The touchscreen BlackBerry Thunder looms large on our gadget wishlists, but when it finally touches down in our trembling hands, what’re we going to run on it?
We’ve stretched our imaginations to creaking-point, and cooked up ten must-have apps for BlackBerry’s new finger-friendly phone. Take a gander, and see if your fingers aren’t tingling at the thought of them too!
Blackberry Kindle
Knowledge is power, so stack up on some know how with a special E-book reader for BlackBerry Thunder. Tied in with Amazon’s own e-book reader, it’ll pull up all the books you need from Amazon’s hefty database straight onto your ‘Berry. With your booksmarts you’ll soon be in line for promotion, all thanks to BlackBerry’s business phone. BrailleBerry
With its special haptic touchscreen, the Thunder has the opportunity to do what no other phone can do, provide top-notch mobile communication for the blind. Because the screen vibrates in specific locations when touched it could be the perfect opportunity to add Braille to the Thunder’s talents. It would also provide a keypad so calling is made just as simple as it would be for the able sighted. Files to go
With so many important documents bogging business heads down, its time to make things less complicated. With Files To Go installed on your ‘Berry you could instantly sync it with your computer or online storage account. Transfers could be as simple as dragging and dropping, transferring in seconds over 3G or Wi-Fi.
TactileTask
Sure, the BlackBerry Thunder will have a calendar, but we want to use next-gen technology to handle our to-do lists. This app could let you scribble down quick notes using the touchscreen, before translating them into proper editable text. Tactile haptic vibration could even buzz the screen as it recognises words, so there’s no need to keep re-reading what you’ve just written, just to make sure it’s right. Meet and eat
You have to book a business dinner out of town to secure that next business deal, but you don’t know the area and are struggling to find a suitable meeting point. How about a list of all the best restaurants on your BlackBerry, complete with maps that vibrate when you approach a foody hotspot? With full lists of all the best local restaurants and GPS abilities, you’ll soon be alerted to the best meal of your life! Touchsheets
Spreadsheets can be complicated enough; it’s even harder trying to make sure everything’s in the right place on a touchscreen, especially with our stubby fingers. Not with the BlackBerry Thunder’s haptic touchscreen. It’ll let you feel the edges of cells as you drag contents over them. Getting objects, facts and figures in the right cell has never felt so natural. Quick convert
Those business trips abroad might present a fine opportunity to make some continental cash but with foreign finance on the agenda how can you tell if you’re getting a good deal? You need a currency converter with a difference showing you real time foreign exchange rates and conversions for any currency wherever you are, with real time forecasts letting you know whether you’ll be left out of pocket or in the money later on. GeoMiles
This money-saving app will calculate how far you’ve traveled and geotag anywhere you travel, keeping a record of where you’ve been and when. It’s perfect for business heads keen to claim money back on their mileage. And you’ll always have a record to prove you’re not on the fiddle when the Accounts department comes calling.
TouchTunes
It’s not work and no play y’know. With the Thunder’s haptic touchscreen there’s a whole new world of tactile gaming waiting to be explored. How about a Guitar Hero style game where you use your fingers to tap along to your media collection? What about a real guitar sim, where the haptics let you feel, and pluck, individual strings? Someone, please, make this happen!
SocialBerry
Look at you Mr. Popular with your Blackberry Thunder, we bet you’ve got loads of mates. Good, why not plonk them all onto a social app that connects all your buddies from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn and Bebo?