A question that we are regularly asked that always seems to increase in frequency around the holidays is how to convert a DVD for the BlackBerry.  I don’t think you have to go out on a limb to assume that the increase in frequency of this question is directly related to  the number of our readers making holiday travel plans because what better time is there to watch a DVD on your BlackBerry than when in car, on train, or on a plane on your way to visit family.

When it comes to converting a DVD to watch on your BlackBerry, the ease or difficulty at which you will accomplish your task really boils down to the DVD conversion software that you choose to use.  The best software on the market for converting a DVD to BlackBerry, in my personal opinion, is DVDFab.  DVDFab not only gives you the ability to convert a DVD into a file that you can transfer to and play on your BlackBerry, it offers regular updates to make sure that you can continue to convert DVDs once encryption algorithms change.

That being said, here is how you Convert a DVD to BlackBerry using DVDFab…

Note:  DVDFab is currently on sale for 25% off through Nov. 28th.  Just enter FAB-B3D-OFF in the check out area by clicking the “I have a discount code” check-box in the check out area.

How To Convert A DVD To BlackBerry is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

TrustedUnlock.com, home of the $5 BlackBerry unlock code, is running a promotion where anyone can  get a free BlackBerry unlock code simply by creating a link to www.TrustedUnlock.com somewhere on the internet.  I personally haven’t used TrustedUnlock, so, to get some feedback on how their unlocking service works, we are giving away 10 free BlackBerry unlock codes here on RIMarkable to 10 people that leave a comment on this post between now and Tuesday, Nov. 23rd, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

We will randomly select 10 comments, contact, the commentators and send them unlocking information for their devices, no link necessary…  We would appreciate, however, a comment telling us about your experience using TrustedUnlock’s service.

Remember, anyone can get a Free BlackBerry unlock code by leaving a link to TrustedUnlock.com somewhere on the internet, so, head over to www.trustedunlock.com to get promotion details.

Get A Free BlackBerry Unlock Code From TrustedUnlock.com is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

I am not a huge fan of phone cases as they add additional bulk to an other wise slim device. A case is the best way to protect your mobile phone from the drops. The benefit of a phone skin is to protect for scratches. Sometimes the goal is just to protect from scratching. I have used transparent skins on my phones for the last 4-5 years, but have mainly focused on protecting the screen vs protecting the entire phone. BodyGuardZ sent us one of their Premium Scratch-Proof Transparent Films. We tested it out on the BlackBerry Bold 9650. (Lucky for me Robb does not own a BlackBerry Bold 9650)

The key to getting a good application of a transparent phone skin is a clean device… Before you begin,clean your device…  Then, re-clean your device.  I cannot reiterate enough how important it is to make sure your device is free of any dust and fingerprints before you begin.

In the box of BodyGuardZ full phone skin for the BlackBerry 9650 there are two complete sets of protective skins for your device. Don’t think for a moment you can buy one package and cover two phones. Rather, when you apply the first skin on some part of your device either a small piece of lint or an air bubble will get trapped inside. Despite your best effort some air bubbles will not clear and that is what the backup film is for. I am not only speaking from experience with the BodyGuardZ, but also with every skin I have ever applied.

The package contains very good detailed instructions for applying the protective skin. I followed the instructions and was able to apply the screen protector without having a single air bubble. I was not as successful with the pieces for the body of the phone. I only had to reapply two pieces which is not bad in the grand scheme. I was skeptical about applying the skin to the body, as I really like the way the BlackBerry 9650 feels. Despite my initial assumptions I really like having this skin protecting my device. Additionally, the skin adds to the grip of the device. From start to finish, it took me 30 minutes to skin the entire phone.

If you don’t mind using a case I would consider buying something like this black silicon case for $1.21 plus the BodyGuardZ Screen protector. The screen skin is the easiest to install so you can be up and running in a matter of minutes plus you have drop protection.

