Wakeful is a fun new alarm application that is currently in beta testing. If you can't stand hearing that annoying alarm in the morning, or if you sleep right through the music you program to wake you, you might want to check this out. Wakeful will provide you with a personalized morning wake up call customized by your location. You can choose to hear a male or female voice tell you the current weather conditions, local news, and more.

If you are currently participating in the beta testing program for Wakeful, there is an important update you will want to be sure to download. The team at Wakeful has implemented a whole new backend infrastructure and the app has been moved to a different server.

Some other changes in this version include:

• Icon should show for all devices now.
• Removed the "set alarm" button.  Now when you change the time or any setting it auto-updates without the extra step of the button.
• New backend, should be able to handle a lot more users.
• Changed the way the network works, so if you had problems downloading the audio this version may work for you.

If you're not currently part of the Wakeful beta you can sign up at the link below. If you are already part of the program be sure to check your email and update your version of Wakeful at the link provided.

GroupMe is a group texting and conference call application available for iOS and Android devices that recently entered into an open beta for BlackBerry. It’s like a private chat room over SMS, or reply-all text messaging. GroupMe enables you to organize and communicate with groups of people right on your device. Even people without a smartphone can participate by creating their groups online.

GroupMe has pretty straightforward directions for getting set up and forming your groups, and walks you through each step. Each group is given a unique phone number. When you send a text message to a it, the message is sent instantly to everyone in the group. When you call the number, it automatically dials all the group members for a conference call. You can save the number assigned to your groups in your Contacts for repeated use. You can also create groups that are short-term, which can be set up to expire automatically after a set amount of time. You can even send pictures to your groups.

GroupMe seems like a pretty cool application if you have a group or groups of people that you send SMS messages to frequently, or if you have a need for an easy way to set up call conferencing. The UI is simple and user-friendly, and you will be on your way to group texting in no time. While GroupMe is free to install and doesn't cost anything to use, it does use minutes and SMS from your mobile plan, so you will likely want to be sure you and anyone you add to your groups has unlimited texting, otherwise I can see this burning through their allotted monthly amount in no time. In order to be eligible for the beta your BlackBerry must be running OS 5.0 and higher, and you have to be in the US. Hit the links below if you're interested in downloading, and check out some screenshots after the break.

For full details and to download the GroupMe beta for your BlackBerry
To download GroupMe from BlackBerry App World
To discuss the GroupMe beta in the forums

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The tip line is off the hook about the newly created BlackBerry Beta Zone. After joining you can download beta programs in progress or sign up for ones that will be available soon. During these beta testing periods you leave feedback on how these programs can be impoved as well as taking part in online discussions and surveys.  Software that are available for beta testing are the following:

• BlackBerry Messenger 5.0.1 (available for download April 1st)
• BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.2
• BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 Maintenance Releases for the 8520/8530 - Open to members who live in Canada, will be capped at 1000 participants
• BlackBerry Beta Zone - A discussion on the Zone itself

The BlackBerry Beta Zone is open to anyone living in the US, Canada, or the United Kingdom. So head on over and sign up to be some of the first to try out RIM software before its released. Remember to leave feedback while beta testing these apps to help improve the overall experience of the product upon release.

Note: RIM's password security seems to be higher than most, so be prepared to create a password of at least 8 characters that includes letter, numbers, and symbols 

• More information and to join the BlackBerry Beta Zone>>