Thomson Reuters Names BlackBerry a 2015 Top Global Innovator

We are excited to announce that for the third consecutive year BlackBerry was named a 2015 Top Global Innovator by Thomson Reuters.

The Thomson Reuters Top 100 Global Innovator program, now in its fifth year, recognizes companies for economic growth and success. Thomson Reuters honors the 100 corporations and institutions around the world that are at the heart of innovation. Innovators are selected through an analysis of patent and citation data across four main criteria: volume, success, globalization and influence, using Thomson Reuters solutions including Derwent World Patent Index (DWPI), Thomson Innovation and Derwent Patent Citations Index (PCI).

According to the report, The 2015 Top Global Innovators:
  • Generated more than 429 trillion (in local currency) in revenue, and
  • Invested more than 20 trillion (local currency) in R&D in 2014.
Our strong commitment to keep innovating no matter what enables us to constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible and consistently reach new heights. Thank you to our employees who continue to make BlackBerry the global leader in communications and to our partners and customers for relying on us for secure communications every single day.

How to send and receive money on BBM using PayPal


Thanks to BBM® and PayPal teaming up, BBM is now one of the best ways to simply and easily send and receive funds in supported regions1. Available on iOS, Android™ and BlackBerry® 10, this convenient new feature allows you to send and receive money from friends within a BBM conversation.

To get started, click on the PayPal “Send Money” icon in the attachment menu. The first time you use this feature, you will be prompted to link your PayPal account with your BBM account.

The on-screen instructions will tell you exactly what to do, and future transfers will not require authentication. If at any point you change your mind about allowing transfers, just log into PayPal and change your security settings.

If the contact you’ve selected to receive funds hasn’t linked their PayPal account with their BBM account, BBM will send a prompt asking them to do so.

Once the contact you’re chatting with has linked their PayPal account with BBM, you can enter the amount, review the details, add a message and hit send. This recipient will get a confirmation with your message, the transfer amount and a prompt to check their PayPal account for details.

BBM has always been the best way to connect and share messages, photos and more with speed, control and privacy. Now it’s even better that users will have the ability to send and receive money to friends, family and other contacts.

Like visuals? Watch the video to help you get started:

VIDEO: How to Send Money with PayPal over BBM


Supported countries as of publishing in November of 2015 include: Canada, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and South Africa.

Troubleshooting BlackBerry 10 Wi-Fi Issues



Looking for some help with a Wi-Fi connection issue on your BlackBerry 10 device? Follow the troubleshooting tips below, and if you need more assistance, there are several great options for additional help that can be found at the end of this post.

  1. Verify that you’re in a Wi-Fi coverage area. If you’re connecting to a home network, check and see if other wireless devices are able to connect. If other devices can’t connect, you might need to reset your router (if you do not run the Wi-Fi network, contact the owner before resetting the wireless router). If you’re connecting to a work Wi-Fi network or a hotspot, talk to your administrator or an employee at the hotspot to ensure you are using correct login details.
  2. Verify that your smartphones Wi-Fi connection is turned on, and review the wireless connection status bar icons to determine your current connection. To learn more about the various icons, check out the Wireless Connections icons section found within the BlackBerry Z10 user guide.
  3. If the Wi-Fi network that you want to connect to doesn’t appear on the Wi-Fi settings screen, it might be hidden. If you know the network name, try connecting to the Wi-Fi network manually. For assistance connecting to a Wi-Fi network manually, check out our blog post on how to connect Wi-Fi networks while using a BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
  4. Verify that Mobile Hotspot mode is turned off. If Mobile Hotspot mode is on, your smartphone can’t connect to a Wi-Fi network. To check, tap Settings on your home screen followed by Network Connections
  5. Your connection might have timed out so try connecting to the Wi-Fi network again.

