Back in September of last year, we took a look at a monitoring application called SystemDash. What was it monitoring? Why your battery level, on top of allowing you to clean/boost your BlackBerry smartphone memory, see availability of radio, WiFi and camera availability based on the battery level, and see which apps and processes are running - including those running in the background. It proved to be a reliable application for users who want to be alerted when the battery dips below a specific threshold.

Since that time, the developer, Mobato Ltd, decided to rename SystemDash to Battery Pack, as it is more of a reflection of the core functionality of the application. Keep in mind that the features and tools mentioned above do still exist in Battery Pack, as well. Along with the rebranding, Battery Pack comes in toting a tonne of new features in its update to version 2.4.0. On top of sporting OS 7.1 support, check out what’s new in 2.4.0:

• Home screen icon displays a battery along with the battery percentage (as well as a charging indicator if charging).
• Battery alert popups now display a nice color battery icon; giving quick feedback about the battery status.
• Simplified alerts by giving each one an ‘Enabled’ or ‘Disabled’ option only. The available alerts are: full, low & critical battery and automatic memory boost.
• The tools dialog has been more streamlined, so that the available tools are now in a drop down list instead of buttons, making it much easier to understand the available options.
• Misc improvements & fixes

When it was SystemDash, the app only offered you to choose a pop up notification, a sound notification or both. You may not think that it was a big deal, but consider this: when a sound notification was selected, you would have to open up the application and then dismiss the sound/LED alert each and every time it would go off. With the update to Battery Pack, popups are always displayed if an alert is set to ‘Enabled’, so the alert can be dismissed much more easily. Mobato has also provided a quick guide to get to know the application before you buy it. Speaking of purchasing Battery Pack, the price has been reduced from $1.99 to $0.99 for a limited time.

Contest: We have 25 copies of Battery pack to give away. All you have to is leave a comment in the post to be entered. Contest ends Sunday, April 8th 2012, at Midnight PST.

More information/download of Battery Pack for BlackBerry smartphones

When it comes to choosing a theme for your device, sometimes less is more. Instead of cluttering up the home screen why not call attention to your favorite wallpapers and spruce up that brilliant display? Bbthemelab's latest release takes your home screen up a notch and adds a little bit of color without detracting from the display and the background.

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If you're looking for some fresh ideas for the bedroom you're going to want to check out GetSome Positions by CoinFlip Apps. Now, we're not talking about interior design ideas here; this app provides you with over 70 positions to use with a partner to spice up your love life. You can browse through the 8 categories and pick out what you want to try, or walk on the wild side and go for the random option and let the app choose for you. Simple illustrations and humorous text will help guide you, and while some of the positions are probably familiar, you're likely to find plenty of ideas to keep you busy.

GetSome Positions is an adult app, obviously, so you're not going to want to let the kids play around with it. Available for most BlackBerry devices, you can grab the app for just $1.99 in BlackBerry App World. So, next time you're in a tight spot and need some inspiration, just whip out your BlackBerry and give GetSome Positions a go!

Contest: CoinFlip Apps has given us 25 copies of GetSome Positions to pass on to you guys, so if you'd like to try your hand at winning a free copy, leave a comment below! Contest ends Sunday at midnight PST. Good luck!

For more information and to purchase GetSome Positions for BlackBerry

Hey folks welcome to another edition of our theme roundup. If you developed a theme you want to share or see featured in the contest or discovered a really great one out there by all means shoot it on over to us! Submit your tips and suggestions to themeroundup[at]crackberry.com for consideration. I hope you enjoy this week's picks so be sure to click on the jump to check them out plus enter to win a free copy of Minimo for 96/97x0 Bold series by Bluemax413.

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CAMultimate by Prettyfang is an application that is basically designed as an all-inclusive UI for your BlackBerry camera. There are several apps out there that can ramp up those pictures but none with as many options available in CAMultimate. You’ll be creating your own Ansel Adams like masterpieces in no time!

I'm not big on taking pictures with my BlackBerry device aside from the candid shots of little girl when we're out and about. Since I installed CAMultimate I've become the paparrazzi in our family. A really cool function built in the burst feature is that it takes 3 camera shots in succession. This really comes in handy with my active 4 year old who is always on the go and constantly fidgets. A cool feature I found is that I can take a normal photo and then apply any effect I want at anytime, or just choose an effect I like and my next photo will have that effect applied automatically! This app is so much fun to use that you'll find yourself taking pics just to pay around with the special effects. Hit the break for more information about the app and how to win a copy for yourself!

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Cross platform messaging apps have become a dime a dozen lately and very few seem to really catch on. MCI Consultants, the creators of Cnectd, are looking to change that with a pretty sweet deal.

