7 Killer Applications for the BlackBerry
May 5th, 2008 (7:00am) Jenneth Orantia 21 Comments
Reckon the Blackberry is only good for email? Maybe when it’s fresh out of the box. But if you want to bump it up a few notches, here are seven powerful applications that can transform the way you use and interact with your BlackBerry.
Jott for BlackBerry
In a previous article, I covered tips for getting more from BlackBerry email. One application I didn’t mention is Jott for BlackBerry, which is an extension of its main service that lets you reply to messages using your voice. Jott transcribes your verbal message to text before sending it on to the recipient and includes a link in the email to hear the voice recording in case of transcription errors. The Jott voice recognition engine is amazing - even my laid-back Aussie drawl, which is usually a challenge for anyone out of the country to understand, let alone a machine, was transcribed with 100% accuracy.
eOffice
eOffice is the only document editor for BlackBerry currently available, but its real killer feature is integration with Google Docs and Spreadsheets. Using this program, you can open and edit files in your online account, as well as save files you’ve created on the BlackBerry directly to your Google account. But it still needs work: in my testing, the connection would time out more times than not, or throw up errors that the document I was trying to open was empty or invalid.
RDM+
Another means of accessing files that aren’t stored locally is RDM+, a remote access program that lets you connect to your PC, navigate your desktop using the BlackBerry’s trackball and keyboard, run programs and transfer files between your BlackBerry and PC. Using it over an EDGE connection is interminably slow, but it’s easy to set up and pays for itself the first time you leave an urgent file on your PC and don’t have any other means of retrieving it.
PocketDay
If you use your BlackBerry for time management, PocketDay is a must-have as it aggregates all of your PIM items and unread messages into a single screen. I’ve never subscribed to the idea of having tasks and appointments in separate applications - I need to see all of my meetings and to-do items in one place so I can organize my time effectively, and PocketDay provides that functionality, in addition to letting you save individual emails as actionable appointments or tasks and view other information like weather, stocks, world time and RSS feeds on one screen.
JiveTalk
If you use IM for chatting with colleagues and clients, JiveTalk will make your life a lot easier. It works across all major IM platforms, supports file transfers and chat transcripts (and even lets you email transcripts for a permanent record of discussions), and makes it easy to switch between multiple chat windows.
BlackBerry Call Screener
Finally, I’ve found BlackBerry Call Screener indispensable for managing my calls. When I’m ‘in the zone’, I don’t like being interrupted with phone calls, and rather than turn my BlackBerry off altogether, I can set up Antair CallScreener to block all calls save for people on my ‘whitelist’ (mainly my partner and family) – anyone else can send me an email or leave a voicemail! Other options in the program include blocking all calls, blocking all calls save for people in your address book, and allowing all calls except for people on your blacklist.
Got any other BlackBerry applications you can recommend? Let’s hear about them in the comments.
21 Comments Post your own comment
Ryan Duff says: May 5th, 2008 8:14am
Maybe I can’t count… but I’m only seeing 6 applications listed.
Tony Wright says: May 5th, 2008 9:36am
Another great one is Beyond411, which provides local search capability (yellow pages):
http://thebogles.com/blog/projects/berry411/
Judi Sohn says: May 5th, 2008 9:41am
Thanks, Tony. See, Ryan…there’s #7. Seriously, looks like an editing goof. Sorry about that.
If I know WWD readers you guys are going to pepper this thread with so many great apps that the number in the title won’t matter. :-)
Scott says: May 5th, 2008 9:49am
The link for Call Screener is http://www.antair.com/blackberry/callscreener/index.html — the link above takes you to Jive Talk
Ryan Duff says: May 5th, 2008 10:45am
Judi: I figured you were counting ahead! You know how it is… early in the morning when you’re reading a list and things don’t add up.
Anyway, great list of apps!
jason says: May 5th, 2008 11:07am
Check out the Google Application suite that you can download. It includes a Gmail client which I like better than the standard email. It also has some search tools, maps, documents, picassa and more.
Judi Sohn says: May 5th, 2008 11:39am
Scott, thanks for the catch! That’s what I get for editing before my first cup of coffee. I’ve corrected the link in the post.
