If you’ve been reading CrackBerry enough you’ll know that we are no stranger to ShortcutMe by Fonware Ltd. The app gives you the ability to create even more shortcuts on your BlackBerry. No longer will you be limited to the number of shortcuts that RIM has built into the BlackBerry OS. The developers of ShortcutMe have just us let us know that they’ve temporarily dropped the price of ShortcutMe in celebration of it being featured on BlackBerry App World. If you’ve been feeling a little short handed (see what I did there?) and could use the ability to make your own quick keys to apps and fuctions on your BlackBerry, then I suggest you take advantage of this deal.

For more information and to purchase ShortcutMe for BlackBerry smartphones
Read the full CrackBerry review of ShortcutMe

The second concept demo from RIM's Sweden branch at Mobile World Congress 2012 is PitchRocket. This is both a PlayBook and smartphone app that help you quickly create visually-impressive presentations. Through the phone, you can create slide text and insert images, while the slide itself is dynamically created on the PlayBook based on whichever preset style you've selected. There would also be the possibility of user-created, and maybe even sellable presets to expand the core imagery. 

While PitchRocket is certainly closer to the realm of reality than Confetti, it's easy to see these features folded into the BlackBerry Presenter and Slideshow to Go. The graphics are very snazzy, but I have a feeling that unless these are exportable into the PPT format, you might have some issues down the line if you need to share materials with anyone. As the name implies, I could see something like this getting a lot of use from hurried salespeople who get thrust into meetings at the last second.

PitchRocket is a neat concept, and not entirely in the realm of fanciful tech demos that never become a reality. Anyone interested?  

QuickLaunch by Nikkisoft was just updated bringing the app up to version 4.0 bringing with it various upgrades and some fixes including Universal Search integration, mobile hotspot and NFC toggle, shake launch, larger fonts, and a ton more.

Other changes in this update include:

• Display Battery Status on QL Titlebar
• Alarm and Stopwatch Shortcuts Added
• BB File Picker Integration
• Visual Voice Mail Shortcut
• Lock Device Shortcut
• Menu Animation Options
• Alarm Toggle
• Center Menu Location Option Added
• Change Sounds and Alerts Shortcut
• Mobile Connections All On / Off Toggle
• Current Shortcuts button added to options screen
• Bridge App Shortcut and Bridge Toggle
• Time, Notifications, Battery and Signal strength
• Redesigned Options screen
• Homescreen Wallpaper Cycler
• More Apps appear in Add Items

QuickLaunch is normally $4.99, and most everyone that has it swears it's worth every penny. For a limited time, you can buy QuickLaunch for just $1.99 in BlackBerry App World. If you previously purchased it from Mobihand, you will not be able to update the app and will need to purchase it for the $1.99. You can read more about the reasoning behind Nikkisoft's decision to do this at the forums link below, as well as find out more in depth details about the changes in v4.0.

More information/screenshots and purchase QuickLaunch
More information/discussion in the CrackBerry forums

Development on applications for BlackBerry 6 seems to be a bit slow so far, but ToySoft has their first app finished, and available for download. ShortcutManager lets you add shortcuts directly to your homescreen (or any other folder), for items as email addresses, PIN, SMS, contacts, phone numbers, and websites. Simply choose your type of shortcut, add a name and description, set the destination of the shortcut, and save it to your homescreen. You can also set an icon for each shortcut you create, adding some nice personalization to your BlackBerry 6 device. ShortcutManager also features the backup and restore of your shortcuts, as well as the ability to even shortcut an entire message. Overall, ShortcutManager is a very nice application. It has really helped speed up my overall productivity on my 9800. You can pick it up on sale for $2.99 at the CrackBerry App Store. It does require the BlackBerry 6 OS.

Contest:  We have 25 copies of ShortcutManager to give away. Just leave a comment on this post to enter.  Contest ends this Sunday at Midnight PST.  Please only leave one comment, multiple entries wont count.

