Camera Phones Plaza

RIM BlackBerry, with its slim design and improved keyboard brings users a cool device, proper for a lot of business, and personal use also. This smartphone has a 2Mp camera, Bluetooth support, media player and spell checker which are very useful for e-mail and memos. This phone doesn't integrate WiFi or 3G support and the camera doesn't offer video recording, but the the design is very elegant and the whole set of features make it perfect for a lot of BlackBerry fans.

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BlackBerry Curve is comfortable to hold in your hand, and pretty easy to use as a phone and as a computing device too, and even if it is a little wider than common phone calls (anyway, it is a smartphone, so the dimensions are excused) it feels safe in one's hands. The phone has a rubbery texture, and it is easier to grip, but it still needs some protection.

Phones and other portable devices are very exposed to scratches and other damages provoked by external factors. The best way to protect your mobile device would be a case, where it can safely be kept, and then you can slip it in your pocket, bag or backpack. The cases variety is very large, and you can find them in thousands of models, patterns and colors. A smartphone case also reflects your personality, so you might want to get a serious black one if you are a company's CEO or a cheerful vibrant one if you are an artist with a little more special vision on the world.

The material the case is made of is also important because it offers protection to the smartphone and it must be resistant. In the same time, the case must allow you access to the device's ports and you can use it easily in any circumstances. Leather is the best material for mobile phone cases, because it cushions the phone from drops or falls. Aluminium is also used in this industry, and it offers a good protection for your device, and it can be found in various combinations with other materials, and color schemes.

It's already known that women will like colorful and stylish cases, and there is a wide range of cases for them, in a lot of colors like green, blue, red, and orange which can be a spot of color in their outfit, and let's not forget about the trendy pink, which is preferred by a special category of BlackBerry women users. The top preferences among women are magenta, red and pink, and there are the cases with floral and abstract pattern designs, which also are among the preferred cases models for women.



This cute red case is specially designed for BlackBerry Curve 8900 and it is made of silicone which has carbon fiber pattern printed on it. This case has a breakthrough design and it protects the entire device with its full coverage. You have access to all ports and buttons and you will like the carbon fiber design because it looks futuristic. This is a nice case for a woman, and most important of all aspects, it offers very good protection for your precious smartphone.



Not very eco-friendly, but stylish and comfortable, this pink lambskin leather offers you best protection for your phone. It has a swivel clip too, and you can adjust it according to your needs. You can keep it in an upright position when you are walking or moving around, and you can set it parallel with your belt for the times when you sit down. This case has indentations which protect the smartphone's trackball and this ensures you that the device cannot be activated accidentally. The case also has a proximity sensor, and you will know when the BlackBerry is in place. The screen will be shut off when the smartphone is in the case, and this will maximize the life of the battery. The technology offers you the possibility to have different notification sounds or alerts for calls, emails or messages wheter the device is in the case or not.



This case is compatible with Curve 8300 Series and it is very elegant and it is made of handcrafted leather. The slim design protects the device in an optimal manner and the padded design make this case the great place for holding your phone. This case was not designed for bet clip, so it can be used only for your pockets, but it sill is cool and protects your smartphone from damages and scratches. Beyza SlimLine Series Case is designed as a tasteful case which protects the device and adds it a stylish touch. The unique design and the top quality leather used in manufactuing it will make you really enjoy using this case.

This smartphone case is compatible with more models, not only with the Curve Series. It can store your smartphone, the credit and business cards and even the cash in the horizontal pouch. This case, just like the pink one mentioned previously, has a proximity sensor and it will show you if the phone is in there or not, and it will shut off the screen for saving battery life. BlackBerry can be customized and you can set up special ringtones and alerts for in-holster position. It is important to take care what kind of items you place in the case, because the magnetic strip on credit or debt cards can erase the data stored on the card. This wallet-case can be found in various colors, and I think it is bvery useful for women, who carry a lot of small useful things.

Owning a BlackBerry is a pretty cool thing, but cooler than this is taking the calls hands-free. then you set up the connection, or when you have been using it for a while, there might appear some problems with the Bluetooth headset. There are a few simple steps you should follow to solve your Bluetooth headset-BlackBerry Curve problems.
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The most common problems are concerning missed connections, incompatibility between the headsets and the smartphone, power issues, freezing or reset settings.

