Viigo is quickly becoming one of the easiest ways for BlackBerry users to stay up to date on all their sporting news. Following their recent NBA basketball announcement, Viigo has launched its NCAA basketball service, just in time for the start of the Men’s college season. While I don’t normally get NCAA crazy until March Madness begins (there’s just too many NBA games to watch), I must admit the NCAA has already captured my attention (how did Rhode Island almost beat Duke?). I’m also quite interested to see how Stephen Curry, who made a big slash at the tourney last year, progresses as a point guard. Whatever your interest, Viigo’s NCAA service provides access to the scores, schedules, news and commentary you need to follow your alma mater.
For current Viigo/BlackBerry Cool to Go users looking to add the NCAA basketball service, simply select “Sports” from the Viigo home screen and then “Add Sport” from the following page. If you don’t have the BlackBerry Cool To Go version of Viigo yet, click the link below to download it for free! Make sure to also check out Viigo’s NFL, NHL, NCAA Football and Soccer services as well!
Download BlackBerry Cool To Go from Viigo
© BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008
Last week we reviewed both Aerize and PeeKaWho, two great pieces of software that essentially give you great-looking caller-ID functionality for your emails and SMS text messages. We’ve talked quite a bit about PeeKaWho, developed by BlackBerry Cool 15 nominee Robert Kao of SmrtGuard (also the developer of Followup and SmrtGuard), and Aerize Alerts (developed by Aerize, who also developed the Aerize Card Loader we mentioned earlier in May).
Both PeeKaWho and Aerize Alerts function very similarly, with a few exceptions of course. At the end of the day, you only need one of these products, so be sure to check out all of the features offered by PeeKaWho and Aerize so you can make an informed decision. They look great but slightly different, so it may be useful to check out some of the screen shots in the gallery once you’ve taken a look through the head-to-head. Both of these products can be found at our online store (Aerize and PeeKaWho). You should also check out the STORM vs. IPHONE CONTEST where you have the chance to win one of ten free copies of PeeKaWho.
Head-to-head: Aerize vs. PeeKaWho Quick Links
AERIZE KEY DETAILS
AERIZE KEY FEATURES
AERIZE PROs/CONs
PEEKAWHO KEY DETAILS
PEEKAWHO KEY FEATURES
PEEKAWHO PROs/CONs
FINAL CONCLUSION
IMAGE GALLERY
© Jonathan Brandon for BlackBerry Cool, 2008
Hmmm… Not good Monday morning news for RIM today. Reuters is reporting that Barclays Capital has cut its price target on RIM from $90 to $60, and global handset sales in 2009 from 3% growth to 5% decline. Barclays also cut its smartphone growth estimate to 25% from 40%.
Barclays analyst Jeff Kvaal cut his estimates on RIM, citing the slowing demand for smartphones, offset partially by the company’s third-quarter phone launches.
“RIM’s four new device launches should partially balance the weak market,” Kvaal wrote in a note to clients.
RIM is trading right now just below the $42 mark, after opening this morning at $39.50.
|via Reuters|
© BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008
When we previously told you that Best Buy was taking pre-orders for the BlackBerry Storm, it wasn’t the most useful information, because we couldn’t tell exactly how much Best Buy was charging for the Storm. Now we can.
BGR has posted some images which indicate that the BlackBerry Storm will sell at Best Buy for $199 on a 2 year contract, $299 on a 1 year contract, and $599 straight up. If your Storm purchase is a new activation and not an upgrade, Best Buy will throw in a free Plantronic 360 BT headset. Of course, Best Buy won’t begin selling the BlackBerry Storm until Sunday, November 23rd, meaning you’re going to have to want that headset really bad to hold out for two extra days.
|via BGR|
© BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008
Slydial is a free service that let’s you dial any mobile phone number and get directed straight to voicemail, which can be helpful when you have to communicate with someone without wanting to, you know, communicate.
Previously, using Slydial was a bit cumbersome, requiring you to call “267-SLYDIAL” first then manually entering the number you’d like to call. However, Slydial has launched an application for BlackBerry, allowing you to simply select a contact from your address book. You can find a download link below, as well as a link to more Slydial videos. My personal favorite was the “Mulligan” video, but I couldn’t find any embed code.
Slydial for BlackBerry
Slydial Videos
|via TechCrunch|
© BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008
BlackBerry Cool was first to break the news that the BlackBerry Curve 8350i would see release on December 1st at the low, low price of $150 on a 2 year contract. With that date just a few weeks away, it makes sense to see RIM’s latest iDEN BlackBerry passing FCC approval. While it isn’t quite the stocking stuffer that the BlackBerry Storm is, for iDEN/Sprint subscribers, it’s all they’re getting for Christmas from RIM. For those interested, Sprint has a sign up page for more BlackBerry Curve 8350i information.
BlackBerry Curve 8350i FCC Approval Page
|via IntoMobile|
© BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008
Our good pal Ronen has posted that, in addition to the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, BlackBerry Media Sync has also received an upgrade. Media Sync is a nifty piece of software that allows you to sync your iTunes playlists with your BlackBerry. The update moves Media Sync from 1.0.0.18 to 1.0.1.6, so don’t expect much more than a few bug fixes and new device (read: BlackBerry Storm) support.
|via BerryReview|
© BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008
We told you all the way back in July that you wouldn’t see the BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.7 until the BlackBerry Storm was ready to be released, but with a UK launch last Friday and the same happening in the US this Friday, that time is now. We don’t yet know what new features or upgrades away DM 4.7, but we’re downloading now and will post if we find anything of note. If you can’t wait, hit the link below to give it a try yourself.
BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.7
© BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008
A bundle of websites published BlackBerry Storm reviews as the clock struck midnight. Here’s a list of the ones we’ve seen so far:
BlackBerry Storm review –> Engadget
BlackBerry Storm Review (Verdict: Not Quite a Perfect Storm) –> Gizmodo
Review: BlackBerry Storm for Verizon Wireless –> CrunchGear
Review: BlackBerry Storm –> PhoneScoop
Verizon BlackBerry Storm review –> BGR
© BlackBerry Cool for BlackBerry Cool, 2008
