Google+ includes several exciting features including social circles, hangouts and a handy search feature.  With this release comes some new hangout features for Android users.  Google already has mobile apps available for iPhone, Android, Windows and BlackBerry.  There will no doubt be a large influx of Google+ users following today’s news, time will tell if its just another fad or here to stay.

FlashOn uses both your video camera light and your LED to create the ultimate flashlight experience.  The app features a detailed options screen that lets you control how you want to display your lights.  You can change the color of your screen and the color of the LED light.  There is also an option to customize how long you want the light to stay on.  Sure the app is basic but let’s be honest here these types of applications mainly just use your video camera light as a flashlight.  The good thing about FlashOn is it uses different sources to create the light and the options screen is definitely a plus.

Download FlashOn by ShaoSoft (Free)

At this year’s Mobile World Congress Distimo unveiled a detailed presentation that focused on all the major app stores.  They collected a bunch of different kinds of interesting data.  Not surprisingly the Apple App Store continues its dominance over all others when it comes to amount of applications available.  On the other hand  BlackBerry App World is still struggling to find its place.

One slide in particular shows store growth and focuses on the amount of new applications to hit each app store between Dec 09-Feb 10.  As expected the Apple App Store had the most with 13,865 and Android came in second with 3,005 new applications.  BlackBerry App World had the least amount of new applications and was even behind Nokia’s app store.  This is somewhat shocking as you would at least expect App World to be growing faster than Nokia’s OVI.

Distimo also looked at price comparisons for all the app stores.  It turns out  BlackBerry App World has the highest average price for paid applications.  Now this is in large part due to the fact that App World has some apps that are priced unbelievably high.  Consider this, IM+ for BlackBerry sells for $29.99 but the same application in the App Store only costs $4.99.  RIM can’t be happy with the growth of BlackBerry App World.  Even though it’s still relatively new there is a lot of work to be done.  On the flip side Android seems to be growing and gaining popularity.  You can check out the full presentation by Distimo here.

Call Control by EveryCall.us is an application that will automatically block all those unwanted calls from spamming telemarketers.  It works directly with the EveryCall.us website and checks their database to see if that number has already been reported.  If it hasn’t you can quickly add the unwanted number to the community through the app.  Once it recognizes that the number is indeed spam the app will either disconnect the call altogether or send the caller straight to voicemail.  Either way you’ll never hear a peep from your phone.

Download Call Control by EveryCall.us

Slacker Radio 3.0 also includes a number of upgrades and improvements.  First and foremost they have improved the amount of strain the app puts on your battery.  There is also a new interface and faster application start-up time.  BlackBerry users now have the ability to ban stations so they can get rid of the unwanted songs they don’t like.  Using Slacker Radio 3.0 on a BlackBerry Storm?  Well they have also improved the touch interface for easier navigation.  Overall this is a pretty significant update to one of the best streaming radio apps for the BlackBerry.

Download Slacker Radio 3.0

From the press release:

“Our vision is to facilitate an open app store ecosystem that supports every mobile device, every application, and every carrier network globally,” said Jud Bowman, President and CEO of PocketGear. “By combining the two largest independent app store companies, we’re creating significantly more scale and value for all of the stakeholders in the open app store ecosystem.”

It will be interesting to see just how this plays out.  Clearly Mobihand and their huge presence in the smartphone community had to have some kind of effect on this deal.  Independent app stores will definitely have their work cut out for them but as long as smartphone sales continue to rise so will app sales.

Some of the improvements include the ability to turn the weather on/off and date/time stamps for fuel prices.  There is also more interaction with the much neglected BlackBerry maps application.  If you have never played with Poynt before you’ll want to check out their website for all the details.  Overall the app looks more polished and is a must have for any BlackBerry addict.

Download Poynt v1.5.3.14 from BlackBerry App World

[via BerryReview]

Kindle for BlackBerry lets you read the first chapter of any book for free and includes 101 books from the New York Times best sellers list.  There are however two minor drawbacks for Berry users.  This app doesn’t currently include Kindle magazines, newspapers and blogs.  It also may be harder for some to read when using devices like the BlackBerry Bold 9700 because of the smaller screen size.  Still Kindle for BlackBerry is a free application and if you want quick access to your Kindle library it’s a great little app to add to your collection.

Download Kindle for BlackBerry (beta) from your BB