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*Winner Announced*
It has been what seems like a long time since we started our Berry Merry Christmas Giveaway but we now have an official winner. We here at tBBF would like to offer congrats to tcu16. An email has been sent to tcu16 with instructions on how to redeem the coveted 8520 gift pack. We would like to give a big THANKS to all who entered. Keep checking back often and tell everyone you know, there will be a lot more giveaways. Again congrats to tcu16 for winning our Berry Merry Christmas Giveaway, we hope you enjoy your new BlackBerry!
*UPDATE*
So there is only one day left until the big giveaway. If you haven’t yet then you need to get entered in order to win. It’s going to be a great start to a new year! Good luck to all who enter!
Tis the season of giving, lets ring in the holidays with a bang! It is our first Christmas here at tBBF and we thought whats better then to give?
Do you want or need a new sleek trackpad equipped device? I know I do but this ones for you, our readers. We are are going to give all of you the chance to get your hands on a nice new BlackBerry 8520 package for the holidays. Included in the package is a Blackberry Curve 8520, a bluetooth headset and a car charger. Or the winner may choose our other package which includes a nice new 8520, a bluetooth headset and a gel skin for your Berry.
Sounds too good to be true I know…but it is. here are some very important rules that you will need to follow.
1) You will need to follow @theBBfactory and @mdorrett on Twitter. * if you don’t have a Twitter account sign up HERE*
2) You will need to add this pin to you BBM list with “8520 giveaway” in the invitation 306413F2 for those of you that do not have a BlackBerry yet you may use “GTalk” mdorrett@gmail.com
3) You will need to go to our 8520 Giveaway Forum and tell us why you deserve a new Berry. Please include your BBM and Twitter name so we can verify.
The winner will be chosen at random on New years eve and will be contacted via email shortly after with instructions on how to choose package and claim your prize.
We here at theBlackBerryfactory wish you and your families all the best during this holiday season. We enjoy having you our readers in our lives and hope that you keep us in yours. Many will enter and only one will win! Good luck to all of you!
*UPDATE*
We here at theBlackBerryFactory would like to congratulate our winners of our Google Wave invite giveaway cbeslash and maccapple. Both our lucky winners will be contacted by email with an invite to Google Wave. Please enjoy the invite. Please contact us if you have any issues. Once again congrats and enjoy!
As you may well remember just a couple of months ago, we at tBBf gave away a copy of Google Voice to one lucky winner. Well a big thank you goes out to @Sloth26 ! A very generous friend of ours. In honor of the holidays’ and Christmas being just around the corner, he has donated not one…but five coveted invites to Google Wave. That means that five lucky readers will get an invite.
For those of you who may not be familiar with Google Wave, although it may not be specifically for the BlackBerry it is a very cool new tool. Google Wave allows multiple users to share files in single conversation or “wave”. It also allows you to update Twitter from your wave. Google is adding a lot of cool tools as they progress with development, allowing users to share maps, media files and so on. Google wave is perfect for website owners and operators who may have to share files with people across the country in real time. Google Wave is only available by invitation at the moment. This is why it has been hard for some of us to get our hands on it.
So as I said before five…count em’ five lucky winners will have the chance to secure an invite for Google Wave. All you have to do is leave a comment in this post for your chance to win. Please remember that multiple entries will be disqualified, so only one post please. The winners will be chosen at random from all entries on December 18th 2009. The winners will be notified via email after the drawing. Make sure to tell all your friends and family. We at tBBF say GOOD LUCK! and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
While checking Twitter updates on my break. I came across a tweet from our friends at www.BBHybrids.net with a link to BBM 5.0.0.52. I have installed this version which has been pulled from the newly leaked 9700 OS.
Although I haven’t had much time to tinker with it, I have noticed that the fonts have been changed and avatars seem crisper.
Here is the link for OTA. If you find any issues please let us know. Enjoy!
*UPDATE*
I have recently found out that this version has been released to carriers for testing so please use it and let us know what you think.
