If you have not installed BlackBerry Link yet, visit http://blackberry.com/blackberrylink and follow the instructions to download and install BlackBerry Link for Mac. If you have already installed BlackBerry Link, you will be automatically prompted to install BlackBerry Link for Mac v1.0.1.

For more assistance, please review the BlackBerry Link 1.0.1 for Mac User Guide which can be found at http://docs.blackberry.com.

BlackBerry 10 is launching in less than 24 hours and we couldn’t be more excited. The official launch event will happen simultaneously in multiple cities around the world including New York City, Toronto, London, Paris, Johannesburg and Dubai. Tomorrow we will unveil the BlackBerry 10 platform as well as the first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones. To keep you connected to all of tomorrow’s action, we thought it would be helpful to provide a list of all of the BlackBerry social channels where you can get the most up to date information in real time.

How to Stay Connected to the Action

Twitter is a great first stop for real-time information and updates. @BlackBerry will be live-tweeting from the global launch event providing news and updates as they happen. @BlackBerry4Biz will be a great resource for business related announcements and updates, and @BlackBerryDev will provide up-to-date information for developers.

We will also be posting updates throughout the day on our LinkedIn Company Page, and the BlackBerry for Business LinkedIn Group will be a great forum to join in on conversation.

You can also check out our blogs regularly for more in depth updates and information about the newest BlackBerry 10 features:

• Inside BlackBerry
• Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog
• Inside BlackBerry Developer Blog

The Inside BlackBerry Help Blog will also be providing tips, how-tos and walkthroughs.

How to join the conversation

We also want to hear from you. Leave us your initial thoughts on BlackBerry 10 in the comments below. If you’re tweeting, be sure to include the #BlackBerry10 hashtag. We’ll be back tomorrow with updates. Until then, let the countdown continue!

I am very excited to share the news that on October 30th, 2012 around 3am EST, @BlackBerryHelp rolled over 1,000,000 followers! For those who don’t know, @BlackBerryHelp is a team of 12 BlackBerry® experts who provide around-the-clock support for BlackBerry customers on Twitter®.

To help celebrate this milestone, we are holding a Twitter® chat on November 1st at 7pm EST so we can talk 1:1 with you and the rest of #TeamBlackBerry. During this chat we’d love to hear your thoughts on how we’re doing, and more importantly, how can we better assist you in the future! For information about this Twitter chat and how you can participate, make sure you check out our blog post Get Ready – Upcoming #My1stBlackBerry Twitter Chat.

On behalf of the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog team, congratulations again @BlackBerryHelp on reaching one million followers, and we look forward to celebrating the next milestone!

If you’re on Twitter, head over to http://twitter.com/BlackBerryHelp to leave the team a congratulatory message or post a comment below.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

In a short amount of time, the team behind our @BlackBerryHelp Twitter® account will be celebrating a huge new milestone: breaking the one million follower mark!

To celebrate this milestone, we want to talk 1:1 with #TeamBlackBerry and learn more about your personal histories, such as your first BlackBerry® smartphone or a unique experience you may have had with #TeamBlackBerry. So whether you are just getting started with a BlackBerry device or a long-time veteran, we’d love to hear your thoughts on how we’re doing and how we can better assist you in the future!

To take part in this Twitter chat, all you need to do is follow the @BlackBerryHelp Twitter account, and on November 1st at 7pm EST, search for the hashtag #My1stBlackBerry.

To help you get the most out of this Twitter Chat, here are a few tips:

• Introduce yourself when you join
• Be polite and friendly towards other participants
• Use the hashtag #My1stBlackBerry for all tweets during the chat
• When questions are asked using the format of Q1/Q2/Q3, indicate which question you are responding to by using the same format to respond; i.e. A1/A2/A3
• Share tweets with your followers using the retweet option
• If you are using the Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones app to follow along, consider using the Saved Search option to follow the chat

We look forward to chatting with you soon!

Please note that beginning September 19, 2012, BlackBerry® smartphone users will not be able to download, install and/or use and/or receive support for the AOL® Instant Messenger™ (AIM) for BlackBerry® smartphones.

In order to continue sending and receiving AIM instant messages on your BlackBerry smartphone, you may be interested in a new AIM service for BlackBerry smartphones – AIM for BlackBerry® built by AOL, which includes new capabilities such as staying connected with your AIM Buddies and Facebook® Chat with friends while on the go.

To view this overview, check out the following blog post: Important Update: AOL Instant Messenger for BlackBerry smartphones.

In order to continue sending and receiving AIM instant messages on your BlackBerry smartphone, you may be interested in a new AIM service for BlackBerry smartphones – AIM for BlackBerry® built by AOL, which includes new capabilities such as staying connected with your AIM Buddies and Facebook® Chat with friends while on the go.

