Live from The BlackBerry 10 Experience!

Are you ready to see a phone running a QNX-based operating system? How about two such phones? It's BlackBerry 10, and RIM can't wait to show it to you -- and we can't want to bring you along with us, live from New York City. Tune in at this very page at the time listed below and get ready for a ride.

January 30, 2013 10:00 AM EST

We're live and in our seats!

Listening to some mellow tunes as the media slowly files in.. We have about 40 minutes until the event begins properly.

Incredibly bright blue lights are shining into our eyes. Pretty sure RIM is trying to blind us before we get going. Not sure what to make of that.

We're at Basketball City at Pier 36 in New York City, if you were wondering. It's a bit of a gray, drizzly day here in New York, but we're nice and comfortable and warm in the venue here.

With all the basketball hoops around (pulled up to the ceiling) we're cautiously optimistic that an AND1 exhibition match is going to break out any minute.

I'm sitting with Joseph Volpe, who's on photo duties. Terrence O'Brien will be chiming in from time to time with some color commentary as well, and Ben Gilbert is on-hand for the inevitable news breakouts.

Joseph's just getting the white balance dialed in, then the imagery will start flowing.

As this venue is typically used for basketball it is, basically, a gymnasium. But RIM has done a good job of hiding that fact with black curtains and displays.

As always, there is a disappointing amount of Norwegian black metal playing through the PA. Read: none.

There's one large projected display up on stage, probably 50 feet or so. That's flanked on the left or right with other projected displays that run up the sides of the building and then, hanging from the ceiling, three short and wide LED panels.

Each and every one of them says the same thing: BlackBerry 10. If you had a moment's doubt about what this event was celebrating, let that be abolished.

We're pretty sure we can all guess what's in the pipeline for today. But if you've got any predictions for surprises RIM might breakout hit us up on Twitter: @terrenceobrien, @tim_stevens, @RealBenGilbert and @JrVolpe

And a formal welcome to everybody as our liveblog goes live. Again, we're about 30 minutes away from things actually starting here.

And, again, if you have any predictions you'd like to make, hit us up on Twitter: @terrenceobrien, @tim_stevens, @RealBenGilbert and @JrVolpe. We're share some of our favorites in here.

I've heard reports that the legendary Mike Lazaridis is in the house. Might we see him on stage? One can only hope.

Gettin' down to a little Hot Chip in here. RIM dance party!

There's a single demo podium up on stage, featuring two display that say... you guessed it, BlackBerry 10.

@thedonkeyshow (our lucky CES winner) says "It's going to be interesting to see if they can turn it all around and impress everyone..." -- Indeed! Lots of folks here today (and watching elsewhere) hoping for that.

Of course, with the Z10 already at UK retailers, you can see for yourself what's to come: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/blackberry-z10-spotted-at-uk-retailer-prior-to-bb10-event/

Of course, we're still waiting to see clear shots of the QWERTY device...

@somaniavishek says we're going to see "BB10 and WP8 fighting for the third place ;)" -- But can they break out?

The room is strangely quiet. The music is at a reasonable volume and our fellow journalists are chatting politely in their inside voices. That's a pretty drastic change from a lot of other recent press events that are trying to be part stadium concert.

If the photos are looking mighty blue that's because basically every light in this place has a blue tint. It goes well with the mellow theme we're feeling in here.

The media are nearly all seated at this point and roughly half the seats in this place are still empty. We're wondering if there's to be an onslaught of BB faithful to come before the event begins in 20.

Yes, you're less than 20 minutes away from the unveiling of BlackBerry 10! Can you handle it?

There's a lot of sneezing and coughing going on around us. Good thing I took my Airborne this morning.

If anyone had any doubts about what we'll be seeing today, one of the RIM PR agents was walking around using a Z10 rather openly before the doors opened. Sadly, we haven't spotted one of the QWERTY models in the wild ourselves just yet.

Hey now, the screens have just popped to life, showing off the BB10 keyboard.

"Re-designed. Re-engineered. Re-invented." they say. "The BlackBerry Experience."

There are of course dueling events happening around the world, timed to go live simultaneously with our event in NYC. Toronto, London, and elsewhere...

@TheTree says "I am guessing you haven't seen the QWERTY model being used yet because it's going to be a lower cost model/trim" -- Pretty good chance of that. Or, maybe it's just not as close to ready as the Z10 is.

Of course, I have to confess I personally have seen and used the QWERTY device myself, but that's a topic for another liveblog...

@brokestudent145 is thinking a "new BB10 tablet perhaps?" -- perhaps, but we'd say it's a long shot.

Our friend @saschasegan has listed out all the events: "RIM is holding simultaneous events in NYC, Toronto, London, Jo'burg, New Delhi and Jakarta, which makes for funky time zones." Also, lots of frequent flier miles for event organizers...

@tritster says "With 4.4M US Federal employees MOSTLY "stuck" with blackberry, BB10 is the only choice. certainly in DOD." -- Right now, yes, but times they are a changing. There has been some research into changing over to iOS or Android... we'll see what the future holds.

Again, you can tweet at us, @terrenceobrien, @tim_stevens, @RealBenGilbert and @JrVolpe. We'll share some of our favorite predictions in the liveblog stream.

We're down to T-10 minutes! Getting close now...

And now we're getting some Rapture. It's feeling all sorts of 2006 in here right now .

We're being invited to tweet using #BlackBerry10 and indeed seeing some tweets up on stage. This is your moment to shine, folks -- but tweeting at one of us is probably more likely to get you featured in here.

@rickscottrod says "BB10 Prediction: the entire theater is actually an amusement park ride a la Jurassic Park" -- Oh man, I can't wait for the part where the T-Rex head comes through the roof.

They were just asking people to tweet their ratings of BlackBerry 10 on a five star scale... not surprisingly, most respondents gave it a five (78%)

There we have it, the one and only Mike Lazaridis. Joseph was kind enough to track him down.

@ajdomanico says "the event will end with an And1 basketball intersquad game courtesy of the Brooklyn Nets." -- That's what I'm sayin'!

"Ladies and gentlemen, please disable any WiFI hotspots... our program is about to begin."

I refuse to believe this is a launch event from a tech company until I hear M83's Midnight City

Are you ready? Only 5 minutes left!

@RaymondBethelJr says "I predict that major apps will be announced - like SKYPE!" -- Let's hope so!

I'm told Adele just appeared on the screen holding a BlackBerry. Synchronicity. Job, done.

Some guy named @danielwcooper says "Our future: Printers, Printers, Printers." -- Indeed, but how many dimensions will those printers offer?

@abibalaji asks "Would you prefer to live blog from a laptop or a tablet?" Laptop! Need a keyboard.

The room has filled in nicely, by the way. Plenty of folks behind us literally looking forward to seeing what's next.

@shadohchaser says "I should get BB 10 w skype, twitter & facebbok official apps for playbook too" -- that's a good question, anybody think the PlayBook will get much love today?

We've heard it's getting BB10, but still no word of when...

"Ladies and gentlemen, our program will begin momentarily. Please take your seats."

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, are y'all ready for BB10? Because it's time.

Music and bass slowly rising, lights flashing quicker, this is starting to turn into a nightclub for nerds.

Our own Ben Gilbert is gesticulating wildly at his computer. I can only assume it's because he's trying to write on a MacBook instead of a PlayBook.

We're still waiting here... music still rockin'

Aha, here we go!

London's counting down....

... at least I think. The music just suddenly got much more intense...

"Hello and welcome to the BlackBerry Experience." A gentlemen named Jack Perry is standing here at the event, just to our right.

We're checking in with London, Dubai, Toronto...

...people in Toronto standing and cheering, round of applause for them!

...also in Paris, Johannesburg and, of course, here in NYC.

And some applause for ourselves here in New York City as well... we deserve it.

"As you can see we've got great groups at each site, with thousands more joining us on the web."

And thank you for joining US on the web!

They're certainly going for a very theatrical presentation -- it feels like a reality show.

We're now listening to some BlackBerry users, giving their enthusiastic impressions of BB10.

Lots of business owners, trainers... "My favorite feature is multi-tasking" says one.

Devs are talking about their excitement for the platform, and its support.

"BB10, with the new gesture approach, allows people to quickly access things and, with the hub, see things across multiple forms of communication."

The National Film Board of Canada is very excited to get their content in the hands of more users.

"It's the best computing platform in the world," is how the video ended.

"The keyboard is literally, and I've used many of them, literally the best experience"

"We are just a few moments to launch," says the presenter.

And he's talking to Alec Saunders, who you may remember from our interview at CES.

Interestingly, this is all happening on the floor right in front of us. Still nobody on the stage!

Alec is talking about his developer tour worldwide, how they've been courting devs around the globe -- but not in Antarctica apparently.

He's talking about the "port-a-thons" that they ran in January, 15,000 apps submitted in one weekend, 19,000 apps the second.

Alec is "totally stoked" by what he's seen from developers.

"To all the developers out there, thank you." says Alec. "With your help, we have put together what is, bar none, the largest catalog of applications for a first generation launch in mobile."

Alec is off now, and it's time to talk to two "dedicated BlackBerry fans."

It's video time again, people putting on bumper stickers that say "Honk if you want BlackBerry 10."

Now we're seeing Lil 'E, talking about how he's losing sleep waiting for BB10.

"No sleep 'til BlackBerry 10" is what he's rapping.

"People in Dallas can't wait, bring on BlackBerry 10!"

And our... presenter is back....

And now Crackberry Kevin is being singled out, talking about his pony tail.

He promised to not cut his hair until BB10 has launched. "I see you have your ponytail, what are you waiting for?"

"Cut it now!" yelled someone in the crowd.

...someone's got scissors...

"Let's do it!" says Kevin. And, indeed, they're cutting his hair off.

And it's off! Yes, folks, things are getting... interesting here.

"How stoked are you about BlackBerry 10?" These are hard-hitting questions.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is BlackBerry 10."

Okay, here we go, Thorsten Heins is up on stage!

"Good morning, good day, good good night."

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/blackberry-10-liveblog/

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Future Trends in Israel's Nonprofit Sector - eJewish Philanthropy

We Must Look To The Past To Know The Future (George Santayana)

by Shuey Fogel

The headlines in 2012 were all about looking to the future.

While there were some stories with immediate consequences, the effects of most of the headlines will only rear their heads in 2013 (at the earliest). Change in the wind? Yes. On the ground, not so much.

So what?s in store for Israel?s global nonprofit sector? The following are nine of the top news stories of 2012 and their significance:

9. Charities Advocate for Israel?s Nonprofit Sector in the Upcoming Elections

The end of November saw?Manhigut Ezrachit [ICLA or Israel Civil Leadership Association in English]?release a primer (Hebrew)?on the contribution to Israel by its nonprofit sector.

The goal of the one-page summary was to educate citizens in the hopes that they would support candidates that expressed an interest in supporting, developing and strengthening Israel?s voluntary sector.

While the effort didn?t seem to garner public support, it was definitely a step in the right direction and reminded me of the much more successful?efforts in the United States.

This recent effort in Israel is very much in its infancy but with the election results showing that Israel is ready for a change, I?m very to interested to see if charities decide to band together and capitalize on it for the next elections.

8. Private-Philanthropy Database to be Initiated by the Statistic Bureau and Yad Hanadiv

While a Yearbook is ?great for organizational statistics (see below number 4), it does nothing to analyze those that are actually doing the giving, the donors. Thus enters Yad Hanadiv (The Rothchild Foundation) and Israel Statistics Bureau?who announced in late October (Hebrew)?about a joint project to establish a database of giving statistics.

Currently, the numbers are gleaned from a hodgepodge of places, including: automatic reports generated from incoming money from foreign sources; data submitted by the Tax Authority on private and business donations; and various surveys done by private and government bodies.

The new initiative will gather data from three primary sources: data submitted by the Tax Authority on private and business donations (a previous contributor); information transferred from Guidestar Israel (see below number 4); and a survey to be conducted on 300 sample charities. Building the database will take a year from when the first pieces of information will be transmitted (approximately towards the end of 2013).

