iBerry Black & Whitelist is a application that allows you to blacklist and whitelist callers so that you can block unwanted calls. This is done by a simple whitelist or blacklist or an even more interesting feature where you can use address book rule to allow only callers in your address book. The software also allows you to block callers that call from a unknown or private number. The software was very effective in reducing the amount of unwanted callers that I was getting but it does require a bit of configuration to get it working. Some of the features are very intuitive and others could use some work to fine tune but all in all the software is pretty good. Check out the full review after the jump.

First Impressions: The install went without a hitch and was a very small download. The problem with this software is that the company who makes it, iBerry software labs, does not have a website yet nor do they have support options available online other than email. iBerry got something right when they set up the program to remember your settings when your upgrade so you don’t have to reprogram it every time you upgrade. What they got wrong was the fact that the program has no support or help file to help you get started.

How it works: I would advise that you read the following description because it shows you how the application actually blocks calls. The calls are not actually stopped from calling your phone but actually muted in the first few milliseconds of the call. This means that they can still leave you a voicemail if you have voicemail. From the iBerry description:
Whether the caller’s number is in address book formatted number or raw number, when you have an incoming call, the application uses smart hashing and matching algorithm to detect, analyze and make the decision whether to reject it or not,. The phone is disconnected in 50 milliseconds and the application disables the buzz sound before the Blackberry device starts to make that annoying sound*. The callers won’t even know that they are blacklisted or NOT whitelisted, they will hear the busy tone or forwarded to voice mail, depending on your phone setting. Some old Blackberry devices model you still here buzz sound, but very short and quieter than a normal call.
The Application: The application consists of a simple program window that takes a bit to get used to. Once you understand how it works then the program becomes much more useful. You can see the main screen above.

The menu options are pretty straight forward. The first option allows you to delete a number from your black or white list and the second allows you to collapse all numbers. The main option is the “Change Block Rule” option but we will discuss that in the next paragraph. The “Turn Off” option turns off all functionality of the program so things are back to normal. The “Blocked History” option allows you to see the call logs that have gone through the application and whether they went through or were blocked. The last two options are very nice since they allow you to block private and unknown numbers separately.

As we mentioned before the “Change Block Rule” menu option is the main feature of the program. With this you can switch between the three modes of the program.

• Blacklist – Blocks all contacts that are in the blacklist but lets everything else through
• Whitelist – Blocks all callers that are not specified in the whitelist (Good for only letting your wife or boss call)
• Address Book – Only allows callers that are in your address book to reach you

The only downside of all these is that if the caller ID is blocked or private then you need to play with the configuration a bit since your choices with private callers is block all or not.

The “Blocked History” menu option gives you a call log of all the numbers that came through with the date and time. I have two issues with this. First of all it only shows the number and not the name so it makes it difficult to identify. The second problem is that you cannot add or delete users from the black or white list from this screen which would make sense. Hopefully that will be fixed in a later revision.

Other than the inability to add blocks from the blocked history there is a nice way to add to the lists. You can add contacts or numbers to the black or white list from the phone application and from the address book. You can see screenshots of the context menu’s of both above.

When you click on the context menus you will be given the following prompt as you can see above. You will be asked to add the contact or number to the black or white list with both of the options checked by default for some odd reason.

Trial Limitations: The trial period is 15 days and you will be limited to 5 contacts in each list with unlimited contacts in Address book. You will be able to reject unwanted call 10 times and after that all calls come through. You will have to clear the blocked history manually to allow application to reject unwanted calls again.

The Good:

• Powerful call blocking options
• Ability to block unknown or private numbers
• Ability to add numbers from address book and phone application

The Bad:

• You cannot add contacts from the application or the blocked call history
• Some older BlackBerry’s will still buzz a bit before the call is blocked
• Interface is a bit confusing and has no help file

Conclusion: iBerry Blacklist & Whitelist for BlackBerry is a great tool for managing your phone calls and blocking unwanted calls. As I said before iBerry just needs to round out the rough edges on the program and they will have a Editors Choice Award for this software. The fact that there is no help file makes this a program that take a bit to figure out but in the end it does work quite well. The price is very good for such a piece of software and I highly recommend it for people who want to get rid of unwanted calls. It was worth it just to get rid of private callers =) In a new version I am hoping iBerry adds the ability to have profiles so that you can have different Blocklists for different occasions.

The battle for the hearts, minds and wallets of mobile phone owners enters a new phase this weekend with the launch of the BlackBerry Bold.

RIM, the Canadian company behind the BlackBerry, the mobile email device beloved of businessmen and travelling salesmen, is making a concerted effort to appeal to a much wider audience – ordinary people, like you and me, rather than hedge fund managers and captains of industry – and the Bold is its most ambitious attempt yet.

