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You'd be surprised how often taking a screenshot on your phone comes in handy, even if you don't write how-to articles all day. Screenshots are particularly useful when troubleshooting your mobile device through text messages or e-mail. This simple guide covers where to find a screenshot application for BlackBerry smartphones and how to use it.… Read more

If you're a Verizon customer, you can now finally upgrade the BlackBerry 9650 Bold and the BlackBerry Curve 3G to the latest BlackBerry 6 operating system.

The update will be available today by 5 p.m. PT, and you can either update over the air or via the BlackBerry Desktop Manager on your PC. This is a welcome change, as OS 6 brings many updates like a new home-screen interface, universal search, a new Webkit browser, and more.

Sprint customers with the BlackBerry Bold 9650 and Curve 3G 9330 are getting an early Christmas gift with the BlackBerry OS 6 update.

The update will arrive over the air, but if you absolutely musk peek you can go to RIM's desktop manager, connect your handset, and download it manually.

BlackBerry OS 6 first appeared last August in the RIM BlackBerry Torch. As the company's first major revamp in the years, OS 6 brought some much-needed additions, including a better browser, an enhanced multimedia experience, and an improved user interface. Nothing was particularly groundbreaking--indeed, RIM is still playing … Read more

Research In Motion has been butting heads with foreign governments over its tight security, but its latest BlackBerry 6 OS has won approval from the U.S. government for those same standards.

RIM announced today that its BlackBerry 6 operating system is now FIPS 140-2 certified. FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) is a series of standards set up by the U.S. government to ensure that computer products meet certain high-level security requirements. The standard is used by government agencies, regulated industries, and other organizations that store and send data dealing with sensitive information.

The FIPS 140-2 standard (PDF) specifically … Read more

Today, RIM introduced the latest member of the Bold family, the BlackBerry Bold 9780, which will make its way to T-Mobile stores on November 17 for $129.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

As the follow-up to the popular BlackBerry Bold 9700, the 9780 will ship running BlackBerry OS 6 and offers several other enhancements, including a 5-megapixel camera, 4GB of onboard memory, and 512MB of Flash.

The smartphone has HSDPA support, Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi with UMA support, so you can make and receive calls over a wireless network. Other features include a 624MHz … Read more

Jeff's out sick today, so Aunt Jill drops by with a valuable life lesson about privacy and the importance of being kind--that's right, we're actually taking a serious look at Internet privacy today, starting with the Webcam tragedy at Rutgers.

We also discuss Paypal's new iPhone app that lets you deposit checks using the onboard camera, and Jill also answers more of your burning financial questions about the value of Timeshare, establishing good credit after school, and the importance of investing in a 401(k)--listen up!

PayPal's new iPhone app lets people deposit checks just by signing the back and taking a picture of the check using the camera on the phone.

Mobile check depositing isn't new, and chances are you've already seen Chase commercials advertising its similar functionality, but we understand if you're still hesitant to handle finances using your phone.

On the other hand, mobile apps are actually safer than using the desktop version with a scanner and an e-mail address, since cell phones aren't as prone to vicious malware that try to poach your information, and mobile banking still asks for the same precautionary information as a walk-up ATM machine; stuff like PIN number, bank account info, and more.

Don't take our word for it though, the PayPal app for the iPhone will be available in the next few days, so try it for yourself and let us know what you think!

Speaking of online privacy, the next story is about Tyler Clementi, the young Rutgers student who jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate secretly videotaped him "making out with a dude" online. His roommate, 18 year-old Rutgers freshman Dharun Ravi and classmate Molly Wei, were both charged with invasion of privacy for their role in the online distribution of the film and face up to five years in jail. Be sure to tune into this segment for an important lesson from Aunt Jill. The lesson is short: don't be a jerk.

U.S. Cellular is on a mission for more smartphones, which may account for its recent announcement that the carrier is adding the BlackBerry Bold 9650 to its stable. U.S. Cellular is quick to note that the 9650 is BlackBerry 6 ready, which will apparently be available to the phone in the near future. As we mentioned in our review of the Sprint version, the 9650 has a GSM chip for your globe trotting needs in addition to the CDMA one you'll be using stateside. Other notable features include a 3.2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, and 3G--both HSPA and … Read more

New smartphones and LTE technology are on their way to U.S. Cellular. During the carrier's quarterly earnings call Thursday, Executive Vice President of Operations Alan Ferber said the RIM BlackBerry Bold, the Android-powered HTC Desire, and a variant of the Samsung Galaxy S Andorid smartphone will land in the carrier's lineup by the end of the year.

Though U.S. Cellular has long offered BlackBerry handsets, the addition of the Desire and the Galaxy S mark an aggressive Android push by the regional carrier. It introduced its first Android handset, the entry-level Samsung Acclaim, only last month, … Read more

We knew it was just a matter of time, but thankfully we didn't have to wait too long for Verizon to announce that it will join Sprint in offering the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9650.

The carrier revealed Wednesday that the Wi-Fi-enabled Bold will be available for purchase online starting June 3 and in stores June 10 for $149.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate (that's $50 less than Sprint's model if you're keeping track). Much like the Sprint version, it is a world phone and supports international 3G bands.

In addition, … Read more