Category: Software

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Inspiring and Artistic Themes To Dress Your BlackBerry By NinjaThemes

By Susan C on Jul 08, 2009 in BlackBerry, BlackBerry Sync Store, Bold 9000 Series, Curve 8300 Series, Downloads, Software, Themes.

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There are some really nice themes around and quite a few theme designers, and there are some really beautiful ones from NinjaThemes. There are twenty three available, some are free and some have a small price, but they’re all worth it. I’m going to feature a few to show, but I know you’re going to be impressed.

The themes by this designer are creative, vibrant, and very attention-grabbing. You can see the thought in each theme, and as I always suggest, please do a battery pull after the install. The themes are for the BlackBerry Curve 83xx series, Curve 8900, and the Bold 9000. There are various designs and styles, and something for everyone.

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This theme above is Carbon Slick for the BlackBerry Curve 83xx, the8900 and the Bold. It is available through the BlackBerry Sync Store and it’s FREE. It features a hidden today menu and a customizable bottom dock. The reds and the blacks are very vibrant and intense. Perfect match for a black phone, or one with a red case…pure slickness.

Beach

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This is the Beach Bum for the 9000 only. It’s vibrant and you can almost feel the waves and hear the seagulls in the background. Beach Bum is available in the BlackBerry Sync Store for $2.99. Features of this theme are clear iPhone-like icons, hidden beach wallpapers, and a hidden today (scroll over the icons for the list).  I love beach themes, it gives me a few minutes to close my eyes and vacation for a few seconds. Relaxing and beautiful.

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Purple

This one is Purple Haze Astralis~ and it’s for the Curve 83xx series with 4.5 OS. It features a sky filled with beautiful stars to gaze at. Purple Haze Astralis~ is available in the BlackBerry Sync Store for $3.99. This theme features beatiful stars with theme colors that compliment the wallpaper, iPhone icons, today theme with messages and calendar, and the bottom dock is customizable. These sort of themes are nice, and remind you of clear sky nights. It’s a great way to have the universe in your hands.

Watchmen

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This theme is the Ultimate Watchmen Theme for the Curve 8330 4.5 OS only. If you’re a fan of the Watchmen, guess what? This one is FREE. You can download the Ultimate Watchmen Theme for FREE from the BlackBerry Sync Store. This theme features Today and Bottom theme, colorful watchmen wallpapers from the movie, the 6-icon bottom dock is customizable, and they are Bold-like icons. Great theme if you love the comics and movie and want to show your love for the Watchmen! All that’s missing is My Chemical Romance’s “Desolation Row”.

iHeart

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This theme is the iHeart theme for the ladies out there. It’s girly and sweet, for the Curve 83xx 4.5 OS only. You can download the iHeart theme for FREE from the BlackBerry Sync Store. There are iPhone icons and a customizable bottom dock. There’s pink icons, pink menus, pink wallpapers, it’s totally pink, and very iPhone-like in style. You can make everyday Valentines with this theme.

Neu

And this theme is Neu. It is for the Bold 9000. This one is design by Lilhaloshaka and the theme by Ninja. This theme is slick, minimalistic, easy on the eyes. The icons on the homescreen are user defined. I like this theme and the way it feels fresh and crisp. You can download the Neu theme for FREE from the BlackBerry Sync Store.

These are just a few of the wonderful colorful 32 themes available, and I encourage you to check them out from the BlackBerry Sync Store and you’ll find even more. I would have posted them all, but there’s so many to choose from. Have you tried any of the NinjaThemes themes and what do you think of them? Please share with us, we’d like to know which ones are your favorite.

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ATTN BlackBerry Nation: Update Your BlackBerry IM’s And Social Networking Apps

By Susan C on Jul 07, 2009 in BlackBerry, Downloads, Free Apps, Software.

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Thank you Nan, for your article posted on BlackBerry Cool,  which has brought our attention to the fact that some of the BlackBerry IM’s and Social Networking clients have been updated. These include Facebook v1.6.0.21, Google Talk v2.1.48, Windows Live Messenger v2.1.48, Yahoo Messenger v2.1.48, and others.

