RIM announced today that they will be providing colleges and universitites with content that will allow them to offer courses to students to develop on the BlackBerry platform. The ciriculum is available for mobile application development, administration of BlackBerry Enterprise Server and support for BlackBerry smartphones. The program includes:

• Mobile Application Development Courses - Students can learn about the tools and techniques for developing applications for BlackBerry smartphones.
• Administration Courses - Mobile communication and collaboration tools continue to play a large role in boosting the productivity of enterprise workforces, and the need for trained professionals to administer and support mobile solutions has grown with it.
• Support Courses - Students are trained to work in technical call centers or IT support environments in support of the BlackBerry solution. The Support courses also include information that can help prepare students for the corresponding BlackBerry Certification exam.

Over 500 students have aleady taken courses in this program, and the rollout is going to be continued for schools in both the US and Canada. Check out the full press release after the jump.

• More information on the BlackBerry Academic Program: www.blackberry.com/academic

Press Release

RIM Announces BlackBerry Academic Program

Program Provides Colleges and Universities with Curriculum and Course Content

BlackBerry Developer Conference 2009 - San Francisco, CA - Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM, TSX: RIM) today announced the BlackBerry® Academic Program to provide colleges and universities around the world with a curriculum and course content to offer courses in administering and supporting the BlackBerry® solution and developing for the BlackBerry platform.

Live Blog Now Over... You can watch the Replay Above!

The BlackBerry Developer Conference kicks off this morning at 9am PST with the General Session. We're live blogging the keynote - you can watch all the action above.

* Note - Comments made are not automatically published. Before and after the keynote we'll try and publish pretty much everything, but while the live blog is going on we'll publish less and try to stick to the content at hand. Enjoy the show! *

The good folks at Motally Mobile Analytics dropped me an email to let us know that they are having a huge contest dubbed Trackappalooza (app, get it?) and the grand prize is a pass to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. To enter is simple - you just need to incorporate the Motally API into your app and submit it by December 15th. Motally helps developers better understand ROI and users while providing a variety of statistics. There are 17 prizes in all to be won (over $15,000 total) so don't miss out on this once in a lifetime chance. If you're interested in submitting your app, head over to motally.com/contest for all the info.

• Submit your app to Trackappalooza >>

Like many Storm owners, much of my time is spent cruising the theme forums looking for something new and original. AG Designs and Graphics has come up with a theme they call Reflect7, which offers users great functionality, clean overall presentation and quite a few hidden features. Reflect7 has 2 rows of icons, three in each row, which are all user defined, as well as a weather slot. From the home screen of this theme users are able to access their calendar by clicking the date, access the clock by clicking the time, launch manage connections by clicking signal bars, and clicking the battery icon will bring you directly to the options menu. For QuickLaunch users, clicking the lower right corner will launch QuickLaunch automatically for you. The icon selection used in Reflect7 is very clean, and original. While this is a very wallpaper friendly theme, the developer has posted some additional wallpapers for everyone to use here. We have 50 free copies to give away. Just leave a comment on this post to enter. Contest ends this Sunday at Midnight PST. Please only leave one comment, multiple entries won't count.

• More information and download of Reflect7>>

If Outlook synching isn't your thing, then a new app called ZBook is a great way to backup your phonebook effectively, easily and automatically. Your phonebook will sync to the ZBook servers manually or daily at a preset time of your choosing. ZBook also supports the importing of contacts from Outlook, MSN, Hotmail, Gmail, Plaxo, and Yahoo to your online account. Features include:

• The contacts can be edited by the owner at any time online and then sync-up with the device
• Supports Outlook import of contacts in the CSV format and restore of all contacts in case the phone is lost or switched to newer phone.
  
• Auto sync timer: It wakes up the ZBook, backup contacts and then smoothly exit the application on a specific set time.
  
• Search contacts based on full or partial name, number, email or address  

It would be hard to justify purchase with Google Sync being free, but if you're a non-Google user this may interest you. The price is a little steep at $9.99, but the features may be enough to justify the price. Head over to BlackBerry App World to download.

• More information and download of ZBook>>

Wow! What a week we had. Between the load of contests, Bold 9700 reviews popping up like crazy and Curve 8530 announcements mixed with some OS leaks, it was almost too much to handle! So in case you missed anything, here is a quick run through of everything you need to checkout before the week is over. We'll have loads of stuff coming next week since we're off to the BlackBerry Developer Conference in San Francisco. Keep it locked to CrackBerry for all the DevCon coverage you need!

