BlackBerry OS 5 has been floating around the interwebs for some time now and we know that when it is finally officially released, it isn’t going to be the major overhaul to the BlackBerry operating system that we once hoped it would be. On one hand you can say that the BlackBerry is holding it’s own against the likes of the iPhone’s OS and Web OS found on the Palm Pre, however, I don’t know that the BlackBerry OS is in a ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ type of situation when compared to it’s competitors.
If you leave out the BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry devices and the operating systems that run on them, are generally seen as the model for for stability and reliability. You used to hear people say that the BlackBerry doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of it’s competitors but they just always seem to work. There is a lot to be said for stability and reliability in the corporate world, a realm in which the BlackBerry reigns supreme, however, the desires of consumers, the new battleground on which the smartphone war is being waged, differ just a bit.
Not to say that consumers don’t want stable devices. It sucks for anyone when you are trying to make a call and your phone reboots on your, however, consumers seem to be bit more forgiving when it comes to the occasional reboot, especially when they have thousands of really cool applications to help them pass time by when their devices are running, even if they can only run said applications one at a time.
I personally think that the BlackBerry OS has these other mobile operating systems on usability, however, even being the big BlackBerry fan that I am, believe the iPhone wins on the coolness factor hands down. The Pre and its Web OS tries to bridge usability and cool factor, and, quite honestly, does a bang out job at their first go at it. There are a few bugs and far too few applications, however, you get a good feel for what Palm is trying to do with the Pre and can see where the future of mobile devices is going.
Is the BlackBerry due for a major OS overhaul? I think that it is…
Robb,
I agree that this ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ does not apply when it comes to keeping smartphone or computer OS upgraded and up to date. “There is a lot to be said for stability and reliability” however when other more current OS’s can prove stability and reliability then the device maker either needs to stay with the old and risk missing out or keep up on updates making the device even better and more current. Rim did very well with OS4 but it’s time has passed already. Also thinking as a Rim BB fan it’s always better to be looking ahead to new technologies Rim puts out to further the industry.
Excellent article, but I think this should have been posted, umm, two years ago. Every other smartphone maker had a headstart when the iPhone was announced. The benchmark was set when it was released. It has been the coolest phone ever since.
Usability, BlackBerry wins, but not by a mile. Every day, there are apps being launched that is free on the iPhone, but costs a lot on the sorry App World, that increases the usability of the iPhone.
I cannot, for the life of all that is good, understand why RIM is staying idle at this. It’s a joke now, to be honest. They really need to reel in the users while they are still on the uptake.
When Tegra and Windows Mobile 7 hit, I am confident that RIM will suddenly feel like its 3 years behind eveyone else.
And damn it, why is the new Facebook so slow on the old Curve and Pearl devices?!
🙂
Come on RIM, you’re Canadian, you can do it!
I’ve been wondering why RIM hasn’t been so idle on OS development for years myself.
I know that they are going to say security is the reason they are slow to adapt, but, if you can run BlackBerry Application suite on Windows Mobile securely, for crying out loud, can’t they come up with a snazzier OS?
Is the BB OS due for an overhaul? Yes. Will I switch to a competing device unless they upgrade the BB UI? No…..for now at least.
Here’s the deal: I remain loyal to BB for one reason and one reason alone…The device simply “works”. I have a BB 8900 and it is my 4th BB device. My first device was an 8700g. The issue that I had with it was that it did not have a camera, nor were there any media options.
Enter the Pearl 8100…Camera, media player and an opportunity for additional storage. I have been happy ever since. I have since purchased the 8220 Flip and of course I now have The 8900. The Flip and I did not get along well, but the 8900 and I are like Cheech and Chong!
So let’s talk about the BB UI: The BB is capable of doing “everything” that any competing device is capable of doing – however the difference is the UI…I do not understand why there are still so many text-style commands when they can substituted for objects.
I get that RIM is concerned about security but they are an incredibly profitable company and should see to it that a “friendlier BB OS” is available to the masses while maintaining their standards of security.
The BB Storm is a touch user interface, but it isn’t any different in appearance than any other 4.6 OS. I certainly hope that RIM will learn a lesson from GM by not allowing their egos to get in the way of change.
