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MobiMate has updated WorldMate, the Swiss Army Knife of mobile travel software, for BlackBerry handhelds. The subscription service offers a number of tools to make life on the road easier for the mobile professional.

WorldMate 2006 Professional Edition for BlackBerry adds a real-time flight status service covering over 80 airlines worldwide. In addition, users get a world clock, 5-day global weather forecasts (provided by The Weather Channel), comprehensive flight schedules (provided by OAG WorldWide), and a currency converter and exchange rate service. There's also a world day/night map and a travel information center that delivers reservation numbers for airlines - as well as Web addresses (for airports too) - hotel chains and car rental agencies.

“We are seeing demand for our BlackBerry products from Fortune 1000 companies, whose business travelers often find themselves in need of critical information while on the road”, said Nadav Gur, MobiMate’s CEO in a statement. “WorldMate 2006 for BlackBerry is another step forward for us in providing solutions to business travelers’ problems.”

A one-year subscription goes for $59.95, and it is free to current Professional Edition subscribers. The software is compatible with BlackBerry devices running platform OS 4.0 and higher.

WorldMate is available for nearly every popular mobile platform. In addition to BlackBerry, there is the Palm OS, Windows Mobile (Pocket PC & Smartphone), Symbian (S60, S80 & UIQ) and JME environments. There's even a desktop (PC) edition that compliments the wireless versions.

The software has proven so popular, last year it was the first application to become a bestseller for all of online software retailer Handago's supported platforms at the same time

In a future version of WorldMate, users may not have to pay a subscription fee at all. That's because MobiMate plans to release a version where the company earns its revenue through advertising.

The free edition would include advertising in the form of "interstitials" shown during idle-time, for instance when the application is first loaded or when data updates occur, according MobiMate. These ads would also enable users to respond immediately to advertisers' messages, by browsing to an advertiser's WAP-site or by placing a call to its service line for example.

Advertisements would be served online and rotated over time, just like banners or interstitials in a Web site.

The first smartphones slated for WorldMate Free Edition are those built on the Symbian-based S60 platform, the most commonly used mobile interface in the world.

MobilMate still hasn't revealed exactly when they'll release the free edition of WorldMate, which was first announced in May.