The new initiative database will:

• map donations from individuals and businesses, originating ?from both within and outside Israel
• and will provide information on the sources, amounts, and destinations of the philanthropy received by Israeli charities.

It could be that the goal of this project is to mimic the?Giving USA Report?published yearly, whose vast data is used to ?track reports of similar types of charity, train board members, assist in setting organizational strategy, identify funding gaps, and teach about current trends.?

With the continuous complaints about Israel?s lack of formal philanthropy, this is an important initiative indeed.

7. Acknowledgement that it?s Time to Explore New Organizational Structures for Charities?

Two announcements from the Israeli government signaled that the powers-at-be are realizing that charities come in all different shapes and sizes; something that other countries have known for quite some time. (In America, the?B Corporation?and?L3C legal?entities are great examples.)

With traditional fundraising drying up, alternative funding sources and the entities that can support them are crucial.

In late November, The Third Sector Roundtable run by the Prime Minister?s Office?expressed its support (Hebrew)?for the creation of Socially-Minded Businesses in Israel. The directive will provide the basis necessary for legislation, regulations, and a the fiscal structure necessary for the success of such an entity. (Similar strides were recently made in the States when the IRS declared that social investments or PRI?s would be considered tax-deductible.)

This headline followed an?earlier one in September?that announced that the Israeli government had created an official?Request for Information (RFI)?on the establishment of a Social Entrepreneurship Fund.

As exciting as this sounds, with the recent Israeli elections and reports of overspending, deficit explosions and subsequent looming budget cuts, all this great talk might be just that: talk.

6. Interior Ministry to Reward Local Authorities on Social Activities

Real change needs to come from within, despite the sometimes much-needed external push.

Misrad Hapnim (Israel?s Interior Ministry)?announced (Hebrew)?that they would give financial rewards to those Local Authorities that instituted social programs that meet eight predetermined criteria. Officials were quick to point out that the type of programming they are looking for is attainable even for smaller and more cash-strapped local authorities and wouldn?t require infusions of large capital.

In addition to changes how local governments approach and prioritize social programming (hopefully), this announcement will hopefully galvanize charities into researching further ways to collaborate with the municipalities in which they operate.

Could this actually usher in a new era of government and charity collaboration?? (And yes, I?m ever the optimist.)

5. Midot: Acting More Like a Regulator than a Social Cause?

The Israeli nonprofit organization Midot made headlines a few times in 2012.

None more explosive than in September after its CEO in an interview with Haaretz/TheMarker, one of Israel?s leading business dailies, called the majority of Israel?s charities ineffective. The article was subsequently used to confirm the public?s worst fears in the countries? nonprofits.

This story followed Midot?s pilot program with Israel?s?Chashav Haklali (Hebrew)?where Midot essentially served as the gatekeeper to the government?s coffers. A program that many feared would be misused by the government as an excuse to refuse allocation of grants.

Manhigut Ezrachit [ICLA or Israel Civil Leadership Association in English] and the Hitarginut Hamankalim [The Organization of Nonprofit CEOs] banded together in September to?issue a letter (Hebrew)?defending against the claims of lack-of-effectiveness. The letter was followed by a call for Midot to act more like a ?social cause and less like a regulator.?

In the past years, Midot has made inroads with big companies and Israel?s elite (in addition to the government as was demonstrated above), convincing them of the organization?s critical mission.

Recent headlines seem to suggest that the organization?s effectiveness is not universally accepted. Midot is at a fork-in-the-road and only time will tell which path they will choose and how Israel?s nonprofit sector will be affected accordingly.

4. Creation of Israel?s First Nonprofit Sector ?Yearbook?

At the June?Guidestar Israel conference, a ?yearbook? (or Shnaton as its referred to in Hebrew) of Israel?s nonprofit sector was released.

Using the 12 internationally recognized?nonprofit classifications (see pages 18-22), the report allows Israel to analyze its own sector, as well as, compare it to others around the globe. The hard numbers (many of which were unattainable until now) shed light on many important statistics and were used by one reporter to combat the myth that high salaries are prevalent among Israel?s charities.