• More information and download of ShortcutManager >>

Review of Documents To Go for BlackBerry Smartphones

Most BlackBerry users are familiar with Documents to Go. Not necessarily because they downloaded it from the top 50 list on the CrackBerry App Store, but because it comes pre-installed on most users devices. But the version that comes pre-installed might be lacking for some of your day to day tasks. The ability to create new documents right from your BlackBerry, being able to edit existing documents or spell checking in word documents might be enough to make you want to upgrade. Having the ability to sort or update charts in your spreadsheets, or delete and insert slides in your presentations might also be appealing to you. If so, read on.

Read Full Review

Review of Evernote Application for BlackBerry Smartphones

With the growing desire to capture information and access it later in a simple manner, a problem yet to be solved has come up: organization. Organizing our digital lives can be a tough procedure, but thankfully many services are available out there to help us take control of our data. Evernote is one of them, which makes note-taking simple and intuitive. Evernote allows you to create text notes, take snapshots, record audio notes and upload files. Once synchronized with the Evernote server, you may access your notes wherever you are and whenever you need them. With a Web interface and applications available for the PC and Mac as well as BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Palm webOS, Evernote has you always covered. But how well does the BlackBerry application perform? Read on to find out!

Read Full Review

The native Tasks application on BlackBerry is great for keeping organized, but if you want something with a little more "juice", Lister may be just the thing. The free app lets you create and manage multiple lists for anything from to-do's to Christmas Lists to reminders. You can easily create a list, add due dates and reminders, and navigate with multiple hotkeys. With Lister you can also share items with friends and family, even if they don't have the application. If they are a Lister user however, the app will open up the shared list automatically. Overall a very cool app that can help you keep track and stay organized - so far its made a great shopping list for me. You can grab Lister totally free from the CrackBerry App Store. Be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

• Download Lister for BlackBerry >>

Paragon Software/Penreader has just released the Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged app for BlackBerry smartphones. The app includes the same content as the famous paper dictionary, covering over 257,244 entries and 700,000 definitions, and provides fastest definition lookup on a mobile device. The application may be a bit pricy for some who can find alternative free methods, but for those who want instant results, the app is one of the top solutions out there. It is available for all devices running OS 4.2.1 and up with different pricing, depending on which version you buy.

Contest: We have 5 copies of Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, and 5 copies of the Collegiate version to give away. Just leave a comment on this post to enter. Contest ends this Sunday at Midnight PST. Please only leave one comment, multiple entries wont count.

• More information and download of the Unabridged version>>
• More information and download of the Collegiate version>>

My Card. Your Card. His Card. Her Card. Ouch! Paper cut. With business cards being passed around like playing cards, it’s difficult to keep them organized. Sure it’s a quick way to share your information, but not everyone likes to carry them around. I’ve seen people who have literally gathered binders that, instead of displaying baseball cards, display business cards. I wondered if they had autographed ones in a special case. When it comes to that level of business cards, it becomes overwhelming and accessibility seems to disappear. A time consuming, thumb blistering alternative would be to input them into your native address book. A few months ago, we looked at a mobile business card application called DUB. While it was thoroughly impressive, one problem had come to mind - Not everyone uses it. 

Before your Rolodex decides to roll away, you should take a look at Business Card Reader. As the name suggests, this application enables users to read and decipher images of business cards, then sent directly to your BlackBerry address book. Now you can spend less time entering in contacts and spend more time making contact! If you are as intrigued about its accuracy as I was, I suggest you read on.

Read Full Review

Contest details at the end of this article.... keep reading, and good luck!

Pssst! Hey, can you keep a secret? Don’t tell Kevin, but I kind of didn’t start this review quite when I was supposed to. Okay, well actually, I left it until the last minute. I know I know, I shouldn’t have, but you know how things come up. Okay, well actually, nothing came up, but I did think about doing it earlier. Yeah, I had it planned out and everything. Okay, well actually…

At some point (or points) in our lives, there’s a few things that need to be done, that we dawdle at. We scramble around at the last second trying to complete the task, or we come up with some sort of excuse. Whether it be the imaginary dog eating homework, the over-exaggerated traffic jam or the timely computer crash. It’s time to stop wasting time and start making time. Stop procrastinating and start producing. Just10Minutes is designed to ensure your projects are completed, by setting work and break intervals until the task is done. We all know you’re checking out the CrackBerry blogs when you are supposed to be working anyway (caught you!), so why not check out Just10Minutes? Oh and Kevin? I was just kidding about dragging my feet, honest!