If none of the suggestions above help solve the connection issue you are encountering, here are two more things you should check:
  1. Verify that the time on your BlackBerry smartphone is synchronized with the network time. If the times are different, it could prevent your smartphone from connecting (for example, if connecting to the network requires you to have a certificate on your smartphone, and the certificate has an expiration date). To review time settings on your smartphone, tap Settings on your home screen followed by Date and Time
  2. If your email account is a work account, your smartphone might prevent connections to certain wireless access points. For more information, contact your administrator.
Still not connected? Here are a few more things you can try:

  1. Verify that the settings for the Wi-Fi network are correct. To find out which settings to use, for a home network, refer to the information that came with your router; for a work Wi-Fi network, talk to your administrator; for a public hotspot, refer to any information provided for the hotspot or talk to an employee at the hotspot who might have details about how to connect.
  2. If you use the Press WPS Button on Router setting in Wi-Fi Protected Setup, check that the Wi-Fi router uses Wi-Fi Protected Setup, and that it is set to send its profile. Verify that another device is not also attempting to connect at the same time, and that not more than one Wi-Fi router within range is set to send its profile. For more information, review the information that came with your router or contact the person who runs the Wi-Fi network
  3. If you use PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-FAST, or EAP-TTLS to connect to a Wi-Fi network, verify that you installed the root certificate for the certificate authority server that created the certificate for the authentication server. The root certificate must be installed on your smartphone before you can connect to the network. For more information, talk to your administrator.
  4. If you use EAP-TLS to connect to a Wi-Fi network, verify that you installed your authentication certificate on the smartphone. The authentication certificate must be installed on your smartphone before you can connect to the network. For more information, talk to your administrator.
  5. If you need to contact a support representative, you can access diagnostic information by tapping Advanced on the Wi-Fi settings screen. To copy the log information to send to your support representative, in the Diagnostic Information drop-down list, tap Logs followed by tapping Copy Logs.

Rumored price of BlackBerry Priv in China converts to approximately $630 USD

Chinese tipster @Leaksfly has posted on his Weibo page, the price that he says the BlackBerry Priv will be sold for in China. According to his information, the Android powered slider will cost 3999 CNY, which converts to $630 USD. BlackBerry CEO John Chen confirmed last week that the eagerly awaited handset would be a high-end model, and be priced as such. He also hinted that some type of installment plan might be offered to buyers. 

The BlackBerry Priv is expected to be equipped with a 5.4-inch, 1440 x 2560 QHD resolution screen. The Snapdragon 808 chipset will be driving the device, carrying a hexa-core CPU and the Adreno 418 GPU. 3GB of RAM should be aboard. The 18MP rear-facing camera offers Schneider-Kreuznach optics and OIS, while the front-facing selfie shooter will weigh in at 5MP. Considering that the phone has yet to be officially introduced, we suggest that you take this with a grain of salt.

The Android powered 'Berry has been rumored to be touching down in November for some time. The actual release date is important to BlackBerry, since it would love to have the handset in the marketplace in time for the holiday shopping season. So far, the Priv has been certified by the Bluetooth SIG, and we await the release of FCC certification.

The next invitation sent out by BlackBerry for a media event, will no doubt be for the unveiling of the Priv. If you can't get this phone out of your mind, feel free to check in often along with the others who are dreaming of a Priv Chirstmas.

How to hide pictures using BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1

Introduced in BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1, a new option has been added that allows you to hide pictures.

For those that share their device with other people this is a great way to prevent someone from viewing photos you don’t want them to see. Here’s how to do it!

To hide a single picture
   1.   Open the Pictures app
   2. Tap and hold a picture you want to hide
   3. Tap followed by Mark to Hide

The picture is now marked as hidden, but will remain visible until you select to 3hide it using the Hide Items option described below.



To hide multiple pictures
  1. In the Pictures app, tap and hold the first picture you would like to hide
  2. Tap Select More
  3. Tap each picture that you would like to hide
  4. Tap Mark to Hide along the bottom toolbar


How to hide pictures

After marking pictures to be hidden, complete the following steps.
  1. Open the Pictures app
  2. Swipe down from the top of the screen
  3. Tap Hide Items
To view hidden pictures again, swipe down from the top of screen followed by tapping Unhide Items.