With a new baby and a new BlackBerry 9700 to play with, I’ve definitely been a bit sidetracked lately. Now that things are getting back to normal so will our BlackBerry coverage. To kick things off in the right direction we’ve recently launched our new forums. Although there’s still a few bugs to work out please feel free to drop in and check things out. Many new and improved site features will be rolled out over the next few days so please stick around and help theBlackBerryfactory 2.0 ring in the new year with a bang. Be sure to send us any feedback or requests via support@theBlackBerryfactory.com
Get date/time directly from your carrier
1. In the clock, press the Menu key.
2. Click Options.
3. Click Set Time.
4. Change the Time Zone field.
5. Perform one of the following actions:
• To get the date and time from the wireless network that your device is connected to, change the Date/Time Source field to Network.
• To get the date and time from the BlackBerry network, change the Date/Time Source field to BlackBerry.
6. Press the Menu key.
7. Click Update Time.
8. Press the Menu key.
9. Click Save.
Some of you probably have been using this new Twitter client for a few days, but I had to showcase Seesmic.
For those of us that have been using Seesmic are used to seeing the cute little raccoon on our home screen that lets us know there is an update, but for some it may seem a little strange. Keep in mind that Seesmic is still in “alpha testing” but they have released it to all of us to get a little taste of whats to come.
Of course there are some improvements that could be made in my opinion. For example a different color in the time line to represent @replies and @DM messages. Theses are however listed in the menu screen, it would be nice to see them in the main time line. Also I would like to see a Friends/Followers in the menu that way people can be added or taken away with ease.
For the most part Seesmic Inc. has hit the nail right on the head with this one. I have been using Seesmic since it’s availability date and I am hooked. It is very clean and easy to use. While sending a new Tweet it allows you to shrink your tweet as well as add pictures from whichever service you choose during setup. Another great feature is that as you get closer to the dreaded 140 character limit the text window starts to change different shades of red. The redder the text window the closer you are. If you go over the allotted amount then it turns a very deep crimson color.
The look and feel of this Twitter client are great. It’s functionality is almost perfect. If Seesmic Inc. makes the right changes to this Twitter client I can see it becoming used more than Ubertwitter. If you are interested in giving this application a try just point you mobile browser HERE or your PC browser HERE. Give it a try I am sure that you won’t be disappointed.
Our very own Macapple has alerted me to this very important news from Wirefly. By now most of us know that Wirefly usually has great deals on cell phones for all major carriers, but these ones are going to take the cake.
With the recent release of the Storm 2 for Verizon and today’s release of the 9700 for AT&T. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are going to be very good days for new and existing customers.
The Storm 2 for Verizon will be just $.99 cents for new customers (9.99 Saturday through Monday) and just $29.99 for existing customers wishing to upgrade. The 9700 or Bold 2 for AT&T will be FREE for new customers and just $29.99 for existing customers wishing to upgrade ( 11/27 through 11/30 ). Both Verizon and AT&T will be waiving the activation fee for this sale.
Now for those of you that may be skeptical you may want to check for your self HERE. So for us who have been waiting or just don’t want to spend a bunch of dough on BlackBerrys’ latest and greatest devices, now is your chance to get your hands on them for a fraction of the cost.
One little Trick that isn’t very well known
(or useful) is the ability to unlock your device by holding down the end key for 4 seconds when in standby mode. Got a Tip or Trick of your own? Send them to support@theBlackBerryfactory.com and get them published.
Well folks the day we have all been waiting for is finally here. While the device has been available to TMO subscribers and AT&T business users for a few day, today is the official launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 on AT&T. Pricing is as follows,
$499.99- off contract
$299.99- in store on 2/year contract
$199.99- after mail in rebate
Media Shortcuts
• To pause a song or video, press the Mute key. To resume playing a video or song, press the Mute key again.
• To play the next song in a category, press N.
• To play the previous song in a category, press P.
• To play the next song in a playlist, press and hold the Volume Up key.
• To play the previous song in a playlist, press and hold the Volume Downkey.
• To turn on the audio boost feature to amplify the volume for songs, ring tones, and videos, press the Volume Up key until you reach the highest volume setting, and then press the Volume Up key four times quickly.
• To pan up in a picture, press 2.
• To pan down in a picture, press 8.
• To pan right in a picture, press 6.
• To pan left in a picture, press 4.
• To return to the center of a picture, press 5.
• To zoom in to a picture, press 3. To zoom to the original picture size, press 7.
• To zoom out from a picture, press 9. To zoom to the original picture size, press 7.
• To rotate a picture, press L.
• To fit a picture to the screen size, press 1.
