The folks over at Hedone Design let us know that their first application for the BlackBerry PlayBook under the name i-Mentlist, called VCMS (Vehicle Counters and Monitoring System) has been updated to v2.0. This new version not only adds some interesting new features but also brings support for BlackBerry 7 devices as well.

For those unfamiliar with VCMS, this is a GPS based application that displays all the information you'll ever need on the road, water, or in the sky all with its elegant design and eye-catching dials. While it already features a compass, speed meter, two trip counters, location and time, just to name a few, it now includes the following updates:

• Lap timer
• Social networks (including BBM on BB7 devices)
• Statistics (you can export it and import them to Google maps, or similar and check your routes)
• Maximum speed
• Average speed
• Speed alarms (yes, not alarm but alarms)

VCMS is compatible with BlackBerry 9220, 9350/60/70/80/90, 9790, 9810/50/60, 9900/30/81 and the BlackBerry PlayBook running OS 1.0 and higher. You can find it at the link below for $2.99 in BlackBerry App World.

More information/screenshots and to purchase VCMS
Discuss VCMS for BlackBerry 7 devices in the forums
Discuss VCMS updated to 2.0 in the forums

With busy schedules it can be very hard to manage your daily phone calls without appearing to be rude or ignoring the people who are trying to contact you. Whether in a meeting, on a flight, or just spending some time with the family everyone needs some time to be able to put down their phone, and live life a little. Talk to You Later is a new application from the folks at i-Mentalist, and while basic in concept it is a very useful application. 

The idea behind the application is to allow you to respond to phone calls without having to actually answer them which is a huge convenience for many of us. Once setting Talk to You Later up you will have the option to have an autoresponder on that will respond to any missed call with a message, which is perfect for times when you are in a meeting, or spending time with the family or any other time you are not with your phone. In addition they have included the ability to send a message from a pre-definted list after ignoring a call, so if you are running short on time and just can't take the call you can let them know with a simple click of a button. 

Beyond being able to monitor your calls on the go, you can take it one step further and create a junk list to prevent the phone from even ringing when those numbers call. Setting the junk list up can be done from either the call log or address book, and only takes a few simple clicks. For only 99 cents, this application is definitely something that many people will find a great deal of value in. Be sure to hit the link below and grab a copy for yourself.

More information and to purchase Talk to You Later

Anyone can make an application. No, really. I think anyone can make an application if given enough time and resources. But to make an app that is not only functional and useful, but also beautiful, now that takes talent. One of the best at doing just that is the team over at i-Mentalist. A few months back Hedone Design extended their development from BlackBerry themes into applications under the name i-Mentalist, bringing all of the talent and attention to detail to the new venture.

The latest release from i-Mentalist, and their first application for the BlackBerry PlayBook, is called VCMS - short for Vehicle Counters and Monitoring System. This app shows you information you may not have thought your PlayBook could bring you, and includes compass, odometer, altitude, latitude/longitude, and speedometer. Using the GPS built in to the PlayBook, you can easily see your current altitude (in feet or meters), speed (in kph, mph, or knots), and keep track of distance for dual trips (in km, ft, nmi). VCMS even shows you the current time and date.

You may think this is too much information to be crammed onto your screen, and there is no way that it could look nice, right? Wrong. The design is elegant and eye-catching whether in day or night mode, and even a little hypnotizing at times. The colors are perfectly coordinated and the dials and gauges are crafted to perfection. Whether you spend a lot of time in the car, on your bike, in a plane or on a boat, you will turn to this app again and again for information. You can have VCMS on your PlayBook for $2.99. You can check out a couple screenshots after the break and buy it at the link below.

More information/screenshots and purchase VCMS

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Hedone Design knocks it out of the park again with their latest theme, Carbon. Featuring all of the style and class you expect from this developer combined with ultra-functionality, you're not only buying a theme, you're investing in a piece of art. Carbon fiber backgrounds are the perfect setting for the orange, gray, and blue splashes of color, making important features pop. Two home screens ensure that you can have the style that suites you best, either minimalistic with one user customizable icon surrounded by time, date, and important info - or an uber slick circular dock surrounding that same single icon. This amazing dock is like no other, with text based icons radiating out from the center, with sub-menus nestled hidden within. To add separation and definition to the layout, Hedone Design created curved battery and signal meters, encircling the middle icon.

