Let it Snow! My-Cast Weather Keeps You Informed.

Two new feet of snow in Tahoe this week and more on the way. With the My-Cast Weather app on my BlackBerry, forecasts are always at my fingertips, and I can dial-in timing for trips to Tahoe.

My-Cast is easy to use and has lots of useful information including advisories from the National Weather Service and predicted storm paths. Under the Forecasts tab, you’ll find:

  • Currents - great for checking if there’s fog or high winds (increasing the chance of lift closures)
  • Health Index - Includes the UV index (and reminds me to pack sunscreen)

    • mc7-fcst

  • Almanac - Will there be a full moon for night skiing?
  • Hourly Forecast
  • Daily Forecast
  • Forecast Text
  • Forecast Graph (for the analysts among us)

The latest version includes a weather quiz, which I have to admit put me to shame. So what if I scored in the 5th percentile? I learned that a tropical cyclone in Australia is called a willy-willy. Check out My-Cast in BlackBerry App World. I’m sure you can beat my score and pick up a little weather trivia as well.

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Barb Finney | January 14th, 2010
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Category: Exercise, Fun and Games, Travel and Maps | 1 Comment »

Zagat To Go on BlackBerry

Restaurant week is occurring in many cities so I thought this was the ideal time to try out Zagat to Go 7.0 for Blackberry. Zagat to Go provides up-to-date Zagat Survey ratings and reviews for over 40,000 restaurants, nightspots, hotels and golf courses in hundreds of cities worldwide.

ztg_blackberry_home

Features of the mobile version include:

Ratings: Just like the Zagat Survey books, Zagat to Go rates each restaurant on Food, Décor, Service and Cost using a 30 point scale.

Search: In the app you can search for a restaurant by name or browse by cuisine, neighborhood, or one of the numerous features like child friendly and power scene. I often also take advantage of a variety of lists of top rated restaurants by category. When traveling, it’s especially valuable to use the GPS search to find a nearby location.

Usability: The app is easy to use and navigate. It allows you to quickly make a reservation using the click-to-call button or map it using a full color downloadable map and directions. You can even add a reservation to your calendar or establishment to your address book.

Coverage: People typically either love or hate this application and it primarily boils down to the coverage in your area. I recommend the 14-day trial to ensure you’re satisfied with the results before you invest in this app. Zagat covers restaurants in the following regions: New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Washington DC/ Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Miami /Ft Lauderdale, Seattle, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas Ft. Worth, Sacramento, Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Diego, Hawaii, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, Westchester NY/Hudson Valley, Long Island, Montreal, Toronto, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and the top restaurants and hotels in other major cities and regions.

Download 14-day trial: Go to http://mobile.zagat.com/blackberry.htm. You can download the 14-day trial by entering your phone number to receive installation instructions via text message or use the BlackBerry Desktop Manager (Note: Only supports Windows based operating systems) to download directly from this page.

Purchase Zagat to Go:

  1. Go to Handmark’s site. www.handmark.com
  2. On the site - select your handset model and type “Zagat to Go” into the search box.
  3. In order to download the application you’ll need to set up an account. Handmark charges downloads to a credit card, debit card, or paypal account that you provide. Handmark is a partner that CREDO recommends to our customers for Smartphone content. In addition to the BlackBerry, Handmark offers content and applications for many other phones including almost all smartphones and some standard phones including the Motorola Razor.
  4. You have the option of selecting an annual membership to Zagat to Go for $19.99 or a monthly subscription for $3.99/month. Once you’ve made a selection, you’ll receive a text message with a link to download the application. You’ll need to have a phone with a data service plan in order to access the mobile web link and download the application.
  5. After you have successfully downloaded you’ll find the application’s Icon on your phone’s main menu/icon list.

BTW wondering when restaurant week is in your area? Check out: http://www.eatdrinkdeals.com/2010/01/restaurant-week-across-usa-2/

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Karla Allen | January 13th, 2010
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Category: Entertainment, Productivity, Reference, Travel and Maps | 1 Comment »

Fandango BlackBerry Application

Fandango has released a BlackBerry application that provides a quick way to browse movies, preview coming attractions, and purchase tickets through the application. The application has three main sections: Movies, Theaters, and Search. The Movies section of the application pulls up current movies based on newly released features, top box office draws, and movies that are playing near a specific zip code. The Theaters lists movie theaters near your zip code and allows quick access to show times and links to purchase tickets. The Search function has a very basic feature set, but gets the job done as far as pulling up movie title results.

Overall there are many helpful movie research features to the application in terms of browsing movies and checking out upcoming movies. Where the application is a let down is in terms of the location settings; which don’t seem to take advantage of the GPS capabilities of BlackBerry smartphones. The ticket purchasing feature works well with a way to store a credit card and Fandango account information in the application. Perhaps the biggest letdown of the application is that it still requires you to print the tickets, show a credit card at the ticket booth, or retrieve the tickets from a Fandango kiosk. The application would be better if tickets could be purchased on the BlackBerry and then a unique barcode was generated which could be scanned directly from the phone to grant theater admission.

