The energy inside Research In Motion (RIM) is at an all-time high. We are weeks away from the biggest product launch in BlackBerry history. To capture some of the excitement, I took a moment to connect with a few of our senior executives who have been leading teams directly involved in the making of BlackBerry 10.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Each week leading up to the launch of BlackBerry 10, I will be releasing a fresh video interview clip with this group of execs. Special thanks to: Scott Totzke, Senior VP of the BlackBerry Security Group, Pete Devenyi, Senior VP of Enterprise Software and Mike Maloney, VP of Customer Support Operations – America’s, for participating in this “behind the scenes” leadership video series for our Inside BlackBerry For Business blog readers!

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

We like to think that we broke the mold of a developer relations program when we started our BlackBerry® 10 Dev Alpha testing device program last May at BlackBerry 10 Jam in Orlando. We’ve given out over 7,500 BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha testing devices to developers around the world at BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tours, BlackBerry 10 Enterprise Jams, and here at BlackBerry Jam Asia too.

As you know, there are BlackBerry 10 smartphones coming in Q1 2013 – an all-touch model similar to the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha, and a BlackBerry 10 smartphone with our industry-defining BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard.

Today we announced the next phase of the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha program – the BlackBerry Dev Alpha C. It is a testing device for developers so that you can adjust, debug, and test your BlackBerry 10 applications to get ready for the launch of the BlackBerry 10 QWERTY device next year.

We’re only producing a limited number of these testing devices, and they will be reserved on a priority list for developers who have demonstrated that they are building apps for BlackBerry 10.

Distribution will be limited to developers who submit two or more applications; these developers will be given priority seeding for the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha C. These developers will be determined on the following point system:

• 50 points for ported Android™ applications
• 250 points for all other applications (Native, BlackBerry® WebWorks™, Adobe® AIR®)
• 1500 points for Built For BlackBerry certified application
• BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha A/B recipients start with 200 points
• BlackBerry Elite Members start with 200 points

The BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha C offer will run from December 1, 2012 through February 5, 2013. The details on the program can be found here, and keep following @BlackBerryDev for more info.

Earlier this month, I sat down with Geoff from the Near Field Communications (NFC) Product Management Team at RIM to get his take on a top NFC myth we often see from our Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog readers. (FYI – the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900/9930 smartphones and BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350/9360/9370 smartphones have NFC built-in NFC.)

Editor’s Note: About a year ago, we sat down with Geoff for the first time to get his perspective on where RIM is going in the NFC space. If you haven’t had a chance to watch Geoff’s video interview, check it out here: How to use Near Field Communication (NFC) for Business.

Debunking The Top NFC Myth: NFC is not just about mobile payments!

Popular perception seems to be that NFC is just a way to make mobile payments. Although RIM has been a key mobile payment advocate – including becoming among the first smartphones to be certified by MasterCard® and Visa® for NFC-based payments and working with EnStream in Canada – this capability was merely a stepping stone to a BlackBerry presence in the NFC space. Mobile payment capability is just one part of NFC technology’s true potential.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

Hi, I’m Kang from the Software Product Management team at Research In Motion® (RIM®). With social responsibility top of mind at RIM, we’re always hard at work developing innovative and useful solutions. Today, I’m extremely excited to introduce our latest accessibility solution for customers with visual impairments: BlackBerry® Screen Reader. This application — available for BlackBerry® Curve™ 9220, 9320, 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones — is free to download and is designed to provide audible output of the visual information displayed on the screen of a BlackBerry® smartphone. The features of this app help customers with visual impairments to better operate and access their BlackBerry smartphone. To learn more about other accessibility features for customers with visual impairments, please visit www.blackberry.com/accessibility

Providing accessibility solutions is very important to RIM, and this application adds to the list of many other accessibility features of BlackBerry smartphones that help provide solutions for mobile customers with visual impairments.

