BlackBerry World Video & Music Categories Removed as 7Digital Launches App

As BlackBerry mentioned earlier they are removing the video and music sections of BlackBerry World and letting that content come from third parties. This is especially so after their deal with Amazon to bring their AppStore and content to BlackBerry 10. In the same move 7Digital has also launched their own 7Digital app on BlackBerry World so users who purchased content there can easily bring it over.

BBM arriving on Windows Phone in July

CEO John Chen dropped word that BBM for Windows Phone will be arriving in July. We already knew that is was coming, but now we know for sure that in just a few weeks Windows Phone users will be able to get in on the BBM action as well.

After the launch, BBM will be available on BlackBerry, iOS, Android and Windows Phone — making it a true cross-platform mobile messaging service. No details on just what the WP version will have in store, though it's safe to assume it will have features along the lines of the iPhone and Android versions at launch.

PAC-MAN celebrating his birthday with a sale in BlackBerry World

In honor of his birthday (tomorrow), PAC-MAN is now on sale in BlackBerry World for just $0.99 — down from the standard $3.99. At this price, it's much more palatable to grab the arcade classic for your BlackBerry OS or BB10 device without feeling too guilty about it.

PAC-MAN is still one of my favorite games of all time, as I'm sure it is many others. It's easy to pick up and play when you have a few minutes of downtime, or sit back for a longer session while Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde chase you down. Plus, this one supports Bluetooth controller input for that extra arcade feel.

Features:

• Your classic yellow hero in the palm of your hand
• Master levels and unlock new ones
• 256 levels are included!
• PAC-MAN and his 4 foes are chomping into your phone!
• Chomp dots, outrun ghosts, and relive the arcade action

The sale is live now and we're not sure for how long, so go get it while the gettin' is good!

Download PAC-MAN for BBOS devices
Download PAC-MAN for BB10 devices

Via CrackBerry

BlackBerry Beta Zone Opens Up To All Developers

 Until now only BlackBerry had been able to perform beta testing while all other developers had to make users side load apps. Thankfully the playing ground is getting flattened.

 Here is the email BlackBerry is using to announce the change:.

Hello,
We are pleased to announce that BlackBerry developers are now able to beta test their BlackBerry 10 apps through Beta Zone. Very soon you will start to see new “Third Party” beta programs available to you, which will be posted and fully managed by the developers themselves.

What do you need to know?

The process for participating in these beta programs remains the same, but all of your feedback will be submitted directly to the developers. Here are a few important things to note:

1.       You can easily distinguish between a Third Party and a BlackBerry beta application by taking a look at the ‘Author’ of the download in the Beta Zone app – BlackBerry apps will have “BlackBerry” listed as the Author, while Third Party apps will have the BlackBerry World Vendor name listed, example: “OSBB”.

2.       ‘Submit Feedback’ – After joining a Third Party beta program, you can contact the developer directly by using the ‘Submit Feedback’ form in the Beta Zone app. Be sure to select the appropriate beta program name from the “What is your feedback about?” dropdown, so that your feedback is sent to the correct developer.
Start testing! 

We are quite excited about this and expect that it will go a long way towards improving the quality of the apps available to you in BlackBerry World. We hope that you too are just as excited as we are, and that you will provide developers with the same amazing level of support and quality feedback that you have provided to BlackBerry over the years.
As always, thank you for the continued support and happy testing!

BlackBerry Classic targeting November release

A recent interview between BlackBerry CEO John Chen and USA Today finally lays a little bit more of an official timeline on it for those who've been wondering.

There's a new product called the BlackBerry Classic that's coming out. It's an updated and enhanced version of one of our most popular and successful products called the Bold. It will include a keyboard and a good touch-screen, very fast Internet, Web-browsing capability and multimedia capability. But also it will be very productive and very secure. So, all the familiar things that people love, with some new technology updated. That will come out in November along with the server that helps companies manage devices. Not only the BlackBerry device, but every device, the iPhone and androids and Windows and everything else. So, the new products will have a lot to do with the architecture . And we made some announcements of those at the Mobile World Congress.