Read Full Review

The long awaited Kindle app for BlackBerry is finally here. While not the biggest screen to read on, most of us carry our BlackBerry everywhere we go, so being able to read a book at any given moment is definitely welcome. The app has a fair amount of features (it could still use a few more options) and everything loads super fast. You can store and read Kindle books, as well as browse and purchase from the huge selection in the Kindle Store. Check out the video above for a look at the app, and head to amazon.com/kindlebb to download it free.

• Download Kindle for BlackBerry free >>

Freshbooks. If you haven’t heard of Freshbooks before, it’s known as “The Leader of Online Invoicing”. It’s an extremely beneficial business tool, especially for those who are looking for any type of outside sales or field service automation. Unfortunately, not everyone is on board with this type of service and some are still using manual invoices, stacks of paper and other handwritten forms that could become a headache for any accounting department. It’s also a valued option for those who wish to keep track of their team, manage contractors, estimates and, of course, their clients. Now while Freshbooks can be accessed from your BlackBerry smartphone, it isn’t properly formatted for optimal viewing. With those out in the world wanting to carry increasingly smaller devices, they want to be able to only use their smartphones. Freshbooks does have an application that’s currently in beta; I believe it’s waiting for approval for entry into the App World to be precise. I’ll talk about that app in the near future. Right now we’re going to have a look at another option called ReportAway! for Freshbooks, not to be confused with the standard addition of ReportAway! for Quickbooks.

The ReportAway! for Freshbooks application will provide you with the benefits of Freshbooks, without tying you to a computer. Read on for more.

Read Full Review

Having been a Pageonce user since their initial beta releases, I have to say, while this was a long time coming I'm sure as heck happy to see it. Pageonce has released version 2.5 of their Personal Assitant application and with this release they have indeed added push notifications to the mix.

Now as your customized accounts have changes happen, you are instantly notified of what went on. Anything from flight changes, bills that arrive or even credit card transactions. It all is captured for you and delivered to your device so that you can quickly and accurately keep track of the things that are important to you. The basic Personal Assistant is made available for free while premium services with added features are available for only $6.99. Both of which offer the email alert system.

• For More Info On Pageonce Check Out Their Listings In BlackBerry App World >>

Your BlackBerry provides rapid access to almost anything you can think of. Well for some people, that isn’t good enough! They demand instant access; they want knowledge and they want it now. Now, now, NOW! If you’re picturing adults throwing fits right about now, then we are on the same wavelength. That sort of behavior is kind of immature, if you ask me. On the other hand, there are benefits to being able to look at various types of information at a glance; to see if there is anything important. Yeah, having a grasp of your day from a momentary view of your BlackBerry is a good thing. That’s the kind of access I need - everything available to me now. Now, now, NOW!

Before I’m put in a time out, I wanted to have a look through an application called Pocketday. As you can probably tell from my so-called rant, Pocketday provides on-demand access to your content. For those who can’t fight the urge to look at their BlackBerrys, the application will at least keep your potentially inappropriate status check to a minimum. There are two versions of Pocketday available; Professional and Personal. Let’s see which one works best for you.

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There's nothing like discovering you have a "compromised" card while in line, trying to purchase groceries or gifts. It's both embarrassing and worrisome. The mind may wander, as you begin to wonder what else has been compromised. Not everyone can remember dozens of passwords; some may stick to less than half a dozen. Think about it: you have email accounts, work logins, multiple social network accounts, banking information, wireless accounts, even your CrackBerry account! Perhaps you, yes you, use a single password, the ONE password...to rule them all! Um, actually, that's not the best idea. What you need is a powerful and organized way to manage everything that is for your eyes only.

Marc from Ascendo Inc has been in contact, letting me know about the updates made a little while ago to their password manager, DataVault. You may recognize the name from a review I did back in 2008. To meet with the demand of the customer, Ascendo Inc has worked quite hard to enhance upon an already impressive password manager. That being said, let's take a look what the newest version of Ascendo DataVault has to offer.

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