Please update your IM and Social Network Clients as they are updated for a reason and help your BlackBerry too. An updated BlackBerry is a very happy BlackBerry, so it’s very important to update your clients and apps as they become available. There is no change posted, so if you notice any changes in the apps, please share them with us. You can download your clients from the BlackBerry Mobile Site.

[via: BlackBerry Cool]

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RIM Has An Enhanced Gmail Plugin In the Works!

By Susan C on Jul 07, 2009 in Beta, BlackBerry, RIM, Software.

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Ronen, from BerryReview,  just posted some exciting news, it seems that RIM is working on an upcoming Gmail plugin. It’s rumored to have certain Gmail-specific functions for your BlackBerry. There’s a thread on the BlackBerry forum he has posted from a tip that is a BlackBerry forum, but I couldn’t read the language so I was lost other than the links.

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It appears the plugin will have these abilities:

  • See your Gmail based emails in Conversation View for simple topic management
  • Add and remove labels and stars to emails to keep inbox organized
  • Archive and report as spam actions for mailbox management on the go
  • Search your entire Gmail inbox

    • It also seems that BIS 2.7 will work with the plugin, so newer phones will appreciate it. Currently it would appear that it’s only being tested by RIM and Non-RIM employees. Let’s hope it’s coming our way soon.

    [via: BerryReview]

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    MyPhone v1.0.0.0 by MMMOOO Soon To Be Released

    By Susan C on Jul 07, 2009 in BlackBerry, Downloads, Software, Themes.

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    There’s a new app coming to the BlackBerry. MyPhone by MMMOOO has been available to the iPhone, but there’s a version coming to the BlackBerry as well. In case you’re wondering what the MyPhone app is, I’m going to explain. The MyPhone is like a theme you can navigate, somewhat similar to a LiveScreen, but very different.

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    I had the honor of trying out the app, prior to the help portion. The app makes your BlackBerry resemble in iPhone and has side to side navigation through pages. It installed quickly and easily on my Curve 8330, and after restarting my phone, I found the little blue square icon with a white circle surrounding a white smiley face. The app opens to a black screen with the bars of service on the very top left corner, the name of the wireless carrier on the top center, and the battery life remaining on the top right. Then it has a black battery with a neon green color displaying the amount of battery life and on the very bottom it says Enter to unlock  with a white and grey arrow. Clicking on the trackball moves the arrow from left to right and the app opens to its icons. They all display in front of the black background except for the bottom row which displays on the bottom in front of a grey dotted row, these constant icons that don’t move are Lock, Call, Messages, and Contacts. The other icons move, and all the icons are brightly colored. I really love the brightness of the app. There are some dots above the grey bar of icons, these dots show which page of icons you are on. Q and P are the navigating keys for the app.

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    The first page displays Weather, Calendar, Web, Camera, Alarm, Maps, Settings, and Help. The Weather icon is really neat. When you click the trackball next to it, it has a place for city name, you click the trackball, type the city name, click the trackball again click q for F or leave if C, and click the trackball again, click P. The weather will display with the current weather and forecast. The other apps open what they say.

    The next page displays Media, Calculator, Profiles, Notes, Options, Quit, Search, and Tools. Media didn’t open for me, but the others did. Tools is very unique. It gives you the choice of self test, memory clean, and torch. You can actually go straight to memory clean or test on your phone, the very command you have to find in status with TEST. So that to me was extremely useful and time saving.

