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Do you have the “Automatically Dim Backlight” option set to ON or OFF?polls

In my endless pursuit to find some good, fresh topics, I was rolling through all of the options and apps on my device. I had a stroke of genius and realized I’ve always been curious as to how other users have their devices setup. Right out of the box, there are a load of options to play around with and tweak to your liking. Everyone has their own special way of setting up a device, and I would love to know what some of the most popular settings are. So in a new series of posts, we hope to find out just how you use your BlackBerry. We’ll delve deep and find out what everyone likes or dislikes, how bright your screen is, how many message boxes you use, how you lock your device, your alert settings and much, much more. Each week we’ll check out the results from the previous poll, and down the line (probably way down) when we cover everything, we’ll take a look at what seems to be the best way to setup your device.

For the first installment we’ll start with the "Automatically Dim Backlight" option (located under Options > Screen/Keyboard). This one is plain and simple – do you have it set on or off? Personally I never use it, but recently at a concert found my screen way to bright in the dark room. I set the device to automatically dim, and I love the result. Granted it can give you trouble from time to time depending on the lighting, but I think its a great feature and can even help save battery life. So what do you do? Vote in the poll below and let us know!

CrackBerry.com’s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. How Do You Use Your BlackBerry Series: Automatically Dim Backlight On or Off?

The folks over at ÜberTwitter have been hard at workon their latest version of the popular Twitter client for BlackBerry. Today, CodeWarden has made version 0.970 available for download via the ÜberTwitter website. Those of you running version 0.963 or lower are encouraged to upgrade and check out the latest version. Many bug fixes are include in this release, all of which CodeWarden has outlined on the site. Be sure to check the site for the full details.

• View The ÜberTwitter version 0.970 Full Changelog Via Their Website>>
• Download ÜberTwitter version 0.970 Direct To Your BlackBerry OTA>>

CrackBerry.com’s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. UberTwitter Version 0.970 Released – Now Available for Download

Shazam for BlackBerry rolled out version 2.5 last week. Some cool new functions were added to the mix with this release that I’m sure most users can appreciate. Especially, since they work quite nicely from my testing. The rundown of new features is as follows:

• Searching And Launching Of YouTube Videos From Tagged Music.
• In App Ability To "Tweet" Tagged Music To All Of Your Twitter Followers.
• Integrated In App Music Purchases Direct From The 7Digital Music Store.

Since its initial release, Shazam hasn’t really seen that many updates or functionality added. So these additions are welcomed ones for sure. You can check out the free or paid versions of Shazam in BlackBerry App World. For me, the 5 tags per month the free version offers is enough but other users may want the unlimited tagging options that Shazam Encore brings. In either case, the free version of Shazam does offer a free 7 day trial to try out the service so you can decide.

• Click Here To Learn More And Download Shazam For BlackBerry Via BlackBerry App World>>

CrackBerry.com’s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Shazam For BlackBerry Updated To Version 2.5- Music Videos And 7Digital Music Purchases Added

We have posted on Wheres My Phone in the past and it has just been updated to version 3, adding some nice enhancements.  The application is used to send remote commands to your BlackBerry for such tasks as triggering an audible alarm, battery level check, and GPS location request.  New features in this build include remote contacts download, SMS integration, and remote disabling of the device. The other nice thing about this app is that you pay a one time fee, no monthly or annual service fees. You can pick up Where’s My Phone in the CrackBerry App Store for .99 for all devices on OS 4.2.1 and up.

Contest: We have 100 copies of Wheres My Phone 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 Wheres My Phone>>

CrackBerry.com’s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Wheres My Phone Updated to Version 3 – 100 Copies to be Won!

I guess I could kind of take this as some kind acknowledgement of the article I wrote the other day in one way or another. The most recent BlackBerry Connection Newsletter which was sent out yesterday makes note of two new apps coming for Business users. I’m not so sure Twitter qualifies as a tool for business users specifically, but it was on the list as well as Linked In for BlackBerry.

The newsletter states that both apps will be arriving on the BlackBerry platform soon and offers up links on how to be informed of each applications release. While the newsletter certainly doesn’t offer much up in the way of a timeline, it does offer me that slight hope we’ll see both arrive soon. But I guess we are stuck waiting to find out what Research In Motion’s definition of "soon" is. For me, it means today or tomorrow. I’d even go so far as to say next week. Anything beyond that you are no longer in the "soon" timeline.

CrackBerry.com’s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Twitter For BlackBerry And Linked In Apps Coming Soon According To RIM Newsletter

The folks at Twinkler software have let us know they completed the process of getting AddOnis working on devices running OS 5.0. Not only did they get it working correctly but they also managed to work in the new standby and lock features seen in the most recent OS 5.0 versionsl. The change log for this one depends on what OS it is that you are running on your device. Some of the changes are for OS 5.0 and some were for 4.6/4.7. You can check out the full the change log for AddOnis as listed here.

• Click Here To Learn More And Purchase AddOnis For Only .99>>

CrackBerry.com’s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. AddOnis Now Compatible with BlackBerry Smartphones Running OS 5.0

What a great start to the day. We’ve known for some time this OS was floating around out there, even heard that this one had hit "Gold Candidate" for release to carriers. Now, thanks to a CrackBerry forums member who wished to remain anonymous you can now check out the release yourself. As always, be sure to back up your data before you load this one onto your device gold candidate or not, things could go awry.  Standard disclaimer can be found below.

