BlackBerry Software Roundup for April 4th, 2008!

What a week. CTIA has come and gone, I'm sure Kevin is exhausted... but on we go. CTIA has brought us a new XM radio service, and Guitar Hero III... But I know we'll be hearing lots more from Kevin when he gets back to CrackBerry home base. Onward and upward, here's the Software Roundup for this week...

NEW SOFTWARE

Guitar Hero III For BlackBerry

I reported earlier this week that Guitar Hero III has indeed arrived for the BlackBerry. In fact, Kevin got a live demo of the game at CTIA and recorded it for our viewing pleasure. If you're a fan of the Guitar Hero series, and simply can't get enough (even when you're on the go) then Guitar Hero III for the BlackBerry is your answer.

You can purchase the regular mobile version of GHIII for $14.99. With this one-time purchase version you will have access to an additional three tracks issued each month ON TOP of the fifteen songs the game ships with.

OR, you can purchase the subscription based version for $4.49 per month. This version comes with the same 15 tracks the other version has, however each month you get an additional 3 tracks added to your library to 'jam-out' to. With this option, you can get the game onto your BlackBerry for less money, but if you plan on playing it for more than 3 months you're best off going with the one-time purchase!

Inspired 9000 Themes from GadgetBean

More great themes have come down the pipe from JC Designs/GadgetBean this week. One that particularly caught my eye was the 'Inspired 9000' theme, which  as you may have guessed, is inspired by the new BlackBerry 9000 smartphone. Icon, Zen and Today styles are available for the 8700, 8800 and Curve series of phones. Even cooler and more online with the BlackBerry 9000's stylings, the Inspired 9000 theme is also available in 'User & Abuser' versions, which feature a fixed bottom dock layout. If you're running OS 4.5, you'll want to go with the 'Abuser 2'.

The theme is available for $7.00 at ShopCrackberry.com. To find the theme that is right for your device and OS, click here.

Jott for BlackBerry

Jott for BlackBerry is a simple app that lets you reply to emails on your BlackBerry using your voice! You can speak directly into your Berry, or use it together with a bluetooth headset. Jott is seamlessly integrated with the BlackBerry email application.

Jott claims there are 3 major benefits to using the software:

1. It is 3 to 5 times faster than typing out text on your Berry.
2. You won't be known for sending short or 'terse' replies because you don't want to spend the time typing out a full message, and
3. You will be safer because your eyes will be on the road when driving, NOT on your BlackBerry.
   

Jott works on all 8800, Curve and Pearl series phones. You can install Jott OTA by visiting www.jott.com/bb on your BlackBerry web browser.

Join the conversation on Jott in the Forums >>

Bplay Releases Sushi Mania & Big Kahuna Words

Sushi Mania is available for $7.99 from Bplay. The official description from their website:

The world’s bravest food snack will satisfy your hunger for adventure! Stripped of your ingredients, robbed of your master the sushi chef – travel down the rolling hill of justice as you set the culinary world to rights in the craziest action platformer ever. Alone and unseasoned you must gather up the lost ingredients and recover the missing baby sushi rolls before the evil Menaces grab themselves a free meal. Roll, jump and spin through stunning cartoon landscapes filled with dangers, power-ups and bizarre characters. Pocket extra coins as you go and you can unlock even more features in the game that redefines the concept of fast food.

Big Kahuna Words is available for $9.99 from Bplay. This game also comes with a 24 hour trial. Pretty cool considering most of Bplay's other games do not have trials at all. More about Big Kahuna Words from Bplay:

Explore your word-making skills while traveling back to the islands of Hawaii and Polynesia. One of the all-time best selling PC word games goes mobile! Explore your word-making skills while traveling back to the islands of Hawaii and Polynesia. Dare to dive into a world of words in this underwater puzzler. Dive between the Hammerhead Sharks and other aquatic life, breaking stone blocks with your words in an explosive twist on puzzle gameplay. Explore an almost infinite number of underwater realms and discover the might of the “Tiki Totem.” Earn rewards for your word-creation prowess in either Action or Relaxed play. Download and unearth the journey of a lifetime! 

Try them both and let me know what you think!

