With an ever-changing work schedule and a heavy volume of incoming email messages every day, Graves relies on her BlackBerry® solution to communicate with her team efficiently. NCompass International’s offices are spread across the world, from London to New York City.

“NCompass has been a loyal BlackBerry shop for many years and allocate only BlackBerry smartphones under the company’s corporate plan” said Graves. “Personally, I can’t function without it. I use BlackBerry smartphones as an extension of my job and my life, and they’ve always worked for me.”

NCompass International often runs branding events at concerts that take place in stadiums bursting with thousands of screaming fans. Despite the loud noise and commotion, Graves and her team communicate with one another using BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), a reliable method that is crucial to the success of her events. Graves has even incorporated BBM into concert performances, encouraging fans to message will.i.am during the Black Eyed Peas’ BlackBerry-sponsored World Tour in 2010.

Graves and team leverage BlackBerry smartphone features to keep track of the many moving parts involved in NCompass’ brand activation events. For a recent launch, NCompass planned a large three day live event involving 10 separate initiatives in one 16 acre location, with more than 500 journalists. In the lead up to the launch, Graves took advantage of her integrated calendar functionality to ensure all timelines were met, and used her BlackBerry smartphone throughout the event to communicate with staff, anticipate any potential issues, and monitor social media activity occurring in near real time.

“In this business you need to be able to access information immediately and coordinate a lot of different people,” said Graves. “There is a lot of pressure because you need to be the best of the best, and consistency and reliability in your communication is a crucial part of that.”

Since Graves travels so often, she also benefits greatly from the data efficiency the BlackBerry smartphone offers. Whether working in NCompass International’s Rio de Janeiro office or at an event in Asia, her email, internet browser and messaging all function seamlessly and most importantly, economically.

Graves says NCompass International has deployed about 20 BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets, mainly to its production and new business staff, who consider the portability of the seven-inch screen and the functionality of BlackBerry® Bridge™ as key features. BlackBerry Bridge allows staff to connect their BlackBerry PlayBook tablets to their BlackBerry smartphones and access their email, calendar, BBM and other data.

“In this job, we always need to be ahead of our clients,” says Graves. “And the BlackBerry solution allows us to do that, all the time.”

Have a success story similar to NCompass International? Let us know at success@rim.com. How does your BlackBerry help you communicate more effectively in your work? Share in the comments below.

1. Extending BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) to your BlackBerry PlayBook

The BlackBerry Messenger experience on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet features an enhanced interface and solid functionality. If you’re using your tablet and a BBM message comes into your BlackBerry smartphone, simply pop open the BlackBerry Bridge folder on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and tap “BBM” to read it. I particularly find BBM via BlackBerry Bridge on my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to be useful for viewing photos, voice notes, or files sent to me from BBM contacts.

2. Stay connected without Wi-Fi®

It’s a pretty connected world out there with Wi-Fi at work, home, coffee shops, and airports. When you’re on the move, however, it’s important to stay online without skipping a beat. Thanks to BlackBerry Bridge, my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet comes with me and remains connected the entire time through the wireless radio on my BlackBerry smartphone.

3. Access your smartphone email, calendar, and contacts

With the huge amount of services that we all use (how many email addresses do you have?), unifying access across multiple platforms is paramount. Back-end synchronization of mail, calendar, and contacts is a breeze with BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, but you also have the option to view your BlackBerry smartphone mail, calendar, and contact information on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet over BlackBerry Bridge on the client side. The perk of this feature is the ability to manage email accounts that you’ve set up on your BlackBerry smartphone on the larger screen and interface of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

4. Remote control using your BlackBerry smartphone

This one is a personal favorite hands down, and never fails to raise some eyebrows in meetings. By activating Remote Control within the BlackBerry Bridge app on your BlackBerry smartphone, you can gain full wireless control of your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using your smartphone touch screen as a track pad and the keyboard for input. When presenting, you can even use the volume up and down buttons on your BlackBerry smartphone to control “back” and “next” functions on the slides being presented from your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

This feature is extremely useful for navigating through slides when presenting via HDMI. Walk around, pause for effect, and give a rich presentation all from your BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with no need for a laptop.

