Maroon Ventures Blog

I discovered the Wall Street Journal’s Blackberry app via Silicon Alley Insider a few weeks ago, but I waited a while before posting a note on it to see if it’s the real deal. It is.

It’s a great, utilitarian way to browse the Journal, and it’s free. Not sure how long that will last, but enjoy it while you can. It gives you access to pretty much everything that’s in the Journal. I like the tabbed approach to browsing, and it downloads headlines and summaries quickly and efficiently. While I like Yahoo! Go on the Blackberry, it’s slower to launch and more cumbersome to maneuver through. I often find myself just going straight to the WSJ now because it’s faster and easier.

Two complaints: I had one instance where the app stopped downloading new headlines. I shut off and restarted my phone, which seemed to unkink it. Also, I haven’t been able to get the Keyword tab to work. I enter the keywords I want to track, but it doesn’t seem to retain them. Not sure if I’m doing something wrong or if this is a bug.

I guess a third complaint would be that an iPhone version isn’t available. But I’ll leave that for my iPhone-fanatic Partners to voice. If you had to start somewhere, Blackberry is the right place with a bigger install base and business-focused users.

Want to check it out? Download it here.

The long awaited PWNAGE application for the iPhone has been delayed. For those of  you who aren’t familiar with the PWNAGE app, it allows you to flash unsigned firmware to your iPhone and iPod touch. Yep, that’s right, your chance to take control of your device and install whatever applications you choose. With the release of the iPod and iPhone SDK earlier this month, PWNAGE makes all things possible including the fall of the wireless cell phone companies, destruction of GPS manufacturers and cats and dogs living together. Unsigned applications do not need Apple’s review and approval.

 Now, back to the delay. It doesn’t sound too serious… will be released later this week. A couple of other caveats, 1) you need a Mac to use this application. Sorry PC guys - you know who you are. 2) PWNAGE is being released before Apple releases their version 2.0 firmware for the devices. This is a concern as Apple might “fix” PWNAGE in the 2.0 release. So, buyer beware but this is the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it… more or less.  

cwt