We once again had the privilege of connecting with Gregg Ostrowski, Senior Director of Enterprise Partnerships at RIM®, to get his thoughts on why the Enterprise Jam events resonate with attendees. Throughout the interview, Gregg discusses RIM’s vision for the BlackBerry App World™ storefront, as well as RIM’s commitment to providing tools and resources to the enterprise development community.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

According to Gregg, “When an enterprise developer is building an app, they typically don’t want their app stored in a place that can be accessed by the public. To address that specific requirement, we’ve enabled a simple user-interface [in BlackBerry App World] that Enterprise developers can use to host not only public apps, but also unique Enterprise apps that they have built for their business – all housed behind their corporate firewall.”

Are you an enterprise developer interested in building BlackBerry apps for your business? If so, let us know by commenting below. We will be sure to connect you to the right people inside RIM and resources you need to make this happen!

This month, 36-year-old Neall Hards of Ottawa will compete in his first ‘World’s Toughest Mudder’ challenge, a grueling 24-hour course that he has been training for over the past two years.

“The course is designed by British Special Forces and is designed to drain every last bit of drive and desire you have in your mind,” said the father of three. “It’s dark, it’s cold and you’re alone for hours at a time.”

Hards has been a BlackBerry® smartphone user since 1999. From a business perspective, he has long benefited from features like mobile email access, calendar integration and enterprise security.

But it wasn’t until the spring of 2011 that the longtime runner started to use his BlackBerry smartphone to help measure his training progress. Hards purchased the runtastic PRO application through the BlackBerry App World™ storefront, which uses his BlackBerry smartphone’s GPS functionality to track his running distances, kilometer paces and time averages.

“The runtastic app on my BlackBerry smartphone acts as a coach and as a running mate,” said Hards. “Whether it tells me that I’m running at a great pace or that I’m lagging, the constant flow of information motivates me to push even harder.”

Whether Hards is training or competing, his family and friends can track his progress on his online runtastic profile and send cheers of encouragement directly to his BlackBerry smartphone in near real-time.

Hards prefers his BlackBerry smartphone to other training and measurement devices because it allows him to give his undivided attention to the course ahead of him. It has also proved to be remarkably durable, despite exposure to extreme environments.

“All I need is a waterproof bag and my backpack,” said Hards. “My BlackBerry smartphone swims with me, rolls around with me and gets muddy with me, and I’ve never had any issues.”

As a family man, business professional and race competitor, Hards uses his BlackBerry smartphone throughout the day. Whether using BBM™ to connect with fellow Tough Mudder participants, syncing calendars with his 15-year-old daughter or using the GPS feature to find his son’s football games, Hards appreciates the full functionality that his BlackBerry device offers.

“There isn’t a day that goes by, or an hour that goes by, where I don’t pick up my BlackBerry smartphone and use it for something,” said Hards. “I just can’t put it down.”

Do you use BlackBerry smartphone apps for personal training and fitness? We’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!

Note: As this list was pulled from three years of app downloads, not all are compatible with every model of BlackBerry® smartphone. Click through the links to view compatible devices in the BlackBerry App World storefront.

Business Card Reader

Trading business cards at a conference or networking event? Where do they end up? With Business Card Reader for BlackBerry smartphones, they’ll end up right in your contacts. This app utilizes ABBYY text recognition technology and your smartphone’s auto-focus camera to interpret the text and load it into your address book.

CamCard

CamCard similarly captures business card information, and stores it within the app inside a virtual business card library, which is fully searchable and sports a great interface that also retains the original image of the card for identification.

Splashtop Remote Desktop HD

Head out on the road and retain full access to your PC or Mac desktop via Splashtop Remote Desktop HD for BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets. Notably, this remote desktop app supports the streaming of video and audio from your PC or Mac, as well as full application and file access.

e-Mobile Today Professional for BlackBerry

Take control into your own hands with this app for BlackBerry smartphones that allows you to craft a personalized dashboard filled with shortcuts and useful information. View appointments tasks, contacts, application shortcuts, and more – all with customizable views.

Remote Desktop for BlackBerry PlayBook

Another fantastic remote desktop app for BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, Remote Desktop allows you to access your Windows-based PC from across the Internet without sacrificing functionality. There is no need to install third-party software or server applications, as this app utilizes functionality built into recent versions of Microsoft® Windows™ operating systems.

