BlackBerry App Roundup for May 2, 2014

Howdy CrackBerry readers. Today is Friday and that can only mean one thing, that it is time once again for the weekly App Roundup where I rustle up some interesting, fun, and useful applications and games for you to try. Also, big news this week as Smartwatch Fans is now officially Connectedly and to celebrate they are holding their first community contest which you should definitely enter. Be sure to check out this week's picks 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.

Musalizer by Utkarsh Kumar Jauhari

My search this week led me to our forums where I came across this simple application for audiophiles. While the developer stated additional visualizations and colors will be included in the next release, this native application offers some nice features not included in the BlackBerry player. It creates auto playlists, displays visualization patterns during playback, sorts your library by albums and artist, filters tracks based on when and how often they are played, and lets users apply a preset equalizer. This is the first build and while it does not offer all the bells and whistles as say Neutron Music Player, it does get the job done. Depending on the size of your library, the initial loading of your tracks may vary but you can find it for $.99 for all BlackBerry 10 handsets. Please note that in order to access your music files, it requires you to grant permission for Shared Files.

More information/Purchase Musalizer

Holster Profile by Toysoft Development

Being able to customize notifications has been favorite of mine going all the way back to my first legacy device. Holster Profile is a headless application that allows you to assign different Sound Notifications when placed in or out of a holster. This useful application presents the option to create your own profile for each scenario. Not only can you adjust the volume, instant preview, set it to vibrate, and turn the LED on or off (not blink the LED) but you have the ability to change the mode (i.e. Set to silent, vibrate only, normal, or phone calls only) and toggle the sound on/off as well. For those seeking a more fully featured solution to assigning holster profiles this is your answer. The application asks for permission to access your notifications controls, run in background (headless), shared files (to save your selections), and Connect to BBM to update your profile and invite others to download. Holster Profile is currently $.99 to purchase in the store for BlackBerry 10.

More information/Purchase Holster Profile

PamFax – Complete Fax Solution by Scendix GmbH

Brought to my attention in last week's roundup, PamFax, formerly an Android port, is now available as a native BlackBerry 10 application. Upon installing, users are prompted to create or sign into their online account and are given one free fax in their account. For additional faxes, you will need to subscribe to a plan or purchase a credit pack. The application will scan your address book and pull out the contacts (when granted the contacts permission) with fax numbers attached to them. It also allows you to add files from your device, SD card, Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, and OneDrive accounts via the in-app browser (it asks for permission to Shared Files). Quick to setup, it is a fast and easy way to send and receive faxes right on your device. This new version not only offers an updated UI to go with the native look and feel but customized cover pages, ability to encrypt transmission, cloud-based archival of sent and received faxes, and, of course, direct access to your PamFax account. It supports BlackBerry 10 handsets and the BlackBerry PlayBook and is free to download.

More information/Download PamFax

Zombie Bird by DHabkirkDesigns

Another suggestion this week from the mailbag is a twist on the Flappy Bird phenomenon only this time with zombies. Your goal is to navigate your zombie bird through the skeleton pipes in order to attain a high score. Game play remains the same as all you need to do is tap on the screen to keep your bird flying to prevent it from falling or touching the obstacles. Nothing wrong with some quick 8-bit fun to pass the time for $.99. As of now, this game only supports all-touch BlackBerry 10 devices.

More information/Purchase Zombie Bird

Krungie Player by Krungie Factor

For those of you who listen to podcasts and audiobooks, the development team behind NeverMaze brings you this minimalist player to import your audio files. In terms of features it extracts chapter name, author, and book title from the ID3 tags, auto resumes, skips ahead +/- 30 seconds, offers speed control, and grants users the option to chapter select. Krungie Player is clean, intuitive, and available for $2.99 for BlackBerry 10.

More information/Purchase Krungie Player

What You Might Have Missed

Temple Run: Oz by Disney

This week saw Disney release another release of their popular Temple Run series. This latest one is inspired by the wonderful land of OZ. As such your character will be running through four gorgeous environments based on the film. With stunning graphics and awesome gameplay this is one amazing game for your BlackBerry 10 device. For only $.99 what are you waiting for?

More information/Purchase Temple Run: OZ

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.