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For those who don’t know, HTML5 is the latest version of HTML, the language that acts as the digital skeleton of most web pages. Probably the coolest thing about HTML5 is that it does more than just power web pages — it also powers web apps. These apps can work both online and offline to provide an experience much like a native app, meaning mobile browsers will have to be equipped to handle HTML5 quickly and smoothly.

This is where the BlackBerry 10 browser fits in nicely. The BlackBerry 10 browser itself is an HTML5 application, working as a gateway that serves up pages written in nearly any programming language, including HTML5. But that’s only half of the story. The BlackBerry 10 browser is also an extremely revved-up result of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet browser (which may just have the best HTML5 score for a tablet browser in the industry). This is the browser available in new BlackBerry 10 smartphones. This allows for not only compatibility of pages designed now and in the future, but also a faster browsing experience.

Who’s excited?

Every BlackBerry 10 detail, update, and feature, as soon as it’s released: BlackBerry.com/BlackBerry10. Test out BlackBerry 10 features hands-on, watch exclusive video interviews with the minds behind BlackBerry 10, and receive product and carrier updates straight to your inbox. Sign up today!

With the holiday season far behind you in the rearview mirror, you’re likely settled back into the daily grind, which starts with your morning commute. When I’m driving to the office, it’s a cup of coffee that really gets me going. But I’ve found a few great BlackBerry smartphone and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet apps to make my commute that much easier. (Just remember, as cool as these apps are it’s important to always keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while driving. Enter your information ahead of time and don’t use these apps while driving)

Here are some of my favorites:

• DriveSafely by iSpeech.org: This handy BlackBerry smartphone app helps drivers keep hands on the wheel by reading SMS and email messages out loud. DriveSafely Pro provides even greater functionality, allowing you to dictate SMS or email responses, repeat messages, and even make outgoing calls.

• GasBuddy – Find Cheap Gas Prices by GasBuddy Organization, Inc.: Do you need to find the cheapest gas while you’re on the go? This BlackBerry smartphone app locates nearby gas stations and allows you to view current gas prices. You can also help your friends save money on gas by sharing prices with BBM integration.

• VCMS – Speed. Location. Odometer. Compass. by I-Mentalist.com: Consider this as an all-in-one driver’s best friend created for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. With a compass, odometer, latitude/longitude trackers, lap timer, speed alerts and social network integration, let’s just say backseat drivers have some serious competition in the ‘know-it-all’ category.

• Compass by mappau OG: This magnetic compass was written natively for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, using a magnetometer instead of GPS. You can select from five different compass themes, and the compass automatically re-calibrates every three days to ensure accuracy.

• Magellan Compass Maps by o2 Interactive: Before you get on your way, you can use this BlackBerry PlayBook tablet app to search, navigate and bookmark your destination, then use GPS and cached map data to take you there.

Are you ready to hit the road with these great apps? Before you set out, review your local laws for using mobile devices while driving. Remember, you can always use these apps to help plan your trip before getting behind the wheel.

Have any of these apps helped make your morning commute any easier? Do you have any favorite driving apps for your BlackBerry smartphone or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Let us know in the comments!

It’s mid-January, and by now you’ve realized winter’s cold grip has you and it’s not letting go for another two months. But the fires of Team BlackBerry are still stoked despite facing colder weather and shorter days. We’ve got only one thing on our minds: getting our hands on a BlackBerry 10 device. Because BlackBerry fans have important dates coming up – and because we know your BlackBerry device sleeps next to you – let’s take a quick look at some countdown apps and some wake-up apps to help you stay on time.

Apps for waking up…

• World Clock – Multi Alarm by Ajani InfoTech Private Limited: This helpful app features clocks from around the world (very helpful for knowing the best times to send someone a BBM™ message), a countdown timer, and a stopwatch. I like having the multiple alarm feature for letting me know about recurring appointments without having to add them to my calendar or changing my wake-up alarm.

• puZZed – Puzzle Alarm Clock by Qbotron: At first glance, you might find the concept of this app to be just cruel. This app is designed to wake you up with an alarm, but instead of letting you turn off the alarm and fall back asleep, you must solve one of a variety of puzzles to shut off the alarm. Sure, there’s a snooze feature, but sooner or later you’re going to have to solve the puzzle. It’s crazy brilliant.