BuzzOff – Best call blocker. Block unwanted calls and do not allow caller to leave a voicemail

This app allows you to control how your phone handles calls from unknown or private numbers, as well as from 1-800 numbers. You can also set up blocking settings straight from the call log, and set up advanced settings such as time delays for hanging up or blocking a call. Check the log file for a list of successfully blocked calls.

Remote Print

Print documents straight from your BlackBerry smartphone via a lightweight application available for installation on your desktop PC. The desktop application acts as a print server, while the app on your BlackBerry smartphone allows you to print documents from the file browser, email messages, and more. The connection is made over Wi-Fi®, and a BlackBerry Enterprise Server connection is supported allowing you to print to office printers.

Wi-Fi File Transfer

This app allows you to transfer files between your Mac or PC and your BlackBerry smartphone via fast Wi-Fi connection. Using a browser on your PC or Mac, you’ll have the ability to access the file system on your smartphone (including the SD card) and transfer media, documents, or other files. Best of all, the system utilizes a Wi-Fi connection, which means fast speeds and no data charges.

Contacts Cleaner

For those who like to stay organized, there’s nothing worse than a messy address book. Contacts Cleaner fixes this issue automatically, allowing you to scrub your address book for duplicate contacts, reducing clutter and automatically merging contacts to provide a complete picture.

Auto Lock

Auto Lock automatically blocks keyboard input when your backlight brightness times out. This prevents you from accidentally launching an application or sending out a pocket call, and can ultimately help preserve battery life by preventing such situations. You can customize the Auto Lock functionality to set a specific timeout, and to allow certain types of apps to remain usable as exceptions. A “Slide to unlock” style interface appears when input is blocked by the app.

There we have it! If you haven’t had a chance to check out one or more of these apps, head over to BlackBerry App World now to load them onto your BlackBerry smartphone or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. I’m sure that you have more ideas than what I’ve shared here – get down to that comment box and enlighten us!

The private BlackBerry App World™ Enterprise app solution has officially arrived with BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0! This solution is designed to provide a streamlined framework for enterprises to deploy mobile applications for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users within their organization. The enterprise app catalog exists as a private channel within the BlackBerry App World storefront on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and offers a simple way for users to access approved and mandated apps that are managed by their internal IT department.

The growing trend in the enterprise space towards enabling a mobile workforce has meant the deployment of mobile apps, and the subsequent need and opportunity to streamline and organize the tools available to employees. Consistency and optimization in these apps can bring both efficiency and greater ROI to mobile investments. The Work app catalog in BlackBerry App World helps to make sure that your employees have easy access to enterprise apps managed by your organization – including updates to existing apps that are currently in use within your business.

App Availability

IT administrators are often looking to improve processes and efficiency within their organization. While they can request users to download certain applications, the new enterprise app catalog within BlackBerry App World provides IT admins with an easy way to distribute applications to BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users through BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion. It also allows users to access those apps from one convenient repository. When the user is connected to the corporate network, a “Work” app catalog will appear in BlackBerry App World, which can include group licensed apps purchased by the company and custom apps developed for the business.

Employees can download and manage these work apps the same way that they manage any other apps in BlackBerry App World. Apps listed in the Work app catalog include standard information such as available updates, current version, and more. The Work app catalog utilizes BlackBerry® Balance™ technology which is designed to separate work apps from personal apps in an easy and convenient way for both users and IT admins.

An Example

Consider an organization that has implemented software to track the operations of various internal groups on a variety of mobile devices including BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The IT group utilizes the Work app catalog within BlackBerry App World to make the mobile version of the app available to all BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users. When users open BlackBerry App World on their device and explore the “Work” app catalog, they will see the app is available for use.

Six months later, a new version of the app has been released and it becomes a priority for the IT group within the organization to have all employees operating with consistent versions of the app in order to remain functional. Updates can be made available through the Work app catalog and downloaded by users in a timely manner.

Requirements

In order to utilize the new BlackBerry App World Enterprise solution, you’ll need a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet running BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion.

Next Steps

Head over to the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion web site to investigate further and to try out BlackBerry Mobile Fusion for free for 90 days!

