PocketDay Start! for BlackBerry Smartphones

Everyday, you try to become more productive, faster, more efficient. You try doing something today and maybe you'll do it differently tomorrow, seeing if you can shave off more time. Besides being the ultimate smartphone, the BlackBerry can help you become better than you were before. Better, stronger, faster. Okay, maybe not like the Six Million Dollar Man, but at least a little better. What if you had an application that could help you quickly manage your day to day routine with minimal effort? Say, something that "redefines Shortcuts?"

From Cross River Systems comes PocketDay Start!. This application enables you to gather up your favourite contacts, applications and links into a stew. Add a dash of Message Management to the mix, and you have a recipe for simplicity. For those sporting a Storm, PocketDay Start! currently has an open Beta. Want the link? Well, you'll just have to read the full review.

About PocketDay Start!

Currently, you can download OTA or head on over to your desktop manager and add the application. PocketDay Start! is available on BlackBerrys running OS 4.5 or higher. Cross River Systems also offer PocketDay (the Ultimate today screen), PocketDay Sports and the reviewed PocketDay Lists. Is it just me or are you guys sensing a theme as well?

I've looked at applications that have grouped together contacts and had a folder containing a favourite application or twelve. PocketDay Start! goes one step further and groups everything you use the most into a one stop shop. Doing this, I find it minimized my dizzying navigation between folders and applications.

The application captures the look and feel of a newer OS, almost as though I was opening up a native application. Across the top of the main menu, the four categories can be found; Contacts, Email/Cal(endar)/Tasks, Applications and Internet Links. Below the categories you will find the view field. This field will display the entries for a highlighted category. Let's have a look at each Category;

Contacts

In this category you can access your native address book and create shortcuts to your favourite contacts. You can create quick names to appear below the contact's icon. Speaking of icons, if your contact has a picture assigned to them, it will replace the green PocketDay Start! icon. All of the contacts here, can be shuffled around until you find the perfect layout - you aren't limited to alphabetical listings. When you highlight a contact, click the trackball and you can choose a contact method. Call, text or email with a click.

Contact Category. Note the different icons.

Email/Cal/Tasks

Here, you can access Messages, Calendar entries, Tasks and Memos. The icons found here cannot be moved. For messages, you have shortcuts available to your inbox, search, compose SMS and compose email. Calendar gives you the ability to view agenda, day, week and month. You can also create entries in each section. For tasks and memos, you have the option to create a new entry or search through existing ones.

keeping you organized

Applications

I like to think of this as a secondary favourite application list. Scroll through most of the native and third party applications and keep your most accessed ones here.

I'm sure I had more applications than that...

Internet Links

Each entry requires an URL before this section becomes your shortcut to your favourite links.

where else should I access the #1 site for BlackBerry Users & Abusers?!

Setting up your personal entries takes very little time. Once you have though, PocketDay Start! will help you manage your daily BlackBerry routine by housing your favourite contact, applications and more. I did find that the application didn't always keep up with my scrolling. At its worst, it was a second or so behind. PhoneFace offers a similar contact solution, so perhaps in future releases, PocketDay Start! could connect to my FaceBook and get the latest photos of my contacts. For best results, you should have PocketDay Start! assigned to a convenience key.

Conclusion

I bet this application is fantastic on the open beta for the Storm. No more jumping in and out of applications. Your contact, messages, link, applications and more all now grouped in one place. Not only that, now it requires less keystrokes to access them. For now I will slow down my scrolling and see if the application can keep up. Download the 15 day trial and see its greatness for itself. Once you are sold, PocketDay Start! is available at the CrackBerry Store for $12.95. I noticed in the forums that you can head over to www.pocketday.com and get the discounted price of $9.95, by using the promo code "start!" at the checkout.

Pros

• all of your favourite actions in one place
• less keystrokes
• smooth layout

Cons

• lags slightly

Download

• Download / Purchase PocketDay Start! for BlackBerry >>