5. Share photos and videos

The high resolution of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet screen brings photos and videos to life. If I’ve snapped some pics on my BlackBerry smartphone over the weekend and I want to show a few of them to a friend in the office on Monday, I can easily use BlackBerry Bridge to pull them up on my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Alternatively, gather the family around the TV at home, plug your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in via HDMI output, and showcase your smartphone or tablet photos in this manner. Using the slideshow function to automatically roll through your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet photos makes this an easy one to set up and use for sharing media.

6. Manage files that reside on your BlackBerry smartphone and media card

I often download attachments to the media card on my BlackBerry smartphone and use the file manager to keep everything organized. If I need to review a document or crack open an excel sheet and would benefit from a larger view, I simply use the File Manager on my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to access my smartphone files. With the features of Documents To Go® on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, reviewing, editing, saving, and sending is convenient no matter where I am.

7. Centralize your task list across multiple devices

We all have our habits for staying organized and on top of our responsibilities. The Tasks application on my BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 smartphone is my sweet spot for knowing what I need to get done on any given day or week. With Microsoft® Outlook® synchronization, it provides me with one space that is constantly updated. This consolidation of tasks extends to my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet via the Tasks application in the BlackBerry Bridge folder, enabling my tablet to join the circle of devices that I use to add, edit, and complete tasks. To learn more about synchronizing data on your BlackBerry smartphone, head over to the BlackBerry® Desktop Software website.

8. Open On PlayBook for a rich experience

With BlackBerry Bridge you also have the ability to open links, emails, and files directly onto the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Once you’re connected, you can simply hit the menu key and select “Open on PlayBook” from your BlackBerry smartphone. This is great for utilizing the ultra-fast BlackBerry PlayBook tablet browser or for reading long emails that contain images or other media. Ty’s favorite use of this feature is to snap a picture using his BlackBerry smartphone and then quickly preview it on his BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Choosing which screen to display your content on is a fantastic feature and allows you to fully engage with what you’re working on.

9. Browse your corporate intranet and engage with web apps

If your organization has enabled corporate intranet browsing on your BlackBerry smartphone via a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server connection, this extends to your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet as well via BlackBerry Bridge. Using the BlackBerry Bridge Browser, you can check out the web apps that your company uses, allowing you to enter expenses, check Salesforce data, or engage with workflow approvals on your corporate network from the crisp interface on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. This one saves me a lot of time when traveling and lets me skip the experience of having to wait until I’m back at my desk. (Missing the BlackBerry Bridge Browser icon on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Find out why!)

10. Charging your smartphone? That shouldn’t stop you from using it!

Sliding my BlackBerry smartphone into a charging dock doesn’t mean that I have to stop using it. When I leave it to soak up some juice, I just pick up my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and pick up where I left off via BlackBerry Bridge. As long as I stay within Bluetooth® range – which I don’t have a problem with considering the unfortunate size of my apartment – I can continue to interact with my email, contacts, BBM, calendar, and more.

BlackBerry Bridge has been designed to open up a world of possibilities through a Bluetooth connection between your smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The information that can be shared, access to files, extension of connectivity, and utilization of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet screen and interface can provide a real boost to productivity and allows freedom of choice to maximize your experience. It’s really a new way for smartphones and tablets to work together.

How do you use BlackBerry Bridge? Share your most frequent use case in the comments below!

Morgan Parker of RIM Product Marketing and Jon Wong, Sr. Product Manager, walked us through a scenario of checking sales data using SAP® BusinessObjects Dashboards on the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet mounted on the dash of the Porsche, a well as leveraging the Citrix® Receiver to access a virtual Microsoft® Windows desktop. Check out the video below for the full scoop!

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

What BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet apps would you use in a car like this? Share your ideas in the comments below.

When the BlackBerry® Bridge™ app was first introduced, it allowed BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet owners with a BlackBerry smartphone to connect their devices in a unique way, with exciting potential for the future. With a BlackBerry Bridge app update for BlackBerry smartphones – and the launch of BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS 2.0 – this functionality has been enhanced, building on the connectivity to bring a whole host of exciting new features and use cases.

