Here is a new OS leak for all of the new Bold 9700 owners. You've got it all setup, so why not jump in and get a new OS installed? No reports of what is new/different with this one, so install at your own risk. The stock 5.0 seems to be running well across most devices, so its up to you to decide if you want to jump on this one or not.

*OS Disclaimer - Please Read: Keep in mind this is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by RIM or your Carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you're comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base - do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). Follow the links below for more information and instructions. *

• Download leaked OS 5.0.0.351 for the Bold 9700>>
• Instructions: How to Upgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: How to Downgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: Mess things up? Fix a Bricked BlackBerry Here >>

[ The BlackBerry Zone ]

We'll never forget Kevin's bold (pun intended) attempt to find out the true limits of BlackBerry Messenger with our original BBM Stress Test. His Bold 9000 exploded with Messenger requests and gave us a good look at what the application can handle. Well after spending 4 days listening to him go on and on (and on and on and on) about the great battery life of his Bold 9700, I have been searching for a way to shut him up once and for all (an impossible task, but I like to try). I do have to agree that the battery life on the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is nothing short of amazing. I didn't hold DevCon as a true test (thousands of BlackBerry Smartphones all using the same towers and Wifi all on top of each other) of battery life, but back on my home network I have not been disappointed. I pulled mine off the charger at 8am yesterday, and at Midnight I was only at 65% with normal usage. It's crazy good battery life for a 3G device - especially compared to the original Bold 9000.

Beyond improved battery life under normal device usage thanks to its re-written radio stack, we heard it through the grapevine (or is that blackberryvine) at DevCon that music playback on the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is also a wonderful and much improved thing. Apparently a LOT has happened under the hood to ensure that when the new Bold is playing or streaming music, that other device functions are really put to sleep to squeeze every minute of life possible out of the battery. According to the features page at BlackBerry.com, the 9700 can playback music for a whopping 35 hours. Kyle at BBCool took a stab at it and from his initial tests have proven the device to actually exceed this limit. So since we can't let the CrackBerry Nation down, I'm proposing "Stress Test Part 2" where I'll run the BlackBerry Bold 9700 to the ground both streaming music (Slacker? Pandora?) and via the built-in media player (MP3s from media card). To add some flair I'll even run my Tour and Curve 8520 side-by-side and see how they stand up.

So the question is this - what do you think is the best way to run the test? I think that running Slacker on all 3 devices with a full charge, radio (and Wifi) on with the same settings (screen brightness, profiles, no other apps running etc.) would give us a pretty good comparison (obviously won't be perfect). Drop a comment below and let us know what you think. We'll take a look through and decide what you all want to see, and put this to the test.

We saw OS 5.0.0.348 leak last week for the Bold 9000 and Curve 8900. This time it's the BlackBerry Curve 8520 that's getting some love. I can't wait for 5.0 to roll out officially for more devices.... it'll be happy times for many a BlackBerry user out there.

*OS Disclaimer - Please Read: Keep in mind this is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by RIM or your Carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you're comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base - do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). Follow the links below for more information and instructions. *

• Download OS 5.0.0.348 for the BlackBerry Curve 8520 >>
• Instructions: How to Upgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: How to Downgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: Mess things up? Fix a Bricked BlackBerry Here >>

With the launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 on AT&T for business customers RIM has finally posted the OS download for the device. AT&T is lagging behind in OS versions at this point, considering Rogers launched with OS 5.0.0.321 and T-Mobile launched with OS 5.0.0.344 and we already know RIM is well ahead of that as well with current OS sitting at 5.0.0.351 or higher. In any event, if you for some reason feel the need to reload your OS on your brand new AT&T 9700 the files are there for you to do so.

• Download The Official OS 5.0.0.296 From The AT&T Download Site>>

Tips have been flying in and it looks like AT&T has released OS 4.6.0.304 for the BlackBerry Bold 9000. This isn't the grand 5.0 update we may have been waiting for, but an official OS update regardless. No word on the changes/updates in this version, but if you are still rocking an older OS version you may want to give it a go. Head over to the BlackBerry Software Download page to get going.

• Download OS 4.6.0.304 for the BlackBerry Bold 9000>>

It looks like Ronen has stuck again. Earlier we posted 5.0.0.348 for the Bold 9000, and now 5.0.0.348 for the Curve 8900 has popped up as well. Standards rules apply, so use caution when installing this leaked OS. Drop a comment and let us know your findings.

