Here's A Quick Way To See What Apps Are Using Your Battery

There are times when I notice my battery is draining faster than normal. Fortunately the BlackBerry Operating System (OS) 6.0 provides a great tool to see what applications are using the most of my BlackBerry CPU, and likely decreasing my battery life.

• Click on the Wrench/Options on your main screen.
• Choose “Device”.
• Choose “Application Management”.
• Scroll the screen over to the right by one screen.
• The next screen should be titled “CPU”.
• Put your cursor over the words “CPU” and press the trackpad, then change the “Now” to “Today”.

You will now see what apps have been using the most processing power for today. Perhaps you will be surprised, and maybe an app you don’t use very much is running all the time in the background, and you can now try to close it down.

I was surprised to find out that a particular app I had was using the most CPU even though I had not actually used that app, it was just running in the background. Since the app could not be effectively closed I had to delete it because my battery was draining way too fast.

After running this test did you find anything surprising? Let us know.

Sudoku Supreme – Unlimited Free Games

We just released Sudoku Supreme, a free Sudoku game with unlimited games and 4 levels of difficulty.

So fire up your brain cells and get set to tackle our Sudoku Supreme.

For now you can only get our new Sudoku game from our free app site here: http://free.jaredco.com/

It will be coming to BlackBerry App World soon.

Let us know what you think of our new Sudoku game.

BlackBerry Playbook For Sale On April 19, 2011

It is now official, the BlackBerry Playbook will be available in Canada and the U.S. on April 19, 2011 at Best Buy and Future Shop stores.

There will be 3 Playbook models:

16GB ($499)
32GB ($599)
64GB ($699).

For more information on pre-orders click here: http://bit.ly/ewTKXx.

Are you going to get one?

Call Box: Our Newest App Is Now Available

Call Box is our newest app and it is now available for sale in BlackBerry App World. Get it here: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/20633

Half the time you don´t know where your smart phone is. Or who´s using it! The kids? A co-worker? The snoopy neighbor?

Hey, you got your life stored on that cell and you want your information and settings in a lock-tight box, right? Then you want Call Box, the hot lock app.

You loan your Blackberry to a friend to make a call. You hand it off to your kid on date night or let a co-worker call home. Okay. Fine. But you don´t want that caller poking through your contacts list, address book or other personal information stored on that Blackberry.

Call Box puts all personal information out of reach of anyone who uses your Blackberry to make a call.

Call Box locks up personal information and settings but still lets your teen call home.

Call Box is PIN protected. No one gets in unless you let them in.

You can turn Call Box on or off with a click so your stored information is always a PIN away.

Hand off your cell without worrying that your sensitive data may be compromised.

Simple to install; a snap to set up. Activate and relax. Your personal information is boxed up tight.

So loan your phone with confidence. Call Box keeps your personal info in a strong box while keeping the lines of communication open.

Here Are 5 Tips To Do More With BlackBerry® Messenger

BlackBerry® Messenger (“BBM”) is a fantastic application that most BlackBerry® enthusiasts use all the time. Here are some quick tips on how to do more with BBM;

SEND A FILE TO A CONTACT:

You can send files, photos, voice notes, and contacts to your BBM contacts (requires BlackBerry® Device Software 5.0 or later and may not be available for all users).

1. In BBM, during a chat, press the Menu key.
2. Click Send File.
3. Perform one of the following actions:
   • To send a picture, click Picture. Click Camera to take a new picture, or click a saved picture. Type a caption. Click Send. If necessary, select a picture size option. Click OK.
   • To send a document, click File. Click a file.
   • To send a voice note, click Voice Note. Click Start to record your message. Click Stop when you are finished recording. Click Send.
   • To send a contact an attachment of a contact from the address book, click BlackBerry Contact. Click a contact.
   • To send a contact an attachment of a BBM contact, click Messenger Contacts. Click one or more contacts. Click OK.

SHARE YOUR LOCATION:

An interesting BBM feature uses GPS technology to send your location to a BBM contact, who can then see where you are on BlackBerry® Maps. (This feature may not be available for all users.)

1. In BBM, during a chat, press the Menu key.
2. Click Send Location.

Your contact will now be able to see your location.

