Category Archives: BlackBerry

New Animal Sounds app launched

IMG_00000071Animal Sounds is a brand new free app for BlackBerry 10 that has just launched. The app allows you to click on an image of an animal, and hear what sound that animal makes.

This app was originally created as a challenge to myself to create a brand new app in less than 24 hours. In the end, I finished it in less than 12. The details of this process have been documented at Storify.

Links & Information

Animal Sounds, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10

Second anniversary of Xploding Boxes

IMG_00000064It has now been two years since Xploding Boxes was originally launched for BlackBerry phones in 2011. The app has grown much since then, and in the past year alone has added an additional 90 levels, as well as adding support for Android, Windows 8, and BlackBerry 10.

About Xploding Boxes

Xploding Boxes is a strategy game for BlackBerry, Nook, Android, and Windows 8, in which the goal of the game is to start a chain reaction that will explode all of the boxes on the screen. Each level gives you a different number of touches, and requires a different strategy to solve. The first 25 levels are free, while the full 360 levels can be accessed by making an in-application payment and requiring no further downloads. This game is available for the BlackBerry PlayBook, most BlackBerry phones running OS 5.0 or higher, BlackBerry 10 phones, the Nook Color and Nook Tablet, most Android phones running OS 2.2 or higher, as well as Windows 8 tablets and laptops.

Links & Information
Android, BlackBerry, Nook, Windows, Xploding Boxes

98.1% of PlayBook users on newest OS version

PlayBookStatsJan2013

PlayBook users have always been quick to upgrade to the newest OS version, and January saw that pattern continue. While most users were already on OS 2.1.0 going into the month, January saw 98.1% of users on the most recent OS version.

This data was collected by BlackBerry World at the time of download, for the popular PlayBook strategy game Pixelated. Data shown on the chart is from the beginning of January 2012 through the end of January 2013.

BlackBerry, PlayBook, Statistics

Hockey Scores app updated with support for BlackBerry 10

IMG_00000096The Hockey Scores app has been updated to version 3.0 in the first update that the app has seen since since 2011. In addition to adding better support for the new season, version 3.0 also adds support for BlackBerry 10 phones with a rewrite of the app in Cascades.

About Hockey Scores

This application provides the day’s hockey scores is an intuitive and easy to use format. It also includes additional game statistics such as start times, goal scorers, shots on net, hits, faceoff percentage, team Corsi numbers, and the goal scorers.

Links & Information

BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Hockey Scores

No change in the distribution of BBOS

StatsJan2013

While last week saw the launch of BlackBerry 10, the majority of BlackBerry users are still on the classic BlackBerry operating system. The distribution of operating system versions is almost completely unchanged from where it was in December. With users of higher end devices more likely to able to afford to upgrade to BlackBerry 10 there is even the possibility that the percentage of users on OS 6 and 7 may actually even go down in the coming months.

This data was taken from downloads of the free BlackBerry strategy game Pixelated. Data shown on the chart is from the beginning of January 2012 through the end of January 2013.

BlackBerry, Statistics

Stuff I Need app released for BlackBerry 10

IMG_00000093The Stuff I Need is a free app that has been released for BlackBerry 10. This minimalist app allows you to either list the stuff that you need to buy, or the stuff that you need to do.

This app was originally designed as a grocery list app, but is flexible enough to be used for any purpose. Existing items can be edited or deleted by giving them a long press.

BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Stuff I Need

Ebscer BB10 Apps

IMG_00000108With BlackBerry 10 going on sale this morning in the UK, there are currently 12 Ebscer apps available in the BlackBerry World store, and an additional two apps awaiting approval. The full list of Ebscer apps can be found at ebscer.com/blackberry10, and includes games like Pixelated, Liar’s Dice, and Xploding Boxes. Also included in the store are some apps exclusive to BlackBerry 10, such as Mileage Tracker, and Stuff I Need.

Check out all Ebscer apps at BlackBerry World.

BB World_Get It_BLK Box

BlackBerry, BlackBerry10

BlackBerry 10 delayed until 10:00 am

Industry analysts who had been expecting to see BlackBerry 10 launched on January 30th at 9:00am have been disappointed as RIM has delayed the launch of their new phones till ten o’clock. Initial reaction on the stock market was muted, but many have warned that “the true fallout from this announcement has yet to be seen”.

bbBlackBerry maker RIM (RIMM) has been working on their new BlackBerry 10 operating system (their first with a touch screen) in order to compete with Apple’s iPhone, and Samsung’s Galaxy S III phone. While many have thought that RIM should follow HP and Dell’s move into the Enterprise tech industry, the company under CEO Thorsten Heins seems to still be committed to releasing phones.

Still most analysts see this delay as devastating to the BlackBerry maker. “This gives Microsoft additional time to claim their place as the number three smartphone maker” noted one watcher of the stock. “There is no way of knowing how many CIO’s will give up on the platform during this lost hour.”

Others warned that BlackBerry 10, may still see more delays. “For all we know, once everyone arrives for the press conference, they may not actually take to the stage until five minutes after the hour”.

BlackBerry, BlackBerry10

Pixelated updated to version 3.3

IMG_00000080Pixelated has been updated to version 3.3 across all platforms. Notably, this update adds support for BlackBerry 10 which is being launched on Wednesday.

