Well that BlackBerry Curve 8980 we’ve been hearing about throughout all last year has finally launched in China for the China Mobile carrier today.  At the beginning of the leaks, everyone was wondering why a new Curve was hitting the streets with no 3G connectivity, but it was later known to be a Curve specified for China’s standards.

On a side not, a BlackBerry Bold 9788 will be launching, which is RIM’s first TD-SCDMA device.  It will be very much like the BlackBerry Bold 9780 we have today (assuming so) but with the specific 3G technology that currently exists in China.  It will not work on other 3G networks, so the Bold 9788 is a specific cater to the country.  The image above is what the Bold 9788 looks like, so you see it’s hasn’t received a facelift at all.

Source: IntoMobile, BerryTimes

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Here’s a new clip from the BlackBerry YouTube channel, more on how people use their BlackBerrys.  This one shows popular celebrity blogger who covers Bollywood and fashion and how she uses her BlackBerry everyday professionally to keep her blog updated with the latest.

It looks like another BlackBerry Bold 9650 build for BlackBerry 6 has surfaced.  This one’s version 6.0.0.431 – later than all the other versions we have seen in the past.  Gizmofusion leaked this one out earlier yesterday, but the description is a bit vague as I’m uncertain if this is a leak from RIM or a hybrid of some sort.  Bugs are still reported to be in this version, so expect that until we see a final release to launch of course.  I’m not sure how much longer the download link below will remain live, but grab a copy while it’s up.

Download OS 6.0.0.431 for the BlackBerry Bold 9650 >>

If there’s anything I’ve noticed, it’s that smartphones in Canada are really pricey on one year term contracts, and no contract prices for them are just expensive everywhere.  Usually you have to go for the 3 year to get a good price, comparable to what we have in the United States.  Telus has put up the BlackBerry Pearl 3G for only $200 flat out with no contract.  So if you’re in need of a new BlackBerry and don’t mind some Pearl action with SureType, this is definitely a good buy where you won’t have to commit to any strings attached contracts.

Check out the BlackBerry Pearl 3G at Telus >>

Thanks Brit for the tip!

There’s a lot of great GPS applications out there which allow you to find out what’s around you whenever you want.  Brew World does just about the same but goes more specific for only local breweries and pubs around you.  You can use your built-in GPS or type in a city and zip code to location hot spots for beer.  When you get the local listing, you’ll be able to see contact information of the venue along with a list of beers that they offer.  Creating an account within the application allows you to add beers you’ve had at venues along with reviews.  The application is great for social drinkers and beer enthusiasts.  Brew World is 99 cents to purchase at the PocketBerry Store.

Check out Brew World >>

Pinball Deluxe is one of the most popular BlackBerry games just because it’s good old classic pinball and the graphic with all the animations and full color are great.  I had played it for the first time on my Torch but found that it works just as good on smaller screen BlackBerrys as the camera view follows so smooth with the ball flying all around.  Features include:

• Plunger, Flippers, Bumpers, Targets, Roll-over, Slingshots, Ramps, Mini-Games, Captures, Nudge/Tilt, etc…
• Realistic Physics
• Smooth animation at over 25 fps
• Unlock the Haunted Mansion and play with 2 balls!
• Access the Arcade section and play “Truck Attack”
• Play the “Mirror House”, a mini Pinball with reverse controls
• Customs sounds and vibration
• Available in 5 languages (English, French, Italian, German & Spanish)

Check out Pinball Deluxe >>

That was fast.  And I honestly wasn’t expecting to see a flip phone from RIM again for a while as they took a long break after the Pearl Flip.  Any way, a new rumor has surfaced over at N4BB, talking about the BlackBerry Style 2 to be in testing at the moment, rockin’ touchscreen.  There’s no word if both displays would be touchscreen, but that would kick ass.

The other part of the rumor talks about a dual hinge concept, allowing you to open the device in two different ways.  Not so sure how well that’ll work – especially with the Torch being wobbly as is.  Again, these are all rumors but a touchscreen Style sounds cool.

Great news for all you theme builders out there – RIM has confirmed on Twitter that they will be releasing an update for BlackBerry Theme Studio 6.0 Beta by the end of this month.  It doesn’t say anything about coming out of beta, but we’re hoping it’s a good enough update to satisfy some theme builder itches.

Trading in cell phones for credit towards a new device is a great idea.  According to a memo leaked out over at BGR, AT&T will be launching a cell phone trade-in program on January 23rd.  If you don’t want to trade in your cell phone for credit towards another device, you can also accept a check or have the cash value go towards charity from AT&T.  Not a bad deal at all.  Cell phones accepted aren’t strictly AT&T as they’ll accept all sorts of devices from other carriers.

Here’s a nice application which we’ve seen many variations of in the past.  Basically bPrivate allows you to lock applications with password keys so you can stop snooping eyes from wondering in places they shouldn’t be on your BlackBerry.  In this free edition, you can only block one application where the premium version allows you to block multiple apps.  The premium version is on sale now for only 99 cents as the normal price is $2.99.  Click the links below to get the freebie or to purchase the premium.

Download bPrivate Free Edition >>Purchase bPrivate Premium Edition >>