USE QR BARCODES TO ADD BBM CONTACTS;

Want a quick way to add a friend to your BBM contact list? Try scanning the BBM barcode from their BlackBerry smartphone. Simply scan your friend´s barcode and  they are added to your BlackBerry Messenger contact list.

To Find Your Barcode:

1. On the BBM contact list screen, press the Menu key and click My Profile.
2. Click Display My Barcode.

To Scan a Barcode:

1. On the BBM contact list screen, press the Menu key and click Invite Contact.
2. Click Scan a person´s barcode, then click Continue.
3. Hold your smartphone so that all four corners of the barcode you are scanning appear on your device screen. Continue to hold the smartphone until you hear a beep.

CREATE A BBM GROUP:

Stay connected with groups of friends, family, or co-workers by creating groups of BBM contacts.

1. On the BBM contact list screen, press the Menu key and click Create New Group.
2. Type a name for the group.
3. Type a description that people will see when they receive the invitation to the group.
4. Change the Group Icon field.
5. Perform any of the following actions:
   • To prevent members from inviting other people to the group, change the Allow non-admin members invite others field to No.
   • To prevent the group icon from appearing on the Home screen of your BlackBerry device, change the Show on Home Screen field to No.
6. Click Create Group.

And Most Importantly:

BACKUP YOUR BBM CONTACTS:

1. Open your BBM and click your Menu button, and select “Options” then scroll down to the section that deals with  “Back Up Contact List” or “Back Up Management”;
2. You can choose to “Back Up Files Remotely”….. here you will be asked to input (or confirm) the email addresses associated with your BlackBerry® Your contact list and changes to that list will be saved automatically as well as your BBM profile settings and any BBM Group memberships you have;
3. You can also choose to “Back Up Files Locally”…this will save your contact list, profile settings and information on your BBM Group memberships on either the local device memory or any Micro SD (media)  card you have in your BlackBerry®;

Let us know if you have any other BBM Tips, and we will post them.

Want Our Free Apps….Scan This QR Code

We have heard from many users that want easy access to download our top free apps. Many people have trouble getting apps from the various app stores, and there are several countries that do not even have access to app stores.

In response to this demand, we created a web site where you can easily and quickly download our top free apps. Click on the link below from your BlackBerry, or scan the QR Code at the top of this post, click on the icon for the app you want, download. How simple is that?

Here is the link:

http://free.jaredco.com

Please let us know what you think of this new free app download site? Do you like how easy it is to download our free apps?

Screen Grabber – Our Newest App Now Available For Free

We have just released our newest app – SCREEN GRABBER.

Screen Grabber is the ultimate screen shot/capture application for BlackBerry devices. With Screen Grabber, send a map or directions to your best friend, or send your icon screen with a couple of clicks to share with family and friends. There´s nothing quite like Screen Grabber and free is always good. Real good.

o Screen Grabber ads a menu item in all your Blackberry menus for quick and easy access to take screen shots.

o With a single click take a screen shot of your Blackberry screen. Tap. Done.

o Email that screen shot to anyone, anywhere, any time.

o Screen Grabber stores all your screen captures in a new file called Screen Grabs. Want to see your contacts list from a month ago? Easy. If you grabbed a screen shot of that important client´s phone number, it´s in the file labeled Screen Grabs, right where we put it for you.

o Screen Grabber is the only “screen-shot” app that we are aware of that can take a screen shot from within your Browser on OS 6 .0 devices.

o Screen Grabber saves the screen shots in a small size (usually less then 50kb), making it easier to email and save your screen shots.

o Want to send a map or directions to your technically-impaired friends? It doesn´t get any easier than click and send with Screen Grabber.

o Organize your Blackberry Screen Grabs in a single place – one folder holds it all in an “at-a-glance” format.

o So simple to set up, Screen Grabber does it all for you. Download and you´re good to go.

App icons, maps, tools, contacts, addresses – JaredCo´s Screen Grabber makes it a snap to grab a screen shot, send it or store it for use down the line.

And best of all, Screen Grabber is totally free so it costs you zip. But, like all JaredCo apps, it delivers real functionality that enhances your Blackberry experience.

You´ve got nothing to lose and lots of utility to gain. Like all JaredCo apps, we design them, we build them and we support them. Even the FREE ones.

