Author: Donny H.

Whether you’re a professional photographer or a picture-editing novice, the BlackBerry 10 camera has several features worth exploring. I’ve already shared key information about Screen Share and Story Maker, and today I’d like to further educate you about the benefits of BlackBerry Picture Editor.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

1. Easy editing. Picture Editor is extremely intuitive. Once you pick an image to edit from your photo library, you can open the Picture Editor software by simply tapping the Edit icon.
2. Awesome effects. With Picture Editor, there are four categories you can use to edit images and add effects:

• Transform – Rotate images left or right, flip vertically or horizontally, crop to a few different set sizes
• Enhance – Adjust brightness, balance, contrast, sharpness, saturation
• Artistic – Add a variety of filters
• Styles – Add borders

3. Live Preview. Picture Editor allows you to experiment with different filters without committing to the affects. All you have to do is drag filters up and down an image.

4. Built-in. Picture Editor is native to BlackBerry 10 OS, which means you don’t have to pay or search for an editing app.
5. Easy sharing. When you save a photo with Picture Editor, you can share to several social networks with the tap of a button.

As you can see, with BlackBerry Photo Editor, it’s remarkably easy to create professional-looking pictures right on your BlackBerry 10 device. If you haven’t experimented with Picture Editor already, check out this video to get started. Let us know what you think!

After using my BlackBerry Z10 in public for almost a month, I can’t help but think about how far BlackBerry smartphones have come. It’s the little things I remember about my old smartphones. In fact, I like to think of them now as “wise” phones. Wise phones paved the way, making it possible to put devices like the BlackBerry 10 smartphones in the hands of loyal users.

I wax nostalgic thinking of how BlackBerry smartphones perfected the track wheel navigation mechanic prior to developing the scroll/track ball. Alas, with touch interfaces and the new UI and design paradigm in BlackBerry 10 the need for this type of navigation is reduced. Even things like selecting text or moving the curser are all handled nicely on the touch based BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

While I’m reminiscing about the track wheel, tell us: what was your favorite pointer interface? Are you a fan of the track wheel like I am? How about the scroll ball? Or are you a fan of the optical trackpad, or touchscreen features of today’s models? Also, if you could develop your own retro app for the BlackBerry World storefront that simulated an old-school way of navigating on your new BlackBerry 10 device, what would you choose?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

You’ve probably read about BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) on BlackBerry 10 and new features like BBM Video and Screen Share. You may find yourself wondering, “How can Screen Share really make life easier?” If you’re one of those people, you need to know that Screen Share is a feature that all of Team BlackBerry can appreciate – in both a personal and professional capacity. In an effort to ensure you get the most out of your BlackBerry 10 experience, I’ve put together a handful of key tips to help better understand what Screen Share technology is all about.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

1. BBM just got better. With BlackBerry 10, we’ve taken BBM to the next level to facilitate complex interactions and more effective communication. Screen Share is part of the BBM evolution, so remember that all of the traditional BBM perks – fast messaging, easy international commination, and so on – are part of the Screen Share experience.
2. Simple navigation. Screen Share is intuitive on BBM for BlackBerry 10. When in a BBM video chat, simply tap the Screen Share icon to get started. And once you’re ready to stop sharing your screen, it’s just as easy to return to basic video chat while continuing conversation. Get started with Screen Share here.
3. Easier to work on the go. With Screen Share you can share business documents from your BlackBerry 10 device the same way you’d share documents from your office computer. Share PowerPoint presentations while simultaneously conversing with coworkers over video chat. For more information on using Screen Share for business, head to the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog.
4. Deeper communication with friends and family. Want to look at photos from a party while recounting the night with a family member? Screen Share allows you to share these experiences instantaneously.
5. Real time engagement. BBM has always been a vehicle for real-time communication, and with Screen Share and other new BBM features, BlackBerry has taken messaging beyond real time chat and into real time engagement.

What do you think? How will Screen Share make YOUR life more efficient? Let us know in the comments below!

Sports, drama, reality shows or political events – you name it, someone is tweeting about it. A UK-based blog revealed that 40 percent of evening traffic on Twitter is TV-related, and a video on the official Twitter blog says many TV-related conversations happen through #hashtags, @replies to the program or other users, or through “curated tweets” that get pulled into chats moderated by news networks and blogs.

When I see a program being talked about on Twitter, I’m more likely to watch it, or at least check it out. And when I’m watching TV, I typically have the Twitter app open on my BlackBerry Z10 or Blaq for my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet so I can watch the online conversations happening in real time. It’s fun reading the trash-talk during sporting events and it’s a great way to track the score while on the go. I also love reading and commenting about plot twists and character mishaps during primetime – just no #spoilers please!

Do you tweet with your TV on? Let us know what programs you watch in the comments below!

I recently read a study from Nielsen that confirmed what I (and other BlackBerry device owners) already know: 40 percent of mobile device owners use their smartphone or tablet daily as their “second screen” while watching television. Since I was reading the report on my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet while watching TV – and given the great video features in the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones – that statistic wasn’t surprising at all.

The one part Nielsen didn’t cover was the percentage of people who will also sometimes merge the two screens by connecting a mini-HDMI cable on their tablet to their TV. I do this all the time, and BlackBerry World definitely has me covered with great film and television content. I also wanted to share a few of the apps I think are pretty cool for watching television or movies through your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or BlackBerry 10 smartphone via HDMI:

Movie Vault – Great Classic Films by Fling Soft LLC: While you’re curled up on the sofa drinking hot cocoa during the winter months, break out some John Wayne or Charlie Chaplin with the Movie Vault app. There are some great classic films in here, along with a few cult classics too. So whichever movie genre you prefer, you won’t be disappointed.

Movie Library by Saper-ek: If you’ve got one friend who insists “that’s the same actor from…” this app may help you win some wagers. Utilizing the database and API from themoviedb.org, I’ve found this app very helpful to find out more information about the movie I’m watching.

Tablet TV Premium by SCrApps: Sure, you could compile a list of every television station on the Internet, sort them by geographic location, and try and give it some solid organization yourself. But why do that yourself when the folks at SCrApps are going to give you all that and more for a dollar? This is a handy app indeed for television aficionados who travel with their BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

VEVO by VEVO LLC: I’m a fan of both movies and music, and having grown up in the music video generation, I love that I can access a catalog of more than 50,000 music videos from VEVO. With VEVO, you’re bound to find something to enjoy no matter what your taste in music. You can also create playlists with this app for an evening of video entertainment when guests come over.

These four apps are just ones I’ve used; there are tons more available through BlackBerry World. What apps do you use to watch movies/TV on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or BlackBerry device? Are there any apps that you would recommend?

Whether you already own a BlackBerry 10 device or are still waiting for the platform to become available in your region, I want to make sure you have a solid understanding of the BlackBerry Story Maker experience. Check out this video for a quick overview of the Time-Shift camera in BlackBerry 10 and how you can use Story Maker to bring your photos together.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Story Maker is new software that was rolled out with BlackBerry 10. It enables BlackBerry users to create seemingly professional movies in just a few simple steps. Before you get started with Story Maker, I wanted to share few key pieces of information about the software:

1. It’s designed for mobile. That means you can create stories on the go. You don’t have to connect to a computer or tablet to create stories; you can do it right on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
2. Create multimedia content. Story Makers allows you to combine music, video and picture files into one single video story.
3. Edit in seconds. You don’t need an editing background to use Story Maker. You can change the theme, remove an item from the story or change the order of story items in just a couple of swipes.
4. Add a professional touch. After adding content and choosing music, you can add a title page and credits to indicate where and when a story was filmed and who was responsible for filming it. You can also choose from a variety of filters to add professional-looking effects.
5. Sharing is intuitive. It’s extremely easy to share finished videos with social networks. After you save a video on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone, you are immediately given the option to share with a few clicks.

Sounds pretty cool, right? For more details, check out the winning Story Maker video from the BlackBerry 10 launch event that was held in New York City on January 30th. What stories from your life are you going to recreate and share with Story Maker?

