[ ](http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/blackberry-10-liveblog/)
Are you ready to see a phone running a [QNX](http://www.engadget.com/tag/qnx)-based operating system? How about two such phones? It's [BlackBerry 10](http://www.engadget.com/tag/blackberry10/), and RIM can't wait to show it to you -- and we can't want to bring you along with us, live from New York City. Tune in at this very page at the time listed below and get ready for a ride.
January 30, 2013 10:00 AM EST
We're live and in our seats!
Listening to some mellow tunes as the media slowly files in.. We have about 40 minutes until the event begins properly.
Incredibly bright blue lights are shining into our eyes. Pretty sure RIM is trying to blind us before we get going. Not sure what to make of that.
We're at Basketball City at Pier 36 in New York City, if you were wondering. It's a bit of a gray, drizzly day here in New York, but we're nice and comfortable and warm in the venue here.
With all the basketball hoops around (pulled up to the ceiling) we're cautiously optimistic that an AND1 exhibition match is going to break out any minute.
I'm sitting with Joseph Volpe, who's on photo duties. Terrence O'Brien will be chiming in from time to time with some color commentary as well, and Ben Gilbert is on-hand for the inevitable news breakouts.
Joseph's just getting the white balance dialed in, then the imagery will start flowing.
As this venue is typically used for basketball it is, basically, a gymnasium. But RIM has done a good job of hiding that fact with black curtains and displays.
As always, there is a disappointing amount of Norwegian black metal playing through the PA. Read: none.
There's one large projected display up on stage, probably 50 feet or so. That's flanked on the left or right with other projected displays that run up the sides of the building and then, hanging from the ceiling, three short and wide LED panels.
Each and every one of them says the same thing: BlackBerry 10. If you had a moment's doubt about what this event was celebrating, let that be abolished.
We're pretty sure we can all guess what's in the pipeline for today. But if you've got any predictions for surprises RIM might breakout hit us up on Twitter: @terrenceobrien, @tim_stevens, @RealBenGilbert and @JrVolpe
And a formal welcome to everybody as our liveblog goes live. Again, we're about 30 minutes away from things actually starting here.
And, again, if you have any predictions you'd like to make, hit us up on Twitter: @terrenceobrien, @tim_stevens, @RealBenGilbert and @JrVolpe. We're share some of our favorites in here.
I've heard reports that the legendary Mike Lazaridis is in the house. Might we see him on stage? One can only hope.
Gettin' down to a little Hot Chip in here. RIM dance party!
There's a single demo podium up on stage, featuring two display that say... you guessed it, BlackBerry 10.
@thedonkeyshow (our lucky CES winner) says "It's going to be interesting to see if they can turn it all around and impress everyone..." -- Indeed! Lots of folks here today (and watching elsewhere) hoping for that.
Of course, with the Z10 already at UK retailers, you can see for yourself what's to come: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/blackberry-z10-spotted-at-uk-retailer-prior-to-bb10-event/
Of course, we're still waiting to see clear shots of the QWERTY device...
@somaniavishek says we're going to see "BB10 and WP8 fighting for the third place ;)" -- But can they break out?
The room is strangely quiet. The music is at a reasonable volume and our fellow journalists are chatting politely in their inside voices. That's a pretty drastic change from a lot of other recent press events that are trying to be part stadium concert.
If the photos are looking mighty blue that's because basically every light in this place has a blue tint. It goes well with the mellow theme we're feeling in here.
The media are nearly all seated at this point and roughly half the seats in this place are still empty. We're wondering if there's to be an onslaught of BB faithful to come before the event begins in 20.
Yes, you're less than 20 minutes away from the unveiling of BlackBerry 10! Can you handle it?
There's a lot of sneezing and coughing going on around us. Good thing I took my Airborne this morning.
If anyone had any doubts about what we'll be seeing today, one of the RIM PR agents was walking around using a Z10 rather openly before the doors opened. Sadly, we haven't spotted one of the QWERTY models in the wild ourselves just yet.
Hey now, the screens have just popped to life, showing off the BB10 keyboard.
"Re-designed. Re-engineered. Re-invented." they say. "The BlackBerry Experience."
There are of course dueling events happening around the world, timed to go live simultaneously with our event in NYC. Toronto, London, and elsewhere...
