Gmail Receives 5 New Themes

The customizers of the internet bunch are going to like the expanded Gmail theme library today. On their blog the Gmail team took the wraps off of 5 new themes: 2 minimalist light/dark, “Tree Tops”, “Marker”, and my personal favorite, “Android”. Head on over to your Gmail settings page and click on “Themes” to check the new ones out. They’re not all grouped together so you’ll have to search for a quick second.

The two minimalist themes are simple light/dark skins — bare minimum. Tree Tops gives your gmail account the look of a rain forest. Android has the famed green paint plastered all over the place as well as a couple of nifty Android guys hangin’ out. Finally, Marker takes the look of a piece of paper with highlighter markings making up the borders and such.

Ok, I have to correct myself. Android and Marker are my two favorites. The naming scheme is pretty much self explanatory. Check out the screenshots inside as a sort of “dry run”…

BlackBerry Theme Studio 6 breaks cover!

While all the news of RIM’s keynote today may be centered around the PlayBook, RIM has many other fish in their basket. One aspect of the BlackBerry OS that has constantly grown year after year is that of themes. Custom themes give the aging OS a fresh face that can at times, hide the wrinkles and blemishes. With that said, the BlackBerry Theme Development kit has been heavily tweaked. Theme developers can look forward to new added support for BlackBerry OS 6 elements, the ability to customize Facebook/Twitter/BBM updates in the today screen, options to configure time-based wallpapers w/ an accompanying wizard, a faster batch process for importing pictures, and an easy to use BlackBerry App World export option that automatically zips everything up in the appropriate file type.

BB Theme Designers chomping at the bit yet?

Give your Berry a little bit of that Nexus touch with “BeNexus”. [BlackBerry Theme]

Wield a BlackBerry but finding yourself taking a particular liking to the Nexus One’s pretty face? You’re now in luck! A rather slick and true to it’s roots Nexus One theme by JMal and Ahaz Designs dubbed “BeNexus” aims to make your BlackBerry go incognito, rockin’ an Android look.

There have been plenty of Android themes created and released for the BlackBerry platform since Android first launched. In my opinion however, BeNexus is one of if not the nicest BlackBerry themes yet .

Better than just a pretty face, there are all kinds of shortcuts and extra goodies packed in. For example, the Google Search bar is an actual working widget ala Android. The notification bar on the top is also functional, giving drop down options to read new messages.

Overall it’s not just a good Android theme but an awesome BlackBerry theme all things considered. Coupled with a $3.99 price until January 24th means you have to try it out. Get downloadin’!

BeNexus Walk-through video.

“Ace” from Elecite puts iTunes-esque spin on BlackBerry themes.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted anything about new BlackBerry themes. Part of the reason is that I’ve been so busy with other areas of the site and just life in general as well as a lack of truly innovative and unique themes that have kept me at bay. But a new addition to the Eveek lineup dubbed “Ace” has me scrambling back, wishing I had a BlackBerry just so I could try this theme out.

Essentially the theme relies on Coverflow navigation to get you through the bulk of your navigating. These 11 coverflow icons are non-customizable by the user — a slight bummer. However, 5 additional icons along the top of the screen are user customizable. So have at it! One final touch is the inclusion of Today style previews so that you can breeze through your homescreen with new found speed and functionality. Very nice.

For $6.99 it’s hard to beat, wouldn’t you say?

[Purchase Ace from Elecite]

BlackBerry theme mecca “Elecite.com” launches redesigned site. 50% site wide discounts ensue.

BlackBerry users, especially those with an eye for customization and design have probably went through at least a couple of themes on the cherished Canadian born phones. One of the best premium theme designing sites located at Elecite.com have continually pushed the envelope of the BlackBerry theme world. Back when animations were just beginning to pick up steam and still helluva hard to incorporate into themes, Elecite was at the forefront weeding their way through. It’s hard work no doubt. I’ve been there. I used to design BlackBerry themes myself. Though that passion led to this passion (writing — don’t ask).

So here I sit today sharing with you one of my “top favorites” in the geek world. If you have a BlackBerry and either never have used custom themes or simply want something new for the end of year festivities, Elecite should be obtain at least a small part of your time.

Of course, to get everyone in the holiday spirit, besides a fresh face Elecite is offering up site wide discounts to the tune of 50% on all themes. No coupon codes are needed as it is automatically calculated in. Have at it. Go wild. Theme that Berry!

Elecite

Winterize your Berry with HedoneDesign’s “SnowTime” theme.

With the release of BlackBerries packing faster processors means faster navigation, better performance in applications, and for those with an eye towards design — cleaner, more premium themes. In the case of HedoneDesign’s new SnowTime BlackBerry theme, those who are absolutely infatuated with winter, snow, and everything that Christmas memories bring will find this new theme quite a treat. The main idea here is simple and elegant. You’ll notice the homescreen only features a couple of user customizable icons and the standard signal and battery meter. Other than that, a scenic winter wonderland background aims to make the most out of all those tiny pixels inhabiting your screen.

