We have an exciting new addition to Team BlackBerry. In a true collaboration, Alicia Keys is now an official partner to BlackBerry, acting as Global Creative Director. Working closely with app developers, content creators, retailers, carriers and entertainers, Keys will be an active member of the BlackBerry community.

“Alicia Keys has come to BlackBerry because she believes in the product and technology, and subscribes to our overriding philosophy to ‘Keep Moving’: to empower people through mobile computing and communications,” said BlackBerry President and CEO Thorsten Heins. “We are excited she will be bringing to us her enormous capabilities, as well as a vast network of relationships in the entertainment, social media and business communities, to help shape our brand and grow our business.”

From music to books, to film, to apps, Keys will lead the charge of enhancing entertainment consumption and distribution, through the power of BlackBerry 10.

Keys then introduced this video about the “Keep Moving Projects” to attendees at the global launch event:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

For more information on the partnership between BlackBerry and 14-time Grammy® Award winning artist Alicia Keys, please check out the official Press Release.

Share your thoughts on our new Global Creative Director in the comments below and welcome Alicia Keys to the team!

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Also, Donny snapped a quick pic of his awesome trio of BlackBerry smartphones: his BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900, his BlackBerry® Torch™ 9860, and his very first BlackBerry smartphone – the BlackBerry® Tour™ 9630.

Give a shoutout to Donny in the comments to welcome him to the Inside BlackBerry Blog!

After attending many years’ worth of BlackBerry World™ conferences – not to mention countless other huge events like CES, Mobile World Congress and our very own BlackBerry® DevCon – it’s fair to say that we’re old pros at the whole conference-attendance thing. Now that BlackBerry World 2012 is on the horizon (coming up fast on May 1-3rd 2012, in Orlando, Florida), we thought it’d be a good idea to compile a list of all the knowledge we’ve gained and tips we’ve learned for ensuring that your BlackBerry World experience is useful, educational, and above all – fun!

Whether you’re a BlackBerry World newbie or a seasoned conference veteran, we think you’ll be able to take away at least a few ideas from the below. Of course, if you haven’t yet registered for BlackBerry World 2012 and still need to be convinced, give this video a watch first:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Now, read on for our top survival tips, and don’t forget to register for BlackBerry World if you haven’t yet done so:

• Battery swap stations are available for you, but always carry a charger or spare battery just in case. You could purchase a spare battery or an external charging kit or get a USB to AC adapter that can be used with your USB cable to recharge on the go.
• Make sure you have a good supply of business cards with up-to-date information on them to hand out to new contacts. If you and the new contact each have one of the NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphones with the latest BlackBerry® 7 OS update, use BlackBerry® Tag to exchange your contact information with each other.
• Review your current sound and alert profiles – you don’t want to be the one whose ringtone goes off in the middle of a session!
• Set up a BBM Group for BlackBerry World attendees in your contact list, and use the group to organize meeting times/places as well as swap thoughts on the best sessions to attend.
• Use the Calendar on your BlackBerry® smartphone or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to set reminders for sessions that you want to attend. (The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet calendar even has social integration, so you can keep track of which of your colleagues and friends are going to the same sessions!)
• If you’re on a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, you can set your Out Of Office using your smartphone. Here’s how to do it for users with BlackBerry® 7, BlackBerry® 6, and BlackBerry® 5.
• During the conference breaks, make sure to load up on free snacks – and stock up so you’ve got a supply handy throughout the day.
• Download apps like Poynt (for BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets) and Foodspotting for BlackBerry to help you find the perfect local place for a business dinner or team get-together.
• There will be plenty of after-parties and chances to mingle with other attendees, but be sure to drink water throughout and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night. We know you’ll be busy – especially those of you working – but making sure you’re hydrated and well-rested is important!
• If you’re not on a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, you can install BlackBerry Protect on your BlackBerry smartphone, just in case you accidentally leave your device somewhere you can’t remember. If you can’t locate your BlackBerry smartphone, you can use BlackBerry Protect to wipe your data remotely. Check out Jason’s post on BlackBerry Protect tips, and be sure to also read Ty’s post for five reasons why you should be using BlackBerry Protect.
• Take every opportunity possible to network and meet with new people, whether in your industry or not. The Solutions Showcase is a perfect spot to meet conference sponsors and other industry professionals.
• If you’re looking to network with friendly faces, definitely stop by our Social Media Desk – we’ll have staff handy to engage in random giveaways throughout the day. Keep an eye on @BlackBerry4Biz during the event for more details! (Also be sure you have foursquare installed on your smartphone so you can check into the Social Desk, find friends, meet people and find out about specials in the area.)
• As you’re en route to BlackBerry World (hopefully using BlackBerry® Travel to keep your trip organized!), take a moment to determine your business or personal goals for attending, then make a list of what you want to learn or accomplish. Being focused on your end takeaway will help you get the most out of your experience.

