The BlackBerry Thread

[Caesar]

Ran a search but the last BB thread was about 4 years old. Anyone else out there a Crackberry abuser?

Finally upgraded from my Pearl to a Torch, which I'm quite liking. At the moment just trying to pick apps... trying to decide between TripIt and WorldMate for travel management, and attempting to pick a Twitter client (UberTwitter looks good).

Anyone got any tips, or other useful apps? I travel a lot so I love Kayak and Urbanspoon.

 

[Dan Moody]

not much happening here...
i've just ordered a blackberry 9780 bold.
i'm an iphone user but have a 160g ipod classic that pretty much holds everything i need.
i guess i'll miss the apps' but i assume that blackberry store has similar apps that make it just as good to use.

 

[Caesar]

If you're used to the apps on the iPhone it's a bit of a reality check. There's enough for the basics but iPhone users get used to having an app for everything.

I have a BB mainly because I don't care about a lot of the 'lifestyle' aspects of the iPhone, and the email/calendar functions are miles better on the BB. RIM need to get their act together though... when the iPhone 5 comes out I'm seriously thinking about switching.

 

[Dan Moody]

the main apps i use on iphone are facebook, password secure, internet banking, weather and a cycling app that is the same as a gps.
do you know whether something similar is available on bb?

 

[Caesar]

Banking you may struggle. I know St George, HSBC and ING have apps but I'm pretty sure a couple of the major banks don't.

Everything else you should be fine.

 

[jim boy]

Not really a fan of the Torch, or O/S 6 in general. I'm using a 9000 although I prefer the 9700. It helps though that I have worked out how to clean the track ball. Lack of memory is also a bit of the killer on the 9000. Apps aren't the BB's strong point but the email/client bb messenger is still the best out there so I am happy. Also find the GPS is alot more reliable than just about any other phone I've used.

 

[red+black]

So for you BlackBerry fanbois (every gadget has fanbois), what do you think about the PlayBook? I really know nothing about it. I think it's poorly named though. BlackBerry to me means a professional business device, and I wouldn't associate the word "play" with BlackBerry.

http://au.blackberry.com/playbook-tablet/

 

[Caesar]

Haven't used the PlayBook. To be honest I am not really interested in tablets... I can't really see myself using one.

WRT the Torch, I'm finding it pretty good. The touchscreen in addition to the trackpad and tactile keyboard is great for added versatility, and the bigger screen is nice. I might go back to the Bold with the 9900 but so far I have no complaints.

What don't you like about it, Jim Boy? OS 6 seems fairly bog standard inoffensive to me - if I had any complaint it would actually be that it's not very innovative compared to OS 5.

 

[Frapp]

not much happening here...
i've just ordered a blackberry 9780 bold.
i'm an iphone user but have a 160g ipod classic that pretty much holds everything i need.
i guess i'll miss the apps' but i assume that blackberry store has similar apps that make it just as good to use.

how do you like it, ferris?
i've had my eye on the blackberry bold, http://www.crazyjohns.com.au/blackberry-9780-bold-st/.
i'd like to read your feedback...

 

[red+black]

"BlackBerry becoming obsolete?"

http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/blackberry-becoming-obsolete-20110705-1h07z.html

 

[Caesar]

I think the company will go broke or be bought out before the product becomes obsolete.

The reality is, as a business machine the BlackBerry is still the best smartphone on the market. All the core business functions - data security, device security, email management, calendar management, keyboard, desktop integration, enterprise integration, battery life and so on - it does way better than iPhone or Android devices.

The problem is, RIM hasn't really done anything innovative in the last 4+ years and Apple and Google are catching up. iPhones and Androids are now very servicable business devices, and from a consumer perspective they offer a whole lot of bells and whistles that BlackBerry doesn't. This is compounded by the fact that smartphones are increasingly becoming devices purchased by consumers rather than enterprises, who want a full lifestyle phone rather than just a business machine.

On the surface this seems good for consumers - Apple and Google are catching up, business users now have a much wider array of choices for their device. But the problem is that iPhones and Androids are lifestyle devices, not business devices. Their innovation is targeted at the lifestyle consumer, not the business user - every improvement to the business functionality of their phones has been of the 'keep-up' variety with the goal of eroding RIM's market share.

Unless something big happens I can definitely see the possibility of iPhone 5 maybe matching or surpassing BlackBerry as a business machine, and if they do it may potentially kill off RIM altogether. If that happens I think it would be a disaster for the future of the business smartphone, since the market loses the one major player who was actually interested in providing innovative solutions for business - rather than just a lifestyle device with business capabilities. Who then will set the agenda for future industry improvements in the business smartphone? History says it won't be Apple or Google.

RIM has tried to counter this attack on their market dominance by trying to cross over into the lifestyle sphere - with disastrous results. In doing so they have neglected their core market - enterprises and business power users.

I think that in order to survive RIM have to probably accept that the smartphone landscape has fundamentally changed, and that their days of dominating the market have ended - at least in the medium term. They should focus on doing what they have always done - providing innovative, leading-edge solutions for business and setting the industry agenda for enterprise innovation. In doing so they will retain a strong hold over a very strong, very lucrative, and very loyal market segment.

Once they have reestablished themselves as the unquestionably preeminent business device, perhaps then they can go about trying to develop a lifestyle device to compete with the Android and iPhone. But if they continue down their current path of trying to turn their business devices into lifestyle devices and compete with Google and Apple on their own turf, they are doomed to failure.

 

[Dan Moody]

how do you like it, ferris?
i've had my eye on the blackberry bold, http://www.crazyjohns.com.au/blackberry-9780-bold-st/.
i'd like to read your feedback...

pretty happy with it so far, bloody good-looking little phone that is fantastic for email and social networking.
you can hook it up and sinc' it to itunes, photos etc.
the email is the best, it's automatic email, unlike iphone where you have to refresh to receive the emails, these come through as soon as they are sent, same with facebook. there are a heap of apps, not as many as the appstore but you'll find mostly anything you want.
the only thing i'm struggling with is the voicemail notification. when you get a call, you receive an envelope notification however there is no difference between a missed call and a voicemail so you may check the envelope and assume it was a missed call because there is no apparent icon to differentiate this. or at least none that i've found yet after logging onto different forums. i went to take it into a vodafone store today so they could help me with the icon thing but bad mistake during school holidays
aside from that, and it's only a small thing that i'm sure i'll figure out, it's a great phone.
here's the link to the offer i took up, as an existing vodafone customer, i'm on $39 a month for 24 months and get infinite calls and data etc.
http://shop.vodafone.com.au/mobile-details/BlackBerry-Bold-9780-Black
i was initially going to take my number over to telstra but the absolute best deal they could do on this phone was $71 per month with included calls etc.
the vodafone network is pretty good around my area and i don't have any issues so happy to save $30 odd bucks a month compared to my old contract.
my 13 year old son now gets my old iphone too so i don't have to cough up more money either.
wins all round