BBHub reader Scott Kane is not able to come up with an explanation of why a series of BlackBerrys he has used all seem to totally lose their Bluetooth connection in his automobiles.

"I have had problems with the 7100, 7105, 7290, 8700, and now 8100 all dropping my Bluetooth connection in my car," Scott tells us.

He adds that his vehicle has a U-Connect from DaimlerChrysler factory installed. Not only has it been happening in five different cars and five different BlackBerrys.

By now, the first indications of a failure are familiar to Scott. He says that while the BlackBerry Bluetooth connection is fine and reliable at first, then before long then the BlackBerry starts showing "connection to U-Connect lost."

Removing the battery and then placing it back in provides temporary relief. But do you agree with Scott and me that constantly having to do this is a pain?

"At first I thought it to be the car," he writes. "But now that I've been through 3 cars and countless BlackBerry devices I think the problem lies in the BlackBerry."

Readers, have you had similar experiences?

In a confirmation of something just about everyone has known as fact, Vodafone Australia and BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion have announced the launching of the BlackBerry 8707v and the BlackBerry 7130v.

Obligatory partner happy talk:

"The launch of the two new BlackBerry handsets reinforces over-arching vision of delivering true mobility to Australian businesses and their employees, Vodafone Australia Business Markets general manager Edward Goff said.

Goff actually did add something newsworthy: broadband-modem enabling dashboard software in the BlackBerry 8707v will launch in September.

Actually, we knew that as well.

CNET is out with "Pick the right BlackBerry for you," a post offering a side-by-side comparison of six of the newest BlackBerry models.

The new posting offers summary reviews, editors and users ratings, pricing info and technical specs for the BlackBerry 7130c, BlackBerry 7130e, BlackBerry 7100i, BlackBerry 7105t, BlackBerry 8700g, and BlackBerry 8700c. There are also video demonstrations of the 7100g, 7100i, 8700c and 8700i.

Interesting: the side-by-side display of both the CNET editors and Users' ratings show the BlackBerry 7130c in the lead with an 8.3 "Excellent" rating from the editors and a "Spectacular" 9.0 rating from Users who offered their opinions on the device through the CNET site.

Telmap Navigator is showing their BlackBerry solution at CeBit, a trade show that opened in Berlin, Germany today.

The offering feaures turn-by-turn navigation with map, text and voice instructions. 

The content specifically spotlights  "Points of Interest," restaurant reviews, hot spots, as well as hotel and theater listings. 

Telmap Navigator is compatible with all BlackBerry 7100 phones, as well as with BlackBerry8700.

Several security experts think that because of the increasing number of smartphone users as well as the comparative ease of spreading viruses across these platforms, that smartphone security will be tested this year.

Attacks on smartphones haven't reached the critical mass needed but it will happen sooner rather than later," antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab CEO Eugene Kaspersky, tells Red Herring.

"Mobile phone attacks scale very well for fraud," Internet Security Systems chief technology officer Chris Rouland also tells the publication.

"Phone viruses are propagating quickly and they have only been gated by the fact that there are not enough smartphone users today," he told the magazine. 

Rouland added that because phone carriers would likely have to bear the $100-per-incident cost of cleaning infected handhelds, only a few hundred infected phones are enough to cause a problem. 

Yet network security executive Simon Klalaf disagrees. The Vernier Networks CEO tells Red Herring that the financial incentives that spur malware writers to develop viruses are not there for smartphones.

"Putting a worm on laptops where the objective is to steal financial or personal data is a bigger problem for everyone," he tells Red Herring.

BlackBerry-enthusiast site BlackBerry Cool had these first, but I ain't above spreadin' the link love about GUI eye candy.

Like these pretty BlackBerry 7100 themes from Keith.

Keith didn't design these themes, but he is making them available for free. These theme screens aren't downloadable individually, but they can be downloaded as a grouped Zip file.

I like them is what I think.

What do you think?

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion and 3.4 million subscriber mobilkom Austria today launched the BlackBerry 8700v in that nation.  

The 8700v joins the BlackBerry 7100v and BlackBerry 7290 in the lineup of Austria's largest mobile carrier.

"Austrian customers can purchase the new BlackBerry 8700v and benefit from mobilkom austria's fast network to experience the full capabilities of this new device," Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter, CMO, mobilkom austria said in a prepared statement.  "The BlackBerry 8700v is a great addition to our portfolio of BlackBerry devices for both business and individual customers who need to access information while on the go."

Boris Boege of Skylab Mobile Systems writes to tell me that their GPS mapping tool "Spot for Blackberry" now supports all Bluetooth enabled Blackberry devices in combination with a Bluetooth GPS receiver.

Former versions were only compatible with BlackBerry 7520 and BlackBerry 7100i. Both of those models have an integrated GPS receiver.

Now, Spot for BlackBerry has been rev'd to support the BlackBerry 7100 Series, the BlackBerry 8700 Series as well as the BlackBerry 7250 and BlackBerry 7290.

"Spot for Blackberry" costs $49. A time limited demo version is available free for download.

Further information is available at: http://www.skylabmobilesystems.com/en/products/spot_bb.html

I'm a SprintNextel subscriber.

As one, I receive the quarterly Sprint Connection newsletter.

Mine came via email just now.

Looks like the promotion priority for the SprintNextel folks this quarter is the BlackBerry 7100i.

$199.99 with a two-year plan.

That London trip to see Bon Jovi looks pretty cool, too.

If you have a BlackBerry 7100, and want to create your own ringtones, you may wish to consider downloading and installing Millennium Studios' BlackBerry 7100 Series Ringtone Builder Package.

The Package includes:

• A digital video with ringtone creation instructions:
• A link to software that helps you convert sound files from the .wav or ,mp3 format to the BlackBerry format;
• 5 MB of hosting space on the Millennium Studio's ringtones web server, with uploading privileges for six months;
• 10 free ringtones, pre-configured for your BlackBerry and available on Millennium Studios' web server for you to download and install on your BlackBerry if you wish.

Total cost is $24.95, but Club Handango Members pay just $22.46.

Click the Read link below this post and you'll ring up Handango.com's BlackBerry 7100 Series Ringtone Builder Package page.

• Operating System: BlackBerry Device Software v4.1
• Size: (LxWxD) 117.4mm x 56.3 mm x 22.6mm
• Weight: Approximately 133g
• Display: Large LCD screen (240x260 pixels) supporting over 65K colours with bright LED backlight
• Notification: Polyphonic ringtones, vibrate mode, on-screen or LGD indicator
• Keyboard: SureType keyboard technology with QWERTY style layout, plus power on/off/backlight key, dedicated Send, End and Convenience Key
• Trackwheel: Thumb-operated trackwheel and ESC key
• Memory: 64 MB flash memory plus 16 MB SRAM
• Keyboard Security: Password protection and keyboard lock
• Supported Network: 800/1900 MHz CDMA2000 1X Networks, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO support.