The long-awaited first iPhone game from Cartoon Network’s [adult swim] has finally made it on to the iTunes AppStore for the iPhone and iPod Touch running the 2.0 firmware. As with all things [adult swim], this game mixes the comedy world, the gross and bloody world and the imagination world all at your fingertips.

From the AppStore description:
“Amateur Surgeon from [adult swim] puts all of your wildest surgery fantasies in the palm of your unwashed, unqualified hand. Use precision instruments such as a pizza cutter, salad tongs, stapler, and a car battery to hack your way through thirty different procedures and be the surgeon that your parents always knew you would never become.”

Also, please take note of the warning that is posted with the game. I personally think this makes it a more enticing download, but perhaps that’s just my sick and twisted personality.

Rated 17+ for the following:
Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes
Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
Frequent/Intense Profanity or Crude Humor
Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content or Nudity
Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence
Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References

At this time, Amateur Surgeon is only available to the United States market, but expect a wide release in the next few days.

Download and Preview: Click Here (opens in iTunes)

If you have a BlackBerry Bold operating on AT&T, this morning you would have woke to a few new icons and service books for YellowPages.com Mobile and TeleNav AT&T Navigator. In fact, some of us have had those icons for a couple days now. Given the name of the YellowPages.com Mobile service book, we’re wondering if this is a good indicator that AT&T may very well be getting ready to finally launch the BlackBerry Bold. That or they’re just getting their ducks in a row, and you’ll have to wait until 2009 to get a Bold, which is entirely possible. Couple more shots of the service books after the break if you’re really interested.

Remember when we first mentioned OS 5.0 nearly one and a half years ago? Yes, it’s been that long. Although that version matured into what we now know as OS 4.5, earlier this year, we broke the story about the formal introduction of OS 5.0 within the walls of Waterloo. Many revisions and version updates later, including a few different creative direction changes — we now have OS 4.6.0 (Bold and Pearl Flip), as well as the upcoming OS 4.6.1 (Javelin/8900 and 8350i) and OS 4.7.0 (Storm) — OS 4.5.0 still hasn’t been officially released in the United States, home of RIM’s largest user base. Hit the jump for the full run down!

So what do we have for you? Yes, that’s right, OS 5.0 for the BlackBerry Curve. For those of you who have looked on enviously at the slick-looking ’Clock’ application on the Bold and Pearl Flip, you will one day be able to have this rather simple Alarm-replacement application on your last generation device. You can throw in the accessibility options and most of the other features found in OS 4.6, as well.

One new feature we noticed was the “Files” application. Although it doesn’t appear to work, this new feature appears to add network share access, which has been a fairly popular request for a number of years. Assuming that BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 will likely be available by the time OS 5.0 is available, we will make the assumption that this will be a new server-client feature. Let’s just hope none of us are sporting walking canes by that time. You know, RIM kind of has a bad track record when it comes to release dates…

To be honest though, having been on a BlackBerry Bold for a few weeks now, this new OS seems a bit underwhelming at this point. Granted, this is a fairly early beta and has a long way to go in the life cycle process (it is good to see RIM working on this version prior to wrapping up OS 4.5), so there’s still time to really “WOW!” each and every one of us. However, until that time, we think this version should currently be considered OS 4.6 for the Curve.

You may remember my rendezvous with the BoxTone team during last year’s Wireless Enterprise Symposium… let’s just say that a lot of drunk material was ‘corrected’ by our editor. The Kings of Cool are back in Orlando this year and look to make a splash with the BoxTone Mobile User Management Lounge area at the annual BlackBerry conference.

According to a post by BoxTone’s Jon Edmunds, the Lounge area will be split into three sections – the Mash Up Room, the Pro’s Corner, and the Gamer’s Pad. I know BoxTone has been working on these plans for quite some time, so I’m expecting to be floored when I am actually able to put eyes on the area. This area will feature food and beverages, as well as plasma’s and the Nintendo Wii and games. If you’re in Orlando during that week, you know where to find me on Monday evening between 6:00-8:00 PM.

BoxTone will also have a booth set up in the Solutions Showcase – Booth 531. Be sure to check them out while you’re on the floor, as they are the industry leader for BlackBerry monitoring solutions and have an amazing product.

