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.

What better day than Wednesday to check out some new additions to the BlackBerry World storefront? It’s mid-week and it’s time to take an app break. Walk away from your computer, pick up your BlackBerry 10 device and give yourself a well deserved (but quick), gaming break. Last week, I confessed my healthy addiction to online poker – this week, I’m getting in some classic gaming action with Bejeweled 2 for BlackBerry 10.

New BlackBerry 10 Apps and Games

Gaming

• Draw War: Save Yer Booty (Synqua Games)
• Bejeweled 2 for BlackBerry 10 (Electronic Arts, Inc.)
• MONOPOLY for BlackBerry 10 (Electronic Arts, Inc.)

News & Magazines

• Maxim (Maxim)
• AP for BlackBerry 10 (The Associated Press)
• Grazia UK Magazine (Bauer Media)

Utilities & Productivity:

• Measure Treasure (InfoStretch Corp.)
• ClipMan Clipboard Manager (QtHelex)

Lifestyle & Entertainment

• Event Cinemas (The Greater Union Organisation)
• eCoffeeCard (EatDigital)
• Clipp (Clipp Pty Ltd)
• Tobit.Campus (Tobit.Software)

Navigation & Travel

• Porter Airlines (Porter Airlines Inc.)
• Bus London (mxData Ltd)
• Railroad Germany (QtHelex)

There you have it, a fine list, if I ever did see one – but you should also get excited for some amazing titles that are coming soon to BlackBerry World like: Cosmopolitan magazine, Batman Dark Knight, Galaxy on Fire 2, Sim City Deluxe and OxygenLive. Which apps will you be checking out this week?

1. Extending BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) to your BlackBerry PlayBook

The BlackBerry Messenger experience on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet features an enhanced interface and solid functionality. If you’re using your tablet and a BBM message comes into your BlackBerry smartphone, simply pop open the BlackBerry Bridge folder on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and tap “BBM” to read it. I particularly find BBM via BlackBerry Bridge on my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to be useful for viewing photos, voice notes, or files sent to me from BBM contacts.

2. Stay connected without Wi-Fi®

It’s a pretty connected world out there with Wi-Fi at work, home, coffee shops, and airports. When you’re on the move, however, it’s important to stay online without skipping a beat. Thanks to BlackBerry Bridge, my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet comes with me and remains connected the entire time through the wireless radio on my BlackBerry smartphone.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

Hi #TeamBlackBerry! This week’s Five Tip Friday, focuses on using multimedia on your BlackBerry® smartphone or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet – for example, playing music or using the BlackBerry® Podcasts app to watch your favorite channels (one of my favorite things!).

Let’s get started:

1. BlackBerry smartphone – Synchronizing music over the air using Wi-Fi® Music Sync

If you use BlackBerry® Desktop Software to synchronize your music, you’ll want to start using Wi-Fi® Music Sync! Simply put, this feature creates a listing of all the music you’ve synchronized onto your BlackBerry smartphone in addition to other music in your library that you haven’t synchronized yet.

The next time you find music in your library that isn’t on your BlackBerry smartphone, you can use Wi-Fi Music Sync to mark it. That way, the next time you are on the same Wi-Fi network as the computer that you installed BlackBerry Desktop Software on, the music you chose will automatically synchronize to your BlackBerry smartphone.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog »

Hey, Inside BlackBerry readers – welcome back guest blogger Sonia, who’s got an update on the BlackBerry® Podcast app for you! Take a look at what she has to say about version 1.5′s new features – Ed.

For those of you who enjoyed the first release of the BlackBerry Podcast app, we’ve got great news for you – version 1.5 is here! With this updated version of the popular app, we’ve made it easier to find the content you want to play right away – with the addition of a preview or play option while the podcast is downloading. New features also include web podcast searching and improved content presentation within categories.