Here are some of the great features that you can expect from the BlackBerry Screen Reader:

• Independent Volume Control for the screen reader
• Customizable audio and output controls
• Option for a more secure presentation of passwords
• Useful in-call setting for text-to-speech output
• Shortcut Commands

Download the BlackBerry Screen Reader

To download the free app, customers can connect their BlackBerry smartphone to their desktop computer through a USB cable and head to www.blackberry.com/screenreader. The app supports the BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones and is available in US English, UK English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

Tips and Tricks

For customers using the BlackBerry Screen Reader for the first time, I recommend a few quick tips and tricks:

1. Become familiar with the shortcut keys. They help provide information quickly and easily.
2. Set the Right Convenience Key to “Do Nothing.” Users can still use the Right Convenience Key for shortcuts and the Key Describer Mode, but setting it to “Do Nothing” will avoid invoking multiple actions that can become confusing. BlackBerry Screen Reader will prompt the user to customize their Right Convenience Key with the initial setup.
3. Become familiar with the default settings. They are designed to help users become comfortable with their device quickly.
4. Only download the BlackBerry Screen Reader language support in the language you require (as opposed to all languages) to conserve device memory.
5. Visit the Quick Tips menu in the BlackBerry Screen Reader settings screen. It provides more useful tips to help get the most out of BlackBerry Screen Reader.

Have you or anyone that you know given this app a try? Please share your story and let us know in the comments how it will help make things easier.

With deep experience in the mobile computing industry, Mr. Tear and Mr. Boulben will complement RIM’s existing executive team as the company continues to focus on expanding its global customer base and prepares for the launch of its new BlackBerry 10 platform.

“Kristian and Frank bring extensive knowledge of the rapidly changing wireless global market and will help RIM as we sharpen our focus on delivering long-term value to our stakeholders,” said Thorsten Heins, RIM’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Most importantly, both Kristian and Frank possess a keen understanding of the emerging trends in mobile communications and computing.”

Mr. Tear joins RIM from Sony Mobile Communications, where he served as Executive Vice President. He previously held a variety of operational leadership positions with Ericsson in Europe, Asia and Latin America. At RIM, Mr. Tear will serve as Chief Operating Officer overseeing all operational functions for handhelds and services, including research and development, products, global sales, manufacturing and supply chain.

“RIM is an important player in the mobile industry and I am excited to be a part of its future,” said Mr. Tear. “I look forward to working with the talented RIM employees and harnessing their ingenuity and creativity for the benefit of more than 77 million BlackBerry users around the world. I also look forward to helping RIM attract a brand new generation of BlackBerry users.”

Mr. Boulben is the former Executive Vice President of Strategy, Marketing and Sales for LightSquared. He joined LightSquared after serving as Global Director of Commercial Strategy for Vodafone Group and Executive Vice President of Brand and Consumer Marketing for Orange Group. Mr. Boulben will oversee global marketing efforts at RIM.

“RIM is a pioneer in the mobile world and the BlackBerry brand is a global icon,” said Mr. Boulben. “We all know how fast the mobile arena evolves and with the BlackBerry 10 platform, I believe RIM will once again change the way individuals and enterprises engage with each other and the world around them. I could not resist the opportunity to be part of that transformation.”

For more information about Mr. Tear and Mr. Boulben and the entire RIM executive team, please see our newsroom.

Earlier today, I had the pleasure of being in the crowd as Thorsten Heins delighted BlackBerry World attendees on stage during his first keynote as CEO of Research In Motion.

Touting a strong foundation of people who rely on BlackBerry to help them achieve success, Heins and some very special partners outlined a laser-focused vision for RIM’s future– including a sneak peek into BlackBerry 10 software and beyond. There’s a lot to squeeze in, so check out the highlights below.

Why BlackBerry Delivers Unique Value

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For more than 77 million people across the globe, BlackBerry helps you succeed. CEO Thorsten Heins has spent a lot of time talking to BlackBerry customers and partners. You’ve told him that we empower you to be more successful. You can respond faster with BlackBerry. You can stay ahead with BlackBerry. You use BlackBerry to take care of your business – personal or professional – on your own terms. “This is the core of BlackBerry,” he said on stage today. BlackBerry gives you back time. And “if you give people time, it’s incredible what they can do with it.”

