Technically, tethering lets you access internet on your laptop or PC, wherever there is cellular coverage, through your smartphone. Tether app for Blackberry lets you do that in the context of your Blackberry. As long as you have subscribed to data service on your Blackberry device, you can make use of this app’s features to access internet on your laptop, no matter whether you are waiting at the airport without a WiFi, or waiting for your kids in your car while they get out of the school, or simply relaxing at a coffee shop, with your laptop for company. Blackberry Tether app comes with a hefty price tag of $49.99 USD.

The App

The installation process must be over within couple of minutes. Note that you also need to install a relevant software version of Tether in the PC/laptop you wish to tether with. Tether software creates a virtual network card during the process, and don’t get alarmed if you a find a new one in your PC!

Once installation is complete, simply activate Tether app for Blackberry, and the software in your PC or laptop, choose the mode of communication (whether USB or Bluetooth), and you are ready to go. You can set the Blackberry Tether application to run in the background so that you can use the Blackberry for messaging or making calls even when the device is tethering with your laptop/PC behind scene.

Another big advantage of Tether app for Blackberry is that it provides the same data speeds offered by the air card from your cellular data provider. And you can make full advantage of the app if you have an unlimited data plan. Those with limited data plans can check their data usage in the Tether software in the PC. On the downside, you can only tether your Blackberry with one PC/laptop at a time.

Final Thoughts

If you hate not having internet in your laptop while on the move, or often get frustrated about the price of various internet plans, perhaps Tether app for Blackberry could offer you a one-stop solution for your woes. It provides decent data speeds at just about anywhere you go. Even though it is priced a bit high, in combination with an unlimited data plan, it should significantly solve your connectivity problems while on the move. Verdict: A handy utility app that guarantees internet connection wherever you go with your Blackberry.

PatternLock Lite app is tailor made for the touch screen Blackberry. With the app, you first define your locking pattern, and in order to unlock the screen or any application next time, you got to trace your finger in the pattern you drew before. A wrong pattern will not unlock the device. The full version of PatternLock Lite application for Blackberry comes with a price tag of $2.99.

The Application

The lock screen of Blackberry PatternLock Lite app comprises of a 3×3 grid, on which you are supposed to draw the pattern. As you drag your finger on the screen, the app will highlight the path you are taking. Once you done with the dragging, and lift your finger, the screen will unlock if the pattern you’ve drawn is correct, while an incorrect pattern will change the color of the pattern path. If you’ve gone wrong with the pattern, the app may or may not request you to repeat the procedure depending upon the settings.

Through the Blackberry app’s options and settings, you can change the theme, background images, the icons to represent the various dots, or even the color of dots and the way they visually respond to touch. That is, you can set colors to represent the path you trace, correct/incorrect dots, rings, dock trays etc. Another feature of the app is that you can set the app to lock/unlock other apps. The apps are classified into three categories: currently running apps, built-in apps, third party apps. There is also an option wherein you can customize the ‘lock message’ that is displayed when you/someone gets the lock pattern wrong. Also, you can either opt to activate the lock manually or set it to auto-lock after a fixed time interval.

Another noteworthy feature of PatternLock Lite app for Blackberry is its location based lock feature. That is, you can set the app to lock your Blackberry when you’re in the office, and leave it open for anyone to use at home. It is also worth mentioning that the app is compatible with Bellshare’s BerryWeather application.

Conclusion

PatternLock Lite app for Blackberry is all about drawing certain patterns to unlock your touch screen Blackberry screen/app. But in order to preempt anyone from cracking the pattern by trial and error, you can set the maximum number of tries and the time duration of lockout period before they can try again. For the complete set of features, go for PatternLock Lite’s full version that comes with a price tag of $2.99.

Judging the veracity of BlackBerry applications, especially ones that are paid, is difficult to do. Even people with experience reviewing hundreds of different applications don’t know all of the options and that means that there is always going to be some element of uncertainty in the relative rating systems. That is why the most honest reviews are about the absolute value of any given application and Nogago Outdoor GPS app for BlackBerry definitely scores high on that list.

Offline navigation

One of the most valuable features that you will find on Nogago Outdoor GPS BlackBerry app is the ability for offline navigation to work into the system. You can download maps for just about any place on the planet you could visit from their site and then use those maps to help yourself navigate around the area without having to rely on your data or your internet connection to do so. This may not seem like such a big deal now when you have ample network coverage, but when you are in some of the more remote areas of the world, network coverage is hard to come by and that means that you are going to end up paying a lot of money in order to get what you want because of data roaming fees. Nogago Outdoor GPS app for BlackBerry allows you to go around that problem and still get the benefits of GPS in the process.

