Viigo for BlackBerry Storm: The Ultimate Lifestyle App

I've mentioned Viigo many times on my blog and in various mobile tips and tricks articles, for good reason: The application is by far my favorite mobile RSS reader.

I won't get into too much detail about that software--there's plenty of information on Viigo available in those other stories--but Viigo is much more than just a simple RSS reader. For example Viigo provides a variety of weather information; sports schedules, live scores and standings; stocks and finance data; flights and travel updates; and much more.

Viigo on the BlackBerry Storm

And the Storm-specific version of Viigo--though still in alpha testing stages and a bit buggy--takes advantage of a number of the device's unique features to improve an already impressive user experience. Storm users can scroll through stories in an RSS feed by simply swiping a finger across the screen to the left for newer stories and to the right for older ones. And the app works with the Storm accelerometer, so you can switch back and forth between portrait and landscape modes.

The most notable bug that I spotted was fact that you consistently need to tap the BlackBerry Escape key twice to return to previous screens--after hitting it only once, the screen often freezes midway through the transition between pages.

Surf on over to GetViigo.com using your Storm's BlackBerry browser for a free download.

Facebook for BlackBerry Storm: Mobile Social Networking Done Right

One of the few apps officially available through Verizon's on-device BlackBerry Application Center, Facebook for BlackBerry is also one of the most popular.

Facebook for BlackBerry on the Storm

That's because it brings most of the social networking site's basic functionality directly into the palm of your hand. Though not as robust as the real Facebook site--you can't access groups, for example--the mobile application displays your home screen notifications, such as status updates, and you can "poke" or message friends and write on their "Walls." Lists of friends and their status updates are also available with a single click from the mobile home screen. Photo uploading and sharing is as simple as snapping an image with your smartphone's camera and uploading it to the site from the application's home screen.

The Storm-specific version of Facebook for BlackBerry, though not exactly feature-rich, runs seamlessly on the device. It incorporates the Storm accelerometer to let users employ both portrait and landscape views. And uploading photos is significantly more interesting than with other BlackBerrys due to the Storm's 3.2 megapixel digital camera--the highest quality camera of any RIM device.