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Thorsten Heins takes in an NBA game with BlackBerry 10 in hand

By Adam Zeis on 18 Nov 2012 11:42 am
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A few days ago RIM CEO Thorsten Heins and RIM Senior Vice President, Software Product Management Andrew Bocking took some time out of their busy schedules to take in the Lakers/Suns game. Both had shiny new BlackBerry 10 devices in hand and look to be concentratiing hard on taking some great photos. I bet that time shift camera can do some pretty sweet work for a sporting event. Typically RIM employees can't bust out pre-production units in public, but I think this one might be an exception :-). Hit the source link for some more images.

Source: bbin 

Topics: BlackBerry 10 Thorsten Heins News & Rumors

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Adam Zeis Adam Zeis 3025 (articles) 2790 (forum posts)
76 comments

axllebeer

* BlackBerry by choice *
Awesome. Can't wait to see the real thing in my hands!
If anyone can get away with using one in public, I think the CEO can. Don't think it's gonna cost him his job :)

"Premier poster"

BBPandy

Great BB10 PR!

I bet this was planned. They made sure to have front row seats & to flash their phones around so the reporters would see them. I love the new RIM (marketing wise) they have taken a chapter out of Apple's book, create a buzz and have the media advertise your product for free :)
They got BB10 pictured & advertised in newspapers & bloggs around the world, & all it cost them was 2 Basketball Game tickets :)

axllebeer

Bingo! You nailed that one for sure. The time to create that buzz is now. It's not launch time yet but it's close enough that the timing is perfect for things like this. The CEO flashing prerelease software on the Alpha tells me that he is truly impressed with what his company is about to bring to the table, and wants to show it off.

--TommesJay--

He's CEO of a billion dollar company. Where else should he sit watching the game if not in the first row? :-P

mousii

Loool great point! Just think what message it would have sent if they would buy the tickets somewhere in a corner... Maybe they can't afford the tickets. Loool

kozmo68

In a private box.. :)

D_Way

I love my Bold 9930 but can't wait for the new phones to be released! I'm so tired of hearing about the Iphone 5, Galaxy phones. Don't get me wrong, they are great phones but I just love my BlackBerry and hoping I can continue to be a proud owner with the new phone next to my Playbook.

SF71

I second this! I have a 9900 and all I hear is iPhone, Samsung. I'm even starting to hear Nokia(Windows). I am holding strong for the Blackberry 10 "Series"! Does anyone know if the are going to rename the Playbook brand. I think they should. "T-Series" sound great to me. Following along with the whole new "SERIES" brand marketing machine.

Also I don't know if anyone watches this show called BOSS on STARZ. But all I ever see are blackberry phones on this show.

Skeevecr

There is no series branding, that is just something that has come out from the leaks where a particular set of devices follow a naming convention internally that lends itself to an overall name such as L-series being made up of names like London.

SF71

Well if what you say is true, then they might want to consider them to be the brand names. iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc...; Samsung: Galaxy I,II,III,Note....; those are brand names. Blackberry has a strong opportunity to win with BB10, with this label. L-Series, N-Series, and yes the Playbook needs to be renamed to a "Series" as well. Solidifying their position and new direction.

Hey! I just gave you five cents!

--TommesJay--

Agreed.

*-Series just sounds cool and high-class, like Mercedes or BMW models.

SF71

EXACTLY!!!!! I couldn't have said it better. Blackberry 10 is the new direction. The High end of the mobile world. Show that by the name Branding.

SDTRMG

+bb10 ... I agree, I own an iPhone 5, its the best built phone I ever used but iOS is lacking features hard, I seen the cinnamon toast feature for bb10 and it made me wonder what apples software people have been doing in r&d department

lynxs_claw

If RIM sends me one of these pre-production "L-Series" devices .. I'll show up to a Toronto Maple Leaf game and show it off as well.. oh.. wait...

1oo1

For that to happen the leaf's would have to be playing and I don't see that happening with the lockout.
Go Rams Go!

coolcut

I think that was a joke...

sk8er_tor

Hahaha, that was a good one :)

calicocat2010

Good start to advertising and marketing by showing off the devices. I wonder if the crowd asked, "Hey what kind of phone is that?" If so, maybe Thor gave a little time to explain to the crowd.

BaconMunch

This media snap fall directly in line with Thorstein Heins media blitz. I think RIM is doing a great job controlling and delivering their message, I hope there's ALOT more in store leading up to January 30, 2012.

G-bone

Frank Boulben : The Man With The Plan!

Abrante

Is that the "Mini Playbook" looking like BB10 phone?

gregerator

Thor's seems to be a Dev Alpha and the other looked more like a Dev Alpha B. I'm figuring both are not final hardware.

Abrante

I had a similar thought. Thanks for responding.

DuexNoir

That's what I was thinking, too, with a close-up of the images. I guess Heins is one step ahead and knew the media will be sneaking around trying to get a glimpse of the real thing...so he whips out a dev, instead. XD

~I am BlackBerry by choice~

limh5

Andrew's device has rounded corners and a different back than the Dev Alpha B, so it must be a L-series. I've a Dev Alpha B and the corners are sharp (not rounded).

SCrid2000

Yup, I was going to say the same thing.

dannyd86

I'm feeling more comfortable everyday about the size of this phone. I was so worried it was goona be like holding a samsung galaxy. In my hand. This size seems big enough to do everything we need but small enough to fit in any pocket

Flip4Bytes

Same here.. The one thing that you need to keep in mind though, is Thorsten has HUGE hands.. That phone looks tiny in his, make it look like his phone is a lot smaller than the other guy's :P

digitalman101

The picture in which Andrew Bocking is holding his smartphone and putting into a leather case: IMO it does not look like a alpha A/B device, and does not look like the leaked L-bb10.