Focused on people

Another important aspect of BlackBerry Nogago Outdoor GPS app is the fact that it is focused on people. It is an online app that will give you the chance to track, collect waypoints and create paths based on your movement, but it is also an online app that will allow you to do these things accurately without borrowing from the car-based GPS modelling that is intended for a wholly different purpose. Many free apps simply rip off car codes and this is not good for the average hiker or tracker. You don’t have to worry about these things with Nogago Outdoor GPS BlackBerry application.

Final Score

Nogago Outdoor GPS app for BlackBerry is reliable, fast, accurate and safe to use. The final price tag of $7.99 that is applied to this app might cause some people to pause a bit, but the fact of the matter is that Nogago Outdoor GPS BlackBerry app will give you the chance to really appreciate everything that GPS has to offer. Our final score for this paid BlackBerry application is 10 out of 10.

If you are a fan of visual indicators, probably you’ll like BeBuzz app for Blackberry. Blackberry usually flashes under two conditions: you’ll see a red flashing LED, if there is a new message/alert and a pale green LED flash if the device is low on battery. With BeBuzz app, you can customize LED colors so that you can have a different color flashing for different events, thereby giving you sufficient hint as to what is incoming, without having to turn on the screen. Blackberry BeBuzz app comes at a price tag of $5.99 USD.

The Application

BeBuzz app for Blackberry let you customize LED colors, and you can have unlimited number of custom LED colors. This can be for SMS, tasks, email messages, Blackberry messenger and other third party chat applications such as AOL, Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger, or even messages from specific contacts in the address book. Further, you can set the LED flashes to be single color flash or a series of flashes.

Further, BeBuzz Blackberry application lets you set continuous audio reminders for incoming messages and notifications, which goes on until you check the said message/notification. This feature is especially useful if you are often away from your Blackberry. Other features that BeBuzz brings to the table include on-screen reminders and the feature wherein the phone vibrate and ring simultaneously, rather than alternating. The BeBuzz application has been optimized for minimal battery consumption and memory usage. So even if the application runs in the background all the time, you won’t feel it while using your Blackberry.

Finally, the user interface is quite user friendly, and easy to navigate. Setting up the LED color(s) for various events is also pretty straightforward a process that even a first timer won’t find it difficult. Download and installation is easy, even though a battery pull may be necessary post installation.

Conclusion

BeBuzz app for Blackberry lets you customize LED colors to indicate different events, such as an incoming message/email, contacts in the address book, tasks or even a calendar event, in your Blackberry so that you’ll know what is happening even without looking at the screen. From usability perspective, the app is easy to use, reliable, and quite soft on battery. But its price tag of USD 5.99 seems a bit high. Verdict: Useful addition to your repository of Blackberry apps, the only downside being its higher price tag.

It is important that your personal information remain secure in your Blackberry device. However, the security measures that comes with Blackberry follows an ’all or nothing’ approach. That is, either you block access to your Blackberry entirely, or let it open to the whole world to see. iLock 2.1 app attempts to tread the middle path by bringing in the concept of personalized security, wherein you can set to block access to select folders/files/module/application in your Blackberry, rather than blanket-blocking everything in your handset. iLock 2.1 app comes with a price tag of $0.99 per license.

The Application

After downloading and installing iLock 2.1 Blackberry app, the user is required to create and verify new password. Once you get to the main menu, you’ll find three different lists to choose from: Third Party, Core, and Own. Third Party covers all the applications that you’ve downloaded into your Blackberry. The list refreshes itself every time you open iLock 2.1. All the core functions are found in Core, under lock and key, while you can add your own items to lock from the system, SD card or store.

Setting an item to block is a cake walk. That is, items can be checked to mark secured, while clicking on them again will undo the block. You can even set to block your SIM card using this application. Manually added items can be wiped from the list, even though the same is not possible for items found under Core and Third Party. If someone attempts to open a secured item, the handset will vibrate, alerting them (also you if you’re nearby) of an incorrect password entry. Other notable features of iLock 2.1 Blackberry application include search feature, auto lock, and the option to add shortcuts. As it has been observed, iLock 2.1 is responsive, loads faster, easy to navigate, and quite handy to use.

Conclusion

iLock 2.1 app for Blackberry adds a new dimension to personal security altogether, by letting users selectively block access to certain folders/files/applications of their choice, in their Blackberries. Since you password protect each of the items you wish to protect in your Blackberry, third party access is next to impossible. The app runs silently on the background all the time, but it won’t drain the battery or take up additional memory either. Verdict: iLock 2.1 Blackberry app is a must have app to have in your Blackberry if you wish to impose selective accessibility to your files/folders.

