Austin, Texas is one of the most important technology centers in the United States, and it was stop number three on our BlackBerry® 10 Jam World Tour. The excitement and enthusiasm was growing throughout the day, with attendees coming from various regions and even other states like Michigan, Oklahoma and Colorado. Many arrived early, even before we opened registration. We received many compliments for choosing Austin for the tour, highlighting local talent and opening doors of communication between Research In Motion® (RIM®) and developers.
It was clear to everyone that this is a new BlackBerry® smartphone with a clear strategy and innovative solutions, focusing on those who seek productivity and efficiency through the use of technology. Many good discussions were initiated, such as the real possibility of creating new BlackBerry Developer Groups in Texas, and also the interest to take our BlackBerry Academic Program to local educational institutions.
After our presentations in Native, Web and Enterprise, some of these attendees were ready to evangelize and promote our BlackBerry® 10 story. One of the developers I met said: “I can’t wait to show this to my colleagues; they have no idea what BlackBerry 10 is…”
We also found longtime BlackBerry fans, who continue to believe in BlackBerry as we face the challenges during the transition to BlackBerry 10. Within the audience, it was evident that the desire for RIM to succeed is there.
During lunch, we heard pitches from local developers showcasing their apps. Congrats to the big winner with an app to monitor diabetes through an external peripheral that connects to our device that collects information on blood sugar levels and can share the results.
It was a great start for the tour in the U.S. and the whole team should be congratulated; we were able to change many perceptions throughout the day. I can say that the day’s mission was successfully accomplished.
Some interesting tweets:
It was an awesome day at #BB10Jam in Austin! RIM knows how to treat their devs right! Thank you RIM! Can't wait for #BB10! @BlackBerryDev—
SDK Wireless LLC (@sdkwireless) June 06, 2012
In a world where there is a divide of iPhone vs Android, a new contender to blow them all away #BB10! #BB10Jam—
Mitchell Clay (@MitchellrClay) June 05, 2012
great session (Web Track) at #BB10Jam in Austin! @blackberrydev twitpic.com/9t5sxx—
Julio Rodriguez (@jhey) June 05, 2012
@demianborba #BB10Jam #bb10 #revolution I'm loving it!—
(@djhankfresh) June 05, 2012
Cinematic, multitasking, content, Fluid and Charm defines what BB 10 experience all about #BB10jam—
Ritwik Bose (@ritwik1st) June 05, 2012
(I know this is Austin, but I found three surfers in the audience, and one of them from Brazil, from the same city I live in — can you believe it?)
Now let’s move on to our next sold-out shows here in the United States. We are building a good story and we plan on keeping this momentum going for our stop in Santa Clara on Thursday June 7th.
