It’s time to release the next update for BBM Channels. Ready? I hope so, because here we go.

Now available in the latest and greatest BBM Channels beta:

• Search for Channels: Within the “Browse Channels” tab, you can now search for and discover new channels! There are thousands of channels out there – and we’re excited to hear which ones you love.
• Active Text for Channel PINs Within BlackBerry OS: Just like regular BBM PINs, if you post a BBM Channel PIN, it will be clickable – so now you can share your Channel PIN in Facebook or Twitter and help more friends discover your Channel. (Coming to BlackBerry 10 with the 10.1 update mid-summer)
• Browse Content Tab in BB10, Shows New Content Only: Why feature channels you already subscribe to, right? Within the Browse Channels tab, featured channels are displayed. With this release, BBM hides channels that you already subscribe to from this view.
• Deleting My Own Channel: Users may now delete their own channels from the device. Critical for those who later decided their channel theme was a bad idea.
• Repost Channel Content: BBM Channels now allows you to repost content in your own channel. If you find something funny or cool in another channel, share it within your channel! Don’t just keep it to yourself – help your friends discover awesome content too.
• View Subscriber Count: Users may now see the total number of subscribers to a channel, from the channel preview screen.
• Support for Animated GIF’s: Yes, it’s true! Whether you pronounce it “G”IF or “J”IF, BBM Channel owners may now add an animated GIF to their posts, bringing motion and a richer experience to their channels.

Now head over to the BlackBerry Betazone, get the latest client, and go have some fun!

Stay connected with your friends and family while on-the-go with the latest Facebook update for BlackBerry 10. The Facebook app for BlackBerry 10 has seen a number of updates since we’ve launched and it keeps getting better with every new iteration. The Facebook app v10.2.0 for BlackBerry 10 is no exception. It brings a refreshed new design and many features that are designed to make your mobile Facebook experience on BlackBerry 10 amazing.

What’s new in Facebook v10.2.0 for BlackBerry 10

• Create an album: You can now create a new albums from your photos page, so organizing all those great shots you capture on your BlackBerry 10 device is easy.
• Upload to a specific album: now you can add a new photo to an existing album on your Facebook page, or to that new album you just created.
• Enable tagging in existing photos: Want to tag a photo that already exists on Facebook from you BlackBerry 10 device? Now you can with this feature that’s new to the app.
• New ways to toggle and easily view photos: Easily toggle between all your photos and Albums. All photos comprises of all the photos with you in them. Album photos are photos you have uploaded yourself.
• Newsfeed design refresh: The newsfeed has been refined with a few visual tweaks that make navigating the Facebook app for BlackBerry 10 that much more enjoyable.

Are you a Facebook for BlackBerry 10 enthusiast? I’d love to hear from you about what you think of the app and what features you’d like to see added in the comments below. Be sure to download the Facebook app from BlackBerry World and give it a spin.

Facebook for BlackBerry 10 smartphones version 10.2.0 is available globally for devices running BlackBerry 10 version 10.1.

Today we issued a software update for BlackBerry 10 smartphones that’s focused on your feedback. It’s already available from some carriers and we’re working closely with all our carrier partners to get it to you as soon as possible.

It’s almost been a month since we officially unveiled the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones and many of you already have a BlackBerry Z10 in hand. You’ve been using it for weeks, and we’ve been listening to your feedback, and have been working on an update just for you. Here are just a few of the improvements you can expect after updating your software.

1. 3rd Party App Performance

   We’ve improved performance for 3rd party applications, so developers can build apps that run fast and smooth for you. With this update, you might want to keep an eye out for some fresh new app launches in March, like WhatsApp.
   

   Guess what’s up #TeamBlackBerry? WhatsApp Messenger is coming to #BlackBerry10 in March ^DH

   — BlackBerry (@BlackBerry) February 24, 2013

2. Phone, Calendar, and Contacts

   Among the top improvements and features are fixes for Gmail calendars on BlackBerry 10. You’ll also find improvements in the BlackBerry Hub for logging calls log and how conversations are handled. We’ve also made general improvements to importing contacts from online sources.

3. Camera

   We’ve optimized the camera for better photos in low-light situations. You’ll love the difference this makes for photos where you don’t use a flash – like the Time Shift Camera feature.

4. Browser and Media

   With more and more of you using the gorgeous screen on the BlackBerry Z10 to consume online videos and media, we’ve made a number of improvements to the software in the way the browser handles video playback to provide a fantastic experience.