Does your business use mobile apps internally? Is this a consistent experience for employees? Share your current setup in the comments.

I have the pleasure of occasionally heading out to cover events and meet with our amazing partners and customers. During these trips, I like to test out the variety of apps available on the BlackBerry App World™ storefront that help with all aspects of this process. With the BlackBerry Travel app, BlackBerry Traffic, and the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update to BlackBerry Maps you get three essential apps for surviving out there in the harsh wilderness of business travel. Let’s take a look at the updates and how they can help you too.

BlackBerry Travel

A long-time favorite of the BlackBerry community (and us employees too), the BlackBerry Travel app is designed to allow you to plan, book, manage, and share your trips. The BlackBerry Travel app includes features to help keep your travel plans in sync. Automatic trip scanning can scan your Messages application automatically, and exports all supported travel email messages to the BlackBerry Travel app.

For example, let’s say that the airport you’re departing from gets overtaken by wild bears and your flight gets delayed. Don’t fret – BlackBerry Travel will notify you of delays or cancellations for your flights as they occur, and help you find alternate routes and book a new flight. You’ll also be able to make a limo reservation ahead of time to take you to your final destination right from the app. Keep in mind you’ll need a data plan that includes browsing for this app – then head over to BlackBerry App World to grab it!

BlackBerry Traffic

You know that point when you’re caught in traffic on a foreign highway and you’re deeply regretting renting a car? This is where BlackBerry Traffic saves the day. Beyond calculating your estimated time of arrival based on current traffic conditions – and suggesting alternate routes to avoid traffic tie ups – the app now provides turn-by-turn voice navigation through your smartphone’s speaker, or a Bluetooth®-enabled hands-free device or car system. Not only are you less likely to get lost with this app, but now you’ll also have friendly guidance to get you where you need to go all while keeping your hands on the steering wheel. The voice navigation also helps ensure a safer journey, allowing you to focus entirely on the road. By the way, BlackBerry Traffic works just as well on your daily commute back at home.

BlackBerry Maps

You’ll be more confident in your travels with BlackBerry Maps at your side. Displaying your route, distance and estimated travel time are only a few of the features of this app. My personal favorites are the ability to share maps through email or BBM™, bookmarking favorite or common destinations, and contextual search (e.g. “Pizza”).

With the updates in BlackBerry 7.1 OS, you’ll now be able to discover special offers, deals, and coupons from nearby vendors. This is particularly good for managing that expense account smartly during a business trip.

Updates to BlackBerry Travel app and BlackBerry Traffic, as well as the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update of BlackBerry Maps, are designed to make life easier for business users while on the go. Others features of the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update that can help business users include Mobile Hotspot, Universal Search, BlackBerry® Tag, Wi-Fi® Calling (where available), FM Radio, and BBM™ 6.1. Check out the blog post on the Inside BlackBerry Blog for more details or head over to the BlackBerry 7.1 OS web site.

Of the three apps highlighted (BlackBerry Travel, BlackBerry Traffic, BlackBerry Maps), which do you use most often? Share in the comments.

The introduction of the free BlackBerry® Mobile Conferencing app in June was a huge hit with BlackBerry® smartphone users, and we received a great amount of positive feedback as well as suggestions for improvement through the BlackBerry® Beta Zone community. Today I’m excited to announce that BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing version 2.0 is available on the BlackBerry® App World™ storefront. IT managers also have the option of downloading the app from our Software Download Site and pushing the app to end-users.

For those who are unfamiliar with the app, BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing is designed to make your mobile conferencing experience far simpler and more convenient. The app is designed to automatically pull conference call information out of invitations and appointments on your BlackBerry smartphone. It then takes that information and creates a simple one-click “Join Now” button that pops up at the meeting time or the meeting can be accessed from within the appointment in your calendar. On top of this ease of access, you can reconnect with one click if you drop from a call. The app also allows you to manage your own conference profiles which can be included in appointments and invitations. See the BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing website for further details.

The app is still free, and is designed to operate whether you’re on a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server or on the BlackBerry® Internet Service. Mobile Conferencing is currently available in the United States and Canada only, with plans to expand to additional regions in the near future.