That's a bit of wait for a new device. So long in fact it's already changed names, the device started life as the BlackBerry Q20 and John Chen went ahead and changed it to the BlackBerry Classic permanently.

Facebook for BlackBerry 10 v10.4.0.14 lands in the Beta Zone

If you've got the BlackBerry Beta Zone app downloaded to your BlackBerry 10 device, you might want to open it up and see if you have a Facebook for BlackBerry 10 beta available to you. A new release has now appeared and while the change log for it appears to be short, summing it up to just bug fixes and improvements to the news feed, the news feed is one of the biggest issues on with the app right now. Again, this is only in the Beta Zone app so you'll have to grab it from there assuming it's available to you.

BlackBerry is not getting out of the device business

Last night some stories were floating around stating that BlackBerry CEO, John Chen would "consider dumping" the handset business if that portion of the company remains unprofitable. Fact of the matter is, that's not the case — "my comments were taken out of context," he says.

Chen says he has no intention of selling off the handset business, and that the focus of the company is trying to make the business profitable.

From Inside BlackBerry

Yesterday, Reuters published an article that said I would consider selling our Devices business. My comments were taken out of context.
I want to assure you that I have no intention of selling off or abandoning this business any time soon.‎ I know you still love your BlackBerry devices. I love them too and I know they created the foundation of this company. Our focus today is on finding a way to make this business profitable.
BlackBerry is not a handset-only company. We offer an end-to-end solution and devices are an important part of that equation. That’s why we’re complementing our Devices business with other revenue streams from enterprise services and software, to messaging. We’re also investing in emerging solutions such as Machine toMachine technologies that will help to power the backbone of the Internet of Things.
We will do everything in our power to continue to rebuild this business and deliver devices with the iconic keyboard and other features that you have come to expect from this brand.‎
Rest assured, we continue to fight. We have not given up and we are not leaving the Devices business.

So long story short — don't worry! BlackBerry isn't getting out of the device business and will "continue to fight." So you can keep using your BlackBerry and go about your business!

BlackBerry Kopi smartphone appears online, features QWERTY keyboard

BlackBerry's Kopi smartphone has appeared online in a series of leaked photographs.

Images of the budget handset emerged on Vietnamese website Techrum, along with the device's alleged hardware specs.

© Techrum

BlackBerry's so-called Kopi smartphone

The entry-level phone is said to feature a 3.2-inch display, a physical keyboard and a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 processor.

The report goes on to say that the device includes a 2100 mAh removable battery and an HDMI port for hooking it up to an external display,

BlackBerry's Kopi is believed to sport a faster processor than its previous budget offering, the Q5, but lacks the 4G connectivity.

The handset is expected to be geared towards the emerging markets, with no word on whether it will be heading to the West.

Shawn the Sheep Stickers now available for BBM

Aardman Animations has finally released their Shawn the Sheep stickers for BBM! This sticker pack will run you $1.99 for all of their stickers. Shawn is the star of the Wallace and Gromit spinoff. Seeing these stickers come out, I just can't wait to see what others will appear in the BBM Shop. What would you like to see in the BBM Shop?? Let us know in the comments.

BlackBerry still holds the number 3 spot in Canada

Despite the doom and gloom surrounding BlackBerry, it appears they still hold the number 3 spot in Canada – despite a 5% drop on  a year to year basis. They even held on the number 3 spot with the PlayBook.

BlackBerry now owns 15% of the Canadian Smartphone market, according to a report by comScore. This is a 5% drop in market share on a year to year basis. However, the surprising news is that the BlackBerry PlayBook, also holds the number 3 spot in the Tablet market share. Personally, I think this is great news. Of Course, any drop in number is not good news, but considering where BlackBerry allegedly holds a virtual 0% in some places where they once dominated, it’s encouraging to see that there are some Canadians that take pride in holding onto their BlackBerry’s.