Believe it or not, there was a time where I wasn't a theme addict. It used to be I preferred the standard look with just an array of different personal wallpapers. I've come a long way since then and one of the reasons why is because of theme developers like BB-Freaks. From releasing the first theme that supported the Torch 9850/60 to letting us view the day of the week on our home screen wallpaper they are at it again using their creativity and coding skills to release another quality theme for all you theme lovers to enjoy no matter which device you own. Analog Clock OS7 series by BB-Freaks is one of their latest creations to hit the market and offers a simplistic and minimalist design to help you all day long.

This theme features not only their signature custom silver icon set, which I find rather cute and offers a nice balance against the dark wallpapers and color scheme, but also, as the name implies, an analog clock that stays on the background to let you know what time it is. Now while it does not feature a minute hand (that's the style, nothing is missing), the animated hour hand refreshes every thirty minutes and remains on the home screen even if you switch wallpapers. Whatever your feelings about the lack of a full clock, you can't deny that it offers a pleasant and user-friendly interface and is simple yet functional. It comes in five lovely colors with matching highlights and focus icons and features a small top banner and warning symbols as new message notification icons.

Analog is a smooth, clean, and professional looking theme that offers a great look for your device while still retaining the functionality of OS 7. There are no battery drains to speak of and it's sure to please all of their loyal followers and theme fans alike by adding a little bit of flare to their display. Analog is compatible with BlackBerry 9300/30/50/60/70/80,9650, 9700/80/90, 9800/10/50/60, and 9900/30/81 devices running OS6 and higher for $1.99.

More information / screenshots and to purchase Analog Purple Clock OS7
More information / screenshots and to purchase Analog Blue Clock OS7
More information / screenshots and to purchase Analog Red Clock OS7
More information / screenshots and to purchase Analog Hot Pink Clock OS7
More information / screenshots and to purchase Analog Green Clock OS7

The battery in my watch died about a year ago so I decided to just retire it to my nightstand drawer.  I'm never out of reach of my BlackBerry so it didn't really bother me nor was it something I spend much time dwelling on.  Last weekend I was up camping on an annual father-son trip we do with some other guys and I began thinking about this no watch situation.  One day while the boys were playing soccer the dad's were sitting abound and I asked if anyone knew the time.  There were about 8 of us around the campsite and the response was unanimous, "my phone is in the car."

At that moment it hit me, how many people use their smartphone or cellphone as their timepiece.  We all know our fearless leader CrackBerry Kevin is a huge (like huge ... HUGE) watch fan. While chatting on the phone with Kevin he admitted that his watch is jewelry and he uses his BlackBerry to tell him the time.

So we're interested in what the CrackBerry Nation has to say. Do you wear a watch, and if you do is it to tell you the time or is it just a piece of jewelry? Cast your vote and let us know, then sound off in the comments!

Following up on our CTIA 2011 quick looks at the BlackBerry PlayBook's native calculator and weather apps, next we dive into the PlayBook's native clock application. Tapping open the app there's a sense of recognition of the clock app as it is on BlackBerry Smartphones running OS 4.6 or greater (the black background, etc.), but from there you quickly realize this app has been seriously overhauled. Instead of being hidden behind the menu key, the Timer and StopWatch sub-apps are found easily on the main clock screen. And one feature that I REALLY love is the ability to create multiple clocks (different time zones, etc.)  and set multiple alarms. Very cool and very handy. 

On a side note, one of the things I re-realized today is the importance of the down swipe from the top on the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry Tablet OS. With the PlayBook not having a menu key as is in place on the traditional BlackBerry Smartphone OS, all of your off-screen/non-displayed options are become visible when you swipe down from the top. This gesture-based way of doing things is really nice as it maximizes screen real estate and keeps apps looking clean, but the trick is you do need to think/remember to do that quick swipe down in apps to see what options are available. If you never swipe down, you could miss a lot! 

