This year’s BlackBerry® Achievement Award Winners have been announced! The BlackBerry Achievement Awards are presented to organizations that are doing business in new and innovative ways with BlackBerry products and services. The awards were classified into five categories: App of the Year, Putting Customers First, Mobile Innovation of the Year, Making the World a Better Place, and Entrepreneur of the Year.

Learn about the exceptional mobile solutions from our 2013 winners and finalists:

App of the Year Award

Winner: PriceCheck Pty Ltd
PriceCheck Mobile for BlackBerry® 10 takes shopping to a whole new level by using a BlackBerry 10 smartphone to do the legwork and price comparisons, so customers don’t have to be near a computer or store. The app accesses pricing for more than 30 million products on sale through the Internet and online stores in South Africa. Built using HTML5 and JavaScript® source code, the app is wrapped with Cascades and uses some feature plug-ins.

Finalists:

•	Cooklet
•	Cine Hoyts Argentina

Putting Customers First Award

Winner: ING DIRECT Canada
ING DIRECT offers today’s financially conscious customers a unique mobile banking experience on their BlackBerry 10 smartphones. As well as making it convenient and secure to conduct transactions, the app focuses on increasing savings with “Orange Alerts” that push notifications to the BlackBerry Hub when balances reach pre-determined levels. Other features such as “Small Sacrifices” encourage positive decisions about saving and financial information by sharing info through Facebook, Twitter, BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) and YouTube.

Finalists:

•	MMMOOO
•	LoyaltyMatch Inc.

Mobile Innovation of the Year Award

Winner: DIRECTV Latin America
As a large satellite TV provider in Latin America and the Caribbean, DIRECTV makes customer service for their five million customers a priority. Their app for BlackBerry smartphones allows their 4,000 technicians to manage an entire service call and work order process from their phones, and supports Bluetooth® technology to validate and adjust satellite signal strength. The app is helping DIRECTV improve customer satisfaction, reduce paperwork and technical calls, as well as decrease return visits to customer homes.

Finalists:

•	Mippin (Refresh Mobile Ltd.)
•	Waytag

Making the World a Better Place Award

Winner: e-Cycle LLC
e-Cycle LLC has a simple, but meaningful mandate: offer enterprises a way to retire millions of mobile devices responsibly, by protecting data security, preserving the environment, and generating buyback revenue. As a recipient of e-Stewards® certification, e-Cycle is on the frontline of ensuring that harmful, toxic chemicals from mobile devices are not sent to landfills but are instead recycled safely. Their buyback program reimburses costs for devices that can have more value in the market, which offsets the costs of a company upgrading to new devices.

Finalists:

•	University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB)
•	Sussex Police

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Winner: Nobex Technologies Inc
Many BlackBerry enthusiasts are familiar with Nobex Technologies’ innovative mobile app that allows people to listen radio stations on the go and share the experience and chat with friends through BBM. Nobex Radio for BlackBerry 10 continues its inventiveness with a newly designed app. It adds podcast functionality that allows people to search and subscribe to thousands of podcasts, with notifications sent to the BlackBerry Hub when new episodes are available.

Finalists:

•	EducationApps Limited
•	SkyPark Café

For more information on the BlackBerry Achievement Awards program, please visit www.blackberrylive.com/special-programs/achievement-awards.

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For more information check out the full press release below, and you can always get more information over at the Hookflash site.

Press Release:

BlackBerry Live 2013, Orlando Florida – May 13, 2013 – Hookflash announces beta availability of Open Peer Software Development Kit (SDK) for BlackBerry® 10, providing developers with an effective way to integrate high quality, secure, real-time, voice, video and messaging into their own BlackBerry 10 applications.

“The Open Peer SDK for BlackBerry 10 enables a completely new generation of communications integration on the BlackBerry 10 platform,” explains Hookflash co-founder Erik Lagerway. “The Hookflash team has worked tirelessly to build this toolkit and port the WebRTC libraries to BlackBerry 10. BlackBerry developers and enterprise customers can now integrate high quality, real-time, peer-to-peer (P2P), voice, video and messaging into their own BlackBerry 10 applications. People just want good quality voice, video and text communications embedded in whatever they’re doing. Open Peer enables progressive developers in medical, finance, gaming, travel and many other verticals with this next evolution of integrated P2P communications on BlackBerry 10 smartphones.”

“BlackBerry is committed to our app partners through an open ecosystem, strong platform and commitment to supporting innovation and invention,” said Martyn Mallick, VP of Global Alliances and Business Development at BlackBerry. “We are pleased to have Hookflash bring Open Peer to BlackBerry 10, enabling developers to add rich peer-to-peer communications in their apps, and enhance the customer experience.”

