At a big press conference in New York, RIM announced two new smartphones and that the company is officially changing its name to BlackBerry starting today.
The new smartphones are called the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10. Both will run the brand new BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system.
The phones will launch in March in the U.S. Prices will vary by carrier, but should cost around $150-$200 with a carrier contract.
Check out the live blog for updates from the event as they happened.
9:31 AM | We just sat down. RIM was kind enough to provide the press with Ethernet connections and tables to sit at. That's a rare thing for a tech event.
9:35 AM | Here's a look outside Basketball City, where RIM is holding the BB10 event to day.
9:36 AM | Press had to register using RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. This was literally the first time we've seen a PlayBook used in the wild.
9:42 AM | The press holding area teased the new BlackBerry Z10. We'll have all the details on the phone very soon.
9:43 AM | Another teaser in the press holding area. BlackBerry 10 has a special touchscreen keyboard that can predict what you'll type next.
9:50 AM | 10 minute warning!
9:56 AM | The announcer asked everyone to turn off their personal WiFi hotspots. Good luck with that. Five minutes until we start!
10:02 AM | Looks like things are running a bit late. The keynote should kick off any second now.
10:05 AM | We're getting started! Lights just went down and intro music playing.
10:06 AM | Some guy is introducing all the different locations where this event is being live streamed. Toronto is the only location that cheered.
10:06 AM | Ok, well the people in NYC cheered.
10:07 AM | Overall, the crowd is pretty subdued.
10:08 AM | Now we're watching a video of BlackBerry engineers explaining how much they love the new BB10 operating system.
10:09 AM | But seriously, the crowd is not digging the vibe in here right now. It's kind of sad.
10:10 AM | Vice President of Developer Relations, Alec Saunders is speaking now. He's being interviewed by the emcee guy.
This is super scripted and boring.
10:13 AM | Now we're watching a video about a guy who created a BlackBerry 10 fan club.
Again, this is really, really bizarre.
10:13 AM | Now we're watching a music artist named Lil E explain how excited he is for BB10
10:15 AM | Kevin K. from crackberry.com is now openly hawking BlackBerry 10.
He promised to cut his hair when BlackBerry 10 launches. He's cutting his hair in front of the audience. This is sad.
10:16 AM | RIM CEO Thorsten Heins is now on stage
Time to get to the real news.
10:16 AM | Heins is welcoming those watching the event around the world.
10:18 AM | Heins thanks employees and congratulates them for completing BlackBerry 10.
10:20 AM | Thorsten does not have a great stage presence. This is really boring. We really just want to see this product in action.
10:22 AM | We're just getting a vague description of what BlackBerry 10 can do.
10:23 AM | Now Heins is talking about RIM's business as a whole
"Two years ago we made a tough decision."
RIM chose to go it alone and make its own new platform instead of adopting another. (Like Android).
10:24 AM | Heins gives a shout out to former RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis, who stepped down last year.
10:25 AM | From this point forward, RIM is changing its name to BlackBerry
10:26 AM | New stock ticker: BBRY
10:28 AM | Now we're getting a countdown to BlackBerry 10
10:28 AM | Two phones: One with a keyboard, and one that's touchscreen-only: The BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10
10:30 AM | The Z10
4.2-inch display running BlackBerry 10.
10:30 AM | The Q10
First BB10 smartphone with a physical keyboard. It also has a touchscreen.
10:31 AM | Both phones offer "the best typing experience" in the industry
10:31 AM | Phones have a glass weave cover on the back
It's thinner, lighter, and stronger than plastic.
10:32 AM | Demo time! We're getting a look at how BB10 works.
10:32 AM | Here are the two new phones, the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10
10:33 AM | We're getting a demo of the BlackBerry Hub in BB10
You can quickly and easily switch between apps with a swiping gesture.
10:34 AM | If a BBM comes up while you're in an app, you can swipe over and answer.
10:35 AM | You only need one thumb to control everything.
10:35 AM | BlackBerry Hub stores notifications from all your apps: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, etc. You don't need to open up a separate app.
10:37 AM | The Hub lets you swipe down and see upcoming events. Very handy.
10:37 AM | The audience loves it.
10:38 AM | When you have a meeting with a person, BB10 pulls in their photos from Facebook or LinkedIn. It recognizes all the connections you have with a person and puts it in one place.
This is very impressive.
10:39 AM | Everything is fast and smooth.
10:40 AM | The keyboard
Black keys with white lettering, just like the old-school BlackBerry keyboard. It also predicts what word you're going to type next, and you can "flick" the word up into the text field.
