Where's my Google Mobile?

I got my first Blackberry (a Curve) about 10 months ago. I fell in love with it and part of the reason was the Google Mobile App. It made it easy to access all of my favorite Google products without the hassle of opening the Blackberry native browser. Recently, I upgraded to a Blackberry Storm and assumed that I would immediately be downloading my favorite search engine's mobile application.

It turns out that the Google Mobile App is not yet supported for the Blackberry Storm. This is distressing to me. I have since found versions of the jad online and have made attempts to install. I now have the application installed, but it doesn't work right with the touch screen and is still unsupported. What gives?

Free Apps for Blackberry Storm

I've been thinking for a while about posting a listing of favorite apps for my Blackberry Storm.  Enough procrastinating...here it is:

1.  Gmail - If you use Gmail, then this is the mobile mail client for you.  It had HTML e-mail before the standard Blackberry mail client did.  It allows aggregation of multiple addresses and makes use of my favorite Gmail feature:  labels.

2.  SocialScope - I had been using TwitterBerry as a Twitter client for some time and had abandoned the Facebook app some time before.  That was when I discovered SocialScope (currently in private Alpha).  I requested an invite and received an immediate response.  This app allows me to update my status on social networks as well as follow my friends.  I know, lots of apps do this...but this app has a wonderfully pleasant (and intuitive) interface, and what's more it is fast.  If trying this on the Storm, be sure to disable compatability mode.

3.  VyMail - Visual Voicemail.  This is awesome.  It sits on top of the YouMail service and provides an interface for retrieving voicemail.  The app notifies you of voicemail, but more importantly, it provides important details about the message.  Also, the message can be retrieved with a click (no dialing voicemail anymore!!).

To be continued...

Blackberry Storm

I've had a cell phone for years (of course), but didn't use it for much more than calling. No texting, no data plan...nothing. That all changed about eight months ago when I purchased my first Blackberry. It was a Blackberry Curve 8330 and before long I had installed so much freeware that it became a bit bogged down.  It was time to move on to a new device.

My dilemma was that I wasn't sure if I wanted a Blackberry Storm or if I wanted an iPhone.  Obviously, I had heard good things about the iPhone, but after a few short months, I had become a Blackberry zealot.  In the end, it came down to a decision based on provider.  Ultimately, I decided to stick with Verizon (for reasons I won't go into) and as such, the Storm was the easier choice.

I had read some pretty bad reviews for the Storm right out of the gate, so I was skeptical.  However, I knew that a new OS had leaked (4.7.0.99) that week and I was in a gambling mood.  After trying several stores, I finally scored my device.  Within an hour, I was home installing the new (leaked) OS.  Everything worked like a charm.  

I must say; I love this device.  It performs well, has a beautiful display (with plenty of real-estate) and great touch screen (including tactile feedback).  I literally have no complaints thus far.  Stay tuned for a list of my favorite Blackberry applications.

Google Sync

I like Google Calendar. It, of course, is a fully functional web calendar with some pretty great features, including the ability to publish your calendar and share with others. It is one feature in particular though, that has really turned me into a believer: Google Calendar Sync. This tool (still in Beta), provides the ability to synchronize my Outlook Calendar with my Google Calendar. This is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, as a consultant, I work at a variety of places (each of which has a separate Outlook account per corporate policy). Secondly, I have a Blackberry which is 'Enterprise Activated' for my employer. Presently, Blackberry can only handle one enterprise activation per device. This prevents me from truly reconciling my multiple Outlook/Exchange domains.

Google Sync allows me to synchronize my multiple Outlook calendars with my Google Calendar (and back again), thereby providing a bridge between my offices. Additionally, I can synchronize with my Blackberry thus guaranteeing me that I will get at least three reminders for every meeting...Admittedly, I've got some kinks to work out in my implementation of this feature (see aforementioned multiple reminders). A contact synchronization feature has just come out for the Blackberry version of Google Sync. I haven't yet configured that feature but am optimistic about it and future releases of Google Sync.

Am I the only one who thinks it should be abbreviated synch? Oh well.

Vlingo

I just got a new piece of software for my Blackberrry. I spend a good amount of time looking for freeware, and then trying it out. Lately, there have been more misses than hits, but I think I have a hit in Vlingo. It is a suite of voice-enabled applications for your smart-phone. Living in the climate I do, there are a lot of white-knuckle commutes. The last thing I need is to have to deal with the keyboard on my device at a time like that. So last night, with baited breath...I initiated the OTA download. The installation and setup were done in minutes. The first test was an internet search. This went fine. I was ready for something more practical. I voice-activated the e-mail feature to send a message to my wife (the test was: "send email to '[wife]', subject 'yes', message 'no'"). Seconds later, she had received my message (subject 'Jeff', message 'Go')! Well...I think it was a reasonably good first test and I've managed some more successful attempts since (including while driving). I can already see that this could be a tremendously useful product. Cheers.