Pocket Express

Though McDowell was careful too stress the fact that he didn't want to play favorites—he is, after all, a VP of RIM's global alliances business, which fosters relationships with the developers and vendors who create and market BlackBerry applications—he did offer up a few of the downloads that he uses on a regular basis.

Handmark's Pocket Express

One such app is Handmark's Pocket Express. Pocket Express, an all-around mobile companion for smartphones, provides easy access to travel information, news, weather, maps, sports scores, games, quick Web search, multimedia and more, all within one single app.

Pocket Express works on the vast majority of smartphones, including BlackBerrys all the way from the 7100 to 8830 handhelds, on most of the world's leading wireless carriers.

Two version of Pocket Express are available, Express Executive and Elite. The Executive edition of the software offers everything mentioned above, plus a 24/7 MobileConcierge service to help answer questions or make reservations around the clock. The base version of the software goes for $6.99 per month or $69.90 per year, and the Elite edition costs $9.99 per month or $99 per year.

WorldMate Live

Heit and McDowell both had only good things to say about the WorldMate Live travel application. We've covered WorldMate Live on numerous occasions in the past—we even filmed a video on how to download and use the app—and like us, these RIM executives we strongly recommend it.

WorldMate Live

WorldMate Live simplifies travel by automatically delivering content and services to BlackBerrys and other smartphones. There are two version of WorldMate Live, one of which can be downloaded free of charge. The free version features include the My Itineraries function, which stores information on flights, hotels, meetings, public transportation and car rentals on BlackBerrys. The application also lets users export travel information from booking confirmation e-mails, corporate calendars and more, directly into WorldMate Live, and it automatically assembles their itineraries.

The pay, or Gold Membership, version of WorldMate Live, offers additional functionality including real-time travel alerts, flight and meeting notifications and alternatives to cancelled or delayed flights. The service costs $99.99 for a year-long subscription.

Facebook for BlackBerry

Another popular app we've covered frequently on CIO.com, Facebook for BlackBerry, lives on the smartphones of both Heit and Lazaridis.

Facebook for BlackBerry

McDowell says the Facebook app is easily one of the most popular third-party downloads available for BlackBerry, and that's because it does away with the need to type in a Web address to access your profile page and see recent events or messages. When you've got Facebook on your BlackBerry, you need only check our profile when an alert is sent directly to your handheld.