Those are just a few bits of conference-attendee wisdom we’ve accrued over the years. If you’ve got any handy tips for having a successful BlackBerry World experience, let us know in the comments!

One thing that distinguishes the BlackBerry brand is our strong focus on enabling productivity and professionalism. With the way people work constantly evolving, the expectations of what collaboration tools should do are also continuously changing. At MWC, we have taken a look at a few aspects we think will be valuable for collaborating and what collaboration might look like in the world of tomorrow – effortless aesthetics and productive yet playful collaboration. Take a look at our MWC demos PitchRocket and Confetti to see further examples of what this could mean in practice.

PitchRocket concept demo

Many have a limited time to prepare for meetings and presentations, still we all know how an impressive presentation can really help someone who wants to pitch an idea or a concept. What if there was a way to create an astonishing presentation on the fly, even just a few minutes before a meeting starts? The concept demo PitchRocket shows what possibilities open up when combining the efficient text input of a handheld BlackBerry smartphone with the powerful graphics and high-resolution output of a BlackBerry® PlayBook™. Imagine writing simple text on your handheld device, and then instantly see it rendered as a beautiful, fluid and “living” presentation available on your PlayBook. The immediacy and combination of minimal input with maximized output is what we mean by “effortless aesthetics.”

Confetti concept demo

People bring PlayBook tablets to meetings and use them for presentations, note-taking and communicating. What if all these devices could be seamless joined into an extended work space linking all the screens? The Confetti demo shows what futuristic collaboration may look like on the BlackBerry platform. The tool enables sharing and presentation among participants, with a presence and direction-aware user interface as well as dynamic particle-like effects, allowing meeting participants to seamlessly collaborate in a productive yet playful way. Also, after seeing this demo, it’s clear that the PlayBook experience extends beyond the size of the device’s screen.

In our sneak preview post, we mentioned we have social media Like Stations on our Mobile World Congress 2012 stand this year. Visitors coming to say hello to BlackBerry® will have the chance to engage with us like never before…via NFC!

The new BlackBerry® 7 OS -based Bold™ and Curve™ smartphones feature Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. NFC also powers BlackBerry® Tag, a new feature of the BlackBerry® 7.1 OS that we first announced at CES in January. At MWC, we’re using NFC technology to give our visitors the chance to share their BlackBerry experience, all with just a simple tap. We’ve put together this cool video to tell you all about our Like Stations and how easy it is engage with BlackBerry at MWC.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

This week we’re showcasing our BlackBerry® smartphone and BlackBerry® PlayBook™ platforms, our developer platform for visitors looking to create apps for BlackBerry App World™ and an exciting demo for visitors to test out NFC. Also joining us are our carrier partners Telefonica, Turkcell and Orange who are demoing their latest BlackBerry applications and services. Can’t make it to MWC? Don’t worry! We’re giving you a sneak preview of what to expect from BlackBerry at MWC this year as well as some exclusive photos.

BlackBerry Experience and Developer Zone BlackBerry experts are on hand to guide you through our latest BlackBerry device software. At our interactive demo stands, you’ll get hands on with the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and OS 7.1 smartphones. If you are new to developing apps for mobile, you can speak to our RIM gurus who will take you through turning your idea for an app into a reality.

Porsche 911

The Porsche 911 loaded with BlackBerry & QNX technology takes pride of place on the stand. Whilst you can’t take the car for a spin around Barcelona (we’ve asked for the keys), you can check out how the BlackBerry platform integrates seamlessly with the Porsche’s automotive technology. Ask to see the NewBay Cloud Services in action too.

Like Stations

We giving all our visitors to the BlackBerry stand a chance to engage with BlackBerry like never before…via NFC. If you know anyone coming to MWC, keep a look out on their Facebook and Twitter profiles for some exclusive BlackBerry content.

This is just a glimpse of what we have on the stand. If you are at the conference, come by and say hello to us. If you can’t join us, we’ll keep everyone updated on MWC via our social channels. Keep an eye out on Twitter (@UK_BlackBerry) as well as our blogs for updates we have planned for this week. You can also follow us live here: http://www.BlackBerry.com/mwc12

Guest blogger and RIM Product Manager Vivek Gupta couldn’t wait to tell everyone about the new Video Chat features in the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 upgrade. Take it away, Vivek!

