[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

You’ll also definitely want to check-out what attendees onsite here at the show had to say about all the excitement and energy, here at BlackBerry Live 2013.

Melanie here, jumping into Donny’s blog post. Donny, Alex and Luke did a great job summarizing the week in the wrap video, but I think there’s one element they didn’t mention – the behind the scenes. Thanks to BlackBerry Story Maker, I was able to grab some videos and pics we made throughout the week that is just too good not to share. Check out BlackBerry Live through the eyes of the Social Media Team.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

There you have it — a BlackBerry Story Maker video showcasing BlackBerry Live 2013 from the social media team’s perspective! Let us know how we did in the comments — Thanks for a great week, we’re signing off!

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Mark Rigley, of QNX, and Thorsten Heins showed off the power of the BlackBerry platform with a the first BBM Video call from a phone to a car. On the line was none other than Vivek Bhardwaj who was jokingly taking a vacation, while at BlackBerry Live. Check out that video conference and the gorgeous QNX Bentley in the video above.

In a true demonstration of the power of mobile computing, they were able to update software on the vehicle wirelessly via a BlackBerry 10 smartphone. What do you think about the QNX Bentley? Are you excited for the future of mobile computing?

Today was an exciting day at the BlackBerry Live keynote in Orlando. We brought you all the action live as it happened here on the Inside BlackBerry blogs, and our social media properties. But there are a few awesome things that you may have missed – so we’ve taken the time to collect all the highlights here in one post! Talk about efficiency.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Thorsten Heins, kicked off the day reflecting on the year behind us and the years ahead. It’s been a long journey, but BlackBerry has built a world-class executive team who successfully brought BlackBerry 10 to market. If you’re familiar with the BlackBerry 10 experience, you already know that it’s a truly mobile experience that’s designed to be fluid and keep you moving while on the go. We’ve come a long way since he took this very stage last year and his message is clear.

“BlackBerry is firing on all cylinders!”

Thorsten took a few minutes to talk about our rapidly growing app ecosystem with BlackBerry World now containing 120,000 BlackBerry 10 applications! The news and announcements flowed throughout the event with an epic crescendo (more on that later). From the announcement of BlackBerry 10.1 availability on the BlackBerry Z10, bringing with it the Skype app to the all-touch smartphone, to the release of U.S. availability information for the highly-coveted BlackBerry Q10 smartphone – there was no doubt that we are committed to this platform and to our customers.

To round out the hardware announcements, Thorsten stood on a glowing red stage to unveil the fun, youthful new BlackBerry Q5 smartphone to be available in select markets around the world. The QWERTY keyboard phone, also running BlackBerry 10, was met with cheers from the crowd of attendees.

The focus quickly shifted to our strength in mobile computing as the QNX Bentley Continental show-car rolled onto the stage. Thorsten joined Mark Rigley, of QNX, in the passenger seat and delighted the crowd with a BBM Video call to Vivek Bhardwaj who was jokingly taking a much-needed (and well-deserved) vacation. They rounded off the demo by updating the car’s software wirelessly through a BlackBerry 10 smartphone – a true demonstration of the unique strength of the platform in machine-to-machine connectivity.

The show themes of power in the auto sector didn’t end there, we’d still see two more partners join the stage, with horsepower abound. Thorsten welcomed President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Johann Jungwirth, to talk about the future of the platform deployment in the auto industry. And, not to be out done, famed grand prix driver and MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team member, Lewis Hamilton, rolled onto the stage with a stunning race car to introduce something very special.

Hamilton and Thorsten introduced a new way for brands, celebrities and others to connect with their fan base called BBM Channels. BBM Channels will bring the engagement power of the BBM platform to brands, something that will no doubt be a welcome way to connect with their user-base.

