Hopefully everyone is familiar with vPost. It’s an extremely valuable email multi-media tool available, allowing the BlackBerry user to capture moments with pictures, video, voicenotes, and notes, and GeoTag them as well. All from one email even. It allows you to send to personal emails as well as blogging sites such as Posterous. And now it’s in Personal Beta.

Vayyoo has come a long ways. The first time I tried vPost I was really impressed and excited, but the phone I was using at the time had blocked GPS through my wireless carrier to a third party. So I wasn’t able to utilize the GPS portion of it, but as the months have gone, vPost has increased the size of videos, and numbers of pictures, allowing you to save everything from concerts to your family moments. I have a phone in which I am able to utilize the full features of vPost including the GPS. VPost has been available in the BlackBerry Sync Store for $9.99, but they have announced their Personal Beta which is free for now. This one is also available in the BlackBerry Sync Store. Let me list the description of the app as listed in the store:

Whether you are out with friends, having fun on vacation, or at the scene of breaking news, vPost is a tool that you need on your BlackBerry. vPost makes capturing and sharing moments simple by integrating the camera, location, & email features of your BlackBerry. Share photos and videos of concerts, sporting events and fine dining in a whole new way.

By using vPost you can send pictures, video clips, and audio notes to your friends, family, and online communities quickly and easily. Include a map link with your GPS location for travel memories and geo-tagging. Create personal widgets for single click sending to individuals, groups, and popular sites like Facebook, Flickr and many more. Publish multiple photos, text, video, and even voice memos to your blog in a single step. With vPost the only limit is your imagination.

IMPORTANT: Set a convenience key to vPost and recording anything is just a click away. Download vPost today and capture the moment.

Here are the key features of vPost:

So these are pics I’m sharing with the set up. It’s been a little more thorough, much easier to set up, and there’s no real limitations on the size. I’m impressed. I chose some concert event moments from the U2 360 concert sponsored by BlackBerry since BlackBerry loves U2. I sent the entire email out and it includes the maps and all. It sends to my Twitter and my Posterous, in full detail, as well as anyone else that I choose to share with. And GPS is clearly working.

Pro’s: I love vPost, it’s one of my favorite apps since you can send so many files and be creative, sharing the moments that count. Whether it’s sharing a belated birthday wish, missing your loved one, a moment you want to keep a snapshot of, or a milestone. It’s all around incredible. GPS Geotag your event, so you can remember where you were. You can list several sites to post to. All from one app. It saves you time from sending one file at a time and you can do it live.

Cons: I really can’t find any con. Especially since the app is currently free in Beta. I didn’t have any problems setting it up.

I really have to give this app five stars. Easy to use, navigate, and set up. It does just as it says it does, it virtually posts for you. Enjoy your moments and share them too, without sharing one at a time. What have you got to lose when it’s absolutely free? Don’t miss out, go check it out for yourself!

You can grab your free copy of vPost Personal Beta by Vayyoo, Inc from the BlackBerry Sync Store here >

Compatible with BlackBerry OS: 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 5.0

Compatible with BlackBerry Devices: 81xx Pearl series, 82xx Pearl Flip series, 83xx Curve series, 85xx Curve series, 87xx Series, 88xx World series, 89xx Curve series, 9000 (Bold), 9500 (Storm), 95xx Storm series, 96xx Tour series, 9700 (Bold)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Here is what’s new:

• Based on all the great feedback, we reworked much of the UI layout for the main view, blog view, and media view
• Ability to upload videos from your media library
• New option to set media file properties (filename, caption, title, and position)
• Created a new file browser that resembles the native BlackBerry file browser
• Big improvements in the speed at which you can view and manage comments
• Lots of optimizations for uploading photos and videos using base64 encoding
• Indonesian language support
• Improved French language support

Download the updated Wordpress for BlackBerry App >>

I had the opportunity to test out ZoomSafer for two weeks on two different networks. And to be perfectly honest, I am impressed. Now I know there’s going to be the argument, why not just turn your phone off? The truth is we have become used to being connected at all times to the world of technology.

