Author: Matt Cameron

Citrix Podio is a productivity app that helps manage collaborative projects. Users make custom work collaboration apps by dragging, dropping and configuring modules. Once complete, the custom apps can be run on BlackBerry 10, Android and iOS.

The Podio App Builder web client is an easy to use tool that allows you to create a custom collaboration app by dragging and configuring modules that take care of a variety of tasks. The flexibility of the system is made better by only using the components you need. This adds up to easy to make apps that don’t have any superfluous menus or dialogs.

Over 200000 organizations have tried their hand at Podio for their tailor-made collaborative app needs, and yes, it’s as easy as it sounds.

Click here to watch on your mobile device.

BitTorrent Remote for BlackBerry 10 is an app that allows you to add Torrent files to your download queue to any computer running either BitTorrent or µTorrent clients. The app’s killer feature however, is the ability to download the file to your BlackBerry 10 device after your PC has done the heavy lifting.

Downloading files using BitTorrent is a bit hard on mobile devices’ bandwidth and latency. Not only do you download using dozens of connections but you also need to have a decent upload rate. This is something your idle PC has no problem doing, while on smartphones that sort of data draw would be terrible for your data plan and hard on your battery.

Often times acquiring a 100mb file takes more data transfer to complete than the 100mb file itself, seeding the file or being a peer as you download can add more data to that total. Ideal for your home PC whose data comes at a much cheaper rate that your mobile data.

The app isn’t searchable on BlackBerry World just yet but in the meantime, the Z10′s very capable browser can still access https://remote.bittorrent.com/ to manage your downloads remotely. (You’ll have to tap the screen franticly to simulate mouse movement.)

The New York Times has launched their news and information BlackBerry 10 app. The app has a slick BlackBerry 10 design and user interface with both the front page and sections are accessed with a swipe towards the left.

Digital subscribers get access to more sections and unlimited articles while free users get unlimited top news and a 10 free articles per month until needing a 99 cents per month digital subscription.

The app also has a video section, but the videos can currently only be viewed in portrait mode taking up less than a quarter of the Z10′s gorgeous screen. The videos feel like you’re watching a portrait video on a widescreen tv which is a bit annoying for now.

I should also note this about the BlackBerry Z10 touchscreen keyboard within BlackBerry World. The only letter I had to press, was “N” the rest I was swiping up correct word guesses.

I noticed on my new BlackBerry Z10 that the 1st party Remember app comes pre-loaded with a spot for you to log in to your Evernote account. I was already of fan of the popular cloud notation and archiving app and BlackBerry 10 has made it easier than ever to access my notes.

The Z10′s Remember loads notes very quickly, much faster than the BlackBerry 7 standalone Evernote app. The only downside is that if you’re used to having your notes sorted by last modified the way Evernote does it by default, be prepared for the Remember app to sort them by creation date instead.

I usually end up writing a lot of notes on my laptop that get synced to my BlackBerry, but with this new deep integration I think I’ll be creating more notes on my Z10.

One of the strengths of the BlackBerry 10 platform is how they allow developers to access the PIN API, giving your apps the access they need to your core apps like calendar, messages and Remember.

Click here to download Evernote for your legacy BlackBerry for free from BlackBerry World.

Click here to download Evernote for the BlackBerry PlayBook for free from BlackBerry World.

If you’ve got a BlackBerry 10 device, just sign in to Evernote to access all your notes.

Missed the launch event and keynote address? Click here (desktop only) to check out this hour-long video featuring all of today’s major announcements.

Today at the BlackBerry launch event in New York, Thorsten Heins announced that BlackBerry has created a new senior position and has named none other than Alicia Augello Cook AKA musician Alicia Keys to the job.

The hiring of Alicia Keys should make a big splash among users everywhere. I feel that she’s the ideal spokeswoman for BlackBerry’s fastest-growing customer base: working moms.

She will be making a video in every city she tours in shooting and editing entirely on her BlackBerry 10 device. This campaign will highlight the post-PC prowess of the new BlackBerry.

RIM CFO Brian Bidulka and Managing Director Andrew MacLeod take the stage to kick off the Toronto launch event.

Their intro speech touched on a few points important to Toronto, when Brian introduced himself as “a proud Canadian” he was greeted with lots of cheers. They start off with lots of thanks and the Canadian pride is evident.

“Not crossing the finish line but rather crossing the starting line.”

6 city simultaneous launch, all video connected. When the cities were announced and Toronto came up, everybody cheered and shouted. I’m glad to be at one of the livelier events packed with RIM staffers.

They’ve put together a lot of BlackBerry testimonial videos. Even though these are mostly about people praising the legacy platform, they are mostly praising the BlackBerry lifestyle.

Via New York, Thorsten Heins talks about the next step in mobile computing. Thanks customers, enterprise and gives a big thanks to the RIM employees, 12000 in 36 countries.

