The good guys over at CrackBerry.com celebrated their 1 year birthday yesterday by releasing two variations of a hot Zen bottom dock theme. The theme is designed by the cutting edge JC Designs/GadgetBean owner John.

The icons are very nice but did not come out as clean cut as I would expect when I installed the theme. The theme has some nice animations in the bottom dock where they jump up when you scroll over them. The top banner is very nice and simple and the background and carrier area are all branded with CrackBerry.com’s logo.

There is both a “User” and “Abuser” version of the theme. Each one has different icons in the bottom Zen dock. This is because you cannot change the bottom dock icons yourself.

If you like the look of the theme I would recommend checking out some of John’s other theme designs in the Store.

The theme is OTA install only and you have to make sure to download the correct version. Their theme download section is in serious “beta” mode which means that you need to register and then go to the page to send the OTA link to your email address. I guess its worth jumping through the hoops for such a slick theme

You can get more info about the theme at this link. Or just go to your device specific download pages below. Sadly the 8700 series got no love from this release.

“User” Edition: Curve | 8800 OS4.2.2 / OS4.2.1 | Pearl OS4.2.2 / OS4.2.1

“Abuser” Edition: Curve | 8800 OS4.2.2 / OS4.2.1 | Pearl OS4.2.2 / OS4.2.1

This is not news or anything since I have been hearing rumors about these types of ringtones for ages. The difference is that after Josep mentioned it to me again I finally had a chance to try it out for myself and it does actually work!

Don’t get me wrong it was not an exact science but it did work most of the time. The website www.teenbuzz.org has even changed its tagline to “the ringtone most adults can’t hear.” I can only imagine how kids now are using this to have their cellphone ring in class. Maybe soon they will be able to transmit answers to each other through sounds adults can’t hear?

There are ringtones available on www.teenbuzz.org for a couple different age groups. That means there is a ringtone for:

• 24 years and below
• 40 years and below
• 45 years and below
• 50 years and below
• 60 years and below

Check out all of them and download whichever you want at this link. Let me know what you think in the comments.

After all the success of the BlackBerry Owners Lounge in North America (all sarcasm is intended) RIM has decided to make it available to our friends across the pond. You can access the UK version by going to:

www.blackberry.co.uk/ownerslounge

Oh and by the way the owners lounge still does not work from your BlackBerry browser. They have been promising compatibility for ages…

Oh and for a list of all the yummies in the owners lounge:

• Download free games.
• Save 15% on BlackBerry Authentic Accessories.
• Free Mr & Mrs Smith Membership. (What is this?)
• Discounts on best-selling games & applications.
• Win a stylish weekend away.
• And much more – all personalised especially for you.

BTW:  Did RIM misspell “personalized” or is the version above with the “s” a British spelling?

Review: Krusell Classic Case With MultiAdapt For BlackBerry 8800 Series
Rating: 8.5/10
Cost: ~$10.89 on Amazon
Website: www.krussel.se

This is the second Krusell case we will be reviewing in a series. Unlike the previous Krusell case we reviewed this case is specifically designed for the 8800 and fits it like a glove! With that said this Classic case is what I call a “Glove Fit” case. The Classic case is a perfect fit and I did not find any major flaws. I will detail the minor ones below in the full review.

The case is a great fit for the BlackBerry 8800 and fits it nicely. The case has some issues with sliding the device in and out because the BlackBerry sticks to the clear screen and front body protector. The main issue I have had with all Glove Fit cases is that they close with a zipper. The problem is that the zipper just stays there after you have closed the case. I just found it annoying since it would not stay in one place and hit me in the face when it was windy.

Keep in mind that this type of case is available for other current BlackBerry models. You just need to choose the correct sizing. Krusell also includes a cool feature called MultiAdapt. This means that the clip is removable and can be exchanged for another style of clip.

Read the rest of the review with a full set of images after the jump:

Read the rest of this article

Review: Krusell Horizon With MultiAdapt
Rating: 7/10
Cost: ~$25
Website: www.krussel.se

This is the first Krusell case we will be reviewing in a series. The case is a good contender but it is plagued with a critical flaw. It is a universal case. This means that there are no cutouts for the BlackBerry buttons and ports. It also means that there is no magnet built into the case to allow the BlackBerry to function in holster mode. The case would have easily scored another rating point higher if it had the magnet built in.

