Opinion

Do You Think A BlackBerry PlayBook Could Effectively Replace A BlackBerry?

by Robb Dunewood on April 5, 2011 · 9 comments

BlackBerry PlayBook

I reverted back to carrying multiple smartphones just about this time last year.  One device has always been a BlackBerry (currently the original BlackBerry Storm).  The others have been the Palm Pre Plus, the Motorola Droid, the Droid Incredible (which I am currently using), and, the BlackBerry Torch 9800, which, believe it or not, I ended up returning.

The BlackBerry is great for messaging, but, very utilitarian

I don’t particularly want to carry two devices, but, the truth of the matter is that I have found nothing else that comes close to handling email and messaging as effectively as does the BlackBerry, and, with the exceptions of battery life and call quality, the BlackBerry handles “nothing else”as effectively as most every other smartphone platform of consequence.  My BlackBerry has become, essentially, what BlackBerry devices, for many, were 6 – 8 years ago…  An email device that you carried for work in addition to your personal cell phone.

For those of you not keeping a close eye on the date, the BlackBerry PlayBook launches on April 19th, exactly two weeks from today.  I know that the PlayBook won’t have native email client when the device ships, but, RIM is building one, and, I would be willing to bet that allowing the BlackBerry PlayBook to get email natively without a BlackBerry is a huge priority for RIM.  I would imagine that the BlackBerry PlayBook will be able to do email natively sooner rather than later.

PlayBook vs. BlackBerry

With all that being said, do you think that the BlackBerry PlayBook could effectively replace a BlackBerry smartphone?  Remember, I am already carrying two devices, and, really see doing so for the foreseeable future.  My BlackBerry is about as utilitarian a device as they come these days, as, I use it for messaging, listening to the occasional podcast, and, little more.  Assuming that the BlackBerry PlayBook will eventually be able to connect to BIS and BES without the need a BlackBerry phone to do so, could the PlayBook make the BlackBerry, not necessary at all…

By the by,
For those of you wondering if the PlayBook could effectively replace an Android phone, I’ll let you know in about two weeks…

 

 

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Is It Just Me, Or, Shouldn’t More Than 10% Of BlackBerry Users Be Using BlackBerry 6?

by Robb Dunewood on March 29, 2011 · 5 comments

Yesterday morning Research in Motion, via the official @BlackBerryDev Twitter account Tweeted out a link to the “Choosing a Target Device OS” page which is set up to help developer figure out what OS they should code their BlackBerry applications for.  One the more interesting graphs listed on the page was the BlackBerry Subscribers by OS pie chart.

According to the chart, 40% of BlackBerry users are at least 2 major OS releases back. 90% of BlackBerry users are at least one major OS build back.  Is it just me, or, shouldn’t more than 10% of BlackBerry users be using BlackBerry 6?

Although it seems like it may have been out longer, BlackBerry 6, debuted on the BlackBerry Torch 9800 back when it was released last August.  RIM, however, had been officially and unofficially touting BlackBerry 6 as the OS that would change everything for a year prior to it’s release.  BlackBerry 6 was supposed bring in the new BlackBerry Browser that would be on par with mobile Safari.  BlackBerry 6 was supposed to make people who defected to Android and the iPhone regret that they ever left.  Clearly, all the things that were supposed to happen with BlackBerry 6 didn’t…

According to the “Choosing a Target Device OS” page, only three devices; the Torch 9800, the Style 9670, and the Bold 9780 even support BlackBerry 6.  We know, however, that the Bold 9650, Bold 9700, Curve 3G, and Pearl 3G support, or, can support BlackBerry 6.  Maybe these devices were left off the list because RIM left it up to the carriers to deploy BlackBerry 6 to these devices.  An awful lot of carriers, after seeing what BlackBerry 6 offered over previous versions of the BlackBerry OS, simply didn’t bother…

To make matters even worse, many carriers have decided not to carry some of the devices that run, or, in the case of Verizon and the BlackBerry Storm 9570, could have run, BlackBerry 6 out of the box.   Instead, they’ve opted to wait for the next generation of BlackBerry devices that will run BlackBerry 6.1, which, from what we’ve heard, is supposed to be a major upgrade of the BlackBerry Operating System…

I know… that sounds like something we’ve heard before…

 

 

 

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RIM Needs To Take BBM Cross Platform Sooner Rather Than Later

by Robb Dunewood on March 29, 2011 · 12 comments

BlackBerry Messenger

Back at the beginning of March, we started to hear rumors that Research in Motion is taking BlackBerry Messenger cross-platform; first for Android, and, eventually for iOS.  BlackBerry Messenger is considered to be the best mobile IM application available today, but, the fact that it is currently only supported on the BlackBerry significantly limits its reach.

We’ve started to see cross platform mobile IM clients like Kik Messenger, WhatsApp Messenger, PingChat!, and, most recently, LiveProfile hit the scene that, if you were to match them up against BBM feature by feature, would lose most every round.  Most of these cross platform mobile IM clients, however, have a feature that BBM lacks, and, the very nature of this feature, the ability to communicate with contacts who don’t own BlackBerry devices, makes these types of apps necessary even if you like BBM more…  .

BlackBerry is not the only game in town…

The BlackBerry is no longer, nor, will it ever again be, the only game in town.  Android and iOS along with Windows Phone and webOS are here to stay, and, chances are, you know someone on one of those platforms that you may, at some point, like to chat with.  There really is no good reason why you shouldn’t be able to use the most popular mobile IM client in the world to be able to accomplish this, but, so long as BlackBerry Messenger plays only in the closed garden of BlackBerry users, it looses just a bit of popularity every time a BlackBerry user decides to download and install a cross platform application.