Carbon is available for $7.99 and is compatible with most BlackBerry smartphones. Please remember, BlackBerry OS 7 devices do not have themes available yet as RIM has not released the updated Theme Studio.

More information/screenshots and to purchase Carbon

What do you get when you combine fresh ideas with unique graphics, toss them together with hand-coded precision, and top it all off with a heavy dose of attention to detail? You get a new theme from Hedone Design, that's what! Wakai is their latest offering, and it is all of the above and more. Leave it to them to design a home screen full of useful features while maintaining a clean and open feel. Don't be afraid to try out different wallpapers with this theme, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how many actually work well with the layout.

The vertical text dock on the home screen actually expand to reveal applications, the majority of which are also text with the exception being the Favorites menu, which opens to reveal a hidden dock of your first 8 icons from the application screen. This is easy to get used to and quite intuitive to use. The clock sits in front of two semi-transparent numbers which represent your battery and signal meters. Wakai is very pleasing with green accents throughout the theme that are soothing and stand out well. Wakai is available for $6.99 and is compatible with BlackBerry 8330/50i, 85xx, 89xx, 9000, 93xx, 95xx, 9630/50, and 9800. From now until May 18, 2011, CrackBerry users can get Wakai for 50% off with coupon code CBWA527! Make sure you are buying the theme ON YOUR BLACKBERRY from the link below. Add it to your cart, enter the coupon code, hit update and wait for the page to reload to reflect the discount. It's as easy as that. Thanks Hedone!

For more information/screenshots and to purchase Wakai

You know Hedone Design for their awesome themes, and now you get to see a different side of their creativity. Their newest venture is app development under the name i-Mentalist, and their first offering is HiWiFi which was designed to save you money and make connecting to wifi hotspots easy and automatic. HiWiFi is a powerful wireless network manager. It provides automatic WLAN connection and informs you about available WLANs. With HiWiFi you can avoid using your data plan to help save money while roaming. You can save your favorite hotspots for automatic connection and be alerted by LED indicator when you are connected to a hotspot.

HiWiFi has two operating modes – Connect mode, which is default, and Watch mode which can be chosen in the Options menu. While in Connect mode, you will be automatically connected to any available hotspots, with preference given to the one with the strongest signal if there are multiple available.  Watch mode simply scans the area for hotspots, but it won't automatically connect to open ones. Depending on the type of hotspots found, they will be marked with a green circle (open and available hotspot), yellow circle (blocked hotspot that requires log in), or red circle (protected and unavailable hotspot). Untested hotspots are ones that have been found but HiWiFi has not yet determined the type, and are marked with a grey circle.

If you travel frequently, use roaming, or even just around town, this can be a very valuable tool for your BlackBerry. Wouldn't it be nice to worry less about how much data you have left for the month, and spend less time searching for wifi when you're out? Let HiWiFi do the work for you. HiWiFi is available for $8.99 and is compatible with BlackBerry 8220/30, 8330, 8350i, 8520/30, 89xx, 9000, 9300/30, 9520/50, 9650/70, 97xx, and 9800.

For more information and to purchase HiWiFi

If you frequent the CrackBerry blogs, then undoubtably you have seen themes from Hedone Design. They've produced many popular themes, and one reason they are so well received is the incredible attention that is paid to every detail of their work. The latest release from Hedone Design is called PSHD, and is their homage to Sony and the Playstation interface. If you have experience with the PS3, then I'm sure you recognized this right off without me telling you.

The home screen experience on PSHD closely mimics that of the PS3. Five columns across your screen give you access to different categories of icons. Favorites is the first, and allows you to place your choice of icons under it. The next column is Media, third you have the Phone column, Web is the 4th column and Utilities is the last. That's a total of 20 icons (25 on non-touch devices as each column has an additional icon) within easy reach on your home screen, yet placed in a way that doesn't clutter it up. The battery meter is custom and changes from green to red as your battery level drops. Keyboard shortcuts are also included.

