I want to personally apologize for the past three days, as BberryDog and the rest of the PhoneDog Media network sites have been experiencing some instability lately, due to heavy amounts of traffic. We have now switched servers and all is well. In an attempt to make it up to you all and help kick off your World Cup parties, I will tell you about two different ways of how you can watch FIFA World Cup 2010 from your BlackBerry. Unfortunately, this only applies if you’re on Sprint, here in the US, or on Rogers in Canada.

If you’re on an Everything Data plan with Sprint, I’m sure you know of Sprint TV. Well, for the duration of the World Cup, Sprint has a partnership with ESPN Mobile TV. This can be found within the Sprint TV service. So if you’re out and want to stay current on the World Cup, whip out your Sprint BlackBerry and just watch the game live.

The other option is only available if you’re on Rogers, up in Canada. This is only available to you if you’re a Rogers on Demand Mobile subscriber, which is a $5 per month charge. In order to watch the World Cup, you will need to pay the one-time $10 fee for World Cup access. It’s a little bit of a setback, but if you plan on watching the South Africa tournament and you’re always on the go, this is a tiny price to pay. I guess it just depends on whether you can justify the $10 fee to your wallet, or your spouse, depending on who’s in charge.

via: BGR

Seeing that the FIFA World Cup 2010 held in South Africa starts tomorrow (6/11), I figured I would clue you in on how you can stay current on your FIFA news and your favorite team. If you need help keeping up with your team, there are five applications available for download for your BlackBerry, free of charge. RIMarkable gives report of three, but you may recall us, here at BBerryDog, talking of a different one early last week, s42 Mundial Futbol 2010, from ZonaBlackBerry and s42. After we found out about Mundial Futbol 2010, I didn’t expect to see much more in the terms of BlackBerry applications for FIFA 2010, but boy was I wrong.

Hit the link to view all the applications available.

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Remember me telling everyone about Dream Themez? Well, being the seemingly awesome person Don is, he offered to make a BBerryDog theme for us! Right now it is not available for public download, but it will be available tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. It is a very clean looking theme, very fast, and most importantly, has a nice, big BBerryDog logo in the middle of the homescreen! Another screenshot and some more information after the break!

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For the longest time, Twitter has seemingly been dominated by BlackBerry and iPhone users. Since there are a ton of Twitter clients available for BlackBerry, I was interested to see what everyone is using. Personally, my favorite is SocialScope, by far. The problem with SocialScope though, is the availability of it. It is only accessible by invite since it is still in private beta. The development started very fast for it, but sloped off rather quickly. It has come leaps and bounds from the original beta release, but without everyone being able to use it, it is probably one of the most under-appreciated clients by the majority. It’s packed with more features than any of the other clients, and doesn’t just stop at Twitter. It supports FourSquare (I wonder how long it will be before it supports Gowalla), Facebook, and Flickr. Tell us what you like in the poll, and tell us why in the comments!

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Someone must have heard my rant earlier, some more images of the Slider 9800 have been found. This time around, the photos are clear and make that 9800 look absolutely gorgeous. There were a lot of mixed emotions about the Slider to begin with, but the more everyone sees of this thing, the more people seem to love it. Let’s just hope it drops in a timely manner. There was word of it dropping in June, but I don’t see that happening.

So, have these pictures changed your mind about the 9800? I know I’m changed. I will own this device when it releases. A full gallery of images is available after the break. Tell us what you think!

via: CrackBerry

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(Photo from CrackBerry)

I can remember way back when, when Trillian was the program to have on your computer. The days of AIM, Yahoo IM, and pretty much any singular instant message program were over. Now it’s moving on over to our BlackBerrys, and it just makes me laugh. Personally, the only instant message service (other than BBM of course) that I use on my BlackBerry is Gtalk. If I could get half-decent support for Facebook IM I would use that as well, but I can stick to texting my friends.

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Rumors have been afloat for a short while that the very popular handset, the Bold 9700, was going to be upgraded and re-released as a 9700a. According to BBLeaks, the 9700a will have the following feature updates:

• 5MP camera
• 512 MB RAM
  
• BlackBerry OS 6.0
• New webkit browser

These hardware upgrades will put the 9700a, codenamed BlackBerry Onyx Delta, right in line with the 9650 that just hit Sprint and Verizon. The 9700a will more than likely be headed to T-Mobile and AT&T but since this is rumor, I can’t really say for sure that both carriers will get the updated hardware.