@TheTree says "I am guessing you haven't seen the QWERTY model being used yet because it's going to be a lower cost model/trim" -- Pretty good chance of that. Or, maybe it's just not as close to ready as the Z10 is.
Of course, I have to confess I personally have seen and used the QWERTY device myself, but that's a topic for another liveblog...
@brokestudent145 is thinking a "new BB10 tablet perhaps?" -- perhaps, but we'd say it's a long shot.
Our friend @saschasegan has listed out all the events: "RIM is holding simultaneous events in NYC, Toronto, London, Jo'burg, New Delhi and Jakarta, which makes for funky time zones." Also, lots of frequent flier miles for event organizers...
@tritster says "With 4.4M US Federal employees MOSTLY "stuck" with blackberry, BB10 is the only choice. certainly in DOD." -- Right now, yes, but times they are a changing. There has been some research into changing over to iOS or Android... we'll see what the future holds.
Again, you can tweet at us, @terrenceobrien, @tim_stevens, @RealBenGilbert and @JrVolpe. We'll share some of our favorite predictions in the liveblog stream.
We're down to T-10 minutes! Getting close now...
And now we're getting some Rapture. It's feeling all sorts of 2006 in here right now .
We're being invited to tweet using #BlackBerry10 and indeed seeing some tweets up on stage. This is your moment to shine, folks -- but tweeting at one of us is probably more likely to get you featured in here.
@rickscottrod says "BB10 Prediction: the entire theater is actually an amusement park ride a la Jurassic Park" -- Oh man, I can't wait for the part where the T-Rex head comes through the roof.
They were just asking people to tweet their ratings of BlackBerry 10 on a five star scale... not surprisingly, most respondents gave it a five (78%)
There we have it, the one and only Mike Lazaridis. Joseph was kind enough to track him down.
@ajdomanico says "the event will end with an And1 basketball intersquad game courtesy of the Brooklyn Nets." -- That's what I'm sayin'!
"Ladies and gentlemen, please disable any WiFI hotspots... our program is about to begin."
I refuse to believe this is a launch event from a tech company until I hear M83's Midnight City
Are you ready? Only 5 minutes left!
@RaymondBethelJr says "I predict that major apps will be announced - like SKYPE!" -- Let's hope so!
I'm told Adele just appeared on the screen holding a BlackBerry. Synchronicity. Job, done.
Some guy named @danielwcooper says "Our future: Printers, Printers, Printers." -- Indeed, but how many dimensions will those printers offer?
@abibalaji asks "Would you prefer to live blog from a laptop or a tablet?" Laptop! Need a keyboard.
The room has filled in nicely, by the way. Plenty of folks behind us literally looking forward to seeing what's next.
@shadohchaser says "I should get BB 10 w skype, twitter & facebbok official apps for playbook too" -- that's a good question, anybody think the PlayBook will get much love today?
We've heard it's getting BB10, but still no word of when...
"Ladies and gentlemen, our program will begin momentarily. Please take your seats."
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, are y'all ready for BB10? Because it's time.
Music and bass slowly rising, lights flashing quicker, this is starting to turn into a nightclub for nerds.
Our own Ben Gilbert is gesticulating wildly at his computer. I can only assume it's because he's trying to write on a MacBook instead of a PlayBook.
We're still waiting here... music still rockin'
Aha, here we go!
London's counting down....
... at least I think. The music just suddenly got much more intense...
"Hello and welcome to the BlackBerry Experience." A gentlemen named Jack Perry is standing here at the event, just to our right.
We're checking in with London, Dubai, Toronto...
...people in Toronto standing and cheering, round of applause for them!
...also in Paris, Johannesburg and, of course, here in NYC.
And some applause for ourselves here in New York City as well... we deserve it.
"As you can see we've got great groups at each site, with thousands more joining us on the web."
And thank you for joining US on the web!
They're certainly going for a very theatrical presentation -- it feels like a reality show.
We're now listening to some BlackBerry users, giving their enthusiastic impressions of BB10.
Lots of business owners, trainers... "My favorite feature is multi-tasking" says one.
Devs are talking about their excitement for the platform, and its support.
"BB10, with the new gesture approach, allows people to quickly access things and, with the hub, see things across multiple forms of communication."