We first mentioned Cnectd back in May of 2010 when the app was still in the beta stages and then revisited it a year later. While many users liked the app, it was overshadowed by some of the bigger competitors like LiveProfile and WhatsApp mainly due to the understated UI. This latest update brings Cnectd to v3.2. 

Features

• Cnected allows you to see when your messages have been sent, delivered and read.
• Cross-Platform service available to Android, BlackBerry and iOS users.
• Share media with your contacts or groups.
• Group chats are easy to follow the conversation with different color chat bubbles.
• Connect and sync with your Facebook contacts that are also using Cnectd.
• Compression and Security – compression and encryption technology sends your messages quickly while ensuring no personal data is compromised.
• Personal Profile – Each user has their own personal profile including a picture, status updates and a display name.

All in all this sounds just like some of the other cross-platform applications that we’ve covered but what truly makes this one different and what good is a messaging app that you have to pay for when none of your friends are using it? With Cnectd, you purchase your license code for $2.99 (good for a year) and receive 2 additional license codes for your friends or family. $3 for 3 user licenses really isn’t a bad deal. If you’re a multiple platform household like mine is, this may be exactly what you were looking for. You can also purchase bulk licensing (20 or more) at a discounted price. This option is perfect for small businesses. 

Contest: The generous people over at MCI Consultants have graciously given us 100 FREE license codes to give out to our awesome readers. Remember, each license code comes with 2 FREE codes that you can give to your friends essentially making this giveaway for 300 people! All you need to do is leave a comment below and you’re entered to win! Contest ends Sunday at midnight.

For more information and to purchase Cnectd

Are you in the US or Canada and looking for a shot at winning a free BlackBerry Bold 9900? The BlackBerry Twitter team announced they are running a contest, giving away a Bold 9900 every day until May 31, 2012. Yes that's right, there are 70 BlackBerry Bold 9900s up for grabs! All you have to do to enter is either scan the barcode at the link below to add the contest as a BBM friend, or send a PIN message to 296446FA making sure to reference “BeBold” and confirm your intention to enter the Contest in your message. Not a current BlackBerry owner? You can still enter by mailing in an entry. (Full details can be found at the link below.) They will choose one winner per day and notify them via BBM or phone. Be sure to read the full rules and regulations, then get to adding!

My only question is, how is the device they are using holding up under the stress of all those adds? We all remember what happened awhile back when Kevin did the BBM Stress Test. Hopefully whatever BlackBerry they are using can handle the pressure.

More information on the contest

Back in January we were introduced to a very original BlackBerry application from MMMOOO called MMMOOO Gif. The idea behind the application was rather simple, you could create a gif right from your device, and even make some minor edits to it. While creating a gif on your device is fun, and they could be shared with friends, wouldn't it be more fun to be able to set them as your avatar on BlackBerry Messenger? As you know recent updates to BBM make it so that a gif can be used as an avatar, and now you can create your own.

Once you launch the application you will have two options, one for a regular gif, and the other for a 100x100, which can be used as a BBM avatar. From here all that is needed is to film what you what to use, edit if you wish and then save it. Once saved you can then set this as your new BBM avatar with ease. Creating and setting a new gif takes only seconds, and allows you to keep it custom and constantly changing. The developers at MMMOOO are constantly seeking feedback on the application and using each comment to improve the application, so be sure to drop some feedback in BlackBerry AppWorld after you pick up a copy for yourself from the link below.

Contest: We have 25 free copies of MMMOOO Gif to give away this week, courtesy of MMMOOO. You know what to do if you want to win: leave a comment below. One entry per person, contest ends Sunday at midnight PST. Don't want to try your luck? You can download the free version or buy the premium at the links below.

More information/download MMMOOO Gif Free
More information/purchase MMMOOO Gif Premium

One of the reasons why I love my BlackBerry Bold is because of its amazing display. Though at times it's hidden behind icons, the top banner, and notifications. Don't you wish there was a way to maximize the display without losing access to your most used applications? Forums member Bluemax413 has come up with a solution to your wallpaper woes and developed a simple and minimalistic theme called Minimo. It takes full advantage of your screen's real estate to let your various backgrounds show through.

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"Like many families, mine is a multi-platform mobile device household. Thankfully there are chargers like the Qmadix USB Mobile Duo for the car that keep our batteries full."

Picture a 16 hour car trip with your Blackberry device, a spouse and his iPhone 4s, two teenagers both with BlackBerry devices, iPods and gaming consoles. Now add to the mix a four year old that refuses to sit in a car for longer than 15 minutes without her DVD player on or my BlackBerry PlayBook in her hand. Usually this wouldn’t be a bad thing. Everyone is occupied with a device and the car ride is pretty peaceful. The problem starts when devices start the low battery warning all at the same time and my SUV only has 3 power outlets. Welcome to my personal nightmare. The husband and I fight over who charges their phone first, one teenager and the four year old bicker because to charge his devices he’d have to unplug her DVD player and one teenager in the back enjoying an outlet all to herself. Keep reading for the review.