Be sure to check out the video above for a closer look at the BlackBerry PlayBook's native clock app. Enjoy! 

It can be handy to see the clock on your BlackBerry while it's charging, whether it's at night or maybe during the day while you're at work and your device sits on your desk. Until now you were pretty much stuck with the standard analog or flip style clock that comes pre-loaded with your device's OS if you wanted to do this. Now there is a new app from Toysoft that allows you to customize the charging screen however you like.

AnimClock is basically an analog clock that comes pre-loaded with a few different skins you can choose from.  Where it gets interesting is that not only can you choose which skin you want, you can also choose to show either a static background from your own images, or you can have it rotate through images in a folder on your device. You can even choose to just have a color as the background. If you choose not to show an image, animClock will also show some information along with the skinned clock you picked. This information includes your battery percentage, battery temperature, and date/time. All of this info can be toggled on or off as well, so you only see what you want to see.

It doesn't end there. You can click a link in the application's menu to get more clock faces. This takes you to the Toysoft website, where they have a few more skins you can download as well as complete instructions and some awesome templates for making your own. The only catch I saw was that in order to have the app automatically open when you plug in your BlackBerry, you have to also purchase MegaAlarm. Otherwise, you can just open up animClock manually either when you plug in or whenever you want a screensaver to display.

AnimClock is compatible with most BlackBerry devices, and is available for just $0.99 in the CrackBerry store. There is a free trial as well, so if you're interested but unsure about it you can try before you buy.

• Check out animClock by Toysoft in the CrackBerry store >>

Last week we did a quick post on the native Clock app for BlackBerry where I re-discovered the built-in timer. While there are tons of keyboard shortcuts through the BlackBerry OS in Messages, Media Player and Browser apps, I had no idea there were a few within the clock as well. In addition to pressing the trackball/trackpad to get to the set alarm screen, as HolderBBcb pointed out in the comments, you can easily navigate between the clock, timer, bedside mode and stopwatch with the clock app by pressing C, T, B and S respectively. Just a cool tip that helps to speed things up a bit and adds to the quick shortcuts of other native BlackBerry applications. Are you a BlackBerry shortcut wizard? Leave a comment and let us know of any of the lesser known ones you use and think others may find useful. 

• BlackBerry 101: Beginners Guide to Keyboard Shortcuts >>

I'm always amazed when I find something new buried in the native applications on my device. Over the weekend I was playing around with the clock and discovered the built-in timer for the first time (yes, seriously). I knew about the stopwatch function, but somehow never realized there was a timer there as well. I've used the alarm itself as a timer tons and tons of times, doing crazy math to get it set when I needed. So needless to say, after stumbling across the timer feature I'm relieved that my alarm woes are gone. Tag-team this with the awesome Bedside Mode and the clock is one of my most used applications. I apologize if this is a "no-brainer" to some users, but I figured if I didn't know it was there then there must be others who didn't realize it either. Hit the video below for a quick look at the alarm, timer and stopwatch functions within the clock application.

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Marcus from Versatile Monkey, the creator of Podtrapper for BlackBerry, has just released a new beta application for you all to check out. VersaTool is a collection of tools all wrapped into one small application which is nice and lightweight. It features all the little functions your BlackBerry has or you wish it had in one spot. Be it the ability to start apps as your BlackBerry boots, down to creating an auto reply for emails right from your BlackBerry, to doing unit conversions on the fly - VersaTool has you covered. Read on after the jump for the full functions list and how you can help out with this new beta app.

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Chances are, if you can read a Binary clock you have no problems with being called a geek. Phrenck, has taken care of your geekiest time needs with his latest app. The free binary clock is now available for download and is supported by any BlackBerry smartphone with a color screen. The "pulsating" dots allow for accurate time reading but just in case you get lost, pressing the menu key will bring up your values to cheat with. If you wanna learn more about how to read a binary clock you can check out the WikiHow article.

• Click Here To Download The Free Binary Clock For BlackBerry>>