If the delayed impact of the Canadian tidal wave hasn’t been completely underwhelming of late, it appears another new BlackBerry could be hiding around the corner. Throw down the red carpet and bring out the welcoming party, as it seems the next BlackBerry device – after the BlackBerry 9000 – will be the BlackBerry 9100.

Now, at first glance, the "|9100" reference may seem to pop out at you, right? However, what is really catching my eye is the reference to "External Display".

Do we see the BlackBerry 9100 in Vodafone’s Crystal Ball? The Magic Eight Ball says "Definitely Maybe".

From Dimension to Precision, there’s only one question to be asked – is it DoCoMo or Vodafone? Hmm.

Here’s one sign that AT&T will launch the BlackBerry 9000, although we’re curious as to what resides in the ’Captive Portal’ – sounds kind of kinky to me. Upon further investigation, it appears to be the AT&T Wi-Fi service (SSID=attwifi, Authentication Secret=wifipass, etc).

Perhaps most surprising to me is the mention of T-Mobile USA with respect to the BlackBerry 9000. The "error translator" is for the GAN/UMA technology.

That’s about all from this side of the tracks.

We’ve heard about BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 for over a year now. At WES 2007, ARGON was announced publically for the first time. From there on, it has been a slow and painful road through continual disappointment and delay. The plan was to have a very extensive nine month Beta program that would commence in August 2007 and on through the general availability of the software at WES 2008 in May. August came, August went. November came along and RIM published a Top 10 features list for ARGON and rumors were spreading of the pre-beta nomination process that was underway.

Fast-forward to April and we still have no new information, although it appers that some form of an early adoption and/or beta program is underway (reference WR17).

The month of May and the annual Wireless Enterprise Symposium are just around the corner. BES 5.0, commonly referred to by its codename "ARGON", will not be released at WES 2008, however it will likely be announced during the week of WES and previewed (once again) during a breakout session by Pete Devenyl, VP of BlackBerry Software for Research In Motion (reference WR01).

Popular odds in the BGR Office Pool have the General Availability (GA) date for BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 around December 2008 at the earliest and February/March 2009 at the latest. Then again, as with seemingly everything RIM has planned to launch over the past year or so, BES 5.0 has already been postponed no less than six months, so perhaps we should shoot for a WES 2009 release?

Assuming we receive no more news over the next five weeks, count on an update with more information from WES in sunny Orlando, Florida. Stay tuned…

You may remember our first look for the BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.3 from six months ago. You may remember our first look for the BlackBerry Web Desktop Manager from nearly a year ago.  You may even remember our first look for the BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.2 from one and a half years ago.

Now we extend this streak of first looks with BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.5.

Picking up where the release of BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.3 underwhelmed after it’s initial makeover, the new release of BlackBerry Desktop Manager will feature a complete overhaul of the interface from top to bottom. While this beta version does not feature any major enhancements above and beyond the UI asthetics, it is certainly a breath of fresh air from the 1998-esque releases we have previously seen from RIM. We expect this version to launch around the same time as the ever-fabled OS 4.5 device software.

Please note this version is still in beta, however we did notice one interesting change. It appears the included Roxio Media Manager no longer includes the full Roxio Media Creator Suite but rather the Media Manager portion only. Assuming nothing changes between now and retail release and you want to keep your abilities to burn CDs, burn DVDs and VCDs, etc., we suggest remaining on BDM 4.3 or BDM 4.2 SP2. Of course, that is assuming these commercial features won’t be removed from these versions as well. We always found it rather humorous that Media Manager advertised the purchased upgrade to the full-blown version of Media Creator Suite, when it could simply be accessed by clicking the Home link at the bottom of the application.

Two other features that are missing from this beta version are the ability to use your device as a tethered modem and the ability to force-load an OS to a "507" device (one that has been wiped using JavaLoader) using Application Loader. Let’s hope these features are re-added prior to public launch of the software. We’re in the process or redoing our gallery, so in the meantime, check out the all the screen shots you can handle after the jump!

Like many companies, Research In Motion has a fiscal calendar that does not match the natural calendar. While we aren’t the first website to break news on the earnings report given today, we felt it our obligation to our readers and to a company that has brought us so much technology over the years to report on the financial side of Canada’s very own financial behemoth (yes, that sounds rather humorous and oxymoronic).

