BB Geeks » BlackBerry Applications

Would you use a location-based dating app?

Joe — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:32:27 +0000

With the increasing number of location-based mobile apps, it was only a matter of time before someone developed a location-based dating app. In any ideal world it makes sense. We can use it to meet people when we’re already out and about, rather than meeting them when we’re sitting at home. It can also lead to instant dates, which sure beats the hassle of exchanging emails and agreeing on a time and place. But we don’t live in an ideal world. We live in the real world, and in the real world this type of app brings with it plenty of hazards. Would you brave them in the name of modern technology?

I bring up this topic because of a featured app in App World called SinglesAroundMe. Their app does pretty much what you’d expect a location-based dating app to do. You create a profile, just as you would on any other dating site. But when you’re looking for people to date, you can look for people in your area. You can even search for people at certain destinations. The examples given are bars, restaurants, resorts, etc.

If you find someone in your area, you can text message them and see if they want to meet up. Again, this sounds great. Wouldn’t it be convenient if someone just texted you out of the blue and wanted to meet for a date that evening? Unfortunately, that’s a simplistic view of the matter. There are many steps people want to take before agreeing to a date, especially if it comes from from someone who is near you and wants to date immediately.

Look: people don’t like creepers. This app is ripe for them. Just check out the user reviews from App World. Plenty of creepers right there. Sure, plenty of honest people might use the app, and maybe many of them are worth dating. But with the potential for creepers looking for a quick date/score, it might not be the most productive dating tool.

What says you, BB Geeks? Would you use a location-based dating app? Or would you stick to other, more filterable forms of dating?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Would you use a location-based dating app?

BlackBerry money saving tips

Joe — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:30:54 +0000

How much does your BlackBerry cost you? First we have the device cost. Some models, such as the Curve, are discounted, so that does help. In some cases they’re even free with a two-year contract. But there’s no way to avoid that monthly data fee. Depending on device and carrier, a BlackBerry can run up towards $1,000 for two-year cost of ownership. Even on the lower end, it costs plenty to get BlackBerry data every month. It’s high time we started using our devices to help us save money elsewhere.

Coupon apps

A while back I wrote a guest post for a blog called Budget Saving Mom. It dealt with BlackBerry coupon apps. Within it I listed a number of apps, all available through App World, that can help shoppers save money as they shop. It includes coupon apps such as Valpak, Groupon, and Cellfire. All of these can save us money at the point of sale.

Price checking

Have you ever been out shopping and seen someone seemingly taking pictures of products with his smartphone? While they might be Twitpic-ing it, the better chance is that they’re scanning the barcode for price comparison. The process is simple: you scan the barcode with your camera, and the app lets you know the price of the product online. If it’s cheaper, you can put the product down and just order it online.

(But make sure to factor in shipping costs.)

In App World you can find UPC Price Check, which is a pretty all-encompassing price checker. It looks up products from a number of sources, so you’ll get a wide range of prices. You can also get apps for specific online stores. For instance, you can download the Amazon app and check prices that way. Amazon Prime users should get plenty of use out of this app.

Mobile deals

On Black Friday online shoppers were treated to some special discounts. Many retailers offered deals for consumers who shopped on their smartphones, rather than sitting at their computers or at stores. While those were one-off deals, many retailers regularly offer mobile-only deals through their smartphone apps.

I covered one such instance a few weeks ago, with the essential BlackBerry travel apps. Actually, I missed one app that does offer mobile-only deals for hotels: Orbitz. With it you can get deals on cheap hotels that you can’t get on the website. In many ways, it makes much more sense to book through your BlackBerry, since you can save cash doing so.

These are but three general examples of ways you can save money by using your smartphone. Do you guys and gals have your own little money-saving tricks?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

BlackBerry money saving tips

Use Wifi File Transfer to shuffle files between your computer and BlackBerry

Joe — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:30:55 +0000

There are plenty of ways to transfer files to and from your BlackBerry. Desktop Manager presents the most prominent option, since it’s long been the way to do it. But that means connecting via a USB cable. Ditto using the memory card as a USB mass storage drive. Not that plugging in is a huge burden, but we’re in an age where that shouldn’t be necessary. Here’s to hoping that BlackBerry 10 smartphones support wireless transfers out of the box. But for now we need an app. Wifi File Transfer handles the task with ease.

The app works with both PCs and Macs, so it doesn’t matter which type of computer you’re running. (Unless, of course, you run Linux, in which case you’re probably frustrated enough with the lack of BlackBerry support.) Wifi File Transfer works with both the device memory and the memory card, so you can shuffle any file you’d like, to any portion of the device you’d like.

Working the app is dead simple, too. Just run it on the BlackBerry, and it will display an IP address. Type that IP address into a web browser, and you’ll see the BlackBerry file structure. From there you can upload files to the BlackBerry, download files from it, and delete files from it as well. It’s as simple as they can come, and it’s one of the more useful apps for your BlackBerry.

