10 BlackBerry apps any father could love

It feels like Father’s Day comes a bit late this year, doesn’t it? That just gives you more time to shop for Dear Old Dad. Plenty of people save their shopping for the last minute, mainly because, well, it’s tough to shop for Dad. He has everything he needs, right? Well, other than that 50-inch flat panel, but that might exceed your budget just a bit. What we’ve got here are 10 applications that any dad would love for Father’s Day. So take a look through and see which ones your BlackBerry-addicted Dad will enjoy most.

eOffice 4.6

Up until the release of OS 4.5, one of BlackBerry’s shortcomings was the lack of a native document editor. Now we have Documents To Go, which provides simple document editing solutions. However, what it doesn’t do is allow for the creation of new documents. That is, unless you upgrade to the premium version. Before you do that, though, you might want to check out another application. We reviewed eOffice 4.5 a while back, and they’ve since upgraded to version 4.6. As you can see from the review, it’s a comprehensive program with tons of useful features. It’s almost like carrying around Microsoft Office on your BlackBerry.

You can get eOffice 4.6 from the BBGeeks Store for $29.95. If Dad prefers Documents To Go, the premium edition is available for $69.99.

Ascendo Money Personal Finance Manager

Budgeting is the pits. I’ve done it plenty of times, only to break it a few weeks, or maybe a month, later. The problem is immediacy. The ability to see the budget at any time, and more importantly the ability to immediately record expenses, is one of the keys to the absent-minded budgeter. This is what Ascendo’s Personal Finance Manager helps accomplish. Once you master the program, you can set your finances on auto-pilot. It can track regular recurring expenses, debt levels, disposable income, and more. Best of all, it can sync with your desktop and import data from many other budget and financial programs.

You can get Ascendo Money Personal Finance Manager for $29.95. It works with all BlackBerry models running OS 4.0 and above.

eWallet Professional Edition

The days of the Internet have brought even more data into our already data-intensive lives. We have credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, PINs, and all sorts of names and numbers which pop up in our everyday lives. Sure, you could try to keep them all as similar as possible, but that creates security issues. The best way to deal with this is to store the information in a secure place. This is what eWallet provides. With this BlackBerry application users can store their most closely-guarded information in an encrypted and secure environment. eWallet can organize personal information into a number of categories, making it a go-to application. The app itself is password protected for your protection, and will ward off intruders by locking the handset after a number of incorrect entries.

You can get eWallet Professional Edition at the BBGeeks Store for $29.95.

New York Times Crosswords

It might seem like it sometimes, but Dad does more than just work. He likes to kick back and enjoy himself, too. If he’s a crosswords fan (and what dad isn’t?), then the New York Times Crossword app might be for him. Whether it’s a distraction for his commute or a way to save on the cost of the Times every day (it’s free online, after all), the New York Times Crosswords app is great for just about any dad. If you’re into crosswords, too, you can get one for yourself and see who does better. Just don’t try to show up Dad on Sunday. There are 364 other days when you can beat him.

You can get the New York Times Crosswords app for a $2.99 monthly subscription cost. Much less than buying the Times.

ToDoMatrix Professional

It’s so much easier to get work done when you know exactly what needs doing. That comes naturally to some, but others might need an organization method to get everything in order. If your dad is among them, you might consider the ToDoMatrix task management software. It allows users to not only create task lists, but to import items from calendar, email, and other messages. As is the hip thing to do these days, it integrates well with David Allen’s Getting Things Done program. Add in the ability to sync with both PC and Mac databases, a backup and recovery system, and the ability to delegate tasks, and you’ve got a top-notch offering from REXwireless.

You can get ToDoMatrix Professional task management software at the BBGeeks Store for $59.95. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but in this case you get what you pay for.

Aerize Explorer and Card Loader

Managing files on your BlackBerry can be a real pain. You only have so much room to work with on the flash memory. While there is expansion available (and recommended), there’s then the issue of managing files between your device memory and media card. Aerize Explorer can make that management a bit simpler. It allows users to zip and unzip files, making for more storage on the device. You can also move files around, including back and forth between the media card and device memory.

You can get Aerize Explorer for $9.99. You might also consider Aerize Card Loader to go along with it. This application allows you to install games and apps from the media card, thereby making device memory limitations a thing of the past. And, while you’re at it, there’s always a good opportunity to get him a 8GB microSD card.

Guitar Hero World Tour

Amid all these business applications it’s easy forget that dad likes to rock! He might not show it, with his business suit and tie, but what lies underneath is the young man inside him wanting to rock out to some serious tunes. Guitar Hero World Tour mobile is a great distraction for a commute, or a nice way to spend your lunch break. It includes plenty of classic rock songs dad might enjoy, like “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Up Around the Bend,” and “Hollywood Nights.” In addition to the 15 songs which come with the game, users get a bonus song each month. Many more are added for purchase, as well.

You can get Guitar Hero World Tour mobile for $9.99. It’ll pay for itself in rocking experience.

RDM+ Remote Desktop

One of the BlackBerry advantages is the ability to work while away from the office. You can get all of your emails and other important information pushed right to your BlackBerry, so you’re always within shouting distance. Sometimes, though, you need to access something on your work computer. That might even make Dad’s boss think twice before letting him work remotely. But if he has an application like the RDM+ Remote Desktop, he might have a solution. This allows users to access their laptop or desktop computers right from the BlackBerry device. This includes the ability to view full screen or zoom, which helps mitigate the issue of BlackBerry’s smaller screen.

You can get RDM+ Remote Desktop for a one-time fee of $39.95. If and when they upgrade the software, that will be available for free to registered users.

Black & Whitelist

How many unwanted calls does Dad get per day? Wouldn’t he appreciate the ability to manage his incoming calls so he can ignore the ones he doesn’t want to deal with? With Black & Whitelist he can. The application allows the creation of, as the name suggests, blacklists and whitelists. This allows Dad to block certain callers, or only allow certain calls to come through. When an unwanted caller rings, he or she is sent to voicemail while Dad hears nothing. It’s as if it didn’t happen. While some wish there was an option to just hang up on the caller, sending him or her to voicemail is the next best thing.

You can get Black & Whitelist for $18. If Dad is on BES, he’ll have to check with his BES administrator to get permission to install the application.

Pocket 12C SE Financial Calculator

We’re stretching the “every father” bit with this last item. It’s the Pocket 12C SE Financial Calculator. Why might Dad want this? I can remember back to my younger days when Dad, a CPA at the time, toted around this strange-looking calculator. At the time I thought it was a scientific one because it had so many strange buttons. Alas, it was a financial calculator, something I wouldn’t learn until I got a graphing calculator Junior year of high school. Incidentally, it’s on that financial calculator that I learned how to compute baseball statistics. There are all the standard financial functions with this one, including time value of money, cashflow analysis, amortization, and more.

You can pick up the Pocket 12C SE Financial Calculator for $12.95. It’s available for most BlackBerry models. If your dad has a Storm, you can check out the Pocket 10B SE Business Calculator. The free-form keyboard might make it a bit easier on Dad.

Don’t forget: Gift Certificates

If there are other BlackBerry applications you want to get Dad, or if you’re not quite sure which ones he’ll like best, you can always get a gift certificate to the BBGeeks Store. These come in multiple denominations, and can be added to any order.

Happy Father’s Day, everyone!

This post originated at BBGeeks.com – home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about Verizon BlackBerry.

10 BlackBerry apps any father could love

This post originated at BBGeeks.com – home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about Verizon BlackBerry.

10 BlackBerry apps any father could love