There’s an article over at IndyStar.com that talks about 4 ways to reduce hand strain when typing on your BlackBerry. According to the article, as the number of BlackBerry users is rising, some are experiencing “BlackBerry thumb”…basically carpal tunnel and tendonitis. To reduce discomfort and potential long-term damage, the article offers some advice: Take frequent breaks (that...
So you’re holding your old 7100, looking with envy at that guy in the airport lounge chair next to you thumbing away at his 8700. You’ve got device envy. If only you could trade. Well, he’s probably not gonna trade, but you can get a trade-in at the BlackBerry Trade Up program. So here’s how it works. You go to the website and specify what kind of BlackBerry you have, and what you want...
After studying a few BlackBerry typing tips, I’m getting better at thumb typing, but I sometimes sacrifice accuracy for speed, a fact revealed whenever I send an email from my BlackBerry. But now I’ve found eSpell, a spell checker from DynoPlex. eSpell is part of the eOffice suite of productivity apps for BlackBerry, but it can be purchased separately if you just want to use it stand-...
Ascendo Photos is a nifty little application that lets you load photos from your PC to your BlackBerry using the same data cable that you probably already use for synchronization. The software has two parts: the photo viewer on the BlackBerry, and the Photos Desktop, which loads the pictures onto the device. I downloaded the trial version, unzipped it, and installed it in a snap using...
We recently reviewed Google Maps, a free software from Google you can install on your BlackBerry. An updated version of this great application is now available, featuring real-time traffic information in over 30 major US metropolitan areas. The technology used for the traffic feature comes from ZipDash, a startup Google acquired in 2005. The traffic/speed database is built from multiple...
I love putting pictures on my BlackBerry. It’s a great way to take photographs of my family along when I’m on the road. I’ve recently reviewed Ascendo Photos for BlackBerry and I was very pleased with its capabilities. So when I got a chance to review Berry Pix, I was very excited to give it a try. Berry Pix by Collaborative Network Technologies is software for loading and viewing...
Most of the people I know only use one or two passwords, and they use them everywhere. Sounds familiar? Yep, not too secure… Nowadays, there is a ton of information you need to keep safe. Let’s start with account numbers, credit cards, PINs, usernames, passwords to important web sites. What about all the non-digital information? Secret code for your home security system, emergency...
QuickPlayer by QuickPlay Media is a new application for BlackBerry that delivers streaming audiocasts from a variety of channels. Loading QuickMedia QuickPlayer On my 8700, the application starts up in about 9 seconds. If you are starting it for the first time, you are presented with the Channel Guide, where you can see a brief description of all the available channels....
I’d like to be smarter. I’d like to think quicker on my feet. I’d like to remember where I left my car keys and, perhaps more importantly, where I left my car. Stuff like that. Well, in my quest to get smarter, I’ve found some help in the form of software for BlackBerry. Advanced Brain Trainer from Filao is a mobile application designed to stimulate your mind through a series of fast-...
Photo software is one of my favorite applications. Putting pictures on your BlackBerry has never been easier with all the great software choices out there. We’ve previously reviewed two other applications: Ascendo Photos by Ascendo Inc., and BerryPix by Collaborative Network Technologies. And now there is a new entry in the photo viewing category: SplashPhoto by SplashData. Although it...
Nintendo started a new trend by releasing DS Brain Age over a year ago. They have sold nearly five million copies of three Nintendo DS brain training games since the series launched in Japan. The games are based on the work of Dr. Kawashima, one of the country’s top researchers into brain imaging. Brain Age hasn’t been released for BlackBerry, but we’ve found some other brain training...
Next by Mobigloo The awards keep rolling in for Next from Mobigloo. First, Next won the game development contest sponsored by RIM earlier this year. And now Next has just won the Handango Champion Award for Best Application for Play 2006. This prestigious award was given by a panel of industry experts assembled by Handango for their Champion Awards Ceremony held on September 11, 2006...
My garage is trashed. Pieces of black fiberboard lie scattered across the floor amid a sea of pink insulation. Wires stretch down from the ceiling like alien tentacles and large burly men in overalls with names like Burt and Gus walk among them. The men pause often, eyeing the assorted cables with suspicion while they mutter to themselves, and then clamor back up a ladder to tame them...
Congress has changed the dates for Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the United States for this year 2007. So this week-end on March the 11th, we all moved our clocks forward 1 hour to reflect the changes. Now take a minute and have a look at the time displayed on your BlackBerry. Maybe your IT department already took care of the problem and applied a patch. But if the clock is incorrect,...
If you are tired of accidentally mashing your BlackBerry keys and dialing strange numbers cause your BlackBerry is floating around in your purse or pocket, you’ll need to lock your BlackBerry keyboard. You can do it with or without a password, but either way, then number of accidental calls to complete strangers should go way down. There are multiple ways to lock the keyboard on your...
Whenever possible, I always try to get rid of cables. I use a wireless 802.11G network and am happy not to have to wire every room. I was curious to find out if there was a way to avoid using my USB cable to connect my BlackBerry to my PC. In fact, if your PC supports Bluetooth, it is possible and not too hard to configure. The BlackBerry Desktop Manager is compatible with Bluetooth and...
When Google releases a new service, it is always quite an event for any Internet user because chances are it will affect our overall Internet experience. The Gmail software download for BlackBerry is no exception. The shift from client-based software installed on your Windows Desktop to Web-based application is taking place very rapidly. Most of us are now relying on web based email...
I never know if ABC is going to feature LOST on Wednesday night. Is it a new episode, a repeat? Since I don’t buy the weekly TV guide and I am too lazy to turn on my computer to find out, I figured I would put my BlackBerry to work. TV Guide, the leading authority for tv listings has nicely put together a mobile version of their web site. Simply go to http://wireless.tvguide.com. The...
Terratial Technologies is probably best known for their best selling Ring Tone Megaplex. This service gives you access to a variety of Ringtones to download to your BlackBerry. And now they have a new product to complement their Ringtone library: HollerID Nametones. HollerID gives you access to a library of Ringtones that correspond to nearly 1800 of the most common American names....
So I’m waiting for a package to arrive. I shipped it from Amazon (Office Space and Gross Pointe Blank). I know it’s shipped, and I have a tracking number. Cool. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I sort of obsess over tracking my package progress. Normally I just log in to the UPS or FedEx websites on my computer and enter my tracking number. I’ve had times where I go to check my...