You can get Wifi File Transfer at App World for $4.99.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Use Wifi File Transfer to shuffle files between your computer and BlackBerry

Keep your BBM covert with Peep It

Joe — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:30:49 +0000

It’s both a blessing and a burden. One of BBM’s greatest and most touted features is its message status. While many SMS systems let you know when your message has been delivered, they don’t notify you of whether the recipient has actually seen it. BBM takes care of that handily. Yet that’s not always the way we want it. Sometimes I read a message and really wish I hadn’t opened it. It means the sender knows I saw it, which means I have to acknowledge it, whether immediately via BBM or in the future, face-to-face. Thankfully, Epic Applications feels our pain. They’ve come up with an app that will prevent that R from showing up, even after you read a message.

Titled Peep It, the app is pretty straight forward. It peeps into your BBM, allowing you to read messages without sending the read receipt. If you want to respond — or if you’re nice and want your buddy to know that you did, in fact, see the message — you can launch BBM right from the app.

The app is in beta, so it might be a little buggy at this point. If you download it, please provide feedback to Epic Applications. It will allow them to improve the app and get it ready for prime time. I’m not sure if this is something that RIM would approve for App World, but that’s no big deal. After all, this isn’t Apple or anything.

The Peep It download is over the air, so point your BlackBerry browser to http://wyka.co/peepitbeta. After you use it, make sure to visit the CrackBerry Forums post to provide feedback.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Keep your BBM covert with Peep It

Text2mbox lets you back up your SMS

Joe — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:30:48 +0000

While BlackBerry users prefer to communicate via BBM, we’re still stuck with regular old text messaging when communicating with non-BlackBerry users. The thing with SMS is that it’s fickle. Your device automatically deletes SMS by default. You can change this by going to Messages – Options – Message Display and Actions and changing Days To Keep Messages to Forever. But that can cause storage issues, especially in older BlackBerry models. If you’d rather your device continue wiping messages but still retain a backup, the Txt2mbox app can come in quite handy.

The biggest catch with the app is that it requires a webmail address with IMAP. Gmail fits this bill perfectly. At very worst, you can create a dummy Gmail account that just stores your SMS backups. (Just like you can use a dummy Gmail account to filter spam.) The app automatically syncs with your IMAP account, storing all of your text messages, both sent and received. Even better, it stores sent messages in your sent folder and received messages in your main inbox.

With growing on-board storage for BlackBerry devices, you can reasonably store messages indefinitely. Older models, with as little as 64MB of internal storage, absolutely require frequent cleaning. But even with newer devices, it can pay to keep deleting old messages. After all, when it comes to email you still have the option of searching on the server. With text messages, however, that’s not an option. An app such as Text2mbox helps you keep those backed up, no matter how you choose to store messages on your BlackBerry.

You can get Txt2mbox at App World for $2.99. Even better, you can get a free trial to see if you like it.

Hat tip BerryReview.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Text2mbox lets you back up your SMS

Power your workouts with My Fitness Friends

Joe — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:30:55 +0000

If you’re not using your BlackBerry as a workout tool, you’re missing out. In fact, I recently wrote a guest post at Live Fit Thrive about ways you can use your smartphone as a workout aid. It’s a great little tool that can do so much. The end of that list contains some things that might not be of great use to gym buffs. After all, they know how to create a workout. But not all of us do. Thankfully, there are some apps that can help us do that. My Fitness Friends is one, and it’s one I recommend highly — especially to road warriors.

My Fitness Friends is all about creating simple bodyweight routines that you can do anywhere. When you load up the app you go into a screen that lists dozens of exercises. You choose among them to create a routine. You can see descriptive pictures, too, so you ensure proper form when performing the movements.

When you’re ready to work out, just hit Start Routine. You can do this right from the comfort of your own home or hotel room. It will time you for each exercise and then move you onto the next one. This is one of the simplest ways to create a basic workout that won’t take up an hour or more of your day. And, again, it’s great when you’re on the road and don’t have access to gym equipment, since it utilizes bodyweight exercises.

Best of all, My Fitness Friends integrates with BBM, so you can share your routines and your results with friends. That’s a great way to stay accountable. The more accountable you are, the greater chance you have of sticking with your routine.

My Fitness Friends is currently on sale, too, which makes it all the better. You can Get it at App World for just a buck.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Power your workouts with My Fitness Friends

Essential free BlackBerry travel apps

Joe — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:26:49 +0000

When traveling, your BlackBerry can be your friend. As long as you have cellular signal, you can use it to look up information you might need as you settle into your destination. This can come from the web, or from one of dozens of BlackBerry apps. Today we’ll go through a few essentials you should have on your BlackBerry if you plan to travel.