Picking up where you left off

Your devices need to work together as smoothly and functionally as possible – it’s that simple. There are benefits to using both a BlackBerry tablet and a BlackBerry smartphone to get things done, but if they can’t share information, then you’re simply crafting two separate areas of mobile work. In this sense, BlackBerry Bridge app allows these two devices to not only open the boundaries of sharing data, but allows them to become something else entirely when working together.

By opening up the BlackBerry Bridge folder on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you can access the core apps on your BlackBerry smartphone, presented within the user interface of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. For example, when I receive a BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) message, I simply reach for whichever device is closer. When I’m in a coffee shop, I generally use my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet exclusively to access content that is coming in to my BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 smartphone.

The “Open on PlayBook” feature coming with the new BlackBerry Bridge app and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS 2.0 allows you to view email messages, web pages, photos, and more on your tablet. Simply select the “Open on PlayBook” option from your smartphone.

Last night, as I was walking into my apartment building, I received an email containing a YouTube® video link. I simply chose “Open on PlayBook”, took my tablet out of my bag, and took it one step further by popping in the HDMI cable hooked up to my TV to watch the video on my high definition TV. The same use case applies whether you’re viewing and editing documents or browsing company web sites.

• “Open on PlayBook” shows up as a menu item on your BlackBerry smartphone, so you can open messages, address book entries, tasks, memos or calendar appointments on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
• Opening supported attachments with the “Open on PlayBook” feature triggers the corresponding BlackBerry PlayBook tablet application, such as Adobe® Acrobat® PDF Reader, to automatically launch
• You can also launch browser URLs on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using the “Open on PlayBook” feature from your BlackBerry smartphone

Exploring the new Remote Control functionality

At this point we arrive at my personal favorite: the remote control feature of the new BlackBerry Bridge app for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS 2.0. Using this feature, I can use my BlackBerry smartphone to control my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, including bezel gestures for multitasking. This functionality extends to the keyboard . Lately I’ve been taking notes in meetings on my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet but typing using the keyboard on my BlackBerry Bold smartphone. This way, those around me can view the meeting notes on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or a large screen that is connected to my tablet as they’re being taken, while I sit back and type them quickly from where I’m sitting.

Here what you can do with Remote Control:

• Supports BlackBerry PlayBook tablet bezel gestures using your BlackBerry smartphone
• Vertical scrolling
• Drag-lock
• Right, left, and middle mouse click emulation
• Dedicated Presenter Mode

Remote Control really shines in a business setting when it’s combined with an HDMI cable to hook your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet into a projector or big screen TV. Presentations take on a futuristic feel for me when I’m using my smartphone to circle examples that are being projected from my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, all as I walk around the room not tied to any device on the conference table. Additionally, when in Presenter Mode, you’re able to split your BlackBerry smartphone screen into “Back” and “Next” buttons. Your presentation appears on the BlackBerry smartphone screen, your speaking notes on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and control of the entire scenario rests in your hands. Clearly these devices work well together, and applied to countless use cases, are changing the way organizations are doing business.

Note: BlackBerry Bridge Remote Control and Presenter Mode require the combination of a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet running BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS 2.0 and BlackBerry Bridge v2.0.

Additional Enhancements

The new functionality certainly doesn’t stop here – there’s more:

• Copy and paste within BlackBerry Bridge applications on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
• Select a different font size for messages in the BlackBerry Bridge Messages application
• Connect your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to the Internet through BlackBerry Bridge without having an active Wi-Fi® connection. In this scenario, both work and personal email will function normally. (Please note that this feature needs to be supported by your carrier.)

Consider new ways of accomplishing tasks and work via the functionality provided by updates to BlackBerry Bridge. There’s a lot to be excited about!

How do you use BlackBerry Bridge with BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS 2.0? Share in the comments!

The BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and 9930 smartphones start to roll out this month! I’ve been a fan of the BlackBerry Bold lineup of smartphones since I had the opportunity to get my hands on the original BlackBerry® Bold™ 9000 smartphone right before it was launched. They’ve always been a powerhouse smartphone, bringing serious functionality to business. And of course, there’s just something about that keyboard! It really is a treat to feature this latest edition of a BlackBerry smartphone with an outstanding history.