The National Film Board of Canada is very excited to get their content in the hands of more users.
"It's the best computing platform in the world," is how the video ended.
"The keyboard is literally, and I've used many of them, literally the best experience"
"We are just a few moments to launch," says the presenter.
And he's talking to Alec Saunders, who you may remember from our interview at CES.
Interestingly, this is all happening on the floor right in front of us. Still nobody on the stage!
Alec is talking about his developer tour worldwide, how they've been courting devs around the globe -- but not in Antarctica apparently.
He's talking about the "port-a-thons" that they ran in January, 15,000 apps submitted in one weekend, 19,000 apps the second.
Alec is "totally stoked" by what he's seen from developers.
"To all the developers out there, thank you." says Alec. "With your help, we have put together what is, bar none, the largest catalog of applications for a first generation launch in mobile."
Alec is off now, and it's time to talk to two "dedicated BlackBerry fans."
It's video time again, people putting on bumper stickers that say "Honk if you want BlackBerry 10."
Now we're seeing Lil 'E, talking about how he's losing sleep waiting for BB10.
"No sleep 'til BlackBerry 10" is what he's rapping.
"People in Dallas can't wait, bring on BlackBerry 10!"
And our... presenter is back....
And now Crackberry Kevin is being singled out, talking about his pony tail.
He promised to not cut his hair until BB10 has launched. "I see you have your ponytail, what are you waiting for?"
"Cut it now!" yelled someone in the crowd.
...someone's got scissors...
"Let's do it!" says Kevin. And, indeed, they're cutting his hair off.
And it's off! Yes, folks, things are getting... interesting here.
"How stoked are you about BlackBerry 10?" These are hard-hitting questions.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is BlackBerry 10."
Okay, here we go, Thorsten Heins is up on stage!
"Good morning, good day, good afternoon, good night."
He's calling out all the other locations where events are happening. "I guess I hear some noise in those cities right now if I'm not mistaken."
"We have definitely been on a journey of transformation, a journey to not only transform our business and our brand, but a journey that I truly believe will change mobile communications into mobile computing."
It's been almost a year since he took over. "It has been by far the most difficult year of my career, but also the most rewarding."
"It was one of the best opportunities I've seen in my career to date, because I know that innovation is at the heart of RIM."
"And at the heart of that innovation is BlackBerry 10, and now, finally, here we are!"
Thorsten is excited, and so is the crowd!
He's taking a moment to thank some folks, including devs, customers, carrier partners and, most importantly, RIM's employees.
"The people at RIM have been at their most creative, their most engaged, and their most committed."
Big round of applause for RIM's employees. "BlackBerry 10 is here!" says Thorsten.
"This is one of the biggest launches in our industry, and today is actually not the finish line. It's the starting line."
It's for people who are "hyper-connected socially," people who are "getting things done" and it has to be a mix of "personal and professional."
"People who want simplicity of having everything in one place."
"People who consider true multi-tasking a must-have, and we all know these people are moving quickly and they need their mobile devices to keep them up to speed... And guess what, BlackBerry 10 will Keep Them Moving."
Thorsten believes that RIM is at the forefront of a shift to "true mobile computing."
That means, he says, creating a "personal internet of things" and with RIM's mobile security the company "will be a leader in connecting you to your internet of things."
"We have created a platform that is aimed to work with other machines." He's mentioning connecting to cars, smart homes...
"This is the promise of the BlackBerry 10 platform."
"With BlackBerry 10, how do we make sure we go beyond those expectations?" Those being the standard fare of a mobile OS -- browser, messaging, etc.
"BlackBerry 10 builds on, and betters, our more than 20 years of communication and security leadership"
It's the "secure, reliable real-time operating at the core" that is what makes this different. He's talking about QNX, of course.
"Just saying that we have reinvented this company is not enough. Today represents a new day in the history of BlackBerry. Two years ago we had to make a very serious decision: adopt someone else's platform, or build a whole new one for the ground up for BlackBerry."
"We made the tough call."
He's thanking Dan Dodge, Lead Software Architect at RIM behind QNX and BB10.
"Second, we've built strong and very important relationships with our carrier partners." Jim Ballsille is the one to be thanked for that, says Thorsten.
Finally, he's thanking Mike Lazaridis, for the overall inspiration of the platform. Mike is standing with a big smile. Warm round of applause.
