For those developers who’ve been part of the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha program with either a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha A or BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha B, there’s a date upon which you may have been keeping a watchful eye: June 30^th, 2013… the day the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha testing devices are set to be deactivated. Or are they?

The BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha testing devices were seeded to our development community in advance of the BlackBerry 10 launch to ensure hardware availability to our devs well ahead of launch. Now that launch has come and gone (and so too has the date for the BlackBerry 10 Limited Edition device!), those BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha testing devices start falling into the category of unsupported hardware since they were never intended to be a full commercial product nor do they support the full OS builds. But really, they still work, so why throw away a perfectly good device? Good news! You don’t have to.

If you saw the blog post advising devs of the BlackBerry 10.1 SDK OS update (SDK OS indicates that it’s not a full OS release, but rather an OS build that features a reduced set of apps – basically what you need to develop and build against), then you’ll be pleased to learn that the 10.1 SDK OS also had the side benefit of removing the date that was to disable the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha testing devices. In other words, for any BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha owners, if you’ve updated to the 10.1 SDK OS build, your device will continue to work beyond the June 30^th date, with no imposed expiry date embedded in the OS.

The BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha A hardware will continue to be officially unsupported and the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha B hardware will join those same ranks on June 30^th, but if you want to continue to developing apps against those devices beyond that date, you’re welcome to do so.

For more info on the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha program and to view other FAQs, please visit the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha web page.

Make sure you get the 10.1 SDK loaded befor it is too late and you have an paper weight. Let us know what you think about BlackBerry giving the Dev devices a new lease on life in the comments!

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Who to follow?

• @NerdBerry
• @Sleepy2009
• @K_mart_

Feel free to Tweet us question’s about the events or post your questions in this article. Everyone that is traveling to BlackBerry Live 2013 and BlackBerry Jam 2013 have a safe and fun trip!

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Here are the highlights that have been pointed out so far.

• The OS is not as crippled as I was expecting. The basics are there including the Hub (cool new loader), BBM, Phone & more though some native apps are missing that are important like the calculator, BBM Video, and social integration
• HDR camera option
• You can paste passwords in password fields
• You can turn off notifications per section in a profile
• New option to always adjust media volume with buttons
• New Help/Demo options
• You can unlock the phone totally using the power button
• Some new details in the about screen but nothing groundbreaking
• Improved BlackBerry World updates & added coupon code option. They also added the ability to open apps after installing.
• Finally copy and paste in phone app
• APN Settings are editable for now (on some carriers)
• Easier to select text
• Some more menus are now black themed instead of white
• PIN to PIN messaging is in along with the dreaded select all button for broadcast messages
• Bit more language support

The Android Runtime in this build is still Android 2.3.3, but hopefully we will see that get updated before 10.1 gets an official release.  Also of mention is that IMAP is still limited to 30 days worth of sync, however ActiveSync was updated to “forever” sync.

Once again this is not a final build, and it doesn’t even include a lot of the standard features like clock/alarm, so I wouldn’t recommend anyone use this build on their daily driver.

Via:Berryreview

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Hey BlackBerry devs – we’ve got exciting news for you! To tide you over until the much awaited BlackBerry Q10 release, you’ll be seeing a new SDK OS update for your BlackBerry Dev Alpha C devices. This 10.1C SDK OS is a developer preview that allows you to check out how your apps will run on the soon-to-be-released Q10 device.

What about Dev Alpha B devices?

We’ve got an update for that too! With this release you’ll be able to check out how your Z10 apps will run on the 10.1 OS, and make all the necessary changes, if needed.

Have you already submitted your awesome app and received your LE BlackBerry 10 device? Or have you already picked up your own BlackBerry Z10?

We certainly want to see more of your great app ideas come to life, so you’ll also be seeing a 10.1C SDK OS update for these devices as well.

Will the simulators be getting an update too?

Yes! There will be a 10.1C SDK OS build for the BlackBerry 10 simulator, so whether you test on a device or a simulator, know that you’ll be able to test on the most recent build available. You won’t see two different simulators available but you will get one simulator with the option to boot to a Z10 or Q10 resolution.

Let’s recap the updates that you’ll be seeing:

• BlackBerry Dev Alpha B & C autoloader
• BlackBerry OS 10.1 simulators
• BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Z10 LE autoloader

So how can you get these updates for your device?

The 10.1C SDK OS will be available for each device through its own autoloader – you’ll see one each for the Dev Alpha C and the Dev Alpha B.

For developers who want to test it on their BlackBerry Z10, you’ll need to find out your device model number and grab the corresponding autoloader. The device model can be found under Settings> About. See the example screenshot below

Note: This SDK OS update is only for testing purposes and does not replace your full BlackBerry 10 OS. To revert your BlackBerry Z10 to a public OS release, please follow the steps outlined in this KB Article. Using BlackBerry Link, you will be able to reload your device software to a full OS and, if needed, download any OS updates from your carrier.

Device targets for the Momentics IDE will also be updated. If you need a refresher on how to download the target OS and configure it, we’ve got a detailed description right here.

Now that you’re ready for the Q10 (and subsequent 10.1 release!), we can’t wait to see and use your apps! Go on and grab the updates and the simulator at developer.blackberry.com!

Via: BlackBerry Dev Blog

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Intomobile’s Dusan Belic attended the BlackBerry Jam in Belgrade a few days ago.   There were quite a few different things that were shown to the attendees of the Jam.

One of the new features was the Peak feature of the new UI called Flow, in addition the TimeShift camera mode and Hub messaging system were also shown. 

