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My Fun with Themes

Checking out the new Themes category in BlackBerry App World™

Try out a new theme as a cool way to express yourself. Themes will totally change the look and feel of your BlackBerry® smartphone. And we're not just talking background photos, but also your icons, menus, and ring tones. Some themes even include basic animations. They are a fun way to spice up your smartphone with your changing mood.

In BlackBerry App World™ you will see hundreds of themes covering all manner of subjects, from movies and TV, to sports and travel, to seasonal and holidays. Many themes are free to install, but for others you will pay a small fee (generally less than $10 US).

With all the buzz surrounding the new Themes category I wanted to see what all the excitement was about. What follows is a first-hand look at BlackBerry themes, how to install them, and two of my favorites.

Download BlackBerry App World here »

My first theme: Seltzer

I started by opening BlackBerry App World with my BlackBerry® Storm™ smartphone, then navigating to the Theme category. I quickly spotted the Seltzer theme ($5.99 US) under the Nature subcategory. At nearly 2.2MB Seltzer is a larger theme, so I knew I had to watch my memory. But I liked the look, so I clicked on it to give it a go.

To install and activate a theme, follow these steps in BlackBerry App World on your BlackBerry smartphone:

1. Click the theme you wish to install.
2. Click Download.

3. If asked, click Yes if you wish to activate the theme.

The theme will then download to your smartphone. And what a difference a theme makes! My main screen became animated with rising seltzer bubbles. My icons changed to a cool blue in color, and my menu had a nice yellow background color and new fonts.

How to activate a theme

Note that in most situations a theme will automatically become your active theme after installation. If not, you will have to activate it manually:

1. In the device Options, click Theme.
2. Highlight the theme.
3. Press the Menu key.
4. Click Activate.

That's all there is to it.

Theme #2: Toy Story

Next, I jogged over to the Movies & TV subcategory in BlackBerry App World and spotted Toy Story®, based on one of my favorite animated movies. I paid my $5.99 (US), said yes to installation, and found my main screen totally transformed with a picture of Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Hamm, Slinky Dog, and the rest of the gang.

How to switch between themes

I now had three themes on my BlackBerry Storm smartphone:

• Toy Story (active)
• Precision Zen (my original theme)
• Seltzer

What if I want to switch back to Seltzer? It's easy:

1. In the device Options, click Theme.
2. Highlight Seltzer.
3. Press the Menu key.
4. Click Activate.

Delete a theme

I then wanted to free up some memory by deleting Seltzer from my smartphone. How did I do it?

Because Seltzer was my active theme, I first had to activate a different theme (see "How to activate a theme" above).

Next, there are two methods to delete a theme; choose whichever works for your particular BlackBerry smartphone.

Method 1:

1. In the device Options, click Theme.
2. Highlight the theme you wish to delete.
3. Press the Menu key.
4. Click Delete.

Method 2:

1. On your BlackBerry smartphone, click the BlackBerry App World icon.
2. Click My World.
3. Highlight the item and press the Menu key.
4. Click Delete.
5. Once the item has been deleted, its status will switch from Installed to Uninstalled.

Archive a theme

As an alternative to permanently deleting a theme, try archiving it instead. Items downloaded or purchased using the BlackBerry App World storefront can be archived to an external media card* or available internal device memory. This makes memory management more efficient and has the following additional benefits:

• Quicker reinstallation of items
• No additional air time data charges when an archived item is reinstalled

Complete the following steps to archive an item in BlackBerry App World:

1. On your BlackBerry smartphone, click the BlackBerry App World icon.
2. Click My World.
3. Highlight the item and press the Menu key.
4. Click Archive.

Once the item has been archived, its status will switch from Installed to Archived.

Restoring an archived theme: Complete the following steps to restore an item from an archive in BlackBerry App World:

1. On your BlackBerry smartphone, click the BlackBerry App World icon.
2. Click My World.
3. Highlight an item currently marked as Archived.
4. Press the Menu key and click Restore.

Once the item has been restored, its status will switch from Archived to Installed.

Create your own themes

Creating themes is not just for commercial developers; you can create your own with the BlackBerry® Theme Studio. You can change backgrounds, add pictures of your family or pets, or pick ring tones to suit your changing moods. Get started with a pre-set template, or use design software like Adobe® Photoshop®.

Download BlackBerry Theme Studio for free »

*External media cards (micro-SD™) can be purchased separately.