1. Try These BlackBerry Apps <br />Beckett Magazine Subscriptions : www.beckettmedia.com <br />With more than 18,000 BlackBerry apps now on the market, BlackBerry users are downloading over a million apps each day. Here are some popular ones to try.<br />Feeds-Google Client Reader<br />Price: $2.99; CDJ Studios<br />Rating: 5 out of 5 stars<br />This app allows you to read your Google RSS Feeds on your device and sync up with Google Reader. Article feeds will automatically be downloaded (there’s a setting that also lets you control how many download at one time) when synced and items that you read on your BlackBerry will be marked as read and vice versa. Folders and feeds can be marked as read with one click, and you can read items while offline. The app is also optimized for minimal battery and memory usage.<br />Grape Theme<br />Price: Free; MMMOOO<br />Rating: 3 out of 5 stars<br />The Grape Theme from MMMOOO isn’t really an app, but it’s worth mentioning. Designer Lee Jong-Young was the first runner-up in the BlackBerry Theme Design Competition held in South Korea earlier this year. Themes for the BlackBerry continue to be popular as they let users customize their devices.<br />Moneysend by Mastercard <br />Price: Free; Mastercard<br />Rating: 5 out of 5 stars<br />This free app from MasterCard lets you transfer money using your BlackBerry via a virtual prepaid account. Just link up your existing debit card, credit card, or checking account and designate to whom you wish to send money. It’s a quick and easy way to exchange money without ever setting foot in a bank. The information is not stored on the BlackBerry, so it’s safe and secure. The only caveats are that you have to be a U.S. Citizen and belong to a participating bank or credit union.<br />Poynt<br />Price: Free; Multiplied Media Corporation<br />Rating: 4 out of 5 stars<br />Poynt has actually been around for a while but its newest update makes it worth noting. The biggest upgrade is the enabling of the BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server). This handy app provides information on what’s around you. You can find business listings, restaurants, movie times, weather information, and more. The app uses GPS and cell towers to determine where you are and then searches websites, yellow page directories, contacts, and maps to provide the information.<br />Photobucket 2.0 Mobile App<br />Price: Free; Photobucket<br />Rating: 4 out of 5 stars<br />Photobucket is one of the top online photo sharing and storage sites with over 100 million subscribers. This newly updated app provides BlackBerry users the ability to upload photos, download images onto their phones, and search their media library, which contains billions of photos. You can also view and manage your Photobucket album.<br />College Themes<br />Price: $4.99; Access Lane Inc.<br />Rating: 4 out of 5 stars<br />This is actually a collection of new themes all geared towards college sports. Search for your favorite college team on the BlackBerry App World website or from the BWA application on your phone. The themes come with wallpaper, animation and ring tones.<br />TreadIt Pedometer<br />Price: $2.99; VirtualViews.com<br />Rating: 5 out of 5 stars<br /> <br />The perfect app for athletes and couch potatoes, this app will keep track of how many steps you take while running or walking. Most physicians recommend at least 10,000 steps per day. You can also set alarms and track distance, calories burned, time, and speed. All results are stored in a log that can be viewed, e-mailed, or published to Facebook.<br />Deer Hunter African Safari<br />Price: $6.99; Glu Games Inc.<br />Rating: 3 out of 5 stars<br />The newest game app from Glu Games Inc. is touted as the most realistic mobile hunting game on the market and is based on the best-selling game from Atari. The game does have pretty good graphics and players can hunt big game in several different African countries. It has a shooting gallery mode as well as Quick Hunt or multi-day hunting excursions.<br />Starbucks Card Mobile App<br />Price: Free; Starbucks<br />Rating: 4 out of 5 stars<br />This app makes paying for your daily cup of java easier! Starbucks is testing this app at 16 trial stores in Northern California and Seattle, as well as in all Starbuck stores in the more than 1,000 U.S. Target locations. Simply enter your card number and the app will display a barcode that you show to the cashier to scan. You can also check your balance and reward stars as well as register your card. This app is one of the few that is NOT available via the BlackBerry App Store; just text GO to 70845 to download.<br />Trillian IM App<br />Price: $4.99; Cerulean Studios Inc.<br />Rating: 3 out of 5 stars<br />This IM application for your BlackBerry allows users to IM with multiple platforms, including Facebook Chat, AIM, Yahoo, MSN, and more, send and receive pictures and messages, and will even sync with your desktop Trillian contacts. There are still some bugs that are being reported, but overall it’s a solid IM app with lots of great features.<br />