We here at CrackBerry use Evernote quite a bit, and we know that many of our readers do as well. While the app is available for both BlackBerry smartphones and the BlackBerry PlayBook, it is pretty well known that since PlayBook OS 2.0 was released, that version of the app has serious issues that makes it virtually unusable on the tablet, which is disappointing to say the least. There appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel though, as Evernote took to their blog earlier this week to update PlayBook users on the progress of the updated version.

Continue reading article

Need to send out last minute party invites? Forgot to get that birthday card in the mail? No problem when you have j4funzies. This fun application allows you to send cool animated (or non-animated) greetings to your friends and family from your BlackBerry device (OS 5 or higher). The app itself is FREE and the greetings range from FREE to $1.99. There are numerous holidays, special event greetings and everyday type sentiments.

Features

• Send greetings via SMS, email or PIN
• Holidays, Personal Occasions, Casual and Invitation greetings with more added all the time
• Both animated and non-animated greetings available

Make someone's day by sending them an animated greeting with j4funzies. I’ve used j4funzies to send birthday party invitations, a few Mother’s Day greetings as well as random little notes to my kids and husband. It's a great way to send a short note just to let someone know you're thinking of them.

For more information / download j4funzies

If you use eBuddy XMS on your BlackBerry as a cross-platform messenger, you will be happy to learn that a new version has been released that not only adds support for older OS' (4.6 and above) but also group messaging! You can now chat with up to 30 of your friends at once, whether they are on BlackBerry, iOS, Android, Windows phones, or Nokia. They even have a desktop application, so if you don't feel like picking up your phone you don't have to.

If you don't currently have an app for cross-platform messaging, or maybe you're looking for something new to try, eBuddy XMS has a lot of features you might enjoy. XMS users in your phone book are automatically added to your XMS contact list, and you can link your Facebook account to find more friends. Messages also have sent and read indicators, (a la BBM) so you always know the status of your message. And since the messages are sent via your internet connection, you don't have to worry about texting overages or extra fees. You can find eBuddy XMS in BlackBerry App World for free at the link below, and for other platforms simply visit ebuddyxms.com.

More information/download eBuddy XMS

It was less than a month ago that we saw a new pack added to Scrapbook for the BlackBerry PlayBook, but here we are with a new one available! This one is called 3D, and comes with four new backgrounds and nine new stickers that you can use to create fun new scrapbook pages. You can download Scrapbook for free in BlackBerry App World, but if you're just looking for the new theme pack, it's available from within the app itself. Just open it up and you should see an asterisk on the packs tab on the right hand side.

After you've checked out the new additions, don't forget to share your creations with CrackBerry nation for a chance at a prize! (We are announcing winners tomorrow from the past few weeks, so watch the blogs if you've already entered!)

More information/download Scrapbook for the BlackBerry PlayBook

Evernote is one of the CrackBerry staff's favorite apps, and it's really no wonder why. It's versatile, easy to use, and cross platform syncing ensures that you'll always have your stuff when you need it, no matter what device you're on. Evernote also receives fairly frequent updates, and today's update brings the BlackBerry app to v3.5.407. While not a huge jump from the last version, this one does have a couple of important fixes.

• Fix issue with BES blocking any connection
• Fix issue on note loading blocking syncing

Make sure if you have the app installed on your BlackBerry you head over to App World and grab the update. And if you aren't currently an Evernote user, you can use the link below to rectify that.

More information/download Evernote for BlackBerry

Research In Motion and MyCityWay have launched MyCityWay on the BlackBerry PlayBook, an application to help you get around and have a little fun at the same time. If you are looking around town for that new hotspot, directions to a hotel, or to get tickets for that new blockbuster movie, you may just want to check out this new app for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Be the urban legend you always wanted to be:

• Have the first app that offers a personalized all-access snapshot of the city, instantly connecting you to all the up-to-the-minute usable information you crave. Know all the city’s hotspots and restaurants
• Keep up-to date with local news and the latest deals
• Stream live traffic cameras and avoid those bottlenecks Find the cheapest gas prices, the hottest sales, or upcoming events and concerts in your neighborhood

MyCityWay on the PlayBook gives you access to local weather, news, dining, and even movie times. There are some current limitations, and the service is only available to those in NYC, L.A., San Francisco, London, and India. Hopefully development will continue to include more cities from around the globe in the near future. MyCityWay is now available and can be downloaded from BlackBerry App World for the PlayBook for free with BlackBerry 10 support coming later this year. You can continue reading for the full press release.

