BlackBerry Messenger is a great way to keep up with your friends, and with the new BBM Social Platform and integration with different apps you can easily meet new people that share similar interests. Tafasa has created an app for exactly this purpose. Smoothie has two different aspects, so whether you're looking for a group of people already talking, or some one-on-one time with someone new, you're sure to find it here.

The first section is Blender, in which you can start a conversation with a random person based on criteria you pre-select. You specify age, gender, location, and interests. If the person you're connected to isn't what you were looking for, Smoothie will connect you to someone else. The second part is called Coffee Shop. Here you will find group conversations on any number of topics and you can join in at the click of a button. Not finding a topic you're in to? No problem, start a conversation of your own for others to join!

Other features include:

• Built on the new BBM6 platform, giving you all the power and fun BBM has to offer
• Custom profiles with a picture, interests and a display name
• Integrates with the BlackBerry notification system so you never miss a message while in a conversation
• Add people you meet to BBM from within the application
• Meet people interested in the same things as you
• Fun and easy to use

Smoothie is free and compatible with BlackBerry smartphones on OS 5 and greater, and you must be running BBM6 to use it. Most countries are supported as well. Check out Smoothie today, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

More information/screenshots and to download Smoothie

One of my favorite games as a kid was Connect Four. Now, I can relive my childhood by playing it on my BlackBerry. What makes this even better is that I can play it for FREE! Tafasa, the makers of 4-In-A-Row, just released their free ad-supported version yesterday in BlackBerry App World. The premise of the game is very similar to Connect Four. You want to get four of your chips in a row (horizontally, diagonally or vertically) before the other player. It has a simple UI and smooth animations.

Features:

• Play against a friend or three different computer difficulties
• Undo a move after it has been played
• Animations and a sleek interface

The free version is supported by all carriers and pretty much every device running OS 4.5 or higher (works smoothly on my 9800, 9670 & 8330). The only countries excluded are Australia and South Korea. As of now, the only place to snag the free version of this game is via BlackBerry App World. The paid version is available for $0.99 at ShopCrackBerry.com as well as BlackBerry App World.

Contest: We have 50 copies of the ad free version of 4-In-A-Row to give away. Just leave a comment on this post to enter. Contest ends Sunday at midnight PST.

More information/download of 4-In-A-Row in the CrackBerry App Store
More information/download of 4-In-A-Row in BlackBerry App World

WordSearch is a great game to fill those moments of boredom. This classic word game brings countelss hours of fun with it's huge library of words, and seemingly infinite number of puzzle combinations. Selecting your found words is simple. With your touchscreen device, just drag your finger from the start of the word to the end of the word. The same goes for non-touchscreen devices, using the trackball/trackpad.

Overall I have found WordSearch to be a very nice game, and great time waster. You can pick up the WordSearch free or paid version at the CrackBerry App Store (paid for $2.99). Both versions are compatible with all devices running OS 4.5 and up, including BlackBerry 6.

More information and download of WordSearch Free>>
More information and download of WordSearch paid version>>

Tafasa is back again with another entertaining game for your BlackBerry. Bubble Burst is a color matching game where you try to score big by popping the largest set of the same color bubbles. The more bubbles in your set, the more points you earn. Bubble Burst has four different modes to choose from: Standard, Shift, Continuous, and Megashift. While each mode has the same basic gameplay, each has a variation to keep things interesting. You also have the option to turn the colored bubbles into white shapes on a black background which is ideal if you are color blind. You can save statistics such as high score, average score and number of games played for each mode.

Bubble Burst has a paid and a free (advertisement supported) version, and supports most all devices. I tried out the free version on my BlackBerry Torch, and while the ad is there at the bottom of the game screen, I really didn't even notice it. I know some of you out there can't stand ads at all, so if you prefer your game without, you can pick up the full version of Bubble Burst on sale for $0.99 in the CrackBerry store.