In the weeks and months to come, you are going to hear even more about it, whether it’s an announcement or a news story. States are starting to jump on the bandwagon, and you can be fined in those states with a DWT. And I’m sure you can relate, you’re driving and you hear the friendly beep of your phone with a text, could be your boss or your spouse. Just  a second to read it is all it can take to take your eyes off the road and an accident before you know it. The problem is that we’ve all become accustomed to multitasking. At work we have our pc’s, our smartphones, and at home we have our pc’s, carrying conversations, our pda’s, and we just get used to it. We bring our pda’s with us, and the temptation just seems so natural to have it lure you where it’s not safe. You know it’s true. A study by Nationwide Insurance brought forth the following numbers: 46 percent of 16/17 year old drivers admit to texting while driving; 37 percent of ages 18 to 27 admit to texting while driving; 14 percent of 28 to 44 year olds; and 2 percent of 45 to 60 year olds admit it. It makes you really think. If you are caught DWT in Washington, the fine is $101 , but get caught in Oregon next year if the state legislature has it’s way, and you’re looking at a $720 fine.

So in light of all the publicity and announcements coming your way, I’m bringing you the results and information about an app I reviewed, ZoomSafer.

There’s the cell phone and there’s the BlueTooth. And there’s driving in the car then there’s ZoomSafer. It’s an app for your BlackBerry that you can register on their site and download the app. I had the opportunity to try both the current beta and the testing beta. I really was surprised at what it does and what lies in it’s future.

Right now with the number of accidents being attributed to texting while driving, this is a good time to start taking control. The app currently allows you to choose three priority contacts to call you while you’re driving. And the new improved version allows ringtones, or voicetones of your loved ones or yourself reminding you to stay focused on the road.

I have spoken with law enforcement officials and they all confirm what we are reading. Most accidents are occur because of cell phone usage of calls or texts while driving, or even worse…drinking while texting and driving. So while we say we just turn the phone off, we more or less have to realize that we are highly addicted to our modern technology. We keep it with us everywhere we go, but we need to remember that a few seconds is a bat of an eye, and on the road anything can happen when you are in control of a moving vehicle.

I tried it on the BlackBerry Tour and the Bold. It turns on as soon as you have been driving a few minutes. It has two messages by default and will soon include celebrity announcements. When a priority contact calls, it will alert you. In the future it will announce the number, not just priority contact. This way you will not be distracted to look at your phone. You will be able to place the voicenote of that person as well.  If anyone else calls or tries to text, they will go straight to voicemail or receive a text-reply notifying them that you are driving and that you will return the text as soon as you are not driving. You can have the app post to facebook or twitter to automatically update your status and notify your social networking friends when you are driving. You can also have it text or email your priority contacts to let them know you’re driving.

When someone emails you, this is the response you will receive: “I received your email, but am currently driving and focused on the road. Try ZoomSafer for free at www.zoomsafer.com.” The text states: “___  received your text but is driving and focused on the road. Try ZoomSafer for free at www.zoomsafer.com” .

It’s a nice tool, I thought it worked really well. One thing I wanted to test out was the BlackBerry Messenger. This app suppresses all alerts with the exception of priority contacts calling. I thought that some support for the messenger would be nice and that was my suggestion, even if all it could do is change status.

To download ZoomSafer, you have to register online. Then after you set up your settings and perimeters, the link is sent to your phone for you to download the app. It runs in the background, turning on when you drive if you don’t manually turn it on. It welcomes you back, and it suppresses alerts. You can even have it post that you are driving on your Facebook and your Twitter. I did notice that the only alert it didn’t suppress was messenger alert on BerryBuzz. That was one alert I still received through the app.

While driving, it will alert you when you are receiving a call from a priority contact either reading out the number or using your selected voicetone. I like this idea as you know who’s calling. One of my friends tried calling me and it went to my voicemail. She then tried to text me to tell me how neat it was and it texted her back as well, letting her know I was driving.

I was able to test the V1.5 version prior to release and all I can say is that it’s a great solution. I am much more aware of my phone habits now while driving.

But what if I am the passenger? If you’re a passenger you can simply put ZoomSafer into snooze mode. Upon exiting, there is an icon which has a caution sign for passengers and puts ZoomSafer policies into snooze mode for however many minutes you want. The caution icon is there to help you think twice if you’re thinking of using it while driving.

Matt Howard and Michael Costello are the founders of this great app, and have a lot of vision in it. I was able to have a conference call with them, and I’m really excited with the progress they’ve made with it, and the plans they have for it in the future. The recently released version 1.5 represents the stage two beta and includes the following:

Auto activates when driving with opt-out for passengers.

Plays personalized safety announcements reminding drivers to focus on the road.

