Take advantage of the new BlackBerry Upgrade Promotion and get cash back when you purchase a new BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 or Curve 9350/9360/9370!

Yes you read that right .. you can indeed get paid if you upgrade to a new BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 or Curve 9350/9360/9370. RIM has had their BlackBerry Trade Up program in place for a while now, but according to some emails sent out to eligible T-Mobile customers (and a bit of our own recon), there is also a BlackBerry Upgrade Promotion that could net you some quick cash just for purchasing a new BlackBerry. RIM's Upgrade Promotion gets you cash back in the form of a shiny Visa gift card when you purchase a new Bold 9900/9930 or Curve 9350/60/70. The promo applies to US customers only, and you'll get $100 for a Bold or $50 for a Curve. Pretty sweet deal right? Well it doesn't stop there. If you want to go all Extreme Couponing you can get pretty creative and end up with quite a bit of cash in your pocket by combining some promos.

Take this situation - This weekend T-Mobile is offering all of their 4G smartphones up for free - so if you are eligible for an upgrade or just want a new line - you can grab a BlackBerry Bold 9900 on Friday or Saturday and you'll get a $250 rebate (of the mail-in variety) off the bat from T-Mobile, knocking the purchase price of your device down to $0. Add that to the $100 you'll receive from the Upgrade Promotion and you're at $100 cash in pocket. Not enough? Well say you have a BlackBerry Bold 9780 from which you're upgrading -- you can take advantage of the Trade Up Program as well and you'll get an additional $80 back (according to the quote I received). So overall you're looking at $180 in your pocket just for grabbing a brand new BlackBerry Bold 9900 from T-Mobile and sending off your old device. So yes, you're getting paid to get a new phone and unload your old one. Even if you keep your old device you still end up on top with $100. Pretty sweet deal right??

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Orange UK has officially released OS 7.0.0.611 for the BlackBerry Bold 9790. While this is an official release, remember to use caution when updating your device. If you need help along the way, you can head into our help forums or check out some of our BlackBerry 101 articles including How to Install or Upgrade to a new OS. If you do install this OS, hit up the forums thread below for findings, fixes and more discussion.

Download OS 7.0.0.611
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Every once in a while a great free app comes along that is so choc-full of features it's just awesome. Browsing through App World I came across Advance OS and LED, and I have to say, it totally fits the bill. This free app offers customization of your BlackBerry LED, offers popup notifications, extra phone call features and much more. It's not often that you'll find this many different features packed into one app, but this time it's for real. I've been using the app for the last week or so and I really don't have any complaints. The UI isn't really the greatest (it's pretty far from it actually), but free is free. You can customize your LED color for SMS, email, phone calls, BBM, contacts and more. Add vibration alerts to your calls, turn on popup notifications for emails and SMS, backup/restore your settings within the app ... the list goes on and on. This is really an awesome app to have as it adds plenty of fun tweaks to your BlackBerry. Advance OS and LED is 100% free and as the developer notes, all future updates will be free as well. Drop by BlackBerry App World for more.

More information/download of Advance OS and LED

Hey devs!! Looking for a quick and easy way to write code on the fly? Compilr may be just what you're looking for. This free tool for the BlackBerry PlayBook lets you write code on the go right from your tablet. Essentially a "Google Docs for for developers", Compilr is web based, so all of your goods are available when and where you need them - on your tablet from home, on the train or wherever inspiration strikes. Compilr is a free download and available for the PlayBook (as well as Android and iOS devices). Check out the link below for more information.

More information/download of Compilr

if you missed our coverage of the BlackBerry DevCon Europe General Session Keynote yesterday, not to worry. RIM has posted up a replay of the entire keynote for your viewing pleasure. Some good stuff to be had within as Thorsten Heins, Alec Saunders, Chris Smith and many partners took the stage in Amsterdam to show off some goods. If you have a few hours to kill it's definitely worth checking out. So grab a cup of coffee (or beer if that's more your thing) and hit the link below. Be sure to keep following all of our coverage from BlackBerry DevCon Europe.

Check out the BlackBerry DevCon Europe General Session Replay

A while back we took a look at how to customize your results when using Universal Search. The OS gives you the option to pick and choose what you'd like to see when searching, but how about those pesky Bing web suggestions that clutter up your search results? Well you can kill those as well with a simple check box. To disable web suggestions, simply head to Options > Device > Search then uncheck Show Web Suggestions. This will keep your BlackBerry from showing web results (unless you have them checked further down in the list) so you won't have to see them any longer.

Have any fun tips for using your BlackBerry? Send them along to tips(at)crackberry.com.

During the general session keynote at BlackBerry DevCon Europe, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins took the stage for the first time and, along with VP of Developer Relations Alec Saunders, spoke a bit on the success of BlackBerry App World. We've seen some numbers before, but they just keep getting bigger every time. In addition to noting that 13% of BlackBerry developers make over $100,000 from their apps BlackBerry App World, RIM hit a milestone in January this year as they reached over 2 billion total downloads with 6 million coming daily. BlackBerry App World supports 26 currencies in 164 countries and currently has over 60,000 apps available for consumers. RIM stands by the fact that BlackBerry apps are still the most profitable for developers as well. Some interesting numbers here that will certainly keep growing as we move toward BlackBerry 10 devices later in the year. More to come from BlackBerry DevCon Europe so stay tuned!