Now that the upgrade to the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet – BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 – is here, I wanted to give you a sneak preview of some of the great new features that are available in the updated Video Chat! We think you’ll agree, whether for work or play, it’s an easy and fun way to connect with people.

Simply put, Video Chat on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet allows you to make and take video calls with your friends, family, and colleagues who also have a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. (Note: Both users of the Video Chat feature must be connected to the Internet for a chat to be enabled.) With just one click, you’ll be able to have virtual face-to-face conversations using the HD video cameras and stunning high-resolution screen on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Let’s look at the top new features and improvements in the Video Chat upgrade:

Visually Appealing and Organized

The Video Chat user interface takes a cue from the new email, calendar and contact apps. I’m really excited to have you try the updated version of Video Chat, because I think it’s a compelling user experience and is designed to improve visual interaction between contacts using the app on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Experience Video Chat on the Large Screen

I love the new Presenter Mode because it is designed to take advantage of the multitasking capabilities made possible by this new powerful OS. For example, while you’re busy using the upgraded Video Chat, you could simultaneously click over and view your pictures, write notes, browse the web or play a game on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Presenter Mode is also a big convenience for business users. For example, let’s say you’re in a meeting room with a few people and you’re running a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet video chat with a colleague in a remote location. With Presenter Mode, you can project this video chat onto a big screen for better viewing, and then message or share slides and spreadsheets with the people in your conference room without disrupting the video chat.

	Explore tablet hardware Using the tablet interface BlackBerry Bridge Personalization Docs To Go Print To Go Calendar Contacts Video Player Messages Video Chat Browsing the web

Contact Integration

One of the key differentiating features of the new Video Chat for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is that it now automatically discovers which of your contacts are Video Chat “capable” and displays their “availability” to Video Chat – no guesses and disappointments! You can view, edit, and create new contacts for Video Chat directly in the Contacts application or in Video Chat application itself. Plus, with the new capabilities in BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, you can conveniently initiate a Video Chat directly from the Contacts application, while viewing the contact’s information details.

As mentioned, these new features for Video Chat are available now in the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software update! Please comment and let us know who’ll be the first person you call using the new Video Chat for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

More about BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0

1. BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 is here!
2. Help Blog: How to download and update to BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and manage the new home screen
3. Help Blog: Getting Started with Email, Contacts and Calendar in BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0
4. Help Blog: Getting Started with Video Chat in BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0
5. BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Reviews from CES
6. CES 2012: BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Communicates [Video]

The BBM™ Music team has been very busy over the last few months launching our BBM-connected social music service in eight different countries around the world. We are excited that BBM Music* is now available for download in Canada, the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Australia – with more regions still to come, so stay tuned! If you haven’t yet tried BBM Music, we are even more excited to let you know that in the month of February 2012, you can download BBM Music FREE for up to 4 months** in Canada or the US, or FREE for up to 6 months** in the UK, Spain & Italy.

Along with the free trials, we’ve added some new features to BBM Music v1.1 that we wanted to share with you.

Invite friends on Facebook & Twitter

We’re making it easier for you to reach out to more friends so that you can grow your music collections together! BBM Music users can now invite their friends on Facebook® and followers on Twitter® to be a BBM Music contact. This option is available from the “Add Friends” tab (along with the existing options: BBM Contacts, Email, BBM Group and PIN). Personally, I can’t stop recommending BBM Music to friends on my social channels – it’s amazing how much you can learn about someone through their song choices, and now I’ve got access to hundreds of songs I would have never discovered on my own.

Show What I’m Listening To with BBM Music v1.1

We know how much you like the “Show What I’m Listening To” feature, and now you can let your BBM friends see what you’re playing on BBM Music by opting to share through Profile Updates. I’m finding that many of my BBM conversations with friends are now initiated by what song selections each one of us has made, and by the memories associated with some of our favorite songs.

Gift Request Feature with BBM Music v1.1

Wish someone would gift you a BBM Music subscription? Well, now we’ve got that covered! You can ask your BBM contacts for a subscription to BBM Music through a ‘Gift Request’***. Here’s how it works:

• If your trial is over, you can access Gift Request by clicking on the grey “Upgrade to BBM Music Premium” banner.
• If your trial isn’t over, you can go to the “Account Information” tab within the Options menu. From there you can select ‘Gift request’, and select a BBM contact from whom to request the subscription and send the gift request.
• Your BBM contact will receive the gift request within a BBM chat, where they can open the request and choose to accept or decline to “Gift” you a subscription.

