It’s that time of year, #TeamBlackBerry students — you’re cramming to make the grade, and hopefully you’ve got all the right credits to ace your finals and graduate (with honors!). But what about life after school? Have you thought about what you’re going to do in the “real world”?

Sorry if I gave you a bit of a scare there (or sounded too much like your dad). While you ponder your future, check out my top 5 apps for grads to help you along:

1. Evernote: Life is busy and your brain is stuffed to the brim with knowledge. Evernote is simple to use and helps you keep track of all your notes, files, pics, and audio notes as they happen. Click on over to Evernote for BlackBerry® smartphone and Evernote for BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, so you can give your memory a rest. Also works great as a study aid for that final exam!

2. SideSwipe: The world is busy place, and as you embark on your next adventure, you’ll definitely want to keep tuned in to worldly events as they happen. SideSwipe is a nice news aggregator for BlackBerry smartphone.

3. Top Gear: Now that you’re all grown up, you might be looking for a new car. The ones featured here may be a bit out of budget, but that’s also another thing you need: motivation! A grad can dream, right? In the meantime, you can practice driving your dream car with Top Gear for BlackBerry smartphone and Top Gear for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

4. InstaPhoto: Unless you have a superhuman memory, those magical moments of graduation won’t last a lifetime if you don’t capture them. InstaPhoto is my favorite way to customize your images and share them with your friends, family, and the world via social media. I, for one, happen to think that my pictures look way better with trendy filters on. Snap this one up and snap away!

5. Poynt: After you graduate, you may find yourself in a brand new city for a new career or your next adventure. Poynt is designed to help you find what you need and keep you connected to where it’s at. You can even make in-app purchases on things like movie tickets, make reservations at local restaurants and take advantage of local deals. Wherever you go, you’ll want to make sure Poynt goes with you by using Poynt for BlackBerry smartphone or Poynt for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

You may not have locked down what you want to do with your life, but rest assured these apps will help you enjoy the journey a little more. Got a favorite app that you couldn’t have survived school without? Let us know in the comments.

1. Browser: Surfing the web on your BlackBerry smartphone has never been faster with this snappy OS. With BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones, pages load faster — and when you’re on the go, speed matters. Check out this video comparing previous BlackBerry® Curve™ smartphones with the slick BlackBerry Curve 9350 smartphone running BlackBerry 7 OS:

[YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

2. Fast Fluid Graphics: The graphics behind the BlackBerry smartphone OS have been improved with BlackBerry 7 OS. You’ll get new visually appealing icons along with fluid transitions. Combine that with more powerful hardware and higher-resolution screens and you’re in for a rich smartphone experience. So, your photos are brighter onscreen, your game experience is faster, smoother and crisper, and your ability to swipe, scroll and launch is more intuitive, quicker, and satisfying. Take a look at this video comparing the all-touch BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 smartphone with the BlackBerry® Storm™ 9550 smartphone running a previous generation BlackBerry OS:

[YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

3. Touch Screens: Of course, not all BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones have touch screens, but a number of them do, and I love how much quicker you can navigate around your device. For me, when I’m looking at messages, I can simply tap the one I want to read rather than scroll through them all. Or when I want to open an app from the home screen, again, I can simply tap the one I want. You can also pinch-to-zoom on things like photos and websites. See for yourself — watch this video to see a side-by-side comparison of the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700 smartphone and BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone:

[YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

There you have our top 3 reasons to upgrade to a BlackBerry 7 OS smartphone! Hopefully this was helpful for those of you using older BlackBerry smartphones and thinking of upgrading. Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments, and if you’re currently rocking a BlackBerry 7 OS smartphone, tell us what you like the most about it!

With Mother’s Day right around the corner (this Sunday the 13th — have you sent Mom a card yet?), we wanted to take a step back and recognize all their hard and often under-appreciated work. I’ve been talking to moms around the Research In Motion® (RIM®) offices, and we’ve compiled the top 5 apps from BlackBerry App World™ that we think are perfect for all the moms out there on #TeamBlackBerry.

1. Kobo™: According to some of the moms here on the social team, they love to curl up with a good book. Having Kobo on your BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet or BlackBerry® smartphone is like curling up with thousands of books, so you can read until your heart’s content — and without having to carry around a ton of heavy novels.

2. At The Moment: This is a journaling app that lets you capture moments as they happen, tag people and places, date stamp memories, and save them. If you’re the kind of mom that never misses a moment – from your child’s first step to their graduation day – definitely check this one out.

