As a tech nerd, I’m constantly in pursuit of the next gadget.  However, as I mentioned in my post, Why I Don’t Have An iPhone, I’m currently using a BlackBerry Curve.  While from a hardware perspective the Curve is a decent phone, the software platform has left me in a world where there are few apps to choose from.

I have managed to get by – I can do everything I need to do.  Aside from the core phone and office functions (email, tasks, contacts and calendar), here are the five apps that I depend on:

1. Google Talk:  I prefer it to the BlackBerry messenger.  While staying logged onto the app is a constant struggle, having a platform that works on both my desktop, the web and my phone is critical.


2. Viigo:  I’m addicted.  Yes RSS is awesome in general, however what makes Viigo special is that it’s a native app that pulls my feeds down automatically.  When I’m stuck in the subway without a connection, I always have fresh content to read.


3. TwitterBerry:  Not a great UI, but it does the job.


4. Google Maps:  Enough said.


5. Opera Mini:  As my newest app, Opera Mini fills part of the major browser gap on the Curve:  it enables me to see fully rendered web pages.  However, it’s slow and tough to navigate leaving me to use the standard BlackBerry Browser for my basic web activity.  That’s the price I pay for battery life.

Comments

[Scott Kuhn]

Mark,

As a Blackerry afficianato and techofile, I am also in your shoes with respcet to the iPhone and wanting my BB functionality.

Imagine my surprise when in the UK I was lucky enough to see the new Blackberry Storm. The iPhone Killer as far as business phones are concerned. Its pretty temting and I have already gotten on the list to buy one of the first ones here from Verizon, the exclusive provider. At least for teh short term.

http://estore.vzwshop.com/storm/

Best,
Scott

Your thoughs?

[Mark Davis]

Thanks Scott - the storm looks cool. I hope it delivers!

[Tariq Hasan]

Hello Scott, as a technoholic myself, I have always wanted the brilliance of blackberry's office connectivity, in other phones. As I am sure you know, this is tough to find. However, like you mention I also have needs other than just email and 'form' in addition to 'function' is important, so I have enjoyed the HTC TyTN II and more recently, the Samsung Omnia. I am not suggesting that you switch from the blackberry but these are worth looking into.
Here is where I get mine: www.crazytoe.com.

Enjoy!
-Tariq

[Scott Kuhn]

Tariq,

I will be hard pressed to leave BB. I have a BB enterprise server that we invested in and I use Lotus Notes so having the email delivered as efficiently and reliably as I do now will be a challenge. Particularly with the Notes Webmail application....its not very functional. But thanks for the heads up.

By the way, I realized that I spelled Technophile wrong but Mark has no way of editing the post once it is posted.

[celebrity]

Nice exchange of info and tips. Useful to all.