Just like its brethren on other mobile platforms, this news program gives you complete, flexible access to local, national and international news. On top of giving you up-to-the-minute news, the latest version of this app lets you send stories to Facebook or your friends, read stories off-line, or watch news videos. If you're looking for multiple news sources, try Viigo below, but AP can satisfy any needy news junkie. Download AP Mobile News from the Web site above.
BBNotePad
Qin;
Bloomberg Mobile
Bloomberg LP; m.bloomberg.com
BlackBerries have a lot of hard-core, costly options for serious stock gurus, but Bloomberg is the best free business app. It provides news, stock quotes, company descriptions, a customized list of stocks, and market trends. It's also pretty easy to use, considering the amount of data it's throwing at you. Bloomberg Mobile is available from BlackBerry App World.
BOLT
The built-in BlackBerry browser is a mess. To the rescue rides BOLT, a fast, high-quality browser that downloads pages which actually look like desktop Web pages. BOLT comes with all the browser usuals, such as bookmarks and an RSS reader, but its most important attribute is desktop fidelity - pages look really good in this browser, even including some Flash content. It's a huge step up from the BlackBerry browser. To download BOLT, go to www.boltbrowser.com.
Research in Motion; www.blackberry.com
The latest Facebook app transforms your BlackBerry into a miniature version of the Facebook desktop site, sans add-in apps. The Highlights feature works like your news feed, letting you view recent status updates, photo uploads, comments, and wall posts without having to dive into the app's various menu icons. You can upload or tag photos, check out photos, and add comments to photos or news items. This is a strong, successful transformation of Facebook into a useful mobile app. Facebook is available in BlackBerry App World.
FlashLight 1.0.2
App Pro Shop; No Web site
There are many free flashlight apps to pick from, but we choose FlashLight by App Pro Shop. It's extremely easy to use, and the light is bright. You can adjust both the color and brightness of the light to your taste, too; according to the manufacturer, different colors of light work better in different situations. Green, for instance, won't spook the fish. FlashLight is available from BlackBerry App World.
Gmail
Google; m.google.com/a/
Hey, wait a minute - why do you need to run an app to get e-mail on a BlackBerry? Because you get many more features that way. Reading Gmail through the built-in BlackBerry client is a pretty basic experience. Loading the Gmail app, you get access to your contact list, sent and archived mail, labels and stars. It looks like Gmail, too. You can download the Gmail app from the Web site above. If you're looking for a better Gmail experience within the existing BlackBerry email app, try RIM's relatively-new Gmail plug-in, downloadable at http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/features/communication/gmail.jsp?.
Google Maps
Google; m.google.com/maps
It's GPS navigation for free; what's not to love? Google's BlackBerry app offers driving, transit and walking directions (albeit without voice prompts) for businesses and street addresses, with real-time traffic updates that help you steer around congested areas. The new Layers feature lets you view various kinds of information - for instance, Wikipedia entries - overlaid on a map, while Latitude tells you where your friends are. If you ever leave the house, this app is a must-have. Go to the Web address above to get Google Maps.
Ka-Glom
It's hard to find a good free game for BlackBerries that works on the latest devices. This puzzle game is the best of the bunch. It's a bit of a Tetris clone, but with the bonus of exploding chain reactions between different kinds of falling blocks- and who doesn't like exploding chain reactions? If you're sick of BrickBreaker and Word Mole, this is another quick, colorful, casual game that will give you something immersive and different. Ka-Glom is available from BlackBerry App World.
Opera Mini
Where BOLT (see above) focuses on fidelity, Opera Mini goes for speed. Especially good on lower-resolution BlackBerries like the Curve, Opera Mini compresses pages so they transfer more quickly, and reformats them so they're readable on small screens without zooming in and out. If you want to, you can also look at a desktop view of the page. The latest version, 5.0, adds tabs and a graphical bookmarks page. Download Opera Mini from the Web site above.