I assume everyone remembers the discussion of which devices will receive BlackBerry 6 updates and which devices won’t. This is further indication that without enough internal memory, essentially any BlackBerry available now save the new 9650 (with it’s 512MB of internal memory) will not receive that update. In my opinion, that is a horrible move and terrible planning on RIM’s part. There were a lot of people mad when they were told their device wouldn’t be upgraded to OS 5.0 due to insufficient internal memory. Now, the exact same thing is going to happen. RIM will be dodging the angry mobs of people that just bought their 5.0 supported BlackBerrys. RIM definitely should have been expecting and had some better planning. This is what is giving RIM a bad rap. They need to loosen the reigns on the conservatism and impress customers with their improvements, not just barely meet demands six months later.

I love BlackBerry, don’t get me wrong. But I, just like all of the other long-time fans of BlackBerry, are getting fed up with unnoticeable hardware upgrades and likewise with the software. I hope and pray that BlackBerry 6 isn’t a flop. They’re easily eight months behind with putting a 5MP camera on a device. I honestly don’t think their problem is a lack of future planning, I believe it’s actually planning too far ahead and the game is changing increasingly faster everyday. RIM needs to re-evaluate the situation and get with the game.

[End rant]

via: BBLeaks

Since it was a rather slow news day, I thought I would elaborate on a good way to customize your BlackBerry. A few customers I have ran into in the past few shifts of mine at my other job have complained to me about how their BlackBerry wasn’t very customizable. For the average user, it isn’t. Themes aren’t the easiest thing to find, installing them can be tedious if you don’t know what you’re doing, and RIM doesn’t really promote the use of themes outside of App World.

A few days ago I was browsing through Twitter and I stumbled upon what is Dream Themez by Donald Conrod, or @i_c_u_hater on Twitter. I’ve personally lost my interest in themes due to my being very picky and I can’t seem to find or make exactly what I want. So, I gave up and I just stick to stock, or pretty darn close to it. Even though I can’t get past my own pickiness, Donald’s Dream Themez are very nice, high quality themes. He has themes for the Storm/Storm2, Bold 9700 and 9000, Tour, Curve, Pearl, Pearl Flip, and a section for ladies only. If you’ve been in the market for some customization, hit up Dream Themez, you may find what you’ve been looking for there.

You can find Dream Themez by clicking here, and you can follow Donald on Twitter for updates on his themes.

For those of you that have been impatiently waiting, Verizon has now updated their site to include the brand new BlackBerry Bold 9650. I know a lot of people have been waiting for quite some time to get their paws on this new device, the obvious updated version of the Tour 9630. Now, you can order it from Verizon today and have it shipped to your doorstep to arrive in a few days, or you can wait until the 10th and get it at your local store for the 2-year agreement price of $149.99 after the $100 instant online rebate. If you’re the type that likes to avoid contracts and doesn’t mind a much steeper price, you can make it yours for $509.99.

With more internal memory, the 9650 is destined to get the upcoming BlackBerry 6. It’s now just a matter of the ever-so-timely Verizon approving the official update in the future. Another key aspect of the Bold on Verizon is its Push to Talk feature. This will definitely be great for people who need to keep in close, quick contact with each other and not necessarily stay on the phone for prolonged amounts of time, but it will more than likely be a flop like it was for the 9630. While we all wait for something major and drastically different from RIM, these tiny hardware upgrades should be enough to tie us over, no matter how tiny they appear to be.

So, who’s already ordered their Verizon Bold? I know our own, Jamie, has.

Okay pups! With this fine Wednesday drawing to a close, I thought I might give you all a better chance of getting to know us. Our “About” page has been updated, and save my own personal bio, everything is up-to-date. If you would, just take a few minutes and learn about the whole BBerryDog team by clicking here, or navigating to the very bottom of the page and clicking “About Us”

Also, please give a warm welcome to our two new News Editors, Gunnar Saxon and Jamie Ivy. We will be bringing on more writers in the coming weeks, so if you’re interested, click here to learn how to become part of the team!

If you’re a twit yourself, you should follow us all on Twitter and see us outside of our BBerryDog personae:

BBerryDog – @bberrydog

Taylor – @BBCasper

Johnathan – @Stromson

Josh – @joshseawell

Laura – @Lmayerchak

Jamie – @_EZMoney_

Gunnar – @lovexxreverie

Happy Monday everyone! Who out there is a soccer fanatic and can’t wait for FIFA 2010? I’m pumped (but extremely bummed that Ronaldhino nor Ronaldo will not be playing for Brazil). Anyway, S42 and ZonaBlackBerry banded together to create this app that will help you keep up with FIFA 2010 and more easily track your teams. The application only has support for Spanish and English users and can be downloaded free of cost. With  things like keyboard hotkeys, native BlackBerry calendar supports, and a nice, clean UI, you can’t ask for much more for free. If you’re a soccer/fútbol fan, I would recommend downloading this app here.

via BerryReview

Hello all of you lazy weekend dogs! I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. It looks like someone has had all they want from their Verizon branded 9650 and has put it up for sale on eBay for the somewhat respectable price of $700.  That’s not a bad price at all considering the phone is still over a week from in-store availability. So, if you want to get your hands on that pretty, little, pre-production Bold, head on over to eBay and buy it now! Now, back to my lazy Saturday lounging.

