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.

I’ve been seen out in public using my BlackBerry Z10 for a while now, and I’ve noticed a trend with my friends, family, strangers on the street—and really anyone who notices me using my smartphone. Everyone wants to test it out. When I was in New York City last week for the U.S. launch, I was even stopped in a restaurant and asked about it.

Here are the most common reactions and questions when giving my BlackBerry Z10 a test drive:

“Wow. The screen is bigger than I pictured and the device feels comfortable in my hand.”

When people get their hands on my BlackBerry Z10, they almost always mention how natural the peek gesture feels when first learning how to navigate through the device. I think many don’t realize how easy it is to truly use this device with one hand.

“Can I test the Time Shift camera?”

I LOVE showing people this feature in greater detail. Many people are shocked to learn that not only can you shift the image of the person’s face, but also on the larger picture too. A lot of my friends have small children, and the general consensus is the BlackBerry Z10 has the best camera for capturing photos of their wiggly little kids.

“Is BBM Video Chat and screen sharing as seamless to use as I saw during the live launch?”

“It sure is,” is how I respond to this question. I typically call fellow Community Manager, Donny to showcase this one. He’s always good for a screen share that features his dog, George.

“Does the keyboard actually learn how you type?”

I love showing off this feature, primarily because it’s very clear this keyboard is already used to my typing patterns. For example, when typing that I’m laughing I always use “ha ha”. So when I type ‘ha’ the suggestion above the “H” is almost always a repeat of ‘ha’. I like to laugh, what can I say?

“What do you think about having all of your messages in one spot? Is it distracting?”

I think people have seen what the BlackBerry Hub can do, but I’ve started wondering how people feel about having literally every message being listed in one area. Many people don’t realize you can pick and choose which accounts are brought into the BlackBerry Hub. It’s also great to see the look on their faces when they see that you can sort by account too. It’s Always a great crowd pleaser.

These are the reactions and questions I get most.

What are you most excited about with your BlackBerry Z10?

Whaaat is going on here?

The new BlackBerry Z10 cannot set you on fire, give you elephant legs, cause you to disappear into a cloud of rainbow smoke or turn a speeding truck into harmless rubber duckies. But with only 30 seconds, on the world’s largest advertising stage it’s quicker to show you what it can’t do. In a fun and creative one-time spot that aired this Sunday, BlackBerry introduced the new BlackBerry Z10.

The fast and elegant BlackBerry 10 device symbolizes a restart for the company, which has completely re-designed, re-engineered, and re-invented its products and its brand. BlackBerry 10 features many advances that are designed to make it stand out. With communication and agility at its core, BlackBerry 10 is for people who need to Keep Moving, which is the new tagline and mantra for the company.

For the big game, rather than run an ad that is expected for the tech category – one that showcases the features of the product – we decided to have fun and challenge the status quo. We knew that for this event, it was important to spark a conversation about BlackBerry 10 and to make people curious enough to find out more. We’ve got the great benefit of having one of the largest social networks in the world with 30 million fans on Facebook and Twitter, and we wanted to drive people both there and to our website to discover what makes BlackBerry 10 stand out.

Frank Boulben sat down with the Inside BlackBerry Blog crew to talk about the commercial:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

We’re four days after the launch of BlackBerry 10 – our largest product introduction ever. The response to the product has been tremendous and we’re building off that momentum on the largest advertising stage of the year.

Don’t forget to check out BlackBerry.com to see what BlackBerry 10 can do.

Today was a truly amazing day for us here at BlackBerry. We officially launched our new platform, BlackBerry 10, and some of you will be able to get your hands on a BlackBerry Z10 as soon as tomorrow. Check out the recap below to stay on top of the day’s news.

Research In Motion is now BlackBerry

On stage, Thorsten announced that from now on the company will be called BlackBerry – one brand, one promise. Check out the full blog post, and don’t the miss the interview with Frank Boulben, CMO of BlackBerry.

BlackBerry Z10

The BlackBerry Z10 is a stunning device with a gorgeous touchscreen that uses the latest technology for fast, accurate typing and a crystal clear display. Running on the new BlackBerry 10 platform, this device has elegant features that bring the BlackBerry experience to the next level. Read more about the BlackBerry Z10 in the full blog post.

