BlackBerry bluetooth headset announced

RIM will offer a new Bluetooth Headset specifically for the BlackBerry. The HS-500 os already up on RIM's shopping site but it says "coming soon." No official word yet on when this headset will ship.

"Get the freedom of hands-free calling with the easy-to-use BlackBerry® Wireless Headset HS-500. With the simple touch of a button, you can answer, end, and mute calls, or activate voice dialing, even while you're juggling your keys and coffee in the morning. Plus, the volume automatically adjusts and background noise is reduced, so your calls and turn-by-turn directions can be heard loud and clear in noisy environments. With the quality and performance you expect from a BlackBerry® product, the BlackBerry Wireless Headset HS-500 fits your life so you can hit the road with confidence."

The HS-500 Bluetooth Headset will set you back $79.99.

Citysearch For BlackBerry Updated – Includes Calendar/Email Integration And Twitter Functionality

Mobile by Citysearch has been updated to include access to over 15M business listings and trusted Citysearch editorial recommendations which list more than 75,000 US neighborhoods, along with the following key features:

• Instantly submit user reviews from a BlackBerry smartphone
• Search and sort in the following ways:
  • Auto-identify your location through GPS-driven search
  • Search by keyword or category and narrow results within a city or neighborhood
  • Browse nearby destinations to eat, drink, shop, and relax
  • Sort results by key listing attributes including distance, cost and Citysearch rating
• Browse Citysearch editorial picks to help your weekdays and weekends
• View editorial, user reviews and advice from business owners and bookmark your favorite listings
• Calendar Integration: Send immediate Outlook calendar invites to multiple friends and coordinate party planning, meals, or impromptu get-togethers from your BlackBerry Contacts list
• Twitter: Post to your followers by tweeting reviews, tips, and more to friends, directly from any listing page
• Share: Use Text, Email, or BlackBerry PIN-to-PIN messaging to share business listings from anywhere
• Tip Calculator and Split the Bill: Avoid awkward calculations by determining your ideal tip and easily splitting the bill among friends when dining

For those that don’t know, Citysearch is a leading online lifestyle guide with up to date info on businesses, from restaurants and spas, to hotels and retail.

For more info and to download this app visit mobile.iac.com/Citysearch, or check out the full press release after the jump.

Press Release

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ — Citysearch, a leading online local guide and an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI) , today announced it has added more features to its Mobile by Citysearch application for BlackBerry(R) smartphones, which is available on BlackBerry App World(TM). The new version gives users access to over 15M business listings and trusted Citysearch editorial recommendations and lists across more than 75,000 US neighborhoods. It is one of the only applications of its kind that offers relevant information at the neighborhood level nationwide. Mobile by Citysearch is one of the only location-based applications for BlackBerry smartphones to enable users to post real-time business reviews on the go, instantly sharing their favorite restaurants, boutiques, bars, salons and more. New features added to the Mobile by Citysearch application include calendar and email integration and Twitter functionality that enables users to tweet reviews and tips to followers instantly.

“We know that users demand powerful yet simple communication tools to make their lives more efficient,” said Kara Nortman, Senior Vice President, Publishing, Citysearch. “With this in mind, we built our application for BlackBerry smartphones to give users more social planning features like finding a restaurant and simply inviting your husband to meet at the location through an Outlook calendar invite, or tweeting a hot bar recommendation to your friends.”

Mobile by Citysearch for BlackBerry smartphones is integrated with users’ favorite local tools such as neighborhood and GPS-based search. Key features include:

• Instantly submit user reviews from a BlackBerry smartphone
• Search and sort in the following ways:
  • Auto-identify your location through GPS-driven search
  • Search by keyword or category and narrow results within a city or neighborhood
  • Browse nearby destinations to eat, drink, shop, and relax
  • Sort results by key listing attributes including distance, cost and Citysearch rating
• Browse Citysearch editorial picks to help your weekdays and weekends
• View editorial, user reviews and advice from business owners and bookmark your favorite listings
• Calendar Integration: Send immediate Outlook calendar invites to multiple friends and coordinate party planning, meals, or impromptu get-togethers from your BlackBerry Contacts list
• Twitter: Post to your followers by tweeting reviews, tips, and more to friends, directly from any listing page
• Share: Use Text, Email, or BlackBerry PIN-to-PIN messaging to share business listings from anywhere
• Tip Calculator and Split the Bill: Avoid awkward calculations by determining your ideal tip and easily splitting the bill among friends when dining

To download the latest Mobile by Citysearch application for BlackBerry smartphones for free, visit BlackBerry App World at: http://www.blackberry.com/AppWorld.

