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China Unicom has officially released OS 7.1.0.437 for the BlackBerry Bold 9900. 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 because it seems as though there is a few things missing from this OS compared to others that have been released.

Download OS 7.1.0.437 for the Bold 9900
Discuss more in the forums

The new Curve models are certainly making their way around the way quite fast. Being the last BlackBerry 7 devices before BlackBerry 10 launches, RIM wants to get these out to as many places they can. Next stop on the Curve train ride are Malaysia and Thailand. Both the BlackBerry Curve 9320 and Curve 9220 will be available in both countries.

It is pretty clear who these Curve devices are aimed and we have had many discussions on this here on the blogs. They ship with BlackBerry OS 7.1 installed and both come with an FM Radio. The Curve 9320 has a few more specs on it than the Curve 9220 but both include the dedicated BBM key.

The BlackBerry Curve 9220 is already available to buy in Thailand through authorised partners and distributors. The BlackBerry Curve 9320 has no release date yet but this will be probably be around mid-June.

In Malaysia, the Curve 9220 is scheduled for release on June 4th 2012 and Malaysia carrier Tune Talk will open pre-orders for it on May 25th 2012. Again, no information on the release date for the Curve 9320.

Press Release for Malaysia
Press Release for Thailand

When RIM's now CEO, Thorsten Heins took control of the company back in January, it was noted several times that RIM may look into licensing deals with various other organizations out there. For a while now, there has been a longstanding rumor that BlackBerry Messenger would be making its way to other platforms and many took this, as a sign BlackBerry smartphones would soon be losing their BlackBerry Messenger exclusivity.

As it appears now, things happened just the opposite. Backing this up, comes a new report from the WSJ that claims RIM was testing BlackBerry Messenger on other devices under the codename "SMS 2.0" despite RIM having gone on record to say, they have no plans for BlackBerry Messenger on different platforms.

Seemingly, the only reason why the BBM licensing agreement talks came to an end was due to the fact that CEO Thorsten Heins took that option off the table with WSJ's source claiming that "It was not up for discussion," any longer. In other words, "there is a time when this might make sense" but now -- is not it and BlackBerry Messenger will remain on BlackBerry exclusively.

Source: WSJ

It's been a while since we've spotted a good fake BlackBerry, but this time around all the work was done for us. Forums member Superfly_FR posted up this Photoshop of the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha sporting a full QWERTY keyboard. As noted in the forums post, there is certainly enough room for a standard BlackBerry keyboard (I'm down with a Bold 9900 keyboard on this baby). As RIM CEO Thorstein Heins said at BlackBerry World, we'll still see BlackBerry devices with a physical keyboard, so maybe down the road this won't be too far fetched.

What do you think of this design? Is it good? Bad? Ugly? Sound off in the comments!

Discuss more in the CrackBerry forums

This BBDoodle masterpiece is finally complete! It tooks us a couple of weeks to get all of the actors cast in the BlackBerry Avengers, but we got it done. Last week we asked CrackBerry Nation who should get the roll of Nick Fury, and after a lot of debate it was RIM's VP of Developer Relations, Alec Saunders, who won the honor.  

So that's it... we can finally Assemble the BlackBerry Avengers! Look for us soon at a carrier store or BlackBerry 10 Jam near you!

Coming Soon... The BlackBerry Avengers starring:

• BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins as Thor
• CrackBerry Kevin as The Hulk
• Bla1ze as Iron Man
• Adam Zeis as Captain America
• Michelle Haag as Black Widow
• QNX Founder Dan Dodge as Hawkeye
• RIM's VP of Developer Relations Alec Saunders as Nick Fury

Contest: Win a spare battery for your BlackBerry! Keep reading for details.

One of the great things about a BlackBerry is that you can easily swap out the battery as you need it. I love being able to have a spare (or four) that I can easily toss in when my battery gets low. A charger isn't alway accessbile, so having a spare battery in your purse, briefcase or pocket can be clutch at times during the day. If you don't have an extra battery for your device, not to worry. We have a great selection of batteries for all devices at ShopCrackBerry. You can even pick up an external charger so your spare is always at the ready! Keep reading for your chance to win!

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Popular cross-platform todo app Wunderlist has finally arrived on the BlackBerry PlayBook. We saw Wunderlist sneak onto BlackBerry a few months back and now on the PlayBook as well. Wunderlist is a todo list app that works across multiple platforms so it's available when and where you need it. It's super easy to use, lets you create multiple lists, share items and best of all is totally free. I've been a big fan for quite a while and I'm pumped that an official client is now on the PlayBook. Head to the link below to download.

More information/Download Wunderlist for BlackBerry PlayBook

Let's face it - there is something about shooting off a slingshot and breaking things that is just plain old fun. Let's Break Stuff for the BlackBerry PlayBook lets you do just that. Armed with only your slingshot, you'll go through various levels firing at glasses, bottles, plates and more as you try to just, well, break stuff. You'll have to hit 100% breakage on each level to progress, which isn't as easy as it seems. Overall this is a great time killer and an awesome way to vent out some daily frustrration. Let's Break Stuff is available in BlackBerry App World for $1.99. A free lite is also available.

More information/Download Let's Break Stuff
More information/Download Let's Break Stuff Lite

Amir and Streeter are back with another myth-busting video for the BBM Challenge Council. This time the two tackle the myth that the BlackBerry browser is slow. Using the Browser Speed Modulator and some help from Dax Shepard, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is put through a series of browser tests. This video isn't my favorite of the bunch, but it's still pretty amusing. Check out the video above then hit the link below for more. 

Check out more on the BBM Challenge Council

* Update: Turns out Patrick Spence took the job of CCO at Sonos *

Patrick Spence worked at RIM for 14 years. His most recent position was Executive Vice President of Global Sales, reporting directly to the CEO. For a guy who is under 40, this is a prestigious position to hold. He climbed up the ranks at RIM quickly.

I've been a fan of Patrick. He was a visible public face for RIM. He has broad, global sales experience, and having held at least two regional VP positions (Asia Pacific and North Amercica) over his years at RIM.

So why did he quit? And what does it mean for RIM? I'm not sure what the right answer is yet. I chatted last night with a few folks who follow RIM closely and it seems everyone is still digging for the truth.

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