• To purchase the ad free version of Bubble Burst >> 
• To download the Bubble Burst Free >>

From the developers that brought us PatternLock and such games as Word Search and Bubble Burst comes the latest time waster Finger Trap. The game operates on a simple premise, just put your finger on the red square and move it around to avoid the blue ones. You'll figure out pretty quickly though, that it isn't quite so simple playing the game. Fast reflexes and good eye-hand coordination is a must, and you'll easily find yourself wasting time getting lost in the game. With three difficulty settings, and options like randomizing the direction the blocks come from, you'll get plenty of play time on your touch device. Online leaderboards are filtered by difficulty, letting you see how you stack up against other players. Available as a free download from the CB store, it's supported on the 95xx series, and even the 9800.

• More information and download of Finger Trap >>

Tafasa has rolled out their latest version of PatternLock. Adding some fun while keeping your device secure is what PatternLock is all about. Version 2.0 adds many new features over the old release as it's been rebuilt from the ground up. The following is just a quick run through of the changes:

• Completely rewritten from the ground up. Now has more features and 20% smaller!
• Brand new options interface which is divided into sections making it easier to find and change your settings
• BlackBerry Messenger notification icon
• Integration with BerryWeather (BeWeather) v2.2+ to show weather information on lock screen
• Application lock and the call screen PatternLock appearance now use the same settings and look as the device lock screen
• Various other options across the entire application's feature set (too many to list here)
• Tons of optimizations and minor fixes
• Skinnable to match any style of theme.

PatternLock is also compatible with the latest OS' versions where the lock keys have changed. Version 2.0 is now available for free to existing customers while new customers can grab it for the low price of only $2.99. Just remember folks, this is a Storm only application.

• Click Here To Learn More And Grab The Latest Version Of PatternLock>>

Tafasa has had a great year and cranked out some awesome games for BlackBerry. To celebrate their first birthday, they are running a sale on all of their games. You can pick up 4-In-A-Row, Bubble Burst, CodeBreaker, Hangman, Memory, WordSearch and more for just $0.99 through March 14th. They have been hard at work converting the former Storm-only games to work on other devices, so why not pick one up as your way of saying thanks? Head to the CrackBerry App Store to check out the full lineup. Happy Birthday Tafasa!

• Check out the full line of Tafasa games on sale >>

I got word from Tafasa that they have released another cool game for BlackBerry called Griddler. Griddlers (aka Nonograms) are logic puzzles that are very similar to Sudoku, where the goal is to fill in the boxes based on numbers along the sides. The game may seem daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it Griddler is definitely a good way to kill time and occupy your mind.

Griddler offers three different board sizes providing fun for all ages. Your goal is to try to get the fastest time for each board. The game provides an infinite number of randomly generated puzzles, which means the fun will never end! If you don't have enough time to finish the puzzle in one sitting, Griddler will save the puzzle state when you exit the game so you can finish later. A detailed How To Play section will help answer any other gameplay questions. 

Griddler sells for $2.99 in the CrackBerry App Store but is on sale for just $0.99 through January 31st.  We have 50 copies of Griddler to give away. Just leave a comment on this post to enter. Contest ends this Sunday at Midnight PST.

• More information and download of Griddlers >>

A new app popped up over the weekend for the BlackBerry Storm that has attracted a lot of attention within the Storm forums. PatternLock, by Tafasa, offers a new and fun way to lock your BlackBerry Storm...

The lock screen shows 9 dots in a 3x3 grid. Before using PatternLock, you define what your lock pattern will be. The next time you see the lock screen, you trace your finger in the pattern you defined before and your device will unlock. Any other pattern and in any other order will not unlock the device. The application allows you to either use the default wallpaper or to pick a different background image stored on your device. You can even set it to autolock the device whenever you turn it on. You can also set it to autolock when the device is inactive for a time period of your choosing.

Take note that this will not replace the BlackBerry lock functionality when pressing the lock button. Tafasa recommends you assign this application to a convenience key for easy access, or you can rely on the autolocking system. An icon is also available so that you can easily lock from the homescreen. [ Note: if you intend to use the autolock feature, you should disable the built in BlackBerry automatic password lock as it will still lock your device (even if automatic PatternLock is enabled). If you require maximum security for your device, you should use the built in BlackBerry password lock. ]

PatternLock sells for $2.99, but if you purchase it via the CrackBerry App Store on your device you can get it for 99 cents until April 20th (no coupon code required).