The long-awaited BlackBerry Q10 has finally landed, keyboard lovers the world over rejoice! However, what's a brand new smartphone without some wonderful apps to accompany it? Have no fear, Geek Squad have your back with some top software recommendations for you shiny new multi-tasking machine.
Skype
Price: Free
Finally Skype is coming to Blackberry. One of the most eagerly awaited apps for the new Blackberry 10 platform will be available for the Q10 at launch. Skype allows you to make video and voice calls and send messages to your friends around the world no matter what device they have for free.
Tube Map for Blackberry
Price: Free
Imagine the scene, you're in London for an important business meeting or to see a West End show and you need to get to your destination as quickly as possible. You get to the station and jump on the train but don’t know where you need to change. The carriage is packed and there are people stood in front of the map on the train. Fear not, with Tube Map for Blackberry you can plan your journey in advance, find your nearest station, find out if there are any delays, view live departure boards and even check your Oyster card balance. Something I wish I had when I was living in London a few years ago and a must have for anyone visiting the capital.
Money Plus
Price: £1.50
From a productivity point of view, Money Plus is an excellent app to have. Money Plus is an expense tracking and financial management application. With this app you can capture transaction details and assign transactions to an unlimited number of cash, credit card or bank accounts. A must have application for any business user who needs to keep track of his/her expenses and a perfect match for anyone who uses accounting software on a PC like Quicken or Microsoft Money. You can also install the app on a Blackberry Playbook and transfer the data between both devices.
CB10
Price: Free
One of my personal favourites, Crackberry.com is your one stop shop for all the latest Blackberry news, articles and reviews. From within the app you can read all the latest news, articles and reviews that are on the website as well as read and write your own comments. You can also browse and post in the Crackberry Forums. The app has its own in-app browser which can open any links posted on the site. Crackberry.com also have their own Apps and Games section where you can download a variety of apps, games, themes and ringtones for your device.
Nobex – Radio and Podcasts
Price: Free
Nobex Radio allows you to listen to both FM and AM radio stations within the UK for free wherever you are over either Wi-Fi or Mobile Network connection. You can share what you are listening to with your friends through BBM, Facebook or Twitter. The app also allows you to watch YouTube videos of your favourite songs. You can also upgrade to the premium version which allows you to listen to over 16000 radio stations from more than 100 countries around the world. A new feature of Nobex is the Podcasts section. You can listen to or watch a huge selection of audio and video podcasts and subscribe to get notifications when a new episode is released.
Whatsapp Messenger
Price: Free
WhatsApp needs no introduction and is becoming one of the ‘must have’ apps on any device. Send and receive messages, images, voice notes and video to your friends for free. WhatsApp automatically connects to your Blackberry address book and adds any contact that is already using WhatsApp to the applications contact list. A very good choice for users who might have family/friends overseas that don’t use Skype.
Blaq for Blackberry 10
Price: £2.00
Blaq is one of the best third-party Twitter apps available. If you are a Twitter user with multiple accounts you no longer have to have more than one Twitter application installed on your device, Blaq allows you to sign in to more than one Twitter account at the same time and tweet from any or all of the accounts at once. Full BBM integration allows you to share your tweet updates with your BBM contacts. A must have app for any Twitter user.
Riptide GP
Price: £1.50
Another one of my favourites that was originally made available for the Playbook and is now on Blackberry 10. In Riptide GP you race a supercharged Jet Ski through twisting canals and rivers while performing tricks and flips to boost your Jet Ski to victory. Easy, fun and addictive, Riptide GP is one of the best games available for Blackberry 10.
Angry Birds Star Wars
Price: Free
Now a classic game across multiple platforms, Rovio have brought Angry Birds to Blackberry. Join an epic adventure with the Angry Birds in the legendary Star Wars universe! Use the Force, wield your lightsaber, and blast away Pigtroopers on an intergalactic journey from the deserts of Tatooine to the depths of the Pig Star where you will face off against the terrifying Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Pigs! Can you become a Jedi Master and restore freedom to the galaxy? Another highly addictive and must have game.
There you go, that should be enough to get you going with BlackBerry's latest and greatest device.