We’d like to introduce ExSafe by ExSafe Ltd, an application every small and medium business should invest in. The app allows you to power up your Docs2Go and give a common database to all users, BlackBerry or pc users alike, with a low cost annual subscription. Check it out…

Tony from ExSafe let us know about the application. I’m always being asked by various business owners for apps such as this. It enables collaboration between users through a common file/folders view with version and access control at the file level. What I really like about it is that it works great with the Docs2Go that comes free with OS 7.0. All the content you manage in the cloud from the phone. It avoids having to purchase a server or buy complicated software.

Here’s the description from BlackBerry App World:

“ExSafe for Docs2Go permits your business to create a common database for documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint , pdf and text which is securely accessible by other BlackBerry® or PC users in your business. It uses the installed Documents to Go product on your BlackBerry®. This means that you and your colleagues always have access to the most up to date content and allows the editing or creation of that content when on the road. In fact ExSafe for Docs2Go can provide a business workgroup without ever using a PC or Server. It is available on a low cost annual subscription service with your content securely stored in the cloud on a world renowned and trusted platform.

This is using your BlackBerry® as a computing device and seamlessly integrates with the installed Documents to Go product, providing a file view in the cloud that others can see as if part of a traditional computer network. Start today and create a workgroup for your business and add colleagues easily to increase productivity.”

In case you’re wondering, the annual subscription fee is only $19.99. Not bad for everything it supplies. The pictures you see are ExSafe Explorer on the desktop. This shows the same folder structure across both platforms, Unlike other competitors, they don’t offer a sync to PC service as everything is in the cloud – but there’s an offline version they offer. It’s not about storage, it’s about collaboration. All users no matter where they’re located on the globe, all in collaboration with the cloud on the device. Your business can be located anywhere and you are able to use this app with efficiency and find the value in it, and avoid the headaches and hassles of other software. They say we’re heading into an era where smartphones and tablets will be dominant, and with this app the use of a pc isn’t even necessary. Check out the video and if you’re impressed, you can head on over to BlackBerry App World for it.

This video is an earlier version, but it gives you the general idea of how it works and how to use it.

 You can purchase ExSafe for Docs2Go for $19.99 from BlackBerry App World here

At BlackBerry DevCon Europe 2012 we watched CEO Thorsten Heins introduce Vivek Bhardwaj and he was demonstrating OS 2.0. Vivek also tried to demonstrate the Bridge and OS 2.0 with “Open On” but it didn’t work. RIM wouldn’t leave you waiting, so they followed up with Vivek and posted the video showing how it works.

I’m really anxious for BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, and RIM did announce there’s a Bridge 2.0 coming as well. What the Open On feature does is that it allows you to take a picture or a file, then choose from the menu to Open On and you can choose the BlackBerry PlayBook to open the file on. Very nice and convenient, and a great way to implement the bigger screen. What are your thoughts?

Alec Saunders came out to share the App World Stats. I have to say, it’s looking very good. App World is the second most profitable App Store, second only to Apple. There are over six million daily downloads from App World and here’s the breakdown…

• 6 million daily downloads in App World which is about 180 per month
• That translates into 2.4 apps per user per month or about 29 a year on average
• Over 2 billion downloads total reached in January 2012
• BlackBerry users download more paid apps on average than Android users do(Yankee  Group)
• BlackBerry apps generate 40% more revenue than Android apps (Vision Mobile)
• 13% of BlackBerry developers made $100,000+ from BlackBerry App World apps, considerably more than Android or Apple developers (Evans Data Corp)

You can watch the entire General Session with the Keynote by CEO/President Thorsten Heins and followed by Alec Saunders from the BlackBerry DevCon Europe 2012 site here.

LensBoost has updated yet again in the BlackBerry App World. This is my favorite photo editing app that I use, and it’s available in the BlackBerry App World. I didn’t catch the changelog, but I’m sure it’s fixes for any bugs that werediscovered. If you haven’t given LensBoost a download, you have no idea what you’re missing, you’ll love it.

Purchase your copy of LensBoost for only $1.99 from BlackBerry App World here

If you have Angry Birds on your BlackBerry PlayBook, then hurry and download the latest update to it. I’m still waiting for Seasons to update with the dragon…I hope it’s soon. Meanwhile, Angry Birds is waiting for you.

If you haven’t downloaded Angry Birds yet for your BlackBerry PlayBook, it’s available in the BlackBerry App World for only $4.99. There’s no changelog yet to share. If you have the BlackBerry PlayBook, open App World and My World should have an alert. If not, just click Refresh List and it should alert you after it’s refreshed. If you download the update, please let us know what you find.

