BlackBerry Work Drives is a free application for BlackBerry 10 devices that requires BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10. This app enables BlackBerry customers to remotely access, edit and manage content located on enterprise network drives. Once the network drives are mapped through the Work Drives applications, native applications like File Manager and Documents To Go can be used to manage the network files and folders.

Key Features of the Work Drives app

• Mapping Network Drives: Connect and manage multiple network drives from your BlackBerry 10 smartphone
• File Manager Integration: Access documents and network folders from the File Manager application
• Document Management: Create and edit documents located on network drives using BlackBerry 10 applications like the bundled Documents To Go
• Email: Attach documents to email from shared network drives, and save attachments directly from an email to a shared network drive
• Note: BlackBerry Work Drives is supported on BlackBerry 10 devices provisioned on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. It requires installation of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and BlackBerry Balance and works in the Work perimeter only. It requires BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.0 and above.

Putting BlackBerry Work Drives to Work

Throughout my testing of this capability, I was pleased to be able to edit my team budget via our shared network drive on my BlackBerry 10 smartphone, and upload the revised file back into our team drive – all from the comfort of my couch at home. All I had to do was connect my team’s network drive to my Work Drive application by typing in the network path and my login credentials. The network drive is also saved in my File Manager app, so I only needed to type in the file path once. Once your network drives are mapped through the Work Drives application, native applications like File Manager and Documents To Go kick in to help organize and manage the network files and folders.

Having the ability to access files stored on my various network drives with the tap of an icon from my smartphone means I have the freedom to work on whatever I need to, whenever I need to. Having this capability fully integrated within the BlackBerry 10 platform is an undeniable bonus for those who use network drives in their daily work. I don’t need to go into the office to plug in (although my BlackBerry co-workers are awesome), or carry my laptop around in my already overstuffed work bag to have direct access to my corporate network drive. After speaking with the product team about BlackBerry Work Drives on BlackBerry 10, it’s clear that we are committed to empowering connected BlackBerry customers who we know will embrace the mobility capabilities fully integrated within their BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

Do you use network drives at work? How will you use Work Drives on BlackBerry 10 to be productive on the go? Share in the comments below.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Read more about the TDI case study on the BlackBerry Customer Success website. If you have your own BlackBerry success story, reach out to success@rim.com and tell us all about it!

Do you use the accessibility features of BlackBerry smartphones, or the BlackBerry Screen Reader? Share in the comments below.

I’ve been blogging for the past few weeks about BlackBerry® products and their impact on the public sector, and today I wanted to focus on accessibility for citizens who may have impairments. Accessibility is an issue everyone deals with as they seek to make their organizations open to a wide array of both employees and customers. Governments take this effort seriously and are leaders in the field — not only from a regulatory perspective, but because their customers are so diverse, and they can’t exclude anyone. With an eye to this leadership in accessibility, many government organizations are using the mobile platform as a key driver to improve the way citizens and staff access public services.

When it comes to making a difference, the BlackBerry platform offers accessibility features that help people communicate more easily and with more choices. The organizations referenced below either assess the value of accessibility technology by testing devices, or deploy accessible technologies to their clients. I thought their stories were interesting, and definitely inspiring.

The State of New Mexico Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CDHH) decided to give qualifying New Mexico residents BlackBerry smartphones because the devices offer features in one package that they couldn’t get anywhere else. All current BlackBerry smartphones meet or exceed certification requirements by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for hearing aid compatibility.

The BlackBerry solution was also attractive to the agency because it offers versatility in communications. The BlackBerry® Noise-Isolating Headset, for example, is designed to boost sound levels; BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) makes it easier to have instant communications; email and text offer more options for sending a message. The agency chose BlackBerry smartphones because they’re both a business and personal communication tool that can enhance the lives of clients at work and home.

Another organization has a similar point of view. Telecommunications for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TDI) staff use BlackBerry smartphones because they find that the devices make working much easier. TDI are also called on to recommend the best accessibility technologies to their members, and BlackBerry smartphones are one of the technologies that they recommend.

BlackBerry smartphones stand out for TDI for the same communications-enhancing reasons, but it’s also about the devices’ QWERTY keyboards and how suited they are to typing long messages. They also like that BlackBerry smartphones work with SIPRelay® by Sorrenson Communications and Wireless IP-Relay by Purple® technologies, which support text-based calling. Also, apps such as Twitter® for BlackBerry smartphones and Facebook® for BlackBerry smartphones are important for both social networking and the advocacy efforts of this lobby group.

Apps like Tap to Talk™ for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet offers accessibility features for children. Just tap a picture and the TapToTalk app “speaks”. Each picture can lead to another screen of pictures that can help a non-verbal child communicate.

I really like that Research In Motion® (RIM®) continues to break new ground with accessibility features for the BlackBerry platform. (Be sure to check out the Inside BlackBerry Blog’s post about BlackBerry® Screen Reader as well.)

Do you consider accessibility issues when deploying IT solutions? How do you address these concerns in a cost-effective manner?