So if you haven’t already, download BBM Music today and take advantage of the February free trial offer. For more info on how to use BBM Music – whether it’s adding a friend, sharing a playlist or finding more tracks – check out this BBM Music how to video. Once you’ve downloaded BBM Music, don’t forget to let us know what you think!

* BlackBerry ID and data service required. Monthly subscription required for full track access. Songs must be available in BBM Music catalog in user’s home country. Users can have up to 50 songs in their profile and change up to 25 songs per month. Friends must be using BBM Music and have a monthly subscription for you to access their full tracks. Limit of 50 songs per friend. Accessing the service while roaming may incur additional data charges. When traveling outside of home country, only songs available in user’s home country BBM Music catalog are accessible. Songs may be cached to play off-network. Storage card and sufficient available memory required for caching. Songs will only play within the BBM Music app. When users change songs in their profile, deleted songs, included cached copies on their device, are no longer accessible. See http://www.blackberry.com/bbmmusic/legal for complete details and restrictions. Terms subject to change.

** New BBM Music users only. May not be combined with other offers. Payment information required to receive full trial period. Following trial user placed into automatically renewing monthly paid subscription plan unless cancelled before end of trial period. Limited time introductory offer may vary by BlackBerry device or carrier. Additional charges may apply. Subject to change. See www.blackberry.com/bbmmusic for complete details and restrictions.

*** Can only request gift from existing BBM contacts. Gift is reoccurring monthly subscription which continues until cancelled by gift giver.

@BlackBerry Just watched a video about the BlackBerry phone/PlayBook remote! So excited! Awesome CES show this year.—
brandon (@brandonMDCXVIII) January 11, 2012

Just watched the CES demo of the @Blackberry #Playbook OS 2 and it's looking wicked. Good work guys, Looks like it might be worth the wait!—
Mike Johnston (@cmscritic) January 10, 2012

Cannot wait for @BlackBerry #playbook OS2.0! Use my bb as a keyboard and trackpad AND as a remote control for media!! 2012 is gonna #bebold!—
Tony W (@tony22s) January 10, 2012

New @BlackBerry OS on PlayBook looks great. Fills most of the obvious gaps and makes the tablet very compelling.—
Andy Bovingdon (@MrBov) January 10, 2012

SO excited for @BlackBerry #Playbook OS 2! Remote control with my @BlackBerry Torch, email and calendar w great features, and loads of apps!—
Derek Gruchy (@ProfGruchy) January 10, 2012

just read a promising review from #ces on @BlackBerry #Playbook OS2.0 on my playbook. Interested tl see how the notifications works out—
Jamie Fletcher (@jamiefletchertv) January 11, 2012

Really impressed with what I've seen so far from @Blackberry's new PlayBook OS. Can't wait to use it. Really innovative stuff there!—
M van Hylckama Vlieg (@TheMarco) January 12, 2012

@BlackBerry awesome playbook demo @CES going home to buy myself one!!—
Stephanie Labus (@stephanielabus) January 12, 2012

@Blackberry Very excited about preview from #CES; I've been using build 6149 on my #Blackberry #Playbook can't wait for the release of 2.0!—
Jack Morrison (@Jackmoe) January 12, 2012

Thank you to everyone who test drove BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 at CES and shared their tablet reviews with us. We could only choose some reviews to share here, but we continue to read them all! Stay tuned for the official release. In the meantime, tell us which BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 feature you can’t wait to explore.

Explore more BlackBerry PlayBook review from tech authorities across the web.

Let me just say, #TeamBlackBerry, that when we present a challenge to this community, you never cease to amaze us. On New Year’s Eve, we asked you to tell us how you will #BeBold in 2012. We celebrated the big night at the hottest New Year’s Eve party – Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, sponsored by BlackBerry® – and watched more than 35,000 of your Bold resolutions stream across Twitter®, Facebook®, and giant billboards in Times Square.

Whether it’s the determination to run in your first marathon or earn a degree, you proved to us that for you, 2012 is about one thing – boldly seizing opportunities to pursue your dreams. More than this, four bold characters emerged from your #BeBold resolutions, and it’s clear to us that all are bravely stepping out of 2011 and into a 2012 filled with unlimited possibilities. Which are you? Tell @BlackBerry on Twitter!

Click to enlarge!

Thank you for rising to the challenge and helping us ring in the New Year in a Bold way! And let us know how your BlackBerry® smartphone and BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet are helping you accomplish your #BeBold goals in 2012 by telling us in the comment section below.