Mobile by Citysearch is also available on other leading mobile devices. Visit http://mobile.iac.com/Citysearch to download the app.

About Citysearch

Citysearch is the essential urban companion for living bigger, better and smarter in your city. Combining in-the-know editorial recommendations, candid user comments, and expert advice from local businesses, we keep you connected to the most popular and undiscovered places wherever you are. Citysearch is an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI) . For more information, visit www.citysearch.com.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.

Send real postcards right from your BlackBerry

The heyday of the postcard, it appears, is long past. With the widespread use of email and mobile devices, people can snap their own pictures from anywhere and send them to friends, along with an accompanying text note. When was the last time you got a postcard in the mail? They were always nice, and I kind of miss them. A company called Hippopost is trying to bring back the physical postcard, but they're doing it in a new way. It works right from your mobile devices, and since the company was founded by ex-RIM employees, you can do it all right from your BlackBerry. The service works intuitively. After you download the application, you can snap pictures, attach a text note, and send it right from your device. Hippopost takes care of the physical card and the task of mailing it out. Apparently it will take seven to 10 days for delivery. And the USPS wonders why we say snail mail with a begrudging tone. How do you pay for the card? You don't. How do you pay for printing? You don't. How do you pay for postage? You don't. Hippopost takes care of everything free, for up to two postcards per day. You can buy credits for additional postcards if you want, but two per day seems like plenty. The service is ad-supported, and as you can see in the image above, it's of the non-intrusive type. Head to http://mobile.hippopost.com/ from your BlackBerry browser to get started. If nothing else, you'll get the novelistic experience of sending out an old fashioned post card.

BlackBerry News From The Wire for the Week of 9/21/2009

Feeling overloaded with BlackBerry news and rumors? We know the feeling. We hear new things almost every day, and it can be tough to keep up with it all. that's why we're bringing you BlackBerry News from the Wire every Thursday. We'll catch you up on everything 'Berry that happened over the course of the week. Not only that, but we'll rank 'em by importance, so you can more easily skim the items and read the ones of most significance. If you only have time to read one article, for instance, you might want to head down to our 5-star section. It's All the BlackBerry News Fit to Geek. Is the BlackBerry 9700 the best yet? The BlackBerry 9700 is coming. When, exactly, we're not sure, but with all the press it has received lately, the release date can't be far off. Further building the hype, Boy Genius Report has reviewed the 9700. The newest member of the Bold family has many upgrades over its predecessor, and also over the recently released Tour. As the BGR guys say, the Tour is the best BlackBerry on the market right now, but that will only last until the 9700 hits shelves — which according to them appears to be November 11 on T-Mobile and AT&T.. The review is filled with descriptions and pictures, and in the end I can almost guarantee you'll walk away impressed. This is only the first review. Look for a production model review just before release. Tour trackball problems "no longer an issue." Over the past few weeks a sore spot on the BlackBerry Tour emerged: a faulty trackball afflicted a number of models. A report from TownHall Investment Reserach estimated that up to 50 percent of Sprint Tours were returned. According to both Verizon and Sprint, these claims are not only overblown, but are no longer an issue. Both carriers admitted that there was a problem, but that they addressed it with RIM, and that the issue is dead. Verizon went on to say that instances of return for the Tour "are some of the lowest among any of our smart phones." So if your trackball is faulty, rest assured that it's not an issue…or something like that. A complete walk-through of Desktop Software for Mac Amid hype and anticipation for new BlackBerry devices this year, one of the biggest release might actually be software. That would be Desktop Software for Mac. We've taken a look at the software, and have even downloaded the leaked version. Even so, nothing will compare to the comprehensive walk-through at the Inside BlackBerry blog. One big notation: backup files will now be stored as .bbb files, rather than .ipd for BlackBerry data and .cab files for the contents of on-board memory. They say the release is "just around the corner," so expect an announcement sometime next week. (Now watch, it will drop later today or tonight.) Curve 8520 to hit Rogers soon Rogers employees have begun training procedures for the BlackBerry Curve 8520, which means that the device is nearing a release. It won't be as nice, shiny, or generally awesome as the 9700, but it should prove a low-cost option. The unofficial word for now: first week of October. The 9700 won't be far behind, as Rogers should have it before the two US carriers. U2 mobile album "a complete bust." In last week's News From The Wire we discussed U2's mobile album, recently release on App World. No, I didn't download it, mainly because I like music for music and don't need the extras, but mainly because I really dislike U2. Turns out, it would have been an enormous waste of time anyway. Get this: it's not even a full album. It just streams clips, which renders it nothing more than a promotional vehicle. Which is fine and good, but it's not an album, so please don't hype it as one. mocoNews.net, which provided the "complete bust" quote, notes further disappointments, including the release date, September 14, which came over two months after U2's tour began. The platform might have a future, but the maiden voyage has been less than impressive. Verizon pushing YouTube app to Storm users One thing I do not enjoy about the BlackBerry is how carriers can push applications to your device. True, these are usually just shortcuts to download the actual app, but it's yet another desktop icon that you have to hide or stuff into a dud folder. This time it's the YouTube app, which Verizon has begun pushing to Storm users. You might like the app, but an email would suffice. No need to push the app our way, without our express permission. Look for the icon to pop up on your non-Storm Verizon device soon.

