With most of the media on location in Orlando last week focused on BlackBerry World, the BlackBerry 10 Jam that was also being held flew a bit under the radar. The developers we did bump into last week only had positive things to say about event, which is pretty awesome (I was kind of shocked). It makes us want to know even more so we can help spread the word.

If you're a developer and attended the BlackBerry 10 Jam in Orlando, we want to hear from you! Give us your honest take of everything: the event, the keynote, the sessions, the announcements, the dev tools, the opportunities, the challenges, the selection of ice cream in the cooler in the Jam Space. We want to hear it all. We'd like to do a solid round up post for the BlackBerry 10 Jam (like we did for BlackBerry World) but to make it good, we need your insight! You can send your email to blackberrydevs@mobilenations.com.

Also, we're planning on running a series of BlackBerry Dev related video podcasts here on CrackBerry in the weeks and months ahead. If you're a developer interested in joining us for that type of a discussion, let us know and we'll follow up with more details. 

With BlackBerry World 2012 officially behind us, it's time to look back at the event that I believe will go down as a historic turning point in RIM's history. There's a lot to take in, so I'll keep the intro short and let's get right to it. Keep reading for what I view are five important observations coming out of the event.

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With the press in attendance mainly shacked out at BlackBerry World 2012, we didn't see too much reporting coming out of the BlackBerry 10 Jam this week.

That said, I did drop by the event on Thursday to help judge the App Circus competition. Props go to B-Giftee, Cooklet (available now for PlayBook) and Training with Messi for taking home the big prizes.

We're going to have more BlackBerry 10 Jam stories hitting the blogs, but overall the event really was a great success. Over the course of the week I did talk to a lot of BlackBerry Jam attendees, and was pleasantly surprised by how HAPPY they all were. Between an awesome keynote presentation, getting BlackBerry 10 Alpha devices and getting really good and usable developer tools, I've never seen such a happy group of BlackBerry developers before. Awesome stuff.

Be sure to watch the video above for my verbal take on things. Props to our friend Ewan at Mobile Industry Review for manning the camera. 

Here it is CrackBerry Podcast fans... our BlackBerry World 2012 Super Podcast! There's 90 minutes of BlackBerry goodness to listen to right here, with Adam, Bla1ze, Umi and myself covering all of the events of the last three days. The BlackBerry 10 preview. The keynote session. The BlackBerry 10 Alpha Device. BlackBerry Jam. The awesome press session with RIM CEO Thorsten Heins. We cover it all and more on this one, so be sure to listen. Note - Craig couldn't join us for this one, so next week we'll follow up with another video podcast so we can get deeper into Mobile Fusion and all of the enterprise stuff. Enjoy the show!

Audio File: Download .MP3

If you aren't a developer and won't be able to pick up a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha for yourself, you can still check out this unboxing video from forums member SCrid2000. Registered developers who attended BlackBerry 10 Jam were able to pick up their devices early this morning so they can start porting their apps to BlackBerry 10. Keep in mind that this is not the final BlackBerry hardware or software - it's just a prototype device for developers to use to ensure their apps work on BlackBerry 10 devices. Check out the full video above then hit the link below for more.

Discuss more in the CrackBerry forums

If you missed any of our Day 1 BlackBerry World and BlackBerry Jam coverage, we've conveniently rounded up the links below so you can click through to catch up on all the action. There's lots to read and lots of great videos to watch. Be sure to check out the BlackBerry 10 preview videos, which we're clearly excited about...as noted in my CrackBerry Kevin on BlackBerry 10 video above. 