Thanks @jivy75!

Edit: I am so tempted to buy this. You better beat me to it if you want it!

Finally, some hard evidence of a release date on the Verizon 9650. For months now everyone has been prying and pulling at Verizon for a release date on the latest BlackBerry, well now we’ve got what we wanted. Reports (and an internal photo) are saying that Big Red will make the 9650 available online on June 3rd, and in stores on June 11th. This puts them right under a year (eleven months save one day) from the release date of the original Tour 9630. I figure Verizon prolonged this to avoid bashing and a pitchfork riot at their front door. Anyways, we all hope this is the final date and that nothing else delays this release. More details after the break.

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Here we are, another week has passed, and quite a few OS’s have been leaked along with the few official releases. If you’re one of the lucky few that received an official update, what are you waiting for? You now know how to backup all of your data in case something goes wrong during the update, and you know how to update your OS! For the daring, if you did not receive and update and you (somehow) have a 9300, let us know how that goes for you. Oh, send us some pictures of it as well. All the links are after the jump.

(Remember: Downloading and installing non-official builds is done at your own risk!)

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Are you looking for a mobile TV fix for your BlackBerry? Bitbop has come to save the day, sort of. If you own a Bold 9000, Bold 9700, Curve 8900, or a Tour 9630 you can enjoy some free mobile TV (for the time being). Since this service is still in beta, they’re just looking for feedback. Down the road there will be a $10 per month subscription fee. That definitely seems like a doable price for signed networks such as CBS, NBS, Fox, Comedy Central, etc. They also plan to be adding movies in the future.

With Bitbop you will get full TV episodes of a lot of the best shows on TV. If you’re always on they go (and near a charger) this definitely seems like the route to take. So far, with what I’ve used of Bitbop I like it. The only problem I’ve encountered at this point is I keep getting an error with every few shows. So what are you waiting for? Go sign up for the beta before it turns into subscription! Some screen shots will be available after the break.

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One of the most important things you can do for your own sanity and the livelihood of those around you is to back up your data on your phone. It never fails, every week I have a customer approach me at work asking, “My phone was wiped, is there any way I can restore my data?”My answer, “No.” Of course, if the customer had done the responsible thing and backed up their data, they would never have to worry about that situation.  This is usually not the customer’s fault though. There is no mention of backing up data in the manuals. When they buy the phone, the associate who sold the phone usually never mentions it. If you never tell a child to make their bed, are they going to? In most cases, no. Learn how to backup your precious data after the jump!

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Are you a Tech Journalist, Blogger, or any other form of a WordPress user? Well, good news came this morning in the form of an update for WordPress for BlackBerry. The few times I’ve used it in the past, it was enough for me to login and almost instantly uninstall it. It was buggy, slow, and just all around bad. From IntoMobile’s claims, it sounds like the development team for this application has stepped it up a notch and it just may be good enough to give it another go. A full changelog can be found after the break.

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Just to end the day here at BBerryDog (sorry for the long gap folks, not a lot of news dropped), we decided we would grace you with the gruesome tale of a BlackBerry 8330 meeting the blades of the owner’s lawnmower. We all know the story and pray we never have to live it ourselves. This picture comes from the guys over at CrackBerry, so you’ll have to thank them for any discomfort you may have as a result of this photo.

Tell me, how many of you cringe at the sight/thought of this happening to your precious ‘Berry?

via: CrackBerry

Good morning! While the news is slow, yet again, on this boring Monday, I figured we would go ahead and make an announcement. BBerryDog is hiring and we want you! We’re looking to bring on a few more writers to our team. The positions currently available are for our news team, and could possibly lead to other positions with proven hard work and dedication. More info after the break.

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The more I see this device, the more I like it, and the more I want one. The 9800 has once again been pictured and sent out all over the blogs. This time showing is its horizontal, virtual keyboard along with a YouTube application. It also gives us a better look at the back of the device. All I know is, that device is sexy and I want a piece of the BlackBerry 6 pie. I’ve always liked the abomination of the BlackBerry series, the Storm, but I would like a physical keyboard too. With choices like that and BlackBerry 6, I can see this device going a long way with on-the-fence consumers. Maybe BlackBerry 6 and RIM’s slow approach at some new designs will attract some attention and take off, once again.

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