Thorsten Heins, BlackBerry’s CEO, took centre stage this morning, addressing the thousands of loyal visitors who turned up for the largest annual BlackBerry gathering of the year. Looking dapper and relaxed compared to last year when he discovered the arduous task that lied before him, the former CTO for Siemens Communication has within one year managed to transform the Toronto-based company, both from the inside and outside, and sets it on the forward momentum.
Just four months into the year he launched the most exciting platform for the legions of BB fans – the BB10 – which we had the preview of the beta last May. He then continued its success with the introduction of the Z10 and the Q10 – earmarking a positive chapter for the organisation.
The man has undoubtedly rewritten the story for BlackBerry, by creating a dynamism that wasn’t there before: Heins brought in a new management team to deliver his promises and has set in place plans that will take BlackBerry in the right path.
There were many highlights for the day, with the announcement of another Qwerty phone – the Q5 – being the biggest headline. According to Heins, the device will target emerging markets; so we can expect low price points. As a phone that is intended to be youthful and fun BlackBerry, it will be available in Pink, White, Black and Red. The primary target markets should be seeing it by the end of the month; while other selected markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, can expect it in early July.
The other big moment was the announcement of plans to make the ground-breaking mobile social network, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), available to iOS and Android users this summer. It should work with iOS6 and Android; subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. It is a tough decision, but an obvious one, adds Thornsten. BB fanatics can now video chat or just chat on the popular service with the rest of their family members -who might be on other platforms.
The 10 in Cars?
Automaker Mercedes Benz was present to share their vision for the automobile industry – and how cars will be more connected than ever before in the very near future. They concur with Heins’ views on the endless possibly of mobile computing changing everything. This is definitely a space to watch, as the mobile phone maker moves into different industries to shore up interest for their platform. This could be the holy grail as the operating system makes a leap out of devices and into other machines.
Attendees were given a demo on a brand new Bentley fitted with the BB10 platform; showcasing the way mobile computing might shape the automobile industry.
Big name celebrities were also invited to share a few words, including its Global Creative Director Alicia Keys and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton. If you have been following the race, you may have noticed the BlackBerry logo on the Mercedes F1 cars.
Wrapping up the session, the BlackBerry President and CEO is confident with the BB10 – he believes it holds he future of mobile computing and change the way we look at smartphones. The rousing applause from floor was an acknowledgement for Heins’ hard work, which placed the company on the starting grid ready to race again.