Here’s what’s new in version 2.0:

Improved Detection of Conference Call Details
The Mobile Conferencing app is designed to now recognize even more conference information when it is included in invites and calendar appointments, and automatically allow attendees to “Join Now”.

Conference Call ID
Now you can more easily recognize and keep track of past calls. When you join a conference call, the meeting subject will now appear as the caller ID on your smartphone, as well as in your call history. This also means that past conference calls will appear in your Universal Search on BlackBerry® 6 and BlackBerry® 7 OS smartphones, again named by meeting invite subject. Lastly, on BlackBerry 7 OS devices, the voice-enabled Universal Search results can also pull up these past conference calls by subject.

Conference Profiles Increased to 10
Users can instantly add preset conference call details to almost any meeting they schedule by selecting from up to ten stored profiles.

Private Moderator Codes
BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing is designed to now manage participant and moderator information to help maintain confidentiality. Invites sent using conference profiles stored on your BlackBerry smartphone will now only contain the participant code when viewed by attendees. If you are the moderator of a conference call, the app will check with your stored conference information and provide you with the moderator code automatically.

Convert an Email Thread into a Conference Call
Help put an end to long email threads by scheduling a conference call with email participants in just a few clicks. The sender and recipients are included as attendees, the subject of the email becomes your meeting subject, and the body is copied into the invite automatically. Just add your conference details from a stored profile, click send, and you’re all set.

To learn more, check out the Mobile Conferencing website as well as the original blog post for version one. To download BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing, head over to BlackBerry App World.

Do you use BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing regularly? What’s your favorite feature? Share in the comments!

I recently spoke with several small business owners and entrepreneurs at the Top 100 SMB Influencers event in New York City, and one consistent theme that emerged from these conversations was how successful businesses use various forms of direct customer feedback to improve their services and products. Social media and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) provide a platform for consistent and direct engagement between businesses and their customers and prospects. Research In Motion Limited (RIM®) also embraces customer and developer feedback tools.

If you’re not already aware, the BlackBerry® Beta Zone represents one of our flagship communities for providing feedback on new products and solutions. An example can be found in the BlackBerry® Mobile Conferencing app, which has brought integration and enablement for BlackBerry® smartphones to manage conference calls and bridge information. Mobile Conferencing was introduced to the BlackBerry Beta Zone on April 8th, 2011; launched on BlackBerry App World™ storefront on June 3rd,2011 and updated on August 11th, 2011. User feedback played a significant role in product development for this app.

First, the BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing app was designed with an understanding that we as business teams are constantly hosting or joining conference calls, often using BlackBerry smartphones on the go or from a home office. Mobile Conferencing was the answer to the issue of having to both record and input conference information on a regular basis.

A significant amount of feedback was obtained through the BlackBerry Beta Zone from users of this app; one user in particular had concerns over the amount of conference profiles available (the original being 5), and voiced this within the community. Additionally, there were requests to improve the conference information detection algorithms to better automatically pull the information from meeting invites. The Beta Zone community managers then provided this feedback to the product development team, who increased the functionality of the app to include 10 profiles and enhanced the detection algorithms in the recent update. These are just a few examples of how forum posts by users, practically engaged with a solution, were communicated back to RIM and then included in a product update.

During some of my social community management activities over the past few months, I’ve been seeking feedback and ideas, as well as having some great conversations with BlackBerry users and business owners who face unique challenges in their daily work. Over on our BlackBerry® for Business discussion group on LinkedIn® , we’ve had discussions about features, apps, accessory wish lists, general feedback, touch screens vs. physical keyboards, and many more. It’s truly been great to see how BlackBerry solutions are being used in everyday life and work, as well as to connect directly with customers and provide an avenue for real discussion.

Where can customers provide feedback on BlackBerry products and solutions?

• BlackBerry Beta Zone
• BlackBerry Social Communities (including LinkedIn)
• BlackBerry App World Product Reviews

Does your business engage in social customer feedback? Share in the comments below.

