The IT Nerd

I reviewed Blackberry Traffic a while ago. The premise of the app from RIM is that it gives your Blackberry the ability to navigate you from place to place in the most efficient manner possible. The problem with the version that I reviewed was that there was no voice based guidance. That was a #fail as you need to keep your eyes on the road to be safe (and legal). That’s now changed with Blackberry Traffic 3.0. The big news is that it wow has voice guidance projected clearly through your device’s speaker, Bluetooth or car system’s input. You can set it up it to be as detailed as you want so you have constant direction. It works very well. I tested it using my Bluetooth headset and all I had to do is enter my destination, put my Blackberry in my cupholder and listen to the directions. Another thing I should note is that I can set it up to avoid toll routes so that I can drive without paying through the nose. Nice! Other than those new features, it works like the previous version.

The best part is that Blackberry Traffic is free. Simply download it from Blackberry World and you’re off to the races. Metaphorically speaking of course.

You didn’t read the title wrong. The makers of that addictive e-mail device want it’s users to have a balance between work and life. So they’re coming out with application to help their users with that called Balance. Here’s the details:

Many corporations are now allowing employees to use their own smartphones at work, forcing IT departments to manage confidential information on the iPhone and devices running on Google’s Android operating system.

But those devices are not equipped with the security and system features that have long given the BlackBerry an edge among corporations and other organizations that put a high value on confidentiality and control.

“There are two fundamental use cases on the smartphone – enterprise and personal. The problem is that they are conflicting,” said Jeff McDowell, RIM’s senior vice-president for business and platform marketing.

RIM’s solution is software called BlackBerry Balance, which will allow corporate IT departments to retain control over data such as business-related email sent via a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, or BES, while keeping the Web browser and an employee’s social networking and photographs separate.

It’s an interesting idea as it can help them fight the iPhone and Android juggernaut. Expect it to be appearing in a couple of months on your Blackberry. Playbook users can expect to see a version on their device too.