Let’s go through each of them in the post below:

Web podcast search

Looking for that elusive feed? No problem – we’ve integrated Google® search. Now you can quickly search the web for podcasts and RSS feeds to supplement the built-in BlackBerry Podcast catalog. You just select “Add Podcast Channel” within the menu, then type in the feed (or keyword) you are looking for and you will invoke an RSS Google Search from within the app. Another great option is to simply cut and paste the podcast URL, if you already know it, and away you go!

Improved Content Presentation within Categories

We currently have over 3,000 feeds and growing – with many categories having over 100 feeds each! When presenting content within categories, the first 40 listings in each category will be “featured content” – a combination of the most popular feeds and RIM-programmed feeds. This helps you find the most compelling content first! However, if you prefer to go through all in alphabetical order, you can select “All Channels” to see all content within the category. It’s now easier than ever to find the podcast you’re looking for with v1.5 of the BlackBerry Podcast app!

Preview or Play while downloading

You don’t have to wait for the entire podcast to download before you can hit play to enjoy the latest feed. You can now preview or play at the same time that you are downloading, just to make sure that you’re downloading exactly what you want to hear.

Starting on April 25th, v1.5 of the BlackBerry Podcast app will be available in North America on the BlackBerry App World™ storefront. (Please note: The app will become available to download within the next 24 hours. If you don’t see it, keep checking back!) For more information, visit the BlackBerry Podcast app site.

Have you ever captured something awesome on the video camera of your BlackBerry® smartphone and wanted to share it with others? Maybe you caught some footage of your dog chasing its own tail, or your friend’s funny celebration after scoring a goal during a football game. Today I’d like to provide an overview of the various options available to you when you decide to share these videos with your friends and family.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog »

One of the easiest ways to personalize your BlackBerry® smartphone is to change the default Sounds and Alerts Profiles. I’d like to provide an overview of how these profiles work and what options you can modify to suit your needs! This means custom sounds and alerts for anything ranging from phone calls, messages, reminders and browser content in addition to other applications.

This overview will be applicable for any BlackBerry smartphone that is using BlackBerry® 6. If you are using a different version of BlackBerry® Device Software, check out the user guide for information on how to configure the Sounds and Alerts Profiles on the operating system for your BlackBerry smartphone. In case you don’t know which version of BlackBerry Device Software you are using, check out this knowledge base article.

Additionally, to find out if BlackBerry 6 is available for your particular BlackBerry smartphone model, check out this post which provides information on how to perform a web-based BlackBerry software update. Provided your wireless provider supports it, you may be able to upgrade to BlackBerry 6.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog »

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Previously on the Inside BlackBerry blog, we talked quite a bit about the performance of the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet and what that means for consumers (see our BlackBerry PlayBook vs iPad comparison and BlackBerry PlayBook web fidelity videos, which demonstrate the web experience on the tablet). As we move closer to launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, I’m excited to share more information on the content that BlackBerry PlayBook users will have access to from day one.

In the above video, BlackBerry PlayBook Product Manager Ryan Bidan walks through two specific media discovery applications that will come with the BlackBerry PlayBook: 7digital Music Store and BlackBerry® Podcasts. In addition to the demo, Ryan also provided me with some key information about each application.

7digital Music Store:

• 7digital Music Store offers over 13 million songs, and tracks are available at prices starting as low as $0.79 with bitrates up to 320 kbps (DRM free).
• As Ryan mentioned, 7digital Music Store content is stored in the cloud via a digital music locker for easy portability across devices and to help against accidental loss.
• 7digital Music Store includes a recommendation engine that features content based upon recent browsing and purchase activity.

BlackBerry Podcasts:

• The BlackBerry Podcasts app for the BlackBerry PlayBook includes 19 content categories, ranging from sports to entertainment to business, including popular content such as the New Yorker and Ask A Ninja podcasts (two of my personal favorites!).
• BlackBerry Podcasts allow users to preview an episode before downloading or subscribing to it, and it automatically downloads new podcasts for subscribed channels.

