GroupMe for BlackBerry v3.0 is officially out!  There’s a lot of goodies in this build including a brand new UI and BlackBerry 7 OS support.  Here’s the full change log:

• Added Questions and Direct Messages – Questions are like groups but designed for sharing to get people involved in something you want to do, e.g “who wants to get dinner?”  Post to Twitter/Facebook and others in your social network can join in.  Direct messaging allows one on one conversations between you and other GroupMe users you know.
• Invite GroupMe contacts into new/existing groups – Before there was a limite to people you can have in your address book.
• Overall faster app experience with version 2 API – Users experienced sluggish movement in the app before.  Now with new API, you’ll be able to navigate through the app faster.
• New User Interface – Ribbon of buttons up top to launch new questions, groups, or direct messages.  Easily view who you know on GroupMe list.  Picture downloading has been sped up.  Color scheme of app has been updated as well.

Download GroupMe >>

 Does anyone recall the WiFi hot spot feature for OS 7 devices we’ve been teased about over the last year?  Well a screenshot above coming out of a Sprint memo clarifies that WiFi hot spot capability is coming to the Torch 9850.  It appears that the feature is written on the box of the device, but it isn’t yet capabile so the purpose of the memo was to inform employees that the feature is coming soon and that’s what they need to tell customers who purchase the device.  When will it be coming you ask? According to the memo, WiFi hot spot capability is due in fourth quarter this year.  I’m hoping this goes to all other devices as well but I easily see carriers blocking this one out if they can – especially AT&T who blocked out BlackBerry Bridge for the longest time then finally released it eliminating Bridge Browser.

Source: CrackBerry

 The BlackBerry PlayBook just got cooler.  RIM has introduced Citrix Receiver for PlayBook today, giving IT professionals more to do on the tablet.  Citrix Receiver allows you to access virtual desktops on servers that run Microsoft Windows and enterprise applications.  Features include:

• Multitasking – similar to the PlayBook’s multi-tab browsing experience, the Citrix Receiver allows for multitasking between virtualized apps and desktops, and between multiple desktops themselves – all on the tablet’s seven-inch screen-         
• Single “Sign On” Access – one single sign on access point provides full access to virtual apps and desktops
• IT Controlled Built-in Enterprise App Hosting – IT managers can give self-service access to enterprise apps, much like you select apps from BlackBerry App World
• Security – the unique FIPS-certified BlackBerry PlayBook tablet security protocols protect your data when using the Citrix Receiver
• Peripheral Integration in High Definition – by pairing a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, you’ll gain full access to your remote desktop and apps on the PlayBook’s brilliant HD screen

Citrix Receiver is currently in beta, but you can grab in BlackBerry App World.  Just head over to the Test Center category and you’ll see it there.  Otherwise click the link below to get redirected to the download.  It’s free for now, and hopefully later as well when the official version takes off.

Citrix Receiver for BlackBerry PlayBook >>

Yeah I know BBM Music isn’t available to the public just yet, but there are plenty of beta testers out there.  So this tip goes for now and later of the option remains there.  In BBM Music, it streams music off the cloud and you choose the songs you want in your top 50 list and can play all your BBM friends’ 50 songs as well.  Get it?

Now to the point – if you’d like a more “flawless” experience with minimal leg when playing music, cache it!  Simply when browsing through your BBM list, hit the menu button and you’ll see an option called “Cache My Songs.”  This will cache your music to your memory card.  With that said, you’ll have faster stream for your music with very little lag.

 

Thanks Luis from BerryReview for the tip!

Give your BlackBerry a unique twist with Graffiti.  With Graffiti, you’ll get a whole new set of icons (with some familiarity in some as you can see) along with high colored flashy wallpapers and fashionable fonts to go with the “graffiti” theme.

You still get six icons to work with on your home screen so look at it as nothing more than a face lift.

Graffiti Theme for BlackBerry >>

It was never “officially” announced out in the open, but somewhere on the BlackBerry site, RIM has detailed BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) 4.1.  In this new version we see a lot of awesomeness including large email and native attachment support.  Finally we get to receive attachments larger than 3MB.  How much larger you ask?  Now you can receive email messages that are up to 11MB in size, download attachments that are 8MB rather than the standard 3MB, and view up to 300KB in HTML email message.  Nice.  Below are some more features included in BIS 4.1:

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Earlier today some photos of the BlackBerry Bold 9790 got leaked out by BGR.  This time we see the device side by side next to the latest BlackBerry Bold 9900 so you can see the size difference clearly.  As far as specs go, the Bold 9790 is expected to have a 5 megapixel camera, 8GB built in storage, NFC, GPS, WiFi, and a rumored 1.2GHz processor.  It’s touchscreen as well just like the Bold 9900, so it won’t be a hard transition into it after having QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen luxury.  The Bold 9790 is expected to launch before the end of the year, but you never know.

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If you have one too many gadgets, then a charging dock might be necessity for you (some of you probably have them already).  I came across this pretty cool charging dock by Kikkerland which gives you a full charging dock for your gadgets but hides all the messy wiring with the tall grass.  Pictured is three devices connected, but I’m not sure if that’s the maximum you can put on this thing.  Click the link below for more info or to purchase.

Kikkerland Gadget Charging Dock >>

Polar Mobile, makers of The Hockey News mobile app announced last week that they will be launching mobile applications for each and every team on the NHL.  Devices supported are Apple iPhone, Android devices, and of course..BlackBerry!  The Hockey News covers NHL across the board, but now you’ll be able to follow your individual team.  Hit the jump for the full press release from Polar Mobile.

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You’ve seen all sorts of RSS readers for both the BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphones, and here’s another one but free of charge to you.  There’s a premium version as well, which looks like doesn’t have any ads on it.  If any one spots other features in the premium drop us a line.  Here are the features XIMAD lists in the app description:

• Articles can be viewed in both web and text formats
• All data can be saved at the server
• News can be saved to Favorites
• News can be sorted by the number of installations
• Rating options
• Facebook & Twitter support

News Catcher Free for BlackBerry PlayBook >>