[sarah_katherine]

My mum wants a smart phone, and from what I've been reading, it seems like the Torch would be a good bet. She likes my iPhone (which makes one of us...), but she really likes physical keyboards and wasn't a big fan of the idea of having a phone that's entirely touch screen.

I thought I could help her figure it out and set it up for her, preferably to make the transition as easy as possible. Any tips? What are some good apps that are preferably free and useful to the average smart phone user? I think she'll use Facebook, a weather app, and possibly a battery meeter. Are there any good apps for people who like to cook? I'm completely new to the world of Blackberry, but will probably get one for myself when my contract is up.

[Elite1]

There's 2 main sources for apps, BlackBerry App World and the CrackBerry Superstore (aka Mobihand). Both can be used online via your PC or via their own apps on your BB. (App World will come pre-loaded, but you'll have to download the CB Superstore app.)

For free apps, it's preferable to get them from App World. App World is the only place that informs you of updates to free apps.

Both App World and CB Superstore notify you of updates to paid apps you've purchased, but CB Superstore dependably notifies you right away. App World delays the release of updates, then often does a gradual roll-out.

The CrackBerry site also has a page with links for free apps:
http://m.crackberry.com/free-blackberry-apps

In the Forums, there is an Apps Forum you can review/search for info as well.

Both offer good search engines too; you don't find something on one then check out the other.

[aznlgcy]

My mum wants a smart phone, and from what I've been reading, it seems like the Torch would be a good bet. She likes my iPhone (which makes one of us...), but she really likes physical keyboards and wasn't a big fan of the idea of having a phone that's entirely touch screen.

I thought I could help her figure it out and set it up for her, preferably to make the transition as easy as possible. Any tips? What are some good apps that are preferably free and useful to the average smart phone user? I think she'll use Facebook, a weather app, and possibly a battery meeter. Are there any good apps for people who like to cook? I'm completely new to the world of Blackberry, but will probably get one for myself when my contract is up.

For weather app I would recommend weathereye by the weather network. Great but I would adjust the refresh time to one hour or longer as it does start to eat up the data.

If you want to also keep track of the data being used, I would recommend NetworkTrafficControl.

These are free apps and if she ever has trouble with her Blackberry she could always ask on these crackberry forums, someone is always able to help her out

[Masahiro]

I just use Poynt for my weather needs (as well as many other needs). It's free, doesn't update in the background (good and bad) and it's got cool weather effects to boot.

[Elite1]

For weather app I would recommend weathereye by the weather network. Great but I would adjust the refresh time to one hour or longer as it does start to eat up the data.

If you want to also keep track of the data being used, I would recommend NetworkTrafficControl.

These are free apps and if she ever has trouble with her Blackberry she could always ask on these crackberry forums, someone is always able to help her out

WeatherEye would be my free weather app recommendation too. A lot of people like BeWeather Free as well. Both are available from App World.
You'll find literally dozens of threads on here comparing weather apps if you search.

For a free battery meter app, the best is BatteryEx Free. It's available from the CB Superstore. For some reason they don't list the Free version for the Torch yet (oversight, I think), so here's the link for after you get your Torch:
BatteryEx Free (m4dev): http://www.mobireach.com/upload/528/...atteryEx50.jad
If you want to, BatteryEx allows you to "skin" their icon, meaning replace the icon with any image you want. Here's the thread on that:
http://forums.crackberry.com/f35/app...-1-5-a-484175/

Btw don't want to assume you're aware, but the Torch will come pre-loaded with apps for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, and a bunch more.

[Goldfinch]

for cooking, Kraft Foods has a mobile web site where one can find recipes. You can either bookmark it or add a short cut to the home screen. Mara Tick is a free ap for making grocery lists (can be used for making other types of lists such as travel packing).

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Elite1]

for cooking, Kraft Foods has a mobile web site where one can find recipes.

Food Network Canada has an app that's great with a ton of recipes. I would assume Food Network USA has an app too�

[sarah_katherine]

Thanks for all of the help! We got her Torch this morning, and so far, so good! I'll be checking into a bunch of the apps mentioned. Seems like a good fit for her so far.

[Elite1]

Congrats to her. I'm sure she'll love it, especially after she's figured it out and gets it set up to her liking.

Hopefully she lets you play with it a bit too!

Btw she should really check out the BB Help page of CB.com. It features a Getting Started section, several BlackBerry 101 articles, and lots more.
http://crackberry.com/blackberry-help

[Fnord]

Food Network Canada has an app that's great with a ton of recipes. I would assume Food Network USA has an app too�

To my knowledge, they only have one available in the VCast App Store (Verizon), and not in App World.

[jcp007]

You both can also try the Videos and BB Help sections of this forum as well as YouTube. There are a number of videos by crackerberrydotcom aka CB Kevin that are also a great introduction to the device and its features.

[aznlgcy]

Congrats to her for the new Torch