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With the release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 we knew RIM would also be updating BlackBerry Bridge to support the BlackBerry Remote feature. What we didn't know though is how exactly it worked but now that it has been released, we're getting a better sense of that. In doing some testing, we found out BlackBerry Remote doesn't only work on BlackBerry devices.
In fact, it works on pretty much any device that supports the Bluetooth HID profile. We've tested it on a few devices now -- a Motorola Xoom as shown above a PS3 and an HTC Flyer as well, though Apple devices seem locked out but maybe you just have to mess with the settings a little bit more then we did. You'll also find Windows control keys are enabled if you're using a Windows PC or making use of Splashtop HD. Plus, Mac users can get in on the love by using their device as a keyboard as well.
The best part, there is no app needed to be installed on those other devices either, you can just install and pair and you're pretty much all set to go. I'm sure a lot folks can find a use for this, have an old BlackBerry you're not using and an Android tablet? Give it a shot and see how it works out for you.
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footose Feb 20, 2012 at 11:32 pm
AshDeezy Feb 21, 2012 at 1:00 am
Got this working on my HTC Jetstream! And PlayBook!!! This is so awesome.
ekafara Feb 21, 2012 at 1:54 am
So is this now the "one phone to rule them all"? : )
mbilloo Feb 21, 2012 at 2:29 am
well i fall in love over again with my bb after updating to bridge 2.0 :D
Marvin-13 Feb 21, 2012 at 9:31 pm
I don't get it, do you need to have a PlayBook in order to use the remote? Cause it says in the description on App World that it requires Tablet OS v2.0 to be installed to use it but I don't have a PlayBook...
EDIT: Just tried it, you can't do anything without first connecting to a PlayBook... how disappointing...
bbquincar Feb 20, 2012 at 11:37 pm
BlackBerry just became the most useful phone in the world wow.
00stryder Feb 20, 2012 at 11:59 pm
+1
Btw, loved the message you sent to Phil, Bla1ze!
Concession Feb 21, 2012 at 12:19 am
It's awesome. If bb10 does this, it is going to be an instabuy.
dolphinsb Feb 21, 2012 at 1:20 am
very true working awesome.......
Buckoni Feb 20, 2012 at 11:39 pm
yeah it works but, i lost bridge browser. i downloaded the bridge app from rroyy,s page
ekafara Feb 20, 2012 at 11:42 pm
The normal browser works when you don't have wi-fi, so unless you needed the bridge browser for a specific reason it shouldn't make a difference.
igotberryfever Feb 20, 2012 at 11:40 pm
tried the ipad and was a no go. But my playbooks work flawless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BaconMunch Feb 20, 2012 at 11:41 pm
You just got the BlackBerry keyboard on EVERY SINGLE Bluetooth Device with HID keyboard profile. Now these are the kind of surprises RIM has to bring into the game.
Kessen Feb 20, 2012 at 11:41 pm
I find it funny, another fruit does not like it, LMAO
Darlaten Feb 20, 2012 at 11:45 pm
Anyone actually suprirsed that an apple device doesn't play nicely here. Pfft!
BBPandy Feb 21, 2012 at 12:57 am
NOPE
Jerky223 Feb 20, 2012 at 11:45 pm
RIM using Bluetooth standards instead of creating it's own, love it.
Keep the surprises coming!
mapsonburt Feb 20, 2012 at 11:50 pm
They listened!!!! This was the number one feature I wanted for the BB. An HID keyboard/mouse combo is brilliant and makes the BB handheld a must have. Doing all the web on my PS3 or X-Box without a keyboard is a real PITA. Apple iFans will drool over this one.
mavricxx Feb 20, 2012 at 11:51 pm
BlackBerryEmpire.com just did how to piece to connect your PS3 to with your BB phone.
mavricxx Feb 20, 2012 at 11:53 pm
RIM needs to patent this feature ASAP before the fruit thief tries to call it its own!
yauchunh Feb 21, 2012 at 12:35 am
fruit thief will call it its own. and market it as 'revolutionary' then try to sue rim for infringement in courts. those ba*****
wgtcarlos Feb 21, 2012 at 1:01 am
Sure thing, it will be the revolutionary iRemote... LOL
Shane8750 Feb 21, 2012 at 12:06 am
Awesome things coming from Blackberry, errm i mean RIM lol
greatwiseone Feb 21, 2012 at 12:07 am
Awesome!
bwestgat Feb 21, 2012 at 12:12 am
does it work on an xbox? How about a wifi tv?