BlackBerry has been very effective over the past year in doing this – Frank Boulben , CMO at BlackBerry, took the stage at BlackBerry Live to discuss the year in BlackBerry marketing and the transformation of our brand in many different areas including social media. We have YOU to thank for that #TeamBlackBerry! He then welcomed Global Creative Director, BlackBerry – Alicia Keys to the stage to discuss the next phase of the Keep Moving projects and the BlackBerry Scholars program, a multi-level strategy to engage young women across the globe in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

The announcement that indisputably drew the biggest reaction from the audience was the introduction of plans to bring BBM to iOS and Android platforms later this year. The announcement made waves across the mobile community and definitely resonated with many. It’s a big step for our much-adored messaging platform that set the standard for mobile instant messaging with fast and reliable service and an added layer of engagement with delivered and read statuses.

The keynote was nothing short of a masterpiece for us here at BlackBerry, and it ended with the BlackBerry executive team taking the stage all at once for the first time. A wonderful photo-op and symbol of the strength of BlackBerry as we move to pioneer the future of mobile computing.

Did you tune in on the live stream or follow the action on our social channels? Which was your favorite moment from the BlackBerry Live 2013 keynote? Share it with us below in the comments.

If you’re already a fan of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), we’ve got some exciting news designed to make it easier for you to connect with your entire mobile social network. BlackBerry plans to make BBM, our wildly popular mobile messaging service, available for the first time to iOS® and Android™ users this summer, (subject to approval by Google Play and the Apple App Store, as applicable). This means that, once available, you can welcome your friends and family using these other mobile platforms to connect over BBM and share in the Team BlackBerry love.

As we’ve chronicled on our Inside BlackBerry blog for some time now, BBM set the standard for mobile instant messaging with fast and reliable service and an added layer of engagement with delivered and read statuses. You’ve shared with us your stories about how BBM has kept you connected when it mattered most to you. Upon release of the multi-platform BBM service, you can broaden that real-time connection to friends and colleagues on other supported mobile platforms.

In the first version of multi-platform BBM, iOS and Android users are expected to be able to experience the following BBM features:

• The immediacy of BBM chats
• Multi-person chats
• Voice note sharing
• BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users are able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more

The team here at BlackBerry has definitely been working hard to bring the much-adored BBM experience to a wider group of mobile users. In a recent press release at BlackBerry Live 2013, Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry had this to say:

“For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community.”

BBM Quick Facts:

• More than 60 million monthly active users
• More than 51 million daily active users who are connecting with friends or colleagues an average of one and a half hours every day.
• BBM users send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps
• Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are

Today, BlackBerry also announced BBM Channels, a new social engagement platform within BBM that will allow customers to connect with the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups they are passionate about. BlackBerry plans to add support for BBM Channels as well as voice and video chatting for iOS and Android later this year, subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. If approved by Apple and Google, the BBM app will be available as a free download in the Apple® App StoreSM and Google Play store. Additional details about system requirements and availability will be announced closer to the launch.

That’s some pretty big news, indeed. Be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comments below, who will be the first person from your extended network that you introduce to BBM?

If you’re anything like me, seeing that ‘R’ in a delivered BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) message is like colour to my eyes (see what I did there?). I am obsessed with knowing that my messages have been delivered, read and when they’re being responded to.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Today, BlackBerry takes BBM to the next level with BBM Channels
extending the BBM experience to brands, artists, businesses and communities, you will now be able to connect with individuals and groups in real time. Stay up to date on your favorite things. Receive timely updates and participate by commenting on, liking and sharing posts. Or choose to express yourself and create a channel of your own – and create, edit & publish in an instant.Starting today, BBM customers can connect and share the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team on their BBM Channels.