Even more stylish than the simple layout however is the animated falling snow in the background. Older models such as the 83xx series may notice a slight sluggishness from time to time (at least I always did with animated themes), but if that isn’t your concern or you have a newer BlackBerry with the faster muscle under the hood, then by all means give SnowTime a try. It really is something to see.

SnowTime is available for all BlackBerry devices 83xx and up (excluding 81xx and 88xx devices) for $6.99. If you purchase SnowTime before December 10th, you can walk away with a discount — sale price of $3.99. Remember, it’s only $3.99 until December 10th. Better get a move on it…

Snowman theme brings holiday cheer and animation to your BlackBerry

It used to be that BlackBerry themes of years and devices past were best in their static form. A few clever and crafty theme developers deviated from the standard BlackBerry theme and added bits of animation here and there. The only problem is that older BlackBerry devices were grossly underpowered with a meager 312MHz processor meaning any animation found in themes resulted in slow, stuttery navigation and an overall sub-par user experience. That was then, this is now: 600+ MHz BlackBerries with much more capable hardware. WIth that said, themes such as the Snowman Theme (designed by “TemasBlackBerry”) can now be used and enjoyed with smooth and stutter-free usage.

The Snowman Theme isn’t the most “far out” there BlackBerry theme. Though, as mentioned, the snow falling animation is a nice touch that makes it unique. Six user-customizable icons don the home screen and quick access to connection manager and profiles via the relocated and truncated banner located bottom right. Overall, the mix of holiday cheer, clean and simple layout, and smooth animation make for a well spent $5.00. Anyone else feeling like grabbing a piece of holiday cheer?

• Purchase the Snowman Theme

Berry Review

Is 2010 the year BlackBerry becomes “Consumer Cool”

After pouring over countless articles, slides, and pictures from RIM’s Developer conference the last couple of days, I have to admit I am really impressed by RIM’s consumer minded showing. The simple addition of BlackBerry Themes in App World combined with Widgets and actual 3D games to boot instantly jumped RIM and the BlackBerry platform up a few rungs in my book.

There’s no doubt about it, for consumers focused on multimedia and entertainment, the iPhone is where it’s at. Android still offers considerable amounts of entertainment though not as robust or rich as the iPhone’s. But where Android lacks in one area it more than makes up in another giving users almost unlimited options for customization and scalability.

So far, RIM has been wallowing in the gallows with WinMo on the consumer front with outdated GUI’s, luke warm apps, and an overall cold business cloud hanging over head. After this conference, I’m much more confident RIM can continue their move into the consumer market. Will they dethrone the iPhone over night if ever? No. But it will definitely bring the BlackBerry into or back into the minds of many whom and written it off as their dad’s business device.

Now I understand that even with some fancy widgets and themes you can’t slap lipstick on a pig and instantly have a creature of beauty (comparing OS 5.0 to OS 4.1/2′s core features and updated UI). But when strictly looking at consumer/multimedia/entertainment value, do you feel RIM has finally — if a bit late — gotten their ducks in somewhat of a row? Will 2010 be the year that BlackBerry becomes “consumer cool”?

IntoMobile

{Image Source}

BlackBerry development just became a lot more interesting…

The BlackBerry Developer Conference kicked off today and RIM personnel didn’t waste any time getting to the goods. For starters, OpenGL ES support is finally coming to the BlackBerry platform (OS 5.0+). If you didn’t know, OpenGL is what gives modern smartphones such as the iPhone it’s amazing graphics in such small packages. But what good is powerful hardware without software? Again RIM answers, though this answer is somewhat a surprise.

Since the beginning of BlackBerry theme development started a few short years ago, the Plazmic Developers Kit was the one and only way to skin and theme your Berry. A couple months back RIM bought Plazmic which led many to believe that a more tightly integrated Theme Developer Kit was coming. I as well as many others I’m sure assumed that RIM would through in some a few more goodies and maybe a new name and call it a day. That isn’t the case however as RIM also announced today the BlackBerry Theme Studios 5.0. As you can see, RIM is really pushing customization and the whole consumer thing really hard. One interesting part about the new Theme Studio is the ability to add .PSD (Photoshop) directly cutting down on needlessly having to save those .PSD files as some other format such as .png before being used. Also, screen transitions such as zooming, sliding, wiping and fading can now be added much more easier than before. What this simply means is that instead of a few high-end theme makers having the power and know-how on how to make truly impressive themes, more hobby based and beginner theme builders will also be able to compete with the big boys. Nice job RIM!

The Developer Conference has just started however and there is plenty more to find out. Stay tuned.

• Download BlackBerry Theme Studio

Press release inside…