This is so cool!
Frosty_Power Feb 21, 2012 at 12:15 am
That looks awesome, now market it before Apple does. Haha
CDM76 Feb 21, 2012 at 3:11 am
YES a thousand times over. YES market it starting tomorrow !!!
gestep34 Feb 21, 2012 at 8:11 am
It is a great marketing opportunity since apple/android devices don't have keyboards. BB's have a real keyboard and now they are making it even more useful. Run with it.
mikelcal Feb 21, 2012 at 12:17 am
OMG!!!! I just squealed like a tween at a Justin Bieber concert! More the reason to have my BB out while I am *er* Showing a presentation! :D
Revord Feb 21, 2012 at 12:17 am
I just used the remote to open the crackberry app on my pb, and type this post. I am not in love... I AM IN LUST!! J/k, this is the coolest thing since sliced bread, cheese, and bologna.
tywilliams Feb 21, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Hi @Revord,
Ty from RIM here. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm for BlackBerry Remote—we’re pretty excited, too! I’ve been lucky enough to test drive this application, and I love the simplicity of using my Bold 9900 like a wireless mouse to control my presentations.
As you continue to explore the new features of PlayBook 2.0, let us know what you think either here, or on Facebook (http://bbry.lv/bdmrXv) or Twitter (@BlackBerry). Have fun!
Cheers,
Ty, RIM Social Media Team
AlenO Feb 21, 2012 at 12:18 am
Two Dodd Oh
lol :)
phikeno Feb 21, 2012 at 12:21 am
Just sync'd it with my laptop that is plugged into my tv. Makes things soooo much easier to navigate the internet and definitely less bulky! Another awesome feature for the BB!
Darrweng Feb 21, 2012 at 12:21 am
Now this is the Most Amazing App....ever!
yauchunh Feb 21, 2012 at 12:24 am
i really hope they have a strong patent for this!!
ssbtech Feb 21, 2012 at 12:28 am
My guess - RIM didn't plan for the BB Keyboard to be paired with devices like the PS3. I think the feature was just an unintended consequence of making the phone's keyboard a HID.
rashad82 Feb 21, 2012 at 12:30 am
help me setup ps3.
PKPDBERRYADDICT Feb 21, 2012 at 12:38 am
press windows key is for pairing with your windows device ! now pairing with laptop working mouse scrolling windows key + D :D the only thing that will make it perfect is pinch to zoon.
hell that is awesone I no longer need my presenter ! can use blackberry to show slides
PKPDBERRYADDICT Feb 21, 2012 at 12:38 am
ang it is the perfect "mini" keyboard and mouse for you pc when you plug it to your tv !
carriv Feb 21, 2012 at 12:45 am
Finally upgraded to a 9900. Can't wait to use this feature on my PS3!
yonyon.ca Feb 21, 2012 at 12:46 am
its working on my PC with win 7 as is... No setting needed. Very very nice
Written using my Bold 9700 on remote control !!!
dwill400h Feb 21, 2012 at 12:49 am
works great on my MAC....just need to change settings!!
leto13 Feb 21, 2012 at 3:03 am
I got it work on my mac for a few second after reconfiguring bluetooth, but now it doesn't work. Which settings do you changed?
thanks
andre3030 Feb 23, 2012 at 1:56 pm
How did u do it?
oneday116 Feb 21, 2012 at 12:58 am
This is the "wow" thing for me. Incredible stuff. I'm posting this using my 9900 through the Android G Slate. This thing auto corrects also. Really cool.
rashad82 Feb 21, 2012 at 12:58 am
i connected to my ps3 but you cant play huluplus with it, you can only skim tru back and forth.
needforbbx Feb 21, 2012 at 12:59 am
works on asus transformer.
ctys2ard Feb 21, 2012 at 2:24 am
do you need to pair with a playbook beforehand? I paired with my tf but the bridge on bb wont start without playbook...can u guide me through please? Thanx lot
needforbbx Feb 21, 2012 at 1:03 am
.
BBPandy Feb 21, 2012 at 1:00 am
Did anyone else notice that Bla1ze was using PB OS 2.0 in that video?