On top of the exciting glimpse at BlackBerry 10 software, Thorsten took some time to showcase the power of the BlackBerry 10 platform with a mobile connected car:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Salesforce.com® / Cisco®

Thorsten welcomed Clarence So, Senior Vice President, Strategy at Salesforce.com and Chuck Robbins, Cisco’s Senior Vice President of the Americas to join him onstage to discuss success, mobile strategy and security. Later on, others from the RIM leadership team stepped in front of the audience to talk about apps, enterprise-class solutions and where we’re headed. For all the details, swing by the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog.

So there you have it: our quick recap of the BlackBerry World 2012 keynote. Did you catch the online webcast? Were you there in person? Share your thoughts on what’s next for BlackBerry in the comments below.

Perfect flow of information

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Incredibly fast keyboard

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Never miss a moment

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There you have it! Which feature are you most excited for?

The consumer market is vast, so rather than trying to be all things to all people, RIM will focus its talent base and homegrown software and services on specific areas of the consumer market where BlackBerry® excels — which includes delivering a great mobile social and productivity experience – and we will look to existing and new partnerships to provide additional compelling apps and services that customers want and love.

We understand that buying patterns are rapidly changing for both consumers and enterprise customers. Smartphones are now just as likely to be purchased by consumers and taken into work to be used as their go-to work phone, as they are to be supplied by employers and used by employees on the weekend. We feel we are uniquely positioned to deliver a smartphone that consumers will be excited to use both personally and professionally that will also satisfy their employer’s needs for security and data management.

BlackBerry® 7 was a big step forward in this journey. BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0 is another strong example of our commitment to delivering a powerful mobile computing experience. As part of the lead up to BlackBerry® 10, we will continue to seek partnerships with application and service providers to deliver consumer features and content that are central to the BlackBerry value proposition. We believe these partnerships, combined with our core product offerings, will provide an extremely attractive experience to both consumers and our enterprise customers.

We are excited about our renewed company focus and hope our partners and customers are excited as well.

If you have questions or comments, please share them with us. We promise to read them all and come back and answer as many as we can.

1. Do you have a data capable mobile network connection?

The first thing you should check is whether or not you have a connection to the mobile network as well as the ability to send and receive data. To verify the mobile network connection status on your BlackBerry smartphone, tap on the Manage Connections icon that appears on your Home screen and verify if your mobile network connection is enabled. Provided it is enabled, complete the following steps to see if you are able to successfully send a PIN to PIN Message. This test will confirm if you have bi-directional data communication on your smartphone, which is required to send and receive email.

1. Open the Messages app
2. Press the Menu key, select “Compose Other”, then “Compose PIN”
3. Enter your PIN in the “To:” field
4. Press the Menu key and select “Send”

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog »

• Is RIM getting rid of BlackBerry Enterprise Server?
• What does the inclusion of Microsoft® ActiveSync® protocols mean for security?
• Can iOS and Android devices (both tablets and smartphones) be managed with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion? Will the management be secure?
• How will BlackBerry® 10 devices be managed?

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion: BlackBerry Enterprise Server and More

BlackBerry Enterprise Server has a rich history and is recognized as the most secure enterprise mobility device management solution available. Since its inception, the solution has grown in functionality, scalability, and a wide variety of other feature sets, and is now on version 5.0.3.

In the meantime, things in the market have gotten a bit messy and more than a bit challenging for IT administrators, IT specialists, and CIOs. Organizations are under pressure to support a wide variety of devices from multiple manufacturers, as well as multiple form factors, with tablets gaining steam as business tools. As a longstanding pillar of MDM in the enterprise, we’ve worked to provide a clean, simple, and secure solution to help you manage whatever gets thrown your way. This is BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. It’s a huge leap forward for device management, and it’s built on the valued security model introduced with BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The evolution of BlackBerry Enterprise Server is BlackBerry Mobile Fusion.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »