Inside BlackBerry: Our BBM Emoticon Wall

Hello, #TeamBlackBerry! Community Manager Mitchell here, hoping you’ve had a great week. Are you following our @BlackBerry and @BlackBerryBlog Twitter® accounts?  If so, be sure to drop us a line and let us know what cool stuff you’re up to right now – we always love hearing what the great members of our community are up to (why not show us by taking some photos for our official BlackBerry Flickr albums?).

In this first edition of our “Inside BlackBerry” series, I am going to take you behind the scenes at Research In Motion® (RIM®) and show you one of the wonderful new additions to our workplace! We hinted at this addition to our office in one of our Facebook® posts and, after receiving a lot interest in seeing the full picture, we decided to feature it in this blog post! Now, for those of you who know what we are talking about, kudos to you; for those of you scratching your brain, we are talking about the famous Emoticon Wall!

 

What’s really cool about the Emoticon Wall is that it shows every single emoticon available to use on BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), which to me is wicked awesome and super helpful. Sometimes the Emoticon Wall moves to different places in our building, sometimes in a different order, but always with those friendly BBM emoticons! I wanted to share this with you because it reminds me every day how much the #TeamBlackBerry community loves BBM, and how sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words (which is handy when you’re chatting with friends on the go!). What’s your favorite emoticon, #TeamBlackBerry? Mine has got to be TALK TO THE HAND: “>:/”.

There are a bunch of other really great displays like the Emoticon Wall around RIM. For example, in our recent Get to Know Community Manager Carolyn post, you can see my fellow Community Manager in front of our new Application Wall. Stay tuned for more pictures and stories from around RIM HQ!

 

Source:RIM/Blackberry tips

Five Tips for BlackBerry Smartphone Power Users

Just the other day I realized that I’ve been using a BlackBerry® smartphone for over six years. During those six years, I’ve learned quite a few tips and tricks that have allowed me to maximize my smartphone experience. Today I’d like to share five of my favorite tips that I use daily, so grab your BlackBerry smartphone and let’s get started.

South Africa honors BlackBerry as the 'Coolest Brand Overall'

In Sunday Times’ Generation Next 2011 Brand Survey Awards, BlackBerry was hailed as the Coolest Brand Overall, with top honors in the Coolest High-Tech Gadget and Coolest Cellphone categories. The outcomes of the 7th yearly Generation Next Brand Survey Awards had been declared in Johannesburg on Wednesday, and one of the prime reasons for declaring BlackBerry the Coolest Brand Overall was BBM just as I thought earlier. BBM was, in fact, awarded with ‘Best Cellphone Application’. Craige Fleischer, Regional Director Southern Africa at RIM, shares his excitement pointing out that the active youth of today is what made everything possible:

“Generation Y’s choice of BlackBerry for the coolest brand overall reflects the importance the smartphone has assumed in the increasingly connected lives of a tech-savvy generation. The BlackBerry smartphone is a social tool and a lifestyle device that keeps them in touch with everything that matters to them.”

As part of Generation Y myself, I can only say that I wholeheartedly agree. My BlackBerry smartphone is definitely a powerful social tool and it helps me keep up with my daily chores, something my BlackBerry does particularly well. But what are your thoughts on this? Is BlackBerry along with BBM the killer combo every teenager has dreamed of – or are there better options available? Voice your opinion in the comments!

Source: Newstime

South African Youth Name BlackBerry As Country’s Leading Smartphone Brand

While BlackBerry the brand has been getting a lot of flack for not being cool in North America, it’s getting a lot of love from the youth in South Africa. BlackBerry was named as the ‘Coolest Brand Overall’ in the Sunday Times Generation Next 2011 Brand Survey Awards. BlackBerry also took top honours in the ‘Coolest Cellphone’, ‘Coolest High-Tech Gadget’ categories and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) was named ‘Best Cellphone Application’.

This must be a great boost to company morale considering South Africa has been leading what’s cool in North America recently with music from artists like Jack Parow. Apparently the smartphones of choice are in the lower price range including the 8520.

It’s clear that while the mainstream media is focused on a small sample of North America, journalists would do best to go into other regions to get the full story.

via:bbcool

Android grabs 53% of global smartphone market share; iOS 50% of application revenues

A new report published by Millennial Media paints a picture of the global smartphone landscape in April of 2011. The company found that Android continued its domination in pure market share, holding a 53% of impressions on the company’s network. Apple’s iOS came in second with 28% and RIM’s BlackBerry OS came in third with 16%; Symbian, Windows, and “other” totalled under 4% of impressions. While Google continues to maim and destroy in terms of handset numbers, Apple continues to hold the crown when it comes to application revenues.

5 BlackBerry Bridge Tips you can use to enhance your BlackBerry PlayBook experience

So, you want to learn how you can make the most out of your BlackBerry PlayBook? Well, most of you already know that you can pair your PlayBook with your BlackBerry device using BlackBerry Bridge, giving this system double BlackBerry power, but did you know you could do more than that? RIM has posted 5 must-know tips for using your PlayBook with Bridge. Looking through the list, I can see features I didn’t know existed, such as opening Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and .PDFs.

Here is the full list of 5 tips for your BlackBerry PlayBook:

BIS 4.0 Announced – Already Rolling Out?

