BlackBerry To Offer New Mobile Device Management Tool, New Smartphones - Printer Friendly version without Comments

Appeared on: Tuesday, February 25, 2014
BlackBerry To Offer New Mobile Device Management Tool, New Smartphones

BlackBerry will launch a new tool for business and government customers to manage mobile devices on their networks. In addition, the company will soon release the sub-$200 Z3 phone and the BlackBerry Q20 smartphone.

The BlackBerry Enterprise Service 12 (BES12) is a new enterprise mobility solution that is application-enabled and unifies BES10 and BES5 to one platform.

"BES10 is the only mobility management solution that meets the highest security demands of regulated industries and is also flexible enough for BYOD," said John Sims, President, Global Enterprise Solutions at BlackBerry. "This value proposition is why the new BES12 architecture is designed to ensure that the more than 80,000 existing BES customers can seamlessly migrate forward. As we execute on our long term vision, we will offer all customers the opportunity to move forward with us. The investment customers make in BlackBerry today will be a valuable investment for the future."

BlackBerry is developing the next generation of the BES platform to enable organizations to develop enterprise-grade applications that can be deployed to BlackBerry smartphones and other mobile devices.

While BES5 manages BlackBerry's older generation of devices, its BES10 offering allows clients to manage its new generation of devices powered by its BlackBerry 10 operating system, along with devices that run on Apple's iOS operating system, Windows Phone 8 and Google's Android operating system.

The new platform will allow Blackberry's customers to move from on-premise to the cloud securely, while it will also support all deployment models, including on-premise, public cloud, private cloud and hybrid environments.

BlackBerry also announced today at MWC in Barcelona a new EZ Pass program that provides free migration for its customers to move from BES and other MDM platforms to BES10 as well as a new pricing structure.

For existing BlackBerry customers, the EZ Pass program will match any active existing on-premise BES license and any active license customers may have from other MDM vendors with a corresponding Silver level BES10 perpetual license. Customers will also receive free Advantage-level technical support with their new license.

The new pricing and licensing structure will provide two tiers, Silver and Gold. Silver includes full device, application, email and security management for BlackBerry, iOS and Android devices, including the BlackBerry Balance technology for BlackBerry 10 smartphones. Gold adds BlackBerry's Secure Work Space containerization solution for iOS and Android, and BlackBerry 10 management and security features.

BlackBerry also announced new enterprise-grade applications, including:

- The eBBM Suite is a new family of products and services that work with BlackBerry smartphones and the BES10 platform to provide enterprise-class mobile messaging. BBM Protected will be the first solution offered in the new eBBM Suite and it is expected to launch this summer and will be available to Blackbery's enterprise customers through a monthly per-user fee. Security features for BBM Protected include end-to-end encryption of messages. BBM Protected will use FIPS 140-2 approved cryptographic libraries and symmetric encryption keys. BBM also uses technology for public-private signing and encryption key pairs. BBM Protected will work across BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry OS smartphones in regulated mode with no OS upgrades required.

- SAP has certified SAP Fiori to run on BlackBerry 10 browsers which support HTML5. SAP Fiori is a collection of apps that offers various business roles across lines of business.

- GWAVA's reseller partnership with BlackBerry helps meet the strict compliance requirements of regulated industries. GWAVA?s Retain for BlackBerry solution provides archiving and auditing capabilities for BBM conversations, PIN, SMS/MMS text messages and phone usage data for BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

The BES12 platform is expected to be available by the end of 2014.

New devices

BlackBerry also introduced one of the devices the company plans to deliver in 2014, the new BlackBerry Q20 smartphone. It's a device that will feel familiar to BlackBerry customers as it comes with a full classic QWERTY keyboard with frets and sculpted keys.

Among its features is the incorporation of the 'Menu', 'Back', 'Send' and 'End' Buttons and the Integrated Trackpad. Its Email service includes features like BlackBerry Hub, where you can access all your messages in one place, and enterprise connectivity with BES10.

The BlackBerry Q20 smartphone has a 3.5" touchscreen and will be crafted from materials and designed for durability.

The phone runs on the BlackBerry 10 OS and will be available in the second half of 2014.

Coming soon in Indonesia, is also the new BlackBerry Z3 smartphone. Manufactured by Foxconn, the smartphone comes customized with local apps and content, a 5" display and long lasting battery. It will come with BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.1.

Key features include:

- BlackBerry Hub, which lets you access all your work and personal email, BBM, text messages, social media updates and notifications in one place, with the ability to "peek" into the BlackBerry Hub from anywhere. The Hub can be customized to identify priority messages and to filter the message list by various criteria that you can then activate with a pinch gesture.

- BBM - BBM on the BlackBerry Z3 smartphone includes all the latest features of the mobile social network, customized for Indonesians. You get BBM voice and video chatting with Screen Share and support for BlackBerry Natural Sound. BBM Channels features a variety of Indonesian channels as well as a package of BBM stickers that have been specially designed by an Indonesian artist.

- BlackBerry Keyboard - The BlackBerry Keyboard learns what words you use and how you use them, then offers them up to you so you can type faster and more accurately. It lets you type in up to 3 different languages at the same time.

- Time Shift & Story Maker - The BlackBerry Z3 smartphone's Time Shift camera feature lets you capture a group shot where everyone is smiling with their eyes wide open. You can also use Story Maker to bring a collection of photos and videos together, along with music and effects, to produce an HD movie that you can share on YouTube.

- BlackBerry 10 Browser - The BlackBerry 10 browser offers responsive scrolling and zooming. It supports multiple tabs, lets you browse sites privately, includes a reader mode, and integrates with the platform for sharing content.

- Instant Previews & Reply Now - Instant Previews bring BBM, SMS and email message to you no matter what you are doing on your BlackBerry Z3 smartphone. You can even reply to your BBM or SMS messages in any app, or swipe to the BlackBerry Hub to respond. If you get a phone call that you can't answer right way, you can silence the call and send a Reply Now response through BBM, SMS or email to let the caller know you're busy.

- Fast Sharing - The BlackBerry Z3 smartphone learns how you share and who you share with, helping you reduce the number of steps and amount of time it takes to get your files, photos, or documents to where they need to go. Touching "share" in any app provides suggestions on who and how to share your files based on who you?ve shared with in the past, and the feature gets smarter the more you use it.

- FM Radio

The BlackBerry Z3 smartphone is expected to be available from leading carriers and retailers in Indonesia in April.