Top BBM Channels Features:

• Create a channel – Create, edit and publish in an instant, and there are no limits to the number of followers you can have in your channel. Securely manage your channel from either a BlackBerry smartphone or the web.
• Discover channels – BBM Channels includes a carousel that lets you discover new channels. You can share channel invites within a BBM chat, and people can be added or invited using the channel’s PIN or QR code.
• View – View profiles for each BBM Channel you choose to follow.
• Subscribe – Subscribing to a channel allows the channel owner to send you timely and relevant updates, giving the subscriber instant access to your news, deals, events or whatever you want to communicate. Subscribers can choose to receive notifications when new posts are available.
• Participate – Participate and engage in conversations with your favorite people or communities by “Commenting” and “Liking” posts from channels you subscribe to. Channel owners have the option to directly chat one-on-one with a subscriber.
• Monitor engagement – Easily use built-in measuring tools to assess and monitor follower engagement and interaction

Today, BlackBerry also announced plans to bring BBM to iOS® and Android™ users this summer. BlackBerry expects that iOS and Android users will also be able to experience BBM Channels later this year, subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play.

BBM with BBM Channels is now available in beta for BlackBerry 10 smartphones, as well as BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry 5 OS through 7.1. For BlackBerry OS customers*, BBM Channels is part of the new BBM version 8, which also offers enhanced navigation tools, with tabbed viewing for quick and easy access to contacts, chats, groups, recent updates and BBM Channels. Furthermore, it allows the option to share your enhanced profile information with BBM contacts or within invitations. The beta releases can be downloaded for free on BlackBerry Beta Zone**. Customers can sign up to BlackBerry Beta Zone for free at www.BlackBerry.com/betazone. For more information about BBM, please visit www.blackberry.com/bbm.

*BBM requires a BlackBerry service plan on BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS.
**BlackBerry Beta Zone is not available in all markets.

As the BlackBerry Live keynote news keeps flowing in I’m happy to introduce you to the youthful and fun BlackBerry Q5 smartphone, running BlackBerry 10. With a QWERTY keyboard and a confident design, this new BlackBerry smartphone has been built to provide a fast, effortless experience that helps you explore, create and share while on the go. Thorsten Heins just revealed the device onstage at BlackBerry Live, but we’ve got all the details ready to share with you below.

I’ve been using this device for a few days now and I’m already in love. It fits into my lifestyle perfectly offering the powerful experience I need and allowing me to flow seamlessly from task to task throughout my day.

Highlights and features of the BlackBerry Q5

• The evolution of the classic BlackBerry Keyboard:
  The BlackBerry Q5 features a classic BlackBerry Keyboard with discrete keys that has been re-engineered and elegantly designed to help you type fast, accurately and with the least amount of effort. Plus with Instant Action shortcuts you can type to perform tasks faster. The BlackBerry Q5 smartphone gives you the best of both worlds – a classic QWERTY keyboard for optimized communications and a 3.1” touchscreen for all the rest.
• Create the perfect shot with BlackBerry Time Shift mode and Story Maker
  Create the picture perfect shot with BlackBerry Time Shift mode, then create and share your story, weaving together your photos, videos and music into a movie with BlackBerry Story Maker.
• Share and be seen with BBM Video with Screen Share
  Instantly switch your BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) chat to a BBM Video conversation and catch up face-to-face. You can even share your screen, whether it’s a photo, a page in the browser, an idea, or a view from your camera.
• Stay close to what’s important to you with BlackBerry Hub
  With BlackBerry Hub, all of your messages and social conversations are only one swipe away. There’s no need to stop what you’re doing. Simply peek into the BlackBerry Hub from anywhere with a swipe to effortlessly flow in and out of your messages and conversations.
• BlackBerry World delivers a rich, thriving app and content ecosystem
  Discovering and sharing great apps and content is easier than ever with recommendations based on similar purchases, and access to more than 100,000 apps on the BlackBerry World storefront.

Here’s what Thorsten had to say in a recent press release on the new BlackBerry Q5 smartphone:

“BlackBerry is excited to bring the new BlackBerry Q5 smartphone to our customers in selected markets around world,” said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of BlackBerry. “The BlackBerry Q5 gives you the best of everything with its cutting-edge BlackBerry 10 functionality and a physical QWERTY keyboard. It is for youthful fans that are passionate, confident and bold, and it makes it easy for them to have fun, create, share and stay connected.”

