And finally, Zen themes, like Icon and Today themes, feature an icon screen with all the chosen apps and services displayed, but they a different sort of secondary screen. Users can customize their secondary Zen theme screens to include the most frequently accessed programs. So, for instance, Facebook fanatics can move their Facebook for BlackBerry icons onto their Zen "ribbon" screens for easy access. The Zen ribbon is populated with the first five apps on your icon screen, as well as an icon that links back to all the additional applications. How do you know if a theme is Zen? You guessed it: Most of the time the word "zen" will be in the name.

BlackBerry Dimension Zen Theme

A handful of new and unreleased BlackBerry devices also feature new theme configuration, included L and Precisions themes.

For example, BlackBerry smartphones running handheld OS v4.3, like the CDMA Pearl 8130 and Curve 8330, have L themes, which are very similar to Zen themes, except their secondary screens have ribbons that stretch across both the left-hand side of the BlackBerry display and the bottom of the screen--in an L shape. (BlackBerry handheld OS v4.5, which hasn't yet been officially released by any U.S. carrier, also includes an L theme.)

BlackBerry L Theme

The upcoming BlackBerry Bold 9000 smartphone will feature Precision themes, which offer some degree of transparency so users can see--and presumably use--other icons and applications while another is selected. Stripped down versions of Precision themes for existing devices can also be found on the Web.

BlackBerry Precision Zen Theme

Swapping Out a BlackBerry Theme

Changing or switching back and forth between BlackBerry themes is simple and can be done in a matter of minutes--though each theme must be customized individually and this process can take some time. For instance, if you rearrange the home screen using an Icon theme and then switch to a Zen theme, you'll need to reorder all your icons. However, if you then switch back to the original Icon theme, your icons will still be ordered the way you originally set them.

BlackBerry Themes

To switch from one theme to another, click on your BlackBerry Options icon and choose Theme. You'll then see a list of all your available themes. Scroll down to the theme that you wish to make active--the word "Active" will appear in bold next to the theme that's currently in use--and then click your trackball. After a few seconds, you'll be returned to the BlackBerry Options screen. Simply hit Escape -- located directly to the right of the trackball--and you'll return to your main screen.