He begins by talking about the needs of the BlackBerry client revolve around maximum productivity through organization, multitasking and simplicity.

He then announces that Research In Motion is now called BlackBerry worldwide. Lots of re-branding happening as of late, looks to be an overall strategy of being clear with product lines and services. It also show what is now very clear is that this is a bold new chapter for BlackBerry.

Stay tuned.

I’m here at the press-saturated BlackBerry 10 launch event in Toronto. I’ve been to several device launch events in the past and none have come close to the scale and scope of this announcement.

There are just tons or RIM staffers as well as an over 200-strong press core. I get the feeling from talking to (non-RIM) people that they think they know the gist of what is being announced. RIM staffers are already being less shy about using their new devices in the open. I get the feeling there’s more to this launch than what is currently understood via leaks and public opinion.

Could it be an early launch of the Keyboard-enabled BlackBerry X10 or a new feature from deep within RIM’s R&D.

Stay tuned for photos, details and demo videos here at BlackBerryCool.

Let’s do this.

Finnish game developer 10tons has been busy preparing a full lineup of games for RIM’s next generation mobile platform: BlackBerry 10. The games will be ready for the big launch on January 30th and features lots of puzzle games as well as a few other genres.

10tons has been cutting their teeth on BlackBerry 10 by releasing “tons” of BlackBerry Playbook games over the last year.

Here’s a list of their launch titles:

Azkend: 10tons’ polished puzzle franchise for $2.99

Azkend 2-The World Beneath: 2nd installment of this match-3 puzzle game for $5.99

Sparkle: A match 3 puzzle game. A hit on the PC and MC, just $2.99

Boom Brigade 2: An alien-blasting action-strategy game for $2.99

Heroes of Kalevala: A puzzle game with a mythical story for $2.99

Joining Hands: A charming puzzle game with the goal of joining everyone’s hands on-screen. Cute game for just $1.99

Ironworm: a physics-based puzzle game. Defeat the bugs to win. $1.99

Puzkend: a matching puzzle game that will please any pro puzzle gamer. No new pieces are generated when they are clear making the strategy all the sweeter: $1.99

King Oddball: A physics-based destruction game with really enjoyable, stress-relieving gameplay. $2.99

Dragon Portals: A match-3 puzzle game with great style and innovative gameplay.

RIM’s solid platform strategy has led to an overwhelming amount of launch apps and games for yet to be released device.

BlackBerry Developer Group Balkan has announced a worldwide BlackBerry game developer challenge. Submit your best game published in the last year on BlackBerry World and you could be one of three winners of business passes to Germany’s biggest game developer conference: Quo Vadis as well as mentorship from two industry veterans.

To enter, email your submission before February 5th to [email protected] along with your game’s BlackBerry World link with the subject: “Challenge For all Great BlackBerry Game Developers”.

Free passes to a game developer conference is amazing but the mentorship package featuring Michael Liebe and Dan Romescu is fantastic for any promising game developer.

Winners will be announced on Dan Romescu’s blog: Augmented Citizen.

Click here for some good developer community articles at the BlackBerry Developer Group Balkan page.

One of the advantages of a January launch is the awesome marketing potential of the Super Bowl. For years RIM has ignored this ultra-high-profile ad opportunity. With the launch of their next generation mobile OS however, the Super Bowl might be just the thing to turn some heads and generated some much-needed hype.

RIM usually opts to ignore this high risk marketing gamble, but the new RIM and BlackBerry 10 make a lot more sense to me than other mobility Super Bowl ads like this often mocked and star-studded Phablet ad that attacks the iPhone.

I’ve always thought that BlackBerry and the Super Bowl are good match. The Super Bowl caters to business types as much as it does blue collar work, both of which are ideal potential BlackBerry 10 users. The 30 second spot airing in both the US and Canada will also be complimented by on-site marketing during the game and a social media plan involving Facebook and Twitter.

I like how compatible the NFL and BlackBerry are, how many times per game do sportscasters refer to the teams’ playbook? It’s a subtle free ad for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet if you ask me.

Mileage Tracker for BlackBerry 10 is a financial app that keeps detailed information about fuel, efficiency, costs and the nature of the trip taken. Useful for users who want to keep track of their fuel efficiency or for people who use a car for business and need to keep good books for reimbursement.

Mileage Tracker has a great look for a BlackBerry 10 app with thin, legible fonts and deep purple accents.

Mileage tracker gives users the ability to separate data by billing period, project, or vehicle. Use the in-app payment system to upgrade to the pro version giving you full access to the .csv and .html exporting features.

Click here to download Mileage Tracker for BlackBerry 10 free from BlackBerry World.

LittleBrother is a handy free BlackBerry app that used to use cell tower information courtesy of GoogleGears location service to accomplish a variety of automation tasks. A little while ago, the app was forced to undergo a redesign because of the shut down of the GoogleGears location service.