The first thing that you’ll notice is how the smartphone looks and feels – at 10.5mm thick, it’s the thinnest BlackBerry® smartphone to date, and it fits into your hand or pocket just as well as it fits into your business. Premium materials were used in the construction and design, and you’ll find brushed stainless steel and aerospace composite backing for the finish. As for the inside, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones boast a 1.2GHz processor, Liquid Graphics™ technology on BlackBerry® 7 OS, and Near Field Communication (“NFC”) technology. Did I mention the high-resolution touch screen? Now you can swipe, pinch, and enjoy a hands-on experience while hanging onto that iconic physical BlackBerry Bold smartphone keyboard. But don’t just take my word for it – check out some early BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 reviews from #TeamBlackBerry on the Inside BlackBerry Blog.

But let’s zoom out to grasp the big picture beyond the form factor. The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 devices are built to support business in a tangible and exciting way. Powerful collaboration software such as Documents To Go® Premium comes pre-loaded with BlackBerry 7 OS. You’ll be able to open attachments, edit documents, communicate with coworkers, and collaborate on projects with greater simplicity and efficiency. Of course, the smartphone integrates beautifully with a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, and bridges to the award-winning BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet just as smoothly with the BlackBerry® Bridge™ application.

How else are the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones ready for business? I can think of a few more reasons, not the least of which is the fact that BlackBerry® Balance™ technology comes pre-loaded on the device. Requiring a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, BlackBerry Balance is designed to allow you to separate corporate and personal data – two areas of our lives that can finally be organized on one smartphone. Company information can be coordinated by IT administrators, including functionality to wipe, manage, and assign smartphones. On the other hand, personal data can be kept safe from being removed or mixed with corporate collateral. Work-life balance has been a buzz-phrase and subjective concept for years, but now it can be articulated with handheld technology.

Check with your carrier for specific pricing and availability info. For further details, check out the full specification list, the original press release, and keep an eye on the BlackBerry community social feeds!

What feature of the Bold 9900/9930 are you most looking forward to?

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!

(YouTube link for mobile viewing)

At the BlackBerry World™ conference, I had the chance to interview David Heit, Director of Software Product Strategy, to discuss BlackBerry® Bridge™, which is an app that allows the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet to access existing BlackBerry® smartphone applications including secure browsing, access to corporate email, and many other enterprise uses. BlackBerry Bridge can be used with both BlackBerry® Internet Service and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server.

What is your favorite feature of BlackBerry Bridge? How would you use it? Let us know in the comments!

As you may have heard, the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet Mobile Tour truck has been hitting the road to present the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet at numerous cities and events. If you haven’t already checked out one of our stops, this is a great chance to take a few minutes and find out what the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is all about, try out a few demos, and learn how it can help your business. Once you visit the BlackBerry PlayBook Mobile Tour truck, you can learn more about the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by:

• Watching a theatre presentation: Relax and enjoy an overview of the ease of use and key features offered by the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. BlackBerry PlayBook tablet “tour guides” will be on site to provide further information and to answer any questions that you may have.
• Exploring a Demo Station: Get hands-on with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by viewing high-resolution visuals and experiencing the web. Try out the gaming, check out the apps, and start thinking about how you can use the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in your organization!
• Visiting the Bridging Station: Get first-hand experience on how BlackBerry® Bridge™ works and see how easy it is to get your email and calendar from your BlackBerry® smartphone to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Visit the official BlackBerry PlayBook Tour website to find out more – we hope to see you there! In the meantime, let us know which stops you’re planning on attending, and what you want to see.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

I’m really excited to have to have this opportunity today to present you with a new BlackBerry PlayBook video. Our friend Jonathan from the Product team at Research In Motion® (RIM®) was kind enough to help us demonstrate a few of the many BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet use cases for business professionals. Included in the video above is a brief demo of email pairing with your BlackBerry® smartphone via BlackBerry Bridge, multi-tasking, viewing Microsoft® Office® documents, and secure access to business applications such as Flash®-enabled dashboards from SAP® BusinessObjects Explorer.

I think the video demonstrates how easily the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet makes your corporate information portable and accessible in a variety of different ways. Post a comment below and let us know what you think, as well as noting which additional business features of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet you’d like to see demonstrated.