If you’ve been around CrackBerry since the launch of PlayBook OS 2.0 then you’ve probably heard a few complaints about the amount of time it takes for the native PIM apps to open on the PlayBook. While we wait for Research In Motion to release an update that will speed up the launching of apps, a developer has gone ahead and made an app to help those of you that just can't stand waiting.

The app is called Compose Email and has been developed by Willw.net. Now I must stress that this isn’t an email application. What Compose Email does is allow you to compose your emails in the app and then it will transfer the email into the native application, but in a fraction of the time that it would take for the native email app to open.

Features

• Compose email in Portrait or Landscape
• Integration with the native Messages App
• Automatic copy-to-clipboard
• Copy & Paste
• Launches faster than Messages
• Matches style of the 2.0 Messages, Contacts, and Calendar apps

Also something that a lot of BlackBerry users have been asking for is portrait mode in the native email app, which is another gap that Compose Email can fill. It offers the same look and feel as the native application and the best part is, it’s free. If you’re looking to speed up your email writing on the PlayBook then this app is a must.

Download Compose email for the BlackBerry PlayBook

If you've been holding out and waiting for another BlackBerry PlayBook OS update - today is your day. The PlayBook software has been updated to version 2.0.1.358. A few updates and fixes to go along with this one including some welcomed enhancements.

• Browser enhancements to address performance with some websites
• Improvements to support Android apps
• Optimizations to Video Chat, PIM and BlackBerry Bridge applications
• And much more!

You should see the update pop up on your PlayBook, but if not, head to Settings > Software Updates to check on your own. Hit the forums for more discussion.

Discuss more in the forums

Source: Inside BlackBerry

While RIM rolled out PlayBook OS 2.0 to our beloved tablet some time ago, we’re still uncovering some hidden features, and today I’ve uncovered a neat lesser known feature. If you’re like me you have meticulously placed all your applications into respective folders, sorting them from “HD Games” to “entertainment". While it keeps everything organized getting in and out of a folder could be just a hair faster, and I’ve found out a way to accomplish this.

Instead of clicking on the small little “X” on the folder you can actually swipe from the center of the bottom bezel to the left side of the PlayBook (see image above). Doing so will cause the folder to quickly close letting you get back to what’s important, using your PlayBook. Now this has got me thinking, what other secrets are laying within the PlayBook OS 2.0? If you’ve found one let CrackBerry Nation know in the comments or in the forums at the link below. It’ll be interesting to see what else can be found.

Familiarize yourself with other Tips and Tricks from the forums

Hello again dear readers. It's time once again to open up the mailbag and clear up any BlackBerry woes you may have. This week's question comes from one of our Twitter followers, Scott, who asked:

How do I save an attached photo (not bridged, but native Gmail) on PlayBook? Doesn't offer save/cut/copy…Holding a finger is NOT coming up with choices when it’s attached. I can open but not save.

Thanks

Dear Scott,

When I first downloaded the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and started using the native messaging application I noticed the same thing as you. To answer your question, there is a way to save images that are attached and it's a simple solution that will have you downloading them in no time. Now I'm going to show you how to save images that are displayed in emails and those that are attached to make sure all your bases are covered for supported file types (BMP, JPG, GIF, and PNG). Keep reading for step-by-step instructions!

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Here we are again CrackBerry Nation, it's another issue of Dear Berry. So, let's crack open the mailbag and see what BlackBerry woes you have been having this week. The question this week goes like this:

Dear Berry,

Is there any way to "mark all as read" on the PlayBook messages? I have 300+ messages to open.

- Tim and Kim

Dear Tim and Kim,

I see you took advantage of the Native Email feature of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0. The unfortunate, simple, answer to your question is no, there is no way to Mark All As Read on the PlayBook. I too added an email account that had hundreds of unread emails and really wanted this option to be available. However, instead of leaving you out to dry, there is a long-winded way to mark emails unread and requires you to select the emails a bulk at a time. Continue throught the break to find out how.