BlackBerry Bold 9700 Reviews: Kevin | Adam | Craig | Bla1ze | Roundup | Member Reviews
BlackBerry Bold 9700 OS Leaked: OS 5.0.0.321 | OS 5.0.0.344
BlackBerry Bold 9700 Poll: Is the BlackBerry Bold 9700 too small??
BlackBerry Curve 8530 Gets Announced: Verizon Announcement | Sprint Announcement
Apps, Apps, APPS!: Latest App Posts | BlackBerry App Roundup

Contests:

• CrackBerry Contest: Win an Unlocked T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700 From BlackBerry Emporium And CrackBerry! 
• Fancy Shake Lets You Answer Calls By Shaking Your Storm - 200 Copies to Give Away 
• Just Class Theme - 50 Free Copies 
• Contest: Carrier Unlock - 75 Free Unlock Codes
• bbOSalert Instant Alert for OS Releases - 50 Free Copies 
• Contest: Win 1 Of 100 Copies of StormSlider For Your BlackBerry Storm2!
  

The Crack Team will be at the BlackBerry Developers Conference in San Francisco next week. Be sure to check out our Special Coverage for all the up to the minute reports, and be sure to follow the team on Twitter:

• @crackBerry - News and Updates
• @crackberrykevin - Kevin Michaluk
• @azeis - Adam Zeis
• @videos4bb - Bla1ze

Entry #11 -Rescue my BlackBerry

The family that BlackBerrys together, stay together! In a handful of the videos submitted in the I Love My BlackBerry video contest, mom and dad put their kids to work to create some super entertaining videos or else brothers and sisters teamed up to get the job done. In this round of shout outs, we have Matt DeWitt's BlackBerry Rescue spoof above. Below we have two videos that went head to head for title of CUTEST videos. Darius Mack had his daughters Malika and Amira express their love for the BB, while Antoine Henry's daughter Lundyn made a compelling case as to why she needs a BlackBerry. Finally, we've got the Choudery siblings working together to make a funny video. Great job everyone!! 

mblWare brings us two great apps dubbed the "privacy bundle". The first is BlackBook which allows you to keep a hidden customizable phone book seperate from the default phone book on your BlackBerry. It is accessed by typing a secret key code combination which you can set from within the applications options. Key features include filtering for incoming/outgoing calls, emails, sms, and PIN messages. All the contacts in your BlackBook can be edited just like your BlackBerry phone book, as well as imported/exported very easily. Devices with OS 4.5+ are supported.

The second app is mblVault which brings a secure location to your BlackBerry to store all that sensative/important data. All files (and filenames) stored in your mblVault are encrypted for maximum security and can only be accessed by your chosen password. Devices running OS 4.3+ are supported, and all files that can be viewed on your BlackBerry are compatible. Boths apps are available in the CrackBerry App Store for $3.99.

If you are looking to get some extra security on your device then these two are worth a look. We have 100 copies of each to give away. Just leave a comment on this post to enter. Winners will also receive a $1.00 off coupon for the other app (ie. if you win BlackBook you'll receive a $1.00 off code for mblVault). Contest ends NEXT Sunday (Nov. 15) at Midnight PST. 

• More information and download of BlackBook >>
• More information and download of mblVault >>

As part of his marketing class at Concordia University, Jalal Hasbini drummed up two BlackBerry Pearls from RIM to give away in a youtube video contest. All you need to is reply to Jalal's video above with your own, showing why you realllllly need that new BlackBerry Pearl. The contest is aimed at Canadian Student, age 18 - 24. You can watch the video above for more details.

Well, we knew it was coming at some point to Canada. And while the exact date is still unknown, Blacks photography, a retailer for TELUS in Canada has let the cat out of the bag regarding the BlackBerry Storm2 on TELUS. Posted on their website for all to see (and still yet to be removed) sits the BlackBerry Storm2 9550. At this time information is slim and TELUS has yet to actually announce it, but with their retailers posting images of it I'm quite certain this will come sooner rather then later, since they are already out there (props to JaredtheTelusGuy in the CB forums for also posting some live shots of one). Any Canadians been waiting for a BlackBerry Storm2?

