I've been getting a few emails a week for months about an old solution i started.

Here's a new complete elegant solution: Blackberry Web Shortcuts

with customisable icons!! - please read the instructions on the site - this software is not supported and it's free.

It'll run on any blackberry running 4.1 firmware or later (all 8700's and pearls will be fine).




Edit 02/1/2008: New version released here:

http://www.blackberryforums.com/afte...tml#post803266

Great! It works awesome. Do you know if there is a way to rename the shortcuts, so they dont always display as "Shortcut1, Shortcut2, etc..."?

No. This app will not do that.

afaik it's not possible to do this programatically.

One thing about the Pearl that bugs me is that there aren't separate icons for the Blackberry Browser and the Internet Browser.

So I installed the web shortcuts program and created a shortcut to mobile.blackberry.com, which always loads in the internet browser. My browser default is set to blackberry browser. Now I have a separate icon for each browser.

Thanks for the info. I have to try this one out.

new link and updated app: Blackberry Web Shortcuts

New link added to first post, as well.

Is that link working? I tried to download it, but meshsystem.net takes me to a strange page with ad-sponsored links which have got nothing to do with bb! 'fencing wire', 'metal mesh' .. !!!

read above post:

Jfisher, any chance we can get you to put up OTA files & links?

thanks for reminding me - i've said before i need to get a simple wap site up with ota downloads - i just need to get my web hosts to make some server changes before it'll be possible, i'll email them this weekend,
cheers,
jon

I have to say, this is one of my most used apps. jfisher created it a year or so ago after I posted a question about (probably not the first) and I've been using it ever since. I've loaded it on about 20 Blackberries for accessing our Blackberry flight schedule on an intranet site. Everyone loves it. I'm looking forward to the release of the version mentioned in another thread that allows custom labeling, too!

If I could leave a little feedback....

ShortcutHub:
1. The font is kind of small for me. Any chance to make the font adjustable, slightly bigger or the same as the rest of the BB?

2. It would be nice to have it setup similar to the browser where it fills in the "http://www." with the ability to edit it when necessary.

This is far from nitpicking the app (especially when it's free!) Just some suggestions to consider for the next version.

Thanks again, jfisher. This app has been of tremendous benefit to us.

~John

thanks john, will make the changes in the next version - re: font size, you're right, i make that mistake everywhere, my website included and people do keep mentioning it - it's a habit i need to change.

Thanks

This deserves to be a sticky. Thread stuck!

Kewl! Waiting on the OTA since I can't use DM....

Thanks for the app!

For anyone who makes a shortcut to this forum, I made an icon:



The link text is:

http://library.angeltowns.net/graphics/BBForums.png

...and kathryn, hope you don't mind, I made it transparent. Nice icon!



http://webpages.charter.net/john.clark/BBForums.png

Great Application John!!!

I have been looking for something like this for a long time.

If I had to ask for 1 improvement, I would suggest having the ability to edit the text in the ribbon bar when the icon is highlighted (ie instead of saying "Shortcut1" it could say "BB Forums" for example).

Even without this suggestion, I would have to rate this as one of the best applications out there. Simple, and I cannot believe that RIM did not think of it when they wrote the OS.

Here is an icon that fits in if you're using an iPhone theme, can somebody post it to a server so everyone can download (I do not have a server site)

and for the record that's Jon! I surely didn't write the app....just plug it cuz I like it and made this thread a sticky so everyone could find it.

He said he's going to write us an update that will have that ability. When this app was written that wasn't possible.

It's nice...I have one simlar that kathrynhr created except Guess went and changed the logo on us so we need to create a new one from the new logo.

Approximately how long do you have to wait for the icon to load? I have been trying to load the Blackberry Forums icon for a while now :/

So far, none of the icons I have tried to load have loaded. X_x How can I fix that?

It usually takes only a few seconds. You most likely typo'd the web address. They are usually case sensitive, too.

I typed it in case-sensitive, etc, and the 'Loading Icon' thing stops, but the image still doesn't appear. :/

Are you using .png type icon images?

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Yes. I am typing in the link given above.

It works for me...make sure you type it in EXACTLY as it's posted. You need the "http://" as well. The one that I posted is transparent-looks really nice on the BB. Is that the one you are trying?

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I am typing it exactly, and, yes, I'm using the transparent one.

You're doing something wrong somewhere. I just added this icon again to another shortcut and it worked fine. In the first line type the website you want the shortcut to point to (i.e. wap.blackberryforums.com). Then click "Update." Then on the second line type the link above exactly including the http:// etc, keeping in mind that it's case sensitive. If you get even one letter in the wrong case it won't download. Then click update. That should be all there is to it.

Here’s a transparent eBay icon.



http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/5351/ebayag6.png

Here's one for starters.



http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/1219/bbf2ig6.png

So, now that the icon shows up in the hub, is it supposed to show up as an icon in my applications menu? o_o

Where the shortcuts show up depends on the theme you are using. Either the applications folder or the home screen. Did you install all the shortcuts as well as the shortcut hub?

Also, what did you do to get the icon working?

I meant that although the BBForums icon showed up in my hub, it didn't show up as the actual icon in the applications menu.

I didn't notice the capitalized 'F'. haha

That'll do it!

The first time you click the old icon it will change to the new one. After each reboot of the BB you'll have to click it again to get the icon back. It doesn't download each time but it does need to run in order to display the cutomized icon.

Thanks! Got it to work.

I don't think this will install on an 8800. Can it be made compatable? This sounds like a very useful app.

i tried it on an 8800 today and it wouldnt install through the desktop manager - i'll make sure the next version will work on all devices, will also finally get around to an ota setup - just need to get a deadline out of the way and i'll look into it.

Great! Thanks!