Hey, I like newer and fresher versions of things, who doesn’t? I’m confused how RIM would not understand that a newer UI would set them apart from every device! I’ve tried BB OS 5.0 and I agree: It doesn’t go far enough in my opinion to be different.
I remain hopeful that RIM has a few made software engineers working around the clock to spring something new and exciting on the world – I certainly appreciate the challenge as a new UI “must” remain functional in a business environment, but they can do it! A new BB OS would shake the foundations of smart phone world!
I think there is a couple of reasons RIM is so far behind on their OS form and function (less on the function, they got that down).
For one: they offer a lot more than their competitors, like BIS and BES, this underlying service to hundreds if not thousands of companies worldwide, is an anchor to their (the customer) company. For years they made it their goal to be the biggest business companion, and they have done that, now this leads to my second point.
They just recently tried to capture the lay non-business user with the Curve (kinda) then Pearl and then a full out effort in the Bold and Storm. But now its just like the Microsoft XP to Vista changes, they went from a solid product and tried to fancy it up way to fast to not get behind. When in fact that rush killed them. Now BlackBerry did it a little bit better but still its hard to change the total language of a product from function to form.
Now I agree they do need an overhaul, but it will be a long painstaking process for them to do this and I am sure they have or are thinking about this. But once again its the underlying services that keep this company going.
Hell, S40 series Nokia phones have better looking menus, and people actually buy them because they’re easy to use.
The BlackBerry OS is kinda like Windows Mobile, put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig underneath. It does work for what I need it to, that’s the very reason why I’m not switching, but Apple recently bought a server farm to host their PUSH notification service.
Once Apple provides a BIS-like solution (sometime at the end of this year, or early next year) and multi-tasking, and when RIM still plays their game, I am jumping ship.
Robb,
This is a great article that I’m sure will provoke a lot of discussion. Keep up the good work.
I agree that the BlackBerry OS needs a major overhaul, and I’d start with the amount of memory available for 3rd party apps. On your BlackBerry today you can only save/run applications out of the at most 50MB or so (usually 1GB of application memory.
(Looks like my post was truncated b/c of a couple greater-than/less-than signs. Posting again…)
Robb,
This is a great article that I’m sure will provoke a lot of discussion. Keep up the good work.
I agree that the BlackBerry OS needs a major overhaul, and I’d start with the amount of memory available for 3rd party apps. On your BlackBerry today you can only save/run applications out of the at most 50MB or so (usually less than 10MB) of free application memory, even if you have a 4GB SD card sitting in the back.
So now, even with my BlackBerry Bold, I’m hesitant to install any more than the 12 apps I already have because I’m already running out of application memory. And most people out there have a Curve or Pearl, which give you even less space.
Here’s a request to RIM: allow your users to install and run apps off of our SD cards! Or at least launch new models with at least 1GB of application memory.
YES but a more modern UI might be all they need. At least give us some eye candy and spruce things up a bit at a minimum. Ask yourself the question: Does the iPhone functionally do anything dramatically different than the Blackberry? The answer is really no. You have a home screen with icons on it that you select on either. Hmmm, sounds very similar. I think RIM could be a better job of at least pretending that they are pushing the OS ahead with UI tweaks even if they don’t fundamentally change what’s under the hood. I think it’s somewhat of a myth to think RIM needs to revamp the whole enchilada, but they sure could present better ways of accessing menus and making the menus more attractive, etc. This will at least make it appear like it’s a more modern OS and it will codify the masses.
[quote=”Ajay Kulkarni “]
On your BlackBerry today you can only save/run applications out of the at most 50MB or so (usually less than 10MB) of free application memory, even if you have a 4GB SD card sitting in the back.
So now, even with my BlackBerry Bold, I’m hesitant to install any more than the 12 apps I already have because I’m already running out of application memory. And most people out there have a Curve or Pearl, which give you even less space.
