Mobile Computing in Action: Introducing Over-the-air Software Updates for Vehicles

06.05.13

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Mobile Computing is at risk of becoming the buzz-word of the year, but no one seems to be exactly clear on what it is and more importantly what it means for consumers, enterprises, carriers, partners, and anyone involved in the mobile ecosystem. There’s an incredible opportunity for this space to be defined, and today we’re introducing a solution that begins to do just that.

Here at the Telematics Detroit Conference, we’ve unveiled a solution for automakers that lets them easily manage and securely download software updates to a vehicle. The Software Update Management for Automotive service leverages BlackBerry’s global, secure infrastructure.

Vehicles hold a lot of digital information needed to operate efficiently, and come with sophisticated in-vehicle infotainment systems, apps, media centers, and more. Automakers want to be able to deliver software updates that can offer new, compelling capabilities to their customers, long after the initial sale. With vehicles becoming connected end points, the opportunity is wireless. A secure connection to end points such as this, enabled by BlackBerry technology, will help automakers connect with customers and allow them to bring new features, and potentially diagnose problems remotely.

The development of OTA services is part of BlackBerry’s broader mobile computing strategy. BlackBerry is providing the foundation for a new era of mobile computing by connecting mobile end points securely and creating opportunities for community building, connecting, and sharing.

Personally, I couldn’t be more excited by where this is all going. I’ve become convinced of a very bright future in the form of mobile computing and dramatically increased connectivity to the devices and machines that we use.

To learn more about the BlackBerry solution demonstrated at the Telematics Detroit Conference, head over to www.blackberry.com/m2m.

Use your imagination! What would you like to see in the future of connected end points that would make your life easier, safer, or more enjoyable? Share in the comments below.

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Finding and protecting a lost BlackBerry 10 device

06.04.13

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

BlackBerry Protect includes features that can help you find your BlackBerry 10 device as well as protect your device’s data if your suspect that your device has been lost or stolen.

For example, I couldn’t find my device yesterday so to find it, all I had to do was login to the BlackBerry Protect website located at http://protect.blackberry.com using my BlackBerry ID credentials and I was able to view my device’s location on a map.

After driving over to my friend’s house I still couldn’t find my device, so I logged into BlackBerry Protect website again and was able to make my device play a loud sound for a minute at which point I found it between the couch cushions. This is a great example of why I love BlackBerry Protect because it saved me time and money!

Tip: Using BlackBerry 7.1 or earlier? You can use BlackBerry Protect as well! To learn more, check out our post, 5 reasons why you should use BlackBerry Protect.

With that being said, complete the steps below to turn on BlackBerry Protect on your BlackBerry 10 device:

  1. On your home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
  2. Tap Settings followed by BlackBerry Protect
  3. Set the BlackBerry Protect switch to On

After doing this, you will have the ability to use the following options when visiting the BlackBerry Protect website:

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help blog »

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BlackBerry Tops for South African Youth for the Third Year in 2013

05.30.13

Below is a special feature from Christa Botha of the BlackBerry PR team in South Africa — Donny
Brand awards in South Africa

The youth of South Africa has once again independently voted BlackBerry as the ‘Coolest Brand Overall’ in the Sunday Times Generation Next 2013 Brand Survey Awards. Young voters also named BlackBerry the ‘Coolest Cellphone’ and voted BBM™ as the ‘Coolest Cellphone App’ for the third year running.

BlackBerry 10 launch

These accolades are a remarkable achievement for the BlackBerry team in South Africa, and shows there is plenty of momentum as we transition to BlackBerry 10.

Even in the face of growing competition, we’re still number one in South Africa. In fact, we have been the leading smartphone brand in South Africa for over 28 months, according to GfK Retail & Technology (March 2013).

Though BlackBerry 7 remains popular among the youth, we are seeing many of our young customers aspire to the new BlackBerry 10 platform. BlackBerry 10 is not only providing a whole new experience, but more choice for South African customers. We’re expecting the upcoming launch of the BlackBerry Q5 to be very popular in South Africa.

Read more about the BlackBerry brand in South Africa »

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Angry Birds Space Lands on BlackBerry 10: Rock Out with Slashbird!

05.30.13

Angry Birds Space Slashbird

For those of you who love the Angry Birds franchise and your new BlackBerry 10 smartphone, you’re in for a treat.

Angry Birds Space is launching for BlackBerry 10 today and bringing with it a new character with a ‘Rock Star’ personality. While the birds have been defying gravity in space for some time now, an update to the game introduces us to Slashbird inspired by a certain guitar god. Music aficionados will likely see the resemblance!

Angry Birds Space introduces you to new adventures on planets and in zero gravity, resulting in spectacular gameplay ranging from slow-motion puzzles to lightspeed destruction. With brand new birds, brand new superpowers, flying space pigs and a whole galaxy to explore, the sky is no longer the limit!

Head to the BlackBerry World storefront today to purchase and download Angry Birds Space. It truly is an awesome game, and be sure to checkout Angry Birds Star Wars as well, which has been on the BlackBerry 10 platform since launch. Which Angry Birds character is your fav? Let me know in the comments.