AT&T Releases Bold OS 4.6.0.297 Bug Fix Update – Visual Voicemail Back!

AT&T released OS 4.6.0.297 awhile ago for the Bold and then quickly yanked it after it caused issues with their network and other problems. Now they have released the same exact OS version with a new maintenance release bundle 517 compared to the older 508. You can pick it up at www.att.com/bbdownloads but an OTA OS upgrade should also work. Thanks to panpan1975 for the tip! From the email AT&T sent out: NEW BlackBerry Bold Maintenance Release v4.6.0.517 now available BlackBerry Bold Maintenance Release bundle version 4.6.0.517 (comprising application version v4.6.0.297 and platform version 4.0.0.247) is now available for customers to download.  Bundle 517 contains all the functionality of the recently-removed bundle 508, but addresses the software issue affecting the interaction between the device and network enhancements being deployed.  There are no additional changes in bundle 517 (as compared to earlier BlackBerry Bold MR bundle 508) other than addressing the software issue.  For a review of the added functionality contained in this release, please see the original communications for BlackBerry Bold Maintenance Release. Customers who downloaded bundle 508 should upgrade as soon as they are able as bundle 508 contains the software issue that is addressed in bundle 517. Customers on earlier versions (bundle 298 and maintenance release bundle 438) should be made aware of the performance enhancements and added capabilities of bundle 517 and should be encouraged to certify and upgrade their users. Bundle 517 Maintenance Release is available for customers to download though 2 means: Over-the-air delivery via OTASL (For information see "FOTA For BES Administrators" on the BlackBerry Enterprise Product Page in OIL) Download from  www.att.com/bbdownloads Visual Voicemail provisioning has also been re-instated for customers who have upgraded.

BlackBerry Innovation Forum – RIM Customer Event Touring Europe

Josep let me know that RIM is running their BlackBerry Innovation Forum in four European countries in October and November. The schedule has them in: Spain – Madrid: 15th October France – Paris: 20th October UK – London: 22nd October Deutschland – 10th & 11th November I did not know that RIM ran such events internationally so I thought I would shine a bit of light on that fact. This event is targeted at current European customers and prospects. RIM describes it as "THE BlackBerry® event series in Europe" which talks it up quite a bit. The forum is intended to let customers and prospects: Hear directly from other BlackBerry customers about how leveraging the BlackBerry platform and deploying solutions has benefited their businesses. During dedicated breakout tracks, you will be able to listen to industry and BlackBerry experts discuss the latest challenges and developments in mobility for your line of business. Network with our key application partners and BlackBerry teams, to find out more about how applications and our platform can help to give your business the competitive edge. Check out more details at www.blackberryinnovationforum.com

All BlackBerry IM Clients Updated To Version 2.5

Research in Motion has updated all of it's Instant Message clients, Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, AIM, ICQ, and Google Talk, to version 2.5. New features include: Add dedicated icons to the Home Screen for one-click access to conversation boxes of specific contacts. The icon appears as the contact's display picture or avatar. Add contacts and display pictures or avatars to the address book to easily instant message, email, SMS, or call right from the address book or conversation box. Search through saved conversations Add dedicated emoticon icons in the conversation box Word on the street is that these clients are now compatible with BlackBerry OS 5 as well. You can pick up any of these instant messaging clients up OTA by pointing your device's BlackBerry Browser to http://mobile.blackberry.com and clicking on Instant Messaging.