The BlackBerry rep also made sure to mention that the Platform is the most secure platform available on the market today.  They are also attempting to attract developers from iOS and Android platforms to make new apps that appeal to the users on the BB10 platform.

There were also devices that were given away in excss of 12,000 Dev Alpha  devices, 7,000 Playbooks, and over 7,000 special edition z10 devices at the Jam as well.

Source: IntoMobile

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Well look at what we have here, a leaked OS for the BlackBerry Z10 London STL100-1/Dev Alpha OS 10.0.10.648. This leaked OS is the same version that was leaked back on February 27th for Lisbon (STL100-3). This new version for the BlackBerry London has been tested on the BlackBerry Z10 as well as the BlackBerry Dev Alpha B.

Make sure you verify what device you actually have, you can do this by typing  “myver” in a text input, or check the About screen in the Settings menu. Be aware that this install is only for Windows users and not Mac users. Let us know in the comments what you think about this leaked OS.
Please note that we do not accept any responsibility for anything this does to your device.  Please do not attempt to load this unless you are comfortable with what you are doing.  You will need a Windows machine to use the loader, but if you do load it drop us a comment letting us know how it runs.

Download leaked OS 10.0.10.648 for theLondon STL100-1/Dev Alpha OS 10.0.10.648

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Please note that we do not accept any responsibility for anything this does to your Dev Alpha device.  Please do not attempt to load this unless you are comfortable with what you are doing.  You will need a Windows machine to use the loader, but if you do load it drop us a comment letting us know how it runs.

You can grab the download here.

Source:Crackberry

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Many developers have already submitted their requests for the Limited Edition BlackBerry 10 device. We’ve started sending out confirmation emails to those that have qualified for the device.  Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control we are unable to offer a Limited Edition BlackBerry 10 for developers on the Verizon network.

Some developers have indicated that they are very loyal Verizon customers and would only like the device on their preferred network. So for these developers, we will offer them a choice. In lieu of the Limited Edition BlackBerry 10 device, developers on Verizon can instead:

1. Request a Verizon BlackBerry 10 device to replace their BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha, adhering to the same terms and conditions of the Limited Edition device in order to qualify. This will be a final commercial device and will ship when BlackBerry 10 is commercially available on Verizon.
2. Request a Limited Edition BlackBerry 10 device from an alternate carrier, one which is supported as a part of the Limited Edition program.

For those developers who have already requested their Limited Edition device on Verizon, email communication will follow in the coming days requesting your preferred selection.  For those who have not yet requested their Limited Edition BlackBerry 10 device, but wish to pursue option 1, updated instructions on procedure will be made available as soon as possible.

Please do not hesitate to leave a comment or discuss with your favorite Developer Relations team member should you have any thoughts on the matter or feedback you’d like to share.

Also – if you want to request more information on the BlackBerry Z10 on Verizon – head on over head and register!

The good news is that developers that qualify who are Verizon customers will still get a device, the bad news is that they are going to miss out and whatever the Limited Edition one is.  We are assuming this all had something to do with Verizon not being willing to let BlackBerry put a device on their radio stack that Verizon had not locked down. I do not think we will ever get the full details,  but this is the one thing that really makes sense to us.   Let us know what you think of this whole situation in the comments.

Source:Inside BlackBerry DevBlog

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Head on over to grab the download 

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First, the vids. In both videos, the same intro is used with different dates. I know, that’s not a smoking gun, but bear with me here. Both videos and the intro were also shot at night, after the store closed for the night. Again, by itself, not proof positive. Finally, both vids are listed in the comedy category. Starting to make sense yet? If not, we will move into some other reasons I’m convinced we’ve been bamboozled.

Greg Kyte is a CPA and working COMEDIAN! Yeah, he is a working stand up comic, and makes money by providing, among other things, joke and prank videos. I gotta say, the vids on his site, http://www.gregkyte.com, are pretty funny. So if this isn’t making sense yet, I’ll get into the final reason, the nail in the coffin so to speak.

Earlier today I did a little digging. I poked around Greg’s website and Twitter profile, and found out that he hails from Provo, UT. Then I studied the videos, watching the background, checking out the names of the stores, and paying close attention to details on the building. I then went on a Google Maps hunt. I checked out all the Verizon corporate store and affiliates on Streetview for a 100 mile radius around Provo.

Jackpot. I found the store at 250 East University Parkway, Orem UT, and called. The feller I spoke with said he could not comment on the story, but told me that Verizon has a policy of not allowing camping at their corporate stores. So I enlisted the aid of Shane from www.opensourcebb.com, who graciously agreed to drive by the place. He found no one in a tent, and the employees hadn’t seen or heard about anyone camping out in front of the store. While he was there, Shane sent these pics. As you can see, the store and building features are identical.

So what does this mean? Have we witnessed a cruel hoax? One that makes team BlackBerry look like fools? Well, before you light the torches, sharpen the pitchforks and plan the witch hunt, let me give you my take on this hoax. First of all, Greg is a comedian, someone who plays pranks and tells jokes for a living. It’s what he does, you know, for money. It’s his job. Second, I don’t think he set out to make us BlackBerry fans look foolish. I see it more as making fun of the OTHER fanboys, you know the ones, camping out for days in order to get the incremental hardware update that was halfassed worked on, or the latest and greatest handheld hardware that the OS can’t fully utilize.

Tell me, how many team BlackBerry members would actually camp out for 17 days, for an OS announcement? In 19F weather?

Yeah, I thought so. Me neither.

Good one Greg, that was a brilliant prank. Very well thought out, and I have to admit, when I figured it out, I laughed my ass off for a good minute solid.

Thanks @BBSuperAbuser!

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