If you would like to create a cool Valentine’s Day themed wallpaper for your BlackBerry head over to the Valentine’s Day Wallpaper Studio on Facebook. This official BlackBerry Facebook app will allow you to use Facebook pictures to design your own BlackBerry wallpaper and give your device a personal touch.
There is no software that needs to be installed on your BlackBerry. Just head over to Facebook and design your Valentine’s Day wallpaper, and, since you are going to be over on Facebook anyway… You may as well go ahead and give the RIMarkble Facebook page some love by hitting our Like button…
Unless you’ve been buried under a rock, you, know that Verizon now offers the iPhone 4 on their CDMA network. This has been something that millions of Verizon customers, many of them BlackBerry users, have been waiting for since the original iPhone was released on AT&T back in 2007. Several former BlackBerry users that I know personally have recently made the switch from the BlackBerry to the iPhone, however, at least one of them, after just one day, is ready to switch back.
The iPhone 4 is basically just like an iPod Touch that you can make calls from…
One of my co-workers who ordered their iPhone just after 3:00 a.m. the day that it went on sale to existing Verizon customers, got their device via UPS yesterday morning. Barely 24 hours later, this, BlackBerry defector that was particularly vocal about switching off of their BlackBerry and over to the iPhone, says that they already know that they want to switch back.
“Don’t get me wrong, this thing is way better than the BlackBerry at playing games and stuff, but, the iPhone 4 is basically just like an iPod Touch that you can make calls from and do GPS stuff that I won’t really do anyway. I knew that I would be sacrificing BBM, but, it really isn’t worth it because there isn’t really much new stuff that I want to put on the iPhone that I don’t already have on my iPod Touch, plus it has 1/4 the space… I know that I’ve only had my iPhone for 1 day, but, I think that I am switching back to my BlackBerry… “
There is no doubt that the iPhone 4 is an incredible device, however, there are things that you can do on a BlackBerry that no other platform offers. Before you jump ship, really think about how you use your BlackBerry and what you will have to give up for the benefits of the iPhone 4 that you may gain…
According to a survey from market research firm uSamp, 2 out of 3 Verizon BlackBerry users plan to switch to the Verizon iPhone. That is a whopping 66% of the over 700 respondents that took part in the survey. When we asked Verizon BlackBerry users if they were going to switch to the Verizon iPhone 4 when the device was made available (briefly) for pre-order, the overwhelming majority of those that left comments said that they were switching. This simply cannot be good for RIM…
As I’ve said before, I believe that many more people will say they are going to switch than those that actually will, but, even if you take this uSamp survey and the comments section on a BlackBerry blog with a grain of salt, RIM stands to lose a ridiculous number of BlackBerry users to churn…
I know that Verizon is just one carrier in one country, but, a significant number of all BlackBerry users are Verizon subscribers, and those numbers are in jeopardy. A lot of folks say that RIM is going down the path of Palm, but, RIM is still very strong overseas. So strong in fact that I think that a better analogy for RIM is that they are going down the path of Nokia. That, however is for another post…
I think that it is clear that, not only because of of iPhone 4, but, all the Verizon Android devices as well, it will be a tough year for RIM. Too many consumers in the U.S. think BlackBerry devices just aren’t as appealing as the higher end smartphones. Whether this is actually true or not (personally I believe that it is), the perception is there, not only on existing BlackBerry devices, but, those on the road map to come out later this year.
We keep hearing how the the BlackBerry is getting trounced here in the U.S. by competitors like the iPhone and Android, however, we often forget that Research in Motion, the company that makes BlackBerry devices is a global company. According to data from GfK, the BlackBerry was the best selling smartphone in the UK…
Using data exclusively from consumers sales channels (ie the networks and consumer electronics stores), the research concluded that not only did BlackBerry handsets command 28.2% of all smartphone sales in 2010, RIM also managed to gain 36% of the Christmas sales, with over 500,000 shifted.
In a statement issued today Research in Motion said that it will filter pornographic internet content for its 2 million users in Indonesia as well as open a local server so that the government of Indonesia can gain access to encrypted data.
Indonesian Communications and Information Minister Tiffatul Sembiring has called for tighter internet controls and wants RIM to block access to porn sites to comply with an anti-pornography law in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
To make a long story short, internet service providers were asked back in July of last year to restrict access to pornographic material based on a law banning such content passed back in 2008. RIM either had to comply, or, risk being shut down.
RIM said, “it is fully committed to working with Indonesias carriers to put in place a prompt, compliant filtering solution for Blackberry subscribers in Indonesia as soon as possible“.
It’s clear that Research in Motion’s focus at this year Consumer Electronics Show is laser targeted on the BlackBerry PlayBook. Will, however, the company with the biggest percentage market share of smartphone users in North America announce any new additions to it’s aging lineup of BlackBerry smartphones?