Some stores in the UK are already sporting new BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 OS displays in hopes of drawing in some new customers. The image here shows a storefront sporting a 4-PlayBook display that says "New BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 Operating System update." While the display doesn't have an official date for the release, the new OS should be arriving on schedule later this month. The 2.0 OS will bring the much anticipated native apps like email, calendar and contacts as well as other new features to the BlackBerry PlayBook when it is officially released. Look for more promos like this in the near future as we get closer to launch day.

Inside BlackBerry has posted up some pretty cool videos and a brief write up on just how BlackBerry smartphones are tested for durability. Like pretty much every other product that hits the market, your BlackBerry goes through any number of tests before it lands on your doorstep. From the water test to drop tests to a pretty insane bend test, the folks at RIM work hard making sure your device will stand up to the pressures of daily use. The bend test makes sure your device can handle a bit of flexing if you sit on it, and phones even gets shocked with an Electrostatic Discharge to make sure the components are safe and sound. Keep reading for more videos, then hit the link below for more on this. Very cool stuff!

Read more at Inside BlackBerry

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The Dingleberry jailbreak tool for the BlackBerry PlayBook has received another update and now sits at v3.3.2. The new update brings some minor tweaks and fixes along with a new script. Each version of the tool seems to get better and better as we go along, so hopefully they'll keep coming. Updates to v3.3.2 include:

• Fixed an issue with IP addresses
• Scripts are now monitored better (termination and echo output).
• Fixed a timing bug that affected some users (from DB 3.0 to 3.3.1) with bad USB latency. Thanks ledhed33.
• New Script: Toggle USB Host Mode

If you haven't yet tried to jailbreak your PlayBook using Dingleberry but are interested, you can check out our full guide here to get you up and running -- just don't hold us responsible if you break anything along the way :-)

Download Dingleberry 3.3.2 for Windows, Mac and Linux

The guys at Smarter Apps let us know that they are celebrating the one-year anniversary of their hit Angry Farm with an update and sale. The update brings 50 new levels to conquer as well as the addition of dynamite for those tough to beat levels.

Angry Farm was released a year ago this month and Smarter Apps isgoing to celebrate with a new version of Angry Farm for the BlackBerry Nation! First off we are putting it ON-SALE for a limited time at $2.99. Secondly, we have added 50 NEW and challenging levels for a total of 250 levels of Angry Farm fun. Finally, for any of those levels that the foxes are making it difficult or tricky to get through, we have now added a bundle of "DYNAMITE" which can be purchased to blow up the barn! You can purchase the dynamite via in-app purchase but it can only be used once per hour. All upgrades are free to existing customers for life and Smarter Apps is working on more levels for the future! 

Angry Farm is on sale now for just $2.99, so if you haven't tried it before you should grab it while the gettin' is good. Current users can find the update in BlackBerry App World.

More information/download of Angry Farm

In a recent interview with FireceWireless, AT&T chief marketing officer David Christopher weighed in on the current situation at Research In Motion. Christopher noted that AT&T believes consumers want choice, which is why they hope that RIM will bounce back. "We want RIM to succeed. We like choice," Christopher said. "They have a strong base. But they have to innovate quickly and execute.". Currently AT&T carries five BlackBerry smartphones, all of which are the latest BlackBerry 7 devices (Bold 9900, Torch 9810, Curve 9360 and Torch 9860) with the exception of the older Curve 3G. 

With the upcoming release of BlackBerry 10 devices like the BlackBerry London, things should certainly pick up across the board for both RIM and the carriers. If the things we've heard and seen thus far are any indication, the next generation devices from RIM will no doubt be strong sellers against the likes of the iPhone and Android devices. Newly branded RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has already said in his interview with Kevin that there are new structures in place which will help greatly in bringing products to maket on time -- so combining the new strategy with BlackBerry 10 phones, RIM should have no problem with either innovating or executing as we move forward. (Take THAT AT&T!)

Source: FierceWireless

Contest: Leave a comment telling us which BlackBerry Case you'd like from ShopCrackBerry.com and you could win it!

There is such a wide variety of cases out there for BlackBerry devices and that means pretty much "something for everyone". Cases not only help us express our personality, but also protect your device from the daily bumps and bruises. From your basic skin case all the way up to the insane protection of an OtterBox, there are loads to choose from. So youre mission this week is to leave a comment letting us know which case available at ShopCrackBerry.com you'd like to call your own. Be it a silicone sleeve, snap-on hard case or something stylish, let us know what and why (and be sure to include your device) and it could be yours!

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Verizon Wireless has officially released OS 6.0.0.719 for the BlackBerry Bold 9650. While this is an official release, remember to use caution when updating your device. If you need help along the way, you can head into our help forums or check out some of our BlackBerry 101 articles including How to Install or Upgrade to a new OS. If you do install this OS, hit up the forums thread below for findings, fixes and more discussion.

Download OS 6.0.0.719 for the Bold 9650
Discuss more in the forums

RIM has posted up some more videos on their YouTube channel, this time some "tours" with the BlackBerry Bold 9900. In each of the videos, your guide takes you around the sites of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Phillipines. During the tour the Bold 9900 is shown off as well as apps Wikitude, BlackBerry Maps and Facebook. The videos are pretty sweet in that we get a cool look at the respective countries, although I'm not quite sure just what RIM will use them for (if anything). So take a watch at all the videos (more after the break) and let us know what you think in the comments.

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