Locks keypad to prevent texting or typing and reinforces hands-free behavior.

Suppresses inbound text and email alerts and auto replies to sender.

Permits inbound calls from up to 20 priority contacts.

Announces incoming priority callers with custom voice ringtone.

Suppresses non-priority inbound calls, sends to voice mail, and auto replies to caller.

Provides one button access to hands-free voice activated dialing and 911.

Supports Bluetooth headsets and car kits.

Optionally shares driver’s status via email, text, Facebook, or Twitter.

When you arrive at your destination, you must manually press the button to end ZoomSafer and you have two options: I am the driver and have reached my destination, or I am the passenger and I am going to use the phone. Of course choose the driver and you’re done.

The I really like this app for several reasons. One, you can choose priority contacts who can call you. Two, it helps resist the temptation of reading your messages. If you read and text while driving, studies prove you are 23% more apt to get in an accident. The app may be a crutch, but a necessary one for some of us. We are so used to being available at all times, this leaves us to be available to those who are most important. It’s also so simple to register. It’s painless, and can save a life and a fine. The other alternative is to silence your phone or turn it off. The most important thing to remember is this….distracted driving is a problem, and there are options. And it’s all up to you.

You can watch videos about ZoomSafer from the ZoomSafer YouTube here >

You can view the video with introduction on ZoomSafer and how to start using it >

You can register for ZoomSafer here >

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Is anyone curious about it and going to try it? Have you tried ZoomSafer? Please share your thoughts and experiences with us.

I’m trying out a few applications for the BlackBerry that promise to help with being a responsible driver. One is drivesafe.ly and the other is zoomsafer. I know statistics say there’s quite a few drivers who text, I can make an educated guess it’s more. We all know someone who does it.

We all love our BlackBerry, and sometimes we are so caught up we cannot help ourselves, and it’s hard to draw the line where it is excessive, especially when we are so used to multitasking. Well, today I saw a movie titled “Seven Pounds”, and of course the main character you find out at the end received a message on his BlackBerry and his looking at his phone instead of the road caused his accident which killed seven people. It really affected me, not to mention caused my daughter to look at me with a raised eyebrow since my BlackBerry and I are inseparable. So I went to search for applications that will help me to more responsible. Not that I text while I drive, but I’m usually fortunate to have my daughter as a passenger who is quick to grab my phone when it dings and can answer for me. But this would help make life easier and assure her that I am responsible even when she isn’t in the passenger seat, not to mention show her I want to be a role model and show her I want her to do the same.

The two apps are drivesafe.ly and zoomsafer. Both apps are free or have a free version. Drivesafe.ly is actually available in the BlackBerry Sync Store as well. The description of drivesafe.ly is as follows:

DriveSafe.ly automatically reads incoming text messages and emails out loud so you can concentrate on the road. Eliminate the temptation to reach for your phone by letting DriveSafe.ly read to you and optionally auto-respond for you.
Stay connected by listening to your messages without texting while driving or reading emails in your car. DriveSafe.ly is the answer to texting while driving TWD .

For even more functionality download DriveSafe.ly Pro – also available on BlackBerry® App World. DriveSafe.ly Pro adds the ability to use additional voices, listen to text messages and emails without sponsor messages and much more!

This app is compatible with BlackBerry devices that have OS 4.5 and up.

There is a paid, a one time fee and monthly fee version available.

The free one includes:

Reads up to 25 words per message

Female voice only

Optional text and email auto-responder

Easily upgradable to DriveSafe.ly Pro

The one time fee of $13.95 includes:

Low one-time charge for lifetime of phone

Reads up to 500 words per message

Choice of female or male voice

Auto-select voice by contact gender

Optional text and email auto-responder

The monthly is the same as above, but charges a monthly fee of $3.95.

With ZoomSafer, it’s available by signing up on line, and the text is sent to the phone. You are able to choose 3 designated contacts who may call you while you drive and who can receive notification when you drive and stop. The scary thing is that it’s a proven fact statistics show that 80% of crashes involve driver distraction. It’s a concerning issues, so much that President Obama has banned texting for all Federal employees. We’re making changes, but it’s not enough. We as adults, are the examples to our children and our teens. We need to start paying more attention, and software such as these can make a difference.