BlackBerry Travel

We start with the grand poobah of BlackBerry travel apps. In the past few years Research In Motion has pumped out a number of apps under its own banner. These are mostly for function over form — you won’t find any call blocking apps in here or anything of that nature. What you will find are apps that help with basic business issues, such as social networking and conference calling. They also have BlackBerry Travel, which is something that most users should have installed.

Unlike a number of itinerary managers, BlackBerry Travel also allows you to book your arrangements right from the app. From there it populates an itinerary form, which lets you know where you’ll be and when. Even if you don’t book through the app, BlackBerry Travel recognizes confirmation emails and automatically pulls information from them into your itinerary. Most other apps require you to forward the confirmation email to a separate email address.

Even beyond all this, BlackBerry Travel performs many functions of travel apps that cost up to $50 per year. It lets you know if there are any gaps in your schedule — a tough-to-make connection, an underbooked hotel stay, a rental car pickup that isn’t on the right day. It also has bells and whistles such as weather reports, currency converters, and a world clock.

Yes, BlackBerry Travel is free, and you can get it in App World. It’s definitely something that will benefit any travel, whether occasional or frequent. It also gets a bump above similar apps such as Kayak and WorldMate, because of its easy integration.

CheapTickets

Sometimes you need to book — FAST. It might not be a common occasion, but it might crop up every once in a while. Maybe at this point you don’t have BlackBerry Travel installed. Maybe you don’t like the app. Whatever the case, there is an alternative. CheapTickets doesn’t actually have a mobile app. Instead, it runs a web app, similar to many Google services. This mobile app works as well as any downloadable app, without the downloading, so you can get right to your trip booking.

The advantage of CheapTickets is right in the name: cheap flights. All of the cheap flight deals available on the website are also available via the web app — that’s the whole idea, really. You can search through and then make your purchase right from your BlackBerry browser. This is even better for BlackBerry 6 and 7 users, since the browser is much improved for them.

The best idea here is to compare the prices between BlackBerry Travel and CheapTickets. If you find a better deal with the latter you can just book as normal. Then BlackBerry Travel will recognize those confirmation emails and create your itinerary. Two great services, working together. Hit them up at http://m.cheaptickets.com/.

Trainline Tickets

Flights aren’t the only way we travel. Even when we do fly, we might take shorter trips within the bigger trip. Yes, I’m talking about train travel. It’s the way many people get around normally, and it’s a great way to expand your trip destination. It might even make the most sense for travel on business trips. The Trainline Tickets app can make any train travel much easier.

The app couldn’t be simpler. You search for trains in an area, and then view schedules. From there you can see ticket terms — you don’t want to purchase tickets that might expire soon — and then you can book right from the app. It might not be something that a regular commuter would use, but someone who is in, say, New York and wants to get to Philadelphia, but doesn’t want to fly, could do well with an app like this.

You can get Trainline Tickets in App World for free.

Urbanspoon

When we’re on the road, we all want a good bite to eat. After all, rare is the home cooked meal while traveling. Yet we’re often stuck when checking out local joints. The best ones are often not the most obvious. If we want to avoid eating at Applebee’s, we have to find a different way to search for restaurants.

While there’s always Yelp, but the Urbanspoon app is actually a bit better on the BlackBerry platform. As you might expect, it uses your GPS to find restaurants around you, giving you ratings and reviews from users and professional critics. It even has a slot machine feature, so you can randomize your eating.

Yes, it’s free, so you might as well go grab the Urbanspoon app from App World.

Navita Translator

You might remember Navita Translator from our list of top free BlackBerry apps. It’s still around, and it still has all of the same great features. It’s pretty basic, really. You just input something in some language — it recognizes over 50 — and it will spit it out in another. The output languages are limitd to English, Portugese, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Russian. So even if you want to translate English into another language, you still have a sufficient list. You can also share your translations via various methods, including Twitter, email, and PIN messages.

Get Navita Translator from App World.

There is actually another useful BlackBerry translating app, though a bit newer than Navita. FancyTran brings a few features to the table, including pronunciation and speech recognition. It also integrates with BBM, so you can take your translations to a social level. It’s definitely I would recommend checking out, even if you’re not traveling abroad. It’s fun to play with in its own right.

Get FancyTran from App World.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Essential free BlackBerry travel apps

Take advantage: last chance to get free BlackBerry apps

Joe — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:30:40 +0000

The great BlackBerry outage of 2011 might be behind us, but RIM is still in the process of making amends with users. Last month they bestowed upon us a gift: a slew of free premium apps. A dozen, to be exact, all of them available to any BlackBerry users anywhere in the world (so long as the app itself is available in that country, of course). As with all good things, this offer is quickly coming to an end. Users have until December 31st to download the apps they want — or even download the ones they don’t want and archive them. If you want to load up your BlackBerry, new or old, with games and apps, now is the time.

