8 BlackBerry apps for the business folk

Research in Motion has done a pretty good job marketing the BlackBerry as a business phone with great social media capabilities. As a BlackBerry user, the amount of applications in the “Blackberry App World” still overwhelms me, and I am a social user. It seems I’m not alone — most of the people I know use the BlackBerry for personal use.

However for the business users out there connected to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, who require their phones to function in the business world, here are a few apps that might help. Not all apps are exclusive to the BlackBerry.

• Evernote for BlackBerry

Ideas come and go and a great idea can be lost if you don’t write it down immediately. Evernote allows you to hold on to an idea or inspiration as it happens, by simply jotting it down in the moment. Evernote for BlackBerry also allows users to search and find all previous notes including those made using Evernote desktop.

• Scoop-Mobile Visual Fast Issue Collection and Collaboration

Everybody wants their own Facebook. Scoop helps you do just that. You can create a network of colleagues or business associates. The app allows users to connect with their network via voice, text, photos and videos. This makes work collaborations easy for people who are constantly out of the office or who’s business takes them on the road a lot. You can share ideas on the go.

• Tungle.me

For appointments. Yes you have the BlackBerry calendar for that, Tungle.me adds a bit to just making appointments. With Tungle.me you can create, send and receive meeting invitations and share calendars with others. You can also see other people’s availability at a glance to see if they’re able to make a meeting. You can also sync your calendar and contacts.

• BlackBerry Travel
  The “super app” as it has been referred to by Blackberry and WorldMate. Just like its predecessor — WorldMate for BlackBerry — BlackBerry Travel makes it easy to plan, book, manage and share your travel activities. The app allows you to search different hotel options and alternate flights. You get all your travel updates in one place, no matter where you are. Handy for conferences and location-based meetings.

• Nice Office

This app has been called a “must have” by USA Today. Nice Office turns your BlackBerry into a virtual mobile office. You can manage your email, calendar, contacts, and tasks. Store documents and forms online and send them directly to clients. The app also allows you to track sales, create custom sales fields and record sales activity. If you own a business, this app is what you need to manage it on your phone. Though the app itself is free, a Nice Office account for US$9.95 per month is needed.

• CamCard(Business Card Reader)

Too many business cards, too little time to actually sit and organise them? Use CamCard instead. This app allows you to scan all your business cards into your phones contact list. Take a picture of the business card with your built-in camera. Once that’s done all info on the business card will be automatically recognised and categorised.

• HP ePrint Enterprise for BlackBerry

This app enables you to print documents via your phone from a remote location. Or in HP’s words “ePrint is a scalable, centrally managed solution that makes it easy to send documents to printers in your enterprise network as well as to public HP ePrint locations.”

• Dragon Dictation for Email

Dragon Dictation for Email is an easy-to-use email dictation application that allows you to speak and instantly see your emails by simply dictating directly within the BlackBerry email client. For when you’re on the go and need to send a quick email.