BlackBerry Torch 2, Apollo (Curve), Monaco (Storm 3) and Dakota (Bold) Pics and Specs!

Pictures of the brand new devices RIM has been working on have surfaced and they look very nice. From what I've learned about the specs, these are much improved versions. More details below.

The BlackBerry Dakota. (Bold)

Looks like a tribute to the Bold 9000 in terms of size and style. It Mixes the full QWERTY with a touchscreen and records HD video. Very sweet.

The BlackBerry Monaco (Storm 3)

Rumored specs of the Monaco:

• 1.2GHz processor
• 3.7-inch 800 x 480 capacitive display
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band UMTS/HSPA
• 5-megapixel camera with 720p video recording
• 8GB eMMC (storage for apps and data), 512MB of RAM
• microSD slot
• Magnetometer
• Proximity sensor
• Accelerometer
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• 2.4GHz b/g/n and 5GHz a/n Wi-Fi + UMA
• 3G Mobile hotspot
• Optical trackpad
• 1230 mAh battery
• BlackBerry OS 6.1
• OpenGL ES 2.0

The BlackBerry Apollo (Curve)

Full specs of the Apollo:

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band UMTS/HSPA 7.2Mbps
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Wi-Fi b/g/n
• GPS
• NFC
• 512MB of eMMC, 512MB of RAM
• 5-megapixel camera with flash
• HVGA 480 x 360 display
• 1050 mAh battery
• Tavor MG-1 800MHz CPU
• BlackBerry OS 6.1
• 11mm thin

The BlackBerry Torch 2

Here's what I've found for specs of the Torch 2:

• 1.2GHz processor
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band HSPA 14.4Mbps
• 3.2-inch VGA 640 x 480 capacitive display
• 8GB built-in memory
• 512MB RAM
• Bluetooth 2.1
• GPS
• NFC
• 5MP camera with flash
• Magnetometer
• 1300 mAh battery
• BlackBerry OS 6.1
• OpenGL ES
• 14.6mm thin

Which one do you want? I'm leaning towards the Torch 2 but it looks like it doesn't support HD video recording. The Dakota and Storm 3 do support it, but I love the big touchscreen-full keyboard combo.

FREE Flashlight App for BlackBerry: FlashOn

I have a Javelin 8900 and usually use the video camera light as a flashlight. It works very well and is surprisingly bright. The only problem with this is that the video light is always set to on so I don't have to fiddle with settings when in the dark to have a flashlight. Then when I want to take a video without the light, I have to change it back...anyway, its kinda annoying.

Enter FlashOn! Its a simple app that works with all BB's running OS 4.2 or higher. I just tested it on 5.0.0.238 and it works great. If you don't have a flash/video light you can use the LED or screen to light the way.

Here are some of the features:

• If you have a flash/video light, it will automatically use that
• For the LED you can choose between: Off, White, Blue, Orange or Green.
• Set it to turn off automatically from between 1 minute to never
• Option to cover up the camera
• There are 30 screen colors to choose from. Coral, Fuschia, Gold, Lavender, Magenta...take your pick. (Kinda weird there are so many colors? Just me?)
• A cool icon so you can put it right on your homescreen

I have my LED set to blue, covered the camera, automatic shutdown at 2 minutes and the screen is set to black...as tempting as Light Cyan was.

You can get FlashOn for free here: http://software.crackberry.com/product.asp?id=52120&n=FlashOn

SmrtGuard-Free! Now Available With Great Features!

SmrtGuard is a VERY useful application that I tried out in the beta stages when it was totally free with all features enabled. I loved the backup and restore features and especially the ability to track and/or find my BB. There are so many great features. I am surprised they decided to roll out a free version. Here is what you get for $0.00:

• Find my BlackBerry
• Remote Data Wipe
• Remote Listen (Remote Call Fwd) - Yes, you can remote call fwd your BlackBerry to another number in case you left it at home!
• Add a Loved-one as a tracker (have your loved one get SmrtGuard, and add yourself so you can track each other) -> aka the Valentine's Day gift of trust :)
• Personal Guardian and SIMCard Guardian

Get it here: http://www.smrtguard.com/Main?module=Root&action=directDownload