Imagine about a power failure in your house during a thunderstorm, or a situation wherein your car had skidded off the road, and you desperately need a light/flashlight to signal for help. If you own a Blackberry, the One Touch Flashlight application could come to your rescue during such exigencies. The One Touch Flashlight app activates your Blackberry handset’s video light (and not the dim screen light) to provide you with bright light when and where you need it. Blackberry One Touch Flashlight application can be downloaded from the Blackberry App World for a modest USD 0.99 per license.

Features of the Application

One Touch Flashlight app for Blackberry provides bright light out of your smart phone, and this could be one of the reasons why the app finds a place amongst the top five Blackberry apps downloaded by users worldwide. Once activated, the video light will remain turned ON until you switch it off manually. Unlike other torch apps, this one does not come with a time out feature, wherein the light gets turns off after a fixed time interval since it was turned on. In a way, it is a quite handy feature of One Touch Flashlight since no longer you need to worry about the light going off, while you’re still in the dark. Another advantage of the app is that the light comes in a single color, and not in fancy multitude of colors.

The One Touch Flashlight app lets you switch on/off the Blackberry video light by a single tap on the icon. Also, using this app, the flash light can be turned on with a convenience key.
One Touch Flashlight app works in such a way that the power consumption will be minimal. The app switches on the video light without activating the camera, while the LCD screen dims automatically so as to save power, as the display screen in full flourish could eat up the battery significantly.

Final Words

When trying to find your way in the dark, One Touch Flashlight app for Blackberry will certainly lead the way. Unlike other torch applications, here, the light won’t get turned off unless you turn it off yourself. Given its power optimized operation, the app won’t drain the Blackberry’s battery in a big way either. Even though the One Touch Flashlight app comes with a price tag of USD 0.99, given its utility quotient, it is worth the money spent. Verdict: A very handy flashlight app to have in your Blackberry.

It is a truth that our Blackberry handsets contain files, photos, applications, and other personal information that you do not want others to find out or use. AppLock is an application that lets you lock down your apps, emails, and folders using a password. In other words, the app lets you lock sensitive information in your Blackberry phone selectively without having to locking down the whole device. The AppLock app is available from the Blackberry App Store for a price tag of $0.99 per license.

Features of AppLock App

The installation of AppLock Blackberry app is a cake walk, and should be over in less than a minute. While going through the initial setup, you’ll be asked to specify a password, which you need to type in every time later on when you open AppLock.

Now, on opening the app after typing in the password, you’ll see the screen on which you can choose the things you want to lock down. The options available include Native Apps, 3rd Party Apps, email, and folders, and by scrolling up/down using the track pad, you can lock the specific objects you wish to lock.

It is observed that once you lock down a particular folder in your SD card using AppLock, it automatically hides the said folder from the view that someone exploring the SD card won’t realize that such a folder indeed exists.

On the bottom-half of the screen are the autolock preferences. This includes the ‘ask password’ option, wherein you can specify when the app should ask the user to enter the password, and an option to specify if the app should request password once the backlight goes off or the phone locks by itself after sometime. Also featured is a LockNow button that lets you reactivate the lock from the menu rather than having to go to the app. There is also an option to deactivate protection altogether anytime, if you are pretty sure that you are the only person using the Blackberry, and there is no risk of intrusion.

Final Words

AppLock app for Blackberry gives what it promises. It effectively locks down your folders and files from external access. However, the app comes with a price tag of $0.99, unlike some excellent lockdown-apps with Android, which are available for free. But given its many features, the said price tag can’t be touted as any high either.

If you are a journalist, perhaps the Scanner Radio for Blackberry could get you some scoop every week. Scanner Radio app lets you eavesdrop on over 2,500 police and fires scanners, railroad communications, and weather radio broadcasts from across the world. Priced at a very modest $2.99 per license, the Blackberry Scanner Radio app is many times cheaper than the typical digital scanner.

The App

Scanner Radio Blackberry application provides access to a wide array of radio signals. The most popular ones, as expected are police and fire scanners, which numbers to over 2500+ as of today. The various stations are categorized for easy browsing so that you won’t take long to find out the radio signals you want to listen to. Over the normal telephone network, the app will take about a minute to buffer, especially for scans coming from faraway places, but you’ll get to hear the latest info based on current events, and more through radio feeds for the location you’ve listening to. The app also gives details of the frequencies it is listening to.

Scanner Radio app has a ‘favorites’ section to keep track of the commonly listened radio broadcasts. The app also comes with an option to find the radio scanners nearer to your place based using the phone’s GPS. The ‘new additions’ option let you add newly available radio scanners to the existing list in the app.