I will likely make BodyGuardZ protective films my new standard as I like the dry fit process…

Review: BodyGuardZ Scratch-Proof Skin is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

Off the glowing recommendation of RIMarkable Robb, I decided to install the evaluation version of Xobni. If you look at just about any top 10 BlackBerry application list, Xobni, in many cases, ranks close to the top. I am, actually, kind of shocked by this considering that, although, I see some value in Xobni, there are glaring areas where the app fails miserably. I know that Xobni is one of those applications where the value is a bit more subtle and you need to use it a few times before you really realize it’s power, however, that being said, there are areas, in my opinion, where Xobni simply doesn’t work and is unreliable.

Where Xobni Disappointed

Adding Incorrect Numbers to Contacts

Xobni collects contact information from a variety sources and publishes it to your Xobni contact list. One of the sources of this information happens to be email signatures and this is where the problem lies. In my Xobni contact list I have 40 contacts that have my phone number listed under their contact.

I have 6 contacts that have 20 or more numbers that belong to other users associated with their Xobni contact. I checked the top 10 people that send me emails and have email signatures and 9 of the 10 users have one or more of their contact numbers on another user in my Xobni contact. For me the information was so in accurate I cannot trust of Xobni’s suggested numbers. I highlighted this issue to Robb and sure enough he has the same problem, but never poked around to see it.

Ranking You as my #1 Contact

Something Xobni on the desktop does well is determining, this is you, as you can see in the image above. For example if I click on an email I sent to myself from a hotmail account to a gmail or work account it show up as this is you. For some reason on the Xobni mobile it shows me as my #1 contact. I checked and Robb saw the same result. I guess the problem here is the behavior on the desktop and mobile differ. This is a minor annoyance.

Feedback from Xobni: Ranking self as #1 contact – Ranking yourself as number 1 is not a bug, but rather a product decision.

Limited Indexing

I have some contacts I only interact with via SMS and BBM and Xobni does not look at this when determining who I most frequently communicate with. Xobni mobile is designed for the BlackBerry, and not including BBM and SMS almost seems silly. Now, I do understand that if you look at a contact, Xobni can show what SMS messages have been exchanged, but I wanted to see this as a factor that determines how they rank in my Xobni contact list. I have dozens of contacts that are exclusively communicated with via BBM or SMS. If Xobni could also understand communication that happens via Google Voice, that would be over the top. The challenge is that the view I am getting from Xobni is only partially correct on my communication patterns, with multiple methods of communication excluded (BBM, SMS, Google Voice) from ranking contacts the list is less accurate.

FeedBack from Xobni: I spoke to Xobni and the said SMS does impact the ranking of users, but several people I SMS with are not ranking yet.  They did mention an issue with BlackBerry OS on CDMA phones (Spring/Verizon) so this may be impacting me. The lack of BBM Indexing is a BlackBerry limitation vs lack of desire from Xobni.

Where Xobni Delighted

Putting Faces to my Contacts

I am a strong believer in having photos on your contacts. In fact, I cannot think of a good reason not to have a photo on a contacts. The magic of Xobni is pulling images from LinkedIn and Facebook and adding to my Xobni contact list. I wish the images had also gotten added to my BlackBerry contact list, but that is more an enhancement request. I have people that work for me whom I have never physically seen, but thanks to Xobni Mobile I now have faces on those contacts. Additionally, I have hundreds of people I communicate with professionally whom I may never meet, but 40% of the time Xobni can give me a picture of that contact.

Filtered Contact View

Some people I only talk to at a particular time of the year, like quarterly, for business tasks that need to be completed. I could watch my top communication view dynamically change on my mobile to match my recent patterns. I suspect this is a value of the light integration with Xobni desktop. Via Xobni mobile I could look up Mary or Tim which are common first names but only rank in the Xobni because I am talking to them now. I have only been using Xobni for two weeks but it appears the list of frequently talked to people changes rather dynamically.

Automatically Change Send Using

Having multiple accounts on my BlackBerry (1 BES and 4 BIS) the one thing I want to avoid doing is sending emails from the wrong address. This is a classic example of how you don’t even realize what Xobni is doing for you. Xobni knows when I email Robb on his Gmail account I always do so from my gmail account so it automatically updates the send using to reflect my gmail account. For me this is a huge value as I have mistakenly sent emails from the wrong address. Mistakes like this can impact future emails people send you if their mail client retains the wrong address.

