Comments on: 5 Reasons Why RIM Should Make A BlackBerry That Runs Android

By: please proofread

please proofread — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:53:40 +0000

Please read you articles before posting.Many many typos and missing words.Quite painful to read.

By: kriiiiis

kriiiiis — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:36:38 +0000

isn’t the real answer…

wait for someone to port this completely OPEN OS to the blackberry hardware?

I am all for blackberries but would love a chance to ticker with the Android OS on my ‘reliable’ hardware that i have next to my computer.

I’m all for giving change a chance.

looks like we’ll all be waiting to see how this unfolds.

By: aaheroe

aaheroe — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:55:48 +0000

@Jeremy

what you talking about ? why u said like that ????

By: Adam G.

Adam G. — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:43:07 +0000

Both RIM and Google offer products and services I love, but I won’t jump on any Android for Blackberry bandwagon until we see how the OS works in the real world. Once the bugs are out, it may be a good idea.

By: Serge

Serge — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:35:47 +0000

Does any one read techrepublic.com or techcrunch.com ? I personally do not care for any google product or byproduct. I do not use it nor do I have it as my homepage as other coworkers . Take a look around google is everywhere, fighting ebay anonymously in Australia, fighting carriers and backing up peoples search data on mobile phones to triangulate positions without consent of user, carrier, and bypassing any regulations concerning this. So why on earth would I hand over my info by using their software? THINK!

By: Thought

Thought — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:07:07 +0000

First, allow me to defend Robb. His blog is a real treat, largely because he consistently asks some of the most intelligent, insightful, thought-provoking questions around. I’ve always maintained that Robb’s genius is in asking the right questions; that is a real gift.

Also, keep in mind that for Robb this blog is a labor of love; he doesn’t do it for the money. So this is his way of simply offering people something of value for free.

Finally, I always say, on the web, the beauty of it is that if you don’t like a site you can just navigate away with one click of a mouse. No reason for Robb to retire the site as long as he enjoys doing it, regardless of what others think.

Getting back to the original question…I think RIM right now is copying the Apple model of a totally closed development system, where they control the hardware and software. The benefit of that is a much smoother integration of those 2 components.

I think for RIM to release a device on Android would be like Apple releasing a Mac that ran Windows. Of course, I realize that you can run Windows now on a Mac, but that is an option. Apple would never release a computer that came preloaded with anything else other than an Apple OS.

The only way I would advise RIM to release a device on Android is if Android took off and became so popular that RIM had to do it. People will identify more with the software than the hardware, and so if you go with Android, you end up with customers more loyal to Android than RIM.

No doubt this is why Google is doing this; they know if they can get enough devices on their software, people will end up identifying more with Google than any device manufacturer.

To me it’s the software that makes a BB special, just like the Apple iPhone software is what makes it special. The hardware is more easily replicated, and while I like the BB designs, I don’t think they alone are anything that special. It is the software that makes it unique in the market place.

By: Robb Dunewood

Robb Dunewood — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:06:12 +0000

@Jason

I could retire the site but where would the 16,832 other daily visitors that like to read opinions from “a terrible thinking and a bad writer” go?

By: Amish

Amish — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:49:55 +0000

Wow, this is a tricky one.

I agree with Thought on the potential for brand dilution. This often the case when any company does something different than what they are known for. On the other hand, there is always some risk when you expand your portfolio. What RIM has to do is figure out if Android is the place to do it.

By: Norman R.

Norman R. — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:25:51 +0000

I pretty much always agree with what Thought says but I think that I am with Robb on this one.

Android is going to be huge and someone has to create the handsets for it to run on. If RIM ever intends to create smartphones that aren’t BlackBerrys, Android will offer advantages that Windows Mobile, and Palm OS don’t enjoy because it is open source.

I believe that it is harder to make a device stable when you don’t create the device and the software that runs on the device. I also believe that if the developement of the software is open source and free, technical hurdles can be overcome much more adeptly especially if the hardware is of the quality that RIM puts out.

By: Robb Dunewood

Robb Dunewood — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:11:08 +0000

This is just my opinion, however, at some point, RIM has to think about diversification. Apple couldn’t be as big as Apple is if they only sold Macs. GE couldn’t be as big as they are if they only sold lightbulbs.

I agree that RIM could suffer a bit of brand dilution, however, my guess is that most people that don’t have BlackBerrys even know the name of the company that makes BlackBerrys. RIM could minimize impact to the BlackBerry brand simply by not making a new device that sucks and not naming that new device BlackBerry.