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It's Health & Fitness Month at Mobile Nations!

"The Arkon Handlebar Mount with Water Resistant Holder is a versatile option for keeping your BlackBerry or other device handy while on the move."

If you are an avid bicycler or motorcycle rider, you may wonder where to put your BlackBerry while you're riding. Tucking it away in a pocket or compartment works just fine most of the time, but what about when you need to see your screen for GPS, maps, music, or a workout app like Endomondo? The Arkon Handlebar Mount with Water Resistant Holder is a great solution to this situation. This sleek, removable case not only keeps your BlackBerry (or other device) in plain view, it also protects it from the weather, dust, and scratches.

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With BlackBerry 6 RIM introduced a new way to search your device called Universal Search. We had the option to use our voice or text to do the heavy lifting. While it has filled a void that BlackBerry users have experienced for some time, there are still improvements to be had. OldSearch from QuiteSimple apps aims to step in and give you some of those improvements by offering the ability to search not only fields in a contact but also your tasks, calendar and email which extends the functionality of the built in search on your BlackBerry.

Features:

• Full integration with Universal Search - just type the keyword and click on OldSearch icon to get the search results
• Search in Memo body, Task Body, Calendar note, Contacts note
• Extended Contacts search - search in address, emails, job title, phones and all other fields (now you can easily find all your contacts who live in Texas for example)
• Message search (subject, body, to/from fields)
• Adjust and limit search categories in Options
• OS7.0 support

OldSearch is now available in BlackBerry App World for $2.99, which is a steal for the amount of time you’ll save using it. But this wouldn’t be CrackBerry if we didn’t have a giveaway in store. 

Contest: We’ve teamed up with QuiteSimple apps to hold a contest for 50 copies of their new search application. All you need to do is leave a comment below and you’re well on your way to searching faster and more efficiently with your BlackBerry. Contest ends Sunday at midnight.

More information/download of Old Search

"The SanDisk 32GB microSDHC card offers maximumum storage for your BlackBerry device and is perfect for die hard media users"

Fitness month is in full swing here at Mobile Nations and when creating a daily fitness routine how could I not include my BlackBerry? It's a permanent fixture during my workout for many reasons but most importantly: MUSIC! There's no way I'm stepping onto a treadmill or hopping on a bike without my ear-splitting, heart pounding, let's get this party started tunes. I'm nothing but a weakling standing on two sticks who'll fall off the machine (which I've done by the way) if I can't time each step with the bass beats of certain songs.

That's why I create playlists in my music library that are tailored to my specific workout and its duration. Trouble is there's a small little issue of storage when it comes to porting over my media library. The device's built-in memory and the 4GB SD card that came with my Torch 9800 just isn't enough. I decided to take the plunge and go all the way with a 32GB. My friends called me crazy, I said bring it on. With all of my custom ringtones, personal documents, cached radio stations, and my workout playlists there's no such thing as too much memory. 

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 Enter to win a free copy of Animated Winter Glow by BBMagic! Details below!

Hey folks welcome to another edition of our theme roundup. If you developed a theme you want to share or see featured in the contest or discovered a really great one out there by all means shoot it on over to us! Submit your tips and suggestions to themeroundup[at]crackberry.com for consideration. I hope you enjoy this week's picks so be sure to click on the jump to check them out plus enter to win a free copy of Animated Winter Glow by BBMagic.

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Having options is something that just about everyone loves, options of wallpapers, ringtones, but how about having more than just the default options for unlocking and locking your device? Last week Adam took a look at Easy Lock Pro and while it is a great option for many, we wanted some more variety, right? Luckily for us another great option that is feature loaded is Unlock Pro by the folks at MMMOOO, and it is a great alternative lock option for your device. Featuring three different lock screen options, the ability to customize what is displayed, and what wallpaper is shown, allows for it to fit the needs of a wide user base.

Whether you want a lock screen that allows you to slide to unlock, or pull down to unlock or if you want the ability to quickly launch into camera and other options, Unlock Pro is a great choice for you. The developers have put a ton of time and hard work into making the application well polished, and while there are still a few minor display kinks to work out, they are ready for feedback and willing to listen to ideas. There is a free version which offers just one of the three lock screens, but the paid version which unlocks the other two and all the other features will only run you $1.99. Be sure to hit the link below and check it out for yourself!

Contest: The fine folks at MMMOOO have offered up 25 copies of the full application, featuring all three lock screen options and all the features. All you have to do is simply leave a comment on this post. Contest ends Sunday, limit one entry per person.

More information / download of Unlock Pro by MMMOOO