You can find more information on the Fandango BlackBerry application and a link to send the application to your smartphone:
Fandango BlackBerry Download Link

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Brian Au | January 12th, 2010
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Category: Entertainment, Reference | No Comments »

Improving transportation planning for cyclists through smartphones & GPS

The San Francisco Transportation Authority (SFTA) has released a mobile application that will improve its ability to understand the traffic patterns of cyclists in the city. Traditionally, the SFTA has used far less accurate and more manual methods of collecting data on bicycle use - e.g., someone standing on a corner counting. By installing an app on your GPS-enabled smartphone and then providing some data on your trips, you can provide rich, accurate, and real-time data to SFTA on how you bike in the city. This is a great step forward in quantifying the growing number of cyclists in the city and making the roads better for them.

The application is currently only available on the iPhone and Android platforms. This has driven some concern for a variety of reasons:

  • It doesn’t provide an accurate view of a very large segment of users. Blackberry has far more current users than the iPhone and the Android platforms combined.

  • It doesn’t provide as representative a picture of users from a variety of income backgrounds. The iPhone is one of the most expensive devices out there ($200 for the newest model). You can get a Blackberry for $50 or often less.

  • It probably undercounts bicycle commuters heading downtown. There are 16 million more enterprise Blackberry users than there are enterprise iPhone users in the US. I believe that addressing the bicycle needs of commuters represents the largest opportunity for taking cars off the road.

  • It isn’t available on CREDO Mobile. Bicyclists such as myself love CREDO Mobile, the greenest mobile phone carrier in America. The iPhone is only available on AT&T, a carrier with a history of contributions to right-wing politicians, including U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) who opposes government spending on bicycle infrastructure. Also, CREDO Mobile is a San Francisco business and woman-owned.

    • If you are interested in having the Cycletracks app support Blackberry, please contact Billy Charlton via email or at (415) 522-4816.

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    Mike Swire | January 11th, 2010
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    Category: Public policy, Reference, Utilities | No Comments »

    Tripit for BlackBerry smartphones

    Whenever I get an update from LinkedIn, there are always a few updates of people who are returning from a trip or leaving on a trip via TripIt. TripIt is a site that gathers all of your travel information in one place, logs miles, and makes traveling everywhere on business or pleasure a competitive game between your friends.

    I don’t necessarily want to broadcast my travel schedule, and I’m not so sure about the I travel more than you game, but I think maybe there is something to this TripIt app. There is a version of the app for BlackBerry phones so I go to http://m.tripit.com/uhp/blackberry and download the beta version of the app to try it out.

    You start by creating a login at www.tripit.com.
    Then you can send any email confirmation from your trip planning to plans@tripit.com and it starts building trips and organizing your information into one itinerary plan.

    I sent camp site reservations, priceline car rental info, and flight info, all of which automatically registered as a trip or an activity on a trip in my tripit app. The app itself is pretty limited so I recommend setting up the trip mostly using the website. But once setup, the app is very handy to have. It automatically pulls up google maps to locate any address, launches websites for things like airport and hotel info. The best part about the app is that if you forget what time your flight departs, you don’t have your confirmation code, or you need to call your hotel, you can launch TripIt and it’s all right there in the app. It even generates directions and local area maps automatically to help you on your trip.

    Try it out and let me know what you think.

    new-picture

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    Haruko Kurata | January 8th, 2010
    Category: Uncategorized | No Comments »

    Green Tech and CES 2010

    CES, one of the largest consumer electronics shows is being held in Vegas this week, and Green Tech is one of this year’s big themes. The 2010 International CES will feature the Sustainable Planet Spotlight, the largest exhibition of green products ever on the CES show floor.

    I’ve been following the CES green product announcements with interest. There are netbooks made from recycled CDs and plastic bottles, home energy management systems to monitor and reduce your energy usage, and one I found rather exciting, the MiniPAK portable electronic device charger from Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies.

    “The MiniPAK portable electronic device charger is designed to meet the needs of users who want more portable energy in one package, at a lower cost than existing rechargeable battery-based options,” as described on Horizon’s site.

    minipak02
    The MinPAK uses refillable, eco-friendly hydrogen cartridges, and it can power a variety of devices including mobile phones, gaming devices and GPS systems.

    But here at CREDO, green is nothing new. We have always been committed to protecting the planet. We are the only U.S. phone company that has donated over $10 million to groups like Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and Ocean Conservancy, and we were the first carrier to offer solar powered phone chargers.
    solio_silver_125x125

    Solio Solar Chargers are a greener way to power up your phone, and they’re also convenient extra battery packs to keep my kids’ ipods charged up on long flights – and me sane. You can order one from the Credo Mobile website.

    I resolve to reduce my carbon footprint in 2010 – what are your New Year Resolutions?

