This is something we didn’t see coming! But BlackBerry is about to take on Twitter and Facebook with BBM Channels. BBM Channels is a place for brands and people to connect, and interact. A place for you to feel more involved. TheBerryFix.com will be launching our own BBM Channel in the coming days, so stay tuned.

Currently BlackBerry has opened this new feature up to a small group of beta testers, with full rollout expected in the coming weeks. Who would you like to see create a BBM Channel? Your friends? Or a celebrity? Comment below, I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

• Learn More About BBM Channels Beta Access Here

Press Release

Waterloo, ON – For the times when you want to share experiences beyond your friends or engage the communities you care about, BlackBerry® is taking its globally popular mobile social network, BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), up a notch with new functionality called BBM Channels. BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB) today announced the beta launch of BBM Channels, a new social engagement platform within BBM that will allow people to connect with the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups they are passionate about.

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BlackBerry has finally heard the cries of BBM fans and is answering. BBM is officially going cross-platform this summer. BBM will be available on iOS and Android devices as a free application beginning this summer. The update will work on iOS 6 and above and Android versions Ice Cream Sandwich and above. BBM cross-platform will initially be messages-only and the rest of BBM services will roll out throughout the year. The initial features will include:

• The immediacy of BBM chats
• Multi-person chats
• Voice note sharing
• BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users are able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more

Look for more news on BBM cross-platform in the days and weeks to come. Check out the Press Release about BBM past the break.

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On stage at BlackBerry Live 2013, CEO Thorsten Heins has just announced the BlackBerry Q5. This is a budget-friendly device meant for emerging markets. This device will begin rolling out globally in the summer. The Q5 will come in four colors; red, black, white, and pink. Check out the Press Release on the Q5, starting below and continuing past the break.

Press Release

BlackBerry Introduces a Youthful and Fun BlackBerry 10 QWERTY smartphone, the BlackBerry Q5, for Selected Markets

May 14, 2013

Waterloo, ON – BlackBerry® (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB) today introduced the BlackBerry® Q5, a new youthful and fun BlackBerry® 10 smartphone for selected markets. The BlackBerry Q5 smartphone features a QWERTY keyboard with discrete keys in a stunning youthful design that is confident, fun, and bold. Every feature, every part of the BlackBerry Q5 has been built to provide a fast, effortless experience that flows and moves with you to help you explore, create, and share while on the go.

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BlackBerry Live 2013 is kicking off tomorrow morning in Orlando, Florida, but we know everyone that wanted to be there can’t go. So, to help out the masses that couldn’t make BlackBerry Live this year, we will be covering the action live on TheBerryFix. Our coverage begins tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM EST. We’ll be bringing up the live blog at that time and begin posting up-to-the-minute news to Twitter, as well. The keynote begins at 9 AM EST and our live blog will follow all the action.

We will be posting updates to Twitter throughout the keynote and we will be posting the biggest, breaking stores as they happen. Then, after the keynote, our coverage will continue through articles on the website and Twitter updates as the news rolls in. It’s sure to be an exciting event this year, with some information on BlackBerry OS 10.1, BlackBerry 10 for the PlayBook, and maybe even some news on more BB10 handsets coming later this year.

We’ll see you tomorrow morning around 8:30 AM EST to get things started at this year’s BlackBerry Live conference.

BlackBerry fans in the USA, now is your time to rise up. Our platform is in desperate need of a US revitalization. People in this country are wrapped up in their iPhones and Androids, all the while remembering the pain of BlackBerry OS 5, 6, & 7. Now, a revolution has arrived on US shores in the form of the BlackBerry Z10. It launched this morning at 12:01 AM EST, with AT&T being the first carrier on board. Verizon and T-Mobile will be debuting the Z10 in the coming week.

This is the time for us to stand up and let people know that BlackBerry is alive and well with BlackBerry 10, and that the spinning wheel and laggy experience died with BlackBerry OS 7! We’ve got to get out and show off the entirely new experience of BlackBerry 10 on the Z10. As BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins put it, “Go out and sell like Hell!” If we want BlackBerry to survive, it starts here and now for us. Go grab your new Z10 this week and sell the platform back to those that gave it up!

Amazon has finally released the long awaited Kindle Reader app for BlackBerry 10. This is a huge addition to the app catalog for BlackBerry, bringing one of the world’s most widely used e-reading solutions to their customers. It’s also another compelling reason for iOS and Android users to give BB10 a try. The Kindle app is one of over 100,000 BlackBerry 10 apps that are now available in BlackBerry World. The Kindle app for BB10 brings all the Kindle reading features that users love in the iOS and Android apps, including:

• Personalization – Adjust the text size, change the screen’s brightness, choose your background color, and read in either portrait or landscape mode.
• Look Up Words – Tap and hold any word in a book to view the word’s definition with the built-in dictionary or use the Google or Wikipedia links to get more information.
• Sample Books Before Buying – Easily shop for ebooks and read the first chapter for free before you decide to buy.
• Bi-Lingual – Kindle is available in English and French.

The Amazon Kindle app is available for free in BlackBerry World. But remember, it could take up to 24 hours for all users to see this app in BB World, so if you don’t see it yet, keep checking. Hit the link below to see if it’s available for you yet.

• Download Amazon Kindle for BlackBerry 10

We know all about the BlackBerry Z10, with its imminent release tomorrow in the US, but what about its QWERTY-equipped brother, the Q10? We had heard from BlackBerry that the release of the Q10 would come in the months following the Z10 release, but were never told what month. That is, until now. UK retailers Clove and Unlocked-Mobiles are both offering the Q10 for pre-order, with shipping and release currently pegged for April 26th.

