BlackBerry Partners Fund launches $3 Million Developer Challenge

By Rob Lewis

BlackBerry Partners Fund has launched the fourth annual BlackBerry Partners Fund Developer Challenge.

This year, developers can enter their BlackBerry apps in a series of competitions to win a share of US $3 million in prizes. Winners will be selected on a regional basis across four global regions – North America, Latin America, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific.

This year’s challenge includes three competitions: Best Adobe Flash/AIR app; Most Innovative BlackBerry WebWorks app on the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry 6; and Most Addictive social app using the BBM Social Platform.

Both newly developed and existing applications are eligible to compete in this year’s BlackBerry Partners Fund Developer Challenge. To participate in the challenge, application forms for each competition must be completed and submitted within the following dates:

• Best Flash/AIR Mobile App for BlackBerry PlayBook – can be submitted starting today, April 28, 2011 through August 12, 2011.
• Most Innovative BlackBerry WebWorks app on the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry 6 – can be submitted from May 9, 2011 through August 26, 2011 .
• Most Addictive social app using the BBM Social Platform – can be submitted later this summer; check the Challenge website for submission dates.

New this year in addition to the Challenge, the BlackBerry Partners Fund will be honouring applications in six categories to receive a Recognition Award. The recipients, which will be recognized regionally, will be selected in the following categories:

• Best B2C application developed for a customer by an Agency or ISV
• Most useful enterprise application
• Best website conversion using the BlackBerry WebWorks platform
• Most creative implementation of Super App characteristics
• Top Performers – Most innovative use of Payment Service and/or Advertising Service
• Academic – Most compelling application created by student or faculty

 All winners of the 2011 BlackBerry Partners Fund Developer Challenge will be recognized at the 2011 BlackBerry Developer Conference (DEVCON) in October in San Francisco.

Reposted from Techvibes.com

Rob is the President of Techvibes Media and Editor in Chief of Techvibes.com.  His diverse background includes stints with International Trade Finance, Web Development, and Enterprise Software and he is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Simon Fraser University.

The RIC blog is designed as a showcase for entrepreneurs and innovation. Our guest bloggers pro vide a wealth of information based on their personal experiences. Visit RIC Centre for more information on how RIC can accelerate your ideas to market.

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RIM increases daily app downloads by one million in a single month!

By Knowlton Thomas

In July of 2010, Research in Motion was experiencing one million mobile app downloads per day from its BlackBerry App World.

Seven months later, in February, the Waterloo-based company reached two million downloads per day.

And last month, just one month later, the company  hit its next milestone of three million daily downloads.

This impressive growth is really quite staggering, actually. While the numbers don’t yet compare to Google’s Android or Apple’s iPhone platforms, RIM has always asserted its “quality over quantity” belief. This surge in the pace of downloads hasn’t been explained by the company, but they have noticeably increased their marketing efforts, and the looming PlayBook may be getting people excited about the BlackBerry maker again.

Reposted from Techvibes Media

Knowlton Thomas is the Associate Editor of Techvibes Media. He is also the Web Editor of The Other Press, a weekly newspaper, and a regular columnist for them as well.

The RIC blog is designed as a showcase for entrepreneurs and innovation. Our guest bloggers provide a wealth of information based on their personal experiences. Visit RIC Centre for more information on how RIC can accelerate your ideas to market.

Read Full Post »

Steve Jobs announces Apple iPad 2 and declares 2011 Year of the iPad 2

By Rob Lewis

Apple’s Steve Jobs emerged from his medical leave last week and walked on stage to standing ovation to unveil the second-generation of the popular iPad.

According to Jobs, the iPad 2 is a “dramatically faster” dual core processor device that is 33 per cent thinner than the original. Some of the new features include cameras that can be used with the iPad 2’s video-conferencing software, FaceTime.

The iPad 2 is shipping March 11th in the US and March 25th in Canada. It will range in price from $499 US for the WiFi 16 GB version to $829 for the 64 GB version that supports both WiFi and 3G.

Apple also announced a new operating system, iOS 4.3, and new accessories for the iPad, including a magnetic cover that automatically puts the device into sleep mode and an HD video output cable that can be used while the device is charging.

During this morning’s event Apple also announced that the iPad has sold roughly 15 million units since it first hit stores in April 2010 and the 100 million iPhones have been sold since their launch.

According to MobileBeat, the BlackBerry PlayBook will hit shelves on April 10th. Ouch.

Reposted from Techvibes.com

Rob is the President of Techvibes Media and Editor in Chief of Techvibes.com.  His diverse background includes stints with International Trade Finance, Web Development, and Enterprise Software and he is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Simon Fraser University.

The RIC blog is designed as a showcase for entrepreneurs and innovation. Our guest bloggers pro vide a wealth of information based on their personal experiences. Visit RIC Centre for more information on how RIC can accelerate your ideas to market.

Read Full Post »

RIM settles score with India

By Knowlton Thomas

India says Research In Motion has arranged up a temporary arrangement for “lawful interception” of BlackBerry Messenger services. A permanent solution is expected by year’s end. Quoth The Globe:

India, among several countries to express concerns BlackBerry services could be used to stir political or social instability, had threatened RIM with a ban if denied access to its highly-secure Messenger and corporate e-mail communications.

RIM won a 60-day reprieve at the end of August after offering India a solution to monitor some BlackBerry data, a claim yet to be confirmed by the Canadian firm.

In a statement last week, India’s interior ministry said RIM had assured the government that they would provide the final solution for lawful interception of BlackBerry Messenger services by Jan. 31.

India, the world’s fastest-growing mobile market, wants access to encrypted e-mail traffic sent via RIM’s enterprise servers. The BlackBerry maker says its system is designed so that only the sponsoring business or organization has the technical capability to grant such access.

RIM trumped by Apple’s iPhone in Top 5 list

A survey released last week by International Data Corporation shows that Apple has now jumped past RIM in the Top 5 list of global mobile phone makers. Quoth The Globe:

The iPhone-maker shipped 14.1 million phones during the quarter, representing 4.1 per cent of the worldwide mobile phone market. In the same quarter, according to IDC, RIM shipped 12.4 million phones, or 3.6 per cent of the market.

The top 5:

1. Nokia
2. Samsung Electronics
3. LG Electronics
4. Apple
5. Research in Motion

Reposted from Techvibes Media

Knowlton Thomas is the Associate Editor of Techvibes Media. He is also the Web Editor of The Other Press, a weekly newspaper, and a regular columnist for them as well.

The RIC blog is designed as a showcase for entrepreneurs and innovation. Our guest bloggers provide a wealth of information based on their personal experiences. Visit RIC Centre for more information on how RIC can accelerate your ideas to market.

Read Full Post »