BlackBerry

I've been mulling a switch from my iPhone to a white BlackBerry Torch, but one of my top concerns was apps. If nothing else, at least I can count on a full-featured Twitter app. The newly-updated beta Twitter for BlackBerry app is available for downloading now and comes with lots of the features you already enjoy on other devices.

New features include geotagging, mention push notifications, direct messages (threaded in the style of BBM conversations), hashtag assistance (so you know which ones are popular now), RT updates, and integration with your BlackBerry Social Feed so you can tweet without actually opening the Twitter app. Get your beta version of the Twitter for BlackBerry app now, and share your thoughts about switching from an iPhone to a BlackBerry in the comments — I need your advice!

It was only a matter of time: this morning, Starbucks launched a new mobile app that enables customers to pay for any food or beverage using the technology of a smartphone.

The Starbucks Card Mobile App is designed for iPhones, the iPod Touch, and the BlackBerry and should work at 7,500 locations in the US, including the stores inside Target. The app allows users to view and reload their Starbucks card balance, find participating locations, and check on card rewards. This morning, I tested it out. To see my thoughts, keep reading.

Smartphones offer apps to map everything from pregnancy weeks, to contractions, to medical records. If you don't want to spend on fancy features you will rarely use, simple countdown apps are a free and efficient way to keep track of time — whether you're marking days until the stork is supposed to land, your next moms' night out, or the new year. Discover the download on our favorite apps for popular devices.

Current social media aficionado Conan O'Brien tweeted live for the first time during the East Coast broadcast of his show last night. Besides pimping Twitter all evening long, Conan and his partner in crime, Andy Richter, promoted the new BlackBerry Torch big time. It was like a three-minute ad for AT&T's Torch, which is running the latest BlackBerry OS 6 and recently went on sale during Best Buy's free phone Fridays. I guess all the annoyances of video ads have him incorporating advertisements in his show?

Check out the clip after the break!

Looking for a great deal on a new phone? You're in luck — Amazon Wireless has put a ton of new (and some not-so-new) AT&T phones on sale for — wait for it — a penny.

That's right, if you're looking for a Windows Phone 7 device, a BlackBerry, or even a sweet little square phone that was all the rage this Summer, then head on over to Amazon's wireless page to pick one up. The sale ends Monday, Nov. 15, so you'd better hurry. As you may have expected, to get that amazing price you'll need to sign a two-year contract with AT&T.

Want some tips on which ones to grab? Then keep reading.

The tablet market is exploding since the huge success of Apple's iPad, with Samsung, HP, and even Dell creating tablets (or tablet-like devices) of their own. Now RIM is releasing more details about its seven-inch PlayBook tablet, specifically pricing and release date.

A WiFi-only version is expected to hit the market first with a sub-$500 price tag in March 2011. This should place the PlayBook squarely in the running to compete with the Galaxy Tab in terms of price and size. Since the PlayBook will be running the latest BlackBerry OS 6, it's sure to be a big draw for BlackBerry lovers everywhere.

I've been pretty impressed with the much-improved BlackBerry 6.0 operating system, especially its fun music and video features. If you are, too, and interested in getting your hands on it (but don't want to give up your portable clamshell phone for a candybar device), then today is your day. Well actually, Oct. 31 is your day.

Announced this morning, the BlackBerry Style 9670 is heading to Sprint at the end of this month, bringing along OS 6.0 and a brand-new form factor. The clamshell Style will come packed with lots of fun features for the less business-y side of your life, like integrated access to your favorite social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, YouTube, and a long list of IM clients that are built right in.

See what else the Style is packing, including pricing info, when you read more.

This might be common sense for some, but there are a lot of texting programs that don't charge you a cent for messaging your friends who use the same app.

My personal favorite is WhatsApp, because you can use it on four types of smartphones: BlackBerry, iPhone, Google Android, and the Nokia phone. You'll have to pay for this (it costs 99 cents), but I think I've definitely seen more than a return on the money. There can be a few glitches from time to time, but overall it works fine and is definitely a very good tool to invest in.