"Mike, for all the people at RIM, thank you so much for guiding us into the future."
"We have transformed ourselves inside and out, and we have defined a revision, a dedication to the boundless opportunities in mobile computing."
"From this time forward, RIM becomes BlackBerry!"
"It is one brand, it is one promise. Our customers use BlackBerry. Our employees work for BlackBerry, and our shareholders are owners of BlackBerry. From today on, we are BlackBerry everywhere in the world."
That, we have to say, makes a lot of sense.
"One brand. One promise." is the catchphrase.
"We have reinvented the company, and we want to represent this in our brand."
"There are fundamental pieces of our lives that BlackBerry always has enhanced -- our ability to communicate, the way we share messages and email, and the way we manage our time."
He's talking about a need for a new "simple and elegant" system. That, of course, is BlackBerry 10.
"Everything in BlackBerry 10 is there in one place for you, and with a simple swipe you can share, you can create and you can connect. That sounds pretty good, right?"
Right?!
"So how did we do this? For me, that question cannot be answered without seeing the faces of our incredible BlackBerry employees, all 12,000 of them in 36 countries worldwide."
"So, I asked them to help count us up to the reveal of the new platform.
And here it is! The new BlackBerry 10 handsets!
"Ladies and gentlemen, we proudly present the BlackBerry Z10, and the BlackBerry Q10"
"Powered by the platform BlackBerry 10. Aren't they beautiful?"
The Z10 has a 4.2-inch display, 356PPI dot pitch, 1,280 x 756 resolution.
The back has a "textured surface" that makes it "really comfortable to hold... it just feels good holding it in your hand."
We're seeing images of a black and white model, which we've of course seen before.
"I'm amazed by how responsive I can be and how quickly I can share information."
The Q10 is a smaller phone, looks to be roughly the same size as the 9900 -- and yes, it has a physical keyboard.
"We know there are a lot of physical keyboard lovers out there. We heard you loud and clear. Here it is."
"We built this for all those people who told us, 'We just have to have a physical typing experience.' And you're going to love this."
"No matter what keyboard you prefer, these BlackBerry devices are simply the absolute best typing experience in the industry. Period."
The Q10 has a "glass-weave cover" -- a Kevlar wrap around behind the Q10. Looks a bit classier than the rubber backing of the Z10.
Vivek Bhardwaj, head of Software Portfolio from RIM is now on stage.
Vivek is saying that the BlackBerry Hub is his favorite part of BB10.
Vivek is giving us a demo of BB10, switching between running applications.
"This is real-time, true multi-tasking, and it feels fantastic."
We're looking at a YouTube video -- and yes, we're using m.youtube.com, not using a discrete app.
It's a video of Michael Schumacher launching the Mercedes SLS, by the way.
Vivek is showing off "Peek" -- the LED comes on to let him know that he has a new message, and he can quickly peek to see who it's from without exiting the video.
Okay, now we're looking at a BBM conversation.
Again, it's all managed through BlackBerry Hub.
Vivek is selecting from different channels -- Twitter, Facebook, email, etc.
He doesn't have to switch apps, can just respond directly right in there.
"It's all of our activity, engagement in one single place."
Apparently Thorsten didn't approve Vivek's vacation... he's a demanding man.
"It's not just about messages, it's not about things that have happened in the past... With a single gesture I can pull down and look at what's coming next."
Calendar appointments show up on the top. So, they're always easy to get to.
We're seeing people profiles in here, aggregating people's contact information -- Twitter, Facebook, BBM etc.
It pulls in his content from various social networks, not unlike the people hub in Windows Phone, but somewhat less aesthetically pleasing, if we're honest.
"Don't search anymore," says Thorsten. "The device adapts to you."
Now, he's talking keyboard.
"One of the things you'll notice is the design... Everything just feels like a normal typing experience."
Vivek is showing off the predictive text, letting you just flick the words up from the keys. Thorsten calls this "Writing without typing."
"Typing on a glass screen with one thumb. Magic." ... magic?
Filed under: [Cellphones](http://www.engadget.com/category/cellphones/), [Mobile](http://www.engadget.com/category/mobile/), [RIM](http://www.engadget.com/category/rim/)
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URL: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/blackberry-10-liveblog/
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