If needing to know about BlackBerry Enterprise applications is your thing, then you may want to check out RIM's upcoming BlackBerry Enterprise application showcase. The event, to be held online on May 30th will offer a look at some of the enterprise solutions available from some of RIM's key partners including Citrix, SAP, and Box.

The BlackBerry® Enterprise Application Showcase is a one-day virtual event that highlights key partner applications that are designed to fully enable a productive mobile office. This virtual conference offers all of the same benefits you'd experience attending a physical conference, all without ever leaving your desk.

• Timely, Relevant Information - Gain key insights from the leading minds in enterprise mobility today.
• Savvy Keynote Speakers - See innovative apps from top enterprise partners Citrix, SAP, and Box.
• Instant Takeaway Collateral - Download all the relevant information to review and share
• Real-time exhibitor interaction - Visit booths and ask questions in a content-rich virtual 3D environment

Things will kick off at 10:30am ET and run until 2:30pm ET. If you're interested in learning more, you can hit the link below for further details and to get yourself registered if you do so with to attend the event.

Learn more and register for the BlackBerry Enterprise application showcase

If you happened to open up BlackBerry App World recently and noticed some changes you're not alone. In fact, RIM has sent out notification to BlackBerry developers letting them know that new category changes for applications are now in effect for BlackBerry App World and to adjust their apps accordingly if needed. The changes are as follows:

• News: The News category has been expanded to include magazines. This category is now called News and Magazines and includes Blogs as a subcategory.
• Beta: The Beta category is discontinued. The apps located the Beta category have been moved to relevant categories.
• Reference and eBooks & Education: The Books and Reference category has been divided in to separate categories so that these are now individual categories respectively. The Reference category includes Education. This new category is Education & Reference.
• Shopping: The Shopping category has been renamed Lifestyle.
• Maps & Navigation: The Maps & Navigation category now includes Travel and has been renamed Navigation and Travel.
• Music Creation (*NEW*): There is a new subcategory Music Creation available under the Music and Audio category.
• Children’s Categories (*NEW*): There are two new children’s focused categories: New Children’s Games category within the Games Channel, New Children’s Books subcategory within the Books category

While most of the changes are minimal, the removal of the beta section is a rather interesting one. RIM has spent a lot of time revamping the BlackBerry Beta Zone for their applications so it begs the question how BlackBerry 10 will handle betas, if at all. Then again, the beta section in BlackBerry App World was never really used by RIM themselves.

Via: BlackBerry Cool

Although they're not the first to have it in the UK, Virgin Mobile have joined the likes of Telefonica and Vodafone having now integrated BlackBerry App World carrier billing.

We've launched carrier billing with Virgin Mobile UK today! BlackBerry App World now offers carrier billing with 42 partners!^AK

Source: BlackBerryDev

Looking to load up your BlackBerry PlayBook with some games? If so, XIMAD is currently having a massive sale right now on all their greatest hits for the BlackBerry PlayBook. Yup, someone at the XIMAD office went a little nutty and dropped all prices down to the low, low cost of $.99 cents. Go getchoo some while the sale lasts!

View all XIMAD games on sale via BlackBerry App World

The folks over at Android Central have dropped some information about Verizon and their 3G grandfathered unlimited data plans. Right now, it may not mean a whole lot to BlackBerry users as the changes are only limited to those on 3G plans who are going to 4G plans when upgrading their devices. It is worth noting though, due to the fact that 4G LTE equipped BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBooks are on their way.

Verizon has plans to kill the current unlimited data add-on and force users to a shared pool of tiered data. Speaking at today's 40th annual J.P. Morgan Technology, Media, and Telecom conference, Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo stated that all customers will be migrated off of current unlimited data plans and on to a new data-share plan to launch this summer. "Everyone will be on data share", according to Shammo. As people renew contracts and move to new 4G LTE smartphones and other devices, their current data plan will no longer be available. There was no mention what would happen to current LTE subscribers, but we imagine they too will be pushed towards the new sharing plans.

Again, if you're making use of a BlackBerry right now and looking to upgrade to a new one, you should be ok and not be affected by these changes. However, if Verizon picks up a 4G LTE BlackBerry sometime in the near future, you'll have some choices to make.

Source: Android Central

For all you lucky developers out there with a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha in your hands, RIM has now confirmed via the @BlackBerryDev Twitter account that an update for the device is nearing. The device, which was given out to developers during the recent BlackBerry 10 Jam has, as of yet, never received an update so it will be interesting to see what RIM adds in.