Many of you who are regular readers know that we host polls on the Inside BlackBerry Blog from time to time, asking readers how they are using their devices. After all, we’re all getting great feedback and learning better ways to get the most out of our BlackBerry devices.

This time around, the BlackBerry community management team wants to know which BlackBerry smartphone shortcut is most useful. We began this poll on the BlackBerry Facebook page, and the response has been huge – now we want to hear the voice of our blog readership. So which BlackBerry keyboard shortcut is your favorite? There are some classics and some new BlackBerry 10 ones to choose from like Type and Go on the BlackBerry Q10 or any of the innovative shortcuts on the BlackBerry Z10 keyboard in the video below.

[Youtube link for mobile viewing]

Be Bold and Vote!

Being a BlackBerry Z10 user, myself I definitely love how fast I can move around the software QWERTY keyboard. Thank you for casting your vote, and if you’d like to share a favorite shortcut not included in the voting, feel free to post in the comments below!

Digital Trends has asked a great question: “Why aren’t there more movies based on apps?” I say that if it’s popular and mainstream, people will love it! Making likeable characters relatable is a recipe for success. And with little place else to look for fresh movie ideas, it’s only a matter of time before apps go Hollywood.

Around the office, we’ve all been using our new BlackBerry Z10 smartphones and gaming like crazy in our spare time. This got me thinking about some of the amazing new apps and what they would be like as a feature film. So I decided to ask a few of my colleagues at BlackBerry which BlackBerry smartphone app they’d like to see on the big screen.

Alex K. chose DynaStunts for BlackBerry 10. He’s addicted to the action and said all the customizable characters and vehicles would transition nicely to the silver screen.

For Melanie M. it would be Riptide GP. Bouncing around on waves and racing Jet Skis? Sign me up for that action-packed thrill ride.

For me, it would definitely be World of Goo — and Kerri B. agrees! It has drama, character development, suspense and some good ol’ fashioned humor – just my kind of flick.

Now I’m curious to know which of your favorite apps you think would make great feature-length films. Let me know in the comments below!

*All images via BlackBerry World storefront

Whether or not you’ve gotten your hands on the BlackBerry Z10, you’ve no doubt seen the video of Vivek showing off the predictive keyboard feature of the device. When I showed a few friends how it worked, they were impressed by its functionality. I do have one friend who’s both tech-savvy and sometimes hard to impress, and he challenged my demonstration by saying, “Most people expect typos in texts; I don’t see how that can help me”. Challenge accepted.

I explained a scenario to him in which he and I were going to meet at a coffee shop, and I have a smartphone without predictive text. While I’m walking to meet him, I remember I need something from the grocery store and begin to text him that I’ll be late. In my hurry, I accidentally type: “Quick stop to shop, I’ll be latte”. Confused, he orders me a latte and assumes I’ll still be on time. I end up with a cold latte and an upset friend who thinks I’ve ditched him.

Now let’s consider this scenario with a predictive keyboard on the BlackBerry Z10. As soon as I begin to type the letters “L-A-T“ I see the word “late” appear within the keyboard. A quick swipe, and the word “late” is populated into the text. No angry friend, no cold latte.

Has the predictive text feature on the BlackBerry Z10 helped make your texting easier and more accurate? Tell us about it in the comments!

Even though BlackBerry 10 has launched, there are a lot of you out there looking for BlackBerry 7 OS tips. Today we’ve got tips for the Social Feeds app. How do you get your news? We’ve looked at people who get their news via their BlackBerry devices, but what about social networks? What’s the first thing you do when a huge news story breaks? For me, I check the RSS Feeds tab on my Social Feeds app and then tab over to see what the reaction is on Twitter and Facebook.

The Social Feeds App is like a Puppy

Available on BlackBerry 6 OS devices and later, the Social Feeds app does a great job of giving you a view of what’s happening in the world via RSS, social networks, and podcasts. Over on the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog, Ty has a solid blog post on how to set up Social Feeds, but I want to focus on how you can train it for maximum awesomeness — just like a puppy.

