RIM's BlackBerry Curve 9360 outed — is this Apollo?

Did RIM forget this budget entry update, or was it pushed aside for this morning’s announcements of its higher-end BlackBerry brothers? No matter the case, OneMobileRing got a hands-on with the Curve 9360, and it looks like this portrait QWERTY could be following in its brethren’s OS 7 footsteps. Shots of the device reveal a Tour-like chrome trim, optical trackpad and the requisite micro-USB port for your charging / connectivity needs. A pic of the device’s open battery door also shows off a SIM card slot, leading us to believe that this may very well be the ever-elusive Apollo. Could we see this mid-end, GSM workhorse in T-Mobile’s near future? Our in-house Ms. Cleo predicts a yes.

SlashGear

OneMobileRing

via: engadget

Official: 6.0.0.643 OS for BlackBerry Bold 9780 via T-Mobile UK

Official OS 6.0.0.643 from T-Mobile UK has reached the BlackBerry Bold 9780. If you have a Bold 9780, get out that USB cord and give your a device a fresh OS. Don’t forget to drop a comment below and let us know how it’s working out for you!

**Currently this update seems to only be showing on Desktop Manager for T-Mobile UK users, but BBH-Plus has created a home made installer for the install**

*Disclaimer – Install at your own risk and always back up your data before loading! This is NOT an official release and as such is not supported by Research In Motion or your Wireless Carrier. NHCBBA.com  is not responsible for any loss of data or any other issues that may arise during the loading process.

We also have the .zip of just the UMTS and Java files if you prefer to do a copy/paste method.

Instructions:1. Install 6.0.0.600 to PC (http://bit.ly/ndsvgo)

1a. UMTS/Java Folder only: Download
2. Install this over 6.0.0.600 folder using this installer
2a. Shrink your OS if you want
3. Install to phone
3a. For best results, do 2-3 battery pulls and allow 24-48 hour “settling” time

This is the full OS 6.0.0.643 DM Update.Contains:
– Updated: BBM, Facebook, Twitter, IM apps

• Download OS 6.0.0.643 for Bold 9780 from T-Mobile UK (home made installer)

Official: OS 5.0.0.1079 for BlackBerry Bold 9000 via T-Mobile Germany

Official OS 5.0.0.1079 from T-Mobile Germany has reached the BlackBerry Bold 9000. If you have a Bold 9000, get out that USB cord and give your a device a fresh OS. Don’t forget to drop a comment below and let us know how it’s working out for you! If it is any better for you?

Note: The Software Platform and Applications version numbers can be found under Options-About screen on the handheld.

 

• Download Official OS 5.0.0.1079 for BlackBerry Bold 9000 from T-Mobile Germany

Yoritex has produced Medical Network HUB for BlackBerry smartphones

 

Given the current parade of bad predictions for the BlackBerry from the inside baseball crowd, it’s exciting and refreshing to see that out in the real world many still see BlackBerry surviving beyond next Thursday.  Yoritex has announced that they have produced a Medical Network HUB.  This is the first USB-connected hardware accessory for BlackBerry smartphones, which allows making over 50 different medial and non-medical measurements via plug-in accessories which Yoritex makes.  It provides full mHealth service on real-time transmit data basis.

Keep reading for the full press release.

Vitaminwater advertising campaign includes free juice for your devices

How many times throughout your day have you found yourself with a dead battery in your BlackBerry? A cool new campaign from Vitaminwater is underway in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston that aims to help out with this problem. Bus shelters in those cities have the interactive displays installed, complete with 5-volt battery powered USB ports that will allow commuters to plug in and charge up mobile phones, MP3 players, and gaming devices. If you live in one of these four cities, have you spotted one of these bus stops?

Source: Creativity-Online

via:cb

Cricket to test its first 4G LTE network in Tucson later this year

Cricket will start to test the first installment of its 4G LTE network in Tucson, Arizona, the carrier confirmed in a recent interview with PCMag. Cricket’s vice president of device development, Matt Stoiber, said testing will begin during the second half of this year and that it will use Huawei’s E397 dual-mode USB modem preliminarily. The company has inked a roaming deal with LightSquared and has set a March 2012 target date for the first commercial LTE products to become available for its customers. USB modems will populate Cricket shelves first, followed by 4G LTE phones once the tech has evolved enough to make them cheaper and slimmer with good battery life. PCMag also suggested that Cricket’s next markets could include Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Phoenix.

Read

via:BGR

Official: OS 5.0.0.1082 for BlackBerry Storm2 9550 via Appalachian Wireless

BlackBerry Storm 2 9550 users pull out those USB cords and get in on the action – Appalachian Wireless has officially released OS 5.0.0.1082! This is the highest update to date for the 9550 device. Be sure to leave us a comment on how the update works for you.

• Download OS 5.0.0.1082 for Storm 2 9550 via Appalachian Wireless

USB power pot uses excess heat to charge your gadgets

Most stoves produce heat that far exceeds the temperature necessary to boil water, but TES NewEnergy has found a way to convert that excess energy into power, which can subsequently be used to charge your USB gadgets. Released yesterday in Japan, the Hitochaja HC-5 USB power pot can generate up to 400mAh of juice — enough to charge your iPhone in three to five hours. Considering it needs a constant heat source to generate electricity, the ¥23,000 pot (about $285, before tax) is even less practical than last week’s C-type battery laptop charger, but if you want to expand the service offerings at your local soup kitchen, this double-duty cooking vessel may be the solution you’ve been looking for.

CrunchGear

MyCom

via:engadget

Leaked OS 6.0.0.600 for the BlackBerry Curve 9300

Looks like the BlackBerry Curve 9300 users get some Friday lovin’ as well. We have leaked OS 6.0.0.600 ready for the taking. Again, hot off the presses so be sure to drop a comment if you do install. Let us know the good, bad and ugly for this guy. Pop out those USB cables and get on it!

*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 FAQ section of our site – 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). *

Download OS 6.0.0.600 for the BlackBerry Curve 9300

Your BlackBerry: Hanging on for dear (battery) life

Pop quiz, hotshot. There’s a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do? Oh, and your BlackBerry’s battery is about to die. The correct answer of course is that you jump off the bus at the earliest opportunity (be sure to tuck and roll) and charge your BlackBerry.

While the events of the movie Speed are thankfully uncommon, a battery drained BlackBerry isn’t. The device is a victim of its own success; our Smartphones typically last a day or more on a single charge.  Why would you charge a device that doesn’t need it? Then, towards the middle of the day, the battery level drops into that dreaded yellow zone. Less than 30% power remains. Be it a USB cable, wall, or car charger; get your BlackBerry some juice, stat. If that’s not an option, there are a few things you can do to minimize your power use. You and your BlackBerry just might be able to limp along until the end of the day.

Turn off the radios. The Bluetooth, Wifi, and GSM/CDMA radios use a lot of power. If you’re not using them, turn them off. I suggest turning off Bluetooth and Wifi first. You’ll still be able to get messages and emails through the mobile network.

Close unused applications: Every application in your app switcher is silently draining power from your battery. From processor cycles to contacting servers on the internets, everything these apps do is slowly killing the remaining power in your battery. Close those resource hoggers.

Turn off the phone: There is a danger of draining the battery in your BlackBerry too much; if it dies too much, it won’t hold a charge. There are systems designed to prevent this, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help. At less than 5% charge, your device will automatically shut off all radios. That’s pretty much the signal for you to power down. Hold down the red key until the phone “shuts down.”

Or, you could simply carry a spare battery. Oh, and please don’t try that jumping off the bus thing. It seriously hurts.