To help you prepare for this change, here’s a quick two-step guide on how to identify and remove AOL Instant Messenger for BlackBerry smartphones, followed by installing AIM for BlackBerry built by AOL so you can have uninterrupted access to AOL Instant Messaging services.

Step 1: Identify and remove AOL Instant Messenger for BlackBerry Smartphones

Before we begin, you will need to know which version of the BlackBerry® Device Software you are currently using, so if you’re not sure visit our post on how to identify BlackBerry Device Software versions before proceeding further.

With that covered, let’s begin by removing AOL Instant Messenger for BlackBerry smartphones, followed by installing AIM for BlackBerry built by AOL.

1. On your BlackBerry smartphone, select Options
2. The next step depends on what version of BlackBerry Device Software you’re running, so complete the appropriate one:

• If your smartphone is running BlackBerry Device Software 4.1 to 4.7, go to “Options” > “Advanced Options” > “Applications”.
• If your smartphone is running BlackBerry Device Software 5.0, go to “Options > Applications > then select “Third Party”.
• If your smartphone is running BlackBerry® 6 to BlackBerry® 7.1 OS, go to “Options” > “Device” > “Application Management”.

3. Highlight the AOL Instant Messenger application, then press the Menu key and select “Delete”. If promoted to restart, select “Restart Now”.
4. AOL Instant Messenger for BlackBerry smartphones has been successfully removed.

Step 2: Installing AIM for BlackBerry built by AOL

Assuming you have removed AOL Instant Messenger for BlackBerry smartphones, follow the steps below to install AIM for BlackBerry built by AOL, which you’ll find on the BlackBerry App World™ storefront.

Note: In the event you don’t have BlackBerry App World installed, visit the BlackBerry App World website and select “Download BlackBerry App World for your smartphone”.

1. On your BlackBerry smartphone, open BlackBerry App World
2. Complete one of the following actions:
a. Press the Menu key, select “Scan a Barcode” and scan the barcode that’s listed below.

b. Perform a search for “AIM”, select “Apps” followed by selecting “AIM” from the listing.

3. Click “Download” and enter your device password if prompted.
4. If prompted, select “Restart Now” to complete the installation process.

After the installation is complete, launch the new AIL for BlackBerry built by AOL, sign in and continue chatting with friends, family, co-workers and more!

Got a question about the discontinuation of AOL Instant Messenger for BlackBerry smartphones? Leave a comment and let me know!

I’d like to introduce you to a new feature which is now available for BlackBerry® 7.1 OS customers in BlackBerry® Beta Zone. It’s called Application Resource Monitor, and it’s been added to help you get the most out of your BlackBerry® smartphone’s battery life.

As you most likely know, a BlackBerry smartphone can have multiple apps running at the same time, which can help you get stuff done a lot quicker. I often leave an app running with the full intention of coming back to it, but get distracted and it’s left forgotten. This is where Application Resource Monitor comes in: this feature is designed to identify and alert you to apps that are draining resources. (An important thing to note is that only apps that are running and not in use, or are running while the device has been idle, will trigger an alert.)

Of course, you are able to turn off this feature, ignore the alert, or add the app to a white list causing Application Resource Monitor to ignore it moving forward. Today I’m going to give you the rundown of how this feature works, how to disable it, and how to un-white list an app.

Depending on what version of BlackBerry 7.1 OS you are using, the Application Resource Monitor feature may already be installed on your smartphone. To see if it is already installed, select “Options” from the home screen, followed by “Device”. “Application Resource Monitor” will appear on the list. However, if you can’t see it, you can get it by visiting BlackBerry Beta Zone and searching for “Application Resource Monitor”.

Provided you have Application Resource Monitor installed, here is an overview of how it works and how to configure it.

Reviewing Application Resource Monitor Settings

Once installed, the Application Resource Monitor feature comes on automatically, but you can choose to turn it off. You also have the option of getting notified of apps that might be draining resources instead of having the apps shut down automatically. To review and customize your settings, complete the following steps:

1. Select “Options” from the Home screen or from within a folder
2. Select “Device” followed by “Application Resource Monitor”
3. Optionally enable or disable the “Turn on Application Resource Monitor” and “Automatically shutdown background draining applications” features.
4. Press the Menu key and select “Save”.

Receiving an Alert from Application Resource Monitor

To alert you to an app that might unnecessarily be using resources and draining your battery, a notification will appear in the Notification View near the top of your Home screen as shown in the screen shots below.

