On January 30th, more than 200 developers got together to celebrate the launch of BlackBerry 10 at the Red Bull house in Recife, Brazil.

You can see all the 154 pictures on our #BBJamSessions Facebook Page

Have a blog? Facebook page? YouTube Channel?

Great news: you can convert it into a BB10, PlayBook or BBOS App in less than 10 minutes, using BlackBerry App Generator. Watch this short video and learn how:

Step 1: Sign up for a BlackBerry App World Vendor Account: https://appworld.blackberry.com/isvportal

Step 2: Create your App using BlackBerry App Generator: http://www.blackberryappgenerator.com/

Step 3: Publish to App World.

Yes, that easy! Piece of cake! Good luck everyone.

Winner – Best App
Awarded to: Team C&N

Although computer science undergraduates Alexandre Cisneiros de Albuquerque Filho and Joselito Francisco do Nascimento Júnior share a background in web development, neither member of Team C&N had ever developed and released a mobile application. The team’s first try, ‘Teach Better’, allows teachers to integrate and automate their busy schedules, including grading, classes and appointments. Their app was awarded “Best App” at the BlackBerry Jam Session Hackathon in Recife, Brazil!

On developing with HTML5/BlackBerry WebWorks SDK…

“We’ve both been web developers since childhood and had used the same technologies, frameworks and techniques to develop applications. We immediately chose HTML5/BlackBerry WebWorks SDK because we thought it would make our learning curve developing a mobile app much shorter. Designing the user interface, interactions and the functionality of the app was a straightforward experience. This allowed us to focus on our ideas for the app, and not on coding patterns. The BlackBerry WebWorks SDK was also crucial in building a framework that would create an integrated user experience.”

On working with the Research In Motion (RIM) team and receiving feedback…

“The RIM developer team was more than helpful – they were essential. Although there is great documentation available on the web, nothing can substitute for having experts right by your side, coaching you along the way. We were able to ask questions, test ideas and solutions on the spot, and receive timely feedback. The entire development experience was totally worth it! We really appreciated the compliments received from the RIM team, and also the ideas for changes that helped put us on the right track to continue developing our ideas.”

On sending a lasting message to other app developers…

“The BlackBerry Jam Session Hackathon was a turning point in our lives. We left the event motivated to bring our ideas to life. It was an amazing experience and speaks to the bond RIM has with its developer community. Developing for the BlackBerry 10 platform is a rewarding experience, which allows you to work with technologies that you are comfortable with. When you combine these elements, it keeps everyone very motivated to continue developing!”

Winner – Best E-Commerce App
Awarded to: Team Steam

As a team with prior experience developing on the Android platform but only limited exposure to BlackBerry smartphone development, Team Steam wanted to take part in the BlackBerry Jam Session Hackathon in Recife, Brazil to learn about how to port their Android applications. After a few hours, Team Steam – made up of two developers and one designer – walked away with the prize for Best E-Commerce App!

On the ‘Search My Car’ application…

“The application leverages GPS functionality to locate your car and then trace a route to you. It also allows you to locate nearby gas stations.”

On deciding to participate at the BlackBerry Jam Session Hackathon…

“We didn’t have a deep level of experience developing for the BlackBerry platform, since most of our background was in Android development. When we found out the Hackathon event was coming to Recife, we saw it as an excellent opportunity to develop our app idea on the BlackBerry platform. It was an amazing experience for all of us. We want to develop for the BlackBerry 10 platform because we see it as a new market opportunity, and because it’s a unique chance to be a pioneer in the development of applications for an exciting new platform.”

On using the BlackBerryRuntime for Android tool to port their application…

“With our collective backgrounds in web development, the BlackBerry Runtime for Android apps was a good way to overcome our lack of experience with the BlackBerry platform and take advantage of the opportunity to develop an application on it. We were able to leverage the Google Maps API in the application.”

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Winner – Best App
Awarded to: BB Rocks

University students: Felipe Bonezi, Vinícius Araújo, Marcos Vinícius Silva and Vinícius Dias decided to combine their wide range of mobile app development experience and participate in the BlackBerry Jam Session Hackathon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s a good thing they did – the team’s submission, Beegoo, was named “Best App!”

On their winning app, Beegoo…

“Many people want the convenience of a car but don’t own one. As a way to help minimize the impact of the greenhouse effect, we developed Beegoo. Beegoo is a carpooling social network where people can either offer or solicit rides with others. The main goal of the app is to minimize the need for all members of the social network to own a car. The Beegoo app has the potential to do both social and environmental good.”

On developing with Cascades++…

The BB Rocks team has a lot of experience developing for other platforms and the Beegoo app was the team’s first time working with Research In Motion. “We studied Cascades++ a couple weeks before participating in the BlackBerry Jam Session Hackathon and it was really easy to learn. We were able to leverage our past experience with C++ and Qt. Cascades™++ really does a lot of the work for you. The interface builder is really easy to understand and we developed our user interface using C++ and the Qt Modeling Language.

