Last week we shared the Top Android Apps for Remote Work. This week, we’ll touch base with Blackberry devices and outline a few that should aid in your device’s usability and your productivity.

The Essentials

Lookout Mobile Security: At first glance, it may seem silly to have anti-virus software running on your phone, but Lookout is much more than it seems. It backs up your data to  Lookout’s servers, and also provides help locating your phone via: a  Google map pin location, making the phone ring really loudly, and then if all else fails, remotely “nuking” all the data on the phone (which you can then restore via your backup when you get a new phone).

QuickPull: Your Blackberry is a little computer, and it needs to be rebooted on occasion. This app simulates pulling out the battery, what you normally have to do when your phone is really misbehaving. No more fumbling with the back cover, just tap this app to truly restart the device.

Productivity

TaskMaster: Blackberry’s default tasks application is a little bland. Taskmaster improves upon it’s functionality while still retaining compatibility with the built in tasks list. It adds categories, priority and status of tasks, as well as the ability to create custom quick keys for accessing these functions.

ReportAway: If you use Freshbooks, a popular web based accounting package similar to quickbooks, then you’ll appreciate the ability to easily access freshbooks from your blackberry.

Exgis Time and Expense Pro: If Freshbooks isn’t your thing, then Exgis has got you covered. Their Time and Expenses trackers (also available as separate apps) help you easily record your time and expenses and export to Excel files. Keep track of different projects/clients in different locations with multiple currencies, payment methods, etc.

WordPress: You might be a blogger if… you have a WordPress client installed on your Blackberry. The official app from WordPress allows both WordPress.com and WordPress.org pretty much full access to managing, editing and writing on the go.

The following apps may seem familiar, because they also appeared on last week’s post entitled,“ Top Android Apps for Remote Work.” However, they’re also available for Blackberry and useful no matter which platform you prefer.

Opera Mini 5: Opera speeds up web browsing by compressing data before it gets to the phone (via Opera’s servers), which then, in turn, saves on your mobile data usage.

Documents To Go: Documents to go provides a full suite for viewing and Editing Word, Excel, Power Point, and PDF files. Update: In last week’s Android list I noted that I would normally endorse Google Docs, but there surprisingly isn’t a Google Docs App available yet for Android. This applies for any mobile platform. You can, however, view your Google Docs on your mobile phone’s browser, but I must emphasize that this provides viewing only, except for spreadsheets, which you can edit.

Mocha VNC: Mocha is not made by the same folks who released Android VNC, but it’s still a great option if you need VNC access from a Blackberry. Granted, your remote machine needs to be turned on and running a VNC server, which might be a bit intense for some users, but I’ve always found it’s useful in a pinch. For more on VNC see the post entitled,”Holiday Travel: Stay Connected with Remote Access Tech”

These apps can hopefully keep you productive when you’re left with only your smallest gadget. If you’re a Blackberry user, we’d really enjoy hearing which apps you’ve found invaluable!

Alex Hornbake is one of several freelance writers on the oDesk Blog team. He joined the oDesk marketplace in 2009, and brings more than a decade of technical expertise to his clients. Alex shares his point of view to help you make informed decisions for your personal and business technology choices.