Inside BlackBerry » features

Top BlackBerry Q10 Features Shown Off on Camera [Video]

Donny Halliwell — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:05:42 +0000

Have you been drooling over the stunning new BlackBerry Q10 since we launched it a few weeks back? Well to soothe your appetite for all things BlackBerry Q10, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite device features in High Definition video with help from our friends at the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team. This is the perfect way (if you ask me) to round up the week and kick the weekend off right.

There you have it for your viewing pleasure, the BlackBerry Q10 in fine fashion. Let us know which of the above are your favorite features? Or, if you’ve got a fav’ that we missed, tip us below.

My First Week with the New BlackBerry Q10

Donny Halliwell — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 03:01:55 +0000

Even though I’ve been fortunate enough to have my hands on a BlackBerry Q10 for quite some time, it wasn’t until just last week that I made the switch and started using it as my “daily driver”. In order to describe my experience in one word … I needed to invent a new word. So, I’m coining the phrase “Awesotypetastic” to describe this iconic new device from BlackBerry.

There are a ton of features that make this one of my favorite BlackBerry smartphones of all time, and as the first BlackBerry 10 device to feature a physical keyboard, it has some big shoes to fill.

Since launch I’ve been covering just what an interesting and powerful new mobile experience BlackBerry 10 is. With features like peek, the BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Flow built-in, the BlackBerry Q10 combines a classic BlackBerry keyboard and the power of BlackBerry 10. This experience translates well onto the BlackBerry Q10 and it brings some new innovations to market that improve productivity and are enabled by the physical keyboard.

After one week with the device here are three of my favorite new features:

Instant Action

From the home screen on the BlackBerry Q10, just start typing a command on the physical keyboard to initiate the action. For example, if you want to BBM one of your contacts type “BBM + ” to enter BBM and start your conversation. You can also do this for a number of other actions. I particularly found this useful when using the phone one handed.

Keyboard Shortcuts

BlackBerry fans will no doubt appreciate the return of keyboard shortcuts to the device. Simple things like hitting “T” to jump to the top while in the BlackBerry Hub, or hitting “C” to compose a new message add up and help you keep moving quickly and fluidly through the device.

Timeless Design

The BlackBerry Q10 is a serious machine. It is built solid with premium materials and components. As soon as I held the BlackBerry Q10 in my hand it was clear to me everything had been specifically chosen for the Q10 to make every inch purpose-built. It is slim, yet solid and the beautiful glass weave back cover on the black color variant is thinner, lighter and stronger than plastic. Combined with the optimized new darker background in apps like Contacts, Remember, BBM, Search, Text Messaging, Adobe Reader, the experience is stunning inside the software and out.

There you have it, my first impressions and favourite features of the BlackBerry Q10 device. For more information on BlackBerry 10 be sure to check out my Top 5 things to Know about BlackBerry Q10 post, and definitely check out our introduction to the new BlackBerry Q10 post from launch. Do you plan on picking up a new BlackBerry Q10 when it becomes available in your region? Let us know in the comments below.

New BBM 7 Update Now Available: Get Talking with BBM Voice [VIDEO]

Donny Halliwell — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:58:08 +0000

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on chatting with someone on BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), trying to explain something, and realize it’d be a lot easier to just pick up the phone and talk it out. Thankfully, BBM 7 has me covered with BBM Voice. It’s available now in BlackBerry App World for devices running BlackBerry 6 OS and higher with support planned for smartphones running the BlackBerry 5 OS early next year.

NOTE: Please be aware that it may take up to 24 hours for the app to be available in the BlackBerry App World storefront.

Showing is better than telling, so we made a video of the first official BBM Voice call on Inside BlackBerry. Check it out:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

BBM 7 gives you the freedom to choose how you connect with your BBM contacts. It is designed so you can seamlessly switch from a BBM message to a BBM Voice call for free over Wi-Fi.

Here are some other great features you’ll love in BBM 7:

BBM upgrade notifications – BBM will notify you when there are updates to download straight from within the app
BBID Synchronization – your BBM profile, Groups and Contacts are linked to your BlackBerry ID
16 Additional emoticons – even more choice for those times when words just aren’t enough. Can you spot the new ones? *Drool*

For more information on BBM Voice as well as what else BBM 7 has to offer, check out this How-To video. We can’t wait to hear what you think. Be sure to leave us a comment here or tweet to @BlackBerry using #BBMVoice.

With the holiday season just around the corner, be sure to update your BBM application to BBM 7 so that you can stay connected. As mentioned above it may take up to 24 hours for the app to appear in BlackBerry App World.

How will you be keeping in touch with your friends and family over the holidays?

Own Your Inbox Part 3: Exploring Email Account Options, the Unsubscribe Sweep, and Custom Notifications

Luke Reimer — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 15:27:49 +0000

In this final post in the series I’m going to walk through a few more advanced tips for managing your mail and reducing headaches that come with a constant flow of messages. In “Own Your Inbox Part 1” I covered five ways that BlackBerry® device features help you get things done, which included a discussion on when to use email and when not to use it (hint: you’re using email too much). In “Own Your Inbox Part 2” I explored sorting and organizing email effectively. The tips included touched on using accurate subject lines for improving search, organizing mail into conversations, using follow-up flags and tasks, filing messages, the “two-minute rule”, and controlling the flow of email into your inbox.

In this final post in the series, I’m going to walk through a few more advanced tips for managing your mail and reducing headaches that come with a constant inflow of messages.

Exploring Email Account Options

Today let’s dig deeper by discussing a few more advanced tips, beginning with exploring the email account options on your device. You likely walked through the mail setup process when you first got ahold of your device, but let’s take a look at some of the more in-depth features that can make your communication even more of a breeze. On your BlackBerry® 7 or BlackBerry 6 smartphone, hit the “Setup” icon, or just type it into universal search to find it. You’ll see a screen like this:

The First 5 Things I do When I Get a New BlackBerry

Riz J. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:56:42 +0000

Working at RIM lets me ~~play~~ work with a lot of BlackBerry® smartphones. Since I’m switching to new ones all the time, I thought I’d share what I do when I migrate.

1. Go through the setup wizard, which will configure the device and my email.

2. Change the font size. I like a small font size so I can see more of a message at once. You can change the font size in Options (the wrench icon)-> Screen/Keyboard.

3. Arrange my apps on the home screen. There are some apps I never use so I hide those. My top row of applications are my most used apps – Work email, personal email, BlackBerry® Messenger, Google Talk™, calendar and browser. To rearrange the applications, I just select the app, hit the menu button, and hide/move the application.

4. Download additional applications. The main ones for me are the Facebook and Google Talk applications.

5. PING!!! my friend Tim on his smartphone to let him know that I’m on a new device. It makes him jealous.

So, what do you do when you first get your device?