Pricing and Availability
The new BlackBerry Q5 smartphone will be available in selected markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia (including the Asia Pacific region), and Latin America, with availability beginning in July.

There you have it folks – if you live in the areas listed above, you can look forward to getting your hands on the new BlackBerry Q5 with BlackBerry 10. What do you think of this phone? Let us know your thoughts on this stunning new BlackBerry device in the comments below.

Onstage at the BlackBerry Live conference in Orlando, Thorsten Heins, President and CEO, BlackBerry just announced that all of you BlackBerry Z10 customers are in for a treat. An update to BlackBerry 10 software has been released with new features designed to keep you moving. BlackBerry 10.1 is a free update that will be rolling out with carrier partners over the coming weeks.

I’ve chatted with the product development team about what you can expect in the update and there are definitely some exciting changes and features to highlight, and best of all updating is free and easy to do over a WiFi® network.

New BlackBerry 10.1 Features:

• BlackBerry Hub: The BlackBerry Hub lets you access all your messages and notifications in one place. With BlackBerry 10.1 support for PIN to PIN messages for direct communication between BlackBerry smartphones has been added to the BlackBerry Hub. Plus, improved attachment support in the BlackBerry Hub makes it easier to view emails which have been sent as attachments to other messages.
• Notifications: With BlackBerry 10.1 you can personalize the notifications for your accounts and contacts so you always know what is happening around you. Customize ringtones, vibration and the LED light by contact or by account for more personalized notifications.
• Fine Cursor Control: BlackBerry 10.1 makes it easier and more accurate to pinpoint exactly where you want to type. Tap once to bring up the cursor. Grab the blue circle and drag it around to place it exactly where you need it. Tap either side of the circle to move left or right by just one character. It’s easy to move around with speed and precision.
• Camera: BlackBerry 10 lets you create the perfect shot by moving parts of your picture backwards and forwards in time with Time Shift mode. BlackBerry 10.1 adds an HDR shooting mode for beautiful images in tricky lighting conditions. A standard image takes a picture at one exposure level. Where you have high contrast between light and dark areas of the photo, fine details can be lost. High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode takes multiple pictures at different exposure levels and layers them automatically to produce a single photo that combines the best of the dark and light areas.
• Lots more to discover: You’ll find lots of new improvements across the BlackBerry 10 OS like landscape support for the calendar, easier international dialing, improved red eye reduction in the picture editor and much more. The first step to discovering these new features is to update your BlackBerry 10 software.

How to update to BlackBerry 10.1:

Updating to BlackBerry 10.1 is free and easy to do. To update your BlackBerry Z10 smartphone to BlackBerry 10.1 look for the alert in the notifications section of the BlackBerry Hub. You can also check for software updates through the settings menu by visiting the software updates section. The download will happen in the background and the update will be applied without needing to back up your smartphone. All of your information remains safe. As always, we recommend you have a current backup of your BlackBerry Z10 smartphone readily available. For more information on how to update your BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, visit www.BlackBerry.com/update

There you have it – BlackBerry 10.1 will soon be available for your BlackBerry Z10 device. Please let us know what you think of these features and refinements in the comments below.

Today is THE day that the first customers will start to get their hands on the new BlackBerry Q10 in the UK and next week, in Canada, on May 1. Throughout the week we’ve let you know where and when it will be available first, what went into the design and what our favorite features are. Now it’s time to hear from the tech media.