PSHD is a great theme, sure to please both gamers and those of you who just like having something unique and easy to use on your BlackBerry. I want to point out that this theme is fast, as it was entirely hand coded, ensuring a flawlessly smooth user experience. You can grab it today for $6.99 in the CrackBerry store for your BlackBerry Bold 9000, Bold/Tour 96xx, Bold 97xx, Curve 8350i, Curve 85xx, Curve 89xx, Curve 93xx 3G, Storm 95xx, and Torch 9800 (OS 5.0 - 6.0 only.)

For more information/screenshots and to purchase PSHD

Everyone is itching to get their hands on RIM's latest venture the BlackBerry PlayBook. No date has been set firmly for its release, with the expected time frame being early 2011. The closest we can come at this time to having a PlayBook is installing a PlayBook replica theme on our current BlackBerry smartphones. There have been several of these released, each one doing their best to simulate what the look and feel of the PlayBook may bring to us.

The latest of these themes is called GoPlay, brought to you by none other than Hedone Design. Known for their impeccable attention to detail, Hedone Design has done a fantastic job bringing the PlayBook UI to your BlackBerry. Your home screen gives you fast access to a total of 15 icons: five fixed icons in the top section of your screen (Messages, BBM, Browser, Pictures, Music, and Videos), five user selected icons under the Frequent tab and five under the Favorite tab. The theme runs smoothly with no lag and all graphics are crystal clear and sharp looking.

If you are one of the many many people waiting anxiously for the BlackBerry PlayBook to be release, or if you just really like the look of BB6 and want a theme to reflect that (whether you currently run BB6 on your device or not) you will definitely want to pick this theme up. It is currently on sale until the end of the year for just $3.99 and is compatible with BlackBerry 85xx, 89xx, 9000, 91xx, 95xx, 9700, and 9800. All devices must be running OS 5.0, with the exception of the Torch 9800.

For more information/screenshots and to purchase GoPlay

Hedone Design has a pretty awesome looking new theme available. Nova, was released yesterday and for those of you out there that like simple and basic themes, Nova might be right up your alley.

Our designers spent a lot of time coming up with an entirely new icon set like nothing you’ve seen before. Icons are symbols meant to convey a thought, an idea or a function in the simplest and clearest of forms – reminiscent of the designs of famed Braun industrial designer Dieter Rams and the original Mac icon set. Simple. Elegant. Communicative. Classic.

Nova also features a message and calendar board that can be accessed by simply navigating up. Individual items can be selected and viewed/edited with a single press of a button, keeping with the Hedone Design concept that form is not separate from function, but, if properly utilized, work with and from one another – the beauty IS the brawn.

Nova is available for a wide array of devices including Bold, Tour, Curve (no 83xx), Storm and Pearl 9100 series device as well as the BlackBerry Torch 9800. As per normal for most of Hedones work, Nova does cost $6.99.

• Click Here For More Info And To Purchase Nova On Your Destop>> 
• Click Here For More Info And To Purchase Nova On Your BlackBerry>>
  

HedoneDesign is celebrating their birthday by offering a free version of their Hedone Design V2.0 theme. This is a great theme that uses their signature "Scalpel" icon-set (named for its sharpness), is fast and sleek in its design and, as they advertise, is straight out of a science fiction novel. Application icons seem to pop out against the off-white background and the grey home-screen icons turn orange when selected. It also comes with a circular six user customizable icon home dock with the time in the middle. Voted as CrackBerry Theme developer of the year in 2010, you can't go wrong with this free theme from HedoneDesign.

• For more information and to download HedoneDesign V.20 >>
  

The CrackBerry Awards for this year are now over but, the fun of the awards hasn't yet stopped. Hedone Design took home the CrackBerry Award for Theme Developer of the Year and as thanks for all the love and support Hedone has placed all his themes on sale. From now, until October 7th when you use the coupon code "CBDOY2010" on the CrackBerry App Store you'll get 50% off the original price. Be sure to update your cart before checking out to ensure the pricing is indeed correct and remember it only works on the mobile store.