*OS Disclaimer - Please Read: Keep in mind this is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by RIM or your Carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you're comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base - do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). Follow the links below for more information and instructions. *

• Download OS 5.0.0.348 for the BlackBerry Curve 8900 >>
• Instructions: How to Upgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: How to Downgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: Mess things up? Fix a Bricked BlackBerry Here >>

Ronen at BerryReview got a hold of this one early this morning, and has posted OS 5.0.0.348 for the Bold 9000. This is a big jump from the last Bold leak, so if you're still rocking a 9000 (maybe even in white?) then you might want to check this one out. As always, use caution when installing a leaked OS. Be sure to report your findings in the comments.

*OS Disclaimer - Please Read: Keep in mind this is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by RIM or your Carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you're comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base - do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). Follow the links below for more information and instructions. *

• Download OS 5.0.0.348 for the BlackBerry Bold 9000 >>
• Instructions: How to Upgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: How to Downgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: Mess things up? Fix a Bricked BlackBerry Here >>

Just bought a new BlackBerry Bold 9700 running the latest and greatest firmware? Well... it is a pretty dang wicked device, but depending what carrier you're picking it up from when it goes on sale, you may not have the latest firmware. Example: Rogers launched the 9700 with 5.0.0.321 while T-Mobile released it with 5.0.0.330. As we head into the weekend, we have OS 5.0.0.344 up for grabs. While this is an evil leaked OS, word is it is the gold candidate build for a couple of the European carriers out there that will soon be releasing the Bold 9700, so it should become "official" soon enough.

*OS Disclaimer - Please Read: Keep in mind this is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by RIM or your Carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you're comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base - do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). Follow the links below for more information and instructions. *

• Download OS 5.0.0.344 for Bold 9700 (rapidshare) >>
  
• Download OS 5.0.0.344 For The Bold 9700 (Mirror)>>
• Instructions: How to Upgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: How to Downgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: Mess things up? Fix a Bricked BlackBerry Here >>

We can't really call this a leak, then again we can't call it official, but OS 5.0.0.321 for the Bold 9700 is indeed available for download. The download link popped up in the forums, so get it while its hot. This is the OS that will be installed on the Rogers devices, but its not available on their site just yet. If you're looking to get ahead of the game while you wait for your new toy to arrive, then go grab it!

• Download OS 5.0.0.321 for the BlackBerry Bold 9700>>
• Instructions: How to Upgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: Mess things up? Fix a Bricked BlackBerry Here >>

BlackBerry Tour owners have got some official OS update love. Here is a quick run down of who has released what OS for the Tour. Be sure to check your desktop if your carrier is support or if it's not, you can hit up the direct downloads from each carriers BlackBerry downloads page. Just remember to delete your vendor.xml file if the OS you download is not from your carrier.

• Download BlackBerry Tour 9630 OS 4.7.1.61 From Bluegrass Cellular >>
• Download BlackBerry Tour 9630 OS 4.7.1.61 From TBayTel >>
  
• Download BlackBerry Tour 9630 OS 4.7.1.61 From Appalachian Wireless >>
  
• Download BlackBerry Tour 9630 OS 4.7.1.57 From Bell Mobility >>
  

[ Bryan Court. Of BBOS ]

* Update from Kevin - Oops.. kind of a dumb post here (blame Bla1ze on a lack of sleep.... and me too for not catching it immediately! I thought he meant 9500 and not 9520 and got excited for everybody! lol). The Storm2 from Vodafone actually ships with this firmware version. This is only news / an official upgrade to people who were running earlier pre-release versions of the Storm2 from Vodafone, which would be a small handful.  No Storm 9500 users, there isn't an update for you yet. It even sounds like it could be 2010 now before one is available to you. :( Sorry for the confusion here!!! * 

Just in case any BlackBerry Storm 9520 users were feeling a little left out in regards to the OS 5.0 release on Verizon. Vodafone has started pushing OS 5.0.0.306 through to customers via BlackBerry Desktop Manager since yesterday and while it's only a Desktop Manager install at this time the post of the installable file has to come soon. If you are a Vodafone customer you can grab the update now and if you're not, just sit tight till the install file shows up for download.

