Safe Mode For the BlackBerry Storm

Microsoft Windows user are no strangers to the “Safe Mode” operating system, it basically loads the main OS without 3rd party drivers or applications. Like The PC, the BlackBerry Storm might also suffer from sluggishness caused by improper 3rd party applications. Luckily the Blackberry Storm 9530 has “Safe Mode” in their latest OS. now you have the option to disable 3rd party applications from running if they start giving you problems.

To start in Safe Mode: 

• take the battery out and then reinsert  it.
• Wait for the red status LED light to to go off.
• Press and hold the Back or Escape key, it is the key with the bent Arrow
• You will see this dialog Box. Just press OK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To go back to normal Mode just Remove and reinstall the battery and wait for the device to start.

The “safe Mode” for the BlackBerry Storm  is especially handy if you upgrade to a new operating system and your favorite application is not compatible with the new OS. Just disable the application in safe mode until you get the new version.

BlackBerry Storm Paid Applications

In my previous posts, Must Have Free BlackBerry Storm Applications and More BlackBerry Storm Free Applications, I experimented with few of the free applications available for my phone. In this post, I would like to tell you about some paid applications that I Installed and some that I am reviewing.

I always wanted to store and organize all my passwords and sensitive data into one place that was secure and easily accessible. On my Treo I had installed SplashID. I used it to store all my credit card information, user names and passwords for different web site logins, and account numbers and passwords for various membership organizations and financial institutions.  Although SplashID is available for the blackberry, it is not available for the Storm yet.

The alternative for me was Ascendo DataVault.

DataVault  is the most complete Critical Data Manager for the BlackBerry Storm. It has easily surpassed my previous applications I used on my Treo. It protects all private and personal data using a strong encryption algorithm and complex security features. You can organize the data by categories or types for easy access. You can customize the fonts, templates and data fields to your liking. The best part is that you can enter all your data on the PC with the included Desktop software and then transfer it to your device. You can download a trial copy and decide whether you like it or not. For me this  definitely ranks top in my must have blackberry storm paid applications list.

 

My second discovery in the paid blackberry Storm applications category is QuickLaunch by Nikkisoft. It  will create shortcuts to your most used applications on your device, so you can open and switch between them easily. QuickLaunch is designed exclusively for the BlackBerry Storm and it allows you to set shortcuts for a wide range of functions and applications.  You can assign one of the convenience keys to launch the application. When you press the assigned convenience key, a menu will pop up showing all the shortcuts you have created. You will never need to navigate through the folders and menus anymore to lunch a specific application or function; every single application will be available in one scrollable screen. You can create shortcuts for Favorite websites, frequently used Email addresses, music files, various applications and device information. I changed my camera convenience key to activate QuickLaunch, and let me tell you it enhanced the user interface 10 fold. It supercharged my device. In my opinion this should have been part of the BlackBerry’s OS, but I cannot complain because it is only $4.99, and now it is in position number 2 of the must have blackberry storm paid applications list.

More BlackBerry Storm Free Applications

As I mentioned in my previous post, Must Have Free BlackBerry Storm Applications, I wanted to experiment with new paid commercial applications. Since then, I have discovered new free applications that are worth mentioning here. I will leave the Paid applications for a future posts.

When I had My Palm Treo, one of the most annoying things I had to endure is the touch screen remaining active during a call. I hoped I won’t have this problem with my new storm. As you all (current storm users) know by now, we are plagued by the same annoyance. During a call, we accidentally mute or activate the speakerphone with our cheeks. I spent too much time trying to find a setting that will lock the screen, There was no such setting. It was really frustrating until I found Talk Lock, a little free application developed by Cellavant who is a custom mobile software publisher. Talk lock will basically lock your phone about 2 seconds after you receive or make a call. The screen will look like the image to the left, a background picture with the call info and a slider to unlock the screen just in case you need to activate the speakerphone or the mute button. If you want to lock the screen again, just hit Menu > lock screen during a call and you are locked. it is still in BETA development, but I have not had any problems with it. I am very pleased with this one, it should be on my other post Must Have Free BlackBerry Storm Applications.

Some of my readers recommended Viigo, another free RSS reader. It delivers to your phone wide range of customizable contents and services form around the world. it is not your simple RSS Feed, it delivers news, sports, live scores, weather, stocks, finance, podcasts and blogs in one application. One of the cool features is that you can scroll through stories in the feed just by swiping your finger across the BlackBerry Storm screen. Taking advantage of the accelerometer, you can read the news both in landscape or portrait modes. This application is also in BETA Stages for the BlackBerry Storm, I experienced an intermittent freezes when going back to previous screens, but it is worth that little annoyance for an application so rich in contents and services. just point your Storm browser to GetViigo for your free download.

My last gem is YouTube. Although the blackberry storm is capable of playing YouTube clips through the web browser, the experience with a dedicated application is much better. With this application you can upload videos directly from your blackberry storm, share and rate and access your recommended and favorite videos. you can get the current client from Google. And yes Google is the parent company of YouTube.

If you come across other free applications for the blackberry storm, or you would like to share your opinion with us regarding the above applications, please post your suggestions in the comments area of this post.

The BlackBerry Storm App Store

On my previous blog Must Have Free BlackBerry Storm Applications I listed few applications that are available from 3rd party developers. As of this writing, applications for the BlackBerry Storm compared to the iphone are scarce. However, RIM (research in motion) announced in October 2008, the upcoming launch of BlackBerry Application Storefront and BlackBerry Application Center. The launch is scheduled for March 2009; the move is yet another step in competing with iPhone and its popular Apps Store.

The BlackBerry Storm Application StoreFront will include free applications as well as paid applications. Developers will share the revenue with the store on 80-20 percent plan. Comparing this to the iPhone, ITunes Apps Store keeps 30 percent and pays the developers 70 percent of the revenue. I think the higher cut that the developers will get from Blackberry will encourage them to lower their prices to the buyers; also it will be an incentive to attract more developers.

Some applications will be carrier customized that will offer a convenient catalog right on the BlackBerry device, where customers can browse and download the applications. They will also be able to pay for these applications conveniently with PayPal from their Blackberry Smartphone.

To keep up with the latest news regarding the launch of the BlackBerry Storm Application StoreFront, please visit this blog back or sign up at the Blackberry’s web Site.

I have seen and used some applications for the iPhone, my favorite so far is the Google voice search, where you speak your search words or phrase. What BlackBerry Storm Applications would you like to have available for your phone?. Please share your wish list in the comment section below.