The next “Paul’s Challenge” that I’ve been waiting to post has arrived, and it’s all about the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. Let me be honest – even though I have been traveling without a laptop for around 9+ months, there were times that I wished I had one. That changed when I was handed a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. I can definitely say that it has added value to several aspects of my day to day work – but how has it changed my No-Laptop Challenge?

BlackBerry® Bridge™

While all the PIM’s available are extremely helpful and great to see on a larger screen, what I find the most valuable is “Bridge Files”. You may remember back on my first post I talked about the “Files” application; well, it now has new meaning with the larger screen. Not only are my files available to me, but now I can utilize them on my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Any file I have saved on my BlackBerry® smartphone – or can be pulled off of my personal network drive via “Files” – is readily available on the tablet screen. You should note that some service providers may require a tethering plan to make use of the BlackBerry Bridge application, so you should check your plan to see what features are available to you.

Enhanced Presentations

We have all experienced a ton of Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentations in the course of our work. I’m not saying that you can’t mix it up on a laptop, but I haven’t seen anyone succeed. But with the HDMI output on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, not only can I carry a lightweight powerhouse, I have full 1080p resolution output and a slew of apps and features that I can use to redefine how content is presented. First, there is Slideshow To Go®, which allows me to do the traditional slide content with presentation mode. Second, I also have great apps like Sketch Book which allow me to do a range of things from simple whiteboarding to loading a picture in the background and marking it up. The great thing is that you can change the background while keeping your markups. Full color palette and the ability to save your work makes this a must have for any presenter. Add full HD product videos and browser-based Adobe® Flash® demos and it becomes unbeatable.

Multi-Tasking

I am what you would call a “Power User”; I can drag the best desktops and/or laptops to their knees. This means that I am a notorious multitasker who runs many applications at all times. With my plans to scale down my home office to a BlackBerry smartphone and a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, clearly I have stringent requirements for powerful devices. The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has delivered under the pressure of this use – I always have around seven apps running, without experiencing a single hiccup or drop in speed. For power users, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is needed to perform, and when you’re relying on a device to accomplish your business goals, it must perform. And I’m pleased to share that it has met or exceeded the use and performance requirements that I’ve placed on these devices as representative of my entire home office technology.

Conclusion

You might be asking “What’s next for Paul’s Challenge?” Traveling without a laptop was really the first stage in my overall project. I think that it’s time to start moving on to stage two and move off of my laptop completely at my home office. With this direction in mind, get ready for my next set of blog entries covering everything BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!

I’m back for part three of my No Laptops Allowed challenge, and this time, we’re talking BlackBerry apps!

For this post, I’m going to forego some of the standard applications. You should all have a favorite mapping program, your normal social media applications like Twitter®, BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), foursquare®, LinkedIn®, Facebook®…I could go on forever. I would like to know what your most-used social app is, though! Let me know in the comments section, or send a message to the Inside BlackBerry for Business Twitter account.

These are a couple of key applications that, in my experience, are complementary to someone who needs to be truly mobile:

Tungle.me:  As someone who is on the road about 80% of the year this is the ultimate meeting scheduling applications. This application eliminates double-bookings, time zone mishaps and the back-and-forth of finding a time to meet. Update: Here is some exciting news about RIM & Tungle.me!
Gowalla: A social travel guide for people on the go, is a fabulous way to share photos, places and highlights from your life with your friends and discover new places around you. Since launch, people have visited, photographed and shared over 2.5 million places around the world with Gowalla. Now local businesses, events, musicians and organizations are using Gowalla to reward their fans, connecting with their communities in thoughtful new ways. Very cool.
Ring2 Conference Controller™:  Another must-have application for me; being mobile and having the ability to view, selectively mute, hold and drop callers is very useful. I also have to say I’ve been running this application for probably five years, and the app has worked on every device and code I’ve thrown at it. Check out AppWorld for more details and pricing info. As a bonus, here’s a screenshot of the new Ring2 application for BlackBerry® smartphones:
Documents To Go®: I am constantly editing and updating Microsoft® Word, Microsoft® Excel® and Microsoft® PowerPoint® files on the road (yes, I did edit some of this post on my BlackBerry smartphone). The great part of Documents to Go is that it’s included with BlackBerry smartphones OS 5.0 or above.
Cisco WebEx® Meeting Center: We all eventually end up in a situation where we are asked to jump onto a WebEx. The mobile WebEx app has worked flawlessly for me. I find myself joining using my BlackBerry smartphone even when my computer is sitting in front of me
Chalk™ Pushcast™ Software: Internally, we are big into sending training and business unit information out to the team. Audio presentation and video are all local on your BlackBerry smartphone and are designed for fast viewing.
BlackBerry® Travel™: If you travel and don’t have this app, stop reading, I recommend that you get on BlackBerry App World storefront and download it now – I’ll wait. Welcome back – don’t you feel better? It has a great look and has saved me from waiting in an airport for a 3-hour delayed flight. How can you beat that?
Games from BlackBerry App World: Let’s be honest – one cannot live on work alone, and I find a game is the perfect outlet. You can check out BlackBerry App World for downloadable games that might be of interest to you! Prices vary on these puppies.

Are you going to the BlackBerry World 2011 conference? I’ll be presenting “Leave your laptop at home” during WA67. Come let me know which apps have worked best for you on the road!