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    The last page displays MySettings, Slide, Office, Desktop, Record, Music, and iRadioOn. MySettings is a really neat icon for the app, it displays wallpapers you can change to. Clicking the trackball brings you to the wallpapers, first one a black background with a neon green battery, moving the trackball to your left brings up the next one. There’s a man in black and white with a starred baret in front of a red background, a computerized face with two red hearts for eyes and a frown, a heart on a black background with a bite out of it that says ILove U, a computerized face with a red plus sign, two closed “eyes’ and a straight mouth, a rainbow dancing around a white and blue cloud with stars that reminds me of a care bear theme, and a red lipstick stain on a black screen. Slide is Power Point, Office is the office apps, Music wouldn’t open, iRadioOn turns your radio on or off. Here’s another cool feature, you can move the icons on the pages by holding the navigation key (the trackball) for a second, allowing you to move the ones you use most to the first page! So it’s like having a virtual iPhone desktop for your BlackBerry.

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    I love the app, I see a lot of good potential in it. I really like the convenience of some of the shortcuts such as memory cleaner and the test. I know the app isn’t totally finished, but I’d like to see an icon for one or two of the messengers (especially the BlackBerry Messenger and maybe the Google Talk), that would be nice. Perhaps one of my digital radio apps, such as Pandora or one of my Twitter apps, since I have Tweet Genius and SocialScope. It could be called MyTwitter. Those would be nice icons in the future, but it is extremely colorful and fun, and simulates an iPhone, so you can have the look on the phone that you love and choose, your beloved BlackBerry.

    But for now, even without the help section, it is really nice. It makes everything easy, doesn’t use much memory or battery.  I did notice however, that the weather icon functions best when fully charged, than a low battery. I’m excited to see what it will be like when it’s fully finished, and includes the help file. I’m including some pics so that you can get an idea what to expect, it looks very much like the MyPhone that MMMOOO designed for the iPhone. And everything MMMOOO comes out with has been unique and fun. This is one of those apps.

    I see this popular with those who like themes, who like the color, and those who want a theme to simulate the iPhone that is interactive. It’s very colorful, easy to navigate, and offers some convenience and usefulness as well. It’s going to be out for release soon, and we’ll let you know when it is, and for what price. I would definitely recommend it if you love themes and like the iPhone but won’t settle for the iPhone.

    How many of you out there are theme lovers? We’d like to know, and we’d like to know what you think of the app, any comments?

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    Review: TuneWiki v1.0.0.69 By Nobex Technologies

    By Susan C on Jul 06, 2009 in Beta, BlackBerry, Downloads, Free Apps, Software.

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    I really thought it was really a nice feature of Nobex Radio Companion (which is available in the BlackBerry Sync Store) to have the “karaoke” feature, it made listening to your radio more fun. And it helped to see what the real lyrics are. Well, here’s one for your own music, the TuneWiki social media player for BlackBerry.

    The description of the media player states that it is the most advanced social media player, that it has translations in 40 plus languages, has karaoke-styled lyrics, real time top 50 charts of every country, and it uses Blip technology for increased social connectivity. You also have the option to post to Twitter or Facebook the song you are currently listening to.

    So I had to download it and try this social media app to my phone, the BlackBerry 8330 Curve. What does the description mean to me and how easy is it to use this app. If it’s anything like the Nobex Radio Companion, I knew I would love it.

    There are actually two versions of the app. The free one I tested, is available for download from their site, and the paid version is $4.95 and is available in the BlackBerry App World. Major difference besides price? The paid version is add free. I don’t mind the adds if that’s the only difference.

    The app downloaded quickly and easily, no issues. After installing, there is a little yellow smilie with a red headphone, or music note as a headphone, as the icon. Clicking on it and it optnes to a black background. It asks if you would like your card scanned for music, of course yes. This took a while, and to be honest, I have 8 gigs which holds movies and music, a lot of music. In the options you have a choice of Preferences and Community. Preferences is where you can sign in with your account. I signed up online and just signed into my account through the Preferences, very easy and no problem. Community takes you to the online TuneWiki Community where your choices are: Song Lyrics Search; Music Near You (see what other listeners are listening to); TuneWiki Top 50; and Help. The main menu gives you the following choices: Playlists; Artists; Albums; All songs; and Shuffle all songs. I found it to be nice plays well, no skipping, no freezing, easy to use.

