There used to only be one way to keep contacts on a phone in check and that was with the standard contact list application found on your phone. But the year is 2012 and there are more than a handful of ways to keep those who you communicate with in order, but which is the best?

I’ve decided to pit Xobni and Gist (a newly RIM acquired company) against each other in an attempt to pick a solid winner. Who did I pick? Well, I can’t answer that just yet. But by the end of this article I hope to have established a clear winner. Continue on for the full ins and outs of Gist, and Xobni.

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To view this video on your BlackBerry, Click Here.

Facebook for PlayBook v2.0 was released last week and I put together a little video walkthrough that showcases some of the new features in version 2.0. You can take a look at the video to see some of the new features in action and you can also see how quick and responsive the application is. Let us know if you like the video walkthrough and if there are any other apps you want us to do walkthroughs of. Facebook for PlayBook is available as a free download right from App World on your PlayBook or using the link below.

• Download Facebook for PlayBook

Xobni Super Address Book for BlackBerry is an application that takes the place of the native BlackBerry contacts list. Xobni bills itself as the “Super Address Book,” and it more than meets this claim. Xobni ranks your contacts based on how often and what type of communication you use with them. Read on past the break for a full review of Xobni and its amazing features.

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Rdio is a streaming music service for BlackBerry. The application has some great features and gives you access to a huge catalog of millions of songs for streaming to your BlackBerry,Computer, Android, and iOS devices. Rdio allows you to synchronize your music library with your BlackBerry so you can listen to full songs, even when your BlackBerry is offline. I have used Rdio for the past few weeks and I have a full review of the BlackBerry app after the break.

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The Newsy.com Video News app for BlackBerry made its debut last week. I have been testing the app since launch and have been very pleased with the app and its functionality. Today i’m bringing you a full review of Newsy for BlackBerry. The application uses multiple news outlets to obtain the latest breaking news and then delivers it to you in a fast and smooth package. The news is delivered in video clips featuring the Newsy.com news team and last 1-3 minutes on average. The full review of the Newsy.com BlackBerry app is featured after the break.

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DriveSafe.ly 2.0 just debuted last week and I have since been using a Pro copy of the updated BlackBerry app. DriveSafe.ly is a program that reads your incoming messages out loud and then gives you the opportunity to respond to them using only your voice. The app works just as advertised and has been a big help for me while driving. Many cities are establishing bans on texting while driving and DriveSafe.ly is the perfect app to help you avoid that dangerous practice. My full review of DriveSafe.ly is featured after the break.

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Today we will be doing a walkthrough of one of Jared Co’s latest BlackBerry releases, PowerBOSS. Along with this review we are hosting a contest in partnership with the Jared Co. to giveaway 50 copies of the PowerBOSS application.  The review and contest details follow after the break.

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The iVista theme series from Z Man Designs is a Windows Vista designed theme featuring an Apple inspired icon set.  This theme is incredibly fast and easy to use.  The theme packs so many features I barely have space to list them all here.  Let’s begin with the homescreen after the break.

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Today’s app is an on-device photo editing package called PhotoClub. The app comes from developer MMMOOO.  PhotoClub allows you to take photos on your BlackBerry and then modify them directly on your device.  The main features of PhotoClub include: Photo cropping and resizing, clipart, frames, texts, negative and black and white effects, and any custom elements you wish to upload into PhotoClub.  PhotoClub is available directly from app world and also in TheBerryFix.com online and on-device Superstore.

• Download PhotoClub for your BlackBerry from TheBerryFix.com Superstore

• View the Official PhotoClub Introduction Video

• Visit the Official PhotoClub Website

With spring finally showing its colours, I had a chance to take a few short road trips using the Garmin navigation app for Blackberry and I’m happy to say that it works pretty darn well. Follow us after the break to hear what we had to say about Garmin Mobile 5.0 for the Blackberry

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On your Blackberry? To view the video from your mobile device click here

Take a look at our video review of BlackBerry Theme Parks Snapple theme.

• Buy the Snapple theme for your BlackBerry only $5.99

How many times have you gone to use  your blackberry as a modem and sat there for some time trying to find out those VPN settings? I know I have and its frustrating. Stop being confused and annoyed; There is finally a solution and its called Tether. Tether, formerly Tetherberry, was introduced in early 2009 for blackberry users as an alternative to carrier options which cost extra on your monthly bill. Why should we have to pay extra to use the data we already pay for? This is the mentality the guys over at Tether have demonstrated and this is definitely the reason behind why Tether is so easy to use. They understand what we, as a blackberry nation, want and need.

A few months ago I used the Tether app on a CDMA Blackberry Storm 9530 and was surprised at the speeds I received, knowing that the CDMA network is considerably slower than a HSPA or GSM network. I thought I was going to experience circa 1999 internet speeds but I was pleasantly surprised when my laptop started to receive speeds equivalent to a high-speed lite service from a wired connection. Fast forward to today, we were given the latest copy of Tether to play with and though there are mild UI changes, the app remains pretty much the same easy to use application, but now with the added support of Bluetooth.

Tether’s two part installation is straight forward. Open the URL in your blackberry browser and install the on-device app, then open the URL on your Mac or PC (yes, you read right, they offer Mac support)  and that’s it for the installation (like I said no VPN settings for this app). With the Mac installation if you are planning on using the USB cable instead of Bluetooth to connect your Blackberry to Tether, you cannot have BlackBerry Desktop Manager installed at the same time. This question was brought up to Patrick from Tether and his response was with “USB on the Mac we are still having issues as there is a bug with RIM’s driver. Users would be able to use the Bluetooth version with no problems.” This is something I am sure will be corrected in the coming releases. If you are planning on using Bluetooth as your connection method just a warning that it isn’t as fast as the USB connection because Bluetooth has a lower transfer rate than USB does.

While I was using Tether on my Mac I received an error message from my BlackBerry and then it shut down Tether. After relaunching the app I was back in business with no issues.  Using Tether is simple, just plug in your Blackberry and launch the app on your BlackBerry and then on your computer and you now have Internet anywhere.  I put Tether to the test using speakeasy speed test with my BlackBerry Bold 9700, first the VPN settings provided by my carrier were used then ran the same test using Tether and to my surprise I actually saw a speed increase with Tether. With Tether I saw speeds of 1.5mbs to 2mbs. For internet anywhere, I’ll take those speeds, thank you VERY much.

With every app, accessory or BlackBerry device there are ups and downs. With Tether there are a few things I would like to see in the next release; the ability for the computer application to automatically launch when you connect your device, for the application to remember your last connection settings, whether it is Bluetooth or USB and lastly to work when I have Mac Desktop Manager installed. With Tether, the few negatives I have experienced pale in comparison to the great things Tether brings to the table, and hey, now my BlackBerry can truly do just about everything.

So If you are looking for a alternative to paying your carrier extra for using your data on your computer, give Tether a try. They let you try the app first and then buy, Tether is competitively priced at 49.99, which is a one-time fee.

• Tether webpage link
• MobiHand Link