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RIM makes friends with MySpace, TiVo, Microsoft, Slacker

The BlackBerry tries to play catch up to the iPhone's plethora of consumer apps in a big way.

Erica Ogg Former Staff writer, CNET News
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur.
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Erica Ogg

Our hardworking colleagues at CNET have been in the thick of the action at the CTIA wireless show this week and we figure Crave readers will want in on the fun, too.

BlackBerry Bold RIM
RIM

In case you haven't seen, today Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, made a whole slew of announcements about bringing popular consumer applications to the device. It already has Facebook for BlackBerry, but now RIM is expanding.

• As CNET News reported earlier this week, Microsoft Live Search will be integrated with the BlackBerry Browser.

• BlackBerry users will now be able to schedule their TiVo recordings from their phone, and in the future, view those recordings from a BlackBerry. (Possibly stealing SlingPlayer for BlackBerry's thunder? Sling, by the way, said today SlingPlayer for BlackBerry is on track for release later this year.)

• RIM is also apparently not playing favorites: it will be offering a MySpace app for the BlackBerry as well.

• There will be a customized TicketMaster app for RIM phones, which means users can buy tickets right from their phones.

• And last, RIM is partnering with Internet radio site Slacker to allow BlackBerry users to make customized music channels. Phone owners can also store up to 1,000 songs on the device.

For full details on each application, see Maggie Reardon's article at CNET News.