The yearbook released in June was Israel?s first. Coming years will not only continue to deliver critical data but will provide the basis for trend-watching and true analysis.

More articles on the Yearbook can be found on NPTech?s (the organization that manages Guidestar Israel) site,?here?(Hebrew). Don?t miss this one either:?Aren?t You Tired of Suspecting Charity CEO?s??(Hebrew)

3. Supreme Court Rules that Charities Need to Pay Tax on Land Sales

The city of Ashkelon sold 53 plots of land to private individuals. The city charged the individuals VAT (Value Added Tax) but didn?t transfer the VAT to the Tax Authority because it was granted a VAT exemption by the Tax Authority ? as most Israeli charities do. Even though the exemption was granted to the municipality because of its ?social? status, the Tax Authority claimed that the transaction was a ?commercial and not social, thus not included in the exemption.

In October,?Israel?s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Tax Authority (Hebrew), in essence ruling that all charities will need to pay VAT (currently 17%) when they sell property they own. Until then, it was a ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell? policy that allowed those institutions that didn?t report tax they had collected as free from VAT payments to the Tax Authority.

In Israel, many organization received land from the government or from bequeaths ? land that is not needed by the charity. Many have already sold portions of their property, while most still maintain this ?extra? real-estate.

The multitude of charities and other exempt organizations affected will now have to take VAT into consideration and rethink their plans.

2. One Year for the Tax Authority to Rethink Tax-Deductible Eligibility

Many people, including?myself, have complained about the lack-of-clarity facing charities that are seeking tax-deductible status in Israel, known as Se?if [Paragraph] 46.

In addition to the basic requirements associated with applying to become a Mosad Tziburi [Public Institution], the Minister of Treasury prepares a recommendation to a Knesset sub-committee that must approve the organization?s request. The problem, as Prof. Nissan Limor pointed out, is that applicants do not know beforehand what is exactly required of them. Furthermore, Limor notes that the procedures are gathered as guidelines that have not been incorporated into any legislation.

In August,?Israel?s Supreme Court ruled (Hebrew)?that the Treasury has one year in which to formulate clear criteria for receiving Se?if 46.

According to Guidestar?s Yearbook released in June of this year, only 12% (4,280 out of 34,398) of charities have tax-deductible status.

It is hopeful that new, clearer guidelines will both encourage more charities to apply for tax-deductible status and give those organizations struggling to get an approval the boost they need to finally be granted their well-deserved eligibility.

1. Corporations Authority Releases for First Time Instructions for Business Activities by Nonprofits

The world of nonprofit financing has been changing for a while, especially after the global economic. However, regulations here in Israel haven?t been keeping pace. Actually, they?re trailing far behind.

But maybe not anymore?

A funding method making headlines in recent years is business related income generated by the nonprofit itself, as opposed to strict reliance on donations.

Maybe saving the best for last, Israel?s Corporations Authority (CA), which governs the Registrar of Charities,?released in November (Hebrew)?for the first time instructions for ?business? activities by charities. The guideline?s four sections cover:

1. How decisions should be reached
2. Relevant considerations concerning business activities
3. Collaboration with other nonprofit or for-profit entities
4. Restrictions of business activity

While not perfect, the guidelines are a work in progress. More importantly, they are signal that the regulators are realizing that charities are multifaceted, complex, economic organisms and not simply operational sub-contractors.

************

I?ve got high hopes for 2013. Looking forward to joining everyone for the ride.

What were your impressions? Which headline will reverberate the most for years to come? Can you suggest a headline that wasn?t included in the list?

Tizku Lemitzvot,

Shuey

Disclaimer: This blog houses my personal opinions and is for informational purposes only ? not advice. As charity laws can be quite complex and ever-changing, please refer all questions to qualified and licensed professionals. Read the?full disclaimer.

Shuey Fogel is a nonprofit professional turned banking specialist. He is currently Director of Solutions for Nonprofits for an Israeli Bank. Shuey shares relevant conversations, articles, and experiences on his blog,?nonprofitbanker.com.

Source: http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/future-trends-in-israels-nonprofit-sector-a-review-of-the-top-headlines-in-2012/

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