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    Barb Finney | January 7th, 2010
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    Category: Accessories, Green | No Comments »

    My journey from quasi-luddite to BlackBerry fan

    It’s been about six months since I got my BlackBerry Curve (I upgraded from a Sanyo Katana) — and so with the coming of the new year I decided to look back and consider whether or not it’s really made my life any better. In short, I’ve got to say, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

    The biggest advantage I’ve found is that with my email in my pocket, I no longer need to stay in front of a computer to stay in touch with what’s going on at work. If I need to be away from my desk for an hour or so to run some errands, I’m still easily reachable by email — and lots of times, my colleagues don’t even know I’m gone.

    (I’ve also fired off a few not-so-coherent, late-night messages using my personal email account…but I’m always sure to check the recipient list repeatedly to make sure only my closest friends will be getting my harangues. No sense fulfilling any urban dictionary stereotypes or anything.)

    Another great advantage is the better web browsing experience that a smartphone offers. As I detailed in a previous post, my BlackBerry plus the Weather Underground’s animated weather radar images helped turn what could have been a disastrous day at the zoo into a decently fun excursion.

    Oddly enough, my parents are huge fans of my new smartphone as well. The reason? Every few days they get a short video emailed to them featuring their one and only granddaughter, who’s growing up fast these days. Point, click, save the file, send as email…and California grandparents can hear firsthand all the big new words their granddaughter is learning in Ohio.

    The only drawback I can see is, of course, the price tag — smartphones on CREDO Mobile (as with just about every other network I’m aware of) require a data plan along with your voice plan. CREDO’s unlimited BlackBerry data plan is only $29.99 per month, though — which, looking back, seems a pretty small price to pay for some of the ways I’m now better connected to the world around me.

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    Will Easton | January 5th, 2010
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    Category: Productivity, Video | 1 Comment »

    Watch Brave New Films on your BlackBerry

    Many of our readers may know that we at CREDO Mobile are big fans of Brave New Films, but did you know you can view Sick For Profit and other BNF productions on your BlackBerry Curve or web-enabled device via YouTube? Sick For Profit exposes CEOs of the five largest health insurance companies and the fact that they are making millions at the expense of your health.

    Brave News Films uses new media and Internet video campaigns to educate, influence, and empower viewers to take action around issues that matter. Their short videos have been viewed over 45 million times in the past two years. They have a million members and counting and are getting critical issues into the mainstream media.

    Here are a few ways you can participate:

    1. View a Brave New Film on your Mobile: Go to http://www.youtube.com/mobile on your BlackBerry Curve or web-enabled mobile phone. You can search for videos by typing Brave New Films into the YouTube search box.

    2. Join Brave New Films: Sign up for a free Brave New Films video subscription at their website: www.bravenewfilms.org

    3. Become a Video Activist: Sign up to be a Brave New Films Video Activists and capture and submit compelling stories you believe need to be told.

    If you’d like to upload a video to YouTube from your Blackberry here’s how:

    • Log into YouTube from your computer and click on “Account”
    • Find the link on the left-hand side called “Mobile Setup.”

    • Specify and/or register your mobile phone number to get a unique email address to which you can send your mobile videos.

    • Save that into your BlackBerry as a contact. Once you’ve taken a video from your phone, just email it to that address to upload it to your YouTube account

    I hope you’ll take this chance to get involved with Brave New Films whether on the go or at home. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

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    Karla Allen | December 23rd, 2009
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    Category: Political, Video | No Comments »

    The Least Exciting, Most Practical App on My BlackBerry

    Mobile Banking. It’s not particularly exciting — at least not to a layman like me, who has no idea the amount of security technology that must be involved in banking (only that there is probably a lot) but banking via my BlackBerry is incredibly useful. Not to say that listening to music or playing Brickbreaker isn’t a good use of my time — but Mobile Banking is probably the most practical thing I use my phone for. Well, aside from actually talking on the phone.

    I’ve been using the free Wells Fargo mobile banking shortcut on my CREDO BlackBerry for the last few months now, and I’m sure that most other major banks have similar apps available. For Wells Fargo customers it’s pretty easy to get started, just sign on to your account at wf.com with your phone’s browser. Once you’re logged in, you can opt to transfer money between your accounts (or to another customer), find ATMs, check your balance, and pay bills. I’d have to say that locating an ATM is the feature I’ve used most often. Again, this app isn’t as much fun as playing games or perusing the REI.com WAP site, but it’s definitely practical. And it can’t hurt for my phone to be practical once in a while.

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    Sara Murphy | December 18th, 2009
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    Category: Productivity, Utilities | No Comments »

    edocrab - How to Limit Landfill

    During this holiday crunch, anything to ease the shopping nightmare experience is a bonus in my book.

    edocrab (”barcode” spelled backwards) is a new BlackBerry app that allows you to shop right from your BlackBerry. It’s currently in beta and available from BlackBerry App World.

    Say you are at the store, and you find the perfect gift for that someone special on your list, but you want to be sure it won’t end up as landfill. All you do is aim your BlackBerry’s camera over the barcode and voila! Edocrab shows you reviews, price comparisons and even pics and videos of the product. Easy.
    Happy Shopping!

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    Barb Finney | December 17th, 2009
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    Category: Utilities | No Comments »

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