General Session Keynote

BlackBerry World Keynote video previewing BlackBerry 10!
A quick demo of the new BlackBerry 10 keyboard
Thorsten Heins talks about "BlackBerry People" at BlackBerry World 2012
Take a peek at the upgraded camera coming to BlackBerry 10 smartphones
BlackBerry 10 Connected Porsche shown off at BlackBerry World 2012
Thorsten Heins introduces the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha at BlackBerry World
BlackBerry 10 highlights - App switching, multitasking, and notifications
Pacemaker Shows Off Upcoming App for BlackBerry PlayBook

BlackBerry Jam Keynote

BlackBerry 10 homescreen and Cascades elements visualized at BlackBerry 10 Jam!
RIM preparing to take BlackBerry 10 Jam on tour to reach out to even more developers
BlackBerry 10 Alpha Dev device owners will be able to trade up
Certified quality apps coming to BlackBerry App World along with a $10,000 incentive to build them

BlackBerry World 2012

CrackBerry Kevin on BlackBerry 10
RIM proves you can teach an old dog new tricks
The stock market and the audience at BlackBerry World will ultimately converge
BlackBerry 10 Alpha Dev device specs and features
BlackBerry 10 Sneak Peek Video
BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha Hands On!
RIM Launches BlackBerry 10 Platform
Research In Motion's BlackBerry 10 Platform earning the praises of developers
Cascades for BlackBerry 10 now available
Going Head to Shoulder with RIM's CEO Thorsten Heins!

One of the larger announcements to come out of the BlackBerry 10 Jam keynote was the fact the RIM will be setting up a certification program for developers who create quality applications and there is plenty of incentives for developers to sign up and participate. Aside from line-jumping the BlackBerry App World queue, developers who create a quality certified app as determined by a third-party and have it submitted to BlackBerry App World also qualify for an additional incentive from RIM. A $10,000 incentive to be more specific. If your app is certified quality, submitted and earns $1,000 on its own but not $10,000 -- RIM will cut you a cheque for the difference. RIM is placing a lot of focus on developers and this is only a small part of a what is $100 Million investment into their ecosystem.

The BlackBerry World 2012 keynote session is now over. If you followed our live blog you already know that we were pretty excited by the innovation that RIM unveiled -- BlackBerry 10.

The user interface was stunning. The on-screen keyboard rocked, with its unique way of presenting word suggestions and using swipe gestures. And that camera app, which functions like a little frame-by-frame time machine ... fantastic stuff. I hope RIM has patented all of these innovations.

So why is RIM stock down? It's down about 3% while the broader NASDAQ is up slightly today. On the live blog I said I'd be shocked if RIM didn't trade up today. I seem to have a knack for being wrong about how the market will react to news.

The stock market is a funny beast. People scream for innovation out of RIM. Yet when RIM delivers smashingly innovative stuff, they yawn and find something else to complain about.

We've got to keep in mind that RIM hasn't actually delivered any of this in a commercial device yet, and the timing is uncertain. So the market has a right to remain skeptical. But at the same time, the audience inside of the keynote session at the Orlando World Center Marriott was pumped. Applauses interrupted Thorstein's portion of the keynote more than I can ever recall in a RIM CEO presentation (or really any RIM presentation).

So there's a disconnect between the audience (who are developers and enthusiasts), and the market. And disconnects like this don't live forever. They can't. Either the company fails to execute on getting this great stuff out the door, and the audience is let down, or RIM actually hits its mark.

I actually feel proud to be a RIM shareholder again. I was actually convinced that I might enjoy switching to a touch screen keyboard. I'm loving BlackBerry 10. But the market obviously remains highly skeptical.

So we wait. The launch of BlackBerry 10 is "make it or break it" for RIM. I think they'll make it.

Stay tuned for a follow up where I'll post my thoughts on RIM's messaging and overall keynote session.

Follow all of our BlackBerry World 2012 coverage

BlackBerry World and BlackBerry Jam are literally days away now, and the excitement is growing both for those attending and those of us at home. If you're planning on attending and need a cool shirt to wear while you're there, BBMShirts has what you need. Wear your PIN on your sleeve in the shape of a fully scannable barcode and make it clear that your BBM is open for messages with the large BBMe print on the front of the shirt. It's a totally minimal design that packs a lot of style, and since they are only available from the BBMShirts booth at BlackBerry World/BlackBerry Jam, they are pretty exclusive. That's right, you can order these shirts on the website, but they won't be mailing them out; you will have to pick it up at the booth in Orlando. Full details including booth information can be found at the BBMShirt website at the link below.

More information on the BlackBerry World/BlackBerry 10 Jam exclusive BBMe shirt

We're just *days* away from BlackBerry World and BlackBerry Jam, both taking place in Orlando, Florida. These are THE BlackBerry events of the year and the CrackBerry team and BlackBerry community are stoked for them.

