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BlackBerry Introduces: BlackBerry Fan of the Month, August 2013

FEATURE / 08.20.13 / Donny Halliwell

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Teachers are some of the hardest working professionals out there, so we loved chatting with our newest BlackBerry Fan of the Month, Mikel, about how BlackBerry technology helps him as an educator.

Mikel is a true BlackBerry aficionado—he’s even attended BlackBerry Live—and like any good husband, he always looks forward to BBMs from his wife.

Keep an eye out for a cool story about how Mikel used his BlackBerry Z10 smartphone to help save the day at his school!


1. How many years have each of you been on Team BlackBerry?
I have been #TeamBlackBerry since 2007. I casually walked into a carrier store to browse devices and I was instantly hooked with the trackball on the BlackBerry Pearl 8100, I literally couldn’t put it down. The more I held it, the more I learned to do with it, and I have been telling all my friends about the power of BlackBerry since.

2. How many BlackBerry devices have you both had in total? Could you list them all out for us?
I have had quite a few, like I mentioned, my first was a BlackBerry Pearl 8100, then I was swayed by the BlackBerry Bold 9000 with its elegant leather backing. I then switched to a BlackBerry Torch 9800, briefly flirted with the BlackBerry Torch 9810, moved up to the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and I am now rocking a BlackBerry Z10.

3. How many BBM contacts does each of you currently have?
77. Not counting all the other folks I BBM with across the 9 BBM groups I’m currently a part of. Don’t judge me though, I still manage to be productive throughout my day.

4. What are your favorite BBM emoticons?
Smile2 It reminds me of my wife and her *Happy Dance* If you want to brighten my day, that’s how you do it. Send me one of those.

5. What is the best BBM either of you ever received?
Any time my wife BBM’s me really, but particularly when she sends me a kissy face like this Kiss2 even when we are across the room from each other, it never fails to make me Blush2.

6. If you could BBM your BlackBerry, what would you say?
I would BBM my BlackBerry Z10 “Hey, do you want to do something spontaneous and totally crazy?” And it would respond “LET’S DO IT”

7. Mikel, you were at BlackBerry Live in May. What was your favorite moment?
It was my first BlackBerry Live event, but there were definitely way too many moments I can count as my favorite, I can’t really pick just one. The keynote address was energizing and full of surprises. Alicia Key’s appearance with her BlackBerry Scholars presentation to encourage more women in tech was especially a nice surprise to me, especially since I work in the field of education. I was floored the moment when Thorsten pulled out the Bentley and made the first BBM video call to a car. I almost lost it when he announced that BBM was going cross platform. But I’ll say that being able to hang out with the BayBerry Crew (@pootermobile, @keepithype, @sergiodsandoval, @TheMarco, and @MKRK) and give Alec Saunders his very own CODE shirt were absolutely two of the biggest highlights for me. I’ll also never forget the folks who ended dancing the night away with Cedric Gervais at Universal Studios with me as well.

8. What’s the stickiest situation your BlackBerry has gotten you out of?
I’m in charge of producing ID cards for students at the school I work for, and a student came to see me after school because she needed a school issued ID to be able to take her SAT’s the following morning since she had lost her original, and she couldn’t wait too long. I was also running late to a staff meeting, but I was able to take her picture from my BlackBerry Z10, immediately upload it to my box account, log on to my desktop with the Splashtop app, and print it straight from my BlackBerry Z10 in about five minutes. By the time we got to my office the ID card was ready, and I still made it to my meeting. This of course is just a more recent situation, but being able to connect my BlackBerry to my laptop via the Splashtop app, has been a lifesaver in more than one occasion.

9. If you could describe BlackBerry in three words, what would they be?
Fast. Reliable. FUN.

10. And finally: Are you prepared to handle the fame that comes with being our Fan of the Month?
Uncle Ben once said: “With great power comes great responsibility,” but above all I’m deeply humbled to be able to count myself as a Fan of The Month. I’m just really excited to meet people who are also proud to be #TeamBlackBerry, the more the merrier!


Be sure to check out the other awesome members of the BlackBerry Fan of the Month (FOTM) club:

JanuaryBrian (@newshutr)
February – Ivan (@IvanSHarris)
March – Jane (@photosfromabb)
April – Josh (@BBbrodyBB)
May – Mark (@AllAboutMyBB)
JuneJT (@jt_teran)
JulyKimberly (@kmcooley)
AugustMike (@flash0p)
SeptemberJon (@nerdologist_jon)
OctoberGuido (@FuriousGuido)
NovemberAnge (@Afl2277)
DecemberZalman (@Zalman5K)
January 2013 Arisham (@arisham2003)
February 2013 Julie and Andrew
March 2013 Gino (@eugenbaban)
April 2013 Sergio (@icemanswimmer)
June 2013 – Heather (@heatherwight)
July 2013 – Chantal (@CBechervaise)

Keep sharing your FOTM suggestions with us, either by leaving a comment below, tweeting to us @BlackBerry on Twitter, or posting on our Facebook page. Stay tuned – our September FOTM could be YOU!

Donny Halliwell

About Donny Halliwell

Donny is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at BlackBerry and Former Editor-in-Chief for the Inside BlackBerry blogs. There's no disputing, #TeamBlackBerry is awesome. I'm pumped to have the opportunity to talk with you and bring you the latest and greatest from Inside BlackBerry every day. In my spare time, I can be found helping entrepreneurs and startup companies grow their business. I spend the rest, obsessing over the auto industry, or enjoying music. Follow me on Twitter or Google+