Syncing the Bluetooth device with the BlackBerry must be done with both devices entering sync mode in the same time, and if the timing is off, the connection will not work properly. When you connect the Bluetooth device to the smartphone, you might not be able to establish a good connection, and an "Unable to Connect to Bluetooth Device" message will be displayed. To solve this problem, try to turn off the phone and place the devices to be connected closer together and restart the connecting process.

Another known issue in Bluetooth connections matter is about the power. When both the headset and the BlackBerry are not fully charged, they won't be able to sync. It is very important to use all the time fully charged devices before trying to set up a connection. Certain headset models manufactured by third party companies may not be compatible with Curve BlackBerry. It is very important to buy Bluetooth headsets for your smartphone only from your carrier, and this will ensure compatibility. You should also check the specifications before buying a Bluetooth headset and see if the headset and the smartphone use the same standard for wireless connections, and when the headset you are trying to use if wholly incompatible with the smartphone you own, try to return it to manufacturer's stores, and you might get even a refund.

Often, for no reason, BlackBerry series of smartphones freeze. If you experience this while trying to connect a Bluetooth headset, or while you are using one of these accessories, turn off the phone and start it again. If this doesn't work, you should try a hard reset (pull out the battery for 1 minutes, and replace it). It will take 5 minutes for the smartphone to reboot, and when it has restarted, you will be able to use it without incidents.

It often happens that when you perform resets on the BlackBerry Curve smartphone the settings to be set back to the default options, including the Bluetooth settings. If this happens, it is easy to solve it: re-sync the headset with the smartphone, and functionality is ensured.

These are some issues faced pretty often by BlackBerry users, but there is a solution for almost everything. If you faced other problems when using your Bluetooth devices with BlackBerry Curve, please comment and let us know about it, and how did you solve the problem. Sharing your experiences might help a lot of other people which are using this type of smartphone and faced the same issues. I hope that along with the OS improvements these issues will be fixed and users will be able to flawlessly use their mobile devices.

BlackBerry Maps has been released for all BlackBerry models, and LBS (Location-Based Services) are facing a continuous growth in quality and in number also.  GPS os BlackBerry doesn't come easy, so here are some tips for using it. Most users will use GPS in conjunction with BlackBerry Maps, and taking into account that paring the GPS puck with the proper GPS procedure is very important, when purchasing a BlackBerry you should think of choosing a device with internal GPS, like, for example, 7520 (although they are old and clunky), or maybe a Bluetooth GPS Receiver.
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Using the GPS puck (Bluetooth GPS Receiver) paired with your BlackBerry should be easy if you follow these steps:

1. Turn on the GPS Receiver. It will take about 10 minutes for it to get the position and acquire satellites. There will also be some subsequent attempts for establishing the position, and they will take around 30 seconds to 1 minute until the GPS puck acclimatizes with the North American location (usually they are produces in Taiwan). I recommend setting up the puck outside, because large buildings can interfere with the GPS signal and you may get it distorted. If you connect this Bluetooth receiver when you are inside, where you don't have a clear view of the sky, it might make more difficult the process of finding a signal, and if it works pretty hard, if it makes a "warm search", you should pull out the battery and then pop it back.

2. From smartphone's menu, choose Set Up Bluetooth, and a dialog box will appear with "Please ensure your Bluetooth device is in pairing mode". After this, you should press OK and the phone will begin searching for Bluetooth devices in range. This usually takes up to 1 minute, but the average search lasts for 30 seconds.

3. After the search, the smartphone will list all the Bluetooth devices found within the range and you will have to choose the GPS Receiver from that list. The smartphone will ask you for a passkey. Because it is a first use, type in 0000 or 1234 (these are the most common passwords used), and after the password verification, the Bluetooth should be enabled and the device should be listed.

4. It is strange, but even if Bluetooth has been enabled on the smartphone, it is not turned on. This is one common problem for GPS receiver users, and it it somehow bad because BlackBerry Maps will tell you that the smartphone is paired with a device even when the Bluetooth is not turned on. For using BlackBerry Maps, you should make sure that your connection is on, and you can check this by selecting the icon in the main menu ( it is on when the text changes to "Turn Bluetooth Off" and the icon is highlighted)

5. Enter the BlackBerry Maps applications and go to Options from the menu. Select the GPS Device Option (which should display none), and then select "Change Option" in the menu. The device which you have just paired should be on the list. Select it and then click the TrackBall. The GPS Receiver should be highlighted as the main device. When you exit save the changes.