Surprising to some and not so much to others, Research In Motion continues it’s streak of amazing reports of revenue gains. This time around, they have doubled their Q4 Fiscal revenue and their Year-End Fiscal revenue from the same periods a year ago. In the press release from Waterloo, the following figures our highlighted:

• Q4 revenue at $1.88 billion, up 102% from $930.4 million
• Fiscal revenue at $6.01 billion, up 98% from $3.04 billion last year
• 81% revenue in Q4 attributed to device sales
• 4.4 million devices shipped in Q4
• 14 million devices shipped during fiscal year
• 2.18 million new BlackBerry subscribers added in Q4
• 14 million total active BlackBerry subscribers
• Subscriber growth up 32% from Q3

In a recent conversation I had with the one and only Boy Genius (yes, he actually exists in human form), we discussed about how the coming months would be massively decisive over RIM’s short-term future. These critical months would include the coronation of the Apple iPhone into the enterprise market, as well as the potential launch of the 3G incarnation of the God device. Of course, RIM will unleash the BlackBerry 9000, but will it be too little too late, or perhaps a thunderous disappointment? Rumors are saying the BlackBerry 9000 will surface at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium with employees from RIM being allowed to carry them, a la the BlackBerry Curve at WES 2007.

Afterhours trading has RIM’s stock up over $5.00 per share, a number that should be expected to skyrocket in the morning. While we continue to hear "iPhone This" and "iPhone That", it’s amazing to see The Little Engine That Could Research In Motion keep "surviving" in record leaps and bounds.

It has been rumored, it has been verified, and now we have the pictures to prove it. The BlackBerry Pearl 8110 is doing it’s best Eddie Murphy impersonation and coming to America, most likely in the next month or two and will be available direct to consumers through AT&T’s website or in your neighborhood AT&T retail store. Check out all the shots after the jump including the red version!

As you may remember, almost one year ago, we broke news of the BlackBerry Curve 8330. Granted, some facts have since been corrected (not a World Edition device), but it’s been a rather long wait for CDMA customers wanting a BlackBerry Curve device. Recent news posted on BGR has shown pictures of the Sprint release, as well as a launch date for the Curve model.

Now, for your very own pleasure and enjoyment on the only site you love, we bring you pictures of the BlackBerry Curve 8330 from your favorite neighborhood CDMA carriers - Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, Telus, Bell Mobility, and US Cellular.

However, it would appear that not all hope is lost in our quest for viewing HTML emails without the intervention of purchased applications. As mentioned, we gained confirmation from our readers that the last minute delay in the service pack availability was due to the removal of HTML email. From our timetable of events, we had the following happen during the last couple weeks:

February 21 – Webcast by Research In Motion highlighting new features in BES 4.1 SP5 and OS 4.5, including HTML email rendering
February 27 – HTML and Rich Text support removed from RIM’s "What’s New" webpage (per Google Cache)
February 29 – BES 4.1 SP5 general availability date moved from February 29 to March 11 (BlackBerry Life Cycle page)
March 1 or later - HTML references removed from Webcast page (per Google Cache, dated February 28 and February 29, the reference is still present)

Sometime between February 21 and February 27, a decision was made behind closed doors in Waterloo to remove HTML, the most anticipated feature from a marketing perspective, from the service pack.

With that said, the removal was not complete in nature. It apparently is still an available option, but can only be configured with an alteration in the database. RIM removed the ability to configure Rich Content from within BlackBerry Manager, but they made minimal efforts to remove it from the database, where it was configured to have a default option of disabled ("0") rather than enabled ("1"), as it was in the beta versions of SP5. I have compared the SQL code involved with upgrading the database and it does show the change from 1 to 0 for both the RichContentEnabled and RichContentInlineEnabled attributes.

I won’t go into the precise details on what to change or how to enable this feature, as I think this would be only for the geek BES administrators of the world. Regardless, I will point you to a RIM KB article that should help assist with finding the option and enabling it manually (or by altering the SQL provided by RIM in the KB article to reflect the correct column name). You will need to change the values in the ServerConfig and UserConfig tables. As a disclaimer, if you choose to enable this feature, you will obviously risk corruption to your database and BlackBerry environment.