Apps for counting down…

• Event Counter Lite by Pace MobiTech: If it’s a quick and simple countdown you’re looking for, Event Counter Lite might be your easiest answer. It includes calendar integration so you can add an event to your calendar (like the BlackBerry 10 launch event, maybe?) then get excited counting down until the date and time arrives.

• Best Countdown Pro by MMMOOO: The folks at MMMOOO make a ton of great apps for BlackBerry devices, and Best Countdown Pro is a great addition. This app includes calendar integration, multi-event countdowns, the ability to set the countdown as a screensaver, and a multitude of clock/countdown user interfaces. It might be the most beautiful way to count down ever invented.

Regardless of how you’re building your excitement for BlackBerry 10 this winter, keeping track using these apps from the BlackBerry App World storefront can help make the anticipation a little more fun.

(Originally posted on the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog)

The energy inside Research In Motion (RIM) is at an all-time high. We are weeks away from the biggest product launch in BlackBerry history. To capture some of the excitement, I took a moment to connect with a few of our senior executives who have been leading teams directly involved in the making of BlackBerry 10.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Each week leading up to the launch of BlackBerry 10, I will be releasing a fresh video interview clip with this group of execs. Special thanks to: Scott Totzke, Senior VP of the BlackBerry Security Group, Pete Devenyi, Senior VP of Enterprise Software and Mike Maloney, VP of Customer Support Operations – America’s, for participating in this “behind the scenes” leadership video series for our Inside BlackBerry For Business blog readers!

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

The emoticon recently turned 30, and we’re taking the opportunity to not only smile (:)), but to really appreciate the terrific community we have here. Not so surprisingly, I love emoticons. Whether I’m using BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), SMS, or email to connect with friends, I find that incorporating a smiley face ensures that my messages sound friendly, especially when they’re short.

A few of my favorite apps in BlackBerry App World feature this ubiquitous smiley face. They include Easy Smiley Pack by S4BB (FREE), Text Smiley by AppsForBB.com (FREE), and Mega Emoji Free by MMMOOO (FREE).

Do you have a favorite emoticon? Don’t just tell us, show us! Post your favorite emoticon in the comment section below.

In our recent blog post There’s No Button Like Home, we outlined how there will not be a home button on BlackBerry 10 devices. Without the home button, a gesture-based design will get you around the device. Since BlackBerry 10 is completely new, I grabbed BlackBerry 10 expert Jeff to give us a walkthrough of the basic (and most useful) gestures.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

There you have it – getting around BlackBerry 10 is easy and keeps you moving fluidly throughout your information, running apps and messages. Now when you head to the store to pick up your device after the launch event on January 30th, you can open the box and already be a pro.

Let us know what you think about the gestures in the comments below. Will you miss having navigation buttons?

Every BlackBerry 10 detail, update, and feature, as soon as it’s released: BlackBerry.com/BlackBerry10. Test out BlackBerry 10 features hands-on, watch exclusive video interviews with the minds behind BlackBerry 10, and receive product and carrier updates straight to your inbox. Sign up today!

Editor’s note from Mel: “This is not my car, but I was really glad to meet it. #OneDay”

Many of you #TeamBlackBerry members may have noticed a new face amongst our social networks. Our new Community Manager Melanie has hit the ground running and doesn’t appear to be stopping any time soon.

We thought our Inside BlackBerry Blog readers may want to get to know her a little better, so I grabbed a few minutes with her to ask a few questions:

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you hail from?

I was born in Toronto but moved to the small town of Colborne when I was four. I know people often say they’re from a small town, but Colborne is actually SMALL. There are approximately 2000 people in Colborne and not a single traffic light. Small-town girl is an understatement. My whole hometown can fit into a single city apartment building.

What is your favorite BlackBerry-related memory?

I remember the day that I received my first BlackBerry device. I was so happy that I’d be able to stay connected with friends, family and colleagues. I laugh when I think back to that day as I remember thinking I’d never be able to type quickly with it. Needless to say, that feeling didn’t last long. Using a T9 keyboard is now the challenge.

What is your favorite type of UGC (“User Generated Content”) created on a BlackBerry smartphone?

Pictures! They really do say a thousand words. That said, most recently some amazing music has come out of #TeamBlackBerry. Who doesn’t love a good tune?