10:41 AM | The keyboard lets you quickly switch between different languages (if you need it)
10:43 AM | Meanwhile, BlackBerry's stock is in free fall. It's down 5% right now.
10:47 AM | Now we're talking about the updates to BBM
You can make video calls over BBM. It's a lot like FaceTime on the iPhone.
10:47 AM | BBM Screen share
You can share your entire screen with another BB10 user.
10:48 AM | You can share photos with other BB10 users with BBM screen share
10:51 AM | New app called BlackBerry remember
It's basically a note-taking app. Sort of like Evernote.
10:51 AM | BlackBerry Remember syncs with Evernote
10:53 AM | We just got a demo of the time-shifting camera that lets you switch faces with the best look.
10:56 AM | BlackBerry Story Maker
Lets you choose a series of photos and videos to make a slide show. You can choose your own music too. The app stiches the content together automnatically. You can make some neat presentations with it.
10:58 AM | VP of Business Development, Martyn Mallick is up
10:59 AM | We're talking about content and apps now. (This is really important if BB10 will be successful)
11:00 AM | More than 70,000 apps available on BB10 starting today.
11:01 AM | Skype committed to BlackBerry 10, Amazon Kindle, WhatsApp, and a few other big names...
SAP, Angry Birds, etc.
11:02 AM | He's just listing a bunch of apps.
11:04 AM | You can also download movies, TV shows, and music from the BlackBerry App World
All the major music labels and movie studios on board.
11:05 AM | RIMM is down about 5% right now.
11:08 AM | When does it launch?
By the end of February, completing lab testing with carriers. U.S. market: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile will begin announcing launch dates and price plans starting today. Should launch in the U.S. in March.
11:09 AM | Price: Approximately $150-$200 on contract. Pricing will vary by carrier.
11:11 AM | Another big announcement: Global Creative Director position created at BlackBerry. Alicia Keys!
11:14 AM | Alicia Keys on stage talking about her new role at BlackBerry. She said she ditched BlackBerry for another phone. Now she's back.
She's using a really weird dating metaphor about how she "broke up" with BlackBerry and now she's back.
11:15 AM | Keys will work with app designers, content creators etc. to help develop the BB10 platform.
11:15 AM | This is beyond bizarre.
11:18 AM | Now we're watching a video with a bunch of creative types (including Alicia Keys) explaining how they'll use BlackBerry.
11:20 AM | Wrapping up. Thorsten Heins says thanks.
11:20 AM | Stay tuned for the press Q&A with Heins in about 15 minutes.
11:21 AM | Everyone in the room is getting a BlackBerry Z10.
11:23 AM | Ok...now we're gonna wait for the Q&A session. 15 minutes. Stay tuned.
11:31 AM | Q&A is about to begin.
11:33 AM | Thorsten Heins is back on stage to answer questions from the press.
11:35 AM | When in March will the Z10 and Q10 launch?
Heins: Mid-March launch. Reason is that the testing process in the U.S. is rather lengthy...we want to respect their process.
11:36 AM | Marketing: There will be a Super Bowl commercial for the Z10 and Q10
11:36 AM | Integrated photo and backup solution?
Heins: Star solutions as an open platform. Customers can choose whatever service they want.
11:37 AM | When will the Q10 be available in the U.S.
Heins: Working with carriers to get the Z10 out the door. Q10 is expected to launch in April
11:39 AM | When is BlackBerry 10 coming to PlayBook tablet?
Heins: Working on software update for all tablets out there. Says will continue in the tablet space, but wants to focus on services on top of the tablet. Won't just focus on creating new hardware.
11:42 AM | How will BlackBerry compete against iPhone and Android
Answer: We have the full support from our ecosystem...we will have more than 100,000 apps at U.S. launch. Will focus on marketing to win over U.S. consumers.
11:43 AM | How do developers make apps for the different screen sizes?
Heins: Agreed in advance that these will be the two screen sizes BlackBerrys will have for a while. We will not fragment our ecosystem.
11:46 AM | Battery life?
Heins: Charges with standard USB connector. There will be a removable battery so you can swap them out. There will be a charger accessory that lets you charge extra battery along with the one currently in your phone.
11:49 AM | Alicia Keys back on stage to answer questions.
11:53 AM | Alicia, what exactly are you doing for BlackBerry?
Alicia: You'll see me at the Super Bowl. But I'm very dedicated...
(She's just rehashing talking points.)
11:56 AM | Things are wrapping up. We're gonna close out the live blog now. Thanks for joining us!
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/blackberry-10-live-blog-2013-1
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