Making a social play to sign up a few late comers, RIM's VP of Developer Relations, Alec Saunders, took to the youtubes today with a fun little video. Check it out above for a good laugh and some good info (don't worry, unlike me Alec has the good sense to keep his clothes on).

The BlackBerry Jam conference is geared towards developers, and over three days there will be 80 sessions brainwashing you and teaching you to build awesome kick ass BlackBerry 10 apps. You'll get to learn about the BlackBerry 10 vision from RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins himself, and of course you'll also get to take home that sweet, sweet, SWEET BlackBerry 10 developer phone. Heck, I'm even guessing they might serve up some BlackBerry jam to go with your breakfast bagels and toast.

Orlando. BlackBerry. May first to third. Be the there! For more information and to register and secure your limited edition developer device, head to blackberryjamconference.com.

We're not all that far away from the BlackBerry 10 Jam, in fact it's just under a month away now, and RIM has decided to try out an "unconference" for everyone attending. The idea of an uncoference is to let your attendees decide the topics of discussion and as such, RIM wants to hear from you all -- BlackBerry Developers.

On Thursday May 3rd, the last day of the show, we will host an “Unconference”. This gives us an opportunity to work hand in hand with our developer community to build sessions and discussions on topics closest to your hearts.

We are asking for your ideas for session topics and to vote on the topics that most interest you. We’ve talked a lot about wanting to engage with the developer community and to show that we are listening, and this is another great way to build on that commitment.

What topics would you like to see discussions on? I’ll give you a topic I’d be interested in seeing: “My App is Great, But Now What? – Making an app a business; the importance of business and marketing planning.” Or maybe one like “How to Win the Enterprise App Opportunity with Gamification.”

Time to get your thinking caps on and really figure out some discussion topics; things you want to know from RIM, that can specifically help you in the development process. For submitting your ideas here in the comments you'll have the chance to win a free pass to the BlackBerry 10 Jam Unconference and 3-nights hotel accomodations from RIM. You have up until April 14th to enter, after that winners will be contacted and arrangements will be made.

Note:  This is a contest for developers and you must be able to be in Orlando, Florida for May 1st through the 3rd. If you cannot attend, or are not a developer -- Please do not enter this contest.

Developers, if you're out at SXSW this weekend you're not going to want to miss the opportunity to hang out with BlackBerry experts at the BlackBerry Jam Sessions. You can have one-on-one meetings to get advice on making the most of developing for the BlackBerry platform, get your questions answered, and more. As a super sweet added bonus, if you pitch your best app ideas to the BlackBerry team, you'll walk away with a free BlackBerry PlayBook and the chance to share your idea with an expert panel. The sessions will be March 10th and 11th at 78 Rainey Street. Check out the agenda and find out more information at the link below.

Saturday, March 10

• 1pm: Doors Open
• 2-4pm: Meet the Experts and Pitch Your App
• 4-7pm: HTML5 Meetup (Sign up here)

Sunday, March 11

• 11am: Blogger Brunch (invitation only)
• 2-3pm: Meet the Experts and Pitch Your App
• 3-4pm: Expert Panel – One Pitch To Rule Them All
• 5-7pm: Open House

More information on the BlackBerry Jam Session at SXSWi

Taking the stage at BlackBerry DevCon Americas was Alec Saunders to speak of a new initiative for BlackBerry Developers - BlackBerry Jam. For a while now, BlackBerry Developers have never had a one-stop-shop for all BlackBerry resources but now, with the introduction BlackBerry Jam, developers will be able to find a wide array of developer resources. Another new initiative is a recognition program for developers who continue to embrace the community. So what all does it mean?

• Jamming is innovating together - Build and innovative on the BlackBerry® Application Platform in your development language of choice.
• Jamming is collaborating together - Connect with experts, partners and the broader community to be more successful on the BlackBerry platform.
• Jamming is creating success together - Get help to go to market, be more profitable and build your business. 

Developers have long been asking for better online resources and better community resources and now RIM is working to make that happen.

Learn more about BlackBerry Jam