What is the most-used tool on your BlackBerry smartphone?

BBM hands down, especially with the new BBM Voice that has just launched. I am addicted to the R and D – texting just doesn’t do the trick.

What is your favorite app?

My banking app. I am pretty much a full-time mobile banker. I’m looking forward to testing out the newly released NFC mobile credit card payments. I can already picture how this will affect my closet!

What do you do for fun outside of work?

Let’s see…I’ve recently taken up golf and I’m hooked. However, I prefer to go early or late in the season. I get stressed out when there are people waiting for me to play though. I have a lot of Happy Gilmour moments.

I’m also a movie fanatic! I have a completely useless skill of being able to watch a movie once and remember all of the classic lines. I live in movie quotes and references.

Coolest thing in your cubicle?

Many people have pictures of their family and/or children. I have pictures of other people’s children. I have what I call my “wall-o-babes” which are pictures of my friends’ children. My most favorite is a picture of my friend’s twin boys’ passport photos. These 15-month-old boys have hilarious mug shots. That said, the newest addition to the wall is the sonogram of my first niece or nephew. My baby sister is due in March. I think the wall will soon get a lot bigger.

What is your favorite website?

I love IMDB.com. Being a movie buff, it’s really the best place to get all my movie trivia and quote details.

What are you most excited about for BlackBerry 10?

I love seeing the excitement of #TeamBlackBerry around BlackBerry 10. January 30th should be a great day. Personally, I can’t wait for the camera! Time shift is going to be amazing!

Thanks for this, Mel! Readers – if you have any questions for Melanie, please post them in a comment below.

What’s the most interesting BlackBerry smartphone case you’ve ever seen? Was it cool and retro or was it so bedazzled it should be insured? Well, I’ve seen them all. Here’s a roundup of some unusual and awesome BlackBerry smartphone cases:

An old school meets new school creation – a cassette tape case for your BlackBerry Bold

Talk about having your beer and drinking it too. I’d love to see a few of these cases out and about.

Do you want to spoil yourself? How about dropping $325 on this Versace BlackBerry smartphone case.

If Versace isn’t good enough for you, how about a handmade denim BlackBerry smartphone case for about $800?

Watch those fingers. The voltage on this smartphone case is high!

Do you have a unique BlackBerry smartphone case? Give us a description in the comment section below.

While in Las Vegas attending CES this week, we had a presence at the New Media Expo (NMX) a conference hosted by BlogWorld. The developer relations team was there with the app machine in full force, porting content feeds and blogs into BlackBerry apps in minutes – and at no cost to attendees.

Vivek Bhardwaj had an opportunity to speak to show attendees, where he discussed how to approach social content for mobile. I caught up with him after his presentation for a quick interview. He shared that mobile content is all about being integrated, social, and beautiful. He also talked about how attendees are starting to recognize the need to design with mobile at top of mind.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

One of the points I found most interesting was that in some emerging markets, many people are experiencing their first Internet and social media interactions on mobile devices rather than desktop. Vivek also shared that we’re at a point now where more traffic online is coming from mobile rather than desktop. This represents a large cultural shift in how people stay connected.

What do you think about designing content for mobile first? Are you building an app? Let us know what you’re working on and how you would apply the principles in Vivek’s discussion.

Even if I didn’t work for BlackBerry, I’d be a rabid fan of the devices. For those of us on Team BlackBerry, it’s just in our DNA. That’s why what I have to tell you may be hard to hear: Sometimes, I leave my BlackBerry devices at home and wander off the grid. Readers of the Inside BlackBerry Blog (“The Big Show” as Alex Kinsella calls it) might wonder if our mobile devices are glued to our hands 24 hours per day. But everyone needs to take a day off, and we are no exception.

So how do I handle being out of communication for my whole day off? By planning ahead. I use my BlackBerry Bold smartphone to turn on my Out of Office notifications, set up an all-day appointment on my calendar, and then run out to face the day with reckless abandon. (But just for one day. I’m not that crazy.)

Getting directions somewhere without GPS navigation or remembering appointments without my calendar is difficult, and I can’t always make it the whole day without taking a peek at my email. But overall it’s a nice break from technology, and makes me appreciate the help my device provides that much more.

What would you do if you took a BlackBerry day off? What kinds of things do you find more challenging without technological assistance? Let me know in the comments below!