• Stay: The Flagged Items feature lets you save an update or feed for viewing later. Facebook feed tells you it’s your anniversary? Flag it so you can remember to pick up a gift, or else prepare to download the “I’m sorry” app.
• Fetch: Filter results based on very specific keywords (“Walnut double-chocolate brownies” instead of “brownies”) for smarter results. Since you can search across all feeds, it saves a ton of time over searching Facebook or Twitter individually.
• Roll Over: Social Feeds also allows you to login to bit.ly to shorten links on the fly. Business users that rely on bit.ly for analytics will find this feature especially helpful.
• Lay Down: Click the “Do not show here” button on any feed you’re not using to make it faster to swipe across the social landscape. This is your Social Feeds puppy; take out the stuff you’re not using.

I’m hoping that these quick training tips will help speed up your use of Social Feeds, or at least provide you with the inspiration to share your Social Feeds power tips in the comments below. Mmm, walnut double-chocolate brownies.

By now, most of us know that BlackBerry 10 devices are different animals from their earlier counterparts. I still love my BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone, and it still works great. In the spirit of my dueling BlackBerry devices, I thought I’d share five quick things I’ve noticed as being big hardware differences between my BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the new BlackBerry Z10.

1. Front-Facing Camera. I love having a front-facing camera for video conferencing, and I found myself wanting it on my BlackBerry Bold smartphone so I wouldn’t have to grab my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. It’s a small thing, but to me it’s an important feature.
2. 4G LTE. Availability of 4G speeds depend a great deal on your carrier, but the download speeds I’ve noticed on the BlackBerry Z10 definitely make videos and sharing faster and smoother.
3. Apps and Games. While I definitely had a great collection of apps and games on my BlackBerry Bold smartphone, the graphics and processing capabilities of the BlackBerry Z10 are just that much better. What I’ve found in BlackBerry World is an awesome collection of fun and high quality games and productive apps that help me get through my day.
4. Screen Resolution. Can we talk about 356 pixels per inch for second? It’s gorgeous. I remember being blown away by the 286 pixels per inch my BlackBerry Bold smartphone sported, but 356 is so much sweeter. And don’t get me started on the 1080p HD recording versus the BlackBerry Bold 9900’s 720p.
5. Storage. Now that I’m grabbing more music and movies while traveling (thanks, 4G and retooled BlackBerry World), I appreciate the 16GB of onboard space versus the 8GB my BlackBerry Bold smartphone had. (Side note: Remember when 2GB was a ton of space?)

Of course, since BlackBerry 10 is an entirely new OS, there are also a ton of user experience differences, but these five hardware goodies offer their own slice of mobile deliciousness as well.

Which BlackBerry Z10 hardware features are you enjoying? Share your comments below!

For freelancers – the one-person profit centers that take business into their own hands – keeping existing clients happy while adding new ones can be especially challenging. While talking with a freelance app developer recently, my friend asked about which BlackBerry apps are best for freelancers. Naturally I thought this would make for a great app list on the Inside BlackBerry Blog, so here are a few great apps to help freelancers do everything from managing their time to transferring files. And since we know freelancers work on a tight budget, all of the following apps are free to download:

timr – Time and Mileage Tracker by troii Software GmbH: timr is a project time tracker app for BlackBerry smartphones that includes a web application component for syncing your data whether you are at home or on the go. If you travel across time zones, timr can adjust your work clock to ensure accurate billing of your clients. It’s like having a pocket project manager.

Box for BlackBerry PlayBook by Box, Inc.: Box allows you to create your files on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, laptop, or desktop, then access and edit the files from anywhere. Since portable hard drives can be dropped and flash drives can be easily lost, Box for BlackBerry PlayBook makes sure you have access to your files anytime and anywhere.

