RIM releases BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing 2.0

Research In Motion has released an upgrade to their app for managing conference calls on BlackBerry smartphones with the BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing version 2.0.

This free app includes a number of enhancements, such as the ability to turn an email thread into a conference call automatically, using the user’s conference bridge details.

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing automates tedious and error prone tasks such as dialing into a conference call that could include multiple main numbers, a conference ID and other codes, with a simple one-click ‚Join Now‚ prompt, as well as the ability to quickly reconnect if dropped from a conference call. The app also integrates with the BlackBerry Calendar allowing users to quickly and easily schedule and join conference calls directly from within the Calendar. Users can download BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing on BlackBerry App World, and organizations can automatically push the app to their users through BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

‚BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing is an essential app for anyone who sets up or joins conference calls,‚ said Tom Goguen, vice president, collaboration and social networking at Research In Motion. ‚This latest version of BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing includes a number of enhancements such as the ability to turn any email thread into a conference call automatically, making it even easier for BlackBerry users to get things done.‚

New features of BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing version 2.0 include:

¬∑ Turn An Email Thread into a Conference Call ‚ BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing helps users instantly schedule a conference call from an email thread, with just a few clicks. The sender and recipients of the email are included as meeting attendees, the email subject becomes the user’s meeting subject and part of the email message is automatically copied into the invite for reference. Users can also add conference call details from a stored profile.

¬∑ Automatic Detection of Conference Call Details ‚ Conference call information found in meeting invites in any calendar on the user’s BlackBerry smartphone is automatically recognized and set up for easy dial-in at the appointed time, helping the user stay organized and on time. In version 2, the engine that recognizes conference call details has been enhanced for improved accuracy.

¬∑ Conference Call ID ‚ Users can more easily keep track of the conference calls they’ve participated in. When the user joins a conference call, the meeting subject appears as the caller ID in the BlackBerry phone app. When the call is completed, the meeting subject appears in the user’s call log.

¬∑ Conference Profiles Increased to 10 ‚ Users can instantly add preset conference call details to almost any meeting they schedule by selecting from up to ten stored profiles.

¬∑ Private Moderator Codes ‚ Users can also keep moderator codes private. Invites sent using a preset conference profile include just the information participants need to join the call. If conference information found in a meeting invite is the user’s, the app accesses the stored profile to dial the user in as the moderator. The feature allows a meeting organizer to leave out the moderator code in an invite for privacy, without sacrificing the convenience of ‚Join Now‚ as the moderator, when the call arises.

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing can detect conference call details from most popular conferencing systems on the market and supports BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry 5 OS or higher. It is now available for download for users in North America on BlackBerry App World at http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/46253. For more information, please visit blackberry.com/mobileconferencing.

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