Download MyCityWay for the BlackBerry PlayBook
Learn more about MyCityWay

Continue reading article

To be quite honest, it is about time that a mobile payment company decided to bring their application to BlackBerry considering how many business users are out there, and how much potential there is for the applicaiton on the platform. Yesterday PayAnywhere, a mobile payment processing company, announced their new BlackBerry application which will allow people to accept payments while on the go. There are several other applications and accessories which aim to do the same, but PayAnywhere has taken it to the next level. Not only have they come in with the lowest rate in the industry for processing fees, but from what I have seen in using the others available for other platforms, they also have incorporated the most features by far.

BlackBerry users can now easily create receipts, accept payments, and more while on the go right from their beloved BlackBerry device. No business is to large or to small for PayAnywhere, so if you are interested in accepting payments while on the go, be sure to hit the break and check it out in action, and get one for yourself today!

Continue reading article

If you're a BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphone owner you'll be happy to hear that BlackBerry Bridge has just received an update to v2.0.0.30. The change log is short on this one listing only a fix for predictive text issues on PlayBook OS 2.0.1, but I know some of you out there have been anxiously waiting for this to be resolved. Now, as we all know, a Bridge update is usually followed close behind by a PlayBook OS update but whether or not that's the case this time around, I guess time will tell.

The update should be available for most of you in BlackBerry App World, but if not you can try refreshing with ALT+R,S,T or just sit tight and wait for it to be pushed to your device.

More information/download BlackBerry Bridge

While an update to Twitter for BlackBerry isn’t the news we’re waiting for from BlackBerry World and BlackBerry Jam, it’s still a nice treat for Monday morning. RIM has pushed version 3.0.0.24 of their Twitter app out. The new version is mostly bug fixes but also they’ve reenabled a couple of features that were turned off in the latest build.

Updates in version 3.0.0.24

• Fixed error preventing some users from launching app

• Fixed a freezing issue that some users encountered when becoming BBM connected

• Limited valid username characters when signing up for new Twitter account

• Re-enabled Profile Location mapping for latitude/longitude coordinates

• Fix continuous loading bug when encountering certain tweets

The update should be available to most users today, but if you are impatient and really looking to get in on the latest version of Twitter for BlackBerry, doing the alt+R,S,T trick within App World should refresh your applications and help you have the update faster.

Download Twitter for BlackBerry

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

I was just thinking the other day it would be nice to get a new sticker pack for the Scrapbook app on the BlackBerry Playbook in time for Mother's and Father's Day, and look what popped up last night? That's right, a new sticker/background pack is available to download. This time around the theme is called Cut-Outs and features hand-drawn stickers and backgrounds. All you have to do to get it is open up the app and you should see it available with the other packs. After you've checked out the new additions, don't forget to share your creations with CrackBerry nation for a chance at a prize!

Scrapbook is a free app for the PlayBook that was designed by The Astonishing Tribe (TAT). I think it's a fun app to use, and it's so simple even the kids can enjoy making pages to share. There are a few things I would like to see added to the Scrapbook app, like the ability to edit pages once you save them, and I would like to be able to resize stickers. Maybe a future update will bring us these additional options.

More information/download Scrapbook for the BlackBerry

If you are a fashion professional, you may have heard of Trendstop at some point in your career. They provide access to seasonal trend reports, trend forecasts and which key items you need to have. Through an online subscription, you can enjoy trend theme layouts, trend innovator analysis and much more. There is a free BlackBerry smartphone application already live in BlackBerry App World that provides fashion news on the go called Trendstop Fashion TrendTracker. Whether it’s hi-res videos, image or news feeds on fashion trends, or sharing trends through your Facebook, Twitter or email account, you’ll easily stay on track with what’s hot now, and what you should expect to be hot in the future. Recently, Trendstop and their mobile app developer partner Amoja Limited, have introduced a premium version of their mobile offering.

“From the wonderful feedback we have received from our most active Blackberry users, we have discovered there is an appetite for more fashion coverage, more galleries, and more looks. By offering a Premium version of our Fashion TrendTracker for Blackberry users, Trendstop.com is connecting Blackberry users from around the world with the most up-to-date fashion forecasts and trends for a price that is right,” says Jaana Jatyri, Trendstop.com’s Founder.