3. Groupon™: For mothers who are always looking for a great deal, I’ve been told the Groupon app for BlackBerry smartphones is definitely one to have. You can find and purchase local deals right from your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or BlackBerry smartphone, and you can redeem them right from your device as well, which saves both time and paper.

4. WeatherEye: The Weather Network: When I polled moms around the office (informally, of course), an overwhelming number of them said WeatherEye: The Weather Network is an essential app for them — especially since it features an hour-by-hour glance at the day ahead, so you know what the kids should be wearing to get them through the school day.

5. TETRIS®: Who said moms can’t be gamers too? There’s tons to love about the evergreen TETRIS® game series — and if you do need that extra peace and quiet, just hand it off to the kids and it’ll be sure to keep them busy.

There you have it: our top 5 apps for moms, just in time for Mother’s Day this weekend. All you moms out there — is there an app you use all the time? Let us know in the comments.

If you were at BlackBerry World™ or BlackBerry® 10 Jam last week, you might have seen the foursquare “Check-in Stations” we set up. Did you know they were NFC-enabled?

Four days prior to the two conferences, foursquare released an updated version of their BlackBerry® smartphone app. The biggest addition? Near Field Communications! You can now check in at a venue with nothing more than a wave of your NFC-capable BlackBerry smartphone. (Of course, the venue has to have NFC tags for you to tap your BlackBerry smartphone against. It’s not actually magic – it just seems that way.)

Peter Nofelt, Software Engineering Manager – BlackBerry at foursquare (you might recognize his name from BlackBerry DevCon 2010) shot a quick demonstration video of the onsite NFC experience with fellow BlackBerry platform developer at foursquare, Kyle Fowler.

We learned a lot about #TeamBlackBerry from your foursquare check-ins. At BlackBerry World, the Solutions Showcase had the most check-ins and was the most popular event, while the most popular session was a Hands-On Lab, “BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion Studio and BlackBerry Device Service,” whereattendees learned how to install BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Studio and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion for BlackBerry devices.

At BlackBerry 10 Jam, attendees checked in at the Jam Space most often. No surprise there – the Jam Space was where developers could “Ask The Experts”, port their apps to the BlackBerry platform (in minutes!) at the App Express station, or simply hang out with us at the Social Media Desk. The most popular conference session on foursquare was “Get Ready for Cascades™ Development,” where attendees got a preview of Cascades and the powerful tools behind it.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a BlackBerry conference if we didn’t have the swag to back it up. At the end of each conference, the five attendees with the most check-ins won exclusive foursquare “Mayor Badge” t-shirts. Check out one of the mayors of BlackBerry 10 Jam, Chad Tetreault — he’s the guy that brought you LensBoost, among many other apps.

Below are more of the photos you shared with us when you checked in on foursquare, including another picture of those awesome t-shirts! (I know, I want one too. That’s the problem with “exclusive.”)

BlackBerry 10 Jam

BlackBerry World

If you haven’t done so already, head to BlackBerry App World™ to download the foursquare app.

Were you at the event? Did you check in? What badges did you earn? Share your foursquare stories in the comments below!

Your awesome BlackBerry PlayBook tablet-inspired entries inspired us, entertained us and downright impressed us, so we couldn’t help but share them. Check out some of the entries below and let us know in the comments which feature of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 you’re digging.

@BlackBerry The #PlayBook2 is the same size as 3 lotto tix but better than winning the lotto! yfrog.com/oca63wsj—
Danae Barrett (@DanaeCMB) March 05, 2012

@BlackBerry #playbook2 http://t.co/Bde8ygEO—
Olive Davis (@dsy79) March 05, 2012

@BlackBerry the first four sonogram pics of my twins are same size as the #PlayBook2 yfrog.com/oegkaoqdj—
Xim (@ximenavpm) March 06, 2012

@BlackBerry #Bold 9900 & #PlayBook2 go together as great as any kind of food and Bacon! #SoGood lockerz.com/s/190726912—
Ryan Reyes (@GRRyan_24) March 08, 2012

@BlackBerry #Playbook sized Red Vines covering my #Playbook #Playbook2 go #TeamBlackberry ! twitpic.com/8sg467—
Chuck Vaughn (@Chucklebutte) March 05, 2012

@BlackBerry "#PlayBook2 features #PrintToGo, getting your work done OnTheGo! Sit back, relax, GoodToGo, So good that you NeverLetGo!"—
Jeffrey Leung (@Maiev) March 06, 2012

