Must Have Blackberry Apps

As I’ve posted before, I’m not a mobile apps user.  But, I‘m still very interested in the obsession of having to have everything imaginable as an app on your cell phone.  A recent article about “10 Must-Have Blackberry apps for Small Business” caught my eye (being a small business owner myself).

Listed as top 10 were:  (I’ve described a few that I was unaware of.)

1. Blackberry Messenger
2. Evernote  (great for those ah-ha moments when you just have to write down an idea before you forget it)
3. Google Sync (“The Google Sync BlackBerry app syncs your calendar and contacts between your phone and computer, allowing you to add, modify, or delete items on either device, and access them on-the-go.”)
4. Worldpress
5. Skype
6. Google Mobile Apps
7. Bridge for Highrise
8. Tungle.me (“Tungle.me enhances your existing calendar by syncing it with a public version where you can propose meetings to partners or clients and allow them to book the appointments at pre-approved times.”)
9. Do Not Disturb (This filter sounds like a must-have!)
10. IM+ (“An all-in-one instant messaging system that integrates AIM/iChat, MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo, ICQ, Jabber, Google Talk, MySpace, Skype and Facebook chats into one BlackBerry app.”)

The entire article can be viewed at: http://mashable.com/2010/05/14/blackberry-apps-small-busines/

So this got me thinking…IF I ever get a blackberry and conform to the world of apps, what would be some that I couldn’t live without?

Maybe these exist and maybe they don’t:

1. An app to update me on the lottery number.  Even though I rarely play, for some reason I’m always checking to see if the number I would have played came up.  (Yes, I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense and isn’t a necessity, but it is something I spend a couple minutes looking up on the Internet a couple days a week.)
2. An app for current and changing weather conditions in my area.  This is something that would be helpful to me.  I play softball and my daughter plays, and I’m always checking the weather for rain this time of year.
3. An app for garden and flower planting tips.  I love to plant flowers and expand my landscaping around the house.  Unfortunately I didn’t inherit my Grandmother’s green thumb.  I always seem to pick plants and flowers that don’t do well in my soil (which is more like clay in most spots.)  I’m also not good and determining which flowers would look nice grouped together and will bloom at the same time.
4. A Pediatrician app that I could enter in symptoms of a sick kid and get a list of possible illness.  Obviously it would be unofficial and not usable for major illness.  But just a recommendation for a fever, upset stomach, cold, sore throat and other minor things would be helpful.

Ok so the apps I’ve come up with are pretty insignificant.  Guess that justifies my delay of conforming to this new technology.  It just doesn’t have an importance in my everyday life………..yet.  (That, and the fact that I’m out in the country and don’t have very good mobile reception here, so the wonderful apps on my phone wouldn’t do me much good unless I want to walk through the field up to the top of the hill just to use it.)

What are some of the apps you couldn’t live without?

Social Media Brings the News

How did we keep up with the news in the world before social media?  Oh yeah we read the newspaper and watched the news on television.  These days more and more people seem to be keeping up with headline stories through the Internet and even social media.

In my small hometown of about 700, we had a young 24 year old soldier we all knew well, get killed in Afghanistan two weeks ago.  Locally this was covered by the newspapers and television stations.  But through our tight-nit community, messages were sent to thousands over Facebook to update people on the services and to honor Sgt. Nathan Kennedy as a Hero and friend.  It was amazing the amount of support that was shown via Facebook.  I’m sure much of the local media had a lot to do with letting those in the community and surrounding area know the updates on ceremonies and the dates of the funeral.  But I have to believe that the communication on Facebook also was responsible for the huge funeral procession of over 4,000 that came to show their respect and admiration for Nathan and his family.  (

A small portion (prior to the funeral service) even made it to YouTube.

People are logged on to social media sites daily and share a lot of information; giving every post such a great reach to thousands instantly.  It’s becoming a popular way to learn avout, and keep updated on current news such as the oil spill in the Gulf.  As reported on Mashable by author Geoff Livingston ““As the ongoing oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico continues, several organization have created dynamic uses of social media to monitor the situation.  These efforts range from a deploying combination of balloons, cameras and maps to chronicle the progress of the oil spill to old fashioned information dissemination of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.”

This post can be viewed at: http://mashable.com/2010/05/15/social-media-oil-spill/

There are numerous YouTube videos about the oil spill, here is just one.

 Greenpeace USA has a blog about is, http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/gulf-oil-spill

I know we’ve all been anticipating the Internet to take over the newspaper in the future, but is social media becoming so powerful that the newspaper will see its demise even sooner?  After all, news travels to fast on these social sites, and newspapers take a day to print.  By the time the next day’s news hit the front porch with breaking news and updates, people are already know about it.