* Update 3: LOL.. that was fun for 24 minutes. LOOKS LIKE THE OFFICIAL IS UP! Check your Desktop Manager Software! *

* Update 2: Looks like megaupload is letting the file download again... keep tabs on the comments in case the link doesn't work for you anymore *

* Update: wow... looks like megaupload has some sort of attack system in place.  The .238 file got 243 downloads in about 30 seconds, and I think we must have tripped some sort of hacker attack alert as they've temporarily suspended the file (it's still in the account). Watch the comments below for download mirrors. *

So it's Sunday night, October 25th, and we know BlackBerry Storm 9530 owners are sitting on CrackBerry by the thousands waiting for Verizon to officially release OS 5.0.0.32x for the BlackBerry Storm 9530. Leaked info leading up to the this official release has been kind of weird... sometimes stating the official version would be 5.0.0.323 (which we already leaked the other day) and other times stating .328. Some info put the push at 7pm EST tonight, which has passed, the change log puts it at 10pm EST (any minute now) so in true CrackBerry fashion we've dug up the goods for you so you can get a head start. At the link below we've actually got two newer 5.0 builds... 5.0.0.327 and 5.0.0.328. They're both running the same platform version (4.2.0.128) so are likely near identical, so it's probably best to go for .328 but you can try them both out if you like.

The official Verizon release should drop any minute or hour now, so even hardcore Stormies shouldn't feel bad if at this point they want to hold out for the update to come through BDM. But if you want it now, you can grab the latest and greatest below!

• Download leaked OS 5.0.0.327 for the BlackBerry Storm 9530 >>
• Download leaked OS 5.0.0.328 for the BlackBerry Storm 9530 >>
  
• Official OS 5.0.0.328 Change Log >>
  
• More in the BlackBerry Storm OS forums>>
  
• Instructions: How to Upgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: How to Downgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: Mess things up? Fix a Bricked BlackBerry Here >>

Been wondering if the BlackBerry Smartphone you already own will be getting the OS 5.0 update everybody keeps talking about? We knew there would be a cut-off somewhere down the road of older device models and it turns out we were pretty spot on with our hunches. but now we officially know which devices are getting the update thanks to a new knowledge base article on BlackBerry's website. Keep reading to see if your device made the cut.

** Update - D'oh! Max users reach on the rapidshare downloads. Hang on tight... OK, done. Both links updated to megaupload. Read through the comments or chek the CrackBerry OS forums for download mirrors. **

The guys over at BerryReview got a hot tip and landed OS 5.0.0.314 for both the Bold 9000 and Curve 8900. If you've been hanging on to a buggy 5.0 build, now is your chance to upgrade. No word of any major finding or fixes for these, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you find out.

*OS Disclaimer - Please Read: Keep in mind this is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by RIM or your Carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you're comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base - do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). Follow the links below for more information and instructions. *

• Download OS 5.0.0.314 for Bold 9000 >>
• Download OS 5.0.0.314 for Curve 8900 >>
• Instructions: How to Upgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: How to Downgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: Mess things up? Fix a Bricked BlackBerry Here >>

[ BerryReview ]

I noticed a thread in the CrackBerry forums yesterday begging the OS leak gods to drop 5.0.0.317 for the BlackBerry Storm 9530 sometime soon. Not wanting to let anybody down, I thought we could do one better... so here's OS 5.0.0.323 for the BlackBerry Storm 9530. Word is this potentially has what it takes to become the official 5.0 build that first gets rolled out, but keep in mind that can always change. But one thing is for sure... with so many Storm1 owners waiting for Verizon to announce Storm2, there has never been a better time for a leak to keep everyone occupied! Be sure to check the forums for findings. And while you're waiting for the OS to download and install, you can kill the time by watching some Entry Videos in our I Love My CrackBerry Contest!

*OS Disclaimer - This is an unofficial release. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you're comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base - do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). Follow the links below for more information and instructions. *

• Download leaked OS 5.0.0.323 for the BlackBerry Storm 9530 >>
• Official Leaked OS 5.0.0.323 Forum Thread >>
• Official OS 5.0.0.323 Findings and Fixes Thread >>
  
• More in the BlackBerry Storm OS forums>>
  
• Instructions: How to Upgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: How to Downgrade your BlackBerry's Operating System >>
• Instructions: Mess things up? Fix a Bricked BlackBerry Here >>