Freelancer’s Estimation Assistance Tool by M Khurram: This helpful app for your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet – called FEAT by its developer – allows you to quickly calculate your hourly rate for a project when creating a quote for a potential client. It’s a relatively new app to the BlackBerry World storefront, but the interface looks slick. I think it’s got a bright future.

xLancer by Zhaidarbek Ayazbayev by Handster Inc.: The folks at Handster are known for bringing some quality apps to the BlackBerry World storefront, and xLancer is certainly one of the more useful apps for freelancers. By connecting with online freelance site Elance, xLancer offers a more robust set of tools for searching and flagging jobs in which you are bidding on or offering to other freelancers.

Color LED by DAN INFO TECH: I love this app for dividing my contacts into LED colors on my BlackBerry smartphone. Coworkers’ calls flash red, family flashes green, and when my boss calls…“police strobe.” These classifications allow me to know who’s calling even while my device is on the other side of the room. How does this help a freelancer? Imagine different color LEDs for current clients, clients you’ve quoted, and for personal calls. Could be pretty helpful, right?

Though this list is geared toward freelancers, those of us working with an organization could probably benefit from these as well. Freelancers, feel free to share any additional apps you use to keep your clients, and thus your life, organized.

Last December, I asked what topics you’d like to see covered on the Inside BlackBerry Blog and you responded in a big way. While reading your feedback I saw a few trends emerge for topics you’d like to see covered. Here’s a glimpse on what you can expect from the Inside BlackBerry Blog:

Theme 1: BlackBerry 10 app of the week or featured app – I love this idea and I’m starting to research BlackBerry 10 apps to feature as we speak. Expect to see the first installment in the coming weeks.

Theme 2: BlackBerry 10 focus on features – Great idea! We’ve already begun focusing on features like the Time Shift camera, BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Flow, as well as the ability to peek into apps and into the Hub. Stay tuned for more in the future.

Theme 3: Media, media, media – Several readers asked if we could show some more of the multimedia capabilities of BlackBerry devices. We absolutely can, and we’re already in the process of developing new blog posts on how to use your BlackBerry device to take the best pictures and videos. In addition, we plan to bring more video interviews to explain how these technologies are developed.

Theme 4: What kind of user are you? – While we still want to use our Fan of the Month feature to give a nod to our Super Fans, we also think it’s a great idea to feature users of other types as well. The Road Warrior, the Busy Executive, the Creative Guru, the Social Butterfly, the Celebrity…we’ll talk to all of them and let them tell you how they use their BlackBerry devices.

What do you think? If the feedback you provided wasn’t included among the themes listed, don’t worry, you might see a new blog post on exactly your topic in the coming months. Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride!

Here’s another chance to make your voice heard; share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below!

Go Canada! On Monday February 18th, nearly two-thirds of our country will celebrate “Family Day” – a day off to spend with – you guessed it – family. As a Canadian company, BlackBerry is also celebrating. For our friends down south in the U.S., you have President’s Day off, so you can also spend it with your family. Since we’ll all have a day off from work, make the most of your family time with these great apps:

If You’re…Seeing a Movie: Download a movie app that allows you to browse new releases, view trailers and read reviews all in one place. An app like Flixster by Flixster, Inc. is terrific, and because it’s integrated with movietickets.com, you can even buy your tickets from your mobile phone. If you see your movies at a Cineplex theatre, you can buy tickets directly from your smartphone by downloading the Cineplex app by Cineplex Entertainment.

If You’re…Spending Time Outdoors: A weather app is crucial. While I’ve mentioned weather apps previously here on the Inside BlackBerry Blog, I’d like to name a few more now that BlackBerry 10 has arrived. The Weather Network is among the favorite apps in BlackBerry App World. I also like using AccuWeather because it’s awesome for sharing weather updates with the friends and family you want to meet up with. If skiing is your preferred wintertime sport, an app like Ski Maps by Aztux Ltd. can help you, since it houses a comprehensive list of resorts and trails from all over North America.

If You’re…Cooking as a Family: Use Your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to find amazing recipes, watch cooking demos and photograph your final creation. I love getting my whole family together to cook, so I put together an Inside BlackBerry Blog post in November on tips on how the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet helps make cooking fun.