This is a true teaser... Wondering if we get a suprise in the 30th of Jan.

BTW, Anyone knows when were these picture taken? The photos have good quality, so not by some cheap camera.

meganVee

The phone is looking great!
I am getting more and more excited for this phone to be released!!!
I will have it launch day or shortly thereafter!!!

bbicons

Glad to see this. It shows that RIM's marketing/PR team is really focusing on small details. I think it is def a bit random that they're front row at Lakers vs Suns game, but it's a brilliant ploy to build some additional buzz.

Well done.

I'm looking forward to seeing more between now and 1/30/13. Hopefully we'll see an EPIC advert in the Super Bowl to really kickstart the road to release here in USA

Ruslan Botsyurko

Can't really tell it by this small image, but to me it looks more like Dev Alpha B, I would expect more cut-off corners if it was the L-series.

toneytone

I love these controlled leaks but shouldn't they start showing us the N-Series already.

Skeevecr

That is due a while after the L-series so the odds are that most people at Rim are using an L-series right now.

jubatus1

Crackberry is slow these days posting new things these images where out last night, i have a new one many haven't seen. This is a promo video ad for blackberry 10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq1EcAAcKTA

BB_Bmore

That's a fan made video..who you trying to fool???

kozmo68

Maybe it's his promo video.. :) RIM needs more of these free plugs..

Andrew4life

That is a fan made promo video ad, so that doesn't really count.

BB_Bmore

Kobe Bryant promoting BlackBerry10? Could this have been a business /pleasure trip? ALL I DO KNOW IS THAT THE PHONE LOOKS HAAAWWWWWTTTTTTT :D Can't wait to own this device!!

BB_Bmore

According to Hiens BlackBerry10 is already in the hands of some folks and it's all gonna tie into the marketing campaign. I imagine that video that got the dude fired was legit. The video described how the marketing would work and it looks as if they are indeed going that route.

Rad_Book

Definitely not development devices. Round corners & London looking face on Andrews phone. View larger images on source Page. Can't wait to finally own a blackberry! Done with Android!

Andrew4life

LOL! Thats just awesome.

You can even see the screen in one of the pictures. I tried to make out what the icons were but I see nothing new just the usual browser, contacts, calendar, weather, photos, facebook.

Tried to sharpen the picture a bit.

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/4852/71443814.jpg

Oh, and in the other picture you can see he is carrying the Blackberry Playbook! :D

rimmster

I saw the L series phone at the raptor game a few weeks ago. I asked the guy if it was the dev alpha device and he got all awkward and hid it. He said it was an android, but I definitely saw the Blackberry branding on the bottom. When I went home to the crackberry website I saw that it exactly matched the L series phone. Pretty cool!

BBGrind

Love the look of it, Mini PlayBook look and style.

GoustiFruit

The only relevant question here is: what model did they use to take *that* picture ?

Rootbrian

Phones don't have optical zoom, so my best guess is a DSLR camera. The quality proves just how crisp and sharp the image is when those lenses are used.

Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes

Haven't you heard? Some people take pictures with cameras

Rootbrian

Props to BBindia for their awesome work. :D and crackberry for showcasing it. :)

ALToronto

I saw Mike L show off a pre-production Bold 99xx at a U of Waterloo alumni event. CEOs do that sort of thing.

Roweazie

Kanye West Concert. Hehe, the new trend of promotion.

rickster21

Can anyone tell what kind of Playbook case Thor uses in that last photo?
Just curious

DigitalMadness

It looks like the BB Mini Keyboard case combo.

Skeevecr

As far as those being convinced that he was using a dev alpha b, you cannot actually see the corners clearly enough to be sure and the odds of a CEO not nabbing some final hw for himself just seem shockingly remote to me.

3Dee

Lakers, wtf? Give me so Raptor news!

PagerRocka

Looking at the second to last pic thats definitely the L series that Andrews got

SDTRMG

I agree to, its for sure a l series, waif your ceo you roll with final hardware

koool1

Hooked up with some friends today - my 9810 seems so slow and old compared to all the Galaxy IIIs, iPhone 5s etc everyone else has. Couple of other blackberrys but man, I really need that BB10 phone yesterday. Seeing them is killing me.

SDTRMG

Trust me I know that feeling, I ended up buying an iPhone 5, still getting the bb10 device though, just got tired of seeing so many new phones

CDM76

I'm pretty sure the CEO and a VP would not be running DevA or DevB hardware OR software at this stage in game.

My guess is they are using final hardware/software fitted into a CASE making it look like DevA/DevB devices. It only makes sense.

G-bone

I want it yesterday, but I've made peace with the wait - timing and perfection are everything!
And,no matter what you do...Time Fades Away...

Jimcmf

The stupid iPhone that my friend has shattered the glass after it fell out of his coat pocket.
What a piece of junk.

SDTRMG

Rim, take my money and give me my bb10 device, a lot of people don't realize there are millions of people waiting for bb10, I'm sure there's at least half there 80 million + users waiting to upgrade

kozmo68

even if it's only 10% waiting that's, 8 million phones.. A pretty good comeback in my books!

#BB10 Believe

H_O_Boomaye

Man... RIM will be in court for involuntary manslaughter... I've been drooling about BB10 for months now and I'm beginning to suffer from extreme dehydration. Hope I make it to the launch event...

blacksheep > isheep