In the above video, Ryan also discusses how to easily load media content you already own onto the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using BlackBerry® Desktop Software. Stay tuned for more information on this and more in-depth previews of both apps in future blog posts!

Post a comment and let us know what you think of 7digital Music Store and BlackBerry Podcasts for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!

Like many people, I really enjoy listening to podcasts during my downtime, and I’ve often used my BlackBerry® smartphone to listen or view them. So I’m pleased to be able to tell everyone that BlackBerry® Podcasts is now available!

BlackBerry Podcasts gives users access to video and audio content, plus it makes the downloading process incredibly simple. One of my favorite things about this app is that it is completely mobile. I can search the catalog and grab the podcasts I want with just one click – no PC required.

Access a growing catalog of free audio and video feeds

The catalog has some great feeds and is growing every day. Get podcast favorites like The Onion or feeds from your favorite networks and shows.

It’s easy to find what you’re looking for

Go to ‘Explore Podcasts’ and scroll through the feature carousel to view top downloads, search via categories like news, arts, business, TV & film and more. You can even conduct a key word search if there’s something specific you want to find. What’s great about this feature is that as you browse the BlackBerry Podcasts catalog, your device will highlight which ones you already subscribe to. Once subscribed, podcasts are delivered automatically along with a notification to your BlackBerry smartphone so you can access them effortlessly.

Other reasons to love this new app

Apart from access to entertainment and the mobilized experience that allows me to enjoy nearly “anywhere, anytime” access (like the time I was stuck waiting over an hour and a half for an oil change – thank you, podcasts, for keeping me entertained!), there are a lot of reasons to love this service:

• Download episodes to be enjoyed offline or during downtime: Your favorite episodes are downloaded to your media card, you do not need to be within coverage to view your feeds
• Leverages push technology: You can benefit from push notification, and of course, it’s more battery-friendly
• Access BlackBerry “how to” videos: You can learn how to use your device directly from your device, covering a variety of common questions like how to use BlackBerry® Media Sync, how to manage Bluetooth® or how to mobile browse
• Opt to get the BlackBerry Connection®newsletter as a video podcast: Catch up on what’s new and popular with BlackBerry smartphones!

Control your download preferences

BlackBerry Podcasts was conceived with users in mind. In designing this service, it was important to consider that not all users have unlimited data packages and that the size of media cards vary. Therefore, the following download preferences are included in the ‘Options’ pull down menu:

• Choose delivery over WiFi or OTA or both – Manage your data charges by selecting download preference. Opt to download via WiFi only (the default), or WiFi and mobile network.
• Choose the number of episodes to retain – Manage your storage by choosing whether you only want to keep non-played episodes, the last 1-5 or 10 episodes, or choose to keep them all.
• Choose what and when to download – Choose to download either the most recent or all available episodes, or choose only to download episodes when you are charging your device.

BlackBerry Podcasts is available in US and Canada on BlackBerry App World™ and comes preloaded on all devices running BlackBerry 6. It is supported on the BlackBerry® Bold™ and BlackBerry® Storm™ series of smartphone devices; a microSD card is required for use with the BlackBerry® Pearl™, BlackBerry® Curve™ and BlackBerry® Tour™ series of smartphone devices. There’s more information available at www.blackberry.com/podcasts.

Give it a try and let us know what your favorite podcasts are!

Hi friends! I have exciting news today – BlackBerry® Media Sync for PC will now be included in BlackBerry® Desktop Software v6.0 (make sure to check out Andrey’s BlackBerry Desktop Software v6.0 post). This integration provides a consistent and unified experience between BlackBerry Media Sync and all the other great BlackBerry Desktop Software functionality. BlackBerry Desktop Software is now more lightweight, but packs a bigger punch!

Those of you familiar with BlackBerry Media Sync know that you can benefit from syncing your iTunes® or Windows® Media Player music stored on your computer with your BlackBerry® smartphone. On top of the new music sync options in BlackBerry Desktop Software v6.0, users can also sync by selecting individual artists or genres in addition to playlists. There are a bunch of great new options for syncing different types of media. Let’s check them out!