The sleek, stylish phone has all the classic BlackBerry hallmarks – from the qwerty keyboard for tapping out emails to the capacity to open and edit documents – but it’s also one of the best entertainment devices BlackBerry has produced, with a really good music player and the ability to show videos on the crisp, clear screen.

BlackBerry has had to raise its game following Apple’s entry into the mobile phone market with the iPhone – the newest version, the iPhone 3G, hit shops last month. The Apple has been, by and large, a critical and commercial success. It has also raised the bar in terms of public expectations.

At its heart, the iPhone is an iPod, so it’s got music and video playback pretty much licked. It’s also a fantastic tool for surfing the web, because it operates on both the high-speed 3G mobile phone network and in wireless hotspots, and the touch-screen interface means people can view web pages as they would on a normal computer.

It means that other mobile phone manufacturers have had to think much more carefully about the user experience. The Bold has been designed with this almost entirely in mind: loading music for instance, has been made really easy – it will pull songs straight from your existing iTunes library; surfing the web is more satisfying than on other BlackBerrys, because the Bold uses the 3G mobile phone network as well as Wi-Fi to get online; and the interface has been given a makeover.

For once, the “iPhone killer” moniker given to every half-decent new phone these days seems to be almost entirely justified in the case of the Bold. But which should you plump for? Before you decide, read our department-by-department reviews on this page.
Camera and GPS
iPhone 3g:The two-megapixel camera is basic but produces images of acceptable quality. Using the built-in GPS and Google Maps to get around is easy, but the current system is not quite fast enough to support real-time turn-by-turn directions. The satnav software can “tag” a photo with the geographical coordinates where it was taken.

BlackBerry Bold: The Bold has the same two-megapixel camera as the iPhone and can also “geotag” your photographs. The GPS function is very easy to use, and you can install additional software to turn the Bold into a useful sat-nav device, capable of providing turn-by-turn directions.
Email
iPhone 3g: The iPhone can collect emails as soon as they hit your computer inbox. Setting up a connection to my work email account took 90 seconds. The iPhone loses marks, however, for lacking some high‑end business functions; you can open, but not edit, Excel spreadsheets and Word documents, for instance. Typing on the virtual keyboard takes some getting used to.

BlackBerry Bold: The full-sized keyboard means that you can type long emails comfortably, and you can open and edit documents with applications such as “Word to Go”. Connecting to corporate email accounts is straightforward (assuming you’ve been set up by your company to do so). You can also connect the Bold to your computer and use it as a modem.
Lookd and usability
iPhone 3g: Sleek, sexy, dramatic and minimalist, the iPhone has good looks in spades. While not everyone will get along with the touch-screen interface, especially for typing, it really comes into its own when browsing the web or flicking through music, photos and videos.

BlackBerry Bold: The Bold looks sleek and stylish, and the keyboard is superb for typing. But that’s the problem – the iPhone, quite simply, looks better because it doesn’t have all those buttons on the front. When it comes to usability for business, however, the Bold is streets ahead.
Web browsing
iPhone 3g: This is where the iPhone excels. No other device comes close to matching it for the sheer, effortless browsing experience. Pages load quickly over 3G or Wi-Fi, while navigating around them and zooming in and out at the touch of a finger feels like the most natural thing in the world. This is how the mobile web is supposed to look.

BlackBerry Bold: The screen is impressive, but to make any given web page legible you need to zoom in, and that means you then need to use the trackball to move around pages. It can be a frustrating experience, although by comparison with any other handset but the iPhone, it’s perfectly bearable.
Multimedia
iPhone 3g: Syncing with your iTunes music library is simplicity itself. Videos look brilliant on the 3.5in widescreen display, and the touch-screen makes browsing through your media a joy. There’s the bonus of being able to buy songs on the go from the iTunes store, while the Application Store makes it easy to buy additional software, such as translation dictionaries and currency converters.

BlackBerry Bold:Loading music on to the BlackBerry is straightforward. The free MediaSync software will pull music and playlists on to the device from iTunes, although it will not work with copy-protected files bought through the iTunes store, for instance. The Bold has 1GB of memory built in, but you can increase this to 8GB using a memory card.
Overall view
iPhone 3g: If the iPhone had the ability to edit documents on the go, it would be the perfect business device. As it stands, it is probably better suited to consumers, but its ease of use, superb multimedia capabilities and the ability to add software make it one of the best all-round handsets on the market.

BlackBerry Bold:The BlackBerry Bold, quite simply, does more than the iPhone. It looks better than any of its predecessors, too, but email and professional uses are always going to be the priorities for this device. If they’re your priority as well, then it’s a superb machine – carrying it says you mean business.

By Claudine Beaumont and Matt Warman – via telegraph.co.uk

Click the Start button of this BlackBerry Bold Video Converter to start the conversion. And all you need to do now is to wait for the conversion to be finished. The remaining time will be shown on conversion window for your reference.

