Contest: Win 1 of 2 BlackBerry Q10's from BlackBerry and Canadian Reviewer

By Corey Herscu

BlackBerry has been taking a lot of flack lately. A lot. Botched product launches, missed release dates, and increasing scrutiny on their future; it's enough to annoy anyone, and rightfully so. 

But there are always two sides to every story. What many don't realize is that until the 'closed' sign formally appears on the doors of BlackBerry's offices in Waterloo the company continues to operate valiantly.

Despite all the negativity, there are still hundreds of dedicated employees going to work everyday hustling along towards a common goal: giving BlackBerry the second wind it so rightfully deserves.

So, over the last few weeks, I have been pondering what we at CanadianReviewer.com can do to lift people's spirits; aside from the  positive vibes and happy sentiments I try to put out through our own social channels. Then it hit me: why not run a contest? 

Rather than giving away a shiny new Android device to use BBM on, let's focus on one of the best devices to ever come out of Waterloo: the kickass QWERTY-featured BlackBerry Q10! Powered by BlackBerry 10.1 out of box (and 10.2 now available for update), the Q10 combines the award-winning functionality of all-things BlackBerry, with, of course, BBM the way it was meant to be: BBM voice, BBM video, BBM channels, etc. not the scaled down version now available on Android and iOS.

For our lucky readers, we have two to giveaway!

Here is how you can win:

1. Leave a comment on the blog stating your favorite thing about BlackBerry. Get creative. We read every single comment. 

2. Tweet out "I want to win a #BlackBerryQ10 from @BlackBerry and @CReviewer"

3. Must follow @CReviewer on Twitter and Like us on Facebook

4. That's it. That's really all. 

This contest is open for one week and available to anyone in North America. We will announce the winners next Friday November 1.

Two winners will be chosen at random via tweets/comments/likes. Duplicate entries will be voided.

Good luck to all who enter!

BlackBerry first to be given the “Authority to Operate” on U.S. Department of Defense Networks

BlackBerry has been given authority by the U.S. Defense Information System Agency (DISA) the Authority to Operate (ATO) on the Department of Defense (DoD) networks for the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 with BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, making it the first Mobile Device Management provider to obtain said ATO.

BlackBerry 10 devices will allow DoD personnel to securely connect to its networks to access data. DISA is now developing the infrastructure to support BlackBerry 10 smartphones on DoD networks with 10,000 BB10 smartphones by fall and 30,000 by the end of 2013.

Kobo comes to BlackBerry Z10 and Q10

Blackberry Z10 and Q10 owners who are also invested in the Kobo book and social reading ecosystem can celebrate because today their world's collide, in a good way. If I remember correctly, Kobo was the only eReader platform to be made available to the BlackBerry PlayBook and continues its support for BlackBerry in BB10.  Kobo for BB10 brings the rich tapestry of features and even allows first chapter previews for thousands of select books.

Apps galore for BlackBerry 10

Got your BlackBerry Z10 or Q10 but don’t know what apps to download? We’re here to give you a few ideas:

Click to read more ...