Posted on April 8, 2011, at 5:08 PM .
A little known fact about the BlackBerry PlayBook is that the company that led the User Experience design is an Ottawa firm called Teknision. The company worked closely with RIM’s executive team and provided creative direction, conceptualization and lead design execution for the Tablet OS.
While we all know that the QNX operating system will come to smartphones, what isn’t clear is how it will actually look on the device. From Teknision’s site, they drop the hint that the UX will be similar. The company writes: “The BlackBerry Tablet OS is a completely new user experience direction for BlackBerry, which will eventually extend to all RIM devices.” From the small handling we’ve done of the PlayBook, the UX has been great and it will be interesting to see how it works on a small screen. Touchscreen and QWERTY hybrids are probably going to play a role in all this.
Continue reading ‘Teknision: The Company Behind the PlayBook UX Design’
Posted on April 5, 2011, at 3:00 PM .
At the BlackBerry Developer Day RIM had several slides for developers that did everything from outline the BlackBerry Platform at large, to some specifics about OS 6.1 and the roadmap for 2011. From the slides, we can see that RIM sees the next generation (read OS 6.1) of apps will leverage the following:
- Super App status
- BBM Social Platform
- Near Field Communication (NFC)
- Augmented Reality
- Enhanced Map APIs
- Barcode APIs
It’s great that RIM is opening up these APIs and features because they will not only complement existing apps, but some developers will find ways of using 1 or 2 of these features to create an excellent app for the BlackBerry Platform. Click through for more slides and info you may have missed.
Continue reading ‘An Overview of OS 6.1, Next Generation of Super Apps, BlackBerry Platform Development and More’
Posted on April 4, 2011, at 1:27 PM .
MobileMonday is a very relevant tech industry event that began with some Nokia employees in Helsinki, Finland in 2000, and has grown to over 100 chapters cities worldwide. Tonight, RIM is presenting at Toronto’s MobileMonday, and Tyler Lessard, VP BlackBerry Global Alliances and Developer Relations, will take the stage to talk about the Playbook, ecosystems, and developer programs for business professionals and developers. There will be RIM employees from the Developer Relations team as well as Roger’s Catalyst team on hand with presentation booths to answer questions attendees may have.
Continue reading ‘RIM to Present PlayBook and Developer Programs at MobileMonday Toronto’
Posted on March 29, 2011, at 11:40 AM .
It’s hard enough to secure funding for your business, let alone secure funding as a student. VCs and investors are generally looking for someone with not only a great idea, but someone who also has experience in the industry. This doesn’t bode well for aspiring young entrepreneurs. To combat this, Ted Livingston, CEO of Kik, has donated $1M to the University of Waterlook VeloCity Residence, a residence-based startups incubator.
The University of Waterloo will establish a $1M seed fund for student startups and intends to provide “at least 30 student ventures” with $25,000 as well as four months of office space, incorporation services and mentoring over the next few years.
Continue reading ‘Kik Messenger CEO Donates $1M to Mobile Startup Incubator for Students’
Posted on March 22, 2011, at 8:45 AM .
RIM and Best Buy have announced the pre-orders, pricing and launch date for the PlayBook. The PlayBook with WiFi will come in three models including a 16GB, 32GB and 64GB version priced at $499, $599 and $699 respectively. The PlayBook is scheduled to be available April 19th (9 days after rumors thought it would launch), from all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores. The device will also launch April 19th in Best Buy and Future Shop in Canada. You can preorder your PlayBook today online at:
Continue reading ‘BlackBerry PlayBook Now Available for Pre-Order Online’