New in version 3.3

A new colour scheme option has been added to Pixelated Plus for all platforms. The PlayBook version of the app has had a visual update to give it a look more in line with the Windows 8 version. The game has also gotten a thicker highlight colour for the selector on non-touchscreen versions of the game on BlackBerry Phones. The new BB10 version of the game includes a leader board that is powered by Scoreloop for both the free and paid versions of the game. This update also includes a number of bug fixes.

About Pixelated

IMG_00000083Pixelated is an addictive puzzle based strategy game that requires a mixture of skill and luck in order to accomplish. The object of the game is to change the colour of the squares until the entire screen is a single solid colour. Starting with the square in the upper left corner you can change the colour of the blocks in order to match that of the surrounding squares. This is done repeatedly until the entire screen is a single colour. The object of the game is to clear the screen in as few moves as possible. Under the default settings you must do so in under 22 moves in order to win. The game is controlled by the large colored blocks on the side of the screen.

Links & Information

BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Nook, Pixelated, PlayBook, Windows

The new ebscer.com

IMG_00000104My website has never really been that good. I picked up the domain name, more for the email address than for the site itself. While I have tried (half heartedly) to fill the site with some content, it has never really been a real priority. With the launch of BlackBerry 10 right around the corner, I figured it was time to redesign the my site.

The site redesign was done with an emphasis on it looking good on mobile (which given my business, is probably something I should have done years ago). The site’s design ques are taken from a mix of BlackBerry 10 and Windows 8, in order to give the site a modern (and mobile) feel.

xb2
The new site has a simple page dedicated to each of my apps (see ebscer.com/pixelated or ebscer.com/xplodingboxes) and also pages dedicated for each operating system (see ebscer.com/blackberry10 or ebscer.com/nook).

Hopefully in this format the website will be easier to maintain, and will be more useful to everyone else.

BlackBerry

Morse Code app expands support to BlackBerry 10

IMG_00000065The Morse Code app in BlackBerry AppWorld has been updated to version 2.0, adding support for BlackBerry 10 phones. The number of supported devices has also increased for phones running the traditional BlackBerry operating system, with all phones running OS 5.0 or newer, being supported.

About Morse Code

This app will take your text, and translate it back to you in Morse Code. Any text can simply be entered, and then by pressing the “Play Morse Code” button, can be turned into an audible Morse Code signal. The application also allows you to adjust the speed of the playback in words per minute in order to accommodate different skill levels.

Links & Information

BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Morse Code

Mileage Tracker version 1.0 released

IMG_00000038Version 1.0 of Mileage Tracker has been released into AppWorld for BlackBerry 10 phones. This free app is designed to help you track the miles you drive on each trip for use on tax deductions, accounting, or reimbursements from your employer. Instead of keeping this information charted on your computer, it makes much more sense to be able to track this mobiley from your phone, which you would have with you in the car anyhow.

In order to start a new entry select the ‘Add’ option on the bottom of the screen. For each trip, you must include a reason, a date, and the starting odometer reading. Selecting an existing entry gives you the option to edit any of these fields or to even delete the listing all together. This app allows you to create different categories, so that you can have separate lists for different billing periods, each vehicle, or on a per project basis. You are in fact free to organize your data any way you wish. Categories can be renamed from the menu, and giving two categories the same name will automatically merge them.

MenuFollowing a one time in-app payment you can export your data into an excel compatible .csv format and a pretty (and sortable) .html format. Using data from my own trips in 2012 I have created a sample of what the exported files look like for both html and .csv.

Links & Information

BlackBerry, BlackBerry10, Mileage Tracker

24 hour app challenge

From now until midnight tomorrow, BlackBerry is offering $100 for every BlackBerry 10 app that is submitted to AppWorld. Currently I am on track to have nine applications available in AppWorld at launch. Given that it would be much cooler to have 10 apps for BlackBerry 10, and that I can get a bonus if I finish an app by tomorrow, I have decided to challenge myself to completing a new app within the next 24 hours.

I have an idea for a free app that should be fairly simple, but I have not yet started on it at all. And while this idea will require a bit too much time editing images (and audio), I think I should be able to get it completed by this time tomorrow. I will post an overview of this app making experience early next week.

Animal Sounds, BlackBerry, BlackBerry10

Where are PlayBook users from?

The PlayBook is seeing a much more diverse installation base then when I looked at it last year. While the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom combine for 71.6% of users, another six countries held claim to over one percent of the instal base, and downloads were seen from 142 different nations.

PlayBookDownloadsByCountry

The PlayBook continues to have an outsized popularity in RIM’s homeland of Canada, accounting for 37.8% of users. The PlayBook also showed surprising popularity in India and the Philippines, which both saw a higher share of PlayBook users than traditional BlackBerry hubs such as Indonesia.

The vast majority (83.93%) of these users have English as their primary language. The next most popular languages were Spanish, French and German.

PlayBookUsersByLanguage

96.5% of PlayBook users are running OS 2.1.0, and well over 99% of users are running some version OS 2.x on their devices. For more details see yesterday’s post on BerryReview.

These statistics are generated from PlayBook downloads of the strategy game Xploding Boxes, from September 1st, through December 31st. Data was collected by BlackBerry AppWorld at the time of download.

BlackBerry, PlayBook, Statistics