One of the things I always wanted for BlackBerry was a pay as you go option. I was always hoping some carrier would come up with a SIM card that would allow you to pay only for the usage you use. Ideally the SIM would not have an expiration date but you get the idea. This would be even better if it worked while roaming so that you could use your BlackBerry with a foreign SIM card and only pay for them messages you get without the high international data usage fees.

It seems like Alcatel-Lucent is hoping to fill that void. From RedOrbit.com:

Alcatel-Lucent plans to offer a prepaid option for the BlackBerry platform for operators in the wireless market.

It said the real-time, volume-based charging option will be customized for RIM’s BlackBerry smartphones and will integrate with operators’ existing networks, which will allow users to track the minutes and data they have used against the prepaid amount remaining in their account.

Michel Rahier, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s carrier business said the move is in line with the company’s strategy to provide expertise in managed communication services, particularly in high-growth economies.

Jim Balsillie, RIM co-chief executive, said: “We are proud of the work that has been done in partnership with Alcatel-Lucent to bring the BlackBerry solution to new markets and we look forward to expanding this relationship.”

Alcatel-Lucent and RIM already have a partnership for BlackBerry distribution in several countries across Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, including China, the world’s largest wireless market.

This should be interesting…

I did not realize that the BlackBerry software market was so saturated that developers had to develop the same applications. In the software Anti-Theft area we already have FindIt, PhoneBAK, and a couple other GPS trackers such as Berry Locator.

The guys at D-mobile did not let that faze them and released their less robust RobLock solution for $9.95! Yay!

Features:

• SMS notification on SIM Change to predefined number
• Recover contacts from lost phone
• Does not affect mobile performance in normal operation
• Tiny installation footprint
• Easy Configuration
• Password Protected Settings

Keep in mind you can get FindIt which has many more features for half the price at $4.99.

For the last few months every BlackBerry blog and many other news sites has been playing number games with RIM’s next OS release. First it was supposed to be called 4.3.2 but they the marketing guys at RIM got a hold of it and rebranded it to 4.5. Now BoyGenius is reporting that it will be 4.6? What the hell is going on? Can’t we just rebrand it as “the next version”.

I have to ask if anybody cares what the version number is? This whole story is starting to sound like something Microsoft would pull off before an OS release. If you are interested check out this post on BoyGenius for more rumors.

From previous experience and information I know that Handango has not been that developer friendly for quite awhile now. They have some of the lowest royalty payments for developers but developers still seem to released software for Handango.com. Maybe this will change their mind!

Over the weekend Zach Epstein posted on BoyGenius about Handango’s revised Content Distribution Agreement or CDA. The latest revision of the CDA goes into effect this March 15^th. Until now Handango has been charging developers 40% of the total sale. Come March, Handango will start taking 50%! Image below courtesy of BoyGenius.

The crazy part is that the only way to make higher margins according to the new CDA is to reach a Gross Revenue of over $250,000. Who is Handango kidding?

Just as a sidenote the BerryReview Store gives developers 80% of the purchase last time I checked. (Update: Kevin of CrackBerry.com corrected my mistake. I think Mobihand gives 60% to the developer) Guess we should be seeing a mass migration sometime soon.

Remember the I’m bored today giveaway? Sorry for taking so long to get this out. I will be sending in the email addresses of the winners to JC Designs today. Winners you should be hearing from JC soon. Otherwise better luck next time.

And the winners: (Just for a good laugh)

BerryZilla

Two Irishmen, Patrick and Michael, were adrift in a lifeboat following a dramatic escape from a burning freighter. While rummaging through the boat’s provisions, Patrick stumbled across an old lamp. Secretly hoping that a genie would appear, he rubbed the lamp vigorously. To the amazement of Patrick, a genie came forth. This particular genie, however, stated that he could only deliver one wish, not the standard three.Without giving much thought to the matter, Patrick blurted out, ‘Make the entire ocean Guinness beer!’ The genie clapped his hands with a deafening crash, and immediately the entire sea turned into rich, black porter. Simultaneously, the genie vanished. Only the gentle lapping of Guinness on the hull broke the stillness, as the two men considered their predicament. Michael looked disgustedly at Patrick, whose wish had obviously been granted. After a long, tension-filled moment, he blurted, ‘Nice going Patrick! Now we’re going to have to piss in the boat!’

Bla1ze

A Professional Gambler
During the Great Depression, there was a man who walked into a bar one day. He went up to the bartender and said, “Bartender, I’d like to buy the house a round of drinks.”

The bartender said, “That’s fine, but we’re in the middle of the Depression, so I’ll need to see some money first.”

The guy pulled out a huge wad of bills and set them on the bar. The bartender can’t believe what he’s seeing. “Where did you get all that money?” asked the bartender.

“I’m a professional gambler,” replied the man.

The bartender said, “There’s no such thing! I mean, your odds are fifty-fifty at best, right?”

“Well, I only bet on sure things,” said the guy.

“Like what?” asked the bartender.

“Well, for example, I’ll bet you fifty dollars that I can bite my right eye,” he said.

The bartender thought about it. “Okay,” he said.

So, the guy pulled out his false right eye and bit it. “Aw, you screwed me,” said the bartender, and paid the guy his $50.

“I’ll give you another chance. I’ll bet you another fifty dollars that I can bite my left eye,” said the stranger.

The bartender thought again and said, “Well, I know you’re not blind, I mean, I watched you walk in here. I’ll take that bet.” So, the guy pulled out his false teeth and bit his left eye.

“Aw, you screwed me again!” protested the bartender.