*OS Disclaimer – Please Read: Keep in mind this is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by RIM or your Carrier. If you choose to install, do so at your own risk and only if you’re comfortable in the process of upgrading and downgrading your device software. It is quite normal during operating system development for certain features to be crippled or disabled while others are tested, and these beta builds often reflect that. They are not always better. Depending on your BlackBerry comfort level, it may be best for you to wait for community feedback on a build before deciding to download and install for yourself or simply wait for the next official release. If you require support, you will find it in our CrackBerry forums via our extremely knowledgeable community base – do not contact your carrier or RIM for Beta OS technical support (their first course of action will be to advise you to downgrade to a supported OS). Follow the links below for more information and instructions. *

• Download The Leaked OS 5.0.0.545 For The BlackBerry Bold 9700>>

CrackBerry.com’s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. Leaked: OS 5.0.0.545 For The BlackBerry Bold 9700

When we launched MyBlackBerry™, my friends at Inside BlackBerry asked me, “What’s in store for MyBlackBerry in the future”? My response was that “our intention is to start small and then work with the community to build what they want in a true web 2.0 fashion. It’s onward and upward from here.” For the past six months, this is exactly what we’ve been doing.

We took all of the feedback from the “MyBlackBerry Feature Request” thread, suggestions from some of the other smaller threads that members had started, and a wish list that I had tucked into my drawer, and then we started phase 2 of MyBlackBerry.

There was a lot to consider, and we needed to make sure that we remained true to our promise: that the site is connected to our other communities in Facebook®, MySpace®, and iGoogle™ (with more community connections to come in the future) and that it’s a place about YOU and YOUR BlackBerry® smartphone. Click the link below to read about some of the requests and how we addressed them.

More Countries!

We heard this request loud and clear, and MyBlackBerry is opening up to the world. Currently MyBlackBerry is still English only, but the registration form has opened up. We will continue to notify the community as more languages and carriers are added.

Device-specific areas

A pretty self-explanatory request that we addressed in two ways:

1) Quick links for your specific BlackBerry smartphone along the right-hand nav (including a link to check for BlackBerry® Device Software upgrades);

2) Ability to add your BlackBerry smartphone to “My Topics”. In one click you can see all of the recent discussions related to your smartphone.

Marking Posts as Faves

The request here was to make the more vibrant discussions (”Post your BBM 5.0 Barcode”, for example) really easy to find every time you visit the site. All you need to do is click “Follow Topic” in any discussion and it will be one click away each time you visit. Plus, this is how the site becomes unique to you.

Make the site easier to use

There were a bunch of small tweaks that needed to be made so that people could easily navigate their way through the site. One of the biggest improvements here is staying in the discussion window when you are replying; the previous version of MyBlackBerry took you to a whole new window, so replying to messages is now much more efficient!

And we’re not even done yet! Here are some other things we’re working on:

• An app/mobile friendly version (yes, it is coming)
• Ability to display your BlackBerry smartphone PIN in your profile
• Badges for our super friends who make the site spectacular
• Easier ways to make friends

I also want to give a big shout-out to James from the MyBlackBerry community – his dedication to helping us make the site better is truly phenomenal. (Just search for his name in the site, and you will see the lists of suggestions he posted.) Thanks, James!

Hope to see you there! And as always, feedback is welcome.

Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc. iGoogle is a trademark of Google Inc. MySpace is a trademark of News Corporation.

Paul Ockenden of PC Pro put together a test comparing smartphone keyboards. The test was pretty basic, and while we can argue about the accuracy of the results, I think BlackBerry users can agree on the conclusions. The test involved typing the first couple of verses to Lou Reed’s “Pale Blue Eyes”, a telephone number, a web URL and a username/password. In each case, the operation was timed and accuracy noted. The results of the tests are shown in the above table.

Each phone was in its default mode, as it would be out of the box. One error is logged for each wrong word in the main text and for each wrong character in the phone number, web address, username and password. In each test, Paul tried to not look at the screen, and type as fast as he could, allowing the phone to correct any errors. Overall, the goal isn’t to type the fastest, but to get an idea for the speed to error ratio.

Obviously, the results we’re particularly interested in are those related to BlackBerry. According to the results, the Bold 9700 clocked in at 1M 44S with 0 errors. This was actually the best score across all the smartphones tested. These results are definitely something to be proud of, and as a Bold 9700 user myself, I can stand behind the results.

Now lets take a look at the Storm2 results: 3M 24S and 9 errors. These results show the Storm2 to have by far the least efficient character input across all smartphones tested. Again, as someone who has used the Storm2, these results are on par with my own experiences.

Personally, I think these results highlight how RIM made a fatal error with the Storm2. Their attempt to keep up with the Johnsons led them to develop a product that lacks the competitive advantages of a BlackBerry: speed, efficiency and productivity. While I love the Storm2 for its ability to open up the market for new apps and its large screen that makes rich media look so good, I can’t help but think SurePress was the Achilles Heel.

If Paul were to redo the test, I would ask he try the Bold 9000. I bet its large keyboard would beat the 9700’s by a significant margin.

© Kyle for BlackBerry Cool, 2010