Now that the BlackBerry Curve 8530 has made its way to the CDMA carriers, Sprint and Verizon, you might be wondering how it stacks up against the BlackBerry Tour. engadget mobile has a nice walk through of the devices and their features that is worth the read.

In general the BlackBerry Curve line is a lower end line when compared to the Bold and Tour. The Bold and Tour are more “professional” lines with nice rubber back and chrome accents.

If you’re a Sprint customer you might have a hard time choosing between the two as the Curve 8530 has WiFi while the Tour does not. The Curve also has the new optical trackpad while the Tour has the trackball. If they ever release a Tour 2 that includes WiFi and the optical trackpad the choice will be clear. Until then, some users may prefer the Curve 8530 – via blackberryblast.com

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is expected to hit in early October.The phone will sport a traditional full QWERTY keyboard, a new optical trackpad, AWS 3G, WiFi and GPS.

The most noticeable difference is the smartphone’s size. The Bold now measures 4.29 inches tall by 2.36 inches wide by 0.56 inch thick and weighs 4.3 ounces compared with the original Bold’s 4.48 inches high by 2.6 inches wide by 0.59 inch deep and 4.8 ounces. It’s comparable in size to the BlackBerry Tour 9630, and in fact, the two share the same 2.44-inch HVGA (480×360) display and have similar 35-key QWERTY keyboards.

However, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 replaces the trackball navigator with the touch-sensitive trackpad, which was first introduced on the BlackBerry Curve 8520. For those who fear change, you should rest easy knowing that we found transition from trackball to trackpad to be quite smooth, since the latter is extremely responsive.

The Bold 9700 is equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack and features a slightly revamped leatherette back. Overall, RIM is hoping the sleeker design will appeal to both men and women, since the BlackBerry Bold skewed a bit more to the masculine side.

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 offers more than cosmetic changes, however. The smartphone is equipped with a next-generation 624MHz processor and has double the Flash memory at 256MB (expandable up to 32GB via the microSD slot). Like the recently announced BlackBerry Storm2, the Bold will run BlackBerry OS 5.0, which brings such improvements as threaded text messaging and a faster browser and BlackBerry Maps application. The camera has also been upgraded from 2 megapixels to 3.2 megapixels.

The Bold 9700 is a quad-band GSM phone that also integrated Wi-Fi with UMA support, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS, and 3G support (UMTS/HSDPA 800/850/1900/2100; UMTS/HSDPA 900/1700/2100). Given the supported bands, we know you’re already thinking about possible carriers and availability, so here’s the dish.
BlackBerry Bold 9700 Features:

• BlackBerry OS 5.0
• 624MHz CPU
• 256MB flash memory and support for microSD cards up to 32GB
• Quad-band UMTS/HSDPA (800/850/1900/2100 MHz) or tri-band UMTS/HSDPA (900/1700/2100 MHz)
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g with UMA support (carrier dependent)
• A-GPS
• 2.44″ HVGA+ display
• 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
• Optical trackpad
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP/AVCRP
• 1500 mAh battery
• 6 hours of talk time and 17 days of standby (3G)
• 109mm x 60mm x 14.1mm, 122g

Blackberry Bold 9700 Onyx Design, Camera, Keyboard, Trackball,

Ok, so lets start with the design. First thing that caught my eyes were the lack of silver chrome band around the Bold 9700 Onyx. This band is found on its siblings, the Blackberry Bold 9000 and Blackberry Curve 8900. And let me tell you a secret: I don’t really like the chrome stuff on the Curve and Bold 9000…Which makes the looks of the Bold 9700 Onyx is more elegant. The Bold 9700 Onyx is pretty slim (it’s a bit slimmer than the Curve 8900) and the comfort is pretty good also. So the Onyx has an elegant design, pretty slim and comfortable.

Blackberry Bold 9700 Onyx uses 3.2 megapixel camera, which is the same camera that Blackberry Curve 8900 use. So you can guess now that the quality of the image taken by the Blackberry Bold 9700 Onyx will be decent enough for a business phone. As you might’ve known, the Curve 8900 is able to take some great shots with its camera.

The keyboard is pretty much alike the sibling, the Blackberry Tour 9630 with a slight difference in the bottom row of keyboard. But overall the Blackberry Bold 9700 Onyx’s keyboard is pretty nice and I assume that most people will have no problem with the keyboard. The trackball of the Onyx still uses the old trackball navigation, but since it is still a review based on a pre-released device, lets just hope that RIM will be generous enough to add an optical trackball to the Bold 9700 Onyx…via mobilestopic.com and bestblackberry.com

We have full details of the BlackBerry Storm technical specifications. Haptic Touch Screen, High Resolution Display, GPS, Camera, Multi Video & Audio File Format Support, Email & Organiser Integration plus loads more.  With features like these the BlackBerry Storm is sure to be the next big thing in the world of the Smartphone.