@BlackBerry: "#PlayBook features #PrintToGo & so much more in OS 2.0! Quality, reliability & support that's never, ever slow!" #PlayBook2!—
Teresa Salvatore (@NeedNewSpace) March 06, 2012

@BlackBerry How would #PlayBook2 change my future? From communication, to occupying kids, to having fun4me, #PlayBook2 would rock my world!—
Kim Gaebel (@zabnee) March 09, 2012

@BlackBerry #PlayBook features #PrintToGo, how we lived without it I'll never know! #PlayBook2—
Cass Reed (@TheFix_ItLass) March 07, 2012

@BlackBerry My PlayBook gets the job done with Performance & Multitasking no need for laptop when u have the #PlayBook2 #PlayBook—
John R Stephens (@azjohnnych) March 09, 2012

Hey #TeamBlackBerry, we’ve got someone we want you to meet –- the newest member of the BlackBerry® Curve™ family of smartphones! We’re very proud to present the BlackBerry® Curve™ 9320, a stylish new smartphone for the socially-connected. I’ve got my hands on one of these smartphones right now, and I wanted to give you the heads up on three things you should know about this new BlackBerry Curve smartphone:

Style meets practicality

The first thing I noticed was just how well the BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone fit in my hand, and how good it looks at the same time. If you’re someone who’s really into messaging and social networking this BlackBerry smartphone is a wise choice. You get the best in class QWERTY keyboard for easy typing, a dedicated button for BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) — !!! — and it’s available in multiple colors so you can express your personal style. (Note: Please check with your carrier for color availability.)

Next Generation BlackBerry 7.1 OS

After you turn the BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone on and start it up, you’ll notice that it’s running BlackBerry® 7.1 OS. It gives you a smooth and fast BlackBerry smartphone experience, which I noticed most while I was browsing the web. The new OS adds features like Mobile Hotspot (Wi-Fi® sharing), which allows you to connect up to five additional devices*. It also has FM radio so you can tune into your favorite local radio stations.

Peace of mind at your fingertips with Parental Controls

For you parents out there considering the purchase of a smartphone to stay in touch, rest assured that your child or teen can safely use their BlackBerry Curve 9320 smartphone to have fun while giving you peace of mind thanks to new parental controls. With Parental Controls, you have the ability to limit or restrict certain phone numbers, and various social networking apps.

Well, there you have it: three things you should know about the BlackBerry Curve 9320. It’s designed to make messaging and accessing social networks incredibly easy, it’s running the latest BlackBerry OS, and it features handy parental controls for peace of mind. I think this may just be one of the best BlackBerry Curve smartphones for someone who is considering their first smartphone.

Pricing and availability of the BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be announced in conjunction with RIM’s distribution partners. For more information please check here.

Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

* Mobile hotspot feature may require an additional data plan. Please check with your service provider.

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™ 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.

Now that we’re into the month of May, TeamBlackBerry, it’s time once again to crown the most recent BlackBerry Fan of the Month!

This month’s FOTM is a self-proclaimed BlackBerry addict. He has been using BlackBerry® smartphones for 12 years and has encouraged many of his family members and friends to become BlackBerry users as well. He loves helping people learn how to get the most out of their BlackBerry devices and he created a blog dedicated to all things BlackBerry for that very purpose. We are honored to introduce Mark (@AllAboutMyBB) as the BlackBerry FOTM for May!

#TeamBlackBerry, meet Mark:

1. According to your blog you’ve been on #TeamBlackBerry since 2000 – amazing! How many BlackBerry devices have you had in total?

Including the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, I think I’m up to about 15 in total. I’m a bit of a device nut – I get cravings for new devices.

2. Can you list them all out for us? What kind of BlackBerry smartphone do you have now? What has stood out in your mind about the evolution of BlackBerry devices?

I started with a 7510, then had a 7520, 7100i, 8700, 8100, 8310, 9000, 9530, 9550, 9800 (I had 2) and currently on a BlackBerry Torch 9860 (my second) and a 32GB BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!

The biggest thing for me is the touchscreen half of it. I can’t pick up a device without automatically trying to move the screen with my fingers. I really enjoy having the ability to use either touchscreen or keyboard. I love the idea of having both.

3. We also saw on your blog that you are “head tech support” for most of your BBM™ contacts – your contacts are so lucky! How many contacts do you have on BBM right now? How many chats do you currently have open?