5. Battery Life

   The software team has included a number of battery life optimizations with over 60 battery saving improvements since launch to keep you moving. These combined improvements are designed so that you see improvements in battery life and heavy users especially should see a longer average usage per charge cycle.

How to update your software on BlackBerry 10

Software is available over the air (OTA). Typically, you’ll get a notification about new updates, but you can manually check to see if it has been made available by your service provider and install it in a few simple steps.
Settings> Software Updates> Check for Updates> — then follow the on screen steps to install.

The download is approximately 150MB in size, so I recommend updating when connected to Wi-Fi.

There you have it – the first OTA update to your BlackBerry 10 smartphone. We’ll be rolling out the update with all of our carrier partners around the globe over the coming weeks. Be sure to check it out when it’s available and let us know what you think in the comments below. Your feedback is always welcomed and we will continue to listen as we update and improve BlackBerry 10.

The LinkedIn app update makes it even easier to stay connected on the go by allowing you to sync and merge your LinkedIn connections with existing BlackBerry contacts in your address book. And, with the new “Groups and More” tab, you can view saved and recommended jobs and access, add, view and participate in the groups that matter to you most.

Jobs

The new LinkedIn “Groups and More” tab allows you to access even more key areas of LinkedIn right from the navigation screen, including jobs. With this feature, you can easily access the jobs you’ve saved and browse ones that are recommended for you. And remember, when you’re done looking at jobs you can get back to the main navigation screen by tapping the LinkedIn logo at the top left-hand corner of the app.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

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?

If you’re addicted to Twitter®, like me, today is your day. I’m happy to announce Twitter for BlackBerry ® smartphones has been updated to v3.2 and now makes it easier to discover friends and content, with great feature enhancements including:

• Expanded Tweet Details
• Find Friends
• Quick Follow

Excited? Let’s take a closer look:

Quickly get the gist with Expanded Tweet Details

The tweet details screen has been enhanced to allow you to see a preview of a tweet link or photo. Available previews may contain a summary including a preview of the headline, a quick snippet, as well as the publisher and author. The information you need presented to you for quick on-the-go reading.

Easily see who else is on Twitter with Find Friends

It’s now easier for you to find friends on Twitter via your BlackBerry address book. New to Twitter? You’ll be able to quickly find friends when they first join Twitter using the new “Find Friends” button located on the Welcome Screen.

For you experienced users, you’ll see which of your BlackBerry contacts have recently joined Twitter by using the “Find Friends” button located on their Profile Page. I love this feature, because friends of mine are constantly joining Twitter – and this lets me find them effortlessly.

Quick Follow Button

This is a great feature for me, since a lot of my friends have similar tastes. See an interesting user that you want to follow from a friend’s follower list? Now you can follow them in one tap; just tap the follow button next to their name. You no longer need to click on their profile first. Simple.

Whether you’re already a Twitter pro, or just thinking about joining, make sure to update to v3.2. And while you’re there, swing by @BlackBerry and follow us for all things BlackBerry. Have you checked out the update? Be sure to share your thoughts below.

*App may take up to 24 hours to appear in BlackBerry App World

Great news for all you BlackBerry ® PlayBook ™ tablet fans out there. We have updated the operating system software to version 2.1 and packed some new features and functionality in to the already powerful OS. If you enjoy the multitasking, social integration and strong communications functionality in the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you’ll love what’s new. Here are my three favorite changes:

1. Updated BlackBerry Bridge: Now you can view, respond and compose new SMS messages on their BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet when connected to a BlackBerry smartphone over Bluetooth®. You’ll also enjoy increased performance and speed of other BlackBerry Bridge functions as well. So you can do more, more efficiently. Txt away, my friends.
2. Email and PIM Enhancements: You’ve asked for it and we’ve delivered portrait support for email, calendar and contacts, giving you the option to use your tablet in either orientation to message. This will definitely come in handy for those of you who enjoy thumb typing in portrait mode like I do.
3. Improved Android Application Support: Includes Multi-Window Applications, Camera Support and In-App Payments. We all love a richer app experience, and with the improvements to the Android runtime, that’s just what you’ll get. Running the applications in separate windows allows you to multi-task between Android apps easier, and in-app payments will make it easier for you to enhance your app content. Game on!

