BlackBerry Unlock Codes

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.

AT&T cuts price on Bold and Curve 8900
We’ll kick off this week’s crop of links with a purely useful one. If you’re an AT&T customers looking to get a BlackBerry, or if you’re thinking of switching to AT&T, you’re in luck. They have reduced the price on both the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and the BlackBerry Bold. The Curve comes down to $149.99 from $199.99, and the Bold takes over the $199.99 price point, down from $299.99. They still require a mail-in rebate, but they did before the price cuts. Engadget Mobile thinks it’s supposed to be a temporary cut, but once you expose the Berry at a lower price point, it’s tough to bring it back up. Especially when Verizon has the Storm, and presumably the impending Tour, at $199.99.

RIM has profit edge in smartphone industry
We know that RIM’s BlackBerry devices sell better than any other smartphone. While the line on that used to be “well, they have more than one device, which gives them an advantage,” that’s not exactly true any more. The Curve, after all, was the best-selling smartphone in the first quarter of 2009. Now we learn that RIM is also tops in smartphone profits. They’re up to 35 percent of industry profits, up from 8 percent in 2007. So it looks like RIM’s conscious consumer foray is paying off. Hopefully this means more of what we’ve seen recently from RIM. Well, minus the delays and software issues.

Don’t expect much from BIS 2.7
I’ve been anticipating the release of BlackBerry Internet Service 2.7 for quite a while now, but it looks like it’s all for naught. BerryReview got their hands on the features list, and it’s…well, it’s pretty useless. There’s some additional stuff on the Help screen, but I don’t think I’ve ever used that (and we cover most of that stuff in easier-to-read format on BBGeeks). Oh, the Email Settings application will close easier. Woo hoo. I suppose this means it won’t stick around as a browser, forcing you to close and re-launch your browser after using it. Oh, and the UI will be available in Thai and Indonesian. Good for people in Thailand and Indonesia, but it’s really nothing for the North American users. Sigh.

Snapshots of Bell Tour promo material
We’ll take something, anything that has to do with devices this week. We have another nugget below, but this is of just as little consequence. It’s the Bell promo material for the BlackBerry Tour, which was pictured and posted on BGR. We know the specs by now, including the 480×360 display, 3.2 megapixel camera, and quad-band radio. And now we just await the official announcement…

T-Mobile releasing prepaid BlackBerry plan
We’ve seen a few prepaid BlackBerry options emerge this year, from MetroPCS in the U.S. and Orange in the UK. It looks like T-Mobile, which continues to add more prepaid than postpaid subscribers, will be next into the fold. They’ll offer the BlackBerry Pearl on prepaid through Best Buy. The device will run $299.99, and according to one CrackBerry commenter comes with 600 minutes plus unlimited data and email for $65 per month. Not bad if you’re not the type to sign a two-year contract.

Verizon confirms Storm 2 within 6 months
We mentioned this on the BBGeekcast last week, but it looks like Verizon has confirmed the BlackBerry Storm 2. There’s been no official announcement, but CEO Lowell McAdam said, “Over the next six months or so you will see devices like Palm Pre and a second generation Storm.” So there’s that. Some of us were amping up for a July release, but that just sounds odd, to release a second generation of a device less than a year after the first. We’ll obviously keep a close eye on this one.

Pearl flip marketing material hits Verizon
The BlackBerry Pearl 8220 didn’t do so hot on T-Mobile, but maybe it just needs the power of the nation’s largest network to get it jump started. That’s what RIM and Verizon hope. The carrier has received its marketing material, signaling that the release could be right around the corner. Anyone looking forward to this one?

Storm gets long-awaited firmware update
Storm owners are always awaiting the next firmware upgrade. The process hasn’t gone smoothly, with Verizon rushing the original product, and then being slow to offer firmware upgrades. They had a failed build recently, which further frustrated the Storm masses. Now they’ve released 4.7.0.148, which is available now at the Verizon website. Rejoice, Storm owners!

The new BBGeeks on-device App Store. Now you can browse the entire MobiHand store and download apps right to your BlackBerry.

Use your BlackBerry as a flashlight. The video camera light works a bit better than the the screen to guide you through patches of darkness.

Win a BlackBerry Curve 8900. Every day this month, The Weather Channel is giving away a BlackBerry Curve 8900. You can enter from your browser or from your BlackBerry device.

How to add ringtones to your BlackBerry. A neat little walk-through.

More BlackBerry themes. We’ve got reviews for themes from Hedone Design, JC Designs, and the inimitable Cherri Chiodo.

Coming soon: WordPress and Basecamp. Users of these two applications will be getting BlackBerry apps soon. I cannot, cannot wait.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about Verizon BlackBerry.

BlackBerry News From The Wire for the Week of 6/1/2009

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about Verizon BlackBerry.

BlackBerry News From The Wire for the Week of 6/1/2009