The Open Peer SDK for BlackBerry 10 is the most recent addition to the Open Peer, open source family of real-time P2P communications toolkits. The BlackBerry 10 SDK joins the existing C++ and iOS SDKs already available. Mobile developers creating applications across multiple platforms can now leverage the suite of Open Peer toolkits to deliver real-time P2P communications for all of their applications. The Open Peer SDKs are available in open source and can be found on Github (http://github.com/openpeer/).

Hookflash is a globally distributed software development team building “Open Peer”, new “open” video, voice and messaging specification and software for mobile platforms and web browsers. Open Peer enables important new evolution of communications; Open, for developers and customers to create with. “Over-the-top” via the Internet, where users control their economics and quality of service. “Federated Identity” so users can find and connect without limitations of service provider’s walled gardens and operating systems and “Integrated”, communications as a native function in software and applications. Hookflash founders, lead developers and Advisors previous accomplishments include; creators of the world’s most popular softphones, built audio technology acquired and used in Skype, created technology acquired and open sourced by Google to create WebRTC, and engaged inWebRTC standards development in the IETF and W3C.

Developers can register at (http://hookflash.com/signup) to start using the Open Peer SDK today.

For more information and an Open Peer/WebRTC white paper on please visit Hookflashhttp://hookflash.com

Via:CrackBerry

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Macadamian has developed seven new apps in the last few months and they have even more in the pipeline that we will hopefully be seeing soon.

“We were one of the first to get behind the BlackBerry® 10 platform and we’re seeing results,” said Macadamian CEO Frédéric Boulanger who has dedicated a quarter of his company’s workforce to BlackBerry® 10 development. “Stellar user experiences drive business value for our clients and that’s been critical to our success.”

Check out the full press release below from Macadamian.

Press Release:

Macadamian Accelerates BlackBerry® 10 App Development Pace by 85%

– Maxim Among Software Firm’s Latest Design and Development Credits –

Gatineau, QC. (May 13, 2013) – Macadamian has increased its rate of BlackBerry® 10 app development by 85 per cent to keep pace with accelerating customer demand. The user-experience-design and software-development firm has averaged about one new app every two weeks since the launch of the BlackBerry® Z10 smartphone on January 30, 2013. The Maxim app for BlackBerry® 10 is among Macadamian’s latest design and development credits.

“We were one of the first to get behind the BlackBerry® 10 platform and we’re seeing results,” said Macadamian CEO Frédéric Boulanger who has dedicated a quarter of his company’s workforce to BlackBerry® 10 development. “Stellar user experiences drive business value for our clients and that’s been critical to our success.”

Macadamian’s 50+ person BlackBerry® 10 business unit has developed seven new apps in the past three months with more in its pipeline. Among these is Maxim’s first video-rich mobile app that’s now sizzling on BlackBerry® 10 smartphone screens. This free download has earned the coveted ‘Built for BlackBerry’ status and as of today, an impressive 4 ½-out-of-5-stars rating on the BlackBerry® World™ storefront.

“We were thrilled to work with Macadamian on our brand’s BlackBerry® 10 video-rich mobile app,” said Bill Shaw, Vice President, Digital, Maxim. “It looks terrific and expands our breadth across multiple platforms in order to reach Maxim fans whenever and wherever they consume content.”

In addition, BlackBerry recently commissioned Macadamian to create a new app that serves as a template for other developers to use for events. The app can enhance on-site event experiences through a virtual layer of real-time information targeted to any user’s geographic location. Real-time event updates, social posts from nearby event-goers and geo-location of performance stages and friends are some of its helpful features.  

Macadamian has worked on many brand name applications, including ones that appear front and center in 15,000 retail outlets worldwide when consumers shop for a BlackBerry® 10 smartphone.

Coming up

Macadamian will also be presenting several conference sessions on developing and creating compelling user experiences for BlackBerry® 10 at the BlackBerry® Live™ event in Orlando, FL from May 14-16. For more information on the event or Macadamian’s sessions visit www.blackberrylive.com.

About Macadamian

Macadamian (www.macadamian.com) collaborates with some of the largest technology companies in the world to create inspiring software that stands out and enriches lives. The company excels at all stages of the product-development lifecycle – from research to design to development. With more than 750 completed projects worldwide, its clients include industry leaders such as Avaya, BlackBerry, Entrust, TELUS and Microsoft. For both established and emerging technologies, Macadamian helps clients create successful products on a complete range of desktop, Web and mobile platforms.

BlackBerry and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited.

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At BlackBerry Jam happening later this month there will be this session, which looks very promising for developers seeking some kind of analytics for BlackBerry 10.