Bla1ze Feb 21, 2012 at 1:05 am
Ahh yes, but was it the dev build or was it 2.0.0.7949 ;)
BBPandy Feb 21, 2012 at 1:30 am
only Bla1ze knows....
jasperlin Feb 21, 2012 at 1:28 am
perhaps it's 2.0 beta. bet you half the ppl on cb have 2.0 beta.
yuxiangsg Feb 21, 2012 at 1:07 am
i realise if you dont pair it to the bb prior to pairing to any other device, it just wont work
oneday116 Feb 21, 2012 at 1:34 am
Is true, I tried to use the 9800 to use the Android G slate but Bridge wanted to connect with a Playbook first. It would not even try to connect with G Slate
TheUnknownUser Feb 21, 2012 at 1:20 am
this is one hell of a kickass feature i hope RIM expands even further on this possibly making more specfic features for devices such as a PS3 or maybe a company such as Logitech using their Harmony remotes creates an application that we can pay to download.
PostMortem Feb 21, 2012 at 1:27 am
Works better than advertised. I'm happy with this. Let's see what else the production release of OS 2.0 can also perform better than advertised.
Next thing they need to do is ADVERTISE...o_O
Dapper37 Feb 21, 2012 at 1:27 am
This is holycraptastic!!
jasperlin Feb 21, 2012 at 1:29 am
RIM needs to let other blue tooth devices control the playbook. specifically, my ps3 controller.
arkosakti Feb 21, 2012 at 1:31 am
now I wonder how using the virtual keyboard (I mean touchscreen keyboard *edited*)like in 9860 using this remote app...like to see the demo :)
HofstraJet Feb 21, 2012 at 1:39 am
Works great on Windows 7. If you already have your BB paired, refresh your services so that Windows updates the available drivers for the BB.
dolphinsb Feb 21, 2012 at 1:41 am
simply awesome great way to do the cool thing thanks rim.
AlenO Feb 21, 2012 at 2:04 am
BBGasmmmmmm!!!?!?!
ctys2ard Feb 21, 2012 at 2:06 am
To start of, is it a must to have a playbook in order to set up blackberry bridge? I installed bridge on my 9900, did the usual bluetooth pairing, and no idea how to get started. Help please :-) thank you
donaldblair Feb 21, 2012 at 2:27 am
Very cool update by RIM on this one, been playing with this for a few minutes on my Playbook. Noticed two issues so far, I found that the scroll doesn't work on drop down boxes in forms on the Playbook. It also does not replace passwords with asterisks or characters on the BB screen as you type them into a field on the Playbook.
All in all, very cool.
Playbook Family Feb 21, 2012 at 3:02 am
Just saw that RIM delayed os 2.0 to march 3rd
divakar Feb 21, 2012 at 3:17 am
What !!!!!!!!!! where can i find this information. this is a real joke.
Why would they say nothing about the delays until the day of the release.
this is happening so often that we can expect no more dates about their products in future.
Wonder whats going on with BB10 devvices..............
weesteev Feb 21, 2012 at 3:42 am
You fell for the Trolling? Silly you!
FoxxBerry Feb 21, 2012 at 3:04 am
this is dope...I wonder if touchpad will get the remote love.
symbotier Feb 21, 2012 at 3:05 am
Just paired my 9700 to my laptop computer (Windows 7) and it worked without any tweaking. First thing I did was open up a Powerpoint presentation and I found the "presenter" mode on the phone. Very cool and will be useful for enterprise-types.
The next-generation of phones need a laser pointer added to the hardware and BANG - your blackberry is an indispensable presentation aid!
scrappy13 Feb 21, 2012 at 3:16 am
This is awesome!! I'm slowly falling back in love with blackberry(RIM)... Keep it up! Once os 2.0 comes out we will be the envy
07thking Feb 21, 2012 at 4:06 am
This is exciting news, and it's only going to get better.
BB4Torch Feb 21, 2012 at 4:32 am
Works great on Playbook, wonder if it will work with Bluetooth Car GPS units. This would be very convenient.
wcsh Feb 21, 2012 at 5:02 am
ITS live!!! Its here.. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chief FTR Feb 21, 2012 at 5:35 am
Dying to get home to try this out on my xbox
shanefoster75 Feb 21, 2012 at 6:55 am
how are people getting this to work??? I don't see the option for remote control with BB Bridge version1.0.7.4
***Disregard, finally got the version 2 to load in App world***
ctys2ard Feb 21, 2012 at 8:14 am
i managed to pair the basic bluetooth settings between my 9900 and PC/android tablet. but when i try to set up the blackberry bridge remote control. it's asking me for playbook. all i wanna do is use the HID features on my android tablet and pc. must i have a playbook to proceed? thanx...