ZoomSafer’s description is as follows:

ZoomSafer is patented software for mobile phones that prevents distracted driving by helping motorists make better decisions.  The service automatically activates when you’re driving and applies a policy that determines what you can/can’t do with your phone.  Plus, ZoomSafer leverages psychological and social factors to encourage you to make good choices — and it can even remind you that there may be criminal and financial consequences for making bad choices.

By helping people make better choices when driving – ZoomSafer can successfully:

modify behavior

reduce risk of crash

reduce risk of liability

save lives/money

Right now ZoomSafer is in stage one of the beta and it includes:

Auto speed detection – ZoomSafer detects when you start to drive and automatically activates.’

Safety Announcements – A recorded message plays when ZoomSafer activates reminding you to drive safely.  We’ve pre-recorded several announcements for the Beta, but in phase 2 of the beta you’ll be able to record your own custom announcements as well as choose from several Celebrity Safety Announcements.

Auto-Toots – These are messages sent on your behalf to friends, families, and social networks to tell them when you’ve started and stopped driving.  These updates are OPTIONAL and can be sent via SMS or E-mail to up to three contacts.  You can also update Facebook or Twitter with these notifications.

Keyboard Locking – Your keypad will be locked when ZoomSafer is active (driving mode) except for: (1) the “Close” soft key exits the application when you have stopped driving or if you are a passenger. (2) Calling 911 (on the Storm, this will be a soft key and all other Blackberry models, you can press 9-1-1) and (3) the Voice Dialer left hand convenience key – For this initial Beta, we are allowing you to use the native voice dialing application on Blackberrys to make outbound calls. In the future this feature will only be available as part of the ZoomMate premium service.

Three Priority Contacts – You can enter up to three Priority Contacts who will be able to call and interrupt you while you are driving. If a priority contact calls you while you are driving we will announce the call via a generic ZoomRinger. In phase 2 of the beta you will be able to create custom ZoomRingers for each of your priority contacts.

Inbound phone call management – While you are driving, we will suppress ringer/notification of all inbound callers who are not listed as Priority Contacts.

Inbound email/text message management – While you are driving, we will suppress messaging-related inbound alerts.

Auto-Responses – While you are driving, if people try and contact you via phone, email or text – they will receive an auto-response notifying them that you are focused on the road and driving with ZoomSafer.

I’m going to be alternating these apps and using them, to see what I think about them. I encourage you to try them with me, and make a difference. I’ll be sharing my review by next Sunday on both the ZoomSafer and the drivesafe.ly. If you try them with me, I would really like you to share your comments on this post with me, share your findings and experience with them. Change begins with us, and even if we are not guilty of reading our texts or emails while we drive, we can begin showing the younger generation we care by taking advantage of software that is designed to help us and them. I know I’d feel better if I like the software and have my family using it as well. It’s assurance and relief. I’d really appreciate some comments and let me know if you’re joining me in this assignment this week.

Several months ago, Boy Genius announced that his popular Twitter app for BlackBerry was teaming up with BeeJive (creators of BeeJive IM). We’ve been waiting around for a few months now, and today he dropped word that existing Tweet Genius clients now have access to download it! The new TweetGenius version 1.0.9 offers a similar feel, but faster, with great features:

• Innovative direct-from-application Twitpic photo uploading
• Inline image viewing for Twitpic, Twitgoo, img.ly, TweetPhoto, yfrog images
• GPS location posting
• Themes: comes with two different themes for viewing tweets. More are coming soon!
• Shortcut icons (reply, retweet, direct message)
• Status bar to show you necessary information like time, signal status, etc

So if you originally purchased TweetGenius we suggest you go download it now! Click here to get it. If you didn’t purchase it before.. Stay tuned. Apparently TweetGenius will be launching publicly pretty soon. Click here to be notified when you can purchase it.

There’s a new software out that is going to make shopping more useful. Especially when it comes to Black Friday and Christmas shopping. And this software is free. The app is edocrab by Steelthorn Software. Edocrab is actually the word barcode spelled backwards, and barcode is what this app works off of besides your BlackBerry.

Steelthorn Software has a few different apps, and you’re probably familiar with them already. They have apps like the extremely useful QuickPull, BerryAnnoying, StormLock, and AutoStandBy to name a few. Some are paid, some are free. Well Edocrab is free. I had to try this app out, free or not, to see what all it could do. I love their moto for this app, “Leave the jungle, hit the beach”, it’s a great concept.