Relying on a new location-retrieval service, the redesigned LittleBrother 2.0 has given rise to two more use cases that continue to grow their list of handy automation tasks. Also the new system is more accurate and power-efficient than ever before.

Family location made easy
Remote Location Request via email combined with password lock so the software can’t be modified make it easier to provision and manage your family location needs. Look up a family member’s location after configuring the system without the need for user interaction like keeping up with Foursquare or Google Latitude.

Here’s how to set it up:

• Click here to Install LittleBrother on your device free
• Specify a password for the LittleBrother configuration in the ‘Parent Watch Settings’
• Enable the ‘eMail-Remote Location Request Service’ in the ‘Remote Location Request Settings’
• Enable the ‘Restrict access to PIN/Password’ checkbox
• Specify a password for your location request eMails in the ‘Password (for eMail requests)’ field

These new features of being able to access LittleBrother dialogs over email, also gives you the tools you need to find you lost phone, there are even commands that remove the email after the LittleBrother dialog has been accessed.

Download it here free

Pocket Ninjas is a touchscreen swipe and slash game by Cocky Culture for BlackBerry 10. Also available on the BlackBerry PlayBook, Pocket Ninjas is a steal at just 99 cents.

Swipe, slash and cut your way through wave after wave of enemies in this slick ninja-themed game. Dodge deadly ninja stars, avoid rotten sushi and avoid the temptations of the many Geisha as you advance and make your way to the top of the leaderboard. Unlock new ninja outfits, weapons and abilities in the secretive ninja armoury.

Click here to buy Pocket Ninjas for BlackBerry 10 and the Playbook tablet for 99 cents.

Iconic Canadian brands Air Canada, Tim Horton’s, Loblaw’s, Manulife, The Toronto Maple Leafs, and The Weather Network have developed BlackBerry 10 apps in time for the next-generation mobile platform’s launch on January 30th.

Air Canada will have a free app that features all sorts of airport conveniences such as retrieving boring passes, check-in and manage payments. The BlackBerry 10 app features even more conveniences and features.

Click here to download the Air Canada app for your legacy BlackBerry (OSes 4, 5, 6 and 7).

Tim Horton’s, the coffee chain that defines the average Canadian is big on brand interaction. TimmyMe is a location finder that should help Canadians track down the closest location even in the most severe of snowstorms.

Click here for Timme Me, the Tim Horton’s location-finder mobile app.

Loblaw’s, the Canadian grocer whose store-brands often have the reputation of being better that their name-brand counterparts has a free President’s Choice Recipe Box app for BlackBerry 10. The app has over 1000 recipes complimented by photos, step-by-step instructions ideal for mobile and videos: Yum.

Click here to download President’s Choice Recipe Box for BlackBerry Playbook and BlackBerry 10.

Manilife, one of Canada’s biggest insurance and financial services based in Toronto uses BlackBerry to connect with clients and distribution parters. They plan to have their BlackBerry 10 app InsureRight ready for launch.

Click here to download the Manulife app for your legacy BlackBerry (OSes 4, 5, and 6).

Connecting with fans with the mobile is something that The Toronto Maple Leafs do pretty well. Their app for BlackBerry features box scores, game day previews, news ticker, customizable player tracker, breaking news, and the Leafs’ Twitter comment feed.

Click here to download the free, Official Toronto Maple Leafs mobile app for BlackBerry OSes 5, 6 and 7.

The Weather Network has a formidable presence on BlackBerry, supporting dedicated weather apps for both BlackBerry and the Playbook tablet. Its -17 degrees celcius (Zero Fahrenheit) where I am in Ottawa so weather is pretty important to us Canadians.

Click here to download the Weather Network Mobile app: WeatherEye free for BlackBerry OSes 4 and up.

Click here to download WeatherEye HD free for the PlayBook Tablet and BlackBerry 10.

Having undergone significant changes in the past few years, RIM has decided to rename their yearly flagship technology conference to BlackBerry Live.

The conference has been growing in scale and scope for over a decade and launched under the name Wireless Enterprise Symposium. Two years ago they rebranded the conference to BlackBerry World when it was clear that the conference covered so much more than the enterprise angle.

BlackBerry Live is an apt name for what the conference represents: Your chance to meet and connect with the movers and shakers of the industry. The name change also coincides with the rebranding of BlackBerry App World to BlackBerry World.

Attend the keynote address that showcases cutting edge BlackBerry development and use cases with RIM’s world class technology partners. There’s no shortage of live demos, breakout sessions and access to RIM staffers who make BlackBerry happen.

If you want to connect with BlackBerryCool at BlackBerry Live, drop us a line at tips(at)blackberrycool.com

Click here for more info about this year’s BlackBerry Live that takes place from May 14th to 16th near Orlando Florida.