Cross platform IM clients are ridiculously popular…

LiveProfile for BlackBerry was released last weekend and saw over 277,000 downloads in a single day with no signs of slowing down.  Kik Messenger, although no longer available on the BlackBerry, saw upwards of 1 million downloads in a single day.  Just think of how many people would download a cross platform BlackBerry Messenger client when 40 million or so BBM users tell everyone they know without a BlackBerry to download the greatest mobile IM client of all time…

RIM has a time limit…

Research in Motion, if they were to take BlackBerry Messenger cross-platform, could dominate the mobile IM space for the foreseeable future.  There is, however, a time limit under which RIM must act to cease this opportunity.  Cross platform mobile IM clients are already here and they are being downloaded at a ridiculous rate.  RIM needs to get in this game sooner rather than later so that can capitalize the masses who haven’t made a choice, or, final choice on the service they use.

 

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The Enterprise Biding RIM Time When It Comes To BlackBerry Smartphones

by Robb Dunewood on January 11, 2011 · 17 comments

According to a report by TNS, the BlackBerry still dominates in the enterprise with over 81% market share in companies with over 1000 employees.  The report also shows that the iPhone and other platforms are catching up in small companies where the BlackBerry’s share is only 39% compared to 28% for the iPhone and 19% for Android, however, with 69% total share of all corporate users, the BlackBerrys advantage in the enterprise compared to its competitors may just buy RIM the time it needs to bring it’s next generation handset to market and be a hit even though consumers aren’t really feeling the BlackBerry at all these days.

What RIM and the BlackBerry have going for them is that corporations are incredibly slow to adopt new technology and switch over to it.  RIM is working on a QNX BlackBerry, and, although consumers may not be willing to wait for QNX to make its debut on a BlackBerry device before going with something other than the BlackBerry, corporations won’t switch en masse away from the BlackBerry before RIM makes the switch to QNX.  So long as the RIM’s new Blackberry OS is comparable to iOS, Android, WP7, and webOS (BlackBerry 6 currently is not) RIM will continue to maintain millions of BlackBerry users by way of the corporate provisioned devices.

RIM may not ever enjoy the stature they once had with consumers again, however, the BlackBerry will continue to be a force in the smartphone landscape for the foreseeable future so long as QNX lives up to they hype…

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“RIM doesn’t have a competitive smartphone now, nor will it have one any time in the near future” — Editorial from a BlackBerry Addicted Engadget Editor

by Robb Dunewood on December 15, 2010 · 12 comments

There is a really good editorial over on Engadget by tech editor Joanna Stern. I recently damaged my BlackBerry Storm and found myself in almost exactly the same situation. I wanted to buy a new BlackBerry, however, no BlackBerry exists that does all the things that, going by today’s standards, smartphones should do.

Check out “RIM seems to be as lost as my BlackBerry”…  It truly is a good read.

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Why Are There Plans For A BlackBerry Curve 8980?

by Robb Dunewood on November 30, 2010 · 7 comments

Post image for Why Are There Plans For A BlackBerry Curve 8980?

Could someone please explain to me for what possible reason Research in Motion has submitted plans for the BlackBerry Curve 8980, yet another underpowered, BlackBerry OS 5 running, looks like every other Curve looking, BlackBerry Curve?  I cannot for the life of me figure this out….  I know that the BlackBerry Curve line is the best selling line of BlackBerry devices ever, but, how many times is RIM going to reincarnate this puppy?

For those not sure what I am ranting about, the FCC has released documents and photos detailing a new, unannounced, BlackBerry device, the Curve 8980, which has quad-band GSM/EDGE radios in addition to Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi.  The BlackBerry Curve 8980 also has a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, optical trackpad, and 3.5mm headset jack and will ship with BlackBerry OS 5.

[Via PhoneScope]

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Research In Motion Is Giving Me No Option But To Make Android My Primary Device…

by Robb Dunewood on November 16, 2010 · 13 comments

HTC Droid Incredible

My BlackBerry Storm is on it’s last leg.  I got it the day it came out over two years ago and am in dire need of something to upgrade to.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a new BlackBerry on Verizon that I am at all interested in and my little journey over to AT&T to try out the BlackBerry Torch didn’t work out too well.  I really would like to upgrade to a new BlackBerry, however, there aren’t even any new high-end BlackBerry devices on Verizon let alone any new Touch screen BlackBerry devices available on the carrier that introduced them.

I am not going to buy Bold 9650… It came out over 5 months ago and still doesn’t officially run BlackBerry 6.  It doesn’t have a touch screen, and, I can’t honestly see myself using it for anything other than email if I had one.  The Storm2 is over a year old and, from what we’ve heard, won’t run BlackBerry 6.

As many of you know, I’ve been carrying around an HTC Droid Incredible as a secondary device for some time now.  It looks like Research in Motion is giving me no option but to make Android my primary device…

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Is Anyone Using Kik Messenger?

by Rod on November 9, 2010 · 18 comments

Kik Messenger

It took Kik just 15 days to boast 1 million users on their messaging platform, which is rather impressive. If you stack Kik and BBM side-by-side, BBM destroys Kik in every category except one: cross platform messaging. Kik is a hot new enhanced messaging platform that runs on BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android. One of the unique features of Kik is the Facebook-like feature that helps you discover your friends on Kik, almost automatically.

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It’s Confirmed… RIM Practically Giving BlackBerry Devices Away To Maintain Share

by Robb Dunewood on October 27, 2010 · 19 comments

Fire Sale

You don’t have to look far to find a good deal on a BlackBerry these days.  It is almost as though the deals are “too” good to be true.  T-Mobile has set BlackBerry Bold 9780 pricing at $129.99.  That’s 130 bucks for one of the highest end BlackBerry devices you can get.  I hinted at this in the last episode of the SMRpodcast, but, it is now crystal clear to me that Research in Motion is in market share protection mode.

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