    I like the lyrics, though the lyrics went a little faster than the song. But other than that, the lyrics were precise and it does resemble a karoake type screen.

    Pros: The media player uses your own music and shows the words. It’s great when you’re bored, or if you want to have some fun with a few friends and you’re without your PS3 or XBox 360, or nowhere near a karaoke bar. It’s another way of networking into another type of music community. You can leave music playing, exit out, and the music will play while you do everything you want to do.

    Cons: I couldn’t figure out how to send the updates on my music to my Facebook or my Twitter account. You have to pay to have the add free version.

    Overall, I’d recommend the app, it’s fun for those who like the new neat apps that are out there, those into music, and with the free app, what do you have to lose?

    You can download the free version from the TuneWiki site ota and the Storm compatible version from the TuneWiki site as well.

    Let us know what you think of the app, we’re interested to know.

    Rating: ★★★★½

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    Review: radioBee v1.6 By Smart Mobile Solutions Inc., Powered By SHOUTcast Radio

    By Susan C on Jul 02, 2009 in BlackBerry, BlackBerry Sync Store, Downloads, Software.

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    RadioBee Mobile Internet Radio Player is the newest app to the scene for radio, and it’s powered by SHOUTcast Radio. Brought to you by Smart Mobile Solutions Inc., it is available for download to BlackBerry smartphones for $9.95 from the BlackBerry Sync Store.

    Features include:

  • - searches, organizes and plays live internet radiostations on the Blackberry
  • - fast access to more than 75000 stations
  • - new UI
  • - Proprietary real-time audio play
  • - Runs in the background
  • - no interference with user applications
  • - NEW BES support
  • - use BlackBerry volume buttons and trackball
  • - supports SHOUTcast stations and Icecast stations
  • - Reliability rating and playing rating for all stations
  • - Bluetooth audio streaming to your car or home audio

    • I downloaded the app with no problems to my Curve 8330. When downloaded, a small icon of a white square with a bee appears. Clicking on it brings up the screen with a white background and green boxes. This is the player of the radioBee. By default you have the following stations listed: Texas Country; Radio Show Net; The All Sports Network; ESPN WWNB; and you are able to add to this list. The green box to your top right shows the status of the player: Stopped, Buffering; or Playing.

    I went through the different channels, and while there is a large selection to choose from, most of the stations would buffer and stop. Customer service is very prompt and fast however, and they gave me some tips such as to bypass genre and type in what I was looking for to search. Which leads me to the next section, how to add the channels. Clicking the options key gives the following options: Start player; Hot Picks; Search SHOUTcast(TM…); Search other stations; Favorites; Add Station by URL; Background; Last News; Setup; About; and Close. Hot Picks are the Picks of the Month, it always remained blank for me. Search for Stations Powered By SHOUTcast(TM) leads to a list of Search For: and several genres. Favorites lists all that are on the player and those you’ve added. Add by URL allows you to add a radio if you know the real broadcasting address of the Internet radio stations. The current supported servers are SHOUTcast and Icecast. Background allows you to leave the radio playing in the background as you do other things with the phone. This is one thing I really did like, that you could even back out of the radio player, and it will continue playing, like some other radios do. About displays the version and name of the app.

    Now they were quick with tech support as I could not get very many stations to play, and whether it’s my location that is in the heart of the SouthWest, whether it’s my wireless carrier, or the fact my phone is CDMA and not GSM based, who knows. But I wasn’t able to get many stations past buffering and stopped. I looked up rock, classic rock, indie rock, punk rock, Beatles, and even 70’s and 80’s music. I found two that actually played.

    I really do like the idea of the app, and hope that they can improve the reception or selection of radio stations, but for now for my phone and current carrier, it just didn’t work too well. I wanted it to work, I tried everything, including contacting them for suggestions and ideas, and they were very quick to answer. With apps like Pandora, Slacker, and even Nobex Radio Companion, there’s some competition at hand, so for a price I was looking for the same reception and reliability with radio service that I have received with these three, but for some reason it didn’t meet that. I really do hope that they can improve the app and work on it, it has potential.