On participating in the Hackathon and working with Research In Motion…

“The BlackBerry Jam Session Hackathon was a great venue to learn new solutions to meet our development needs, make friends and do some great networking. We learned a new programming language and won the challenge, so there isn’t anything better than that! RIM is a company devoted to developers. We feel that the future is very promising for the BlackBerry 10 platform.”

Winner – Best Red Bull App
Awarded to: Team Red Bull A-Z

Team Red Bull A-Z features talented students and developers with experience primarily focused on web development. Their Red Bull A-Z app is actually the first mobile application anyone on the team has ever developed!

On their winning app, “Red Bull A-Z”…

“The application is essentially a message aggregator that users can launch to follow a live event. For example, if the user is watching a mixed martial arts fight, they can follow all of the real-time messages that are coming in from a variety of social networks.”

On deciding to participate in the BlackBerry Jam Session Hackathon…

“Events like this are always great for developers. The Hackathon was particularly important for us because we had never developed a mobile application, and didn’t know very much about the BlackBerry 10 platform. If we had any questions, the Research In Motion team was more than happy to help. Their feedback was also very helpful.”

On choosing to develop with the BlackBerry 10 SDK for Adobe AIR…

“One of our team members had extensive experience in web development, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Adobe ActionScript 3, so he set the environment one day before the event. It was a real benefit to be able to choose between a broad range of work flows, editors, SDK versions and different ways to compile and deploy the project. We used FDT and the Flex SDK to edit and compile the project. Once we did all the configurations, it was very easy to configure the other computers in the same way. We loved being able to work with Adobe AIR, especially since one of our team members had so much experience with Adobe ActionScript 3. Research In Motion clearly did its homework!”

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Winner – Best Design
Awarded to: Team Voando Baixo

With limited experience in the mobile application world, Team Voando Baixo decided to participate in the BlackBerry Jam Session Hackathon in Campinas, Brazil to learn about developing for BlackBerry smartphones, meet new people, and of course, try to win an award! The team’s app, Voando Baixo, is a flight price ranker that alerts users when prices are low, based on the user’s specified price range.

On developing with HTML5/BlackBerry WebWorks SDK…

“Working with HTML5 and the BlackBerry WebWorks SDK allowed us to leverage our existing web development experience in JavaScript, CSS and HTML. This was a huge asset for us because this was our first time developing a mobile application.”

On the importance of BlackBerry 10 being an open platform…

“It’s really important that developers can draw on existing skills and experiences to develop for BlackBerry 10. This flexibility opens the door for many developers to use any number of languages to develop good mobile apps. It was surprising and stimulating for us to know that.”

On being excited about the BlackBerry 10 platform…

“Our first impression of the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device was that it looked really good. It was a very fast and beautiful device. We think that there is a very promising market for BlackBerry 10 and we believe it will be really successful in the long run. If you’re an app developer, try working with the BlackBerry 10 – it is flexible and easy.”

Winner – Best Game
Awarded to: Alpaca Team

As a group of artists, programmers and designers, Alpaca Team is made up of former colleagues who develop games in their free time. With more than three years of experience in mobile app development, the team won Best Game for ‘Luke at the Stars,’ a puzzle game that was originally developed for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

On developing with the BlackBerry 10 SDK for Adobe AIR…

“We already had experience developing games in Adobe ActionScript 3, so we were happy to be able to choose a tool we were familiar with. The benefits of the BlackBerry 10 SDK extend from the development to publishing. Using the SDK was easy and simple. We were able to test our game on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, which allowed us to make modifications to the gameplay and interface and create a better user experience in a short amount of time. The SDK also helped us on versioning and publishing.”

On the importance of BlackBerry 10 being an open platform…

“The flexibility is really important to many developers. The popularity of languages and codes changes with time and it’s crucial to keep the platforms open to accommodate that. We’re using Adobe AIR today, but tomorrow, who knows? We might use HTML5, for instance, but maintain the ability to develop for both the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet as well as BlackBerry smartphones. That’s a huge advantage for developers.”

On the benefits of participating in the Hackathon…

“The Hackathon was a fantastic experience for our team. This event demonstrated to us that we could use our experiences collaboratively to create something great. Sitting in a room with so many talented developers who were willing to share their thoughts and skills was rewarding. Our game was in a very initial stage so it was very useful to hear the general feedback from the judges. The BlackBerry crew was very supportive and willing to help. If you ever have a chance to participate in an event like this and learn about the operating systems, devices and how to implement your ideas we would strongly recommend it! Our game is set to be released in mid-January!”

For more information on this team, visit:
Website: http://alpacateam.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/alpacateam
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alpacagames

We go to your cities, we bring the experts, feed you with pizza and Red Bull, honor you with prizes and rewards but mainly, we work to create relationships with you. We are there for you, because we want you to be successful. These hackathons are more than a 10 hour long programming session. They will be your chance to learn, practice and create your applications with the support like you’ve never experienced. Here’s a sample of what you’ll see -

Check out the BlackBerry® Jam Sessions site for more information on where to sign up!