*Please note the app may take up to 24 hours to appear in the BlackBerry World storefront

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BlackBerry Live 2013 Panel Recap: Built for Mobile in Emerging Markets

05.30.13

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The fastest adopters of mobile innovation are not just infrastructure-rich markets. It’s in regions like Africa and Asia where peoples’ first experience of the Internet is mobile. Smartphone uptake is exploding in emerging markets due to rising wealth, brand desire, access to education and need for key services in health, welfare, education and finance. In many ways, they are further advanced in mobile service innovation, as many businesses are built first from a mobile perspective.

Across emerging markets, mobile is consistently an engine of growth, but as technology evolves, the mobile industry will need to play an active part in helping governments address socio-economic challenges, enable progress and build sustainable mobile ecosystems for the future. To discuss some of these challenges, we held a panel at BlackBerry Live 2013 with industry leaders, analysts, and developers to exchange insights on BlackBerry innovation in emerging markets around the world.

Participants in the panel included: Robert Bose and Wes Nicol, BlackBerry’s Regional Marketing Directors for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Latin America (LATAM) respectively; Leandro Melo de Sales, Professor at Institute of Computing (IC) at Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) and Principal at BlackBerry Tech Center, Brazil; Alexander Rusli, CEO of Indosat, one of Indonesia’s largest telecommunication networks and service providers; Leon van Dyk, BlackBerry apps lab manager in South Africa; and Victor Dibia, developer and founder of denvycom in Nigeria.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Biz blog »

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BlackBerry World Wednesday: New Apps and Games for BlackBerry 10

05.29.13

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Summer is just around the corner and things are really heating up with the Unity BlackBerry 10 Open Beta announcement and many new exciting offerings in BlackBerry World! Unity is making it easy for any developer to bring their games to mobile devices – including the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones – and the upcoming BlackBerry Q5 smartphone. Unity is a powerful engine for gaming that let’s you have some amazing experiences in mobile and beyond.

You might recognize many of the titles developers have already brought to BlackBerry World that are built on the Unity platform:

Air Attack, CreaVures, Dark Nebula: Episode One, Fractal, Gravity Lab, Psychoban, Roboto, Samurai II Vengeance, SHADOWGUN and Sushi Chop

But in true BlackBerry World Wednesday fashion, here’s a list of many of the new titles to hit the BlackBerry World storefront this week. Head on over to BlackBerry World and kick off your summer with these awesome apps and games:

BlackBerry Z10 Apps:

Business & Finance:

Gaming:

Check out more apps and games for BlackBerry 10 »

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Excited About Plans to Bring BBM to iOS and Android? Help Spread the Word with New Avatars

05.29.13

BBM for All!

A few weeks ago we had some really exciting news for BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). You’ve responded about how excited you are for BBM Channels, and a large number of you are using the BBM Channels beta, which is great. I’ve also been happy to read your feedback on the news that BlackBerry plans to bring BBM to iOS and Android platforms later this year.

Now we’ve made it easy for you to share the news with your friends who might not have heard. Check out these avatars that you can save, download and set as your BBM or social network avatar to help spread the word. Simply follow the instructions below to add these images as your BBM display picture.

BBM-GIF-1 BBM-GIF-2

To change your BBM Display Picture:

1. Right-click on the avatar of your choice and select “Save picture as” to save it to your computer.
2. Email the file to the email address associated with your BlackBerry smartphone.
3. Open the image on your BlackBerry smartphone.
4. Press the menu button to “Download Attachment”.
5. In BBM, set the new file as your profile picture.

Go forth, #TeamBlackBerry — spread the word about BBM and share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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How to clear your browsing history using BlackBerry 10

05.28.13

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Last night while visiting with a friend, they asked me how to clear their BlackBerry 10 browser history. Long story short, he had been visiting some jewelry websites and since his significant other uses his device from time to time, he didn’t want her to stumble across a surprise she’d be receiving shortly. Without further ado, here’s how to clear your browsing history.
Continue reading how-to at the Inside BlackBerry Help blog »

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PlayBook Tablets are Changing the Way First Year Dalhousie Engineering Students Learn

05.27.13

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First year engineering students at Dalhousie University received something extra when they started last year – a BlackBerry PlayBook. Professors took advantage of the new teaching opportunities created when every student is connected.

“Given its ultra portability and power, the PlayBook has given the students the ability to interact with professors at an unprecedented level,” explains Dalhousie Professor George Jarjoura.

Having every student using a PlayBook opened up new ways to teach. Students could follow along with course presentations on their PlayBooks, annotating slides with their own notes. Equally as important, given the size of first-year lectures, was the ability to ask questions and take quizzes electronically, in real time.

“For some first year students, participation during the question period is very intimidating, especially in large classes with hundreds of students,” says Professor Jarjoura. “With the PlayBooks, students could ask questions, submit answers and interact with me in real time, as I lecture.”

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Biz blog »

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BlackBerry World Wednesday: New Apps and Games for BlackBerry 10

05.22.13

BBW

Last week, we had such an amazing week at BlackBerry Live in Orlando. This week is a special post-BlackBerry Live edition of BlackBerry World Wednesday full of new apps and games to hit the storefront for BlackBerry 10 this week. Some of them were even newly announced at the show last week. For those of you who may have missed it check out the BlackBerry Live wrap-up here. For those who just want all apps, all the time, check out our curated list of new BlackBerry 10 apps below. Enjoy!

BlackBerry Z10 Apps:

Music & Audio:

  • Animoog (Moog Music Inc.) – As featured at BlackBerry Live

Gaming:

Check out some more great apps for BlackBerry 10 »

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