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Congratulations on receiving your new BlackBerry 10 Limited Edition device. We understand however that you were sent the incorrect device model for your region. As a result we are going to set up a swap process for these devices.

They had previously mentioned that they were going to handle the issue and they have done so fairly quickly. There should also be follow ups to each developer as to when they will be getting their new device.

Source:BBOS

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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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“Three years ago BlackBerry raised its gaze towards the horizon and started building the future of mobile computing. After key acquisitions such as QNX, Torch Mobile, The Astonishing Tribe and Scoreloop, and after having spoken with countless app, game and middleware developers, a completely redesigned and rewritten platform, BlackBerry 10 was launched in January 2013.

With deep social integration, a state of the art high performance OS and the easiest and most developer friendly API’s, BlackBerry 10 delivers what every game developer could ask from a next generation platform. Open source, open standards, best in the industry developer support, app security, app payment options and a quick and easy app approval process. Simply put, the developers and their apps in focus!”

Learn about more Information Ottawa International Game Conference

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The BlackBerry Builder program recognizes developers with proven expertise in web or native application development for the BlackBerry platform. Two new certifications are available to recognize this achievement:

BlackBerry Certified Builder for Web Application Development
BlackBerry Certified Builder for Native Application Development

Learn more about both certification programs, and how you can become a BlackBerry Certified Builder.
What do I need to do to become certified?

To become a BlackBerry Certified Builder, you must write an exam. This exam will test your knowledge of web or native application development based on our documentation and resources, and on your first-hand experience developing for the BlackBerry 10 platform.

Specific details about the certification process, and the exams, are covered in the Get Certified section.
Benefits

The BlackBerry Certified Builder designation will signify to customers and peers that you have met BlackBerry’s high standards for quality, skill, and knowledge. This certification will help you stand out from the pack.

By getting certified, you’ll get:

access to official BlackBerry Certified Builder logos that you can download and include in your resume, personal website, email signatures, etc.; and
an invitation to join an exclusive group on oDesk, a dedicated marketplace where businesses can hire pre-screened BlackBerry Certified Builder. Joining this exclusive group will open up more BlackBerry development contract work opportunities for you.

Additional perks and benefits are being planned for BlackBerry Certified Builder, so stay tuned for details.
Costs

The registration fee to write an exam is $150. (“Fee”)

Get more info here.

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With BlackBerry Live slowly creeping up on us, time is running out to cast your votes for the BlackBerry Achievement Awards that get handed out in Orlando.  Today is the last day that you can submit your vote for who you think should win.  The BlackBerry Achievement Awards (formerly the Wireless Achievement Awards) aim to recognize the cutting-edge contributions of creative thinkers, from all corners of the globe.

There are some great names up for the top prizes this year, and many of them I am sure make an app or two that you probably use on your BlackBerry.  So take a look at the contenders and then head on over to the link below to cast your votes before it is too late.

The BlackBerry Achievement Awards categories and finalists are:

• App of the Year
  • Cine Hoyts Argentina
  • Cooklet
  • PriceCheck Mobile for BlackBerry 10
• Putting Customers First
  • Translator Go Pro
  • RewardingYourself Loyalty Wallet
  • ING DIRECT Canada
• Mobile Innovation of the Year
  • DIRECTV Latin America
  • Mippin (Refresh Mobile Ltd.)
  • Waytag
• Making the World a Better Place
  • e-Cycle LLC
  • Sussex Police
  • University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB)
• Entrepreneur of the Year
  • EducationApps Limited
  • Nobex Technologies Inc.
  • SkyPark Café

For more information and to cast your votes for the BlackBerry Achievement Awards

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Established in 2004, MMMOOO is a young and energetic company based in Shanghai. Ever since 2006, MMMOOO has been developing with a strong focus on the BlackBerry® platform and has submitted over 300 applications to BlackBerry World, bringing in nearly 70 million downloads worldwide. MMMOOO’s BlackBerry apps cater for an entire range of customer needs, from highly practical apps to games and entertainment. Its “Weather Plus” application was granted a patent in Mainland China in 2011.

Jonah Lin, CEO of MMMOOO, talked about their fruitful experience and achievements on the BlackBerry platform, as well as the advantages BlackBerry offers to developers, compared to other platforms. He also shared his enthusiasm for developing applications for the revolutionary BlackBerry® 10, and highlighted his confidence and commitment to developing BlackBerry apps.

Check out MMMOOO at BlackBerry World.
Q: Could you share with us some of your developer experience and achievements on the BlackBerry platform?