Here’s a request to RIM: allow your users to install and run apps off of our SD cards! Or at least launch new models with at least 1GB of application memory.[/quote]
It is your device’s [i]application memory[/i] (RAM), which dictates the number of applications you can run as well as how efficiently said applications will run. The 9000 comes with 1GB of internal storage, however it only has 128MB of application memory.
To put this into perspective the iPhone 3G has 128MB of app memory, the iPhone 3GS has double the amount with 256MB and the Blackberry 8900 also has double the amount with 256MB. The BB 9630 Tour, Onyx/Driftwood will also come with 256MB.
A smartphone is no different than a computer in that whether you have 1TB of storage, it’s purpose isn’t to run applications and thus it is considered [i]secondary storage[/i], while application/device/RAM is considered [i]primary storage[/i]. This is the sole function of your [i]internal memory[/i]. No matter the device the rules remain the same.
Personally, I agree that the 5.0 OS needs to be a big step up otherwise why do it at all? But I have read everyone’s comments and they all seem to think Apple is this big caring god like figure willing to change everything for their customers. But this certainly isn’t true. You can look at numerous iPhone websites and forums alike and find that many users are very disappointed by the iPhone’s lack of customization and control. iPhone users would LOVE the ability to customize the way it looks without having to jailbreak their phone; something us BB users take for granted. Also, the iPhone lacks a solid menu, that can pop up with options. This I feel keeps MANY business professionals with BB because it is truly necessary. Also, many apps/programs on the iPhone do not possess a “back” button as all BB’s do and this has been a complaint that really upsets iPhone users. My girlfriend has an iPhone and she cannot stand how you have to exit out of the app with the home button just to go back sometimes. She also hates how the OS is just plain kiddish. It caters to the majority of America because the majority of America is imbeciles. I personally hate people talking down to me and further more would hate if my phone talked down to me.
This being said, the iPhone has it’s place in the universe as a driver. It is the stimulus and BlackBerry(RIM) is the response. RIM would not survive without Apple and Apple would not survive without RIM. The world needs difference and that is what Apple brings to the table. I just don’t think you guys should be so quick to love Apple for the “great customer service and response it has” It took them a year to come out with a video camera. My four year old samsung phone had a video camera. Seriously? Apple is a corporation out to make money. They should never be confused with a customer friendly entity.
Standard fan boy statement. Read the same topic on the Boy Genius report for a more un biased assessment of the BB OS.
I believe that entire quote was
I clearly am a fan of the BlackBerry and feel no need to apologize for being a fan, however, when, you visit a BlackBerry blog, soundbite a quote that clearly says, being the big BlackBerry fan that I am, to try to make a point that I am biased because my opinion of usability differs from yours, I think you clearly demonstrate that you, are in fact, the fanboy.
As I have said many times before, RIMarkable is an editorial. It is my opinion about BlackBerry devices and the smartphone industry as it relates to the BlackBerry.
The BlackBerry is definitely in need of a major upgrade. As others have pointed out, it is nearly criminal at this stage that we are limited so much by third party app memory when memory is so cheap. At the very least we need the ability to run apps directly from the SD card. Making it so that apps save their databases to the SD card would be a step forward.
This limitation is really stalling the current development of apps for the BlackBerry.
Deathmatch rematch: BlackBerry versus iPhone 3.0
http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/deathmatch-rematch-blackberry-versus-iphone-30-843
@Omar: I love the debate, but you’re actually confusing the issue here. RIM only lets you *store* apps in App memory. On the iPhone, you can store apps anywhere on the device. The 8900 has the most app memory (256MB) than any other BB, but even then, the RIM OS, etc., also sit in app memory, which leaves a small fraction for any apps you’d like to download. E.g., on my Bold I theoretically have 128MB, but only have about 50MB or so to install apps.
This is a problem that Mike Kirkup at RIM has also acknowledged. You can read about it at CIO Magazine (“RIM Developer Exec Mike Kirkup on BlackBerry App Memory Problem, Storefront”, FRI, FEB 13, 2009 11:10 EST).
http://advice.cio.com/al_sacco/rim_developer_exec_mike_kirkup_on_blackberry_app_memory_problem_storefront
P.S. @Robb: Nice work provoking this discussion!