BlackBerry App Roundup for December 4, 2015

Howdy CrackBerry nation! I hope everyone has recovered from not only Thanksgiving, but Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all those crazy and wonderful tech deals. Since last we met, quite a bit of news has hit the front page, so I will do my best to recap. First up for Priv owners is how BlackBerry pushed out the first update for their Android device which includes several improvements and enhancements. We also saw how BBM Meetings will be shut down in early 2016, the design influences behind the Priv, and OS 10.3.2.2813 now available to download. As I said, a busy week.

As a reminder, do not forget to enter our open contests which includes one year free storage from MediaFire and the Mobile Nations 2015 Holiday Gadgets Survey for your change to win $600.

Now it's time to bring you this week's picks for all you 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.

Purple Monster by FileArchiveHaven

Day in and day out, I spend a few hours commuting by train and subway for work. As such, I'm always armed with a game or two to make this long trip bearable. Purple Monster is an endless running game whereby you navigate the colorful creature through the maze of tunnels and fatal pits. While you are avoiding the obstacles and falling to your death you must also satisfy the monster's obsession with collecting coins and gems. All you have to do is tap, or press the space bar on QWERTY devices, to jump and you are on your way.

This cute and challenging game fulfills its task of keeping me occupied and oblivious to my surroundings while traveling to and from work. Purple Monster is compatible with all BlackBerry 10 handsets and is $0.99 to download in BlackBerry World.

Learn more / Purchase Purple Monster from BlackBerry World

Video Melody for Vid.Me by anpho

If you are searching for a vid.me browser to view the various videos streams, this application will get you started. You can view featured, hot, and trending video streams and search for videos and users. The application comes with an experimental basic content filter, day and night theme, and application lock. Video Melody supports BlackBerry 10 devices running OS 10.3.1 and higher. You can download this native application for free in BlackBerry World.

Learn more / Download Video Melody for Vid.Me from BlackBerry World

Pocket Casts by Shifty Jelly

As a BlackBerry Priv owner, I scoured Google Play to try and find a decent podcast application. Needless to say there are no shortage of Android podcast apps available. Pocket Casts boasts an array of features to help you find, subscribe, and listen to your favorite content in a snap. This multi-platform player includes Chromecast support, filters for episodes not played or downloaded, storage options, controls via widgets, Android Wear and Pebble, and the notification center, cloud sync, variable speed playback, and various settings to tailor to your preferences. What stands out for me is how the interface is designed. It's quick, smooth, and stylish, especially when discovering new podcasts.

You can purchase this full feature podcast player for $3.99 in Google Play. As it is multi-platform, you can sync between all of your devices.

Learn more / Purchase Pocket Casts from Google Play

Fenix for Twitter by mvilla

Since I am not usually one to stick with the native Twitter app, it was time to hit Google Play to find one for the Priv. Fenix for Twitter offers a wide array of great features to give you a customized Twitter experience. Speaking of customization, it allows users to switch between a light, dark, or true black theme as well as the option to personalize the navigation by hiding unwanted sections.

What initially caught my eye is the visually appealing interface and the beautiful layout. It also supports image and video previews directly from the timeline. Last, but certainly not least, Fenix will appeal to BlackBerry 10 users because of its swipe capabilities. You can swipe through all the app sections, swipe to close a tweet, or even swipe to compose a new tweet. Fenix is a full-featured Twitter client available in Google Play $5.49. One important thing I must add is users will need to go into settings to set the notifications as they are not turned on by default.

Learn more / Purchase Fenix from Google Play

Square.Hop.SPIKE!!! by Jason Holland

From the developer that brought you Pests comes this interesting and fun little game. The premise is quite simple. As the tiny square moves across the playing field, users must tap to have it jump over obstacles and collect the rings. There are 65 levels in the premium version and 20 in the free version. Each one ends when your square hits the spike. While the first few levels/stages are easy to conquer, the ones that follow are challenging. You can download the free version upgrade to the full one for $0.99. Please note Square.Hop.SPIKE!!! is only compatible with full touchscreen BlackBerry 10 devices (Leap, Z10, Z3, and Z30).

Learn more / Purchase Square.Hop.SPIKE!!! from BlackBerry World

What You Might Have Missed

Bridge by CellNinja

For those of you who recently picked up the Pebble Time, Pebble Time Steel, or Pebble Time Round, this application is for you. Bridge is a companion application to the Pebble Time Android App. As the name implies, it acts as a bridge between the official Android app and the Pebble smartwatch so you can receive your notifications (i.e. Emails, SMS, calendar events, etc.) and utilize voice commands for launching the music player, replying to emails, and taking notes.

The application comes with a watchapp in order to connect the Pebble Time to your device. Please note you must have three applications installed in order for Bridge to function properly. First isTalk2Watch Pro, though the headless functionality must be turned off, next is the Pebble Time Android App, which can be downloaded from Snap, and then the Bridge App, that will prompt you to download the Bridge Watch App. Bridge is compatible with all BlackBerry 10 handsets and is free to download from BlackBerry World.

Learn more / Download Bridge from BlackBerry World

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, the BlackBerry PlayBook, or even Android Apps in the Google Play store for the BlackBerry Priv. 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.