I downloaded and installed it on my BlackBerry Tour 9630. The app downloaded and installed quickly. When you go to find it, the icon sits as a barcode with a little yellow/orange crab in the bottom right. When you click on it, the top ribbon has the crab, the words edocrab by Steelthorn, and then the choices below are Scan, Search, Lists, and History.

Scanning may take a few times. It’s best in very well lit area and trying to avoid any side lines, just the bar code. If the barcode doesn’t show clearly to the app, it will show you how your barcode pic compares to an example barcode pic. If at first you don’t succeed, you’ll try again till you get it right. After a successful barcode pic, the app will search online and the next screen you’ll see is the product, the cheapest price it found for online, and when you click on the top product, it will show you pics, you can click on video if there’s any, and music if any. The next line is the prices and you can click on it to see which online sites are offering the cheapest prices for that product. Next is reviews. Click on reviews to see what other consumers have to say about the product. And then there’s add to a list.

There’s also Search, where you can search a product, Lists which is what you create of what you want, and History where you can pull up previous searches.

For free, you can’t beat it. I like the products Steelthorn has. Pros are that it is fast to search once you scan. It’s accurate in pricing. The app is free, you can’t beat that. I can see this app being very handy for birthdays (provided you give yourself ample time to be prepared to order online), weddings, anniversaries, holidays, you get the picture. Here’s another pro….the product I scanned was for the same price from Walmart as the scan said it was on Walmart’s online site. So before ordering you might want to just stop by the store and see if it’s available there at that price.

Cons are that is that it sometimes takes a few or more barcode scans before it will accept it. The only stores that it lists are those online (which most of us shop now anyways). And the app is currently available only on the Steelthorn site and the BlackBerry App World. Hopefully it will be available in the BlackBerry Sync Store as well.

Keep in mind that the app is Beta, which means there may still be some bugs or issues, so kindly report any if you experience such issues so that Steelthorn and the developers can make this app even better.

The most current version will be downloadable from the Steelthorn edocrab site itself.

You can grab edocrab for free from the edocrab Steelthorn site here >

You can also grab edocrab for free from the BlackBerry App World here >

Compatible with all BlackBerry devices 4.5 or higher. If your BlackBerry does not have a camera, you can manually enter the upc in manually and it will work the same.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Yup BGR has been busy writing his BlackBerry Bold 9700 Review, and while reading the review guess what I noticed? A screen shot of the unreleased updated Tweet Genius App. It’s no secret that Tweet Genius has been a long time favorite here at BBSync, and the new version looks sweet! We keep hearing such sweet things about this unreleased update, which is a partnership between BeeJive and Tweet Genius. Anyway just thought you might enjoy to see the new bubble like tweets! Enjoy.

Also check out BGR’s BlackBerry Bold 9700 Part 1 Review Here.

Opera has released the next generation of their popular web browser for BlackBerry. Opera Mini 5 Beta is now available for download directly to your BlackBerry by visiting m.opera.com/next. The new Opera mini features a slick new UI, with tabbed browsing, speed dials to your favorite websites, password manager, and a variety of keyboard and touchscreen gestures. It’s really a sweet browser and we recommend you check it out today!

I tested the new beta on my BlackBerry Tour and had zero issues with it so far. It loads BBSync up perfectly, unlike the native BlackBerry browser. So go check it out and post a comment letting us know what you think…

We just got word that OS 4.7.1.42 has been leaked for the BlackBerry Tour. If you remember, a few weeks ago we heard .42 was the stable OS that Verizon was planning to launch. This is a RIM internal copy, therefore before installing you must uninstall the RIM internal apps, which gets installed during the installation process. We aren’t sure what .42 fixes yet, however early reports so it DOES stop those annoying screen freezes. If you have installed this OS please post a comment below and let us know how it works…

Download OS 4.7.1.42 from Megaupload >>

[via BlackBerryOS]

Attn Mac Users! The long awaited, heavily anticipated BlackBerry Desktop Manager for Mac has been leaked! This version has not been officially released by RIM, and is in beta still. An official release of this software should be coming very soon, but until then give this a try.

Please keep in mind because this software is a beta version: It might still have a few glitches, but it shouldn’t hurt to test it out. However please keep in mind this software is un-supported by RIM, and by installing it neither RIM, not this site are responsible for any issues caused by this software.

Download BlackBerry DTM for Mac Beta 1.0.0 >>

If you installed DTM for Mac post a comment below and let us know how it works!

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