This week I’d like to welcome Cherri Chiodo back to the feature. She had been a mainstay in 2009 — it seemed like every other TRW contained a theme designed by Cherri. Her daughter was diagnosed with cancer in December, and rightly she spent her energy there rather than with themes. She’s back now, and has re-released a number of her more popular themes. I’m going with a newer one, which is nearly two months old but certainly worth a look. Welcome back, Cherri.
Zodiac
Even people who don’t believe in astrology know their sign. It’s something simple, something that can create connections between people, even if it’s not some mystic connection controlled by the stars. Cherri’s Zodiac theme plays to that. She has made it available with all 12 signs, so you can pick up your own. The theme itself provides a pleasing look. The home screen features calendar and message hidden Today, along with six customizable icons. The wallpapers are very nice, too, and go perfectly with the icon set. The network information, time, date, and other items fall below the icons. It gives the theme a separated feel, like this is the designated area where you do stuff, and the bottom is the reference area. My biggest complaint about Cherri’s themes, the font, is nonexistent on this one. Everything is easy to read. The theme is available on multiple platforms. You can get the Zodiac theme, in any of the 12 signs, for $6.99. That’s the link for the Tour version, though there are many more available.
Biston
Hedone design is apparently not satisfied with one style of theme. For a while they were going heavy on the hidden today, but lately have found other uses for the home screen. Biston is no different. Its animated home screen provides yet another flavor. If you’re looking for a new theme, you can probably find something to suit your wants and needs at Hedone. The Biston theme combines the wheel-style themes Hedone has designed lately with the Today Preview feature that many users love. The home screen features nine rotating, customizable icons. When you scroll to messages and calendar, you see your most recent items in the blue area above. That also makes for space to customize the wallpaper. The battery and signal meters are also clickable, creating even more space on the home screen. The applications menu is a straightforward block style with easy to grasp icons. If you’re a Hedone fan, I think you’ll be pleased with this theme. You can get the Biston theme for $6.99. It is compatible with BlackBerry models running OS 4.6 and above.
Defined Pro
Lately we’ve seen a lot of fancily designed themes that take advantage of the new BlackBerry Theme Studio. Those are fine and good, and have provided us with a better selection of themes than we’ve had in the past. Sometimes, though, I want something a bit simpler. Something like the old themes, based around functionality and not design. I think I found that with Defined Pro. The theme features the standard Today Preview, with both messages and calendar sitting as static icons on the bottom of the screen. In fact, that, along with a profiles button, are the only icons which appear on the screen. Other than that it comes with a green background that features floating leaves. Yet there is plenty of room for a few customizable icons. That’s 10 to be exact, which come in a scrolling, hidden dock. If you run OS 4.6 or above, you can get the Defined Pro theme for just $2. You’ll need OS 4.7 for the theme to run optimally. You can also choose from the preview or a non-preview version.
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