Overall

I am clearly not ready to say I love, or, even really like Xobni Mobile, however, I am not quite ready to uninstall the application either . The two week evaluation is far too short for me to draw a conclusion. I will likely purchase Xobni for my BlackBerry and continue to use over the next couple weeks until I decide if I want to keep it installed.

It appears that people who receive a large quantity of email daily find value in Xobni. In two weeks I have only scratched the surface on the product. I would consider myself a heavy email user as I receive about 200 – 300 emails daily. For now I will avoid the areas where Xobni has performed poor and enjoy helping hands it provides that are not so obvious.

Review: Xobni For BlackBerry is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

Robb put me on the spot a bit yesterday about downloading and installing the leaked BlackBerry 6 for the  BlackBerry Bold 9650.  He knows that I have slowed down my adoption of leaked OS versions because they all seem that same after a while, but, BlackBerry 6 is a new OS, so, I decided to give it a go.  I wouldn’t call this an exhaustive review, but, more or less my initial thoughts…

Browser

I have made it a point to use the browser heavily, and, as far as web browsers on BlackBerry devices go, it is not that bad.  It is not, however, on par with browsers on touch screen devices for a variety of reasons that cannot really even be addressed on non-touch screen devices such as the limited amount of screen real estate.  It is a given that larger screens on the iPhone, pretty much all current  Android devices, and, even though Robb didn’t like it, the BlackBerry Torch, that navigation is much easier on a big touch screens.

Not being a touch screen device you need to scroll the page not with a flick of your finger but with constant flicks of your fingers across the trackpad. I do feel RIM could make the experience slightly better here by detecting scroll speeds. On the iPhone or Android if you swipe your finger fast the screen scrolls quick, this same concept could be translated when you swipe the trackpad quickly on web pages.

The good

RIM hit a home run in two areas in the new BlackBerry Browser, zooming and tabbed browsing.  I clicked BlackBerry menu and selected zoom and scrolling my finger up and down on the trackpad quickly zoomed in and out. After upgrading I cannot recall if the old browser worked this way, considering my limited use of the BB Browser it is no wonder I cannot recall.  There is a small pull down panel at the top of the browser window that gives you access to create new tabs. There is not much to say in this area beyond it finally exists and that is a huge value.

The bad

The speed of loading webpages on the BlackBerry Bold 9650 running BlackBerry 6 is magnitudes slower than Android on the HTC Incredible or iOS on the latest iPod Touch. Rather than trying to explain the speed difference I figured it would just be easier for you to watch the difference on your own.

Needless, to say, RIM has to address speed issues as they are pretty abysmal.

Navigation and Usability

When I initially saw all the BlackBerry Torch commercials the one feature that struck me as interesting was the way icons on the home screen provided a way to access your content. On BlackBerry OS 5 if I got a new BBM message I would hold the BlackBerry menu to show a list of running apps then switch to BlackBerry Messenger. On BlackBerry 6 I can highlight the notification icons and scroll through a list an see emails, FaceBook, Calendar, BlackBerry Messenger and more. For me this rather small change is so natural it is already a part of how I use my BlackBerry.

Navigating the home screen takes a moment to get use to. On the main home screen to show all the apps you can either do it the old way by clicking BlackBerry menu but that requires you to also click Open Tray. The new way to do this is to highlight the application view selector, the bar that lets you switch between All, Favorites, Media, Downloads, and Frequent and press or click enter to show apps. This change is taking a bit to adjust to I think I like double tapping BlackBerry menu to access a list of apps.

Another navigation winner for me is just above the notification bar. If you highlight the clock/date/Wifi/GPS area and press the trackpad you a dropped in to some quick configuration changes like manage connections, set alarm, or setup services and options. I like that I don’t have to show all apps then scroll down to manage connections or jump in to options. It is not a massive change it just brings frequently accessed features to the top.

