Don’t Text/Email and Drive in 2009

As we get ready to kick 2008 out the door and heartily welcome in 2009, it is our responsibility-nay our duty to inform you of brand spankin’ new legislation which bans the age-old past time of texting while driving.

As of January 1, if you find yourself driving in the Golden State of California, and caught sending a text message, you will be ticketed $20 for the first offense and $50 for any there after. The ban also includes using your phone for emailing and browsing the web. Ironically, what it doesn’t cover is sending a text message while riding a bicycle. So get on your Schwinn and text your hearts out.  For more information, the LA Times has an in-depth Q&A with Jamie Coffee an Information Officer with the California highway patrol.

California is the latest state to join Washington, Minnesota, New Jersey and New York in these bans.

Posted in BlackBerry General, BlackBerry Tips | No Comments »

RIM CEO Considers Storm a Netbook

As netbooks continue to gain popularity and their features continue to impress, its no wonder why companies are scrambling to cash in on the hype. After a recent interview between RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis and CNet Asia, it appears we can add another device to the fray.

When Lazaridis was asked if he considers Netbooks competitors to BlackBerrys? Lazaridis replied:

“No, I think I can put Netbooks in here [referring to the BlackBerry Storm]. These are Netbooks. They are just smaller.”

Would we consider a BlackBerry Storm a Netbook? We were left scratching our heads on this one.

The Storm as a Netbook? Hit the comment section and let us know what you think.

[via CNet Asia]

Posted in BlackBerry News | 3 Comments »

RIM Extends Certicom Offer to January 27, 2009

We have been keeping a close eye on the drama between RIM and Certicom. There has been much back and forth between the companies since talks began in February 2007, including a formal take-over bid earlier this month, followed closely by a newspaper ad telling shareholders to ‘REJECT THE HOSTILE BID’.

RIM announced today, it will extend the offer to purchase all of the outstanding common shares of Certicom until January 27, 2009 (previously January 15th, 2009).

The full press release can be read below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in BlackBerry News | 1 Comment »

Seidio launches extended 2600mAh Storm battery

Seidio is launching their extended battery for the 9500/9530 Storm., with 2600mAh, up to 90% more capacity than the standard OEM battery.

Buyers can pre-order now with shipping to commence on January 9th, and comes with the extended battery door! More specs and pictures after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in BlackBerry General | 1 Comment »

slotMusic Brings Exclusive Content via microSD

Posted in BlackBerry General, BlackBerry Infrastructure | 2 Comments »

XBox Live Updates on your BlackBerry

Ever found yourself wishing you could get your XBox Live fix on your Blackberry?

Now you can, thanks to the mobile app from Zumobi. In no time at all you can have Xbox 360 news, Xbox Live Marketplace updates, video & audio clips, community updates, and your gamer friends’ status.

This app is currently only formatted for 81xx, 83xx, and 88xx devices (sorry Bold, Storm and 8900 owners).

Visit Zumobi’s Inside XBox Partner Page or point your mobile browser to the OTA Link: xbox.zumobi.com.

[via PocketPC Thoughts]

Posted in BlackBerry General | 8 Comments »

SlingPlayer Public Beta Available

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your DVR engines! The SlingPlayer Open Beta has begun. Last week we reported about the public beta starting on December 30 and SlingMedia went live on schedule.

Navigate your mobile browser to the SlingMedia Download page and start catching up on those episodes of NCIS you have saved up.

Tell us what you think by posting your comments below.

Posted in BlackBerry General | 5 Comments »

Whoa! Which Storm caused the AT&T outage this weekend?

Google News got goofy today, with a headline reading “BlackBerry Storm Causes Major AT&T Outages” linking to an article published on InformationWeek.com. Apparently it was quickly brought to someone’s attention at Information Week and Google News for correction, but even as recent as 5:30 PM Central Time, the headline was still present on Google News (see the screenshot above). I wouldn’t want to be sitting in that chair right now.

Of course the epicenter of the winter storm-related outage yesterday was the real-time discussion of the outage on BlackBerryForums.com and the DataOutages blog which initially collected user information on the geographic spread of the outage and kept users informed throughout the day.

Wow, even the iPhone couldn’t cause an outage that widespread!

Posted in BlackBerry General | 2 Comments »

TeleNav launched for the Storm

Finally! I have missed my TeleNav!

Recently updated for the Storm, TeleNav is probably one of the slickest (and sickest) GPS navigation apps on the market. With TeleNav, the old adage “you get what you pay for” holds true, featuring 3-D full color moving maps, traffic alerts with re-routing, voice and on-screen directions, a pedestrian mode, and one of the best working speech recognition systems for easy address entry. For $9.99US/month, TeleNav is the leader in GPS navigation on the BlackBerry for all the best reason.

And what could be sweeter than a 30 Day Free Trial?

Posted in BlackBerry General, BlackBerry Tips | 1 Comment »

Yahoo! Go - 3.0.47 for Bold Available

Yahoo! Go has updated its Bold compatibility with new version 3.0.47.

Touting itself as today’s essential solution for anyone with a mobile phone, Yahoo! Go is an all-in-one offering that lets you enjoy the best of the Internet on your phone—for free. And, now, its fully compatible on your BlackBerry Bold 9000.

From your BlackBerry browser, go to get.go.yahoo.com, or for more information, visit Yahoo! Go.

http://mobile.yahoo.com/go

Posted in BlackBerry General | No Comments »