Devin at BBCool got the info that SpinVox has released a BlackBerry plugin for their service. In case you don’t know what SpinVox is let me explain. SpinVox captures all of your voicemails and converts them into a text message or email. With the new BlackBerry client you should be able to see who called you and a few other nice features. You will also be charged 5 pound a year for the privilege.

Personally I have tried both SpinVox and Simulscribe and found Simulscribe to be a better service. At the same time I know a couple people who swear by SpinVox. I will try to back that up with a review soon.

SpinVox announcement:

London - SpinVox, the founder and global leader in Voice-to-Screen messaging, is making its specially-developed SpinVox for BlackBerry® plug-in available at www.spinvox.com/BlackBerry from today.

Adding SpinVox to BlackBerry brings the advantages of email delivery and configuration to voicemail - improving the experience for mobile, email-dependent BlackBerry users. With SpinVox for BlackBerry they can now receive all their voicemail messages converted to text and delivered as an email direct to their device, allowing them to see who called and what they said, then reply with just one click. Uniquely, SpinVox converts any caller’s voicemail into text - powered by the SpinVox Voice Message Conversion System (VMCS).

Importantly, SpinVox for BlackBerry ensures that the inbound caller’s number links up with the user’s address book to present the caller’s name, and the ability to reply directly by email, as an alternative to calling or sending an SMS.

“BlackBerry email delivers business efficiency and personal productivity,” says Christina Domecq, CEO and co-founder, SpinVox. “Adding SpinVox to the mix takes those benefits to the next level, eliminating the need to dial-in and check voicemail and making it simple and easy to check voice messages in the email format that BlackBerry addicts love.”

The launch comes after RIM executives trialled the SpinVox Voicemail product on their own BlackBerry phones and immediately saw the benefits of receiving their voice messages converted to email.

Users of the BlackBerry solution around the globe will also benefit from the SpinVox service which is currently available in English, Spanish, French and German.

New SpinVox Voicemail customers who choose to download the software application from www.spinvox.com/BlackBerry will be charged GBP 5.00 per year.

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