Poynt for BlackBerry PlayBook

I recently traveled to New York City on business, and I can’t tell you how useful this app was to help me get a handle on my surroundings. Poynt™ for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet brings the same functionality as the Poynt smartphone app to the BlackBerry® Tablet OS, and helps you find information on businesses, people, movies, restaurants, or events close to your location. The app is even designed to allow you to send information to your smartphone once you’ve decided where you’d like to go. The feature list of this app is long, and includes reviews, bookings, call pushing to your smartphone, and more.

Adobe® Connect™

This Adobe® Connect™ app is designed to bring collaboration via the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to a whole new level, allowing you to host or join meetings. Beyond the included video and audio chat, public and private text chatting can also be enabled, along with polling questions and intuitive pinch-to-zoom interaction with the shared content.

GeeReader

Everyone needs a good RSS reader to stay on top of recent news that is nicely consolidated into a single app, and this one is mine. GeeReader pulls in a Google Reader account and maintains any folder structure you may have set up. Once you open an item for viewing, you can easily side scroll to the next item within the same feed, or expand to full screen. Lastly, you can mark posts as favorite, share posts, and toggle read/unread settings.

ScratchPad

Sometimes you just need to scribble down a diagram while you’re on a call or while you’re planning your next genius idea.The ScratchPad app by Painting With Numbers Limited is designed to find the perfect balance of simplicity and functionality, providing you with a free-form area to draw on using your fingers. The simple controls take up little space and allow you to change brush size and color, as well as undo/redo, clear, and export. The export functionality is particularly useful, and saves a screenshot to your pictures folder with one touch.

Box for BlackBerry PlayBook

Accessing my files from anywhere, on any device is a must for both my work and personal life. I was particularly impressed by Box for PlayBook’s slick interface and ease-of-use. Did I mention that you’ll receive 50 GB of free file storage and sharing if you download the app and register for an account before December 31, 2011?

Bonus: Documents To Go

This one comes free and preloaded on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Documents To Go® Premium is designed to provide a foundation for business functionality by allowing you to view, create, and edit documents on your tablet. Supported formats include Microsoft® Excel®, Microsoft® Word, and Microsoft® PowerPoint®. Additionally, Documents To Go Premium allows you to open Adobe® PDF files on the go. If there’s one app that I use every day, it’s this one.

What are your favorite apps? Tell me what I missed in the comments!

BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) 6 is now available in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront as a free download for you and your business to take advantage of and it will come preloaded on the latest BlackBerry® 7 smartphones from Research In Motion® (RIM®), including the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and 9930, BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810, 9850 and 9860! This latest version of RIM’s globally popular instant messaging and collaboration app contains some exciting advanced features – here are a few of the highlights I’d like to tell you about.

BBM Connected Apps

Third-party apps can now integrate with BBM 6, allowing you to invite your BBM contacts to join you in a variety of activities and co-operative application experiences. Not only can you share through apps, but you won’t have to leave a BBM connected application in order to chat. In no time at all you’ll be working together and discovering great new content.

The concept of BBM connected applications for business brings the platform to a whole new level of value. As these features begin to appear in new applications, I’m confident that opportunities to share information, improve workflow, and conduct business socially will only increase.

Here are a few examples of currently available BBM 6 connected applications: Huffington Post, Telemap Navigator, Unvired Workflow for SAP, and PowWow. There are many more available in BlackBerry App World, as well as many more on the way.

Enhanced Collaboration

I’ve personally found the collaboration features especially useful in my day-to-day work. With BBM 6, it’s now easier to share items with your contacts including calendar items, voice notes, and locations. For example, if I’ve changed the location of a meeting that I’m hosting, it’s easy for me to let my contacts know by sending an updated invite as well as my current location. Sharing both files and links has become easier as well. Finally, as mentioned, when using a BBM- connected app with a friend, you can easily chat with them while staying within the app.

Share Apps with Friends and Colleagues

Are you the tech-savvy one of your group, or do you know someone who is? Now you can recommend collaborative apps to your BBM friends and colleagues with ease. Simply invite a BBM contact to use the app with you, and if they don’t currently have it, they will be prompted to download the app to their BlackBerry smartphone. This is a great way to collaborate, and easily get everyone up to speed on the latest tools.

BBM 6 is a big part of the lives of many BlackBerry smartphone users today. As I said, we’re excited to provide even more functionality in this app. Some things are better shared!

How do you use BBM in your business? Share in the comments below!

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!