We’ve enjoyed hearing feedback from business customers who have started using BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 over the last month. Upgrading to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 is an important step for businesses preparing to deploy the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones and manage them securely.

To help you and your business transition smoothly to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, we’ve launched the BlackBerry Enterprise Service License Trade Up Program. This program will allow you to leverage your existing license investment to secure and manage your new BlackBerry 10 smartphones. The trade up process is easy and can be done in minutes – here’s a five-step guide to show you how:

1. Preparation

Before beginning the trade up process, you’ll want to make sure you have the following items at hand:

• Client Access Licenses that you want to trade up
• The BlackBerry Enterprise Server IDs currently in use in your environment
• The BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 ID to which you are migrating

2. Setup

Once you’ve collected the three items listed above, head over to the BlackBerry Enterprise Service License Trade Up Program webpage. You’ll then be greeted by the following welcome screen, where you can select which language to proceed in.

You can choose either to complete the trade up process by yourself as a customer, or your carrier and/or IT partner can do so by changing the drop-down selection as seen here:

3. Account specifications

For the next steps, input the Client Access License keys, BlackBerry Enterprise Server ID, and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 ID you collected earlier in Step 1. You will also need to provide shipping details, including your company address, email address and, if registered, your BlackBerry Technical Support Services Subscription Code.

4. Trade Up

Based on information you’ve already entered, you will then be presented the quantity of licenses available for you to trade up. Partial trades are allowed. This means that if, for example, you currently own 2,000 BlackBerry Enterprise Server CALs, you can trade up 1,000 CALs on today’s transaction and redeem the remaining 1,000 on a later date. Once you’ve selected a quantity, you will be asked to accept the terms and conditions of the Trade Up.

5. Review and Download

After you’ve accepted the terms and conditions of the trade up, you can confirm and submit your order! Once you’ve submitted, you’ll see a trade up license download screen, pre-populated based on the information you’ve already entered. Now you’re set to download BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and start deploying BlackBerry 10 to employees.

As you can see, we’ve really tried to make upgrading to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 a quick and straightforward process. If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback, feel free to share in the comments section!

Have you already completed a BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 Trade Up? Tell us about your experience on our LinkedIn Company Page or in the comments below!

Today we’ve published a guide designed for CIOs looking to streamline collaboration and communication within their organization. The contents include:

• Communications, Mobility, and the 21st Century Workplace
• What to Consider When Choosing a Mobile UCC Solution
• BlackBerry® Enterprise – the Nuts and Bolts
• Useful Links

Take a look at the guide below, hosted on our BlackBerry SlideShare™ channel.

How has your organization unified communication and collaboration? How is mobility involved in the process? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

We’re very excited to officially launch BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0, available as a software update to all existing and new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users. The enhanced OS was made available in beta to BlackBerry developers at BlackBerry DevCon Americas 2011, and we’ve since provided details on how the new features – such as the integrated email and PIM apps – allow you to communicate more effectively, integrate socially, connect to your BlackBerry® smartphone with incredible new functionality, and help to supercharge your productivity. Demonstrations at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show were met with as much excitement from the BlackBerry community as our own. Now, the wait is finally over. So, what does this mean for business users, decision-makers, IT professionals, and CIO’s?

Telling the whole story

You’ve likely seen your share of sneak peeks, specific feature demonstrations, screenshots, and video highlights – but how do all of these aspects tie together into a unified platform that works for your business? The answer: by standing on core functional values of productivity, collaboration, communication and security, as well as introducing brand new features to the market in a device that is designed to perform.

Saving costs, but increasing productivity and performance in your organization

Tablets entered the work space with excitement, but also with caution and a healthy dose of skepticism. Were these devices shiny new toys, outside of feasibility for those with a concern for the bottom line? But as we’ve seen over the past year and beyond, tablets represent a new form-factor within the ecosystem of corporate hardware provisioning and network assets. They’ve found their place in field services, sales groups who travel often, administrative work, and countless other industries and roles. I’ll back myself up here by referencing the BlackBerry Customer Success web site, which showcases the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in action for businesses like McCain Foods Limited, Edge Imaging, Sun Life Financial Inc., and more.

With BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has reached a level of functionality that can allow it to integrate more deeply within both enterprise and SMB environments. In fact, it’s no secret that the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet was designed to meet these needs and thrive as a tool that increases productivity and collaboration, integrates within your IT infrastructure, and provides rich media experiences.

Use cases from experience

I’m a blogger who is most passionate about the topics that I’m familiar with and products that I use on a regular basis. And, being a RIM employee I get to play with unreleased software, so let me share a few ways that BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 has improved my own daily work:

1. Workflow comes with me when I leave my desk

The options are vast, but I personally use a combination of Documents To Go®, which allows me to create/open/edit Microsoft® documents using my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and Print To Go, which I use to instantly and securely to shoot documents from my PC to my tablet. With these powerful tools, I’m able to not only read and review documents that are sent my way, but also to make changes, apply comments, and even finalize them completely – all using my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

2. A powerhouse in the boardroom

Not me – my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Three examples here: taking notes, referencing documents, and presenting. If I’m tasked with recording the events and inclinations of a particular meeting, I can use either the native email, Microsoft® Word® via Documents To Go, or third-party apps. I also like to use my BlackBerry smartphone keyboard to type on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using the new remote control capabilities in BlackBerry® Bridge™. For referencing documents, I haven’t found one yet that won’t pop open and allow for smooth interaction. When I’m presenting, all I need is my HDMI cable and BlackBerry Bridge to control my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using my BlackBerry smartphone. It lets me navigate through Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentations. The icing on the cake is that the 7-inch form factor of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet allows me to travel light, while still expanding my functionality rather than limiting it.

3. Airports have become fun

Okay, maybe that’s taking it a little far…but I can say that there are two functional aspects of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 that have made the travel waiting a breeze. First, organizing and referencing my travel documents has never been easier. I always receive 3-5 confirmation documents leading up to a trip, and believe it or not, finding time to print these off physically and then remembering to bring them with me is a pain (does that make me busy or lazy?). Using the Print To Go app, where I’ve already sent all of these confirmations with a quick “File > Print” from my PC as they came in, I simply walk up to a check-in kiosk, reference the flight number, and I’m off – same goes for the hotel. Secondly, the games on BlackBerry PlayBook tablet are fantastic. Waiting at the gate no longer entails watch-checking and foot tapping. Instead, I’m completely engrossed in some of the incredible games, like Cut the Rope, Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies, and others. I think I scared the kid next to me with Dead Space from Electronic Arts.

These are just a few examples; I’m constantly finding areas in my work and personal life where my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet running BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 allows for additional tasks, or replaces more time-consuming methods. A few of the features of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 include:

• Built-in email, calendar, and contacts; all integrated with social media
• Documents To Go and Print To Go
• BlackBerry App World™
• BlackBerry Video Store (initially be available in the United States – support for other countries is expected to be added later this year)
• Updates to BlackBerry Bridge app
• BlackBerry® Balance technology
• Enhancements to Video Chat

To learn more about the free software update for your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, head over to www.blackberry.com/playbook. I’d love to get your reactions once you’ve had a chance to upgrade – share in the comments below!

You may have read our previous post about the BlackBerry® Mobile Conferencing app becoming available in BlackBerry Beta Zone. Well, we’re pleased to announce that BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing is now featured in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront and is available for download! The app is currently available in North America.

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing makes your mobile conferencing experience easier. The app is designed to automatically pull conference call information out of invitations and appointments. When your meeting starts, you can simply click a “Join Now” button to get connected.

The best part is that the entire process is automatic and seamless. But that’s just the beginning: In addition, this app is designed to allow you to reconnect your BlackBerry® smartphone with one click if you drop from a conference call. This feature is especially convenient for those on the move.

Now you have a place to save your personal conference bridge details for easy access from your calendar — simply save the information to your conference profile in your calendar options for seamless use when scheduling your next meeting. I’ve been using BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing for some time now, and I can certainly attest to the simplicity that it’s brought to my conference calling on the go.

Try it out, and don’t forget to tell us what you think! We’ll also be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Head over to the BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing website to learn more about the app, and be sure to check out the featured items list in BlackBerry App World for a quick and easy download of BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing.

How often do you participate in conference calls using your BlackBerry smartphone? Share in the comments!