6.In the BlackBerry Maps menu select Start GPS and if the puck has acquired its position, on the map you should see a Chevron and it should rotate in the direction you are traveling. The screen will display also the bearing and your speed, as well the street you are on, if you zoomed in enough.

7. If you prefer North to be always up, you can set this up from the application's menu, but if you would like the map to rotate as you travel, select the "Track Up" option in the menu. You can also get additional information on the screen, like the time, battery and signal strength, the number of the satellites you receive information from or if you have any e-mails. This can be set up by pressing U on the QWERTY devices or Q on SureType devices. All this information will appear on the Title Bar. If you see that the number of the satellites is 0, it means that the GPS receiver hasn't locked onto the position.

8. Displaying the map on the entire screen is easy too and can be done by pressing space; this will switch the application from GPS mode to Map mode.

There are some applications specially designed for BlackBerry which focus on the geocaching feature. BasicGPS is one of these applications and it is very useful when you are driving a car and you want to know your location or the destination. It works on Windows Mobile (5 or 6) or on PDAs with GPS support. This application requires Microsoft Compact Framework 2.0, which can easily be downloaded from Internet.

Another interesting application is GPSLogger, which records your location on the BlackBerry, with elevation and speed included. It is able to guide you to a previously saved location, and this can be done using the "Guide me Home" feature. This application records your movement in time, displays the coordinates (with good accuracy for latitude and longitude), it shows you the number of satellites which position you and the altitude too, and the heading and speed are also provided. This application has a wide range of view modes available, like Path View, Speed View, Timing or Compass View or the Direction View mode.

Both applications presented here are freeware and they can easily be installed on your BlackBerry. You should know that there are a lot of GPS software applications, and all of them have more or less useful features, but the most important thing is to find one which offers you a high quality positioning and features which fir your needs.

BlackBerry Curve 8900 or BlackBerry Javelin is an addition to the solid smartphone T-Mobile line and one of the top products of this company. It is an improved version of the Curver 8300 series, and it has several improvements, like a sleeker design, a more solid construction, faster processor, 3.2 Mp camera and a sharp display. This smartphone integrates also WiFi and you can make unlimited calls over this type of networks. The biggest disappointment is the lack of 3G, and it could have given this phone a real competitive advantage on smartphone market.
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This phone will appeal both mobile professionals and common consumers, and it offers work and play features, packed in a little elegant design. This Rim BlackBerry is the thinnest device with a full QWERTY keyboard. This smartphone measures 4.2''x2.3''x0.5'' and it weighs only 3.8 ounces. It feels comfortable in hand, and it is easy to slip in a pocket. BlackBerry Javelin has in the same time a sleek profile and a solid construction. The phone's main body is made of plastic, but it has some finishes and painted applications which give it a more durable look.

Javelin has tapered edges like the Storm model but the metallic paint gives thie model a fresh and modern look. It is less corporate than the Bold BlackBerry we all know, and this means that it might attract a wider range of users. Javelin has a 2.4'' TFT LCD, which supports 65,536 colors on a 480x360 pixels resolution. Sharpness' level and brightness also make this phone's screen quite impressive, and the surprises don't stop here! Curve 8900 runs the latest version of OS, and this brings an updated interface with much more features and high performance. One needed improvement must be done about the look, because all the icons look almost the same, and it's hard to distinguish the folders on the screen at a glance.

Below the screen, there are is the navigation array, which includes the Talk and End keys, the shortcut to the menu, the back button and the well known trackball. This is a simple and spacious layout, and it's pretty easy to use these controls and navigate the phone. The side controls are designed for one hand operations. The keyboard is similar to BlackBerry Bold's and taking into account that the phone is smaller than the other previous versions, the keys are also smaller, but they still can be used properly. The keyboard has a good backlight and something special would be that the color of this backlight is red, and not the classical white.

On the left side you have a key which can be programmed, and the default function is for voice dialer, but you can change it any time. There, on the left side is also the 3.5 mm headphones jack and the volume rocker and the mini USB port. The camera is on the back, next to the flash, and under the battery cover there are the SIM card and SD card slots. The SD card has a protection plastic layer and it looks sort of flimsy, and it might not hold up over time. The mute button and the lock key are situated on the top. This phone comes with a travel charger, a 256 Mb SD card, an USB cable, a case for protection and a CD with software utilities and reference material.