It’s kind of funny. I actually have spare devices – I call them my loaner devices. I set them up for people who still have the older flip phones. When loaning out a device, I keep it unlocked and let them use it for a couple of weeks with no data. Once they’ve made that transition, I tell them to call their carrier and get put onto a data package to try it for a month or so. I don’t think there’s been one person that I’ve set up that hasn’t then gone out to get their own BlackBerry smartphone!

I have 130 people on BBM and 22 chats currently open. I pretty much know them all. It’s a hobby. I created my @AllAboutMyBB handle to help spread my thoughts that have come directly out of my conversations with other users. A lot of people don’t know how much they can do – even with BBM!

4. Do you have a favorite BBM emoticon?

My favorite is:

I use it all the time and even have an autotext for it. I found holding “alt” to get the characters for “:-P” was too much work, so I created the autotext to help me type faster. But sometimes I forget to press space after and it sends as “hup”. Now my BBM BFF calls me “hup”. :s

5. Tell us about the best BBM you’ve ever received. What did it say and who was it from?

I gave my mom a BlackBerry smartphone for her 70th birthday. My mom is not very technical, and she grew up without all this stuff. She always complained that she has difficulty sharing pictures; she has a digital camera, but she doesn’t know how to download the pictures and share them with relatives. I got her a BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 with purple housing, hid all the icons and set it all up. I showed her how to use BBM, music player and email. I put all her contacts in there and filled up her address book. I showed her how to take a photograph and email the photo out of the camera application. She adapted to playing music and everything, and out of the blue, I even got a BBM from her saying, “Hi Mark love mom!” It didn’t say much, but it was awesome!

6. If you could BBM your BlackBerry smartphone, what would you say? How would your BlackBerry respond?

I would ask its location via BlackBerry® Protect and find out why it’s not on my hip where it belongs! It’s always with me — and if it’s not in the holster on my hip, it’s sitting right beside me charging.

7. What are your favorite BlackBerry smartphone applications? We’d love to hear your top 5!

BBM. That’s the one I use the most. Outside of BBM, I spend a lot of time on the social networks. I like SocialScope, a combination of Twitter® and Facebook® rolled into one. It’s very cool. I use that a lot. My @AllAboutMyBB stuff goes through Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones.

Music is my thing, so I’m a big supporter of BBM® Music. I’ve got tons of songs in BBM Music right now. I love the app, especially the randomness of it. If I’m not listening to BBM Music, I’m listening to the music I already have on my memory card. My next favorite one is Nobex Radio. If I’m not listening to BBM Music, that’s what I’ll listen to. The other app I love is Shazam. If you’re in a restaurant or somewhere and you hear a song that you don’t know, you just fire up Shazam and bam!

I also use SixTools. It creates screen capturing and convenience keys. I have four convenience keys instead of the one.

8. You just mentioned your love of music. Has your BlackBerry smartphone helped you discover any new tunes or artists lately?

Yes, twice recently! Once with Shazam (“I Love My Life” by DeMarco) and once with BBM Music (“Don’t You Wanna Stay” by Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson).

9. What superhero/celebrity/metaphorical duo could represent you and your BlackBerry smartphone? (e.g. I’m Batman, my BlackBerry is Robin: here’s why…)

I’m old school, so I think my BlackBerry smartphone and I are like the Wonder Twins. Our skills sets are very different, but we make a heck of a team! The things that I can’t remember go in my BlackBerry smartphone, and so it reminds me to do things. It’s the perfect sidekick.

10. Do you have an all-time favorite BlackBerry-related memory? Please share!

The event that started my blogging was a concert. This event was an amazing day, and I’ll never forget it. I share the story with anyone who will listen, and I’ve never had anyone not be truly amazed and enthused by the story.

11. We LOVE your Twitter bio and we think it’s awesome that you enjoy helping other members of #TeamBlackBerry! Is there a time when you helped a fellow BlackBerry smartphone user that really stands out in your mind? We’d love to hear about it!

I got a tech support BBM and phone call from Russell Peters once. He was having some issues with BlackBerry® ID. That was cool and fun!

12. Are you prepared to handle the fame that comes with being our Fan of the Month?

Absolutely! Bring it on!

Thanks for taking the time to meet our BlackBerry FOTM for May 2012! Stay in touch with Mark on Twitter by following @AllAboutMyBB and the #BlackBerryFOTM hashtag.

In case you missed our last four BlackBerry Fans of the Month, you can check ‘em out here:

January – Brian (@newshutr)
February – Ivan (@IvanSHarris)
March – Jane (@photosfromabb)
April – Josh (@BBbrodyBB)

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

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]