• Click Here To Get Started On Picking Out Your Theme>>

Amidst the BlackBerry Theme throwdown going on now, developers are still pushing out new themes for users to enjoy. In this case, Hedone Design has made available Imperia. A new premium theme that is available for 89xx, 90xx, 95xx, 96xx and 97xx series devices. Imperia uses 18 home screen icons to make everything easily accessible to users. It sort of falls under the category of a traditional icon theme with the exception here being that you end up with two home screen sections of icons. Both screens are easily navigated and switched between to ensure that you have your most used items in all the right places. Graphics on this one are of high quality as with all Hedone Design themes and for today only, you can grab Imperia for only $3.49. That's 50% off for those of you out there keeping track.

• Click Here To See More Screenshots And To Purchase Imperia From Hedone Design>>

For the 4th and final week of our Theme Throwdown, we're winding things down with Hedone Design. Once again in case you missed it: We challenged four of our top-selling theme designers to a Theme Throwdown. Each theme designer gets to choose five of their top-selling themes for a week of Deal of the Day promotions. Whoever sells the most themes in their week wins the "Theme Throwdown Champion 2010" title.

During the Theme Throwdown we're rocking a sweet contest as well. Every user that RTs the following tweet will be entered for a chance to win 10 free themes from their favorite theme designer. For this week the tweet is:

RT and enter to win 10 free #HedoneDesign BlackBerry themes. 50% off a top theme from 06/21-06/25. See todays deal http://bit.ly/bazR3D

For each theme maker, we'll pick one lucky user who "tweeted" to win 10 free themes from their favorite theme company. And the winners from the first two weeks are:

• Week 1: majorbehead196 who retweeted from Crackberry - winner of 10 free themes from Lunars Edge
• Week 2: MommaDonnaB who retweeted from BlackBerryRocks - winner of 10 free themes from JC Design / Gadgetbean

Here's the list and order of the Theme Throwdown contestants:

Week 1 (Mar 31-Jun 4) - Lunars Edge
Week 2 (Jun 7 - Jun 11) - JC Design / Gadgetbean
Week 3 (Jun 14 - Jun 18) - BT Design
Week 4 (Jun 21 - Jun 25) - Hedone Design

For week four, Hedone Design has submitted the following great themes:

Monday: HDD HedoneDesign Sense
Tuesday: HDD HedoneDesign Chryom
Wednesday: HedoneDesign Imperia
Thursday: HedoneDesign Explicit
Friday: HedoneDesign Wall-E

That's it for the Theme Throwdown. This is the last week to get in on the action, so don't miss out!

With the World Cup well under way now, you may be looking to fancy up your BlackBerry to show off your favorite teams colors. Hedone Design has come up with a great theme for the occasion. Football, the latest theme from Hedone Design is just what you may be looking for. Coming with an exapansion pack of 33 wallpapers from the participating country flags Football is awesome looking. Supported devices for this one has been extended. 83xx, 85xx, 87xx, 88xx are all supported as well as Bold, Tour and Storm series. Finally, Football is priced at only $2.99. You can check out more screen shots by hitting the link below.

• Click Here For More Screen Shots And To Purchase Football For Your Device>>

Having been using the BlackBerry Pearl 3G for the past little while, I was starting to miss the big screen my BlackBerry Bold 9700 offered so I switched back for a little while yesterday. One email I got while using my Pearl 3G was from Hedone Design letting me know of his latest theme Biston. Given that I couldn't use it on the Pearl 3G I decided upon switching back to check it out and was quite pleased.

Biston is a animated theme which is both fast and sharp looking. It offers you 9 customizable main screen icons with an integrated today feature. Custom battery and signal meters are easy to read andare organized nicely for optimal space leaving a big background for you to view. Some themes often lock down font size changes but Biston leaves them user selectable. Biston is available for Curve 85xx, 89xx as well as Bold, Storm and Tour series devices.

• Click Here To Purchase Biston For Your Device And To View More Screenshots>>