Of course, not all “days off” need to be spent relaxing. If you’ve got kids at home, download an educational app like the BlackBerry Mobile Learner, by Blackboard, Inc., which gives both students and teachers access to their course material on BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

What will you be doing for Family Day? Tell us which BlackBerry apps help bring your family together.

I’m excited about the new BlackBerry 10 devices and I hope you are too. Definitely one of my favorite features and one we’ve highlighted often is the “peek” functionality to view emails, your calendar, or other apps.

To give you a better idea of how the “peek” functionality of BlackBerry 10 devices can help make it easier for you to get things done, I wanted to share a typical situation we often face: coordinating hangout time with a group of friends.

Usually you begin by opening your email, or BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) creating a new appointment, returning to the email “home” screen to check your email, clicking through to return to the appointment, finishing creating the appointment, and then sending it to your friends. If you also have to look up their contact information, that’s even another step.

I’ve found this is all way easier on a BlackBerry 10 device with peek functionality; you have the ability to “peek” back into your calendar while creating the appointment, as well as the ability to “peek” back to your contacts without leaving the appointment screen.

This is just one example, but I love being able to peek between games, the web browser, email and Maps. It’s all about making life a little easier and letting you keep moving.

How do you or will you use peek on your BlackBerry Z10 or BlackBerry Q10? Let us know.

Ah, love. It’s in the air! Call us hopeless romantics, but we absolutely adore Valentine’s Day. Hearts, poems, candy, flowers— the season of love is packed with so many special symbols that fill us with warmth. Still, nothing quite embodies the spirit of this enchanting holiday like a great love story. Just in time to celebrate, we’re putting the spotlight on two BlackBerry lovebirds. Recently, Julie, one half of our BlackBerry duo, took to our Facebook Page to share her amazing BlackBerry love story with the world.

Julie and Andrew* first met in England, where their love story began. After exchanging a few flirtatious BBM messages, their relationship took off and the two quickly became inseparable. Sadly, when Julie moved back to Canada to be with her family, the pair thought that their love story was over…until BBM brought them back together! Our hearts melted when we read Julie’s incredibly sweet story about how BBM rekindled their romance and helped bridge the distance across an ocean.

We were so moved, in fact, that we’re bending the rules a little bit and crowning this adorable BlackBerry couple as our BlackBerry Fans of the Month for February. Team BlackBerry, please join us in congratulating Julie (@Jules_Kernal) and Andrew! If you thought their love story was swoon-worthy, just wait until you see what they had to say in response to our questions:

1. How many years have you two been on Team BlackBerry?

I have been a part of Team BlackBerry since 2008; I think Andrew has been a Team BlackBerry member since at least 2007, he says he can’t remember off hand – but he is now a convert, with at least 2 BlackBerry devices at any given time!

2. How many BlackBerry devices have each of you had in total? Could you list them all out for us?

For me, I first fell in love with BlackBerry when it still had the Chicken game (any chance you’re bringing that back?). As for my devices I’ve had the BlackBerry Curve 8900, the original BlackBerry Bold 9000 and then the BlackBerry Torch 9800, which combines the touch screen and QWERTY keyboard in one – and my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet! Andrew has had the BlackBerry Bold 9900, the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and the BlackBerry Torch 9810, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and then this really old one he cannot remember and his BlackBerry PlayBook tablet that he takes everywhere!

3. How many BBM contacts do you two have collectively?

I have 32, Andrew has 81, so collectively 115 though we tend to use one contact more than all the others!

4. What are your favorite BBM emoticons? Do you use emoticons often when you BBM each other?

I like the smiley face. It’s easy, to the point and universal. Oh and I use the hug one, too. I probably use the smiley face and the heart with Andrew the most. Andrew uses emoticons ALL the time, I think his “most used” with me are the heart (aww) the big happy face , the angry one ~:-) when we are discussing frustrating issues (outside of our relationship) and the /:) which I call the “really?” face, as it is always in response to an interesting point he wants me to elaborate on.

