BlackBerry

Verizon Hopes to Rain on iPhone Parade with its Own Storm

Bernie — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:13:24 -0400

Verizon is priming the pump with announcements about the upcoming BlackBerry Storm, their latest attempt to counter the iPhone craze. They have good reason to do so. Some recent research suggests that close to half of AT&T’s new iPhone subscribers in recent months came to them from Verizon Wireless. The Storm is RIM’s first touchscreen BlackBerry smartphone. No firm release date has been announced, but Verizon says the Storm will be out for the holiday season and will be “aggressively priced.” That means somewhere between $150 - $200. The other marquee touchscreen smartphones, including the G1, iPhone, and Instinct are in that range.

Some unique features of the Storm include a tactile touchscreen, compatibility with iTunes, and dual CDMA and GSM modes. The tactile touchscreen gives the user a subtle signal when touched. The dual mode functionality takes aim at probably the iPhone’s biggest weakness right now – being exclusively tethered to AT&T. Although, practically speaking, the Storm will be exclusive to Verizon Wireless for a while. And while the Storm is a smartphone that will appeal to BlackBerry’s entrenched enterprise user base, RIM and Verizon will aggressively target consumers in the hopes of slowing down the iPhone’s momentum with that larger market segment. First quarter 2009 will be an interesting one to watch because it will be the first full quarter for the smartphone competitive battle between Apple/AT&T, Google/T-Mobile, and RIM/Verizon.

BlackBerry Starting to Feel Pain from iPhone?

Bernie — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:46:17 -0400

RIM announced their quarterly results today, and missed estimates for revenue and earnings per share. Wall Street had no sympathy – punishing RIM’s share price with a 20% decline in after hours trading. It’s RIM’s second quarter in a row of missed financial expectations. It begs the question – is this the result of an iPhone effect? RIM dismisses that idea and instead wants to focus on maximizing the “growing smartphone opportunity” rather than worrying about minor financial setbacks or competitive implications of the iPhone. Silicon Alley Insider has the details on RIM’s numbers. It’s not going to get any easier, even with the rosy outlook RIM has on smartphones. You can add T-mobile’s new G1 to the growing smartphone landscape. Sure, there will be significant smartphone growth, but there is also corresponding growth in the number of non-RIM handsets chasing that opportunity. RIM does have some tricks up its sleeve, including the forthcoming BlackBerry Storm, their touchscreen entrant that will launch on Verizon’s network later this year. Stay tuned.

BlackBerry Flips Out

Bernie — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:30:16 -0400

RIM formally introduced its first flip, or clamshell, BlackBerry. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 was formally unveiled at the CTIA I.T. tradeshow, taking place this week in San Francisco. “The quad-band EDGE based BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone presents a sophisticated look with a sleek design and a chrome-finished frame surrounding its smooth, luminescent face. Packed with an abundance of powerful features, it weighs only 3.6 ounces and measures approximately 3.9” x 1.9” x 0.7”,” said RIM in a company statement. The new flip phone has all of the BlackBerry functions smartphone users have come to love, including:

SureType QWERTY keyboard
Bluetooth 2.0
BlackBerry Media Sync
High Speed USB 2.0
Wi-Fi with support for UMA
Compatible with BlackBerry Internet Service, BlackBerry Unite!, BlackBerry Professional Software and BlackBerry Enterprise Server

The phone is scheduled for release this fall. Flip phone designs haven’t really worked too well for the smartphone crowd. But RIM is making an aggressive push into the consumer market, and this new design is aimed squarely there.

New Treo 850 Looks to Take on RIM/Apple

Bernie — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:15:19 -0400

The new Treo 850 or Treo Pro is the slickest looking Treo to date. Engadget has the scoop with photos to boot. From a design point of view, this new Palm is heads and tales better than the tired looking traditional Treo. It resembles the new Blackberry Bold, with traces of an iPhone. Lord knows Palm could use a smartphone hit. They’ve been trampled by RIM and Apple lately. The Treo 850 is believed to be a Windows Mobile device and will offer Wi-Fi and a 400 MHz processor with 100 MB of RAM. I’ve always had a sweet spot for Palm, being one of the first on “my block” with a Treo 600. I traded it up to the Treo 700, but got a little tired of it and moved on to the HTC/Sprint Mogul. Now I’m getting a little tired of that, and this new Treo 850 looks enticing. Let’s hope it’s more than just looks, for my and Palm’s sake.

Chink in Android’s Armor

Bernie — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:01:51 -0400

Google’s mobile operating system has been delayed. Android’s much anticipated launch, originally scheduled for a midyear, has been delayed until the fourth quarter. Realistically, we won’t be seeing Android until 2009. It’s a somewhat more costly delay than normal for Google. Development projects of this scale always have delays, but Google’s competitors are seizing on the Android void. Apple’s 3G iPhone will now have a sizeable lead in the marketplace and RIM’s BlackBerry will as well. According to the Wall Street Journal, the delays are being caused by customization and translation challenges from carriers like Sprint and China Mobile. The Wall Street Journal even speculates that Sprint may forgo a 3G version of Android, and wait until a 4G WiMAX version is ready. Whatever the cause, we’ll have to wait to see what the competitive impact of Android and its burgeoning ecosystem will be.