Citysearch for BlackBerry updated with social features

Citysearch have updated their BlackBerry app with more social functionality. The app offers relevant information for over 75,000 neighborhoods nationwide. Key features of the app include: Instantly submit user reviews from a BlackBerry smartphone. Browse Citysearch editorial picks to help your weekdays and weekends. View editorial, user reviews and advice from business owners and bookmark your favorite listings. Calendar Integration: Send immediate Outlook calendar invites to multiple friends and coordinate party planning, meals, or impromptu get-togethers from your BlackBerry Contacts list. Twitter: Post to your followers by tweeting reviews, tips, and more to friends, directly from any listing page. Tip Calculator and Split the Bill: Avoid awkward calculations by determining your ideal tip and easily splitting the bill among friends when dining. Citysearch is one of many LBS applications for BlackBerry and depending on where you live, some may be better than others. Download Citysearch for BlackBerry by visiting their site.

Blackberry Mobile Phones - Quality With Style!

Blackberry is the manufacturer of mobile phones which started the production of wireless devices in the year 1999. It began with the production of pagers as the wireless hand held devices. Actually, the gadgets are manufactured by a Canadian company named Research in Motion and then marketed by different companies across the globe. The Blackberry mobile phones offer high quality performance with their best quality features. The count of these phones are very large and every upcoming handset comes with features more advanced than the ones in earlier handset.

A Blackberry phone raises the standard of people with its smart looks and large number of variants. Blackberry offers cool handsets updated with advanced features. With a view to leave its competitors behind, the brand has given too many gadgets with all kinds of competitive applications which make the lives of people more comfortable and entertaining. The Blackberry Storm comes equipped with the best of video features. It is tabled under the best Blackberry mobile phones and offers a great display. For the display, it has a TFT capacitive touchscreen of such a large size that it feels very nice to see videos on it. The screen is of 3.25 inches and the gadget produces display using 65K colours. It has an internal memory of 1 GB and also has the provision of a microSD card of up to 16 GB so as to store the stuffs of user's choice. Web browsing is also possible here and the music player of the gadget can give you a very nice entertainment of music. It also has a camera of 3.15 MP in it and their again is the games so that user can enjoy when alone.

Blackberry Bold 9000 is provided with a touchscreen of 2.8 inches and produces a beautiful display with 65K colours. It also has an internal memory of 1 GB with a space for increasing the storage size with a SD card of up to 8 GB. Camera provided here is of 2 MP and the gadget also has the web browsing capabilities inbuilt in it. Browsing is facilitated here with the presence of GPRS and EDGE features. Messaging, playing games and listening to music is allowed here too. The GPS in this gadget is able to help users with finding their position. It is good to know that among the Blackberry mobile phones, the Blackberry Bold 9000 has a very prominent position with its advanced features and promising quality.

Another phone with the brand name of Blackberry is the Blackberry Curve 8330. The handset is one among the simple handsets manufactured by the producer. Though simple, the gadget has media player, video player, camera only to take snaps, games to entertain with and the small but attractive screen of 2.5 inches. USB and Bluetooth provided here offer a mode to connect to other phones with similar connectivity features. Battery of almost all Blackberry mobile phones is dependable and reliable and keep working for long hours without the need to charge.

These mobile phones are readily available in all of the mobile stores. Along with the stores near our homes they are also found in the online shopping stores. They also offer gifts, which includes those like the LCD TV, music systems, playstations, laptops and many more with the purchase of a handset. You can see all of the Blackberry mobile phone deals and choose one you like direct from your homes through these shopping portals. The phones are displayed along with the gifts with them, and the type of deals in which they are available so it becomes very simple to purchase through these portals and again the extra benefits are always there.