Blackberry 10: seven things you should know

Count’em…

BB10

1. There are two phones.
One new handset comes with a keyboard (the Q10) and one does not (the Z10). The latter looks like a fairly traditional touchscreen slab and the former will not doubt speak to those day to day business men who actually miss the days of having a full keyboard.

2. It’s for one handers
Apparently RIM, sorry BLACKBERRY (we’ll come back to that) have got super-focused on their one-hand experience to help those chaps and chapesses who like to do things… one handed. TRUTH.

3. European MD, Stephen Bates, will probably never appear on the BBC ever again.
In an amazing interview on Radio 5 this morning Mr Bates was asked  ‘What did you learn from the iPhone?’ (in various forms) six times and not once did he address the question full on. Ouch.

Too much media training = painful interviews from hell.

4. It runs Android apps.
It really does. And if there’s any app that’s not in the store, you can convert it in 40 seconds.

BB10 Android converter

Grab the APK file, upload it to the converter and… bish bash bosh… one BB10 app ready and raring to go.

5. According to sources: it’s actually quite good.
David Mannl, super mobile tech head and founder and creative director at mobile app generator, Mippin, had this to say:

I’ve been using BB10 on a final hardware device for two weeks. And I won’t go back to my Galaxy S3. And Whatley knows how much of and android fan boy I am. Just amazing! Mainly because it runs all my android apps as well. A complete no brainer.

6. No more RIM: Blackberry is it.
That’s right, Research in Motion is no more. Pursuing the ideal of ‘one brand, one promise’, from this day forth, the Canadian handset manufacturer will simply be known as ‘Blackberry’. Clean and simple, not unlike their new UI.

7. You can play with one on Feb 28th.
The new Blackberry 10 devices are available tomorrow! However, if you don’t want to splash out yourself – don’t worry! You can come along to #NotatMWC next month, hang out with some rather awesome mobile geeks, AND get your grubby mitts on one there.

We’ve been promised BB10 devices will be on hand, so if you want hands on, come to #NotatMWC!

 

 

Speaking: Social TV Conference

My slides are up –

However, as per usual, I would whole-heartedly recommend you click through to the presentation’s main slideshare page so that you’re able read the accompanying slide notes (that provide more of an in-depth look at the points I was making along the way).

While you’re there, I would also impress upon you to look at the presentations from Tiffany St James, Mat Locke, and Dan Paton. Dealing with stats, history, and an ace MTV case study respectively.

All in all, Social TV Conference London was a really good event. Second screen entertainment is definitely one of the more nascent areas of the social media industry today and there is some amazing work going on right now.

Why not have a poke around the conference website and see what nuggets you can find…

Your comments, as ever, are welcome.

 

#NotatMWC 2013

We’re baaaaack!

This coming February sees the cream of the world’s mobile industry all descend on Barcelona’s (thing?) for Mobile World Congress. But the thing is, attending the world’s biggest mobile conference is not cheap so many mobile geeks don’t get the chance to go.NotatMWC

But don’t panic, we’ve got you covered –

The original #NotatMWC event is BACK!

  • Are you having trouble making it to MWC?
  • Have you decided to say ‘BALLS!’ to Barcelona?
  • Do you have a slight obsession with all things cellular?

THEN JOIN US FOR BEERS AND GENERAL MOBILE MERRIMENT AT #NOTATMWC!

February 28th is the date you need to book in your diary and we’ve booked the upstairs at All Bar One on New Oxford Street for just over 70-odd people. If we over do it and loads of you turn up, no matter! We can just flood the ENTIRE PUB with mobile folk and have a jolly good time.

See you there?

 

PS. Tell your friends —-> “Feb 28th. NotatMWC. Be there

PPS. Sponsorship options are also available.

What’s on your iPad?

OK, I’ll go first —

photo.PNG

A little while ago, I was asked to put together my top five iPad apps.

So, here they are. Ready?

