Berryfication News
It’s a proud day when we see our favorite brand taking home some awards. Skip past the negative blog posts, the Q4 Earnings Call and anything else with the words “stepped down” in it because BlackBerry just won a Shorty Industry Award!
The award is for BlackBerry’s Best Use of Social Media for Customer Service. And might we add, it’s about time! I’ve always had nothing but love for RIM’s dedication to customer service, support and their fantastic social media teams!
BlackBerry Social Support Resources:
@BlackBerry: https://twitter.com/#!/BlackBerry
@BlackBerryHelp: https://twitter.com/#!/BlackBerryHelp
@AyudaBlackBerry: https://twitter.com/#!/AyudaBlackBerry
@BlackBerryBantu: https://twitter.com/#!/BlackBerryBantu
Help Blog: http://helpblog.blackberry.com/
Support Community: http://supportforums.blackberry.com/t5/General-Support-Forums/ct-p/GeneralSupportForums
Blaq, Kisai Labs incredibly popular Twitter client for BlackBerry PlayBook has just bumped up to v1.7.1 and is now available for download in App World! This is a Berryfication Heavy Rotation application and must have for any PlayBook user.
Here’s what’s new:
- Timeline position is held if new tweets are loaded while scrolled (instead of jumping to top)
- Reduced application size
- Reduced memory footprint
- Big performance improvements
- Improved scrolling
- New splash screen
- E-mail Tweet
- Font appearance preview
And here are some significant bug fixes:
- Real-time streaming fixes (caused by server changes to Twitter’s streaming on Monday)
- Long urls in tweets sometimes overflow into the tweet below them
- Mini browser does not rotate when moving from portrait to landscape and vice versa
- Tweets over 140 characters are still sendable if the virtual keyboard’s return key is used
- When tweeting a photo, a lack of space between the link and surrounding text make it unclickable
- When replying to a retweet, replies should be directed to original tweeter
- Duplicate tweets
Pick up Blaq in App World here: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/44453/
We’re excited to share with you stats demonstrating the BlackBerry platform’s successes in Q4 related to its BlackBerry applications and developer ecosystem. RIM will continue to report on the growing growing ecosystem moving forward.
There has been a clear commitment from BlackBerry to developers, with tools focused on usability and ease of development; increased involvement and contribution to open source; reinvigorated community event involvement over the last six months; new energy and leadership in Alec Saunders and Martyn Mallick; as well as the unprecedented seeding of a non-commercial testing device – the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device – at BlackBerry 10 Jam in Orlando this May.
BlackBerry App Milestones – Q4
- 21% increase in BlackBerry smartphone apps
- 89% increase in BBM connected apps
- 240% increase in PlayBook apps submitted to App World
BlackBerry Developer Milestones – Q4
- 68% increase in vendors registered on App World
- 42% increase in apps submitted to App World by developers
- 137% increase in PlayBook apps approved for sale
- Built porting guides to allow WebOS and jQuery apps to be ported to PlayBook
- Announced port of Qt to allow Nokia developers to target PlayBook and soon, BlackBerry 10
- Launched BlackBerry Native SDK 2.0 for the BlackBerry PlayBook
- Prior to PlayBook OS 2.0 launch, incented 10,000 new developers to register as BlackBerry developers, with offer of a PlayBook in exchange for an app. Over 7,000 new apps submitted
- Since its launch 10 weeks ago, the BlackBerry Developer Success Story page has added more than 20 stories with more to come soon
BlackBerry Apps –By the Numbers
- More than 70,000 apps in App World
- More than 15,000 PlayBook apps
- More than 2 billion total apps downloaded
- 177 million apps downloaded per month
Today, April 3rd, 2012 RIM announced the availability of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion enables IT departments to manage and support BlackBerry, iOS and Android devices, a new generation of mobile device management!
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion allows end users the freedom to choose their device and IT managers to sleep at night, knowing they can securely manage mobile devices from multiple platforms on their network.
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is a strategic product supporting RIM’s focus on the enterprise market. An initial release of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion launched with support for BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry smartphones on February 21, 2012. Today’s release expands RIM’s leadership in mobile device management, enabling IT administrators to securely manage BlackBerry, Android and iOS devices through a single user interface, using one easy-to-use console.
Some of the highlights of what BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is designed to do:
- Activate and configure devices and profiles over the air
- Enable access to enterprise Mail, Calendar and PIM
- Administer users and groups, natively and directory based
- Establish corporate IT Policies and Security
- Manage lost devices – Password Reset, Device Lock, Device Wipe
- Set Wi-Fi® and VPN settings
- Deploy internally-developed apps
- Define (and enforce) public applications as mandatory or optional
- Provides Notifications to the Device User
- Provides Rooting & Jailbreak Detection
- Help manage Roaming to control your data costs
- Prevent apps from accessing corporate mail accounts
Quick Links:
Today’s BlackBerry Mobile Fusion press release
Inside BlackBerry for Business blog post on RIM’s MDM roadmap
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion online
Source: RIM Media, Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog
It’s finally here! Twitter for BlackBerry v3.0 official version 3.0.0.20. RIM really does a lot for their Twitter application. The latest version brings some nice additions & a few bug fixes.