• Do not monitor this: Selecting this will cause Application Resource Monitor to always ignore this app when it is left running, effectively “white listing” the app. To start monitoring an app that has been marked as “Do not monitor this”, review the section below on un-white listing.
• OK: Selecting this will dismiss the application.

Un-white listing an app

If you previously selected “Do not monitor this” when alerted about an app’s resource usage, then the app will appear in the Application Resource Monitor settings as not being monitored. To un-white list an app so it will be monitored again, clear the check box next to the app’s name in the Application Resource Monitor’s settings (see Reviewing Application Resource Monitors Settings above).

Have a question or comment about Application Resource Monitor? Leave a comment below! Additionally, if you’re an application developer, check out this blog post on the Inside BlackBerry Developer Blog.

We’ve got another guest post today from Thusenth to tell you all about a new feature that gives your BlackBerry® 7.1 OS smartphone even more battery life! – Ed.

We’ve been listening, and have heard your requests to get even more battery life from your BlackBerry® 7 OS smartphone. With this feedback in hand, we have been working on a few features in the BlackBerry 7.1 OS that are designed to help customers get the best possible battery life from their smartphone. The first of these features is “Battery Saving Mode”.

We know some of you already know all of the right settings to adjust to squeeze out that extra bit of runway from your battery. But a lot of customers don’t know what or where these settings are, and the rest of us don’t want to have to adjust these settings every time.

So, we developed Battery Saving Mode as part of the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update, and it’s enabled out of the box. This feature tweaks all of the right settings for you (we even do a little bit of extra under the hood) and it kicks in at a threshold of your choosing (20% by default). Specifically, what Battery Saving Mode does is the following:

Adjust Screen Display Settings – The display on smartphones is one of the top contributors of battery drain. Decreasing the backlight brightness and the amount of time the display backlight is on, will go a long way in extending battery life. Battery Saving Mode:

• Reduces the screen backlight brightness to level 10
• Reduces the screen backlight timeout to 20 seconds
• Enables the screen to ‘Automatically dim backlight’

Adjust Radios – Radios are another popular item that customers shut down to preserve remaining battery. Battery Saving Mode:

• Reduces the Mobile Hotspot Auto Shutdown-timer down to 5 minutes
• Will now turn off unused radios (Mobile Network/Bluetooth®/Wi-Fi®/GPS) upon reaching 10% remaining battery life

When active, Battery Saving Mode decreases battery drain by about 20% or more depending on the activity being performed and the features of the BlackBerry smartphone.

How do I get BlackBerry 7.1 OS?

BlackBerry 7.1 OS is being rolled out globally by many of our carrier partners as an update to all of our BlackBerry 7 OS devices. To see if you have an update available plug your BlackBerry smartphone to your computer through USB, then visit www.blackberry.com/update from your computer and follow the on-screen instructions.

I’ve got BlackBerry 7.1 OS on my BlackBerry smartphone. Where do I adjust my Battery Saving Mode threshold?

Start typing ‘Battery Saving Mode’ from the Home screen and let Universal Search do the heavy lifting (that’s my preference). If you’re more traditional, go to Options -> Device -> Battery Saving Mode. You can set “Start when battery power is at or drops below” to kick in at any level or you can choose to keep it ‘Always On’.

Do you have any battery saving tips that you would like to share? Leave a comment and let us know!

I’m pleased to report that on Monday, March 26th, 2012, Research In Motion® (RIM®) won the 2012 Shorty Industry Award for Best Use of Social Media for Customer Service!

This is the second year in a row that RIM has won a Shorty Award for Customer Service, but what makes this year so special is that they expanded the Shorty Awards to honor all of the best short-form content published across social media, beyond just what we publish on Twitter®. In addition, they included the Customer Service category in the Shorty Industry Awards which, unlike the general interest Shorty Awards, are exclusive to the professional industry community. While the general Shorty Awards are subject to public voting, the Shorty Industry Awards are reviewed by a prestigious panel of expert and celebrity judges.

Our winning entry highlights the global expansion of the social support programs at RIM, and specifically calls attention to the successes of @BlackBerryHelp, @AyudaBlackBerry, @BlackBerryBantu and the global BlackBerry Support Community.

I want to congratulate everyone on the Social Support team for their continuous hard work, without which we wouldn’t have the honor of calling ourselves winners two years in a row! Hats off to #TeamBlackBerry!

What caused the messaging delays

The messaging delays were caused by a core switch failure within RIM’s infrastructure. Although the system is designed to failover to a back-up switch, the failover did not function as previously tested. As a result, a large backlog of messaging data was generated. We continue to work toward restoring normal service as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your patience. We will continue to provide updates via the RIM Newsroom.