Best BlackBerry Applications (Apps) and Free Downloads

Here are the best Blackberry applications currently out there that work great with the Blackberry Storm, Blackberry Tour, Blackberry Bold, Blackberry Curve and more!

Why should iPhone users have all the fun? Though Apple likes to trot out stats about its ballooning app store every month or so (50,000 at latest count), BlackBerry App World has its own growing library of third-party apps, and it’s not clogged up with quite as many fart machines and virtual lighters, either. We dug out 10 of our personal favorites to highlight the very best BlackBerry developers have to offer.

10. Viigo(Free)

If you own a BlackBerry, you probably like to be tapped in. And with customizable access to sports, weather, entertainment, podcasts, flight information, stocks, and news, we guess you can say that Viigo does that. Sure, you can pull a lot of these tidbits in through more specialized apps, too, but Viigo has them all wrapped up in one very slick little app. And it’s free!

9. Facebook (Free)

Given the cornea-blistering appearance of most MySpace pages, it doesn’t really surprise us that Facebook transitions to the BlackBerry much more readily. And this smartly designed little app doesn’t hurt, either. Besides making it easy to drain hours reading the pointless minutiae of other peoples’ lives, it integrates into your BlackBerry calendar, contacts and messages, making it possible to do things like set someone’s Facebook picture as their contact photo in the phone – automatically.

8. Par 72 Golf II (Free trial, $6.99)

If you can get past the somewhat clunky numberpad controls, Par 72 actually makes a fun golf game to get you on the links when you’re actually stuck on the train. You won’t find any celebrity endorsements or goofy cartoon avatars, but the design of the game will immediately feel familiar to anyone who has played pretty much any other golf game, and it looks pretty darn good for a mobile phone game, too. We liked the relative simplicity: It’s not quite as detailed and difficult as its console and PC brothers, but it delivers enough of the golf experience to fill their shoes when you’re on the go.

7. The Oregon Trail ($4.99)

We love Oregon Trail. Maybe it’s because we’re based in Portland, or maybe it’s just because we grew up shooting 6,305 pounds of virtual buffalo that we couldn’t carry back to the wagon, like every other red-blooded American under age 30. Nostalgia trip aside, you’re still looking at a great role-playing game that will let you manage your family’s resources, meet challenges on the road west, and yes, hunt. Just watch the speed of that wagon or your on the trail or you’re on the fast track to dysentery.

6. WeatherEye(Free)

The Weather Channel really let us down on the BlackBerry with about the weakest weather app we’ve ever seen, and WeatherBug, the company that brought you the original incessantly chirping desktop weather program, failed predictably with its app as well. But fear not, BlackBerry weather enthusiasts: WeatherEye from The Weather Network actually fills the niche just fine. You’ll get a quick glance at current conditions, plus extras like five-day forecasts, radar and more.