5. Which one of you sent the first BBM to the other? What did it say? What response did you receive in return?

The first BBM?! Truthfully, we wracked our brains and don’t remember exactly, but I think it was probably me and said “Look who’s got BBM! xx” (before then I had been texting from another phone I later got rid of) and I am 90% sure there was a emoticon kiss as a response!

6. Julie, tell us about the best BBM you’ve ever received from Andrew. Your turn Andrew, tell us about the best BBM you’ve ever received from Julie.

I think I have two that are tied. The first was when he sort of said he loved me via BBM; I believe it went something like “I love it, and you”; not the most romantic way to say it for the first time, but most certainly memorable. The second was the BBM I received when we had been apart for so long. I think it simply said: “Hello. I miss you, can I call you?” But it meant the world to me at the time.

Andrew says that “all” of my BBMs to him are the best (aww, how cute).

7. Julie, if you could BBM your BlackBerry, what would you say? And what about you, Andrew?

I would say “A thousand times, thank you for being my life line, my knowledgeable companion and my reminder of all things important. Thank you for capturing amazing life moments and lighting my way in the dark. I’m sorry if I don’t tell you enough – You are Ah-mazing!” I hope my BlackBerry would respond with a Happy Face! (Maybe the new BlackBerry Z10 could actually say “you’re welcome” with Voice Control!)

Andrew: “Thanks mate.”

8. Julie, we also know that you’re an actress. Any upcoming debuts we should be looking out for?

Actually, I’ll be in a commercial coming up this spring!

9. What did you two think about the launch of BlackBerry 10? Did any announcement in particular stand out?

I was so excited about the launch! I have been WAITING for this. As an avid Team BlackBerry member, I did not wish to stray from my trustworthy BlackBerry, though my current one (well-loved and used!) is slowly aging and becoming less reliable (due to overuse, I am sure). The new features of BlackBerry 10 encompass all the things I want in a new phone and more – the camera feature means no more eyes closed!! I have been talking about it to Andrew for months – to the point where I was most certainly telling him things he already knew!

10. And finally, we just have to ask: Are you two prepared to handle the fame that comes with being our Fans of the Month?

Oh I think we can handle it! We are just happy to be a part of the Team and for the opportunity express our thanks to BlackBerry for creating their products. We both use it as a lifeline to each other and our families. Without it, we would not be together now.

*Name has been changed to respect privacy requests.

Be sure to check out the other awesome members of the BlackBerry Fan of the Month (FOTM) club:

January – Brian (@newshutr)
February – Ivan (@IvanSHarris)
March – Jane (@photosfromabb)
April – Josh (@BBbrodyBB)
May – Mark (@AllAboutMyBB)
June – JT (@jt_teran)
July – Kimberly (@kmcooley)
August – Mike (@flash0p)
September – Jon (@nerdologist_jon)
October – Guido (@FuriousGuido)
November – Ange (@Afl2277)
December – Zalman (@Zalman5K)
January 2013 – Arisham (@arisham2003)

Do you have your own BlackBerry love story? We’d love to hear it! Share it with the world by posting on our Facebook Page or in the comment section below.

Keep sharing your FOTM suggestions with us, either by leaving a comment below, tweeting to us @BlackBerry on Twitter, or posting on our Facebook page. Stay tuned – our March FOTM could be YOU!

We spent part of last week at BlackBerry Jam Europe, which is generally a conference dedicated to those who already develop apps for BlackBerry. However, there are also many programs for beginners. Since I’ve never created an app, I decided to take a run at developing an app for the Inside BlackBerry Blog. As I have literally no experience developing apps, I asked Alex and Luke for some help.

We used the BlackBerry App Generator to automatically pull content from the Inside BlackBerry Blog, and the BlackBerry Facebook and BlackBerry YouTube pages. It took us only about 10 minutes from start to finish and it was absolutely free. The result is a great-looking app that pulls in all of our articles, posts and videos. Let’s have a look as Alex walks us through the process.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

See how easy it was? Using the BlackBerry App Generator you could have your own app up and running in just a few minutes, even with no development experience. Do you have a blog or content and think it would make a great app? Give the BlackBerry App Generator a try for yourself and let us know.