Enjoy!

According to a post made a few days ago, it seems that Research In Motion has decided to temporarily pull the most anticipated feature of BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.1 SP5 – HTML and Rich Text email rendering.

While this seems rather skeptical at first glance, this information gains a lot of merit with the removal of this particularly important enhancement from atop the feature list on RIM’s official "What’s New" page for the upcoming SP5 release overview.  The page had previously read: 

Support for HTML and Rich Text email¹ allows BlackBerry smartphone users to receive email messages with their original formatting preserved
     Users can read email more easily, view embedded images, hyperlinks, tables, bullets, numbering and indentation

As there has been no official statement from RIM on the removal of HTML email from SP5, we will have to wait until next Tuesday for the general availability release of the service pack. Given that RIM showcased HTML and Rich Text email support, amongst other features, during the February 21 webcast, it seems rather late in the process to remove such a ‘vital’ feature from the release… then again, this past Friday morning, the release date of SP5 slipped from February 29 to March 11, so this may very well be the explanation for the 11-day delay.

Perhaps some consolation is the quick release of SP6, which we learned during the February 21 webcast Q&A session would finally offer support for Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. The availability of SP6, as mentioned in a forum post, will be June 2008. I have recently heard ramblings of an announcement and possible release of SP6 at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium, which is being held in Orlando on May 13-15, so these timeframes do hold some weight. Regardless, with Exchange support coming for the iPhone tomorrow, you have to wonder what the hell Research In Motion is doing over there in Canada.

Read

The long-awaited and much anticipated BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.1 SP5, set for a general availability release on Friday, February 29, will be the first major release of the enterprise mobile messaging solution from Research In Motion to include a vast number of end-user feature enhancements and management utilities to help with reducing the total cost of ownership of your BlackBerry deployment. Today, Research In Motion held a webcast that reviewed what will be available in this new service pack release, as well as touching on some updated information on the upcoming OS 4.5 release for the BlackBerry 8000 series device family.

Read on after the jump for more slides from today’s presentation.

If the evidence we’re seeing now is correct, the upcoming BlackBerry 9000 will launch with OS 4.6.0. This was previously hinted to be launching with OS 4.3.2, however that version will suffer the similar fate of rebranding like its predecessor, which was recently changed to version 4.5.0.

OS 4.6.0 has un-officially graduated from internal development at RIM and has been moved on into the official builds and carrier certification process. This same process started for OS 4.3.1 in the September / October 2007 time frame and we’ve yet to see an announcement of availability from RIM or any carrier. It has been widely reported in forums that the successor BlackBerry – model number 9000 for those who are still spreading rumors otherwise - was plagued with battery drain issues due to the inclusion of Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G, much to the shared chagrin of every other vendor who can’t seem to perfect this flaw with 3G devices. The good news is that the introduction of the carrier certification process may indicate the remote possibility that a workaround and/or resolution has been implemented for the new does-it-all device.

Only time can tell, but here’s hoping that carrier certification of the BlackBerry 9000 does not take as long as it has for the long-delayed OS 4.3.1 (err, 4.5.0).

To say these are rather long awaited releases, both in the consumer and corporate environments, is an understatement. BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.1 SP5 will deliver more end-user enhancements than arguably any version of BES prior, possibly out-delivered only by the introduction of wireless PIM synchronization and wireless backup/restore functionality in BES 4.0, which was released just over 3 years ago in late 2004. BlackBerry OS 4.5.0, formerly known as OS 4.3.1, is set to introduce HTML support in it’s email parsing, a long-overdue feature. It will also enable consumer-oriented features such as an office document reader and editor and video recording (my girlfriend finds it fairly annoying, go figure), as well as corporate-oriented features such as calendar availability (Free/Busy Lookup) and over-the-air OS upgrades.

We have featured many of these enhancements in our pages in previous articles, but never have we actually tested them out…

…until now.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.1 SP5 – Control New OS Features in BlackBerry Manager

Rich Content with Inline Images – Font Styles, Pictures and More:

Calendar – Free/Busy Availability Lookup:

Remote Search and Retrieval – AKA The "DOH?!" View