Purchase Angry Birds priced at $4.99 for the BlackBerry PlayBook from BlackBerry App World here

RIM’s new president and CEO welcomed those attending to the very first BlackBerry DevCon Europe 2012. This is exciting and it was great to see such a huge turnout in Europe. This is an important event for BlackBerry and for the developers. Check it out…

About DevCon:

The BlackBerry® Developer Conference is the showcase for the latest innovations and breakthroughs with the BlackBerry® Development Platform. Thousands of BlackBerry enthusiasts come together to collaborate with platform experts from the community and attend sessions, demonstrations, hands-on labs and keynotes — all focused on developing leading mobile applications, no matter your skill level.

It’s an amazing opportunity to connect with BlackBerry experts, get tips and discover ways to build for the BlackBerry platform whether in native or using web standards that allows you to extend your work onto other platforms. You’ll walk away ready to reach a community of 70 million subscribers!

Who attends?

Attendees will be coming to the conference from all over Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Anyone who is excited about developing for the BlackBerry platform will be at BlackBerry DevCon, including corporate, commercial and hobbyist developers, business leaders, faculty and students, BlackBerry partners, BlackBerry enthusiasts, and key leaders from RIM.

BlackBerry DevCon is the ideal event for BlackBerry developers and partners, for beginner or master mobile application developers, and is customized for several types of developers:

• Web developers
• Native developers
• Adobe® developers
• Java developers

Opportunity:

BlackBerry DevCon meets a need for developers and partners who are invested in the tremendous potential of apps for the BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. Learn how the BlackBerry Development Platform offers even more choices in development tools, greater integration options and APIs, more profitable monetisation tools, and valuable partner support.

Updates:

BlackBerry DevCon previews and demonstrates tools that help developers create apps on their terms, with maximum choice and support, giving you the opportunity to develop for both the BlackBerry® smartphone and the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. Discover tools that can make apps more profitable, technologies that lead to developing Super Apps and hot topics such as BlackBerry® 7 OS, the BBM™ Social Platform, Adobe® Flash® & Adobe® AIR®, the BlackBerry® WebWorks™ HTML5 platform, BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet OS, the Cascades™ UI framework, getting ready for the BlackBerry® 10 Platform, and more.

CrackBerry posted the Keynote video we’re sharing with you. I like the way Thorsten welcomes everyone and even acknowledges he’s home. He also stresses it’s the very first DevCon in Europe and how they sold out and thanks everyone. He is also letting them know that BlackBerry is committed to empowering their developers and giving them the opportunity to grow with them. During the welcoming and keynote, we are shown the numbers which are very impressive and see some really interesting facts.

• There are over 6 Million software developers in Europe
• BlackBerry is the Number One Prepaid Smartphone in the Netherlands, U.K., and Spain
• BlackBerry is the Number One Smartphone in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and South Africa
• There are 75 Million BlackBerry subscribers worldwide
• Over 180 Million BlackBerry smartphones sold worldwide
• 25,000 PlayBooks will be given away, so everyone attending will be receiving a BlackBerry PlayBook
• 13% of BlackBerry Developers make $100,000 or more from BlackBerry App World apps
• 2 Billion BlackBerry App World Downloads
• 6 Million BlackBerry Apps downloaded every day
• BlackBerry OS 7 has downloaded more apps than any other OS prior to it making it the most profitable from apps
• Seamless Experiences with the BlackBerry smartphone, the Cloud Servies, the BlackBerry PlayBook and embedded content with BlackBerry 10
• One Company, One Platform, One Vision: The acquired companies of QNX, TAT, Gist, Certicom, Torch, ScoreLoop, Tiny Hippos, Newbay, and Tungle
• The Road to BlackBerry 10
• The BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0

Thorsten introduced Vivek Bhardwaj, Head of Software Portfolio EMEA, Research In Motion, to show what OS 2.0 brings to the platform and to users.

Vivek goes through the PlayBook showing how OS 2.0 integrates the inbox to combine the social networks in one. He also displays the pinch to filter, walks us through the calendar, and even looking at our contacts. Even searching for contacts on the PlayBook is easily done with collaboration. He shows us how easy Bridge is with OS 2.0 and demonstrates the remote control feature using a BlackBerry device with the BlackBerry PlayBook. Vivek tried to show Open On, but it wouldn’t work during the presentation.  (Don’t worry, RIM won’t leave you hanging. It works eventually, and there’s a video to prove it).

Thorsten continues the keynote:

• The smartphone market is still relatively young

He also stresses that RIM is focused on listening to their developers, committed to empowering them and committed to the platform. He’s enthusiastic and highly charged, and I love the sense of commitment. It’ll be very interesting to see what type of apps start making their way to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

You can watch the entire general session from BlackBerry DevCon Europe 2012 from the BlackBerry DevCon Europe site here, but we included CrackBerry’s video of the keynote for you.

What are your thoughts?