Earlier today RIM announced BIS 4.0 in their BlackBerry Support Forums meaning it would be rolling out soon. Not long after that a user shared this screenshot with us of Email Setup Application update version 6.11.0419.0755. Does this mean BIS 4.0 has already started rolling out? In case you forgot, these are BIS 4.0 new features:

• Automatic Login Improvements
• Language Support – Vietnamese and Hindi
• Google Calendar Synchronization Improvements
• Secret Question Changes
• Windows Live Integration Re-validation removal

Let us know in the comments below if you get any updates or changes!

via:n4bb

Free Download Xlator Apps For Blackberry

Xlator Apps For Blackberry

Xlator is a translation application to your BlackBerry smartphone. It is really an simple to use application to meet your translation purpose. Application supports over 52 language combinations. Provides you with the ability to contact people other than foreign languages. The translation service is powered by Google(TM).

You can send translated text via email/sms or copy anywhere. You may also position the translated text as status message in Facebook. You may also translate websites or perhaps a file in your device.

Features:

• 52 language combination.
• Read translations phonetically.
• Hear translated text(not for many languages) Copy translated text and employ anywhere you prefer.
• Email/SMS translated text. Post translated text in Facebook or Twitter.
• Integrated with Email/SMS/Browser so that you can translate around the fly.
• Translate sites (beta) Translate documents (beta) Easy swap between languages.
• Intuitive user interface.

Xlator Apps is compatible with Devices Models: 8200, 8220, 8230/ Blackberry 8350i (320*240) Related Devices Model: 8500, 8520, 8530, 9300(Kepler), 9330/Blackberry 83XX Series (320*240) Curve Devices Models: 8300, 8310, 8320, 8330 / Blackberry 87XX Series (320*240) Devices Models: 8700c, 8700r, 8700f, 8700g, 8703e, 8707, 8707g, 8707v /Blackberry 88XX Series (320*240) Devices Models: 8800, 8820, 8830 .etc /Blackberry 89XX Curve Series (480*360): 8900 (Javelin), 8910 (Atlas), 8930, 8950, 8980/Blackberry 90XX Bold (Onyx) Series (480*320)

Devices Models:

• 9000, 9020 (Onyx)
• 96XX Tour (Niagara) Series (480*360):9600, 9630, 9650 (Tour2)
• 9700 (Bold2), 9780, Dakota, Apollo
• 95XX Storm Series (360*480): 9500, 9510, 9520, 9530, 9550 (Storm2), 9570 (Storm3)
• , 9800 (Torch), Torch2
• Pearl 3G Series (360*400)
• 9100, 9105, 9670 (Style)

Free download Xlator Apps for Blackberry phone with you just click link below

• Xlator Apps

RIM Announces BlackBerry Mobile Voice System 5 with Voice Over Wi-Fi Calling for Avaya and Legacy Nortel Communications Systems

Press Release

VoIP and SIP Compatible Platform Enables Integration with More In-Market and Legacy Phone Systems; Extends BlackBerry MVS to Unified Communications Application Development

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM, TSX: RIM) is helping more businesses bring together the desk phone and smartphone. RIM today announced plans to make BlackBerry® Mobile Voice System 5 (BlackBerry MVS 5) available to more corporate phone systems and unified communications applications. BlackBerry MVS 5 with voice over Wi-Fi® calling will soon be available for Avaya Aura® 6.1, Avaya CS1000 Communication Server, as well as legacy phone systems such as Avaya Communications Manager and Nortel Communication Server. It is also currently available for Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco Call Manager Express, and Mitel Communications Director. BlackBerry MVS 5 has also been re-architected to be more extensible with third party applications and phone systems.

Android and iPhone Getting BlackBerry Messenger?

You might have heard that the BlackBerry PlayBook will be able to run Android apps, but what about the other way around – what if Android ran BlackBerry apps? Rumour has it that this is exactly what’s happening; RIM is supposedly aiming to bring the legendary BlackBerry Messenger client to not only Android, but the iPhone and iPad’s iOS down the line as well. RIM had recently put the legal screws to Kik Messenger, which was offering a kind of cross-platform BBM service, and seeing as the legal action surrounded patent infringements, it would be safe to assume RIM had similar plans of their own (though there was also some concern about Kik illegally mining personal data).

BlackBerry Messenger on Android and iOS will apparently be a more stripped-down version, so don’t expect the fancy stuff like file transfers or groups, but basic instant messaging with read/unread notifications seems likely. No mention of timing, except for sometime this year, and pricing is equally up in the air; free, one-time fee, or subscription models are all possibilities.

Is this a smart move on RIM’s part? The exclusivity of BBM to BlackBerry smartphones has been a big selling point, and giving it away to the competing platforms may obliterate what little reason anyone has to pick up a RIM product. On the other hand, if RIM can be tantalizing enough with their app and rope people into using BBM to the point of becoming a necessity, then they’ll be in a position to convince folks to switch teams. The larger strategic message this would send is that RIM is losing faith in their own application platform, and is looking to use the competition to their advantage. The QNX operating system of the BlackBerry PlayBook will take some time to mature if it wants to offer anywhere near as many apps as Android, let alone iOS; in the meantime, RIM could easily take advantage of Google’s openness, even if in the process they’re making significant additions to the Android ecosystem with apps like BBM (and who knows what else… BIS e-mail?). As far as iOS is concerned, I couldn’t imagine Apple being cool with RIM horning in on their app market to woo loyal iPhone owners to the black side, but I’m sure Google would be hunky-dory with the idea of getting their tendrils into another manufacturing partner.

RIM hasn’t been shy about cross-platform work in the past – you may remember the BlackBerry Application Suite for Windows Mobile. It didn’t exactly take off, but that had more to do with WM’s puny share than RIM’s product. Maybe another go at that strategy with a more popular smartphone OS isn’t such a bad idea… what do you guys think? Just remember to take it all with a grain of salt – there’s no hard and fast evidence of RIM making this move just yet, though the source sounds pretty confident about Android getting BBM.

[via BGR]