How to create a Mobile Hotspot using BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.3.1

Did you know that you can share your mobile network connection with other devices such as laptops, gaming devices and more?

Provided your wireless service plan supports the Mobile Hotspot feature, you can create a Wi-Fi network that supports up to eight other devices.

Here’s how to do it!

Note: Additional charges may apply to use Mobile Hotspot mode so check your wireless service plan for applicable rates or contact your wireless service provider. You are responsible for mobile hotspot use and are advised to ensure that connected devices use this service legally. 
  1. While viewing the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
  2. Tap Settings followed by Networks and Connections
  3. Tap Mobile Hotspot
  4. Complete the instructions on the screen if you’ve never used Mobile Hotspot mode before (Read these screens carefully as they provide important information about the Mobile Hotspot feature such as mobile hotspot name and password)
  5. Set the Mobile Hotspot switch to On
After you set up a mobile hotspot, plug your smartphone into a power source because this feature uses battery power. If you don’t plug in, your smartphone automatically turns off the Mobile Hotspot feature if no traffic to or from the mobile network occurs during a set amount of time (15 minutes by default).

To customize the timer which turns off your mobile hotspot, review the steps on how to find and customize your Mobile Hotspot settings.

Add a mobile hotspot shortcut to the quick-settings menu

For fast access to your Mobile Hotspot, consider adding it to the quick settings menu. Doing so allows you to turn your mobile hotspot on or off with a single tap.
  1. Swipe down from the top of the home screen
  2. Tap Settings followed by Quick Settings
  3. Select the check box next to Mobile Hotspot
After you add the shortcut to your quick settings menu, tap the Hotspot icon to quickly turn your Mobile Hotspot on or off. To edit your mobile hotspot settings if needed, tap Hotspot instead of the circular icon.

Find and customize your Mobile Hotspot settings

The first time you setup the Mobile Hotspot you will need to customize a few settings. Later, if you want to change these settings, such as your network name, or password complete the steps below:
  1. While viewing the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
  2. Tap Settings followed by Networks and Connections
  3. Tap Mobile Hotspot
  4. Tap
Disconnect a device from your Mobile Hotspot

  1. On the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
  2. Tap Settings followed by Networks and Connections
  3. Tap Mobile Hotspot
  4. Tap the name of the device that you want to disconnect
  5. Tap

Note: After you disconnect a device from your mobile hotspot, if you want to connect the device again you must start a new session in Mobile Hotspot mode.

Troubleshooting Mobile Hotspot

If you are running into trouble using the Mobile Hotspot feature here a few things you will need to double check:
  • Verify your device is connected to the mobile network and that you can browse the website successfully using your device’s web browser. Doing so will verify that your device’s data connection is working properly.
  • Verify that your wireless service plan supports the use of the Mobile Hotspot feature. If not, you need to change your service plan before Mobile Hotspot mode will properly function.
  • If you are roaming, verify that your wireless service plan allows the use of the Mobile Hotspot feature. If so, verify that Data Services while Roaming is enabled.
            - On the home screen, swipe down from the top of the screen
            - Tap Settings followed by Networks and Connections
            - Tap Mobile Network
            -  Set Data services while roaming to On 

  • If you do not see the Mobile Hotspot option on your device, and you are using your device for work, your organization might not allow this feature. Contact your IT department or administrator for guidance.
  • Depending on your wireless service plan, you might not be able to connect multiple devices to your mobile hotspot, or the number of devices you can connect might be less than eight.

BlackBerry OS 10.3.3 Scheduled for March 2016 Launch


BlackBerry announced their earnings for their second quarter of fiscal 2016 this morning, and included some details about upcoming software for the BlackBerry 10 devices. In the report, BlackBerry states that they are still committed to supporting BB10, and will in fact deliver the next update – BlackBerry 10.3.3 – in a few months. More specifically, BlackBerry has set a date of March 2016.

No word on exactly what improvements that will bring, but it’s good to know it’s still on the way.

Developing…