Jonah Lin: Established in 2004, we have developed applications for many mobile platforms such as Symbian and QT. In 2006 we started developing apps for BlackBerry, and we have gradually shifted our focus to this platform since then. We have achieved great success on the BlackBerry platform. As of mid-2012, our annual revenue reached US$200,000, and we have around 500 paid downloads and 150,000 free downloads per day on average. Our total app downloads on the BlackBerry platform has now reached 70 million.

One thing that I would like to highlight is that BlackBerry customers are highly engaged, they always provide a lot of positive and constructive feedback. This feedback is helpful for BlackBerry developers as it helps them to optimize and improve their applications based on customers’ preferences, and helps provide the best user experience.

Q: Undoubtedly, MMMOOO has achieved great success on the BlackBerry platform. Which application is your most popular one?

Jonah Lin: To date, MMMOOO has developed over 300 BlackBerry applications which are widely acclaimed among BlackBerry customers globally. Our most popular application is called “Weather Plus” which has had a total of over 5 million downloads to date. It offers accurate weather forecasts and pushes weather information to the home screen. With its powerful features, “Weather Plus” was granted a patent for its specialized technology in Mainland China.

Q: Based on your cross-platform development experience, what are the important factors that differentiate the BlackBerry platform from other mobile platforms?

Jonah Lin: In my opinion, a key factor that differentiates BlackBerry from other platforms is that its customers are much more willing to purchase apps. A survey showed that BlackBerry has a higher percentage of paid app downloads, compared with iOS and Android.

BlackBerry also provides customers with three convenient options to pay for applications which include carrier billing, PayPal, and credit cards. These payment methods help developers monetize their applications via BlackBerry World more easily.

The usage behavior of BlackBerry customers is very different to that of other smartphone customers. Thanks to the advanced BlackBerry Push technology, BlackBerry customers frequently check their smartphones and this significantly increases their dependence on their smartphones and BlackBerry applications.

Another differentiator is that the interface of BlackBerry World is clearer than that of other application storefronts, customers can quickly search for the applications that they need. Unlike other application storefronts, applications submitted by developers onto BlackBerry World will not be overshadowed by numerous other applications, thus our applications can gain more exposure and attain more downloads, which translate into higher return on investment.

Furthermore, the BlackBerry platform has a very powerful application—BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™). With over 60 million users globally, BBM helps customers stay connected with their contacts in an efficient and secured manner globally via BlackBerry Push technology. RIM has already released the API of BBM for developers to develop applications that are tightly integrated with BBM. This level of integration allows customers to share the applications that they are currently using with their BBM friends, generating effective word-of-mouth marketing for these applications.

Q: As MMMOOO is already developing applications for BlackBerry 10, could you share with us some of your experiences with this platform?

Jonah Lin: The BlackBerry 10 platform is remarkably easy for application development. It supports various development languages that include Native SDK (C/C++/QT/JS), WebWorks (HTML5/CSS3/JS), Adobe Air Flash and Android Runtime. This means that BlackBerry 10 offers greater versatility and developers can easily transfer their previous applications to the new BlackBerry 10 platform.

From the perspectives of its features and functions, BlackBerry 10 is a truly revolutionary mobile computing platform: “Flow” enables customers to smoothly switch from app to app; its advanced gesture-based navigation allows customers to do various complex actions in a swift manner and its excellent multi-tasking capability allows customers to switch between applications seamlessly. In addition, the innovative UI of BlackBerry 10 is a huge differentiator compared with its rivals.
Q: Why is it so important for your company to develop applications for BlackBerry 10?

Jonah Lin: MMMOOO is committed to being innovative and interactive, which exactly mirrors the characteristics of BlackBerry products. As a long-term, loyal partner of BlackBerry, we will continue to support BlackBerry 10 and develop the best applications for this platform.

The US$10K Developer Commitment guarantees that high quality applications can earn at least US$10,000, which encourages professional developers like us to develop applications for BlackBerry 10. Moreover, I am very touched by the passion of RIM’s developer relations team. Their local Developer Relationship Manager and their Global Vice President all pay very high regard to accommodating our needs. We are also encouraged by the high level of technical support that RIM offers we can communicate with the APAC developer managers in Chinese which indicates their full commitment to localization.

RIM has put in tremendous resources, both locally and globally, to make the BlackBerry 10 platform a real success. We have actively participated in a number of events organized by RIM, these include the BlackBerry Jam World Tour in Beijing, BlackBerry JamHack, a local BlackBerry developer salon and BlackBerry Jam Asia.

As a brand new platform, BlackBerry 10 brings lots of new exciting opportunities to us. With our solid experience in applications development, MMMOOO will provide high quality BlackBerry 10 applications for our customers.

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