Like me, they’ve had their hands on the beautiful BlackBerry Q10 with full QWERTY keyboard. Turns out I’m not the only one who was impressed by the device and how well it performs as a daily driver. Physical keyboard lovers, meet your new match! Here’s what the press had to say:

BlackBerry Q10 Reviews:

• “The Q10′s superb keyboard and message-handling capabilities make it a perfect match. Its long battery life and comfortable keyboard may be what you’ve been holding out for, and the inclusion of BlackBerry 10.1 is extra icing on the cake.” –

  CNET

• “The BlackBerry Q10 is clearly the top smartphone for people who want QWERTY physical keyboards. It is no question the most refined device in the class. This is the BlackBerry 10 device physical keyboard lovers have been waiting for.” –

  BerryReview.com

• “BlackBerry has done well by QWERTY fans by bringing a handset to market with a killer keyboard and modern operating system.” –

  LAPTOP Magazine

• “I’ll come right out and say it: no phone on the market offers a better combination of speed and accuracy for entering text.” –

  New York Times

• “an email, messaging, and productivity beast.”… “It’s a delight to type on. I haven’t used a physical keyboard in ages, but the keys are designed so well that I was flying.” –

  Business Insider

• “BlackBerry has a lot of experience making keyboard phones, and it shows in the Q10.” –

  Mashable

• “In terms of smartphones with a physical keyboard, the Q10 is in a class of its own.” –

  ITBusiness

• “Perhaps the most interesting surprise about the Q10 is how insanely fast it is.” –

  The Globe And Mail

• “This is a modern day smartphone with a keyboard that people will be PROUD to carry, use and show off.” –

  CrackBerry.com

The press have had their say — now it’s time to have yours, #TeamBlackBerry. Be sure to leave your comments about the new BlackBerry Q10 below.

We first tipped our hat that Skype was coming to BlackBerry 10 back at the global launch event on January 30th. Now I’m happy to announce that Skype is available for the newly launched BlackBerry Q10. BlackBerry Q10 and Skype are the perfect pair allowing you to chat with other Skype users from the palm of your hand.

While you’re on the go with your BlackBerry Q10 and the Skype app, you’ll enjoy the ability to have:

• Free face to face video and voice calls
• Instant messages
• low cost voice calls and text messages to landlines and mobiles over WiFi® or wireless network connections.

Skype System Requirements:

Skype runs on the 10.1 Operating System on the BlackBerry Q10. As this new version of the BlackBerry 10 operating system launches on the BlackBerry Z10 in the coming weeks, BlackBerry Z10 owners will have the ability to download Skype for BlackBerry from BlackBerry World. We will be talking more about BlackBerry 10.1 on BlackBerry Z10 at BlackBerry Live, so stay tuned and keep it locked to Inside BlackBerry for more information.

Did you just pick up your brand new BlackBerry Q10 and want to give Skype a try? Download it from BlackBerry World and Let us know what you think about the app in the comments below.

Facebook for BlackBerry smartphone users, get excited. The Facebook app for BlackBerry smartphones has been updated to version 4.0 and brings some exciting new features that are designed to make it easier for you to stay connected to your friends and family. If you use a BlackBerry smartphone running BlackBerry OS 5 or above, here are some of the new features you can expect.

Facebook v4.0 for BlackBerry smartphones highlights:

• • Stay connected with friends and discover content quicker with greater navigation tools and an enhanced photo experience.
• • Enhanced navigation – a brand new navigation list slides in from the left, allowing you to access your favorite tabs. For easier discovery and viewing, “Friends” and “Pages” now occupy separate tabs and unique notification drop downs including “Messages” and “Requests” replace the “Today” header.
• • Better photo experience – You now have more photo options with the update to give you a richer experience. Enjoy full screen photo browsing, add or view tags of photos, and make selections with the Comment and Like buttons.
• • Quicker access to updates – Get faster content updates by engaging the “pull down to refresh” option so you can check for the latest on “News Feed posts,” “Wall,” “Messages,” “Events,” and “Nearby” pages.

The latest Facebook for BlackBerry update can be downloaded now on BlackBerry World.
Download the app, give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for the new app versions to appear in BlackBerry World.