Get Screen Grabber from BlackBerry App World:

http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/23993?lang=en

How To Set Up A Bluetooth Connection on your BlackBerry®

Bluetooth is a great wireless technology that lets your Blackberry communicate with other hardware without the need for a physical, wired connection. Bluetooth is most commonly used to pair (“connect”)  your BlackBerry to a hands free microphone/speaker headset.

Let’s take you through the process of setting up a Bluetooth connection:

1. Click on your folder “Set Up” or “Manage Connections” and select “Set Up Bluetooth” or “Bluetooth Connections”.
2. Make sure Bluetooth is set to “On” (if prompted).
3. Choose “Add New Device” and  when prompted choose “Search”. Generally the device you want to pair to your BlackBerry must be within 30 feet of the BlackBerry for Bluetooth pairing.
4. Choose the device you want from the list that appears, and the pairing will begin.
5. You may be prompted to enter a passkey to complete the pairing. In most cases the passkey will be 0000. If not, check the manual for the product you are trying to pair to. You should now be able to use the paired device.
6. You can view your list of paired devices (even when not connected) from the Bluetooth settings screen (see #1 above). This enables you to quickly create connections with your paired devices without having to repeat the pairing process.

When your Bluetooth is on you will see the Bluetooth icon in your main screen, at the top in the status bar. It is a good idea to turn Bluetooth off when you are not using it, as a security measure, and to save on battery drain. Please note that using Bluetooth use will tend to drain your battery faster than normal.

Do you use Bluetooth connections with your BlackBerry? For what kind of Devices? Do you have any tips or tricks for using Bluetooth? Let us know.

How To Use Wifi On Your Blackberry

Most BlackBerry models come with Wifi capabilities. By connecting your BlackBerry to a Wifi network (at home, office or on the road) you will be able to send email and surf the net with out using your telephone carrier’s data plan, and this could save you money.  There are many locations around most cities that offer “free Wifi hotspots”…so you can take advantage of these opportunities to save on your data plan. Here are the basic steps to setting up a Wifi connection on your device:

• Click on the Manage Connections Folder which should be on your BlackBerry main screen;
• Click on “Set Up Wifi Network”;
• Click on “Scan For Networks” – if prompted click on “Turn Wifi On” to perform the scan. Your BlackBerry will now scan for available Wifi networks and will list all available Wifi networks. Select the Wifi network you want to connect to;
• Choose the “Security Type” from the drop down menu (most common is Pre-Shared Key), then enter the network security key and click “Connect”.  You may come across Wifi networks that are unsecured and do not require a network key to access;
• Click “Yes” to save the Wifi network as a profile..this will enable you to easily and automatically connect to that same Wifi network the next time you are in range of it;

I keep my Wifi on all the time so I can quickly connect to my saved Wifi networks.  As I enter range of a Wifi network that I have previously saved, I get a pop-up asking me to join that particular Wifi network. This makes it simple to maximize my Wifi use and to minimize my use of my carrier data plan.

We have done extensive testing on BlackBerry Battery use, and we found that keeping the Wifi on all the time had no significant affect on BlackBerry battery drain.

Please let us know about your experience with Wifi on your BlackBerry. Do you use it a lot? Do you keep it on all the time? Have you noticed battery drain when keeping the Wifi on all the time?

Message Prevue – Our Newest App

We are pleased to let you know that we have just released our newest app: MESSAGE PREVUE.

You´re receiving messages throughout the day but you can´t always stop what you´re doing. Message Prevue simplifies connecting with a discrete pop-up that tells you who´s emailing or texting you and why.

o When you receive an email or SMS, a small pop-up appears on your screen showing name of sender and subject line.

o See who´s emailing or texting at a glance so you decide who gets a response now and who´ll just have to wait.

o The information won´t clutter your screen because the pop up slowly fades after you´ve seen who´s reaching out. Read and *poof*. Gone.

o You never have to access your message folder to see who´s contacted you. Senders and subjects of incoming texts are right in front of you. Sweet.

o When you see the Message Prevue pop-up, click your trackball/pad or press the pop-up with your finger (for touch screen devices) to open your message folder for quick viewing of your incoming message(s).

o The Message Prevue pop-up box is fully customizable by size, background colour, and how long the pop-up box stays on your screen.

CLICK HERE to get Message Prevue at the introductory price of $1.99 at BlackBerry App World.

Please leave a comment and let us know what you think of Message Prevue.