The case is a great fit for the BlackBerry 8300 and fits it nicely. The case has some issues with sliding the device in and out because the flap is rigid. Keep in mind that this case is available for all of the current BlackBerry models. You just need to choose the correct sizing. Krusell also includes a cool feature called MultiAdapt. This means that the clip is removable and can be exchanged for another style of clip.

Read the rest of the review with a full set of images after the jump:

Read the rest of this article

I just came across a very pretty theme by Susanne on Themes4BB. She released a very nice Orchid today theme for the BlackBerry 8300 that I thought I would share with everybody. It is hard to believe that this is her first theme design. The theme does a great job of color coordination and the text is very legible which is a feat in of itself. Check out the screenshots below to see what I mean:

The theme can be downloaded at this link for Desktop Install only but hopefully somebody at Themes4BB will help her out with some OTA links.

There are now two major features in Google Gmail Chat that I really wish would come to the BlackBerry. The first is group chat which I have mentioned before. The second is the new invisible mode that Google has introduced over the weekend.

Think about it now. When you sign into GoogleTalk from your BlackBerry you can be away or you can be available but thats it. Imagine being able to be signed in and see other contacts but they cant see that you are there. This would have been a major boon in Gmail for me since then I could stay signed in but not let other see me.

The reason I mention this is because if you are using the BlackBerry GoogleTalk client YOU CANNOT USE THE INVISIBILITY MODE! Talk about annoying. Above you can see the error message you get when trying to do it.

Thanks to GoogleSystem for pointing this one out

I always used to think that pagers were a thing of the past. Especially after the debut of cheap cellphones and the T-mobile Sidekick for drugdealers.  I do know certain professions that still rely on pagers such as doctors and other medical professionals. Certain doctors I know, who will remain nameless, don’t give out their cellphone numbers because they don’t want interns calling them every time they have a question. It seems like a backwards solution for a problem but name the last doctor you saw without a pager.

I guess this is the target market that USAmobility is trying to hit with their upcoming PageSync application for BlackBerry devices. Essentially the company is trying to make your BlackBerry act exactly like a pager. The whole point of the application seems to be designed around the fact that certain people do not want to give people their cellphone number. Sounds exciting right?

Personally this just seems to be devolving the BlackBerry into the pager model. Remember the RIM 950? Maybe they should just release the 950 series again.

Read the press release below:

Alexandria, VA - USA Mobility, Inc. (Nasdaq: USMO), a leading provider of wireless messaging and communications services, today announced a handheld version of PageSync, its customized paging solution for customers using BlackBerry® smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM).

In December, USA Mobility announced an enterprise version of PageSync that uses software provided by Onset Technology to integrate (or “synchronize”) devices between RIM’s network infrastructure and USA Mobility’s PageSync service. Unlike the enterprise version, the handheld version can be used on both BlackBerry smartphones as well as other SMS (short message service)-enabled smartphones. The handheld version also allows customers with BlackBerry smartphones the ability to directly download an application from www.usamobility.com to their smartphone. The application on the BlackBerry then enables a pop-up box on the device’s screen that mimics the functionality users get on their pager. USA Mobility will begin offering the PageSync handheld service in March 2008.

Similar to the enterprise version, customers will retain the reliability of paging technology in addition to the benefits of a voice and data smartphone. They would also have access to such key features as special pager alerts, reminder alerts until a page is read, as well as confirmation of message delivery. The PageSync service also allows users to receive pages from multiple sources, identify the source of an incoming page, track message delivery (i.e. dates and times) and send longer messages in alternative formats (e.g. rich-text).

Importantly, PageSync ensures user privacy because customers are not required to give out their BlackBerry/SMS cell phone numbers to contacts since a page will also be received on their BlackBerry/SMS smartphone. In fact, a person sending a page is not even aware that they have sent a message to a user with a BlackBerry/SMS smartphone. In addition, the PageSync service allows users to keep their pager number since incoming pages can be received on their BlackBerry/SMS smartphone as well as their pager. This benefit also allows users to avoid having to distribute a new pager number to their contacts, patients or clientele.

“We are pleased to introduce an enhanced and convenient paging solution for users of BlackBerry and other SMS smartphones,” said Vincent D. Kelly, president and chief executive officer. “The new PageSync service will allow smartphone customers immediate access to the simplicity and reliability of paging in a single multi-functional wireless device.” Kelly added, “We believe PageSync is especially well suited to customers in our core market segments of Healthcare, Government and Large Enterprise, as well as first responder organizations of any kind, many of whom rely heavily on both paging and cellular communications to meet their varied and timely communications requirements.”