BlackBerry Storm 9500 Technical Specifications and Images
Size (L x W x D)
112.5mm x 62.2 mm x 13.95 mm

Memory
128 MB RAM memory, 1 GB eMMC

Weight (battery included)
155g

Expandable Memory
MicroSD located under battery door cover

Camera
3.2.0 MP camera, Flash, auto focus

Voice Input/Output
Integrated speaker and microphone, hands-free headset capable,
Bluetooth headset capable, integrated hands-free speakerphone

Ringtones
32 polyphonic – MIDI, MP3

GPS
Stand-alone and Assisted GPS. Preloaded with Blackberry Maps
Blackberry Storm Screen Specifications
User Interface
Intuitive Touch Screen

Media Player Navigation
Touch Screen Navigation, with ClickThrough for user selection

Display
High-resolution 480 X 360 pixel color display, Transmissive TFT LCD, supports over 65,000 colors

Keyboard
On screen keyboard – portrait SureType and Multi-tap, QWERTY landscape
Blackberry Storm Battery Specifications
Battery
1400 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic lithium cell

Battery Life
15 days standby, 6 hours talk time
Blackberry Storm Media Support Specifications
Video format support:
MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile,
H.264 (encoding and decoding 30fps), WMV

Audio format support:
MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus
Blackberry Storm Conectivity Specifications
Bluetooth
Bluetooth v2.0; Mono/Stereo Headset, Handsfree, Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP), and Serial Port Profile Supported. Bluetooth Stereo Audio (A2DP/AVCRP), DUN
Headset
3.5mm stereo headset capable

USB Port
Enables charging and high-speed data synchronization via USB “A” to micro-USB “B” cable

Power Adapter
+5V DC/500 mA AC power adapter, with interchangeable, location-specific plugs

Network Support
Quad-Band: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks
Single-Band: 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA networks
Dual-Band: 800/1900 MHz CDMA/EVDO Rev A networks

Desktop Software
Synchronises calendar, address book, tasks and memos between your smartphone and desktop. Loads new applications and upgrades from your PC to the BlackBerry smartphone.

Smartphone Security
Password protection
Blackberry Storm Email & Organiser Integration Specifications
Email Integration
Supports multiple email accounts on a single smartphone, including: ISP email (such as POP3, IMAP4 – SSL supported), Microsoft Outlook Web Access, Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, Novell GroupWise.

Organiser Integration
When used with BlackBerry Enterprise Solution, the BlackBerry Storm supports wireless synchronization with: IBM Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlook, Novell GroupWise. When used with BlackBerry Desktop Manager,
the BlackBerry Bold supports desktop synchronisation with: ACT! 4.0.2/2000/6.0; ASCII Text File Importer/Exporter; Novell GroupWise 5.5/6.0; Lotus Notes 4.5/4.6/5.0/6.0/6.5; Lotus Organiser 5.0/6.0; Microsoft Outlook 97/98/2000/2002/2003 (XP); Microsoft Outlook Express; Microsoft Schedule +7.5; Microsoft Schedule + Default; Netscape.
via storm-reviews.co.uk

via mobilephonereviews.org – Blackberry is a big player in the Smartphone world and have a very good line up of these phones, like Blackberry Storm and Blackberry Bold, to name a few. The older versions like the Curve and Pearl also gained enough popularity. Blackberry is now believed to gearing up to release three new mobile phones shortly. The names are yet not confirmed, though the code names are out. At present they are code named Onyx, Driftwood and Magnum. Blackberry Onyx Liscio Bluetooth Mobile Phone will feature triband GSM, PCS 1900 and DCS 1800. It would come with a 1.1” OLED screen with a resolution of 96 x 96 pixels and would support 65k colours.

This mobile phone is a very compact one measuring (H)90 x (W)35 x (D)17.8mm and weighs 60 grams. Its battery is expected to provide 200 hours of standby time and 3 hours of talk time. It would come loaded with a memory of 128MB with support for microSD cards up to 1GB.

Blackberry Onyx Liscio 3G Mobile Phone comes with a futuristic design, with a different looking keypad with the numbers 2, 5 and 8 separated from the rest of the numbers. These keys also serve another purpose – they double up as dedicated music buttons. One look at the handset and you might mistake it for a futuristic remote control.

This mobile phone will come equipped with a MP3 player with equalizer and Bluetooth A2DP technology. It will have built-in FM radio too. It is expected to come with GPRS, EDGE, 3G and WiFi. The news of these three new additions from Blackberry have generated a lot of attention and people are waiting with bated breath for the release of the trio. If you are a ardent fan of innovation and uniqueness in your mobile phones, then you can probably try out this Blackberry Onyx Liscio Black Mobile Phone.