Joe257 Feb 21, 2012 at 9:11 am
Does that mean I can use a HID keyboard on my PlayBook? That would be sweet!
naturalblue Feb 21, 2012 at 9:13 am
this is very cool! i wish they would bring the full blackberry bridge experience to android. it would be one more thing that would make having a blackberry cool again. bbm on your tablet? yessir!
alex.munich Feb 21, 2012 at 9:35 am
This is all great news -- but: Unfortunately I do not have a PlayBook (yet), so I simply installed "BlackBerry Bridge". Obviously I am not able to discover, how to now get this software talking to my Win7 laptop -- all I can do there is "add new tablet", but there is no tablet being found; the Win7 laptop does not qualify at that point.
-> Any suggestions on how to get this configured and up and running with a Win7 laptop not having a PlayBook?
It would be so fantastic... Thanks!
naturalblue Feb 21, 2012 at 10:03 am
having the same issue here. i guess you need a playbook to actually enable this awesome feature.
Dracuger Feb 21, 2012 at 3:33 pm
I've started a thread for this, i'm trying to figure it out myself now, as soon as i crack it i'll update my thread: http://forums.crackberry.com/bluetooth-central-f42/hacking-bridge-2-0-re...
bquinney Feb 21, 2012 at 10:10 am
Interesting that this came in handy immediately as my PB was upgrading....I was able to control 1.0.8 with my Bold.
Vanti Feb 21, 2012 at 10:31 am
What do we have to do to get this guy a 720p shooting camera? Bla1ze cmon man please get a Hd camera its 2012
pastorz Feb 21, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Is there a way to trick BB Bridge into thinking it has been paired with a PB? Or should I try pairing at the local Best Buy and then come home and try again on my laptop and Android TF101?
SiDE Feb 21, 2012 at 3:24 pm
BlackBerry Bridge works with both my Sony VAIO and Dell XPS laptop. This is awesome!
Not sure if to scroll when connected to your computer has been mentioned. All you need is two fingers on the touchscreen to scroll. To have a better control of the scrolling, have one finger stationary while another finger does the scrolling.
BlackRob Jun 7, 2012 at 2:06 pm
What about pinch to zoom etc?
spencer1076 Feb 21, 2012 at 4:58 pm
I guess this is useless without a playbook? That sucks...why would they make an app with a feature like this and require it to be paired with a playbook? I would love to be able to use my 9850 as a remote for my PS3. If there really isn't a way to use bridge without a Playbook, this should go in the fail column.
nick13b@msn.com Feb 21, 2012 at 6:59 pm
ok i have read almost every forum and blog comment about the bb bridge and my only question is can it be used with the Xbox 360? Ive been muddling around with it and i cant make it work so if theres a way to connect the BB and a xbox that anybody knows about that would be awesome!
shlee Feb 21, 2012 at 10:37 pm
My only question is, how do I get blackberry remote?! Upgraded to 2.0 and now I can't find this application.
klinton Feb 22, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Doesn't work with release build of OS2 and latest bridge software on BB 9900 on O2.
There are no menu options on the bridge software to enable remote control of the PB.
pgerhard Feb 23, 2012 at 8:28 am
it's really not as easy as in teh video. Unpairing the tablet and then using it as a remove for any other device is pretty hard
DavidProvost Feb 25, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Has anybody found step by step instructions on how to pair a BB 9900 with a Win7 pc and get remote control working? I dont have a Playbook. I can do a standard bt pairing, but can't get the keyboard to work
BlackRob Jun 7, 2012 at 2:04 pm
At this time, it only works if you have a PlayBook bridge profile on your BB. Essentially you're tricking your BB into thinking it's pairing with another PlayBook. Without it, your BB won't let Windows (or OS X) know that it's a HID input device. I have a few theories on how to get it to work without a PB, but I have to test it out.
OneArseneWenger Feb 27, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Has anyone figured out how to drag and drop using remote control?
SparkusMarcus Dec 13, 2012 at 4:13 pm
Ok, yes this is great I use my 9900 to control my PlayBook, glitchy but it's ok. BUT WHAT I REALLY WANT IS TO DO IT WITH WINDOWS PC & maybe Mac !!!
I tried MobiMouse app and can't get it to work. Is MobiMouse only one out there?? A search on my part shows other apps from 2008-2009 like BluCTRL which can't be found now, but that's it! I Google search "Use BlackBerry as mouse and keyboard Windows PC" and nothing in years, just for PlayBook. That's screwed, especially with people hooking a PC up to they're 60 inch tv's in dark rec-rooms as media centres. BB 9900 is better than Playbook anyway which is a glitch-fest.