BlackBerry Shrugs Off iPhone

Bernie — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:27:52 -0400

According to the latest smartphone sales figures, the BlackBerry is holding up just fine against Apple’s iPhone. In fact, in the face of the iPhone onslaught, BlackBerry is actually increasing their smartphone market share. For the first quarter 2008, the BlackBerry garnered 44.5% of smartphone sales, up from 35.1% in the previous quarter. The iPhone was second, with 19.2% of the market, declining from 26.7% from the previous quarter. Palm rounded out the top three, with 13.4% of smartphone sales, an increase from 7.9% in the previous quarter. The details are revealed in this InformationWeek article.

BlackBerry is working to expand its scope beyond just the enterprise to include everyday professional consumers, or “prosumers.” It appears their strategy may be paying off. They are introducing a series of new handsets, including the Bold, that appeal to working professionals. Those professionals may not care if their place of work supports BlackBerry or not. Part of the iPhone’s decline may be attributed to the anticipated release of a 3G version, which is rumored to be launched in mid June. Apple and AT&T are also just beginning an iPhone push into the enterprise market, which is BlackBerry’s historical strength. The real competitive comparison will begin once the iPhone’s 3G version is in play and it gains a foothold in the enterprise space.

RIM Makes Bold Step Towards iPhone

Bernie — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:35:36 -0400

RIM introduced its answer to the iPhone’s move into the enterprise space in a Bold way. The Bold is RIM’s first 3G phone. The Bold hopes to stem the pending iPhone enterprise tide, by introducing similar features and a new style and design. It sets up what will be an interesting and pitched battle for RIM’s historical base – enterprise wireless customers. The new Bold will be exclusive to AT&T for a short while in North America and will offer tri-band HSDPA high-speed access, integrated GPS, Wi-Fi access, a faster processor, and 1 GB of onboard memory. The Bold is expected to launch sometime this Summer.

The Bold also attempts to provide an alternative to the iPhone’s rich multimedia heritage. Some key multimedia features include:

on-the-go web browsing experience with desktop-style depiction
a 2 megapixel camera with video recording capability, built-in flash and 5x digital zoom
a media player which can display pictures and slideshows quickly and play movies in full screen mode
audio can be played over the handset’s dual speakers in stereo sound, and when using wired headphones or external speakers, the media player gives the user an equalizer with 11 preset filters
includes the Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry as well as Roxio Photosuite 9 LE, which makes it easy to enhance pictures
synchronization of iTunes digital music collections through the new BlackBerry Media Sync application

In addition to Apple’s move on the enterprise sector, they are also rumored to be close to launching a 3G iPhone soon. Early indications are that the Bold will provide some competitive cover for RIM against the iPhone, especially considering their embedded customer base and superior email functionality. But Apple has the touchscreen, marketing prowess, cool factor, and an almost cult like following. Add 3G capability to that mix, and the iPhone will certainly be a contender to fear. Stay tuned.

AT&T and RIM Partner for SMB Blackberry Solutions

Bernie — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:42:37 -0400

AT&T and RIM have announced the availability of the BlackBerry Professional Suite platform for small and medium business customers. Previously available to enterprise customers only, the BlackBerry Professional Suite offers an integrated wireless communications, collaboration, and security suite of applications for BlackBerry users. The small business version provides support for up to 30 users. It enables wireless access to e-mail, calendar, contacts, business data and Internet access. RIM announced the launch of the BlackBerry Professional Suite targeting small business back in November 2007.

iPhone Coming to an Enterprise Near You

Bernie — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:51:24 -0500

Once the domain of RIM’s BlackBerry and Palm’s Treo, the corporate smartphone segment is about to get a new player - the Apple iPhone Enterprise. Apple announced several initiatives to make the iPhone more corporate IT friendly, with the hopes of dramatically expanding the iPhone’s reach beyond the consumer segment. The move is all a part of the so called iPhone 2.0 Software initiative, which also involves a new iPhone software development kit (SDK) for third party developers. Apple will encourage application development for the iPhone and will open an iPhone store for the distribution of third party applications. On the enterprise side, the iPhone will now support Microsoft Exchange, the widely used corporate email platform, and allow for “push” email capability, and calendar and contacts synchronization. Additionally, iPhone software 2.0 also supports Cisco IPsec VPNs and WPA2 Enterprise with 802.1x authentication — the standard for Wi-Fi network security. Apple will use Microsoft’s ActiveSync Direct Push technology, and hopes that the new applications, combined with employee requests for iPhone support, will push corporate IT departments to adopt it as a corporate smartphone option.

Apple will have some difficulty. The enterprise smartphone sector is ruled by RIM’s BlackBerry, and to a lesser extent, Palm’s Treo line. Corporate IT departments have never been known to enthusiastically embrace new options like the Apple iPhone. In their eyes, the iPhone’s cool design and form are meaningless. It’s just one more piece of hardware and software to get up to speed on, troubleshoot, and train “clueless” staff on. Many of them will say no thank you, at least initially. They will argue that the BlackBerry is meeting their needs just fine, “thank you very much.” I could be proven wrong. I suspect that many of the folks running IT departments already have either iPhones or an iPod or two. They may already be under Apple’s spell, and consequently more open to supporting the iPhone, than say one from Nokia. Of course the iPhone’s limited carrier reach due to its exclusivity with AT&T limits its appeal as well. Whatever the case, Apple’s making a case for the enterprise and taking on some pretty well entrenched competitors. It will be interesting to watch.

Alltel Goes Shopping

Bernie — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:03:35 -0500

Alltel will introduce a mobile shopping solution for its Blackberry subscribers. The service will feature products from retailers including Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Godiva Chocolatier and FTD.com. Alltel will use mobile shopping solutions from mobile commerce provider Digby.