Wi-Fi® music sync – anytime access to your entire desktop music library

This option is available on BlackBerry smartphones running the new BlackBerry® 6, and it’s totally cool. Have you ever sat in an airport lounge and wondered “now why didn’t I sync that song? I’ve got to remember to do this the next time I’m in front of my computer”…But the next time you are in front of your computer, you forget to do this again. If this has happened to you, you’ll appreciate the addition of Wi-Fi® music sync.

With Wi-Fi music sync, you get anytime access to your entire desktop music library even when offline (no Internet connection required). Not only can you view what music is on your BlackBerry smartphone, but you can now also see all your music not yet synced to your device that’s available on your computer (“Home Music”)! This means that you can select items for sync as well as create and edit playlists that will sync back with your computer next time you connect. Simply add music to the “Wi-Fi Music Sync” queue, and items in the queue will automatically get downloaded to your BlackBerry smartphone on the next Home Wi-Fi (or USB) connection to Media Sync.

I’ve been really having fun with this feature. For example, while sitting on the train last week, I decided to create a party playlist. I added a mix of music – some from my device as well as some from my home computer. The minute I got back home and walked through the door within my home Wi-Fi connection, my Party Mix automatically synced from my computer to my BlackBerry smartphone. I promptly hit play and enjoyed my new mix.

How is this possible? It’s simple – periodically, the metadata (album name, artist name & genre info) for your entire Home music library gets synced with the BlackBerry smartphone. These songs and playlists from your computer are then integrated in the Music application on your device. The songs not present on your BlackBerry smartphone can easily be identified as they appear dimmed (or ghosted) compared to the rest of your music. Within the Music application on your smartphone, your Wi-Fi Music Sync list displays the status of your songs and playlists, such as pending or downloaded, as well as the status of your connection with the BlackBerry Desktop Software.

It is easy to enable the Wi-Fi music sync feature. Simply click on Wi-Fi music sync from the Tools menu or Enable Wi-Fi music sync from Device Options -> Media. It is important to note though that this feature works only on the same Wi-Fi network as your computer running BlackBerry Desktop Software.

2-Way Video Sync

Similar to the addition of 2-way photo sync with the previous release, you can now sync your videos back and forth between your computer and your BlackBerry smartphone. Here’s how it works:

• Computer to BlackBerry smartphone – Transfer videos saved on your computer to your BlackBerry smartphone. Videos are optimized for playback on your device, allowing for storage of more videos on your BlackBerry smartphone without sacrificing quality and better viewing experience based on screen and file size.
• BlackBerry smartphone to computer – Transfer videos taken with and saved on your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer. This is a great way to back up your device videos for safe keeping and/or editing.

Users can also continue to enjoy 2-Way Photos Sync. Here’s how that works:

• Computer to BlackBerry smartphone – You can transfer photo albums that you have edited, organized, and saved on your computer to your BlackBerry smartphone. You can store a lot of pictures on your BlackBerry smartphone, as Smart Memory Management is designed to optimize your photos by reducing them to up to ~2% of the original size.
• BlackBerry smartphone to computer – Import photos taken with and saved onto your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer. This is also a great way to backup your photos for safekeeping or editing with your favorite photo management software.

I still love this feature, as I take a lot of photos with my BlackBerry smartphone and it’s great to know that I can sync these back with my computer quickly and easily. I also love taking photos that I have edited on my computer and syncing them to my BlackBerry smartphone to use as my device wallpaper.

BlackBerry Desktop Software v6.0 is available starting today, so existing BlackBerry Desktop Software users should start auto-update notifications later today. The rest of you can visit www.blackberry.com/desktopsoftware. Don’t forget to also check out www.blackberry.com/mediasync as well for specific BlackBerry Media Sync information.

Have any questions about BlackBerry Media Sync functionality? Please let us know by posting a comment.

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