[ Cellphones Etc. / BBSync ] 

Entry #36 - Chairman Plow's I LOVE MY CRACKBERRY

With the Grand Prize Winner announced in the I Love My BlackBerry video contest, it's time to follow-up with some honorable mentions. In this shout outs post, we've got three stellar music-focused videos that were submitted. Above you can hear Chairman Plow's awesome I Love My CrackBerry track (this was one of my personal favorites - just needs a couple more verses and this baby would be platinum!). Below we've got two more vids. First, Crystal Hunter's I Love My CrackBerry parody of Miley Cyrus' Party in the USA (which today landed top spot on America's Top 40). Gotta give Crystal HUGE props for working "Force Radio On" into a chorus. LOL. Now THAT's Hardcore (download Force Radio On). And lastly, David Demaria's I Love My BlackBerry Remix that's full of CrackBerry.com love. Awesome stuff. Enjoy the vids!

It's Saturday morning as I type this and I'm about to head to the gym so it's a fitting time to blog this up...

Long-time readers of CrackBery.com are familiar with Gym Technik's fitness tracking service - we've written about them plenty of times before and have been longing for them to take their web app offering to the next level with an actual BlackBerry app. Great News! Gym Technik has just announced the preview release of their much anticipated, downloadable app: Gym Technik NextGen for the BlackBerry.

Thousands of users worldwide have been using Gym Technik's mobile and web application for tracking their workouts. After much feedback and interest from users surrounding this app, Gym Technik's developers are excited to present a preview release of the NextGen app. It comes bundled with a 30 day free premium trial. So you can test-drive both Gym Technik's Premium Service and NextGen app without commitment or hassle. All current Gym Technik members can link to the app, and new members can create an account right from their BlackBerry.

We'll be following up with a review on the app shortly. Next in line, GymTechnik has already promised upgrades for OS5 support and a Storm version of the app, stay tuned.

Learn More & Download: You can visit get.gymtechnik.com from your BlackBerry's web browser to download and learn more about the app and how to use your BlackBerry as a fitness tracking and workout management tool @ www.gymtechnik.com/blackberry.

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Since getting my new BlackBerry Bold 9700 earlier this week I have been living on cloud nine. It's uber fast. The optical trackpad is silky smooth. The 3.2 megapixel camera is noticeably better than the original Bold's and the additional flash memory boosts operating performance considerably. And I've been blown away by the battery life so far -- over 48 hours before needing to charge!!!

With positives oozing out of the device, the only thing that I have had to really come to terms with is how much smaller the new Bold 9700 actually is compared to its big older brother the 9000 (I tried to get the images above close to actual size and scale). And reading through the Bold 9700 forums and talking to other original Bold owners making or looking to make the upgrade to the 9700, it appears I'm not the only one.

When the Bold 9000 came out, I was a Curve user. At the time, I actually griped over the Bold's big size and deemed the size a negative. But over the year and a half following its introduction, I have really grown to LOVE the big-boned Bold. They keyboard is heaven to type on, and that extra 1/4" of width in the screen makes a difference. Plus, the device just looks impressive - the full leather back, the chrome band, the shiny black area above the display.... the Bold 9000 is the luxury SUV of the BlackBerry Smartphone line and when you see it in public it stands out in the crowd. The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is stellar, but it's more of one of these new, smaller, cross-over SUVs. The 9000 was my daily driver for the past few months, and making the switch to the Bold 9700 it now feels like I've gone away from using a Bold to using a Curve again.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Bold 9700. I just hope / wish RIM would also release a same-sized upgrade in the Bold 9000 form factor for all the people out there who appreciate a bigger device with a little extra bling (the 9700 has a more conservative look). Honestly, when I went to the Rogers store Wednesday to buy a 9700 they also had the new Bold 9000 in white on display. If only that white Bold 9000 had 256MB of flash memory, trackpad and a 3.2 megapixel camera, I would have purchased it over the smaller Bold 9700. The Bold 9700 needs to exist as device (it's awesome!), but it's almost like RIM should have branded it the Curve 3G or something (maybe slapped on a Curve-esque keyboard), then released a bigger device as an update to the Bold more true to the original Bold's heritage. On the other hand, to each his/her own. My girlfriend traded in her Curve 8320 for the Bold 9700 and is head over heels for it. I love the Bold 9700 too... I just can't help but miss the 9000's big keyboard everytime I pick it up.

CrackBerry Poll: Whaddya think? Like your Bold big or small? Cast your vote above!