We're getting the update for BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha ready - make sure your requests are in the issue tracker - http://bbry.lv/m9szVj  ^AK

As we saw recently, RIM has been showing off aspects of BlackBerry 10 OS using the device though, it's assumed they'll not add too much of that on the Dev Alpha but rather, just include the basics for developers to work with.

If you're a developer who doesn't yet have a Dev Alpha to test on, you'll want to check out the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour dates as the devices will be handed out at those events in limited supply.

Press Release

CIBC and Rogers Unveil the Future of Mobile Payments in Canada

TORONTO, May 15, 2012 - CIBC and Rogers Communications today announced an agreement to launch Canada's first joint mobile payment solution, allowing Canadians to pay with their CIBC credit card at the checkout counter using their Rogers "Near Field Communications" (NFC) enabled smartphone. Beginning later this year, customers will be able to use this payment capability at merchants across Canada where contactless credit card payments are accepted.

This announcement represents the first time a bank and a wireless carrier have joined forces to offer a commercially available mobile payments solution to Canadians that leverages the secure SIM card inside an NFC-enabled Rogers smartphone. This new solution aligns to guidelines announced yesterday by the Canadian Bankers Association for mobile payments in Canada, as well as those developed by respected international associations such as the GSM Association (GSMA), the association of mobile operators and related companies dedicated to standardizing and supporting GSM technology.

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During BlackBerry World 2012 and BlackBerry 10 Jam there was a lot of information released for BlackBerry developers. The highlight of the event was of course the BlackBerry 10 Native SDK with Cascades which, allows developers to create graphically rich, high performance native applications in C/C++ or Qt but in that mix, was the BlackBerry 10 WebWorks SDK which allows developers to create native-like applications using common web programming technologies.

During BlackBerry 10 Jam, Tim Neil took the stage to demo a lot of this in action but unless you attended the event, you may have missed some of the examples of bbUI.js that were shown off. Perhaps, one of the more interesting take-aways is the fact that it supports older devices in some cases considering there has been a lot of attention given to the fact that previous BlackBerry devices for example: the BlackBerry Bold 9900 will not be upgraded to BlackBerry 10. The power of bbUI.js allows for some design influences from BlackBerry 10 to make their way to older BlackBerry devices and that's a good thing. It also explains why a lot of attention to HTML5 was given to BlackBerry 7 previously as well.

Many of the examples were available for preview ahead of BlackBerry 10 Jam but with that event now wrapped up, you can have a look at what was shown off there and have glimpse of what will be coming to future BlackBerry devices. All in all, bbUI.js is yet-another great option for developers to build apps for BlackBerry devices and quite frankly, add some new polish to older ones, which will still be supported for quite a while yet. Jump below for a closer look at some of the bbUI.js design elements and hit the source link below to learn more about bbUI.js.

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Having already released their consumer offering for the BlackBerry PlayBook the folks from Splashtop Inc. have now moved onto their latest release into BlackBerry App World. Splashtop Pro is the enterprise offering from the company that will not only appeal to IT Admins, but the employee's whose companies are now making use of the BlackBerry PlayBook within their workforce.

"RIM is focused on winning the enterprise, and Splashtop Pro is the perfect app to support the PlayBook's success there," said Mark Lee, Splashtop CEO and co-founder. "Employees can go anywhere with their PlayBooks and have secure remote access to all their applications and files on their computers."

In order to use Splashtop Pro, you'll need to sign up via the Splashtop website but a free 30 day trial is offered to all IT Admins looking to make use of the services. If you're looking for further information and use case scenarios, you can jump below for the full details.

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Time to rev up your BlackBerry PlayBook Formula 1 fans! The Official F1 2012 Live Timing and Track Positioning app has now arrived for the BlackBerry PlayBook and is available for download from BlackBerry App World. Rather than just a port of the Android or iOS version, BlackBerry PlayBook owners will be getting a native application and it's packed with features:

• Real Time Track Positioning - Displayed on our dynamic and interactive map. You can see the position of every F1 driver on the track at the same time. See the gaps and pit stops as never before!
• Follow Your Favourite Forumla 1 Drivers - Selecting a driver switches the camera to follow that selected driver around the race track. Watch as they battle for position! 
• Live Timing Data - Timing data is streamed direct from Formula One Management's technical centre at the race track to the palm of your hand. With multiple timing screens including sectors, gaps and speeds. Watch the sessions like the engineers on the pitwall!
• Live Leaderboards - Combined with live timing data, scrollable leaderboards display a wealth of data.
• Download Race Packs - Download race packs after the event to watch the sessions again and again. Perfect for tape delayed broadcast! 
• Live Text Commentary - Lap by lap live text commentary keeps you updated while the action unfolds.
• Event Counter & Notifications - A new enhanced Infobase with an event countdown that shows the time to the next session and informs when a session is live. Optional notifications alert you when sessions are approaching. 
• Keep Up To Date - Easily access a wealth of information with latest drivers and teams stats, race information, standings and latest results. 
• Complete Formula One Access - Experience each and every Formula One Grand Prix session via the live timing & track positioning feed in the palm of your hand.

