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BlackBerry August 3 Event : August 03, 2010

10:47 - Guests are being seated, the event is running a few minutes late. Still waiting to start.

11:01 - Final guests are being seated, including AT&T mobility chief Ralph de la Vega.

11:05 - De la Vega kicks off the event, "today we're introducing the best BlackBerry ever."

11:06 - As expected, de la Vega briefly pulls out the BlackBerry slider exposed in earlier leaks.

11:08 -

11:10 - Second executive comes on stage, "we just love producing a well-engineered product."

11:10 - BlackBerry 'Torch,' RIM's first touch QWERTY slider

11:11 - Name comes from Torch Mobile's WebKit browser, highlighted feature on the new smartphone.

11:12 - Torch launched alongside BlackBerry OS 6 (no surprise here).

11:13 - Universal search- automatically searches through the phone, messaging, e-mail, contacts, etc. Choices presented as icons.

11:13 - Universal inbox - combines social networking feeds with e-mail and messaging services.

11:14 - Automatic font resizing brings web text up to the same size as a standard e-mail.

11:15 - Don Lindsey - VP of user experience comes on stage to talk about BB OS 6.

11:16 -

11:17 - BB OS 6 - "Fresh, but familiar" with redesigned home screen, "easy to learn touchscreen."

11:20 - Homescreen provides notification previews, with more information such as the source of a message. Additional content and views (contacts, bookmarks). Swipe-left gesture presents most-used apps, swipe-right brings up favorite apps.

11:22 - Simply slide open the QWERTY keyboard to begin universal search function. For example, typing a contact name will find e-mails, calendar events, other content.

11:23 - Results include music, videos, or content from other sources such as Slacker, YouTube, App World, etc.

11:24 - Moving on to media features. Users can now view pictures by folder or date. New options to manage media folders, two-finger tap to select multiple pictures for further action.

11:27 - Images automatically titled by city using geolocation data. New podcast application, along with Wi-Fi music sync from the BlackBerry OS 6 desktop companion. Users can view their entire library from the handset, tag songs for synchronization at a later date.

11:29 - Unified social feeds also includes an RSS feed reader. Multiple apps run in the background to provide status updates.

11:32 -

11:34 - CTO David Yach comes on stage, begins talking about third-party apps.

11:36 - RIM working to simplify app discovery and purchasing. Carrier billing will allow users to pay for apps on their AT&T bill. "Chargeable events" provide options for in-app purchases, essentially matching the App Store.

11:36 - BlackBerry advertising service on the way, along with new SDKs for advertisers.

11:38 - Developers will be able to build WebKit apps, which can then be sold through the App World rather than a separate portal.

11:39 -

11:40 - New APIs will be added in BlackBerry OS 6, although all v5 apps will continue to work on the latest OS.

11:43 - Mobitv on the way, full episode downloads via Wi-Fi or 3G networks. Several other streaming apps will also be featured.

11:44 -

11:45 - David Christopher, Chief Marketing Officer, continues to talk about assistance programs for BlackBerry OS 6 developers.

11:47 - "Less an evolutionary leap, more a triple axle" - upcoming TV advertisement for the Torch.

11:48 - Torch goes on sale August 12 for $199 with a data plan from AT&T.

11:49 - Presentation is now complete, demos available for hands-on time with the Torch and OS 6.

11:50 -

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