Nothing quite parallels the experience of being part of a keynote crowd as an event kicks off. Today in San Jose, California, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins took the stage to greet the BlackBerry developer community that has gathered here from around the world to participate in something very exciting – having a hand in preparing for the upcoming BlackBerry® 10 platform. The flow of ideas, passion for the platform, and drive to succeed is in full display at a BlackBerry developer conference.

As shared initially in the BlackBerry World 2012 keynote in May, it’s all about the flow. When you interact with a BlackBerry 10 device, this concept is immediately clear in the way that you have the ability to speed through the tasks you need to get done, gaining access to what you need to see, edit, and share in an instant. Check out the video below from today’s keynote for a demonstration of the flow of BlackBerry 10:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

For enterprise customers, Thorsten was excited to share the work that’s in progress to consolidate and unify our enterprise mobility management portfolio. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 will provide a unified console for managing BlackBerry, iOS®, and Android™ smartphones and tablets. IT managers will have the best solution for managing their complete mobile infrastructure and for ensuring that corporate data is protected, all from a single solution.

Earlier today we shared details for our enterprise customers on the experience of adding corporate email, calendar, and contacts to a BlackBerry 10 device as well as RIM’s enterprise roadmap.

Exciting partnerships bring incredible mobile services and apps to the BlackBerry 10 platform – both for work and for play. From cloud storage integration with Box to screen sharing with Cisco® WebEx™ and remote desktop access with Splashtop®, the apps will enable rich mobile interactions. And here at BlackBerry Jam Americas, alongside the BlackBerry developer community, we’re watching it happen before our eyes.

What was the most exciting aspect of the BlackBerry Jam Americas 2012 keynote to you? Share in the comments below.

BlackBerry 10 Concept Previews and App Demos

In an exciting hint of what’s to come in BlackBerry 10, Thorsten Heins shared the vision for the future of the BlackBerry 10 platform to be released in the latter part of this year. Check out a video of the sneak peek that we shared earlier today, including a live taste of BlackBerry 10 software presented by Vivek.

BlackBerry 10 isn’t just about a smartphone, rather, it’s a mobile computing engine that’s being developed to enable a robust BlackBerry® ecosystem of devices, homes, cars, and future systems. To reinforce our commitment to launching BlackBerry 10 with fantastic customer experiences, several app demonstrations were shared during the BlackBerry World 2012 keynote to exemplify the work that’s already in progress. Check out the videos below to see the individual demonstrations:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

BlackBerry 10 developer tools, including the Native SDK, BlackBerry 10 WebWorks, and Cascades, have been provided to developers over at BlackBerry 10 Jam. Additionally, they’ve been provided with Dev Alpha prototype devices (which are in no way representational of final BlackBerry 10 hardware or software) in order to work towards a rich app experience at launch.

What BlackBerry Means to You

During his portion of the keynote, Thorsten spoke specifically on what BlackBerry means to you; how it helps to make you successful and reach across your wide array of networks and relationships. He referred to the BlackBerry DNA, and how RIM as a company is laser-focused on enabling individuals and business to succeed with highly functional and highly intuitive mobile solutions – with this focus embodied and uplifted by the work being done on the BlackBerry 10 platform.

Check out the video below for a closer look!

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

What part of this year’s BlackBerry World keynote hit home for you? What was your favourite sneak peek or partner demonstration? Share in the comments below.

This is a very exciting time for us here at Research In Motion, and it’s fantastic to be here in Orlando where RIM CEO Thorsten Heins made his debut as keynote speaker for BlackBerry World 2012. Onstage at the Marriott World Center, Thorsten shared his perspective on the BlackBerry DNA, and what “BlackBerry” means to those who use and experience our smartphones, tablets, and solutions.

“BlackBerry is about saving time, and it’s about success,” Thorsten shared. You want to get more done in a day, and to be productive, agile, and to communicate across a wide span of networks, relationships, and responsibilities. This is precisely how we seek to enable you and your business with BlackBerry solutions. The work that is being done on BlackBerry 10 embodies these characteristics from the ground up, whether you’re considering the ultimate efficiency under the hood, or a fluid user interface that will provide you with what you need when you need it, all with immediacy and responsiveness.

As the designers of one of the first mobile computing platforms, RIM has a strong history of providing connectivity, security, manageability, and award-winning hardware (let’s hear it for that Bold keyboard!). But now we’re looking to the future, and embarking on a clear path towards unprecedented mobile computing performance that is made simple for organizations and individuals worldwide. We’re focusing on core strengths, building strategic partnerships, and coming together in amazing ways to build the future and set new standards for how mobility is leveraged for success –both personally and professionally.

One concept discussed by Thorsten (and exemplified by the sneak peek of BlackBerry 10 shown live by RIM’s Vivek Bhardwaj during the keynote) that really stood out to me was that of “information feeds”. We’re constantly inundated with data. Think about it: text messages, Twitter mentions, Facebook posts, emails, documents, lists, action items, events, and reminders – the list goes on and on. What we’re seeking to accomplish with BlackBerry 10 is an intuitive and concise consolidation of these feeds so that you have instant access at the tip of your fingers, embedded context and prioritization, and unparalleled application switching to provide ultimate multitasking functionality. We’re looking to give you the means to handle anything that gets thrown at you and effortlessly take action.

What was your favourite part of the keynote? Was there one concept discussed or demonstrated that really stood out to you? Share in the comments below.

BlackBerry 10 is being crafted to provide a compelling user experience that is intuitive and extremely responsive, allowing you to instinctively increase your productivity and to stay ultimately connected to all aspects of your life. Check out the video below to see a hint of what’s to come!

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

It was great to see a hint at how BlackBerry 10 will focus on the ease of access to applications, communications, and functionality. No bones about it: This will be all about giving you the ability to quickly multitask in an intelligent manner and provide you with the information and connections that you need most often.

The keyboard being designed for BlackBerry 10 deserves a call-out. Tactile keyboards that provide a lightning-fast typing experience are a part of our proud BlackBerry® heritage. This is an expertise that, having been clearly demonstrated in BlackBerry smartphones, is being artfully and thoughtfully engineered into a touch-screen environment. We know that your typing experience is paramount, and we’re excited to share the developmental process as each detail of this interaction is considered.

BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha Prototype

In order to support the BlackBerry developer community and ensure that the launch of BlackBerry 10 in the latter part of this year provides you with rich app experiences, attendees of BlackBerry 10 Jam have been provided with prototype BlackBerry 10 software on Dev Alpha devices. In no way do these represent final BlackBerry 10 hardware or software. Along with the BlackBerry 10 Native SDK, BlackBerry 10 Cascades and the BlackBerry 10 WebWorks SDK launched this week, these developer devices will help enable BlackBerry developers to begin working on BlackBerry 10 apps right away.

Stay tuned for more updates on BlackBerry 10 as we approach the launch in the latter part of this year. We plan on sharing updates as significant milestones are reached. In the meantime, know that this platform is on all levels being designed with your personal and professional needs in mind. Let’s take it to a whole new level.

What are you most looking forward to in BlackBerry 10? What was your favorite feature included in the video? Share in the comments below.