For all you readers, I’ll see you again in a month or two to talk about how the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet has taken my mobile life to the next level. And if you have any questions, please post them in the comments and I’ll get back to you!

I’m back with part two of my no-laptop challenge (have a look at the No Laptops Allowed Challenge Part 1, in which I introduce my personal challenge to work solely from my BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone), and this time, it’s all about the hardware I’d recommend you have on hand to most easily succeed with just your BlackBerry® smartphone for your day-to-day tasks.

First, let me thank everyone who responded to the first post! Not only was it motivating to hear about your experiences, but it was also nice to see some additional challenges thrown my way. In part three, I’ll cover application essentials; but here in part two, we’re going to talk about the hardware that is essential to this challenge. You’ll be able to find all these items at the Official RIM BlackBerry Accessories Store, so be sure to stop by and order a few of these handy items for yourself!

BlackBerry USB Charger x 2: One charger should be dedicated to the BlackBerry® Presenter (as it doesn’t run on a battery), and the other can be used for various charging purposes. I would also highly recommend the smaller plug for size consideration when it comes to packing your bags.
BlackBerry Presenter: You can read the blog post about BlackBerry Presenter to find out more details of this product, but I’ve been finding this piece really helpful while travelling. I’m always presenting different material, from Microsoft® PowerPoint® to sections of PDF files, and this is a must-have in my bag.
Bluetooth® Headset: Another must have for two key reasons: 1. In some states and several provinces in Canada, it is against the law to drive and talk on your phone (unless it is hands-free). 2. Hands-free is great because it enables you to talk while taking notes or listen while watching a Cisco WebEx®. Also, for more Bluetooth tips, check out this recent post from the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog about how to pair your Bluetooth-enabled headset with a BlackBerry smartphone. Note: If you prefer, a wired headset is fine. You could also choose high performance ear buds and save a little room in your bag.
Extra Battery: Having an extra battery for those extra-long days is handy. This came in handy last week at Lotusphere when my day started at 6 AM and ended around midnight with no time to charge. (Again, the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog has got a great post about battery-saving tips)
BlackBerry® Leather Swivel Holster or BlackBerry® Leather Pocket: The magnet in the case does wonders for overall battery life.
USB Splitter Cable: I would list this as an optional item, but I did find it useful when charging my BlackBerry smartphone and Bluetooth headset at the same time.
microSD Card: I would recommend getting the largest one possible to carry your files, music and movies. I have at least 10GB of space dedicated to corporate files.
Performance Ear Buds: For music, video and even podcast a good pair of in ear buds are great, especially for those noisy flights!
BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet (coming soon): There were several comments on the first post regarding the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and how it would fall into my challenge. I’ve started to travel with one now, so look for a future post on how it was used.

That wraps up what I use from a hardware perspective. Did I miss anything you use for essential hardware? Post a comment and let me know!

Hi everyone – my name’s Paul. I’ve worked at Research In Motion® (RIM) for over eight years as a Technical Account Manager, and I’m now the Manager of Technical Services for the Enterprise Sales group at RIM. For the past few months, I’ve been making a deliberate effort to conduct all of my work on my BlackBerry® smartphone (a BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone, to be exact). This project started very slowly, but with each week, I learn what I can do to keep my laptop at home.

I started while on a business trip to Chicago, and although I had my laptop present, I tried to keep it in my bag. The next trip was to San Francisco, and once again, I had my laptop with me – but this time it stayed in the hotel room. For all of my meetings, I relied on BlackBerry® Presenter.

Before the holidays I tried my first official week where my laptop didn’t even make it on the plane – I was able to do all my work laptop free! Through January, as I head off to a week-long conference, I plan to leave my laptop at home. Very liberating – and all thanks to my BlackBerry smartphone!

In this series of posts, I plan to cover off some helpful tips and best practices that I’ve learned through this experiment, as well as providing a bit of background on the accessories and apps that make working without a laptop easy.

So here we go! A couple of quick tips for working solely from your BlackBerry smartphone:

1. In the “Files” application, map to your personal drive. This is a great way to keep documents easily accessible between your laptop and device. Think of it as your secure cloud hard drive. To do this:
a. Launch the “Files” application
b. In the “Go to” section at the top of the app type the path to your network drive. It will most likely be in the following format “//server name/folder name”
** You’ll need to be connected to a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server and have IT permissions for this.

2. Create a folder on your MicroSD card called “USB Thumb” and keep files that you would frequently share with your customers or team. I also store commonly used documents and product information here, where it is easily accessible.

3. Tips for getting the most out of your BlackBerry smartphone battery:
a. Reduce the backlight timing and brightness (Options > Screen/keyboard)
b. Turn keytones off (Options > Screen/keyboard)
c. Use headphones when using Media.
d. Utilize “Bedside Mode” when charging (I always use my BlackBerry smartphone as my alarm clock, so it’s beside the bed but it doesn’t have to be a nightlight!)
e. Check out some more hints for conserving BlackBerry smartphone battery power.

I’ll be back with the second post in this series later this month. In the meantime, feel free to start conducting your own experiment and let me know how it goes. Happy New Year!