What’s New in 3.0:
° Greater social experience through deep integration with BBM
° Share your Tweet as your BBM Personal Message
° Bug fixes
° And more!
Download Twitter for BlackBerry v3.0 here!
A while ago Alec Saunders “VP of Developer Relations” at RIM had promised theme devs Theme Studio 7 software would be released near the end of Q2 2012. But given the current state of things do we really expect this software to come out now?
I’ve still kept a pretty close contact with all the BlackBerry developers that at one time depended on this software to build their new themes.
Written exclusively for Berryfication.com by Greg Wesson (@lombaki)
If you’re in the tech world at all, you’ve heard it already. During their 4th Quarter earnings call, Research in Motion (RIM) pulled the plug on the BlackBerry consumer market to focus solely on enterprise and they are going to be sold within the year. That, and I’ve got some Gulf Coast property to sell you in North Dakota.
I found this to be pretty exciting. Users are always asking what more can be done with the use of NFC capabilities and RIM is answering the query in a big way! Check out the full scope below.
RIM is excited to support the secure storage of an Iris ID biometric template. Today, Iris ID Systems Inc. and HID Global announced that the IrisAccess platform iCAM7000 can be used with select NFC enabled BlackBerry 7 smartphones.
NFC enables smartphones to become even smarter mobile computing platforms, and this is another great example that demonstrates the potential that NFC on mobile devices brings to the physical access control space. More information can be found in the press release
RIM will be hosting its inaugural Future Developer Event [Hackathon] at Pace University in New York this year. The event, held on Pace’s NYC campus, gives students the opportunity to develop their own BlackBerry app, using RIM’s HTML5/WebWorks tools. The event kicks off Friday, March 30 at 9 a.m. and continues through Saturday at 5 p.m.
This program is designed to give students – the next generation of application developers – hands-on experience and access to RIM experts. Students will have the opportunity to:
° Learn tips and tricks from leading developers in the industry
° Attend a developer panel, which will include RIM developer experts and developer partners
° Engage in hands-on app development experience that complements their classroom studies
° Learn techniques to develop compelling apps for BlackBerry smartphones and the PlayBook
° Participate in briefings with developers
° Discuss developer trends
° Meet and network with developers
The event info is also listed here. It will be a small crowd (about 50 people) and invite only!
Source: RIM Media
SamgbxDesigns has been one of the best designers I’ve had the pleasure of working with here at Berryfication. He’s built some of the sexiest themes, graphics and now he’s sharpened his paws for something even bigger in the World of BlackBerry!
Twexy is the name of his next passion project. A new Twitter client for BlackBerry smartphones and/or BlackBerry Tablets moving forward. The only thing he’s missing.. is a talented developer with the know-how & a similar passion for quality and kinship.
If you think that you might be interested in working with Samgbx you can either leave a comment on this post or touch base with him on Twitter at twitter.com/samgbxdesigns or leave a more discrete email at the contact link on his site here: http://samgbxdesigns.com/.
RIM is well known for their sexy-meets-professional-still-elegant accessories. That’s not my opinion, it’s what the fans tell me. Now with the BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 users like you and me are spoiled. The best of RIM is finally in our hands, but what about the best accessories to go with it?
Enter BlackBerry Mini Keyboard - Today Research In Motion introduced the BlackBerry Mini Keyboard, the newest ultra-portable companion for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The new BlackBerry Mini Keyboard connects to the PlayBook tablet via Bluetooth and works with core PlayBook 2.0 and third party applications to provide an even more powerful mobile computing experience.
RIM dropped us a note, sharing a cool social media milestone with you – #TeamBlackBerry surpassed 25 million fans across all our social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, Google +, LinkedIn, the Inside BlackBerry Blogs and other global and regional social networks.
All regions have set new milestones for fans and followers in the new year and we’re still growing, further supporting why BlackBerry ranks among the top brands in the world in social media. Below are some stats around our fan base and rankings. We couldn’t be more proud of RIM! Pretty awesome if you ask us!
#TeamBlackBerry Social Media Fans by Geographic Property
- Europe Middle East and Africa: 2.2 million+
- Latin America: 4.4 million+
- Asia Pacific: 4.2 million+
- Corporate / North America: 16.3 million+
- Total: 27.1 million fans and followers globally
See a snapshot of our North American BlackBerry communities and BlackBerry Worldwide Facebook page for more information.
BlackBerry Social Media Rankings
- #2 in The Vitrue 100 — Top Social Brands
- #5 in World’s 50 Most Valuable Brands in Social Media (Sociagility+ Interbrand)
- #9 in Ad Age’s Top 200 Social Media Brand Rankings
- #10 in Ad Age’s The Brands with the Top Relationships on Facebook
- #15 in Mashable’s Top Brands on Twitter
Source: RIM Media
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