BlackBerry Q10

The BlackBerry Q10 is the first BlackBerry 10 device to feature a physical keyboard. It’s packed with the same great features you’ve become familiar with in BlackBerry 10, but provides an unmatched physical typing experience for customers who just need to have that keyboard. See how it works in the full blog post and video.

BBM Video Chat with Screenshare

BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM, has been taken to the next level with BBM Video Chat and screen sharing capabilities. This is going to open up some new possibilities for collaborating and communicating with your friends and colleagues. Watch as Vivek demos this on stage from the Global Launch event, and read more about it in the full blog post.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

BlackBerry Story Maker

Easily compile your photos, videos and songs into your own movie – BlackBerry Story Maker allows you to create your own cinematic moments on the new BlackBerry Z10 and share them with your friends. Check out Vivek’s demo here:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

70,000 Apps at Launch

BlackBerry 10 will launch with more apps than any first-generation platform, and will have more than 1,000 of the top apps from around the world. BlackBerry 10 also has commitments from partners including Disney, Cisco, Foursquare, Skype and Rovio. Check out the full blog post and video here.

BlackBerry Welcomes Alicia Keys as Global Creative Director

We’re very excited to be entering into a partnership that will see a unique collaboration between BlackBerry and 14-time Grammy® Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys. She’ll be working with the team for creative inspiration and will lead the BlackBerry Keep Moving Projects. Read more about our collaboration with Alicia Keys and the “Keep Moving” Projects here.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

This has truly been an exciting day for all BlackBerry customers and fans. Let us know your impressions of the global launch of BlackBerry 10 below!

The news here at the BlackBerry 10 global launch event keeps coming. Just moments ago, Thorsten Heins introduced the new BlackBerry Z10, and now we’re having a look at the BlackBerry Q10. The iconic-looking device is built with high performance materials and premium finishes. Typing is fast, accurate and familiar on the larger ergonomic BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard.

Even though I love the keyboard, perhaps my favorite feature is the stunning touchscreen display – the largest ever on a BlackBerry QWERTY device. If you’re a fan of a physical QWERTY device experience, you’re going to love the BlackBerry Q10. All your information is displayed beautifully on the screen, and you can take action and respond to it as you choose thanks to the powerful and elegant BlackBerry 10 software.

To get a closer look at the BlackBerry Q10, we met with Vijai from the product management team to walk us through the device. Watch this video below to get up close and personal with this new BlackBerry device.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

The battery is designed to get you through your day smooth and efficiently. The browser is fast, the media experience is rich, and it’s all because of the built-in power of the BlackBerry 10 OS. Additionally, meticulous detail has been put into the design. The BlackBerry Q10 features a unique glass-weave material that is meant to be not only thinner and lighter, but stronger than plastic.

No matter what device you prefer – all-touch or QWERTY – these new BlackBerry 10 devices provide the best typing experience in the industry. Are you a QWERTY fanatic? Let us know your thoughts on the BlackBerry Q10 below.

Watch all the action below and hear how Arun uses the BlackBerry 10 camera to capture every moment, even with two very active kids at home who just won’t sit still.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Have you ever had trouble getting the moment just right? Are you looking forward to having the BlackBerry 10 camera and time-shift feature make that a thing of the past?

If you look up the term ‘ecosystem’ in the Collins Dictionary (hint: It’s located a few pages after ‘BBM ™’ for BlackBerry ® Messenger), you will find it defined as:

“A system made up of a community of animals, plants, and bacteria interrelated together with its physical and chemical environment”

We hear this term used often regarding mobile devices, but instead of plants and animals, we talk about apps, media, customers, and developers. To further the analogy, the physical and chemical environments referred to in the definition are simply the BlackBerry ® Operating System (OS) and BlackBerry ® smartphones themselves.

Being strong in all of these areas builds a great mobile ecosystem. Right now, we are working to take the wonderful ecosystem we already have to BlackBerry® 10, and continue to grow it. How? By building an experience which doesn’t just rely on great devices or gobs of average apps, but one that supports developers, assists users, and brings killer apps. While making sure that all three interact well with the OS itself.

All this talk about animals and plants has me thinking that a few levels of Plants vs. Zombies are in order. What does a mobile “ecosystem” mean to you, and what parts do you feel it includes? Have your say in the comments below.