“That’s how I win so much money, bartender. I’ll just take a bottle of your best scotch in lieu of the fifty dollars,” said the man.

With that, the guy went to the back room and spent the better part of the night playing cards with some of the locals. After many hours of drinking and card playing, he stumbled up to the bar. Drunk as a skunk, he said, “Bartender, I’ll give you one last chance. I’ll bet you five hundred dollars that I can stand on this bar on one foot and piss into that whiskey bottle on that shelf behind you without spilling a drop.”

The bartender once again pondered the bet. The guy couldn’t even stand up straight on two feet, much less one. “Okay, you’re on,” he said.

The guy climbed up on the bar, stood on one leg, and began pissing all over the place. He hit the bar, the bartender, himself, but not a drop made it into the whiskey bottle.

The bartender was ecstatic. Laughing, the bartender said, “Hey pal, you owe me five hundred dollars!”

The guy climbed down off the bar and said, “That’s okay. I just bet each of the guys in the card room a thousand bucks each that I could piss all over you and the bar and still make you laugh!”

Read the rest of this article

Our good friend Brandon has released his pet project Maximum Voltage Street Racing for BlackBerry. I have not had a chance to see it in action myself but it looks pretty hot. There are demos available at the links below and you can pick it up at Handango for $4.99 if you like.

From the announcement:

Hey guys and gals, after many months of work, and a hideous last 3 days of debugging, testing, and torment, this game finally decided to work as planned. I’m currently setting up OTA purchases, and a new Website but for those who like Device Managers, you can BUY IT by clicking on the image below! (900kb Zip Containing 450kb .jar version and 700kb .cod version)

There are Demo’s available at the following addresses!

BSCreations! - brandon.berryreview.com
Or Download via wap at BSCreations Mobile

This is my first game for the cell phone so show some support please =D.
5 Different Modes of Play - 10 Different Engines - 12 Different Frames - 48 Different Styles of Frames - 7 Different Tires - 4 Ways to Improve your Car - 7 Different PowerUps -5 different Story
Characters - 1 Solid Story!

3360 Different Car Possiblities!
Ample ways to play!
All in a cell phone game? NO WAY!!!

Modes:
Race: Choose your player, and race against a computer opponent you choose. Play in both Simulation mode and Arcade(Power Up mode).

Story: You are Brent Freburg, a rebelious teen breaking away from the family business and pursuing his true passion, Racing. Follow his story as he infiltrates a well established underground street racing firm, Owned and Run by Brandon Swift and his family. As you win, your popularity goes up. Unfortunately so do your complications. Do you have what it takes to accomplish what no one has ever done? Build your Car. Purchase upgrades. Make the best out of the money you have.

Season Mode: Play as Brent Freburg and create your own story! Start out with 13,000 to build your first car with and Race random opponents until you earn enough to upgrade. Race as many times as you want and find out which car parts and powerups are best for you! Play in both Simulation and Arcade/PowerUp modes.

When I read the feature description in the latest version of FindIt on PinStack.com I started rolling on the floor. I wont ruin it for you so I will just let you read it yourself.

The update to Convenience Software’s FindIt is now available. FindIt helps you find your lost BlackBerry no matter what the conditions, all through email. It works through a series of user-customizable trigger tags that when sent in the subject line of an email to your BlackBerry make it do specific things.

Here are some of FindIt’s Features:
*FindIt now incorporates a loud and customizable tone that is set through your profile settings, so you can use any ring you want.
*FindIt also displays a user customizable pop-up message (set through the body of the activating email) that the person who picks it up can read.
*If this pop-up message is closed, FindIt will email you letting you know.
*FindIt also has an auto-callback feature. When activated, FindIt will wait until your lost BlackBerry’s backlight turns on, and then will call any number you choose (set through the body of the activating email), so that you can talk directly to whoever picks it up.
*FindIt now also incorporates GPS, and your lost BlackBerry will send you an email containing its coordinates along with a link to Yahoo! Maps.
*FindIt now has a stolen alarm as well. When activated, the stolen alarm yells “This BlackBerry is stolen! This BlackBerry is stolen!” and can only be silenced through a battery pull, so any would-be thieves will drop it immediately.

FindIt is $4.99 and comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.
A 3 day demo, along with more information is available here.

I can’t wait to install this software just to scare the hell out of all of my friends!  That last feature is golden. I would even make it my ringtone for the device to yell: “This BlackBerry is stolen! This BlackBerry is stolen!“

FindIt is now the most feature filled Anti-Theft software for BlackBerry in my opinion. If you chronically lose your BlackBerry I would highly recommend picking up a copy of FindIt.

You can read our previous review of FindIt by Justin at this link.

Monica just tipped me off about an interesting new application for BlackBerry that has just entered Beta. I guess after our previous post about 3rd party email clients for BlackBerry there has been quite a bit of interest in the field. I did not realize that there was a serious demand for a third party email client but Tiggit has decided to fill in the void with another email client. Tiggit seems to be more feature full than other clients with HTML emails and images and many more cool features. You can check out a pretty vague description of the features at this link.

Personally the main draw I can see for the application is to allow BES and business users to check their personal email every one in awhile without having it constantly pushed to their device. It even allows you to tunnel your email through a proxy to get out of your corporate firewall. Pretty nifty! The device also allows you to setup multiple accounts with the same application.

If you are interested you can install the beta by going to this site from your desktop. You can also install it OTA from: www.tiggit.com/tiggitmail. The application seems to be free during the beta but it looks like this will be commercial after the beta. No word on price.