If you don’t already have Vlingo — and we touted the Vlingo service previously — it’s among the first I’d recommend. It might not be quite as comprehensive as Siri, but it has made a number of improvements in the past few years. That is, it’s getting more and more useful, and we can expect it to continue growing. DriveSafe.ly is another big recommendation, since it promotes safe driving habits. Considering the recent study on distracted driving that caused an internet storm a few weeks ago, it’s certainly a relevant app.

On top of the apps, there are a number of games, such as the popular The Sims 3, Texas Hold’Em Poker, and N.O.V.A. that are great complements to any BlackBerry arsenal. Even if you’re not a big BlackBerry gamer, you can download these games and have them handy for times when you might be a bit bored. After all, there are only so many games of Brick Breaker and Word Mole that the average person can handle.

Again, if you want to take full advantage of the offer, you can download all the apps and then archive the apps in App World. That way you have them when you want them, but don’t have to keep them in memory all the time. When you’re ready, just head to App World to nab the apps. Just make sure you do so before the ball drops.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Take advantage: last chance to get free BlackBerry apps

Add swipe to unlock to your BlackBerry

Joe — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:30:15 +0000

There are quite a few swipe to unlock apps on the market, and we’ve covered a few of them. But there’s a relatively new one in the BBGeeks Store, and it’s quite versatile. Easy Lock brings you the basic functionality of a slide to unlock app, but it also adds a bit more. It’s customizable on a number of levels, giving you control over when your device locks and what displays on the lock screen. Here’s a quick rundown.

One thing that Easy Lock does, which you might not like, is to lock your BlackBerry when the backlight goes off. This can be a pain, of course, because it means not only waking up the device, but also sliding to unlock. But if there are some applications where your phone goes to sleep more than others, you can set it to disable in those apps. It will still lock when the backlight goes off in other apps, so you can make sure you’re locked up at almost all times.

You can also choose to lock your BlackBerry while you’re on a call. This can be useful in some ways, especially with a touchscreen device. It can be a pain if you end up needing the keypad, but under normal circumstances it’s not a big issue. The physical buttons can go a long way, too.

One neat thing about Easy Lock is that you might not even need to unlock your device at all. You can add notifications to the lock page, so you’ll know what’s up before you even unlock it. Don’t see any important notifications? Just lock it back up and slip it into your pocket.

This is the kind of application I appreciate: something basic, but with a few useful extra features. Another reason I like it: not only does it come with a free trial, but there’s also an ad-supported version. You can get Easy Lock Lite for free. You’ll see some ads, and you won’t be able to use a custom lock screen image, but otherwise it works just like the pro version. Even better, you get the pro version free for seven days. If you want to skip that part and get right to the full version, you can get Easy Lock Pro for just a buck.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Add swipe to unlock to your BlackBerry

Warm up your car and more with Viper SmartStart

Joe — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:30:35 +0000

One of these days, I told myself as I walked out of my apartment building into the parking lot. One of these days we’ll get a frost and I’ll have to sit in my car while the ice on the windshield melts. Turns out, it was that very day. Ever since I’ve gone downstairs and outside to start the car about 10 minutes before I leave. It’s a pain, but it 1) defrosts my windshields, and 2) gives me a nice, toasty car. For some reason I hadn’t thought about the idea of a remote starter, but reading BerryReview last week put the bug back in my ear. They featured a product called Viper SmartStart, and I’m fairly certain it’s going on my Christmas list.

Here’s the basics of SmartStart. You first buy the unit — if you do so from BestBuy the cost of installation is included. You might have to pay a few extra bucks for parts, but that ever-expensive labor cost is included. Then you download the SmartStart app from App World, and you can control your car right from your BlackBerry smartphone. This allows you to lock and unlock the car, start it, open the trunk, and more.

Actually, the other features are pretty interesting in themselves. For instance, the app notes your GPS location every time you lock the car. You know what this means, right? No more forgetting where you parked. This is an essential feature for anyone who lives in or frequently drives in the city. You can also check the location of your car via GPS, handy if your car gets stolen — or worse, your teenage child is borrowing it.

The whole package isn’t exactly cheap, but over time it certainly becomes a worthwhile investment. I can’t tell you how much more I’d rather press a button on my BlackBerry to start my car than to go downstairs and outside before turning the key. (Plus, my car won’t let me lock it while it’s running, another big negative.) The app is free, but the unit, that’s the cost-killer.

Get the Viper SmartStart system for $299.99. Again, this includes basic installation, though it might involve purchasing a part or two.

Then head to App World to download the Viper SmartStart App. It’s your remote control, letting you control your car from wherever you might be.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Warm up your car and more with Viper SmartStart