1. Chrome
I’m so late to the Chrome-across-multiple-devices party it’s ridiculous. I’ve used Chrome on the desktop for yonks, then I added it to my phone (at the moment: the Motorola RAZR i), and then I finally added it to my iPad. Sign-in sync is nothing short of a revelation.

Alright some of you are going to be reading this going ‘OH COME ON WHATLEY! HOW HAVE YOU NOT BEEN USING THIS?!’ – well, I haven’t. Deal with it.

But seriously, it’s ace. I’m on my MacBook Pro at work; I open up some tabs to read later and when I get on the tube on the way home? Boom, there’s my stuff waiting for me on my iPad. Brilliant.

2. Paper by Fifty-Three
I’ve been using Paper since March last year when I spotted an awesome write-up over on Read Write Web. Since downloading it I’ve used it for a TON of things. From sketching superheroes (and super villains) to inventing mind robots that know when you want a cup of tea.

Paper is magnificent. It’s not cheap (if you want all the bells and whistles) but it’s 100% worth the investment.

3. Spotify
When you absolutely positively gotta have music when you’re cooking in the kitchen: accept no substitute. My iPad is my portable stereo system when I’m around the house and Spotify, when linked with a fairly awesome bluetooth speaker (bought from Carphone Warehouse), follows me around the home everywhere. Winner.

4. Reeder
Geez, where do I start? Outside of browsing the web, I’d say this is probably my number one used app on my iPad. Pulling in the feeds from my Google Reader, Reeder is where I consume my web.

The best things about Reeder for iPad are as follows

  • It’s my Google Reader, dammit!
  • It downloads content to read offline (essential for commuting)
  • Awesome sharing options (but no Tumblr – weird)
  • Everyone I know swears by it
  • I feel like it’s my friend – yes, that’s weird; and no, I don’t care.

5. Amazon Kindle
I use this app almost every day. Like Chrome, it’s mostly used on the commute to and from work; it’s the perfect accompaniment. And again like Chrome, I love the sync feature. I’ve got Kindle on all of my devices; I close the app on one device and when I open it on the next, it’s on the same page! It’s such a simple and easy thing but it makes ALL the difference.

And that’s that, in short: browsing, creating, listening, reading, and reading.

What’s on your iPad?

 

New Year, New Choices: Speaking

Yes, that’s right: SPEAKING.

The Conversation Prism, by Brian Solis

At the tail end of last year (and after much deliberation; is it poncy, is it not?) I added a ‘Speaking’ tab to my blog. First, to record all the speaking engagements that I am lucky enough to get/give and second, to serve as a way for folk to not only see the way I work, but also get in touch should they wish to book me.

Last year topped out at three different presentations and talks, and given that 2011’s end number was six, I really don’t think this is good enough.

After reviewing last year’s fairly lacklustre efforts I decided that this year, 2013, I’m going to proactively hunt down new speaking opportunities and get back into the swing of things again. The best thing is, my new responsibilities at Ogilvy now allow me the freedom to pursue this goal, which means I can make the time where appropriate. Brilliant.

Saying it is one thing, but doing it is another – a bit like running, really; you just need to put the effort in. Which is why, after only three weeks gone in the year, there are four slots already on the horizon!

The two I can tell you about?

January 22nd
Tomorrow I’m speaking at the SocialTV conference. The speaker line up looks great and, after my post last year about how hard TV-based social media integration is failing, I believe I’m being pitched in to add a bit of realism to the proceedings. I can’t wait!

January 24th
Then on Thursday, I’m one of the speakers at the SalesForce Social Success Mic-Up. This time speaking about social media trends looking forward into 2013. I made some predictions in August last year and for this sessions I’ll be building on those and trying to see what else we can see coming ’round the corner.

Two confirmed, and two under discussion. If the latter come in, I’ve already beaten last year’s score. Perfect.

It’s amazing what you can achieve when you set yourself a goal like that.

Who’d a thunk it?

 

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Additional reading: being a better speaker, by Terence Eden