Gmail

The Gmail App is indispensable in my opinion. Sure, I could use the regular ‘Messages’ app that comes installed with every BB, but that’s not nearly as cool for Gmail. With my Gmail app I can star, label, and so on just like my Gmail account on the web. Plus, the interface is way nicer and it is actually synced with Gmail, so unread messages are marked as read after accessing them whether it was on my BB or on the web.

Opera Mini

I HATE the default web browser on my BlackBerry Curve. It’s terrible I tell you. What’s more, I can’t change Opera Mini (a really GREAT mobile browser) to my default browser *sigh*. I can, however, use Opera Mini as much as I can… Just not when I click on links in other apps. Like my twitter apps…

BlackBird & TwitterBerry

I might not tweet as much as other people (e.g. my lovely wife), but I love reading other people’s tweets and commenting. Best way to keep up in transit or on my couch is with BlackBird or TwitterBerry. I have both on my BB just for kicks, though I use BlackBird more these days. It’s faster than TwitterBerry, which is important when you’re using a Java-based OS. TwitterBerry is prettier, but BlackBird is catching up in aesthetics.

Viigo

This app is a neat little aggregator that feeds you everything from News, Politics, Weather, Sports, RSS, Podcasts, Flight info, Stocks, and much more. I haven’t fully explored this app, but I do like reading news articles, the Onion, and the Weather regularly on it. You can easily add “channels” to each catagory and really customize Viigo to your needs.

Pandora

I just got this app a couple days ago… but I love it to bits! Srsly. Just like on the Pandora website, you have all your different band channels, Pandora plays songs it thinks you will like based on that band, you give it a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down,” and from that it gets better at selecting music for you to listen to. Perfect for when I’m driving (just plug it into my 1/8″ cable). Warning: if you don’t have an unlimited data plan, your bill can skyrocket from too much Pandora goodness.

Google Sync

Great app for the most part. Really helps keep my contacts and calendar organized. However, sometimes when I make updates on my calendar, it screws up if when I try to sync it manually. For some reason, it doesn’t know which record (the one in my phone or the one in Google calendar) is the most up-to-date. Hmmmmm…

Pacman

Because no BB is complete without this classic game at your disposal… at ALL times!

What are some of your favorite BlackBerry apps? Let me know in the comments!

Soooo… After a couple of weeks of testing, I have a verdict… Google Sync is pretty darn awesome! Not only does it automatically SAVE all your BB’s contacts to your gmail account in case—you know—you lose your phone or it dies beyond repair, but it syncs up with Google Calendar too.

And this is great because now I won’t forget that I have a meeting with a potential client tomorrow at 10am and a meeting with my accountant at 5pm. YES, both Google AND my BB are reminding me of this. Sure to be even more helpful when my schedule is busier in the future.

But, the thing about this app is the saving of contacts, hands down. Sure, I can easily plug in my BB to my computer, open some software, backup my contacts… OR I can just have it done automatically.

Personally, I seldom use Google Calendar, but I also hardly used Facebook or Twitter until I discovered an app for them. So maybe Google Calendar will follow suit. Actually, it would probably be incredibly useful to have something like this synced with my smart phone.

Anyway, it literally just synced up my Google Calendar (nothing on it, of course) and my Gmail contact (137 apparently). I’ll probably blog on this again after I explore this promising app some more.

And apparently, his wife hates his BlackBerry habits too.

This past summer, news cameras recorded him [Barack] checking his BlackBerry while watching his daughter’s soccer game, only to have Michelle Obama slap at his hands, prompting him to return the device to its holster.

This part made me laugh, sorta… because similarly, my wife lectures me on my BlackBerry habits and gives me dirty looks when I place the device on the coffee table—within arm’s reach—while watching TV together. I’m probably real close to getting slapped myself.

I have trouble disconnecting, and can finally admit that. It does, however, make it easy when it comes to managing my business. I just need to work on separating my work-life from my private-life. It’s tough.

And yes, I’ve been salivating over those BlackBerry Storm commercials too. Makes me wish my contract was up. True words of an addict, I guess.

I started by downloading some free games, but quickly removed most of them due to strange quirks. Actually, the only one I kept was Pac Man. They were free, so I wasn’t too upset. Though having Space Invaders at my fingertips got me all sorts of excited.

Anyway, one of the most interesting installations I found while scouring the web was a theme that made my BlackBerry look like an iPhone. Much better than the default themes they give you with the phone, plus this one is also FREE (though they do ask for donations)! Check it out here!