The annual three-day event is where Blackberry unwraps the latest and greatest products and services they're working on. The latest scoop from the first day of this year's show follows.
The eyes of the world’s tech media are squarely focused on BlackBerry right now, and their three-day event in Orlando, Florida, USA.
Expected at the event are keynotes and presentations from BlackBerry executives, including CEO Thorsten Heins, talking about mobile platforms and how BlackBerry innovations in mobile computing, platform management and BlackBerry 10 are empowering the future of all things mobile.
BlackBerry Q5
BlackBerry sees a profitable quarter. Yes, Thorsten Heins, CEO of BlackBerry has announced at the keynote of the BlackBerry Live in Orlando, Florida. There were several key announcements during the keynote including a new QWERTY device due this year, the BlackBerry Q5.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Bearing a striking resemblance to the BlackBerry Q10, the newly announced BlackBerry Q5 comes with a full physical keyboard and a 3.1-inch touchscreen display. The good part is that the Q5 is targeted at emerging markets and effectively India should be seeing shipments soon. The Q5 will be available in various colours as well: Red, Pink, Black and White.
BBM to roll out on iOS and Android
According to BlackBerry, it enjoys 60 million active monthly users on BBM with 10 billion messages per day. 51 million users engage with BBM for an average of 90 minutes per day. While that was expected, there were a couple of surprising announcements here as well. BBM, BlackBerry's signature messaging service will now be available on iOS and Android, for free! Users can expect these to be available in the next few months.
BBM customers collectively send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps. Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are.
"For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We're excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community," said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry.
Channels
"BBM is the best way to stay connected, and with today's announcement, we're again expanding the capabilities of the service to provide a deeper real-time engagement experience for people to connect with brands, business, and communities that matter most to them," said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President of Software Product Management and Ecosystem at BlackBerry. "With over 60 million highly engaged customers using BBM, content creators have a great opportunity to build deeper relationships, enhance their brands, and connect in new ways."
BBM Channels allows individuals and groups to create a dedicated channel and share information and updates with the immediacy that BBM offers. BBM customers around the world will be able to connect and share information, broadcast about themselves to their channel, or join their favorite communities and share their experiences of the channel with their BBM contacts.
Starting today, BBM customers can connect and share the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team on their BBM Channels. BlackBerry is working with leading global brands around the world to help them build and promote exciting new BBM Channel offerings.
Stick around with us for the complete coverage and noteworthy highlights from BlackBerry Live 2013 later in the day.
Follow Us
