[illogic]

Someone had sent me a PM asking how to install apps such as Opera Mini, Gmail, etc without having BlackBerry Internet Service. So I wrote this up in case anyone else wanted to know. NOTE: Change all "hxxp" to "http" and "hxxps" to "https". Apparently I'm not allowed to post URLs yet.


1. Download and install the latest Desktop Manager from hxxps://www.blackberry.com/Downloads/browseSoftware.do (BlackBerry Desktop Software v4.5). I think I got the English with Media Manager install, though I haven't used MM so I don't know if it's necessary.

2. Download Opera Mini from hxxp://www.operamini.com/download/pc/blackberry/. To install it, unzip it, load up Desktop Manager, connect the phone to the computer with the USB cable, click Application Loader in DM, Add/Remove Applications, then hit Browse... and select the .alx file you unzipped. Hit Next to install.

Installing other apps takes a bit of resourcefulness. If you have .cod file(s) and an .alx, you can just use Desktop Manager to install like you did with Opera Mini. If you have a .jar file, plug in your phone, turn on Mass Storage Mode, copy the .jar onto the phone (it should appear as a drive on your computer), run the Media app on your phone, bring up the menu and go to Explore, then click the .jar file and Download. Most of the time though, you'll only be able to get a .jad file. Here's what to do..

3. Using Google Mobile Updater as an example... often, the hard part is finding the .jad file. It happens to be here: hxxp://m.google.com/m/download/pack/apps/v2.1.4/en/BlackBerry-42/pack-0.jad. Download that to your PC and open it in Notepad or another text editor. You're looking for any .cod files.. there are two: GoogleMobileUpdater.cod and GoogleMobileUpdater-1.cod. Usually, the .cod files are in the same path as the .jad file, so just take out the "pack-0.jad" form the previous URL and replace them with the 2 .cod filenames:

hxxp://m.google.com/m/download/pack/apps/v2.1.4/en/BlackBerry-42/GoogleMobileUpdater.cod
hxxp://m.google.com/m/download/pack/apps/v2.1.4/en/BlackBerry-42/GoogleMobileUpdater-1.cod

Download both of those and save them to a folder called "googlemobileupdater" or something. Now that you have your .cod files, you need to create an .alx file so you can install via DM. Create a new text file and paste this into it:

<loader version="1.0"> 
<application id="Google Mobile Updater"> 
<name>Google Mobile Updater</name> 
<description>Google Mobile Updater</description> 
<version>2.1.4</version> 
<vendor>Google</vendor> 
<copyright>Copyright (c) 2008 Google</copyright> 
<fileset Java="1.0"> 
<files>
GoogleMobileUpdater.cod
GoogleMobileUpdater-1.cod
</files>
</fileset> 
</application> 
</loader>

For other apps, just change the appropriate values. I don't think it really matters what you put for description, vendor, or copyright. The version number was listed in pack-0.jad (MIDlet-Version: 2.1.4). Save this file as GoogleMobileUpdater.alx. Then load it on your phone via DM like you did with Opera Mini.

With Google Mobile Updater you'll be able to install the latest versions of Google Search, Google Maps, Google Sync, and Gmail without going through the hassle above for each app. There are other Google apps (News, Reader, Docs, etc), but don't install those, because they try to load up the BB Browser and simply go to the app's mobile webpage.. and if you don't have BIS, you can't use the BB Browser. In other words, there is no Google Reader java app. If you want to use Google Reader, open Opera and go to hxxp://www.google.com/reader/m.

If you're having trouble finding a .jad file, you could try installing the User Agent Switcher extension for Firefox @ hxxps://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59. This will allow you to trick websites into thinking you're accessing them from your BB Browser, so that they'll release the .jad file to you as if you were doing an over-the-air (OTA) install. I have the following settings.. not sure if it's 100% correct but it seems to work:

Description: Blackberry 8300
User Agent: BlackBerry8300/4.2.2Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/107UP.Link/6.2.3.15.0
App Name: Blackberry
App Version: 1.0
Platform: Blackberry
Vendor:
Vendor Sub:

If I switch to the Blackberry 8300 profile and visit hxxp://m.google.com, I get links for the .jad files. That's how I was able to find the .jad for Google Mobile Updater. You can also use it to find the .jad for Viigo: hxxp://downloads.viigo.com/bb/vr/4.2/ViigoSE/ViigoSE.jad?v=2

Anyway hope that helps someone.

[kenzir24]

this is outstanding! thank you illogic.

[ADRIANA]

you can install it but can you use it over wifi?? lovely guide

[mikefetterman]

I'm running a linux box, so I don't have the option to use the desktop manager. but none the less I found a way. I downloaded the .jad , got the cod files, all same as the instructions above, but I put the jad and all of the cod files into a folder and put that folder onto my memory card, then I went into my media manager opened the folder I made earlier, scrolled down to the jad and selected download, and it started installing just like it would if i did a real life ota install But none the less thank you for the tutorial so that I could find the files that I needed to use

[chinkster]

can you tell me how to use the GOOGLE MAPS app on my blackberry 8320? i dont have a data plan but i do have WIFI so is there a way to use the GOOGLE MAPS app on my curve?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[natdrees]

Sorry to ask such a basic question, but how do you download the .cod files? I tried just entering the URL into my browse, saving them as webpages and then deleting the '.html', but that threw up an error message when I tried to export the .alx file to my blackberry.

Or is it just that Blackberry/Google have got wise to this and it no longer works?

Thanks

[Philpense]

Greetings:

I write as a Blackberry user on as similar path as you. Wanted to know if you achieved your goal. I have the 8330 'Curve' and trying to get the audible.com 'audio player'
Your post mentioned 'COD' files' and I did want to know if you made any progress on that as well. Much thanks for your attenton and I would appreciate it if you would respond

Phil Pense
Washington, DC