A final navigation feature I am enjoying is the new shortcut dialog that appears when you are click on a contact, sender or recipient, in email message. This new dialog provides you a quick way to copy, show address, email, call, view contact, text contact, or access other general options.

Summary

I have avoided doing any of the social stuff that would sync my BES contacts with twitter and facebook, but, I have seen the configuration options.  BlackBerry 6 is new for me but overall the experience has been positive. BlackBerry 6 makes a better BlackBerry, but is in no way putting RIM on a level playing field with iOS or Android. A user can forget that an iPod Touch is actually a great media player because of all the other seamless features, BlackBerry 6 does not transform my BlackBerry into anything more than a better BlackBerry it is still marginal at everything beyond messaging. I hope the 3rd Party community bring those missing consumer feature, but until then I am very happy having a better BlackBerry.

My Initial Thoughts Of BlackBerry 6 Running On The Bold 9650 is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

I have to admit that it is not very often that I actually spend money buying BlackBerry applications.  It’s not that there aren’t a lot of really good BlackBerry applications out there, however, one of the perks of writing a BlackBerry blog is that developers often send you evaluations of their software so that you can review it.

That being said, I recently spent $10 on BerryReader, the most awesome Google Reader client for the BlackBerry that I’ve ever seen, and, it was worth every penny.

I have well over 500 feeds that I track daily in Google Reader.  I actually leave Google Reader open and running in a Google Chrome Window all by itself just because of the amount of time that I spend reading feeds each day.  BerryReader is the first Google Reader client for the BlackBerry that I’ve actually been able to use effectively while on the go and keep up with all of the feeds that I track daily.

Like I said, BerryReader for BlackBerry is an awesome, awesome Google Reader client for the BlackBerry, however, you don’t have to take my word for it check it out for yourself.  BerryReader offers a Free Trial!

BerryReader for BlackBerry Features include:

• Access your All Items, Starred Items, Shared Items, a single feed or a single folder for reading
• Automatically update in the background every 15, 30, 45 minutes, 1 or 3 hours
• Manage (add/remove) subscriptions from your device
• Quickly toggle an article’s Starred, Like, Unread and Shared labels or edit the article’s tags for later filtering.
• Read the current list even while offline, changes to labels and tags will be cached and automatically synced when network coverage is regained
• Get notified whenever new articles are available (Includes custom LED color support through BerryBuzz)
• Integrates into the device’s messages list showing a BerryReader item whenever new articles are available
• Easily switch between viewing of all or unread items only
• Choose between compact and full article list layout and black on white or white on black color scheme
• Automatically load thumbnails and full images for every article (Fully preload for offline viewing or when needed to conserve bandwidth)
• Load 10, 20, 35, 50 or 75 items at once into the list. Load more items into the list by clicking the ‘more’ link at the end of the list.
• Articles are automatically marked as read when opened
• Mark all items in the current list as read with a single command
• Swipe left/right on an article header to mark read/star the article (touchscreen devices only)
• Hover over an article to open a shortcut popup for easy changing star/like/tag of an article (touchscreen devices only)
• Fully optimized and compressed synchronization to keep your data usage at a minimum
• Optimized for minimum memory and battery usage

BerryReader for BlackBerry costs $9.95 in the RIMarkable Store.  You can pick it up or check out the free trial from the link below.

Download BerryReader for BlackBerry

BerryReader For BlackBery: An Awesome, Awesome Google Reader Client For The BlackBerry is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

With the release of the BlackBerry Bold 9650 on Sprint and Verizon there has been quite a bit of debate as to whether or not this new line of Blackberries are indeed deserving of the title ‘Bold’ or just an upgraded Tour. We’ll break this phone down into two parts; software and hardware…

Software

Boasting an impressive 512 MB of onboard memory the BlackBerry Bold 9650 dwarfs the Bold 9700’s 256 MB capacity. With the nearly double allotment of memory, you can be sure that your phone won’t be bogged down by downloaded applications or a congested inbox. This boost in memory is also speculated to make room for the much anticipated OS 6.0, as well as the new WebKit browser when they’re released later this year. Along with more onboard memory the 9650 was also born with OpenGL which will support 3D graphics (something the 9700 lacks).