The Scanner Radio app also has an alert feature, whereby you’ll be alerted if any of the channels get ‘hot ‘anytime, with a pre-set number of listeners. More audience means something is interesting going on in that channel, and the Scanner Radio app prompts you about the same so that you also won’t miss out on the hot news emerging from the channel. The sound quality of received scans is found to be reasonably good for most parts. Another advantage Scanner Radio is that the application is designed to work with the latest digital systems rather than the old-styled amateur radio stations.

Conclusion

Scanner Radio app for Blackberry lets you snoop around the radio channels working in your city and neighborhood. It provides live audio from over 2500+ radio channels from around the world, with very reliable results. Over a 3G or faster connection, you could listen to good quality audio with minimal breaks. You could download the ScannerRadio app from Blackberry App Store for a price tag of $2.99 per license.

MobileSafer is a handy Blackberry application that pre-empts the temptation to text, while keeping yourself connected to the phone through hands-free services. Blackberry MobileSafer app automatically responds back to incoming calls/emails/text messages, by letting the caller/sender know that you are on the wheel. By forcing the user away from the mobile device, the app prevents accidents, crashes, and tickets. MobileSafer app for Blackberry device can be purchased online for a price of US$19.99.

The Application

The MobileSafer device goes into ‘safe drive’ mode when any Bluetooth device in your vehicle activates on starting the vehicle. In the said mode, the app restricts access to keypad and screen, while allowing the user to communicate through hands-free options via Bluetooth solution. Locking the keypad and screen eliminates the dangerous temptation to text and email while driving.

Further, MobileSafer app for Blackberry lets you know who is calling in the event of an inbound call so that you don’t have to look at your phone. The app automatically responds back to incoming calls by letting the caller know that you are driving at the moment. Even though, access to the screen and keypad is restricted, still the user can make use of hands-free voice dialer to make outbound calls through hands-free device. As far as the text of auto-replies is concerned, you can opt to edit it to suit your needs. The said changes to the reply option can be made from the ‘Basic Options’ menu in the app interface.

MobileSafer also lets the user call ‘911’ in the event of an emergency. If one dials ‘911’, the app exits all settings for a period of one hour. This gives the window for the emergency services to contact you if required.

Finally, using the ‘suspend’ option, you can suspend the app for 1 to 5 minutes, if so required. During this period, you can access the mobile phone, and all its features without any restriction. For example, imagine that you are in your car and parked, but the engine is still running; so, under normal conditions, the app won’t exit on its own. But you can choose to suspend the app for a short time duration, and access the various services in the Blackberry phone otherwise is restricted while the engine is running.

Conclusion

MobileSafer app for Blackberry certainly helps reduce road accidents, considering the fact that many a times, accidents are caused by using mobile phones while driving. By restricting access to the keypad/ screen, and forcing the user to communicate only via Bluetooth hands-free devices, the app will ensure that the user’s hands will always on the wheel and eyes fixed on the road while driving. In other words, the app pre-empts any potential distraction that could arise for the driver in terms of text message/email/ incoming call. The MobileSafer app can be purchased online for a very a reasonable price tag of $19.99.

If your business requirements take you to different countries frequently, perhaps this is one app you would like to have in your Blackberry device. As the name suggests, Navita Translator app for Blackberry is a language translating application with voice support that translates between English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, German and Italian, plus 46 other languages. It helps you translate words, phrases or sentences from your text messages or email to your native tongue in a flash. If to suggest a drawback, Navita Translator works only on Blackberry OS 4.3 or later versions, and it requires a web connection.

Blackberry Navita Translator app is available as a free download, as well as a paid version for $5.99 (for one year license), the latter coming without sponsor banners.

Features of Navita Translator

With Navita Translator mobile application, either you can get text inputs translated to the desired language, or have a word, phrase or sentence from a text message or email to your native tongue. Either way, the application gives quick and accurate results most of the times. This Blackberry Translator app is also capable of speaking in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, German and Russian. Further, you can translate parts of text in your Blackberry browser by simply selecting them. The app works over BIS, BES, BPS and Wi-Fi.

Among other prominent features of the application, one could send the translations made to others via SMS or email. It is also possible to save your translations as memo pad. The user interface is well laid out and is user friendly for most parts. Dabbling with it couple of times will make one familiar with the app.

The download/installation is an easy process. The file size of less than 120kb would mean that the application won’t take up much memory space either. Once installed, the user is expected to register the product online by filling up a form, following which a free license key will be emailed to the user’s email Id. Once the license key is validated, the Navita Translator Blackberry app is ready to use.

Conclusion

Navita Translator is a worthwhile application to have in your Blackberry, given its features and you’re getting it for free of cost. It is easy to use. And it returns very reliable and accurate results most of the times. Currently, with support for over 52 languages, Navita Translator should work for most Blackberry users across the globe. Those who want more features may go for a paid professional translator app.