It’s been exciting to see attendee reactions to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet at CES 2011. Beyond the PlayBook hardware and BlackBerry Tablet OS functionality, the BlackBerry Booth also has a bunch on PlayBook apps on display. I grabbed fellow Inside BlackBerry blogger and BlackBerry App World Product Manager Alex Kinsella to give me a quick demo of some of his favorite PlayBook apps at CES. In the video you’ll find:

Kobo eReader
ATP World Tour
Fantasy Football
Docs To Go
Nic Tac Toe

While this isn’t the complete list of the apps on display at CES 2011, it does provide a good example of the variety of apps that will be available on the BlackBerry PlayBook at launch: games, productivity, infotainment… etc. Developers, start submitting your apps to BlackBerry App World to get your free BlackBerry PlayBook!

I’m very happy to introduce to you today to BlackBerry® Beta Zone. Research In Motion (RIM) has had a beta site for invite-only beta programs for some time now, but as of today BlackBerry Beta Zone is open to the general populace.

BlackBerry Beta Zone is designed to allow BlackBerry smartphone users to engage early and often with upcoming RIM products and services. BlackBerry Beta Zone will sit side by side with the BlackBerry App World™ Test Center as part of RIM’s continuous effort to work with our dedicated BlackBerry community to bring the best products to market and evolve existing products.

There’s a lot to talk about today, so let’s get started walking through the brand new BlackBerry Beta Zone.

BlackBerry Beta Zone vs. BlackBerry App World Test Center

Those familiar with the BlackBerry App World Test Center may be wondering how the new BlackBerry Beta Zone will fit in. It’s important to note that while the BlackBerry App World Test Center features third party BlackBerry smartphone applications, BlackBerry Beta Zone will be solely for RIM products. In addition, certain products will be placed into the BlackBerry Beta Zone much earlier in the development cycle. As the application moves closer towards final release, it may be placed in the BlackBerry App World Test Center.

If you’d like to test the some of newest products currently in development within RIM, sign up for BlackBerry Beta Zone. If you’d like to peruse the latest BlackBerry applications that are almost ready for primetime, visit the BlackBerry App World Test Center. Better yet, do both!

BlackBerry Beta Zone Getting Started

The first thing to do if you’re interested is sign up! Head on over to http://www.blackberry.com/beta to register and fill out the required information to become a BlackBerry Beta Zone member (note: at this time BlackBerry Beta Zone is only available to residents of Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. We’re working to extend the BlackBerry Beta Zone community across the globe so watch for the site to open to more countries in the coming months.).

After filling out the registration information and agreeing to the Terms and Conditions (make sure to read carefully, as important information is contained within!), you will receive an email with a validation link. Click the link to confirm your registration and you’re now a BlackBerry Beta Zone Member! Remember there are beta programs that will be tied to specific devices or carriers, so you may not be eligible to participate in every beta offered.

Your BlackBerry Beta Zone Profile

Now that you’re registered, you’ll have full access to the BlackBerry Beta Zone Members Area (see below for more info) and can start applying to be part of the beta programs that interest you. Before entering the Members Area, make sure to update your BlackBerry Beta Zone Profile first! While this information is entirely optional—you can answer all, some or none of the questions in each of the profile—it does help us match you with future programs. Failing to keep your profile information up to date means you might miss out on an important beta program invite! The current profile segments are: Contact, BlackBerry Smartphone, Technology, Work, Time, Languages, Lifestyle and Demographic Info.

BlackBerry Beta Zone Members Area

Now that you’ve filled out your profile, you’re ready to take advantage of BlackBerry Beta Zone’s Members Area. There’s a lot of information in the Members Area and some great features to take advantage of – polling, the discussion boards, surveys… etc. – that we’ll cover in upcoming posts. For now, I want to highlight the most important part of the Members Area: the beta programs widget!

The beta programs widget displays all beta programs you’re currently participating in, all programs you’ve been invited to participate in (see, filling out your profile information is important!), and any other beta programs you may be eligible for. Below is a list of the beta programs that will be available at launch. We’ll be covering these more in-depth in a future post.

• BlackBerry® Device Software 5.0 maintenance release for the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8520 and BlackBerry® Curve™ 8530 smartphones. This program will be open to members who live in Canada and will be capped at 1000 participants.
• BlackBerry® Messenger 5.0.1. This program will be open to all members.
• BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0.2. This program will be limited to invited organizations only. Stay tuned for more information in future posts on recommending organizations for beta program invites.
• BlackBerry® Beta Zone. This program will be open to any members. This program will be about the BlackBerry Beta Zone itself. It will not include any product software.

Signing up for BlackBerry Beta Zone Programs

Once you’ve found a beta program you’d like to participate in, click the beta program widget link. You’ll be taken to a program page providing more information about the product in question and will have the option to participate or decline. Once you’ve agreed to participate, you will be provided download links (if applicable) and feedback options for that specific product. Again, not all beta programs will be offered to all people.

That’s enough BlackBerry Beta Zone information for now! Head to http://www.blackberry.com/beta, become a member, and start signing up for beta programs. And don’t forget to provide feedback – BlackBerry Beta Zone is in beta too!

Stay tuned for more posts on the BlackBerry Beta Zone coming soon.

Q: So what does BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express mean for me (aka: the BlackBerry smartphone user)?

A: It means you can have what you want: access to your work email, calendar, contacts and more from your personal BlackBerry smartphone – and your IT department also gets what they want: a BlackBerry wireless sync solution that is highly secure and manageable.

