Illum

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By now it's no surprise that I absolutely adore themes and all of the inventive ways developers manipulate the stock design to create their own work of art. One such popular developer, The World of Pootermobile, has a solid reputation for releasing crisp and lively designs. While they have been relatively quiet the last couple of months working on their own BB10 application with Kisai Labs (and their free theme), no doubt their fans are suffering withdrawal waiting for another premium design. That is why Pootermobile recently released Illum, a brand new concept that is clean, fresh, and certainly one to lift those winter blues..

Illum homescreen

Illum, as its name implies, brightens up your display to give your BlackBerry a whole new look with just a few modifications to the default OS 6/7 UI. Not only does this offer the perfect balance of customization and function (there is no lag or battery drain) but all of your icons remain visible in the folders.

Illum applications

If we breakdown the home screen the first thing that catches your eye is the leather-like top banner that shows off the time, date and carrier. The style may be simple but it's easy to read and has a nice symmetry throughout. There is a dedicated mini weather slot in the upper left (application slot #19), big custom sparks for new message indicators, and intricately detailed round icons. While some may prefer the default icons, there's something about a brand new set that makes or break a theme for me. These particular ones were designed by Jennifer Janosi and really make this theme pop.

Finally, Illum is wallpaper friendly, though I do enjoy the default background, and features a skinned media player. I love seeing developers join forces to create an innovative design that even those who rarely change off of stock will enjoy.

Illum is available in BlackBerry World for $1.99. It is compatible with BlackBerry 9350/60/70, 9650, 9700/80/88/90, 9800/10/50/60, and 9900/30/81 running OS 6 and higher.

More information/screenshots and to purchase Illum

Illum media
Illum media player
 

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