Jenneth Orantia says: May 5th, 2008 4:46pm
Argh, my bad for the dodgy maths! I started out with 10 and whittled my way down to 7… or so I thought!
Jason: Yah,Google Mobile Updater is great! I use it mainly for shortcut links to Google Reader and Google Search.
Steve says: May 5th, 2008 8:39pm
Jott transcription is not done by machine; it’s done by people in India. That’s a deal breaker for me.
Password Dragon says: May 5th, 2008 10:51pm
Jott is a absolutely great. I use it mainly to capture my thoughts while I’m driving and have it emailed to my inbox. It’s fantastic.
lisa says: May 6th, 2008 3:27am
e-office is a good and the best application for Blackberry devices as it lets you handle your docs on the go!
SKhan says: May 6th, 2008 3:59am
For me IM+ for BlackBerry and Skype for Blackberry are the best applications. I have recently purchased HTML email viewer and that is another excellent application for BlackBerry.
Jane_Sty says: May 6th, 2008 7:29am
I completely agree that IM+ for BlackBerry is a one of the best apps, but recently they have launched new GPSed project. I’m convinced this service will be really popular
http://gpsed.com/
Kate from Jott says: May 6th, 2008 4:51pm
So happy to hear the Jott for BlackBerry app is working well for you!
@Steve- we actually use a combination of both voice recognition and people. Voice recognition isn’t a perfect science yet, so we enlisted the help of some people to ensure quality of transcriptions.
7 Killer Applications for the BlackBerry says: May 7th, 2008 5:21am
[...] Reckon the Blackberry is only good for email? Maybe when it’s fresh out of the box. But if you want to bump it up a few notches, here are seven powerful applications that can transform the way you use and interact with your BlackBerry. Jott for BlackBerryIn a previous article, I covered tips for getting more from BlackBerry email. One application I didn’t mention is Jott for BlackBerry, which is an extension of its main service that lets you reply to messages using your voice. Jott transcribes your verbal message to text before sending it on to the recipient and includes a link in the email to hear the voice recording in case of transcription errors. The Jott voice recognition engine is amazing - even my laid-back Aussie drawl, which is usually a challenge for anyone out of the country to understand, let alone a machine, was transcribed with 100% accuracy. Read More? [...]
Business Hacks mobile edition says: May 8th, 2008 6:47am
[...] (or don’t even know) that they can add software to their devices. Web Worker Daily rounds up 7 productivity-boosting apps for the BlackBerry, [...]
Johan Pellicaan says: May 9th, 2008 12:47am
Great overview but I would also include Transpara’s Visual KPI in this list. With this solution, KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) become reatime available on on your BlackBerry. When you receive an alert by email that a specific KPI might be lower than the bounderies you set, you can directly analyze the root cause of the problem. Have a look at http://www.transpara.com
Associated Knowledge says: May 9th, 2008 4:47am
This is a great list but I think you missed out on including one of the best feed readers for the Blackberry - Viigo by VirtualReach. Sure there is Google Reader and I do use it on my laptop, but Viigo is infinitely easier to use on the go. It allows easy and free 1-click access to over 5,000 channels, the ability to add your own feeds, package tracking, weather, alerts and sharing.
It’s definitely worthy of inclusion as a Killer Application or at the very least exploring further.
lo-fi librarian» Blog Archive » This Week’s Useful Tools says: May 10th, 2008 8:29am
[...] 7 Killer Applications for the Blackberry - from Web Worker Daily. [...]
Justin R. says: July 7th, 2008 6:08pm
I absolutely love I’m Busy Software (www.imbusysoftware.com). It is the only BB application I have found where you can create customizable sms, pins and emails right from your BB, for out of office replies. Really an ingenious solution to allow for some BB relief. My favorite app hands down.
Helena says: July 11th, 2008 12:15pm
I need an application for the Blackberry that syncs not only my Outlook email, but my email categories as well. I need to be able to see what appointments I have personally and professionally. I would like to have different colors for my different categories, just like Outlook 2007