Bluetooth, something that you either use religiously or can live without, was refreshed as well. The 9650 was given Bluetooth v2.1. The main feature of 2.1 is secure simple pairing (SSP) which, in layman terms, means that the pairing experience is made easier as well as more secure.

That’s pretty much it for software upgrades but the real fun is in the hardware.

Hardware

This is the main point of contention when labeling the 9650 as a Bold. The original Tour and the 9650 might seem identical with respect to form factor….. because they are. With only a slight change in weight (.22 oz or 6 grams lighter) the form factor is essentially a carbon copy. I personally feel the 9700 is a bit small and weightless, but, the 9650 feels solid.  It feels the way a BlackBerry should feel…  Like the original Bold 9000.

Some people complain about the 9700’s keyboard keys along the perimeter of the phone stating they are too close to the edge which results in spelling errors. The 9650 takes care of that by providing a buffer in the form of a chrome bezel. Nice touch! This makes typing on the 9650 much more seamless and comfortable than the 9700.

The 9650 is now equipped with WiFi (802.11 b/g), something that Tour owners incessantly gripe about. I’ve tested download speeds over both 3G (Sprint) and WiFi and can definitely attest to the noticeable increase in speed. What took so long?!

Another major upgrade to the 9650 is the implementation of a trackpad as opposed to the god awful trackball. This thing is money! It’s responsive, set neatly with little to no wiggle room, and just adds to the over all sexiness of the phone. The days of replacing trackballs  after 4 months of use are now gone. Rejoice!

All three phones still have a 3.2 MP camera with autofocus and LED flash, so no upgrade there. Some people complain about the positioning of the micro USB port but I haven’t encountered any issues nor has it effected my day-to-day use. There are still 2 customizable convenience keys located on either end of the phone and a two way volume rocker. I do like, however, the placement of the speakerphone grill (on the right side of the device). It allows for crisp sound quality when playing music or using the speakerphone during a call when laid flush on it’s back.

Conclusion

What do you think? Is the increase in memory (2X’s the amount), implementation of WiFi, addition of trackpad and slight decrease in weight enough to merit the 9650 the title of a Bold? I sure think so!

Think of it like this, if the Tour 9630 and the Bold 9700 met up after work for a few drinks  this is the device they’d give birth to. It combines the sturdy form factor of the Tour, the trackpad and WiFi capabilities of the 9700 all while doubling the memory. This was an excellent move, RIM. Go out and get this phone!

Guest Post: The New Face Of BlackBerry Bold Or Tour de Refreshed? is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

The Jawbone Icon from Aliph is the 4th and latest in the line of Bluetooth headsets known for their noise cancellation technology.  The Icon has actually been on the scene for several months, however, Aliph just recently added A2DP to Icon allowing you to play streaming audio, music, and podcasts, etc. through the headset. Since I haven’t talked about the Jawbone Icon before I figure that this would be a good time to give it a proper review.

With that being said, let’s get to it…

Style and Fit

The first thing that you should notice about the Jawbone Icon is that it is not just one Bluetooth headset…  It is six.  The Icon comes in six different styles.  The Hero, which, we are reviewing here.  The Rogue, the Thinker, the Ace, the Catch, and the Bombshell.  Each headset has a unique color as well as a unique styling that differentiates just a bit from each of the other models in the Icon line.  Once you select the style of Icon that suites your personality and move beyond the aesthetic differences, each headset is virtually identical.

One of the most important aspects of a wireless Bluetooth headset is the fit.  Function and features don’t matter much if the headset doesn’t fit comfortably in or behind your ear.  Fortunately, the Jawbone Icon, the lightest of all Jawbones to come before it, has a plethora of options for in ear and behind the ear fits.