This phone runs RIM OS 4.6.1.11, and this means a real improved user interface, but also new functionality and applications. In this OS version you can also esit Word, Excel and .ppt files, and this is available due to the inclusion of DataViz's Documents utility in the Go Suite. The Standard Edition is preinstalled on the phone and you can upgrade to the Premium Edition if you want to create documents. BlackBerry Javelin comes with management tools like calendar, to do list, memo, voice recorder, password management utility, calculator and many other useful applications. There is an online catalog with BB applications, if you are looking for new software or games. T-Mobile offers some suggestions in choosing the applications according to the model of smartphone you own. Best improvement has been done in Web browsing area, and the new HTML Web browser supports also RSS feeds and media like YouTube clips. Navigation is easier with the two viewing modes, Page and Column, and you can also zoom in/out on pages.

There are two options for getting connected: WiFi and EDGE from T-Mobile, because 3G is not available yet on this model. Surfing the Web is ok on EDGE, but 3G would have been an interesting feature. Voice features include roaming, speakerphone, voice, smart and conference dialing, speed dial, SMS and MMS. For each contact in the address book, you have entries for multiple numbers, e-mail addresses, home and work addresses, job tile, and much more: picture, group ID and customized ringtone.

GPS uses both satellites and triangulation to detect your position, and the maps and the driving directions come with BlackBerry Maps application. This utility is preloaded on Javelin, and if you want real time tracking you should get TeleNav GPS Navigator.The camera is pretty cool, it has 3.2 Mp, video recording capabilities and you can edit the size and the quality of the picture and also customize the white balance settings.

Call quality is great but the 512 MHz processor is sometimes slow, like when accessing the photo folder, or other folders with a lot of items, but the general performance is good.This phone has a LiIon battery, and the rated talk time is 5 hours, and in standby mode the battery lasts up to 14 days.

The lack of 3G is a big disappointment, but the OS is very good and the design is solid. The features are improved and the performance of the processor is great. It is a great step in RIM's smartphone development process.

The way your home screen icons are displayed on your BlackBerry is called theme. All service providers offer you a default theme, which you can change any time, to express your personality, or to make your mobile phone look better. Newer mobile phones have a larger variety of themes and if you want to change it, you should click on Options, and then select "Theme". Now you can choose the theme you want, and then see how the home screen has changed. The image behind the theme can also be changed, and you can do this by going to the "Pictures" icon. After you select the image you want on background, you have to select "Set as Home Screen Image".
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If you want to install third party themes sometimes you will have to pay a small fee for downloading it, and it seems that you have to work a little to install another theme, which is not included in the default pack. Some themes, which come from obscure manufacturers can screw up your BlackBerry and it might take a while to reinstall the main default theme. You have to make sure that the theme you want to install is from a source you trust, a good friend or a reputable provider. There are a lot of websites which offer you thousands of themes for BlackBerry and if you pick a cool website, you will see that the themes are tested and they come with excellent support.

It is very simple to download and install a third party theme on your BlackBerry. At first you will have to download the theme to your PC (if it is zipped, unzip it), and then connect your BlackBerry and open Desktop Manager. Next, open Application Loader and click Add, and browse for the "Themes.alx" file and click on OK. After the installation is finished, you have to go to Settings (Options tab) and select the new theme.

I picked up some interesting themes I found and I would like to see if you find them cool and interesting too. You can download them from shop.crackberry.com , and I chose some cheaper ones. You can find on this website theme packages also, and they contain thousands of themes.

One of the coolest I found is iBerry theme, which makes your BlackBerry to look like an iPhone. So if you like the iPhone interface design, but still want to keep the BlackBerry, this is the solution. Install the iBerry theme!

You can simulate a lot of operating systems on your BlackBerry through themes. Just like this, you can have on your Berry device, the Vista look, which you might miss from your desktop or laptop computer.



If you like very much colorful things and you want to cheer up your BlackBerry, you can choose this Rainbow theme, which seems to be a happy and optimistic one, and it might even brighten your day if it's getting cloudy.



There are thousands of themes for BlackBerry available out there on the Internet, and I am sure that you can d the right theme for your BlackBerry, the one which fits your own needs and preferences.