Google has launched Mobile App for BlackBerry giving users of the popular smartphones access to web search as well as the Google Apps hosted applications suite.

A posting on the Google Mobile Blog said that the free download - available at m.google.com from the BlackBerry handset - will provide speedier search because there is no need to wait for a browser to load, while Google Suggest offers auto-complete functionality.

Also provided is access to Maps, Gmail, News and update alerts for newly available Google Mobile applications.

In addition, by selecting Menu, Options, Use Google Apps Domain, yes, and then entering their domain name, users can access their Google Apps Calendar, Documents and Spreadsheet applications.

In related news, reports in Reuters suggest that the long-awaited first handset to feature Google's Android mobile phone platform is likely to be launched officially on 23 September.