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To celebrate the release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, we decided to celebrate with a contest and giveaway a PlayBook a week, for four weeks. In addition to a free tablet, each lucky winner also receives a coupon for $100 in free PlayBook accessories from ShopCrackBerry.com. With the contest now over, it's time to announce our fourth and final winner. And the winner is....

Week #4 Winner - TheAmazingHarold

BIG CONGRATS to all our contest winners and HUGE PROPS go to everybody who gave lady luck a shot and put their name in for a chance to win. This is CrackBerry, so you know a new awesome contest is never far away (in this case, it's literally minutes away...) so you'll want to stay tuned for more chances to win!

Hello again readers! Dear Berry here to once again to open up the mailbag and clear up any BlackBerry woes you may have. This week's question comes from Patrick who asks:

I have the playbook and noticed that there is no option to save the images that you open in an email. There are no screen options or drop down menu options at all. Am I missing something because I am pretty sure you can save an image that you get in an email on your phone?

Thanks

In subsequent emails he goes on to say that he is attempting to save attached images while his device is bridged. Keep reading for my response!

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PlayBook Contest #4: Leave a *single* comment to this blog post for your chance to win a free BlackBerry PlayBook and $100 in accessories from ShopCrackBerry.com!

In honor of the recent release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 we're giving the community FOUR chances to win a free BlackBerry PlayBook. Each week it's a new contest. With Week 4 here, you're probably wondering who won the free PlayBook for Week #3... and that lucky winner is...

Week #3 Winner - jkblevins

Our final week is here, so drop a comment for your last chance to win, and then head on over to the BlackBerry PlayBook forums where the 2.0 craziness continues. Good luck!

CrackBerry's PlayBook Contest #4 Details

The Prize: Win a 16GB WiFi BlackBerry PlayBook + $100 in free PlayBook accessories from ShopCrackBerry.com

How to Enter: Just login to Crackberry and leave a *single* comment to this blog post! Tell us what you're loving about the PlayBook, OS 2.0 or CrackBerry!

The Details: Contest open worldwide. Contest #4 ends Sunday, March 25th at Midnight PST.

It should come as no surprise that RIM is hard at work behind the scenes on the upcoming BlackBerry 10 software and hardware. Being based off of the QNX platform, the same OS that currently runs on the BlackBerry PlayBook, one would only imagine that the PlayBook would also receive the update. While the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software was only just released, RIM's VP of Product Management Rob Orr has confirmed that shortly after the release of BlackBerry 10 phones, the PlayBook software will also be updated, putting both phone and tablet on BlackBerry 10. The PlayBook OS 2.0 software is esssentially already BlackBerry 10, but you get the picture. As of now they are still looking to release the first BlackBerry 10 device at the end of 2012 and hopefully a PlayBook update to BlackBerry 10 is not too far behind.

Source: TechRadar

Back when the BlackBerry PlayBook was first available for sale, power options weren't readily available. You could tap the Turn Off icon from the home screen or you could hold down that much-maligned power button. That was pretty much it.

In later OS updates, Research In Motion introduced a popup window to give you more options however. Tapping the battery icon at the top of the home screen would give you the status of the tablet's battery as well as options for turning off, restarting, and placing the PlayBook into standby. These newer options worked quite well with one exception: if you had set a password on the device, standby would almost immediately lock it, requiring you to enter your password before the tablet would awaken.

The new PlayBook OS 2.0 software addresses that problem with a new fourth button on the battery popup window: Lock. If you haven't set a password on your PlayBook, you won't see the new control; but once you set a password, the Lock button will be there. So that begs the question: what's the difference between Lock and Standby?

Simply put, tapping the Lock button will immediately place your PlayBook on Standby and require you to enter your password before you can use your tablet again. Tapping the Standby button will allow you to awaken your tablet with a single swipe across the screen, no password needed. I should note that if you leave your BlackBerry tablet in Standby mode for long enough - from 10 to 30 minutes depending on your settings - it will lock itself and require that password.

So what is your choice? Do you use a password to lock your PlayBook? Or do you just opt for the simple standby mode? Sound off in the comments!