I’ve got to say, my BlackBerry Z10 is amazing, and with BlackBerry World it’s truly a pocket-size tour de force. BlackBerry World brings movies, music, games, apps and themes – in other words, a comprehensive gateway to all of my media needs.

With so much new content in BlackBerry World, I thought you might enjoy a rundown of what I’ve been downloading and how I use the platform. While Melanie and I recently told you about the first apps we downloaded on our new BlackBerry Z10 smartphones, I wanted to share some of the new movies and music you can download from BlackBerry World.

Since I was getting ready for my trip to Amsterdam for BlackBerry Jam Europe, I was excited to download the first four seasons of Modern Family. (I also downloaded Flight, but then realized it might not be the best movie to watch while flying overseas.) Luckily I downloaded some of my favorite music and checked out some new albums, and of course songs from our very own Global Creative Director at BlackBerry, Alicia Keys. No matter your taste in music and movies, you’ll find what you want in BlackBerry World.

We’re constantly working with great developers to bring BlackBerry 10 apps to BlackBerry World, so keep checking back for new additions! What apps do you want to see?

With so many buzzwords flying across the web, I’m learning new acronyms and abbreviations every day. Sometimes I see conversations happening on our social networks – like the BlackBerry Developer Twitter page – with such technical language that using acronyms and abbreviations becomes necessary to fit within the 140 character limit.

There are a couple of acronyms we see every day that can be confusing. An operating system (OS) is the software platform that supports your device’s basic functionality, like native apps. OS’s go through periodic upgrades to ensure that they support the latest software applications. With BlackBerry 10, we talk about how we’ve re-designed, re-engineered and re-invented our products, and we are largely talking about the OS here. BlackBerry 10 is a completely different software foundation than previous generations of BlackBerry smartphones. We’ve made these changes so that the BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Q10 and future BlackBerry 10 products are at the forefront of technology, now and for years to come.

Now, if you were to think of your mobile device like the clothes you’re wearing, the hardware would be the base layer (long underwear up here in Waterloo), making the operating system the t-shirt (the second layer). But the user interface (UI) sits on top of your device’s OS, and is the layer you actually see and interact with. To use the example of a wardrobe once again, think of this layer like a nice suit or cocktail dress (or a snowsuit in Waterloo). So while people might notice how good you look on the outside, there are many more critical and functional layers underneath.

When a developer creates apps for a BlackBerry smartphone or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, they code the app based on the OS, while also taking the UI into consideration to ensure that everything on the app looks great and performs well.

I’ve talked about CDMA, HSPA, LTE and more in the “Acronyms Demystified” post here on the Inside BlackBerry Blog, but tell us what other acronyms you want to learn about in the comments.

Having previously told you about some of my favorite BlackBerry smartphone training apps for runners, I also wanted to note that I like to exercise my mind as well as body, and have been known to take advantage of yoga apps from the BlackBerry World storefront. But to reach a state of zen or nirvana, I recently learned of a new technique called brainwave entrainment.

Now, entrainment is more than just entertainment spelled incorrectly; it is a principle of physics. It is defined as the synchronization of two or more rhythmic cycles. Brainwave entrainment is the brain’s electrical response to rhythmic sensory stimulation, like a binaural beat.

When tones of slightly different frequencies are heard separately in the left and right ears, the listener recognizes only a single tone, or binaural beat. If the rhythmic stimulation becomes consistent enough, it can start to resemble the natural rhythm of brainwaves. It is believed that by manipulating brainwaves, different mental states, like sleep, can be reproduced. The concept has also been applied to mental states of concentration, creativity and meditation.

So, let’s get to the fun stuff. Grab your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or BlackBerry Z10 and try a brainwave entrainment app such as Beats Brainwave Entrainment by Jamie Beach or Beats Brainwave for BlackBerry 10. Beats Brainwave Entrainment can be used for focusing attention, practicing meditation and assisting with relaxation or sleep.

Let us know if you reach your favorite state of mind in the comments below.