[via BerryReview & CrackBerry]

This is really intense, BlackBerry has gone to Europe for the first ever BlackBerry DevCon being held in Amsterdam. RIM has posted this welcoming video that features Rob Orr – the VP, EMEA Product Manager and Rory O’Neill – VP, EMEA Marketing. It’s great to know that it sold out and see the turnout there. Check it out…

So what do you think? Are you a BlackBerry Developer or have you thought of developing for BlackBerry? What type of apps would you like to see out there?

Inside BlackBerry posted three great videos showing how BlackBerry smartphones are tested before release. If a picture’s worth a thousand words, these videos are chattering away! The testing is really interesting, as you watch them test with liquid, dropping, and even bend with pressure (such as if it were in your pocket), check it out…

The videos are displayed and narrated by Ryan, a Hardware Engineering Director in the Support Lab for Research In Motion. It’s really intriguing to view how the phones are tested and how durable they are, and what they’re put through to earn the stamp of approval. It’s important to the team that your BlackBerry fits the high standards since it is your communication lifeline.

After each test, they also check the readings of the digital readings of the phone which is the picture above.

Check out the water/liquid testing in this video:

That’s a 9360 dropped into colored water and it’s called a “Moisture Ingress Test”. It’s one of the most important tests and they check it after to be sure it still works. The water is colored so they can see how it affects the seal and how they can improve the next models.

That’s a BlackBerry Smartphone Drop Test. This is the excerpt from Ryan:

“Every BlackBerry smartphone model gets dropped hundreds of times before the hardware is deemed strong enough for mass production and consumer use. When dropped, the BlackBerry smartphone is filmed using high-speed cameras for review and analysis that could lead to revisions in hardware design to make the device stronger and more durable. Every design revision is then tested to make sure it can endure consumer use – whether that’s on a construction site, in the boardroom, or downtown with your friends.”

That’s a BlackBerry Curve dropped at 2000 frames per second. When you drop your BlackBerry, rest assured it’s been tested to stand that drop and more. Now from a two story window or higher….hmm, that’s another story.

This last one shows the bend test of a BlackBerry Smartphone. It’s so that they can see how much pressure the BlackBerry device can withstand as if it were in your pocket and being bent as if sitting on it. This video was filmed using Ryan’s BlackBerry PlayBook.

They also mention other tests such as shocking your BlackBerry with Electrostatic Discharge or ESD, to make sure the sensitive internal components are protected. Nice to know that your phone won’t be shocked and die easily. Check out the entire article at Inside BlackBerry here.

What do you think of the testing? Is there any other testing you’d like to see?

[via: Inside BlackBerry]

Thanks to the N4BB team, we get to see the ads popping up in the U.K. of the OS 2.0 coming to a PlayBook near you soon! This at least lets us know it’s coming and on the way. If you have a BlackBerry PlayBook, you have a lot to look forward to! Are you excited?

[via: N4BB.com]

Inside BlackBerry posted a great video interview they held during CES 2012 with Andreas from Groupon. I don’t know if you’ve ever checked out Groupon, but it’s a great way of finding specials and deals in your area. We’ll describe Groupon and then you can check out the interview.

There are three steps to the Online Groupon:

1. Get it. Check your email, Facebook or Twitter feeds for daily deals on cool local businesses.
2. Share it. Groupons are more fun when used with friends. Pass along deals by email or broadcast them to your social networks.
3. Enjoy it. Print the voucher or bring it up on your mobile device, then present it at the business to get your deal.

Here’s the types of deals Groupon brings you:

Groupon negotiates huge discounts—usually 50-90% off—with popular businesses. We send the deals to thousands of subscribers in our free daily email, and we send the businesses a ton of new customers. That’s the Groupon magic.

You can set up your account, and sign in to the mobile app so you can purchase right away.

When you find a deal you like, you can pass it on to friends or purchase for you or as a gift. It’s easy and there’s an app for both the BlackBerry PlayBook and the BlackBerry smartphones.

You can download the Groupon apps free from BlackBerry App World.

With Groupon HD for the BlackBerry PlayBook you can do the following:

• Find unbeatable Daily Deals near you Get local deals on demand with Groupon Now!
•  Purchase deals directly from your PlayBook
•  View your Groupons by distance, expiration date, and purchase date
•  Redeem your Groupons with your BlackBerry. Save time and trees!

Download the FREE Groupon HD for BlackBerry PlayBook from the BlackBerry App World here

You can do the following with Groupon for the BlackBerry smartphones:

• Find unbeatable Daily Deals near you and view them on a map
•  Get nearby deals on demand with Groupon Now!
•  Purchase deals with your phone
•  Keep track of all your purchased Groupons by location, expiration date, and purchase date
•  Redeem deals with your phone. Save time and trees!

Download the FREE Groupon app for your BlackBerry smartphone from BlackBerry App World here

The Groupon app uses your mobile device’s GPS to find the locations and deals available near you. Check out the video from Inside BlackBerry.

[via: Inside BlackBerry]