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Howdy CrackBerry nation! Another week has come and gone and it is time once again to reflect on what has happened. We began this week with an informative BerryFlow Upstream Podcast whereby an array of topics and news were discussed. Next, we saw John Chen speak out against a certain Ontario MPP on his wanting to change the BlackBerry-only policy. Finally, we also let you know about the Vision Mobile Developer Economics survey, whereby a few participants are eligible to win a limited edition red Z10. Also, if you haven't had a chance, time is running out to take advantage of the latest Amazon Appstore giveaway that includes over $110 worth of apps and games.

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.

Weather Beautiful by Ebscer

First up this week is a suggestion by one of our readers. Weather Beautiful is a basic and simple weather application. It comes to us by way of the developer that brought Pixelated and Classic Camera. One of the things I enjoy about this app is how it pulls images from your surrounding area as its own background (which do rotate). For instance, when I am in Manhattan, I see images from various landmarks in NY, and when I'm in Boston I see their skylines. Viewing the weather is quite easy and all you do is swipe up to see the 7-day forecast and then swipe to the left or right to scroll through the hourly forecast. There was an issue where certain locations would show a black background if no images were available (a default background option would be nice to have), though a recent update appears to have corrected it. Overall, this is a nice application for viewing the weather in your area quickly without entering in zip codes or towns. It offers a nice design and layout, and the images are quite pleasant to look at. You can download Weather Beautiful for free for BlackBerry 10.

Learn More / Purchase Weather Beautiful

Combat Squad by Influo Games

Nothing wrong with settling down with a good shoot'em up game. This title is all about shooting and destroying the monsters that threaten to destroy the peace of the world. Your mission is to collect items, upgrade your skills, and, of course, fight and shoot as many of these destructive beings for as long as you can. This is a nice little time waster with pleasing graphics to take your mind off things. The game is only compatible with the Leap, Z10, Z3, and Z30 but is free to download from BlackBerry World.

Learn More / Download Combat Squad

Winescope by Winescope Inc.

For all you oenophiles out there looking for a great wine choice for a meal then there is this Android Port. All you have to do is take a photo of the wine menu and Winescope does the rest. Users will instantly gain access to millions of ratings, retail prices, and reviews. There are two versions available, a free ad-supported version, and a pro version without ads, for $3.99 in BlackBerry World. In addition to scanning menus, there is also a search option for finding and learning about wines in the database. All that is required is setting up a user account using your email address or your Twitter and Facebook credentials.

Learn More / Download Winescope

Rotate It! by Pixel Delight Studios LLC

Being that I spend an inordinate amount of time commuting to and from work, I tend to gravitate towards playing puzzle games. This jigsaw puzzle variant has 220 levels that are well designed to keep you occupied. The object of the game is to rotate the pieces so that all the pipes are connected. However, it is not as easy as it sounds and only increase in difficulty as you progress. There are two game modes, zen (no timer) and challenge (timer countdown), and users can pick any level to play rather than going in order. Fun and engaging, you can grab it for $0.99 in the Amazon Appstore.

How to install Rotate It! from the Amazon Appstore

Unclouded by Christian Gollner

With all of the accounts I have, keeping track of credentials and data can be a daunting task. Going through the Amazon Appstore, Unclouded popped up on my radar and I decided to take a closer look at this application for managing multiple cloud accounts. In addition to consolidating all of your accounts in one place, it also helps users not only view their content but scan and dispose of duplicates as well. Users can easily switch back and forth between services but note that you are limited in how many you can access in the free version. There are several in-app purchases, starting at $0.99, available to unlock additional features, such as unlimited accounts, dark theme, and password lock. The interface is simple and easy to use and I'm sure we can all appreciate how it analyzes your cloud storage to see which files and folders are using most of your space.

How to install Unclouded from the Amazon Appstore

What You Might Have Missed

PhoneFinder moves out of the Beta Zone

It was not that long ago that Phone Finder entered the BlackBerry Beta Zone. While BlackBerry users can rely on BlackBerry Protect to locate a lost device, having alternate options is always a good thing. Phone Finder offers a wide variety of features to help you find your phone including SMS and Email commands. It supports all BlackBerry 10 smartphones running OS 10.2.1 and higher and is $4.99 to download.

For more information / Download Phone Finder

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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