One of the most anticipated features of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 was the Android Player, allowing you to load your favorite apps on Android. When PlayBook OS 2.0 was released, one of the first questions posed was "Where is the Android Player?". Many were looking for the app icon that would launch the Android Player and many ended up disappointed to see there wasn't one.

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Just over two weeks ago the official BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 update was finally available for everyone to download. Long before this though the information was readily available that it would include an Android App Player, and RIM even detailed the procedure for Android developers to port their applications and submit them to App World. To entice developers to submit their applications to App World RIM even opened up the free PlayBook offer again, and while many developers jumped at the opportunity, we are left wondering why more didn't?

In the past we have seen big companies drop support for BlackBerry devices, and some companies that just refuse to even begin development, but why? If you, an Android developer, already have a packaged and functional application that you have released on Android, why not take a few minutes to repackage it and let a whole other user base benefit as well? Isn't the idea behind developing an application to get it into the hands of as many people as possible, to have tons of users benefit from and enjoy your application? Why write off an entire brands user base?

Wouldn't an extended user base of over one million PlayBook owners be something that you, as a developer, would want to have access to your application? These PlayBook owners love their applications, spending money on a quality application is not something most BlackBerry users think twice about. We want your application, we will pay you for your application, we just need you to bring us the application.

The process is free, it appears to be quite painless, and it isn't like they are requesting the whole application to be rewritten, just simply repackaged into a file that can be installed on the BlackBerry PlayBook. With well over a million of these out there, even if you price the application at $1.00 and one tenth of the PlayBook owners purchase it, that is a nice chunk of change in your pocket, right?

If you are an Android developer who is on the fence, or decided not to support the PlayBook, we would love to hear from you. Hop into the forums and let us know what factors led you to your decision. 

PlayBook Contest #3: Leave a comment to this blog post for your chance to win a free BlackBerry PlayBook and $100 in accessories from ShopCrackBerry.com!

In honor of the recent release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 we're giving the community FOUR chances to win a free BlackBerry PlayBook. Each week it's a new contest. With Week 3 here, you're probably wondering who won the free PlayBook for Week #2... and that lucky winner is...

Week #2 Winner - carleone2gz

Week three is here, so drop a comment for your chance to win again, and then head on over to the BlackBerry PlayBook forums where the 2.0 craziness continues. Good luck!

CrackBerry's PlayBook Contest #3 Details

The Prize: Win a 16GB WiFi BlackBerry PlayBook + $100 in free PlayBook accessories from ShopCrackBerry.com

How to Enter: Just login to Crackberry and leave *single* a comment to this blog post! Tell us what you're loving about the PlayBook, OS 2.0 or CrackBerry!

The Details: Contest open worldwide. Contest #3 ends Wednesday, March 14th at Midnight PST.

Am I a BlackBerry fanboy? Yes, but you knew that already. In the last two weeks I have become an even bigger one thanks to the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software update.

Before the update, I was a fan of my PlayBook, but I didn't find myself using it on a daily basis. I kept it on an end table and it was more of a couch reader than anything else. I'd use it for quick web searches, maybe a game here and there and I'd typically pull it out and use Evernote when conjuring up dinner in the kitchen. Thanks to the PlayBook 2.0 software however, I've been carrying my PlayBook with me much more often. I find it leaves the house with me now and I'll carry it to and from my office. So this is my fanboy post about why I love my BlackBerry PlayBook now more than ever - how the native PIM apps didn't change that and why sideloading Android apps is awesome.

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Since upgrading to the new PlayBook OS 2.0, one of my new favorite features has to be Print To Go.  Previously previewed at CES 2012, Print To Go is a new feature in OS 2.0 that allows you to print your documents to your PlayBook instead of a traditional printer.

This convenient utility app converts your files into an encrypted PDF and wirelessly delivers them to your tablet via a secure wireless connection. With all the boarding passes, receipts, train tickets, and other paper I accumulate this is a great way to organize of my files without killing trees in the process. Click on the jump to learn more.

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