    Pros: Basic interface, easy usage, and a wide selection of stations and genres to choose from. Can be played in the background while you answer emails, texts, etc.

    Cons: Not many radio stations work past buffering or stop, so while there’s a selection, there aren’t many that actually play. The app is $9.95 to purchase.

    If you have tried the radioBee, or have purchased it, please share your experience with it or your thoughts and opinions, we’d really like to know what you think.

    You can download a copy of radioBee v1.6 for $9.95 from the BlackBerry Sync Store here >

    Compatible with OS: 4.3, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7

    Compatible with devices: 82xx Pearl Flip series, 83xx Curve series, 85xx Curve series, 87xx series, 88xx World series, 8900 (Curve), 9000 (Bold), 9630 (Tour), Storm

    Rating: ★★☆☆☆

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    The BlackBerry City Guide App Launches By Quintessentially

    By Susan C on Jun 30, 2009 in BlackBerry, Downloads, Free Apps, Guides, Software.

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    Clementine, from Quintessentially, was kind enough to alert us to a really interesting FREE app for the traveler, be it work or vacation. You can connect to the insider world of Quintessentially while you’re on the go in the world. It will provide both members and non-members alike exclusive free access to vast travel content and information anytime and anywhere.

    This app has been successful with the iPhone and is now available to BlackBerry, via the Pearl, Curve, and Bold. So what is Quintessentially? It is the world’s leading private member’s club and 24 hour concierge service. One click of your BlackBerry will connect you to an array of exclusive city guides, providing you with the most travel knowledge in the most sought after destinations in the world. Many more cities have been added as well, from Buenos Aires to Beirut, and Delhi to Dubai, you’ll have the world at your fingertips. Imagine going to St. Tropez with your BlackBerry as your tour guide! Doesn’t get anymore convenient than that. The guides are updated daily with the latest openings, new venues, and must see locations. You’ll know where to go, where to stay, what to see, what’s on the menu where, what you don’t want  to miss, everything laid out in the palm of your hand.

    Each guide also comes with fantastic offers and services that Quintessentially members have come to appreciate, including reservations, VIP treatment, money-saving services, and did I mention directions via GPS? The content is free for everyone, but only members may take advantage of the services, packages, and VIP treatment.

    If you travel for business or vacation, you won’t want to be without this app that will be another reason to say your BlackBerry is your best friend. Besides, it’s FREE. You can download the app here at the Quintessentially for BlackBerry site. The site to join Quintessentially is on the site as well, just follow the link. If you download it and take it traveling, please let us know what you think. If I were going to the Bahamas, this would be my app of choice.

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    Review: CropIt v1.2, Picture Cropping App By All Kapps Software

    By Susan C on Jun 29, 2009 in BlackBerry, BlackBerry Sync Store, Downloads, Software.

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    CropIt by All Kapps Software is giving the public something that leaves us wondering why this doesn’t come on a BlackBerry to begin with. It works, it’s easy to use, and it’s nice not to have to move the pic to my pc prior to posting it if it needs to be cropped.

    It used to be that I would move my pics, crop them, and then post them, or just send them from my phone thinking it could have been better had I been able to crop it. Well, CropIt allows you to crop the pic prior to post. So now you don’t have to worry about that close up, and you can save the pics the way you’d like.

    Read More

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    Review: ZonaSnap v1.1.08 by ZonaBlackBerry for BlackBerry

    By Susan C on Jun 28, 2009 in BlackBerry, BlackBerry Sync Store, Downloads, Free Apps, Reviews, Software.

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    ZonaSnap is a capturing app or utility for the BlackBerry device that can allow you to take screenshots. It gives you the options: Send to Photobucket; Send as Email; Save Capture; Help; About; and Close. The other great thing about it, it’s FREE. While I used Capture It, this is a great app as well, and works as a great compliment.

