LinkedIn for BlackBerry 1.0 Connects

March 30, 2010 by Wayne Schulz

LinkedIn has just released version 1.0 of their new application for BlackBerry smartphones.

Users of the BlackBerry Tour, Curve and Bold can download the application from BlackBerry App World. Unfortunately there is not (yet) any support for the popular BlackBerry Storm though I suspect that will be added pretty quickly.

From the LinkedIn Blog:

LinkedIn for BlackBerry is a continuation of our efforts to help you leverage the power of your professional network anywhere, anytime. Now, you can walk into any interview, any customer engagement or client meeting with the ability to look up the details on over 60 million professionals worldwide, in real-time.

LinkedIn for BlackBerry includes a full, rich feature set designed to bring the most useful features of LinkedIn to your business smartphone. The application features six modules, each with a user experience designed from the ground up for BlackBerry devices:

* Network Updates. View and share crucial business intelligence and updates with your network. Perfect for those spare moments between meetings.
* Search. Search across over 60 million global professionals, and get the answer back in seconds. We’ve implemented a unified search across both your direct connections and the entire LinkedIn network.
* Connections. LinkedIn is your address book in the cloud. Get quick access to any of your connections to get their up-to-date profile information, and the ability to send them a message immediately.
* Invitations. Why wait to get back to your desk? Accept outstanding invitations immediately.
* Messages. Messaging is one of the reasons that BlackBerry owners love their devices, and we’ve worked hard to integrate your LinkedIn Inbox.
* Reconnect. You can’t leverage your network if you don’t build it. This module brings suggestions for new connections to you anytime. Now you can build your network from anywhere, in seconds.

While the interface of the BlackBerry LinkedIn application is not as pretty as that of the iPhone version – the deep integration to the BlackBerry inbox is a key feature.

When you receive emails from anyone you can quickly use the BlackBerry shortcut menu to lookup their LinkedIn profile – quite a handy feature for those of us who spend most of our time on the road.

For more information –

LinkedIn for BlackBerry Curve, Bold and Tour – Now Available

Connect:
Wayne Schulz on LinkedIn

Google Nexus One vs Droid : Pros and Cons

January 7, 2010 by Wayne Schulz

Google’s entry into the phone world – the Google Nexus One – is out. I’ve been testing it for the last day since FedEx dropped one on my doorstep. I paid $529 for an unlocked version which means that I am able to use it on my existing T-Mobile account simply by swapping the tiny SIM card that is inside my BlackBerry 9700.

What many people have been asking is whether the Google Nexus One is the best Android phone or whether the much advertised Droid might be a better choice.

Well since I own both phones I’ve taken a few minutes this morning to write up a pros and cons comparison between the two.

You can read my Google Nexus One vs Droid Pros and Cons on my gadget blog for the full details.

In a nutshell I like everything about the Google Nexus One – especially the speed. If you’re comfortable using T-Mobile as the carrier (which is the only carrier supporting the phone for now though Verizon is slated to provide service come Spring 2010) and if you’re a heavy Gmail user (which I am) then you’ll love Android and I think the Google Nexus One.

Based on my repeatedly poor experiences with the Droid voice quality – I don’t recommend you purchase a Droid.

If however you’re company is stoic in its use of Microsoft Exchange Server or you are not on Gmail (and don’t plan to be) then I think either the BlackBerry (for heavy emailers) or iPhone (for those with light email needs but strong desire for third party applications and music/video) are better choices.

BlackBerry 9550 (Storm2) Pre-Release Sneak Peek Video

July 22, 2009 by Wayne Schulz

Web site Crackberry.com have somehow obtained a pre-release version of the new BlackBerry Storm 2. This upgrade from the first touch screen BlackBerry Storm is expected to include Wi-Fi and also features a slightly redesigned from button layout.

Overall it appears that the operating system is largely the same and functionality of the BlackBerry touch screen is similar to the initial Storm. The device in this video is apparently a pre-release version so you can expect/hope that the screen lag during rotation is fixed by the time the device appears on Verizon in the next few months.

Update: The original video was pulled from YouTube – here’s another that I found online.

reQall Pro for BlackBerry – interesting to-do list manager with voice to text

March 26, 2009 by Wayne Schulz

reqall There’s an interesting new program for BlackBerry users that has just been significantly upgrade. The program is reQall and it is a combination web service and mobile application. There’s a program available to run on BlackBerry devices that are running OS version 4.2 and higher.

reQall offers voice to text transcription of your ToDo items, Notes and Appointments

By speaking your task into the BlackBerry, you can avoid having to take your eyes off the road or typing a lengthy message on the keyboard. Your voice is recorded, transferred to reQall’s servers and transcribed.

The process takes about 5 minutes. You can set your BlackBerry to synchronize with reQall’s main server as frequently as every 15 minutes or as infrequently as once per day.

Accuracy Surprisingly Good – Features Not Working As Promised

There are two interesting features that are promised in this latest version of reQall Pro ($25/year). I tested both of them and was not able to get either to work.
First, the software is supposed to integrate to Google Calendars (which I use). After adding several to-do items and appointments with dates that were described accurately I sat back and waited (and waited) to see the item appear in my calendar.

The second new feature that is supposed to be added to reQall Pro is GPS awareness. If you set a reminder to only display while at work — the software is supposed to detect your location (via GPS reading) and automatically pop up a reminder that a task is due at the place you presently are located.

reqall-location Problem that I had is the GPS feature did not work in my testing.

After creating a To-Do item called “Give lauren her backpack at bus stop” and tagging it properly to the location “Bus Stop” — I was reminded of absolutely nothing when I ventured back to the location where I had specified (via GPS setup) that the bus stop was located.

reQall is a handy software program for making notes on the go. The company needs to get their promised features working before I’d recommend that anyone lay out $25 per year for their Pro version (which adds the integration to Google calendar and GPS aware features).

reQall offers voice to text transcription of your ToDo items, Notes and Appointments

Accuracy Surprisingly Good – Features Not Working As Promised

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