Just like the BlackBerry version, it is a paid app that will set you back $20 but it's a must-have for fans looking to get the most Formula 1 content available on the go. Need to see more before you jump in? Jump below to have a look at some more screenshots from the app on the PlayBook. Now all we need is that Ferrari BlackBerry PlayBook.

Purchase the Official F1 2012 Live Timing and Track Positioning App

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Now that BlackBerry 10 Jam and BlackBerry World 2012 are history, many developers have returned home from sunny Orlando, Florida with a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device in their hands. Some have been quietly working on their apps, some have been digging through the device to see how exactly it all works and some are just adoring their new exclusive phone.

RIM has always made developer devices available to folks though not really in this fashion, so the interest in the device itself is quite high. That said; many folks who have checked the device out found some interesting things hidden beneath the covers. Join me as we take a look at some of the goodies found within.

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Press Release

RIM Introduces the BlackBerry Curve 9320-A Stylish, New Smartphone for the Socially-Connected

WATERLOO, ONTARIO - May 9, 2012) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced a stylish new smartphone for socially-connected customers. The new BlackBerry® Curve™ 9320 smartphone features all the core BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features that keep people connected, and it offers global 3G connectivity backed by long battery life to allow users to make the most of their day.

"The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 is designed to make it incredibly easy for users to stay socially-connected," said Carlo Chiarello, EVP, Smartphone Business at Research In Motion. "The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be especially popular with customers upgrading to a smartphone for the first time and existing Curve customers looking for a step up in speed and functionality."

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 has everything a customer needs to stay in touch with the people and things that matter most to them. It features a dedicated BBM™ key, bringing the power of RIM's popular mobile social network up in an instant, as well as the best keyboard in its class for quick and easy typing. It includes a built-in FM radio, allowing users to tune into their favorite local stations, and listening to the FM radio does not require a data plan or use data services. Designed to allow both 3G connectivity and long battery life, customers can get up to 7 hours of talk time or up to 30 hours of FM radio listening or music playback with
headphones.

Customers can easily interact with their social network in real time, using preloaded apps for Facebook® and Twitter®. The new Social Feeds 2.0 app is also preloaded, allowing users to post updates to multiple social networks simultaneously and capture updates from news
sources (RSS), social apps and instant messaging apps all in one consolidated view. The integrated camera includes a flash and supports video recording, and pictures can be tagged with their location thanks to the smartphone's built-in GPS.

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You'll have to roll with me on this one, as I really don't have "documentation" to show it as fact but word around Waterloo is that RIM has been working hard on the next BlackBerry PlayBook OS update along with an update for BlackBerry Bridge. Right now, we're hearing the OS for the PlayBook is sitting at version 2.1.0.460 while BlackBerry Bridge is sitting at version 2.1.0.3. So what changes has RIM been working on? A few actually:

• BlackBerry Bridge 2.1 - Now offers you the ability to choose Text Messages as a category from the BlackBerry Bridge folder on your PlayBook.
• Bridge Over Wi-Fi - You can now seamlessly connect your BlackBerry Smartphone to your PlayBook over a Wi-Fi connection   

Needless to say, that's not all the changes that are forthcoming. There will be plenty more but those are some of the highlights we've been hearing most recently. As it stands, there is no date for this to be released or if the versions noted here are final, they could go higher before actual release but the information was worth sharing with you all. 

Rogers Wireless has officially released OS 7.1.0.391 for the BlackBerry Bold 9900. While this is an official release, remember to use caution when updating your device. If you need help along the way, you can head into our help forums or check out some of our BlackBerry 101 articles including How to Install or Upgrade to a new OS. If you do install this OS, hit up the forums thread below for findings, fixes and more discussion.

Download OS 7.1.0.391 for the Bold 9900
Discuss more in the forums

Did you attend BlackBerry 10 Jam or BlackBerry World 2012 but happened to miss out on a few sessions? if so, no matter. Both the BlackBerry 10 Jam and BlackBerry World 2012 session catalogs have now been made available online via the BlackBerry On Demand site in various forms. You can view session videos, presentations, audio and more making it easy to consume the content however you do so wish. Get yourself caught up on the sessions by clicking the link below to get started.

View the BlackBerry 10 Jam or BlackBerry World 2012 Sessions