Plus, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express software is available at a great price (no charge!). And since you’re already paying for your internet-enabled BlackBerry service plan from your wireless service provider, there are no additional software licensing costs for your organization to provide you with access to your work email from your BlackBerry smartphone.

Q: Am I going to have to pay an extra fee per month to use this?

A: BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is free to all businesses – there is no software licensing cost and no client access license fees. For you, the end user, the only cost is the internet-enabled BlackBerry service plan from your wireless service provider. (This means if you can browse the Internet from your BlackBerry smartphone today you are already on a service plan that can be used with BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express).

Q: Which applications are supported by BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express?

A: It’s actually easier to tell you what applications BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express doesn’t support =D. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express does not support certain premium solutions supported by the full version of BlackBerry® Enterprise Server. These are things like Enterprise Instant Messaging Clients, Enterprise Social Networking Solutions, Chalk® Pushcast Software, and BlackBerry® Mobile Voice System. Outside of that, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express users will be able to enjoy the thousands of applications available on BlackBerry App World™ and will also be able to tap into behind the firewall applications when assisted by their IT departments (e.g. CRM applications).

Q: What do I need to have/do to use BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express?

A: It’s fairly simple to get started with BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express – here is what you and your company needs:

End-user Requirements:

• A BlackBerry smartphone
• Subscription to an internet-enabled BlackBerry service plan from your wireless service provider

Company Requirements:

• Microsoft® Exchange 2010, 2007, 2003 OR Windows® Small Business Server 2008, 2003
• Download and install the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express software (at no charge!) on your existing Microsoft Exchange or Windows Small Business Server
• Those looking for more info can read the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express full system requirements (.PDF)

Your IT admin will then simply need to add you and your BlackBerry smartphone into the system and you will be ready and set to go.

Q: What are the end-user features that are available with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express?

A: Below is a list of a few key BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express features. Please note some of these features require BlackBerry® Device Software version 5.0.

Advanced business email features

• Highly secure push-based HTML corporate email – connected to your work email account
• Synced inboxes (i.e., email deleted from work Outlook account are also deleted from your BlackBerry smartphone – no need to manage 2 inboxes)
• Ability to flag emails for follow-up from your BlackBerry smartphone
• Search your desktop inbox for messages from your BlackBerry smartphone
• Set up out of office replies from your BlackBerry smartphone
• Access and update important notes and tasks
• Edit Microsoft® Word, Microsoft® Excel® and Microsoft® PowerPoint® files on your BlackBerry smartphone using Documents To Go®

A calendar that’s always up-to-date

• Access to an up-to-date calendar that is synched wirelessly (No need to tether to your desktop!)
• See coworkers’ free/busy status (this should make setting up meetings easy)
• View, download and forward calendar attachments

Advanced contact features

• Wireless address lookup (changes to your corporate address book are reflected almost immediately on your BlackBerry smartphone)
• Synchronization between your desktop address book and your BlackBerry smartphone address book (that means when you add a contact to one, it is automatically updated in the other)

Behind the firewall access

• Access to your corporate intranet
• Remote file access – access your corporate documents and network drives from your BlackBerry smartphone

To learn more, visit: www.blackberry.com/besexpress

As a BlackBerry® smartphone user, I naturally take email very seriously. That’s why I’m a huge fan of Xobni (it’s inbox spelled backwards), a Microsoft Outlook plug-in that enhances your email experience in a variety of different ways. I was extremely exticed to meet with the Xobni team at the BlackBerry booth during my stay at CES and learn about their forthcoming application for BlackBerry smartphones. If you take your email as seriously as I do, I sincerely recommend you watch the video above to learn more.

The Xobni application for BlackBerry smartphones is currently in beta. If you’d like to sign up for the limited beta, simply head to: http://www.xobni.com/learnmore/mobile/

LinkedIn is a popular social network amongst business professionals, and has long been on the ‘app wish list’ for BlackBerry smartphone users. I was able to speak with Rob at the BlackBerry booth about LinkedIn as a social network and their new beta application. If you’d like to learn more about the LinkedIn app for BlackBerry smartphones or LinkedIn in general, head to: http://blog.linkedin.com

While picking up my CES badge at the Las Vegas Convention Center, I made sure to head over to the BlackBerry booth and check out the BlackBerry® Presenter. Luckily, I ran into my coworker Ryan, who was more than happy to provide an on-the-spot demo. Ryan and I roll through BlackBerry Presenter features, the set up process, and get a little meta while talking about 3D light shows during the demo. The above video was taken using my BlackBerry® Storm™ smartphone (blame my shaky camera work on a long day of travel).

I’m excited to tell you about a new BlackBerry® smartphone accessory that gives mobile professionals and management teams the tool they need to deliver presentations successfully! BlackBerry® Presenter enables users to wirelessly present Microsoft® PowerPoint® files directly from their BlackBerry smartphones.

BlackBerry Presenter helps simplify the presentation experience by allowing professionals to lighten their travel load and leave their laptops back at the office. To learn more about BlackBerry Presenter, visit: www.blackberry.com/presenter. You can also view the system requirements and a few images by clicking the jump link below. Stay tuned for more information on the BlackBerry Presenter this week live from CES!

BlackBerry Presenter System Requirements

1. To use BlackBerry® Presenter, you will need a video output device and a VGA cable or an S-Video cable.
2. BlackBerry Presenter is not supported by the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8300 Series and/or BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip 8200 Series smartphones.
3. Upgrading BlackBerry® Presenter firmware requires (a) an Intel® compatible computer with an available USB port that is compliant with USB 1.1 or higher and that is running the Microsoft Windows XP® or later operating system and (b) BlackBerry® Device Software v4.6 or later.