The first thing you see after opening the box are  three ear-only buds including the one already on the Icon as well as 4 ear buds to be used with the behind the ear earloop.  Most people will find that one three buds with the rubber circle on the back (option A) fits nicely in their ear without the need for the earloop. If, however, you like the security of the earloop, there are 4 different size earbuds to be used with it.

Sound Quality

The most important aspect of any Bluetooth headset is the sound quality.  How people sound to you and how you sound to people is super important.  The Jawbone Icon absolutely does a bang out job in this ear.  I won’t tell you that the Jawbone is the best sounding headset I’ve ever used, however, it is definitely in the top three.  Where the device makes its mark however, is in the noise cancellation and quality of sound people that you are talking to hear from you.  To make a long story short, Noise Assassin, the noise cancellation technology in the Jawbone is second to none.

I personally have mowed the lawn and even have used my snowblower while talking on my Jawbone without any complaints from the person I was talking to about background noise.  While I may have and a headset or two that might have sounded a little better in my ear, I’ve never owned one that I sounded better to the person on the other end of the line.

Extras

One of the really cool things about the Jawbone Icon is that it is programmable.  With the Icon, Aliph introduced MyTouch, a website where you can dynamically personalize your headset with different audio apps, or, even new features like A2DP.  All the different voices you can download are kind of cheesy, however, getting a new feature used to mean getting a new headset, but, now software features can be added to your existing Jawbone Icon with a simple software update.

Verdict

The Jawbone Icon is one heck of a Bluetooth headset.  I personally own 2 Icons.  The Hero and the Ace.  The only knock on the Icon that I have is battery life.  It will, however, get you a respectable 3.5 to 4.5 hours of talk time, and the recharge time seems to be pretty quick.  The Icon also uses standard Micro USB to recharge so it usually isn’t that hard to get some extra juice when you are out and about even if you’ve forgotten your charger.

If you are looking for a really good Bluetooth headset with best noise cancellation technology available, definitely take a look at the Jawbone Icon from Aliph. All 6 models of the Jawbone Icon are available in the RIMarkable Store.  They run $96.95 plus $5.95 shipping and handling.

Aliph Jawbone Icon “The Hero” Bluetooth Headset Review is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

This is a post that I wrote for Simple Mobile Review but figured that I should post it here as well since it is a BlackBerry software review.

So, Rod has been trying to get me to take a look at WorldMate Live for BlackBerry for a good month or so and I’ve been putting it off, hoping that he’d forget that he asked me to review it.  Long story short, I installed WorldMate a few years ago, and, while the application was kind of cool, it was just too much work entering in your travel itinerary via the WorldMate website when compared to just printing your intinerary out carrying it with you.  Rod, however, is a persistent joker, and he finally made be promise to give the latest version of WorldMate the once over, and, I have to admit, I’m kind of glad that I did.

Forward your travel confirmation emails to WorldMate

I could make this an exceptionally long  post telling you about every cool feature jam packed in to WorldMate, but, quite honestly, there is one feature that, by itself, makes WorldMate worth downloading if you are a business traveler…  You can forward your itinerary and other travel related confirmation emails to WorldMate and it imports them into your account automatically.  I can’t begin to tell you how awesome of a feature this is.

It doesn’t matter if your personal assistant, secretary, travel agent, or whomever books your travel or if you book it yourself.  All you have to do is forward your confirmations to WorldMate and everything is entered into your account in sequence.  Once your itinerary is entered in all those other cool WorldMate features like Flight Alerts, Status Lookup, Flight Schedules, Travel Director, etc, etc, etc…  (the list of WorldMate features is long) come into play.

I’ll be the first one to tell you that if you don’t travel regularly, WorldMate may be a bit of overkill.  If, however, you are a road warrior, download it.  The basic application is free so you’ve got nothing to lose if you give it a go.  The Gold Membership offers a 30-day free trial, so, if you want to try WorldMate out in all it’s glory, you still have nothing to lose.

WordMate Live is a good BlackBerry app and now has a permanent home on my device.  You can pick it up via the RIMarkable Store via the link below.

Download WorldMate Live for BlackBerry

Software Review: WorldMate Live For BlackBerry is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...