    I was really interested in this app when we received the email from Felix of ZonaBlackBerry.com. The app was developed by the staff, better known as Javiergv. The program comes in English or Spanish.  The details of this product are as follows:

    Features:

    • Zonasnap added as an menu item.
    • Send snap of your screen without saving straight from the screen as email, to Photobucketor or simply save to SD card under your pictures folder.
    • Can be added as a convenience key.
    • Really small in file size about 88kb.
    • When used from the menu it gives you a preview of your screen shot.
    • OS 4.3+ required.
    • Files saved as jpg format.
    • After the capture issent to Photobucket, you will receive a notification in a window reporting that the image code has been received and it has been inserted into Memopad.
    • LED notification and a short vibration to let you know the snap has been taken.
    • Very easy to use.
    • Notes:
    • * Must enable all permissions requested by the application.
    • * Storm users should disable the compatibility mode.

    I downloaded the app from the link given, and it installed quickly. I changed the key which usually opens Capture It, to use the ZonaSnap. It worked quick. When snapping the screenshot, it buzzes then displays a pic on top that has a blue icon on top that says ZONASnap and a red one with a Z and BlackBerry symbol that says ZDNABlackBerry. Clicking the options button, I get the following options: Send to Photobucket (if you have an account, or you can make one), Send as Email, Save Capture, Help (which has detailed instructions how to use the application to it’s full extent, all shots are stored as .jpg, About, and Close. If you choose Save Capture, then the app has a file under pictures in your media where you can find the pictures. From there you can send as you normally would.

    I really like that the application is easy to read, use, and follow. For usability and readabilty, it’s a five star app. I also appreciate that it allows you to choose to save and send. I know there have been times I have accidently hit the side button and ended up having to delete a mistaken pic with Capture It. But with Capture It, it goes directly to your pictures. You have the option to send right away with ZonaSnap, which is nice. For being free, it allows you more choices and less limitations. I don’t have a Photobucket account, I use TwitPic for a pic storing online place as well as Flickr.

    I can’t say that I found any faults, although it would be nice in the future to see the ability to send to messengers from the ZonaSnap. I use the ScreenShot capture apps for one, the review pictures, but also for tech support. If I have a customer/friend who cannot find something or needs guidance with their BlackBerry, I have found this to be the most valuable tool for that, and sometimes pictures speak louder than words.

    Pros: The price is nice, at Free. The app allows you the choice of saving or sending from the time the screenshot capture is taken. It makes a folder to keep your screenshots in, so they’re easy to find. using it is so easy, clear concise intstructions are included in the Help option, it’s not a large file at all and doesn’t freeze. I am highly recommending this app if you can use it, you certainly will not be disappointed. It’s extremely convenient.

    Cons: Not really a con, but more a wish that the app will eventually give the choice of sending to a messenger as well, or even as text. I didn’t deduct points for it, but like I said, more of a wish.

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    You can download a FREE copy of ZonaSnap v1.1.08 from the BlackBerrySync Store here >

    Or if you’d like the Spanish version, you can download that here from the BlackBerrySync Store as well.

    Compatible with BlackBerry OS: 4.3, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7

    Compatible with BlackBerry devices: 81xx Pearl Series, 8220 (Pearl Flip), 83xx Curve Series, 87xx series, 88xx World series, 8900 (Curve), 9000 (Bold), Storm

    Rating: ★★★★★

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    Important: Viigo v3.1.330 Is Available To BlackBerry Users, Please Update ASAP

    By Susan C on Jun 27, 2009 in BlackBerry, Downloads, Free Apps, Software.

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    Viigo is strongly recommending an upgrade to v3.1.330 for all BlackBerry users, it fixes a number of performance issues. It’s very important to upgrade your apps and software to any available updates for best performatnce on your BlackBerry. There’s a reason why they become available to you, please make sure you do this.

    It’s FREE and it’s Viigo, our favorite app to turn to for several reasons, make your BlackBerry and yourself happy and upgrade now. You will be able to upgrade it here from your phone.

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