When you think of a beautiful and relaxing summer day at the beach, in the garden, or by the pool, what sort of items do you picture yourself needing? At the beach you’ll need sunscreen, a blanket, and maybe a game to keep the kids occupied. In the garden, odds are that you’ll want a spade, plants, and a pretty good plan. By the pool, don’t forget a towel, pool toys, and a good book. Pay attention, because here’s the really cool part: The BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet can help replace one of these items no matter where you go this summer! Let me show you how:

Life’s a Beach!

Kids love the sand and the swimming at the beach, but sandcastles and shells can sometimes give way to sighs of “I’m bored” right when you finally get comfortable. BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to the rescue!

• Encourage the kids to take pictures of their sand creations and send them to family members or post to social networks. Check out the photo frame apps in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront for that extra touch!
• Fire up a game like TETRIS™ or Monopoly for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet for the whole family to play while enjoying the waves.
• Browse the Internet with the kids to learn the history of the beach and some of the wildlife that occupies it. Searches for “shark attack” should be avoided, however.

No Green Thumb, No Problem

While navigating the mysteries of your garden, budding botanists and pros alike may sometimes wonder what to plant where, what grows best in shade, and what’s with that leafy thing that never seems to die. The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has your back again.

• Browse the Internet to research the best places to plant, when to plant, and what to plant to create your dream garden. Some websites may even let you buy plants online and pick them up at the store.
• Photograph plants you are unsure of whether to dig up or water, and share them with experts or friends to get the whole story. Was that poison ivy you just stepped on?
• Show off your beautiful garden when you’re done by sharing 1080p HD movies and photos!

Poolside with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet

An afternoon by the pool can be among the most relaxing of summer activities, but all that laying around can sometimes get a bit boring. After all, we are “BlackBerry People”, and we like to get things done! Here’s how the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet can help.

• Load up a book in Kobo Reader and get lost in your favorite fiction, cower from a thriller, or swoon through a romance novel from the comfort of your deck chair.
• Watch your favorite movie or television show from the video store with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet Video Store. It’s like having a whole video store at your water-shriveled fingertips.
• Shoot high-quality HD video and pictures of the kids diving from the high-dive or jumping into the pool. You never know when you may need to access it later for an Olympic highlight reel or a wedding slideshow!

These are just a few suggestions and my favorite ways to use the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in the summer, but I’d love to hear yours as well. Where will you and your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet go to chill?

It’s that time of year, #TeamBlackBerry students — you’re cramming to make the grade, and hopefully you’ve got all the right credits to ace your finals and graduate (with honors!). But what about life after school? Have you thought about what you’re going to do in the “real world”?

Sorry if I gave you a bit of a scare there (or sounded too much like your dad). While you ponder your future, check out my top 5 apps for grads to help you along:

1. Evernote: Life is busy and your brain is stuffed to the brim with knowledge. Evernote is simple to use and helps you keep track of all your notes, files, pics, and audio notes as they happen. Click on over to Evernote for BlackBerry® smartphone and Evernote for BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, so you can give your memory a rest. Also works great as a study aid for that final exam!

2. SideSwipe: The world is busy place, and as you embark on your next adventure, you’ll definitely want to keep tuned in to worldly events as they happen. SideSwipe is a nice news aggregator for BlackBerry smartphone.

3. Top Gear: Now that you’re all grown up, you might be looking for a new car. The ones featured here may be a bit out of budget, but that’s also another thing you need: motivation! A grad can dream, right? In the meantime, you can practice driving your dream car with Top Gear for BlackBerry smartphone and Top Gear for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

4. InstaPhoto: Unless you have a superhuman memory, those magical moments of graduation won’t last a lifetime if you don’t capture them. InstaPhoto is my favorite way to customize your images and share them with your friends, family, and the world via social media. I, for one, happen to think that my pictures look way better with trendy filters on. Snap this one up and snap away!

5. Poynt: After you graduate, you may find yourself in a brand new city for a new career or your next adventure. Poynt is designed to help you find what you need and keep you connected to where it’s at. You can even make in-app purchases on things like movie tickets, make reservations at local restaurants and take advantage of local deals. Wherever you go, you’ll want to make sure Poynt goes with you by using Poynt for BlackBerry smartphone or Poynt for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

You may not have locked down what you want to do with your life, but rest assured these apps will help you enjoy the journey a little more. Got a favorite app that you couldn’t have survived school without? Let us know in the comments.