The premium version is available and builds upon what their free app has already done. The free application will still be available if it suits you. Premium subscribers will enjoy:

• Complete access to Trendstop.com’s most exclusive features.
• 20+ premium trends throughout the month.
• 10+ exclusive premium news stories throughout the month.
• All looks from Fall/Winter 2012-2013 designer shows.
• Trend-worthy influential Editor’s picks.
• Full screen image showing more views of each featured news items and trend.

The premium app is said to be aimed at trend-conscious consumers and professionals. You can grab the Trendstop Fashion TrendTracker application for free from BlackBerry App World. Read the official press release after the jump.

More information/Download Trendstop Fashion TrendTracker for BlackBerry smartphones

Continue reading article

If you were a fan of Sketch w Friends before, prepare yourself to be blow away by version 2.0. Early this morning the developer took to the forums to let us know that they have made version 2.0 available to the masses and wow, have they changed the game with this. The developers have added a number of new features to enhace the game play, along with adding even more rooms for the free users. Included in the new update is -

• Friends & Family: Private Rooms where you can invite your Facebook friends to play, with a maximum limit of 8 people per room. This feature is available only for paid users.
• Artistry: A special drawing zone where you can draw at length and share your sketches on Facebook and Twitter. We are planning on hosting some contests around this feature on our Facebook page so start sharpening your drawing skills right away and make sure you are connected to us on Facebook
• Me vs Bot: Not in a mood to draw? No worries; brush up your gaming skills against our friendly robot and have fun!
• Moderation System: Users will now be allowed to ban other players only when they unlock the Moderator or the Super Moderator levels. These are special privileges awarded to fair players based on several parameters. Oh and did we say, if you don’t play fair your level keeps downgrading automatically
• Clues for guessing the word.
• Color Palette: An all new color palette with a whole range of colors including the color brown.

If you currently have Sketch w Friends installed be sure to grab the update, and if you have yet to try it out, you will definitely want to do so today!

For more information and to download Sketch with Friends
For more information and to purchase Sketch with Friends

Every business person needs that constant connection to the world and to their business. While we all know that the BlackBerry is the best device for doing that, there are a few applications that could make it just that much better, and this is where GroundLink enters into the picture. GroundLink for BlackBerry smartphones is an application that allows you to get almost any time of ground transportation and book it.  The app lets you connect to their service with is fuelled by some of the top transportation providers in the world like Expedia, Jetblue, Kayak, and a whole bunch more.

Use the GroundLink app to:

• Book a ride: Ride Now, Ride Later
• View a fully transparent list of all charges before you book
• Watch while your driver is assigned
• Track your driver en-route
• Share your progress with friends
• Rate your driver
• View your ride history

While some of you may be reading this thinking that they offer a lot of the same things that have been made available to the BlackBerry Travel app, there is one key differentiator.  The key difference with GroundLink is that they are able to tell you when your taxi or limo will be at your location, something vital to those who are always on the go. GroundLink can be found in BlackBerry App World as a free download and if GroundLink isn’t your thing let us know in the comments how your BlackBerry helps you travel.

Download GroundLink for BlackBerry Smartphones

A few weeks back we told you about a new app for BlackBerry that allowed you to simply take photos of business cards and then with the magic of real people that business card would be transcribed into a real contact and sent back to your BlackBerry smartphone to be placed into your contact list. While many of CrackBerry Nation thought this was a good idea, many also thought there were places that needed improvement. The team from Card2Contact listened and came back with version 3.0 of their application.

What’s new in 3.0

• Enhanced Contacts page.
• You can view the business cards that you have uploaded and find its processing status.
• Easy navigation (Touch or button click) for scrolling the business cards.
• In App Email feature to the users.
• Enhanced Home page design.
• Support page to provide your comments and request for a credit back.

Not only did they make some changes to the application itself, they also added a more friendly pricing structure. In the new pricing structure you get 15 credits for $4.99, 35 credits for $9.99, and 75 credits for $19.99. If you are frequently adding contacts to your BlackBerry via business cards you’ll for sure want to check out Card2Contact in BlackBerry App World.

Get information/download Card2Contact for BlackBerry