There are also a ton new features on the enterprise side so you can separate your work from personal data, check out Luke’s post on the Inside BlackBerry for Business blog for more details. We’ve added more apps and content as well including an update to the Print to Go app and the Canadian video store now comes preloaded into the OS so there’s no need for you to download it from the BlackBerry® App World™ storefront.

The update is available starting today for the WiFi® versions of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and availability for the 4G LTE™ BlackBerry PlayBook is expected within the next month, upon carrier approval of software.

How to update your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet:

You will automatically receive a software update notification on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet status ribbon, or you can check for the software update at any time by going to the settings menu under “Software Updates” and tapping “Check for Updates”. Then follow the steps to update.

Learning more and obtaining support:

For those that have some additional questions or need additional support, visit the BlackBerry PlayBook support website. To find the support website for your specific location, visit the following link and select Get Support next to your preferred language & location.

Have a BlackBerry PlayBook? Check out the update and let us know what you think in the comments.

A few months ago, we told you about the BlackBerry® Screen Reader app from RIM®. Well, the Accessibility team at RIM has been busy improving the app and is happy to share some updates they’ve been working on since launch. After listening to your valuable feedback, they’ve made improvements and added new features. The app also now supports two new BlackBerry smartphone models. In addition to the BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphone models, the application is now available for the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 9320 and 9220 smartphones.

Let’s dive in to some of the changes:

Basic Browser Support
BlackBerry Screen Reader is now revised adding the ability to have a loaded webpage read to you.

Help Menu
Through BlackBerry Screen Reader settings, you can now access an English help menu to provide you with additional assistance.

Additional Shortcut Features
Previously, the application shortcut (Right Convenience Key + Send) only supported email messaging. The updated shortcut is now designed to allow you to re-read a loaded webpage without refreshing your browser; it also allows you to easily read SMS and BBM messages, from the most recent to least recent message.

Additional Caller ID Screen Support
The first version of the BlackBerry Screen Reader would only read the number that was calling. The functionality has now been extended to the caller ID screen to also identify the contact’s name (if available).

Unified Inbox improvements
The unified inbox feature has been updated and now identifies Facebook® and Twitter® messages. You can now differentiate between your e-mail and social media messages.

BlackBerry Screen Reader Demo
If you’ve been wondering what the application is all about before giving it a try yourself, check out the video below, which includes a walkthrough and some tips to help get you started:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

You can get the latest version of BlackBerry Screen Reader at: www.blackberry.com/screenreader
To learn more about other accessibility features for customers with visual impairments, please visit www.blackberry.com/accessibility

Have you been using the BlackBerry Screen Reader app since it first launched? What other ways would you like to see the app improved?

We know that #TeamBlackBerry is serious about Twitter®, so we’re always working hard to make sure the Twitter experience on BlackBerry® smartphones is always improving for Twitter pros and newbies alike. In Twitter for BlackBerry v3.1, you’ll find new improvements for Tweet details, Retweets, and account creation, and we’ve added three new languages that make the Twitter experience on BlackBerry even better. Let’s get started.

First, let’s take a look at the improved the tweet details screen. Now you can see more info including the conversations driven and a snapshot of the users who’ve retweeted your message.

Speaking of retweets: Have you ever had a change of heart after posting a retweets? No worries, with Twitter for BlackBerry v3.1, you now have the option to undo your retweets. It’s simple. To undo a retweet — just touch the retweet button a second time to undo the action.

If you haven’t yet joined Twitter, but you want to get started, this update for Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones makes it easy to sign up for a new account. Improvements to the sign-in screen include providing suggestions for your account name if the one you originally wanted is already taken.

We’re also really excited to announce that Twitter for BlackBerry now supports three new languages: Arabic, Hebrew, and Finnish.

There you have it — a brand new Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones update now available for download in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront. Be sure to check it out, and if you aren’t already following @BlackBerry on Twitter, there’s never been a better opportunity.

The BlackBerry PlayBook OS v2.0.1.358 contains many updates including:

• Browser enhancements to address performance with some websites
• Improvements to support Android apps
• Optimizations to Video Chat, PIM and BlackBerry Bridge applications
• And much more!

How to update your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet

Users will automatically receive a software update notification on the BlackBerry® PlayBook tablet status ribbon, or they can check for the software update at any time by going to the settings menu under “Software Updates” and tapping “Check for Updates”. Users who purchase and activate a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on or after April, 17 2012 will automatically be updated to v2.0.1 as part of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet setup process.