For the second straight month, the distribution of BlackBerry OS versions are mostly unchanged. Almost all users (98.5%) are running OS 5.0 or higher, but only about a third of users (34.1%) are on the newest version of the OS.
This data was taken from downloads of the free BlackBerry strategy game Pixelated. Data shown on the chart is from the beginning of February 2012 through the end of February 2013, and does not include BlackBerry 10 or PlayBook devices.
Following Pixelated’s recent upgrade to version 3.3 the game has exceeded 5,000 reviews in the BlackBerry World store. Even with so many reviews, the game continues to have a four out of five star rating. One of my favorite reviews to be posted in recent months is below.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support of Pixelated.
The Mileage Tracker app has been updated to version 1.1 in BlackBerry World. This new version adds smoother animations between screens, and automatically assigns focus to fields as needed in order to make the flow of the app quicker. Additionally an option has been added to automatically attach exported files to an email, so you can share your data with others.
Mileage tracker is a free app designed to help you track the miles you drive on each trip for use on tax deductions, accounting, or employee reimbursements. Instead of keeping this information charted on your computer, it makes much more sense to be able to track this directly on your phone, which you normally would have with you in the car already.
Trips can be grouped into categories, and edited (or deleted) at a later date. Following a one time in-app payment you can export your data into an Excel compatible .csv format and a pretty (and sortable) .html format.
Animal 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.
It 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.
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.
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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.
The 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.
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.
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.
The 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.
With 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.
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”.
BlackBerry 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”.
Pixelated has been updated to version 3.3 across all platforms. Notably, this update adds support for BlackBerry 10 which is being launched on Wednesday.
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.
Pixelated 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.
My 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.
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.
The 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.
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.
Version 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.
Following 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.
