New BlackBerry Perl Firmware

Well folks I know I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping the site updated missing podcasts and not doing updates but I have a perfectly reasonable excuse for that. I have been sick as all hell gets but I finally dragged my wuss ass to the doctor to get meds and am finally back up and running, not at full speed mind you but enough to the point where I can promise a great show later this week and this here article that I am writing for you at the moment.

So Sprint has finally pushed out an update for their version of the 8130 BlackBerry Perl, v4.5.0.131 to be exact. Not at all an overhaul of the OS on the phone but adding some much needed new features and bug fixes that the previous version had and taking me to the point where I can finally say I am truly happy with my phone.

Most important of all they finally fixed the issue where if you had AIM installed on the phone it would randomly wipe your call and text log and it's about damn time. Since I have gotten this phone about a year ago it has been the bane of my existence that I would go and check the phone just to find out that my call and text history has been cleared. I am not saying that the phone no longer randomly clears call history or texts but it happens rarely at this point and on top of that no longer clears my entire history, just one or two. This is still unacceptable for a phone that is marketed at business savvy professionals but a big step up at least for me.

Other new features include MMS messaging so I can finally forward pics of my pooh to people without having to send an email which is a huge relief for me. Included in the new media features is a new look for the camera and video functions on the phone. Not a huge change mind you but a bit more streamlined looking than the previous look which is nice. My favorite new media feature though has to be the inclusion of geotagging in pictures. It doesn't transfer to Facebook or in emails or MMS messages but it does show oh the BlackBerry GPS which is hella cool that I can see on a map my usual stomping grounds and the pics I've taken there.

Not a revolutionary update but enough to actually keep me interested in my phone and be happier with it than I have been since I first received it. I did notice that the phone is running a little slower than it was before but that is most likely due to bloat from all the apps I have added and removed on the phone without doing a complete reinstall of the OS so I am not going to hold that against this update.

So that's about it and like I was saying earlier check back in later this week for episode 9 of the Would You Kindly Blog Podcast it's going to be a doozy because we have a metric shit ton to cover from my recent Twitter project, new laptop, the results of the Oscar Awards, and Nick's pilgrimage to Megacon see you all later this week.

-Jeremy