to city).

The theme is available in Icon, Today and Zen flavors (I’m really liking the Today style of this theme) for the BlackBerry Curve /8800 / 8700 series and Pearls.

The theme is available for $7 from the BerryReview store by searching for “real world” or you should be able to click on this link.

As fair warning this is just a beta. We wanted to try and open the floor for theme developers to have their themes showcased on BerryReview. I get about 10 emails a day showing off a new theme and this will streamline the process.  In due time we will add the ability to submit news, applications, & maybe even press releases. Right now the form is primitive but once submitted it will go into our moderation queue. If it passes muster you will see it shortly on the front page of BerryReview. It will also be shown in our new beta theme directory.

Right now we have limited the form to users who have registered on BerryReview. This is just to avoid spam issues. Its free and easy to register using this link if you are not already registered. The form may change around in the next few days. We are trying to add a WYSIWYG Editor. The only caveat I have to mention is that you will currently not be able to see the images you upload in the preview before you post. Don’t worry it will get to us.

You can submit your own or somebody elses theme at the link below:

http://www.berryreview.com/submit-theme/

Let us know how it goes in the comments…

One of our readers, Donna, just let me know about a new piece of software. CacheBerry has just released a new commercial geocaching solution. The new software supports quite a few devices.

If you are like me you probably know practically nothing about Geocaching. Here is a simple explanation from Geocaching.com:

Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache.

Essentially a treasure hunt.

If you are into this kind of thing you can pick up a copy of CacheBerry for $14.95 or try the 30 day trial. I copied the feature list below:

Josep just brought to my attention a post on Pinstack about a new offline maps solution from Telenav. This news is coming from the same Banthon who let us know about OS 4.5 at CeBit.

It is still all rumor though I am trying to confirm what I can. According to Banthon, while he was at CeBit, TeleNav confirmed that they are about to release an offline version of their software navigation. He did not get a firm date but they are aiming for the second quarter of 2008. Thanks for the tip Banthon!

I just hope TeleNav dumps the subscription payment model since I hate paying for something I use as a backup GPS. I really am surprised that it has taken this long for a solution to crop up. People have been clamoring for it for ages. Many of these solutions already exist for the BlackBerry counterparts running Symbian, Palm, & Windows Mobile. Was it really that much of a stretch?

I was just told that the FindMe application we mentioned earlier this month is now out of beta. FindMe is another hit application from ElectricPocket, the creators of Flipside, and seems to have some serious promise. There are no feature changes that I can tell from the original beta.

Basically the application takes your location from cellphone towers and allows you to “tag” the location with a name. You can then share the name of that location with your friends on Facebook. Pretty cool stuff!

You can pick up a copy at this link: www.electricpocket.com/findme

If you want to read more about the features you can catch the press release at this link.

I know this will only interest the developers out there I still think it is worthy of mention. We have been hearing about this Eclipse plugin for quite awhile and now it is finally available. You can see a screenshot of it below:

I know quite a few developers who like the Eclipse environment so hopefully this will lead to more and better applications down the line. Have any of you tried it? It is available now from www.blackberry.com/go/eclipse

From the press release:

RIM Announces BlackBerry JDE Plug-in for Eclipse

Streamlines creation of robust Java applications for the BlackBerry platform from within the Eclipse development environment

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA–(Marketwire - March 18, 2008) - EclipseCon 2008 - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced a BlackBerry(R) Java(R) Development Environment (JDE) plug-in for Eclipse - a new development tool that enables Eclipse developers to create and test robust wireless applications for the BlackBerry platform seamlessly from within the familiar Eclipse Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The BlackBerry(R) JDE Plug-in for Eclipse will enable Eclipse developers to create powerful mobile applications for the large and growing base of BlackBerry(R) smartphone users around the world while maintaining a familiar Eclipse development environment. It will also allow Eclipse developers to leverage the inherent capabilities and benefits of the BlackBerry system architecture and development tools.

The BlackBerry JDE Plug-in for Eclipse will be previewed this week at EclipseCon 2008 in Santa Clara, California. RIM will also present a session on “Taking Applications Wireless with BlackBerry and Eclipse” on Tuesday, March 18 and host a BlackBerry Developer Day on March 19, providing attendees with the opportunity to learn more about the BlackBerry platform and the BlackBerry JDE Plug-in for Eclipse with hands-on sessions.

A beta version of the plug-in is immediately available as a free download at www.blackberry.com/go/eclipse.

“RIM values the Eclipse development community and recognizes the need for integrated tools that support the development of BlackBerry applications from within the Eclipse environment,” said David Yach, CTO for Software, Research In Motion. “The introduction of the BlackBerry JDE Plug-in for Eclipse builds on RIM’s robust offering of development tools to further enhance and simplify mobile application development for the BlackBerry platform.”

Key benefits of the BlackBerry JDE Plug-in for Eclipse include:

- Extends Familiar Development Experience to Mobile Application Development - The plug-in is a free download that seamlessly integrates within the developer’s existing and familiar Eclipse environment, enabling them to develop rich client applications in Java for the BlackBerry platform without having to learn a new development environment.

- Simplifies Mobile Application Development - Supports Java development standards while abstracting the complexity of wireless application development. The plug-in will enable developers to leverage the development, testing, debugging and optimization tools available with the BlackBerry JDE, as well as the inherent security, network efficiency, system integration capabilities, reliability and push-based architecture of the BlackBerry platform.

- Accelerates Mobile Application Testing - Integrated desktop simulators supporting the range of BlackBerry smartphones will enable developers to easily test their mobile applications with respect to wireless network interactions and the end-to-end user experience.

- Optimizes Wireless Application Design for BlackBerry smartphones - Provides the ability to create a rich client application with a user interface optimized for BlackBerry smartphone users.

- Leverages BlackBerry Enterprise Server - The BlackBerry Enterprise Server software, which includes more than 400 IT policy controls, offers proven security and manageability features that organizations trust for the deployment of mobile applications.

RIM also announced today that it has become a member of the Eclipse Foundation.

“We are glad to welcome RIM to the Eclipse Foundation for its leadership and innovation in the mobile communications market,” said Mike Milinkovich, executive director, Eclipse Foundation. “We are pleased to have RIM join our ecosystem of major technology partners to help extend, complement and support the Eclipse platform.”

Review: Prima Black Crystal Lucite Hard Shell Case W/ Belt Clip
Rating: 8.5/10
Link: www.primacases.com
Price: $7.95!!!

The main strength of this case is that it offers pretty good protection for an amazingly low price. While it may not be as tough as an Otterbox this case really protects your BlackBerry. The case is a literally rough on the edges but a little sandpaper fixed that real quick. The case also features a holster clip that ratchets. I had to knock off a few points for the rough edges and stiff belt clip.

I will warn you that this case will hold onto your BlackBerry for dear life. It took me 10 minutes to pry it off once I had snapped it in place. Unlike other slim hard cases that fall apart after dropping them this case is a tight fit. When you first open the packaging the case feels very flimsy and thin but this “lucite” plastic is EXTREMELY durable. The case withstood two test drops from 4 feet to the ground. Check out the pics and full review after the jump.

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