Rob's favourite BlackBerry Apps of 2011

12:19:00 AM Unknown Labels: 9800, apps, blackberry, playbook, torch

I've seen quite a few of these lists floating around the internet. So I thought I would chime in with my own lists.

On my phone, I've found that I'm really not app crazed like many out there with certain competitive products. *Cough iPhone cough* so the list here is fairly short.

For Smartphones

Evernote

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I have a memory of a goldfish. I am always forgetting things, and I needed to get myself reorganized quickly. I discovered Evernote midway through 2011 and I've been loving it since. You can write a note and sync it to your free account online. From there, you can access it online their website (evernote.com), a browser plugin, or other mobile devices, such as a PlayBook, Android or iOS device.

You don't have to just sync text either. You can attach photos, voice notes, and even documents and spreadsheets.

Score Mobile

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I'm a huge Winnipeg Jets fan. Unfortunately, not a big enough fan to buy the Jets channel through my cable provider. This app allows you to pick your favorite teams, and/or track specific games. Currently I have it set to message me 15 minutes before every Jets game, and send a message every time someone scores. It will tell me nearly instantly the time of goal, who did it, and the current score.

You can of course go through the app too and check the scores, see stats, etc.

FYI, for CFL games (I'm also a Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan) the notifications don't seem to work, but you can update manually and the score will be up to date.

Facebook

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I am a social network junky. If Facebook is used the most anywhere, it's from my BlackBerry. The official app runs well, and does what it needs too for the most part. I've had no complaints.

Twitter

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I have noticed many users out there are going towards other apps to read Twitter. But I've found the official version to be the best one. The latest version even allows multiple accounts.

BlackBerry Bridge

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If you own a BlackBerry PlayBook, you'll certainly want this app. It connects the two units together so you can access your email, calendar, notes, and more on your PlayBook from your cell phone. It also allows certain apps on the PlayBook to access the internet without the worry of tethering charges. It works great and does what it needs to do.

For the PlayBook

Blaq

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This app is the first I purchased from the store when I got my tablet. There is no native Twitter app yet (ugh) so I went with this one. I like it, and does the job for the most part. But it does lack in many features I'd like, such as lists and viewing profiles. It took them a long time to allow portrait viewing too, and it's buggy when you go from portrait to landscape. I hope they patch that sooner than later.

Evernote

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Just like for my phone, I use Evernote all the time. If I make a change to an entry on the website, it will sync and show up on my PlayBook and phone. I can also take a pic, record a voice note, upload documents, bookmark URLs... The list goes on. Love this app.

Box

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Cloud storage is becoming the next big thing. CDs, DVDs, and USB memory sticks will phase out eventually. Well, that's my opinion, not fact.

Box allows me to save files from my PlayBook to their servers. I can then access the files from a computer with internet access. It's a straight forward app.

Cooklet

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This quite possibly the best looking app on the PlayBook to date. And it's free! Not only is the interface beautiful, but it really does function perfectly well for what it does.

Say you have 20 minutes to eat. You can select that time, and it will find you recipes that can be done within your time limit.

Or perhaps you found a meal that would be great for the weekend. You can select it, and click a button to add the ingredients to your shopping list. Done, now you have a shopping list to take with you.

Score Mobile

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Just as mentioned before for the phone, this app is great. It has a slick interface and lots to read. You won't get instant notifications though, so you'll want to depend on your phone for score updates. But, you can set a game to auto refresh at certain intervals, or just refresh on the fly.

Angry Birds (All versions)

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FINALLY, after waiting so long... Angry Birds, along with Rio and Seasons, are now available for the PlayBook. It comes at a pricy cost of $4.99 per app, but to me it's worth it. I picked up Rio at random.

I've played this before on friends' iPads and iPod Touches. I would swear this game runs smoother on the PlayBook than it does on other tablets and smartphones.

TweetCaster (Android)

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If you're adventurous as I am, you may have gotten the beta operating system for the PlayBook, 2.0. It has a few bugs, but overall I am loving it. I'd go into details, but I'll leave that for another post.

As mentioned, I'm not completely happy with Blaq as a Twitter app. But I've heard good things about TweetCaster. The thing is, it's an Android app. With 2.0 beta, you can side-load converted Android apps. Thanks to those at Crackberry.com, I learned how to do this, and TweetCaster is fantastic!

The interface is fun, but attractive. It shows me lists, and I can see profiles too. Not to mention going back and forth from portrait view to landscape is effortless. Since installed I've left Blaq in the dust.

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