Tired of iPhones getting all the love? All the apps? All the developers’ attention? In truth I still have my moments of regret thinking about my purchasing decision of a BlackBerry Curve instead of the iPhone, but ultimately I needed it for email on the go and the touch keypad just wasn’t going to cut it. If I end up with a BlackBerry for work I will certainly welcome an iPhone for personal use. But by the time that happens (in six months) the mobile space may already look drastically different (see my previous posts on why I think mobile is going to explode). So here is the first of several posts on how to pimp your blackberry with awesome apps.

googletalk.jpgRecommendation #1: Google Talk, it’s awesome. You can chat with your friends from your mobile device and is great when you’re making plans on the go or want a casual distraction. The app also has a great user interface and allows you to switch between conversations easily. I highly recommend it, download the app at www.blackberry.com/googletalk.

iskoot_logo1.gifRecommendation #2: iSkoot, see previous post. iSkoot allows you to add skype to your phone and make international phone calls for the price of domestic ones. It still eats up minutes but beats international fees or calling cards. And the user interface is slick and easy to maneuver. You can download it at www.iskoot.com/register.php.

picture-2.pngRecommendation #3: Opera Mini. Browsing the web on the BlackBerry is awful, I would go so far as to say it is one of the biggest drawbacks of the device. Text and graphics don’t format correctly or are misaligned and it just looks horrible. And that’s why Opera Mini is so sweet– it lets you browse by showing a screen shot of a page (perfectly formatted and aligned) and then provides a box to zoom in on preferred areas. Awesome app, download it at www.operamini.com/download.

picture-3.pngRecommendation #4: bPhone by RogersMJ. RogersMJ has designed a background theme that gives all of the slick, artful details that the iPhone boasts to the BlackBerry. The buttons are rounded and beautifully colored, it just looks so much better than the clumsy icons BlackBerry allows you to choose from. Download the bPhone theme from his website at http://rogersmj.com/tech/blackberry/bphone (Note: must have OS 4.2.1 or later). Here’s a glimpse of the screen with the bPhone theme from RogersMJ’s site:

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And keep your eyes peeled for more awesome apps. As I keep mentioning, mobile is going to become increasingly open so this is just the beginning.