After three regions, 20 cities and hundreds of face to face meetings with developers all around the world, it’s Latin America’s time to shine (and it’s time to eat ‘asado’, ‘tacos’ and ‘queijo na brasa’).

Three cities will be hosting the BlackBerry® 10 Jam World Tour in Latin America. We are so excited about coming to this region, since developers here have shown an outstanding dedication to the platform and have been the focus of many of the success stories that we have shared around the world!

We are bringing the excitement of BlackBerry 10 to you. Come learn about what BlackBerry 10 means to you and to your users, and see the amazing tools and news we have. We listen and we care about you. We are committed.

So, ‘estimados’ friends of Latin America, please be ready to receive the tour during these dates:

• Mexico City, Mexico – August 16
• Buenos Aires,  Argentina – August 21
• Sao Paulo, Brazil – August 23

Registration is now open! And if you think this is it… I’m happy to say you are wrong! We have already planned more than a dozen events for the next quarter around Latin America, so stay tuned!

Santa Clara, located in the heart of the Silicon Valley (and headquarters for companies such as Intel, Oracle, McAfee and Nvidia), was the second stop of the BlackBerry® 10 Jam World Tour in the US.

It was another sold-out event, bringing together passionate and curious developers looking for the opportunities BlackBerry 10 holds. Attendees came from all over the valley including San Francisco, Fremont, San Jose, San Bruno, San Mateo, Foster City and Palo Alto. There was also a group of developers who drove all the way up from Los Angeles to experience a day of tracks in Web, Native and Enterprise development.

The day started with an energetic keynote with the same crew who presented the news and the demos in Austin, plus Ronjon Nag, Vice President, BlackBerry App World™ and Intelligent Systems at Research In Motion® (RIM®). The activities then began with the myths around developing for the BlackBerry platform, plus discussion of the revolutionary user experience of BlackBerry 10 and the SDKs available for developers (HTML5, C/C++, Cascades, Adobe® AIR® and Android™). It is very clear that BlackBerry cares and wants to give developers choice like no other platform. Developers can see it; as described by one reporter from CNET, who was conducting interviews outside of the hotel:

They spoke of RIM’s outreach team taking time to actually address their woes. “They’re developing the whole operating system based on our needs with our input,” one developer, Matt Lewandowsky, told me. “[BlackBerry 10] could be the first mobile operating system that’s truly developer-friendly. 

During lunch, ten teams pitched their apps and ideas to the whole audience. The apps included a nautical mapping app that helps sailors with charts (using location, gyroscope, etc), a drumming app with great sound and performance, a translator app which teaches Japanese writing, an activity app that encourages teens to be socially responsible, a hospital location app, and more. The winner for the day was a chess app for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet with very open rules (or no rules at all), but what was unique about this app was that it has been developed by two boys ages 10 and 14. Congrats kids! This shows that developing for BlackBerry is not complicated. All the documentation and samples available on http://developer.blackberry.com are there to support beginners and experienced developers alike.

After the tracks were over, developers got together for two hours to enjoy food and drinks and discuss the possibilities presented during the day. One of our San Francisco BlackBerry developer groups organized an event in the hotel following the BlackBerry 10 Jam and some developers stayed longer to participate.

In short, BlackBerry 10 Jam in Santa Clara was epic and full of positive energy.

Some interesting tweets:

I don’t care, I’m excited about this > “Skype Attends BlackBerry 10 Jam In California” blackberryos.com/content/skype-… #teamBlackBerry #BB10Jam

— JT Teran (@AgentBlackBerry) June 7, 2012

@demianborba Epic presentation skills today at #BB10Jam. Your talk on stage about people who take action and #BB10 vision was so true!

— Michael K. (@MKRK) June 8, 2012

Very impressed with #BB10 & it’s capabilities; I haven’t been this excited about BB since the first trackball was introduced! #BB10Jam

— Isaac Naor (@IsaacNaor) June 7, 2012

At #bb10jam , takeaway so far is that RIM is listening to devs and responding. A very good sign for bb10

— tterb (@tterb) June 7, 2012

Next stops are Toronto and New York, also sold-out events. Let’s rock and roll this!

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.

Being an event organizer myself with events such as Adobe Camp Brasil and Hackathon San Diego, and also seeing in so many events the big need to:

1) keep track of talks duration

2) show big enough messages from a distance to the speaker (like “Go Faster, 5 minutes left”)

3) do very FUN raffles

In March of 2012 I set the last project for Action Creations under my administration, called “Talk Clock”, to have a very polished design, focused on being very functional. After tons of prototypes and usability tests, it’s finally ready! And I’m proud to show it to you now:

As event organizer, you can have someone holding the tablet (showing it to the speaker) so he/she can see the time left and see your messages. During the raffle, you can plug the tablet to the projector via HDMI and show its screen to the whole audience.

The Talk Clock App is available only for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ (and soon BlackBerry 10 smartphones) and it can be found here. Hope you enjoy it!