These two carriers offer SIM-free, basically contract-free phones, for sale in the UK. The pre-order price is around $800 for the Q10, which is about what you can expect for a SIM-free device. There’s no official guarantee that this device will launch on April 26th, but it would make sense. First, the Z10 initially launched in the UK, so the Q10 may well follow those footsteps. Next, BlackBerry desperately needs to get this handset out and make some sales. The Z10 is selling well, but the Q10 could boost sales even more.

We’ll let you know when we hear something a little more official, but in the meantime, check out the Q10 ore-order sites linked below.

• Pre-Order the BlackBerry Q10 at Clove
• Pre-Order the BlackBerry Q10 at Unlocked-Mobile

Source : Crackberry

Verizon has just officially announced their release date and pre-order information for the BlackBerry Z10. The device will be available in-store and online on March 28th, presumably for the price of $199 on a 2-year contract. Pre-orders begin online tomorrow, March 14th, at 8AM EST. Here’s the official statement from Verizon:

“The BlackBerry Z10 will be available for pre-order starting March 14 at 8am ET on www.verizonwireless.com/blackberryz10. The new smartphone will be available online and in Verizon Wireless stores starting March 28. Customers will be able to choose from two color models, Black or White, with White being a Verizon Wireless exclusive.”

If you’re a BlackBerry fan on Verizon, get ready to order tomorrow around 8AM. Verizon customers are also lucky because they get a choice between Black or White. All other US carriers will only have the black model. Check out the Verizon link below for more information.

• Check out the BlackBerry Z10 at Verizon

WhatsApp messenger, one of the most widely used, cross-platform messaging solutions, is now available for BlackBerry 10 devices. This is one of the most anticipated applications that was announced at the BlackBerry 10 reveal event. It is available for free in BlackBerry World. You can click the link below for the download or follow on past the break for the full Press Release regarding the launch of WhatsApp for BlackBerry 10.

• Download WhatsApp for BlackBerry 10

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AT&T has officially announced that the BlackBerry Z10 will begin selling on their network on March 22nd. The Z10 will cost $199 with a 2-year contract. If you’re looking to pick up a Z10 sight unseen, you can pre-order your device from AT&T beginning tomorrow, March 12th. Some additional good news for AT&T customers is that their version of the device won’t feature the hideous branding that the Verizon version has. AT&T will be branding their Z10′s only on the back with a small AT&T globe logo.

This launch date comes after much speculation from other media outlets that the launch date would be earlier in March. Many had pegged the 15th as the date; however, we did not post on this information because we knew that the date was slated for the end, not the middle of the month. We haven’t heard any firm dates for other US carriers, but you can expect them to either be on the 22nd or shortly after. Check out the full AT&T Press Release pas the break.

• Check out the BlackBerry Z10 at AT&T

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BlackBerry has officially unveiled the first two BlackBerry 10 devices, the Z10 and Q10. The Z10 is a full-touch device with a 4.2″ screen and virtual keyboard. The Q10 is a full-QWERTY keyboard device that has a 3.1″ screen above a physical keyboard. More information will be coming throughout the day on these new devices.

Huge news from the BlackBerry 10 launch event. CEO Thorsten Heins has announced that Research In Motion has been officially be rebranded to BlackBerry. The company is now officially BlackBerry and branding will change immediately. The tagline for the transition is “One Brand. One Promise.” BlackBerry will now trade on the NASDAQ as “BBRY” and on The Stock Exchange as “BB.” This is a huge shift for the company and is sure to be a good move for the future of BlackBerry.

RIM has kept a pretty tight lid on the final release details of BlackBerry OS 10 and the first BlackBerry 10 phone, the Z10. Today, BGR has not only learned some details on Z10 pricing, they have also set up a full walkthrough of all the apps, features, and screens that BlackBerry OS 10 has to offer. Pricing of the Z10 is made to be better than competitive. RIM is looking to bring the Z10 to market under the current market standard of $199. The rumor is that a $149 contract price is what you’ll be looking at upon release, possibly lower depending on your carrier.

There is a full walkthrough of all the screens, apps, and features of BlackBerry 10, including setup, BlackBerry Maps, NFC functionality, and even the calculator. The gallery totals 100 images and is available for viewing over at BGR by clicking the link below. With only 9 short days until BlackBerry 10 is fully revealed to the world, these images and details are likely the last bit of information we will be seeing until the full reveal by RIM.

• Check out the full BlackBerry OS 10 Walkthrough at BGR

RIM has announced the renaming of their annual conference, formerly known as BlackBerry World, to BlackBerry Live. This announcement comes on the heels of rebranding BlackBerry App World to just BlackBerry World. This year’s BlackBerry Live conference will be taking place in sunny Orlando, Florida between May 14th and 16th. There are tons of awesome sessions and workshops planned for this year’s edition of BlackBerry Live, especially since BlackBerry 10 will have been out only a short time and there will be lots to learn. Registration opens soon and we’ll let you know when it’s available and how to register.

Source : Inside BlackBerry Business Blog

RIM announced a while back that BlackBerry App World, the storefront for apps and games for BlackBerry OS, would be getting an overhaul for BlackBerry 10. The changes include a name change to just BlackBerry World and the addition of music and video content. That transition has started today, with BlackBerry World being the official, one-stop-shop for all apps, games, music, and movies for BlackBerry users.

Until BlackBerry 10 launches, the music and movies portion of BlackBerry World will be unavailable. This new storefront will serve as the place for downloads on your BlackBerry 7 smartphone, BlackBerry PlayBook, and BlackBerry 10 smartphone. You can hit the link below to check out the redesigned BlackBerry World.

• Check out the completely redesigned BlackBerry World