RIM has recently announced that their Secure Element Manager (SEM) for NFC based mobile payments has been approved by Visa. The approval of what is known as a very strict process opens the door for secure mobile payments for all future NFC enabled BlackBerry devices.

Convenience is what what drives consumers to cashless systems and this latest Visa approval is going to open the door to hundreds of carrier payment options across the globe. This marks an important step in the system’s rollout, especially considering that probably all future new BlackBerry devices will sport NFC. I would love to see users set this up as one of the steps when they get a new device.

Click here to read more about NFC and BlackBerry on the inside BlackBerry blog.

Even though we’re a couple of years away from an actual legacy BlackBerry OS post-mortem, here are a few things that I won’t be missing about the mobile OS that defined smartphones. Unless you’ve been under-utilizing your device, you’ve probably acquired many of the same BlackBerry pet peeves as I have. Although it may seem that I’ve put together a BlackBerry shit list, It’s all stuff I’m glad the new platform won’t be inheriting because of good design.

1) Pulling the Battery

Any seasoned BlackBerry user knows that you’ve got to reset your device once in a while for things to run smoothly. Doing a battery pull has become a daily routine for me even though it’s much less of a problem on my memory-rich BlackBerry 7 device.

I also find it confusing for users that turning your BlackBerry off using the power button, doesn’t turn your BlackBerry off as much as it does put it to sleep.

Doing a full reset seemed to solve 90% of my BlackBerry issues, so I’m guessing I’ll be experiencing way less less phone issues with BlackBerry 10.

2) Installation Difficulties

If you’ve ever updated your BlackBerry’s OS or had to revive a “nuked” BlackBerry that’s had a JVM error then we’ve had exactly the same nightmare. I’m pretty good at getting tech stuff to work but the amount of times that my will has been broken by loading a new OS on a BlackBerry has been the same amount of times I’ve attempted loading a new OS on a BlackBerry.

3) App glass ceiling

If you’ve ever gone nuts with downloading apps on a BlackBerry you’ve probably noticed things like extra-long boot-up times and general multitasking issues. Though BlackBerry 6 and 7 devices could handle a lot more installed apps thanks to more memory, you can tell how taxing having lots of apps on your phone can be.

I get the feeling that years ago, someone at RIM offered a quote similar to Bill Gates’ famous “640K ought to be enough memory for anyone” but it probably sounded more like: “This new BlackBerry will be able to install up to 20 apps: more than anyone will ever attempt.”

I certainly don’t blame them for their lack of foresight, who could have guessed that the mobile app market would get this big this fast, or that people would naturally tend to collect apps. If the PlayBook offers any clues to how this will work on the new platform, you’ll only be taking a negligible performance hit when installing lots of apps on a BlackBerry 10 device.

4) BlackBerry Browser

Though it was pretty awesome having a webkit browser when it launched, the old BB browser leaves something to be desired.

The PlayBook browser is amazing and is one of the main reasons that people are talking about the BlackBerry 10 platform as potentially being a laptop killer. At home my PlayBook acts a bit like a spare laptop and I have no trouble imagining the laptop gathering a bit of dust with future PlayBook and BlackBerry 10 releases.

5) Porting and device fragmentation

For the few years RIM has been breathing new life into their smartphone platform by offering better hardware. Unfortunately this meant that early adopters of new BlackBerry handsets had to wait for their favourite apps to be ported to the new screen size and updated OS.

It’s tough for developers to put legwork into a port for a device that has less than a percent of market share. Early adopters of the Torch 9810 or the Bold 9900 know that it takes a few of months for all their apps to appear in App World.

BlackBerry 10 will work a bit differently in that it’s much easier to port apps from other platforms and the new architecture is less dependant on specific screen resolutions. RIM’s developer relations team has also done a terrific job in offering the right programs and perks to commit developers to porting before a big device launch. I can’t wait to see how many apps are available at launch for BlackBerry 10, I’m sure their final tally will impress anyone.

Launch Time

BlackBerry 10 launches in two weeks and It’ll be interesting to see how RIM executes their biggest launch in history. I’ll be paying particular attention to the carrier and retail channels because that’s where RIM has lost a lot of it’s lustre in the recent few years.

RIM has developed an advanced mobile platform, made some good long-term architecture decisions and have the apps to back it all up. Will these solid fundamentals add up to RIM growing their smartphone market share?

JaredCo put together a great free wallpaper app for BlackBerry. The app does a good job of curating groups of images by theme to suit your mood making personalization a breeze.

The app is compatible with every modern BlackBerry including legacy devices, BlackBerry PlayBook and soon to be released BlackBerry 10. Designed to be low maintenance, the app gets updates via the web so you won’t have to visit app world to access fresh wallpaper images and categories.

Click here to download JaredCo’s Free Wallpapers for BlackBerry 10 and PlayBook from App World.