TrafficGauge Launches Traffic Maps for BlackBerry

TrafficGauge has launched new live traffic maps for the BlackBerry. At CTIA they announced that their new app is now accessible to subscribers on the Curve, Pearl or 8800 series BlackBerry. The new app is easily downloaded to your Berry and provides simple and reliable traffic flow information on a fixed grid of your city's freeway system. Several major cities are available, and cities are updated often.

To check if your city is available, go here.

TrafficGauge for BlackBerry is available for $2.99/month (1-year subscription), $3.99/month (6-month subscription) or $4.99/month (1-month trial). To purchase and for complete installation instructions, click here.

Trapster Beta Available

Want to be notified of upcoming speed-traps as you travel? Enter Trapster for BlackBerry...talk about a cool use of GPS! Trapster allows registered users to add speed trap locations on their website, and the mobile app will then alert you when you are approaching one. There are customizable alerts for live police, red light cameras, speed cameras and typical hiding spots. The app is in beta and only offers support for AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint, although they are currently working on support for other carriers. You also must be using a 8800, Curve or Pearl device for Trapster to work properly.

For complete installation and registration instructions, click here.

As I mentioned earlier, Trapster is still in beta, so if you experience any problems or bugs, notify them at BETA AT TRAPSTER.NET... Or visit www.trapster.com for more information.

Updated Software

xPlayer Version 1.0.1 Released

xPlayer 1.0.1 Free Multimedia Player from SHAPE Services has been updated. A few minor bugs have been fixed here. Perhaps the biggest fix was the annoying issue of the backlight going off during video play.

Some key features of xPlayer v1.0.1:

• All audio and video formats supported: mp3, m4a, avi, mp4, 3gp, wma, amr, mid, and wav.
• Video full screen playback. Watch video in mp4, 3gp formats on your BlackBerry screen.
• Listen to your favourite songs using play lists, scroll between the files, see file properties.
• Advanced playlist sorting options: by title, by author or by path.
• Volume control (up/down/mute) with shortcuts.
• Works in background mode. The music holds up if you receive the call and continues when you finish to talk.
• Create your own play list of your favourite songs. Save it, edit or clear and make a new one. Add a single file or a whole folder to the play list.
• Customize your xPlayer. Choose your theme among offered for your xPlayer to make it unique.
  

xPlayer is a free download and you can get it at ShopCrackberry.com. Click here to get it.

SnapScreen for OS 4.3+

SnapScreen has been updated with a fix to a potential start-up problem. If you need to take screenshots, then SnapScreen is the answer.

Key features of SnapScreen:

• Use System Wide Menu or Convenience Key
• Save Screen Images to your SD Card in JPG format
• No USB Cable Required
• Preview the screen before saving
• Use the Media Application to view images
• Attach screenshots to emails
  

You can grab your copy of SnapScreen at ShopCrackBerry.com for only $5.99

FREEBIES

Radio Companion

Radio Companion for BlackBerry is a free app that lets you monitor radio stations to see what they are playing.

Through a propriatery fingerprinting technology and network of remote monitoring stations, it tracks real-time airplay of more than 2,700 radio stations in every state in the US. So, you can look to see what is playing right now on your favorite radio stations with a few clicks. You can also select the music track and have details on it sent instantly to your email...and it even comes with a direct link for you co click and purchase the song online.

You can download the app OTA by going to http://www.nobexrc.com from your BlackBerry. It should work fine on any Pearl, Curve, and 8800 series device.

Berry Query 2.0 Released

S4BB Limited has announced the final release of their free information search app, BerryQuery 2.0. Berry Query is a unique and quite comprehensive BlackBerry related search engine. It includes most important BlackBerry information sources available on the 'net... and is basically the app you want to use if you want to know anything about BlackBerry!

BerryQuery is a free download from ShopCrackberry.com. Click here to get it.

Search BerryQuery on the Web: http://www.berryquery.com

Until Next Week..

Have news on BlackBerry software? New software, upgraded software, free software... it's all good! If you have any software news tips send them in to me at [email protected]. I can't do it without your help!

Of course, we also have many more New BlackBerry Software, Updated BlackBerry Software and Free BlackBerry software titles available at ShopCrackBerry.com. Be sure to visit our software store for more great deals on BlackBerry Software!