I visited a very cool mobile phone store called imo (Independent Mobile) the other day that carries more smart phones than any brick and mortar store that I have ever been in. You can get everything from Palm OS, to Windows Mobile, to BlackBerry OS, to Symbian OS powered devices. I heard that they could even get some of the Linux powered devices in if you asked them nicely.
In talking with one of the employees I asked them as far as the smart phones go, what is really hot right now. Since imo sells everything, they should have a good feel for what people off the street were interested in. As you can probably imagine, when people first walked in the door interested in PDA phones, BlackBerry was usually the first brand name to roll off of there tongue. You might, however, be surprised as to what they usually walked out of the door with.
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According to the Motorola promo site the Moto Q, a.k.a. the BlackBerry Killer (not), is coming out in April. Even being the BlackBerry kind of guy that I am, I must admit that the Moto Q looks pretty cool. The fact that it runs Windows Mobile 5 means there is a possibility that it is bug ridden, however, time will definitely tell.
The Moto Q features a large, vibrant 2.4 color screen, voice activated dialing, a 1.3 megapixel camera with photo lighting, mp3 and video capabilities, stereo speakers and web surfing capability. I wouldn’t be fibbing to you if I told you that I wished my BlackBerry 7130e did all of these things.
Motorola, Moto Q, Windows Mobile 5
There is an interesting poll over on BlackBerry Forums that asks BlackBerry users if on a future BlackBerry model if they would rather see the BlackBerry OS or Microsoft’s Windows Mobile installed. The Blackberry OS appears to be on its way to a landslide victory with over 82% of the votes thus far, however, the more I think about a Windows Mobile powered BlackBerry, the more I think that it might not be a bad idea.
Now, before I get flamed to death, I am not saying that Research in Motion should scrap the BB OS for Windows Mobile. I am, however, saying that with RIM clearly getting into the consumer market and plans for a BlackBerry with multimedia capabilities and an integrated digital camera seemingly on the way, offering a device based on the Windows Mobile OS is not a stretch.
There are a ton of applications already developed for Windows Mobile. RIM would be able to tap into this large application base and not have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to adding new features to the BlackBerry. Microsoft is in this space to stay and it is always easier to partner with Microsoft than it is to compete head-to-head against them. I honestly don’t think that Microsoft cares if you use a BlackBerry or some other PDA type device so long as it runs Windows Mobile and connects to Exchange on the back end. Just look at how well the Treo 700w is doing right now.
Microsoft, PDA, RIM, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile
Have you noticed all of advertising for the Treo 700w lately? I’ve seen more TV commercials, listened to more radio commercials, and read more web ads for this thing than I ever have for the BlackBerry or for any other smartphone for that matter. There is a good chance to if you go to one of the really popular BlackBerry sites that you will actually see more advertising for the 700w than you will for the BlackBerry.
Microsoft and Verizon must be spending an awful lot to keep the Treo 700w in the back of peoples minds and I wonder how effective all the advertising will be. I still have yet to ever see a TV commercial for BlackBerry. I’ve heard that they exist but really only get air time in Canada.
According to the Palm Treo enthusiast site Treonauts, BlackBerry Connect for the Treo is almost ready. I know that we have been hearing this for well over a year, however, Treonauts writer Blake, who is at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona says that BlackBerry Connect for the Treo is just waiting to be certified by Palm, RIM, and the carriers.
One huge side note that probably deserves it’s own post is that BlackBerry Connect will run on the Windows Mobile powered Treo 700w as well as Palm OS powered devices. I’ve heard many BlackBerry users (not diehard CrackBerry Addicts) say that they would seriously look at the new Treo 700w if they could get their BlackBerry mail on it. I guess that we may soon see.
Via Treonauts
BlackBerry Connect, Palm, Treo, Treo 700w
Remember the Motorola Q? This was one of the last devices that was tagged as a BlackBerry Killer back in the summer of 05. Well, rumor has it that the Motorola Q won’t even see the light of day in Europe. This BlackBerry Killer won’t even hunt.
Bargain PDA is reporting that the GSM version of the Motorola Q has been cancelled in Europe and that the only version of the BlackBerry Killer that has even a remote chance of being released will be a CDMA version offered in the United States.
Once again, the term BlackBerry Killer has been branded to generously. I just don’t see a device seriously taking on the BlackBerry when it isn’t even available on an entire continent of mostly 1st World Countries.
Cingular has just released the 2125, the second smartphone running BlackBerry Connect competitor Windows Mobile 5, however, it is not fair to compare the Cingular 2125 to the BlackBerry… It is just not a fair competition.
Lets go over the specs, or lack there of depending on your viewpoint. No QWERTY keyboard, no memory card slots, only a 1.3 megapixel camera. It’s a Windows Mobile device and doesn’t even have a stylus. Replying to an email is absolutely brutal. There is no wi-fi and the 2125 only has 64Mb of memory. Any 710x series BlackBerry completely blows this device out of the water. To me the Cingular 2125 seems like a over-hyped, mediocre cameraphone with a Windows logo slapped onto it.
Rumor has it that the team at Fujitsu-Siemens have updated their Pocket LOOX 520 and and have BlackBerry maker Research in Motion dead in their sights with the new Pocket LOOX T800 series.
Fujitsu-Siemens will enter into the mobile phone / PDA arena currently dominated by the BlackBerry with two new Pocket LOOX devices, the T810, and the T830. Both devices are rumored to have UMTS, 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0, 128MB flash memory, 64MB RAM, Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU2, and GPS. The T830 will also have a 2.0 megapixel digital camera. (Hopefully RIM will get the concept of multiple hardware configurations one day but thats for another post)
As rumored earlier, the Palm Treo 700w debuts today on the Verizon network. The Treo 700w is the first Palm Treo device to support an operating system other than the Palm OS. The Treo 700w hosts Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 5.