BlackBerry App Roundup 7/3/15

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Howdy CrackBerry nation! Are you all ready for the weekend? To our Canadian readers, I hope you had a fantastic Canada day. For our US readers, here is to the weekend Independence Day celebrations. May they be fun and safe. More importantly though is all the news that transpired this week. First up is the announcement of a new site feature. Now you can personalize your experience and get notified when new content is added. Next, we had a BBM bug update fix, a BerryFlow podcast, an app sale from BKU, and updates to ReadItNow!, and iGrann.

Now it's time to bring you this week's picks for all your passionate BlackBerry addicts out there. You can find each app and game I've rustled up for you by clicking through the gallery below. If your favorite did not make the cut this week, remember you can help by offering your suggestions at the end.

Prospectiv by Marco Gallo

Prospectiv

I do not know about you but when news of this game came across a BBM chat, my curiosity was piqued. The reason you may ask? It is unlike any other game I have come across recently. While this is similar to an Android game, this native version will have you sucked in from the moment you start playing. The concept is simple. A player manipulates the piece they are given to match the shape shown in the background. While easy at first, it becomes more challenging as you progress. I cannot tell you how difficult it is trying to shift the shape into what is required. I spent my entire commute to and from work transfixed on the shapes and colors and trying to manipulate the piece. Prospectiv pulls you in, and there is no end in sight. You can find it $1.99 for all BlackBerry 10 devices in BlackBerry World.

Learn More / Purchase Prospectiv

S10 for Slack by Justin Mitchell

S10 for Slack

Slack is the preferred messaging application for several teams and businesses as part of their workflow. For what I have to accomplish, I currently use the Slack APK on my device to access the service. Recently, BlackBerry World has released not just one, but two native applications. S10 for Slack, from the developer that brought you Gazette is a BlackBerry 10 slack client that is headless and offers Hub support. Please note that it will appear as a separate account in your Hub when you swipe to the right. It supports multiple teams, background notifications, has file uploads and search, and has both light and dark themes. While there is room for improvement (i.e. the UI, added features are missing) and Hub notifications can be spotty, it is a native alternative for those looking to communicate with their teams. There have already been a few updates since its initial release. S10 is $0.99 (at the time of this post) for BlackBerry 10 devices and is available to download in BlackBerry World.

Learn More / Purchase S10 for Slack

SMSArchive by KQSoft Inc.

SMSArchive

Believe it or not I still utilize SMS. A shocker I know but there are friends and family not on BBM, who still communicate via this method. Not only that but I communicate with co-workers as well regarding projects and sometimes these messages need to be retained for future use. There are several archiving applications at your disposal, but I always love trying out the latest and greatest to see what they offer. SMSArchive allows you to backup your device text messages to a database as well as save MMS attachments to a folder on your device/SD Card/Cloud. From the database, you can view the messages as a conversation as if you were in the BlackBerry Text Messages App. From there you can filter by date, search keywords, delete, copy, share, and export to a CSV or text file. The application will also provide analytics and reports on messages such as how many you sent and received by date or by name. These reports can be shown in data view or as bar charts. It also allows you to archive messages from multiple BB10 devices to the same database. SMSArchive is $1.99 for all BlackBerry 10. You can find it in BlackBerry World, and it is a native application.

Learn More / Purchase SMSArchive

Somnium by Andrei Ilin

Somnium

Next up is a simple application for music lovers. I have to say there are times I have fallen asleep listening to my music library. It's an old habit going back to my childhood when the only way I could get some rest was with the clock radio. With this application you simply start your music and set the countdown timer. Somnium will wait for the end of the track and stop the player to allow you to sleep and prevent the battery from draining even during Bedside Mode. Somnium is $0.99 in BlackBerry World.

Learn More / Purchase Somnium

Pepperplate by Pepperplate Inc.

Pepperplate

This is a recipe, menu and cooking planner application that comes to us via the Amazon Appstore. It offers the ability to seamlessly manage your recipes, menus, and shopping lists across your devices. Not only can you view your whole menu with multiple cooking timers but share, create, and import recipes, combines recipes into menus, organize meals, adding to your shopping list on the website and it will sync with your devices, and create your own unlimited categories. An account with Pepperplate.com is required. Please note that to import recipes via URL it must be supported by Pepperplate. This is an Android application that is free to download from the Amazon Appstore.

How to install Pepperplate from the Amazon Appstore

What You Might Have Missed

ProtectMe by CellNinja

ProtectMe

On the lookout for applications that add an extra layer of security? Then be sure to check out ProtectMe. This latest endeavor by the BlackBerry developer behind Hub2Watch and Silent Keys, aims to password protect your phone in those rare instances it is lost or stolen. Users can send a predefined message or keyboard to automatically lock the device via Email, SMS, or PIN. There are several triggers to lock the phone including turning on airplane mode, turning off wifi, data service, and cellular service, trying to shutdown the device, and performing a soft reset. As a headless app, ProtectMe is a native application available to purchase for $1.99 in BlackBerry World.

For more information / Purchase ProtectMe

Until next week...

That's it for this week folks. For more apps and games, be sure to head on over to the CrackBerry Forums where you will find even more hidden gems to choose from whether it be for BlackBerry 10, BBOS or the BlackBerry PlayBook. Of course, you can always find the latest and greatest top editor's picks in the CrackBerry App Gallery. Are there any apps or games you would like to see? Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.

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