Features - QOTW: Does BlackBerry stand a chance?

[13thmonkey]

just switched to an S3 LTE, plan was cheaper, phone was free, having waited and waited, been promised android apps, none of it materialised in time, a real keyboard with a good sized touch screen (like a bigger torch) would have been great, but that didn;t materialise either.
I miss having appts, top emails all on front screen, but I suppose I just need to find a better widget. The S3 is a battery hog, but then they all are.
I might go back if they are still around in 2 years, but when contract lengths are 24months BB might be no more by then.

[Dark Knight]

Blackberry died years ago. The problem is the faithful stuck around and got rewarded with pathetic rehashes as supposed upgrades. This is clearly a last ditch attempt at regaining market confidence which I forecast will fail miserably.

[kingpotnoodle]

just switched to an S3 LTE, plan was cheaper, phone was free, having waited and waited, been promised android apps, none of it materialised in time, a real keyboard with a good sized touch screen (like a bigger torch) would have been great, but that didn;t materialise either.
I miss having appts, top emails all on front screen, but I suppose I just need to find a better widget. The S3 is a battery hog, but then they all are.
I might go back if they are still around in 2 years, but when contract lengths are 24months BB might be no more by then.

There is a widget for that if you search... hint: not much searching required :-)

[deejayburnout]

, been promised android apps, none of it materialised in time,

The PlayBook has has android apps for a while now, the new BB10 devices have them as well.

The new QNX software in BB10 is what allows this to happen, unfortunate older devices don't have this.

[TooNice]

How's their finance? The Sega Dreamcast wasn't too little as much as it was too late to save the day.

[TooNice]

How's their finance? The Sega Dreamcast wasn't too little as much as it was too late to save the day. As not as they are not haemorrhaging money and survive as a tiny niche, they stand a chance to survive, though I don't expect much more.

[shaithis]

Only time will tell. I hope so cos I hate touch screens. Physical keyboards all the way.

Check out tactus screens, the future is here (just about)

[tedz10f]

Iam afraid that blackberry is being crushed by other companies so , no no it doesnt

[IBM]

Out of business inside of 12 months....2011, RIMs market dominance had fallen to just 8.5% market share. 2012, market share stood at just 1.5%.

Is this phone a game changer? No. Is it even going to be comparable to the best Android or Apple phone on the market? No. Is it going to have the extensive app library, or the integratable eco-system offered by Apple? No.

It's just going to be a second rate smart phone, and that's not going to be enough. Microsoft has a lot more money to spend, and they've only achieved a 5% market share in the UK. And they made it to market two years earlier than this left ditch effort.

RIM just announced they're going to change their name to Blackberry - the product they're basing their continued existence around, and I'm predicting it's going to be their tombstone.

Too little, too late, too complacent, too focused on marketing inadequate products instead of innovation.

[Jedibeeftrix]

technically, yes, BBOS10 with its edge-swipe UI and N9 style multi-tasking is brilliant.

the hardware is a little disappointing, the adreno 225 gpu is backward in a new 2013 platform.

most importantly, it is practically old out in the UK so consumers seem to love it.

[Jedibeeftrix]

plus, don't forget that the playbook was the biggest selling tablet over xmas, and they too will be running BBOS10 before long.

[deejayburnout]

RIM just announced they're going to change their name to Blackberry - the product they're basing their continued existence around, and I'm predicting it's going to be their tombstone.

Don't think that is a bad thing. RIM are and always have been about BlackBerry devices, most people think that BlackBerry is the name of the company anyway.

Even if the still stayed RIM won't make a difference.

BlackBerry may have a small market share but they are known for there Security, BES and BBM. They have there niche in corporate devices and that's what they came from. Only in the last 6 years or so have they came into the mainstream market.

I do love the fact that I can sideload loads of Android apps into my PlayBook and my new Z10 device when I get it.

I do love the new keyboard and the predictive word learning It has too.

I find that innovative, so did all the IOS jailbreaks that came out copying the technology.

I have a positive outlook on BlackBerry, and I suppose all those who have bought one in the last few days will think the same. Things don't sell out if they are no good.

[Brewster0101]

I'd choose BlackBerry over iPhone but probably not over an Android device from Samsung, HTC, Motorola and others. As mentioned in the article BlackBerry have a loyal group of customers that I think will be very pleased with these handsets,.

The new OS 10 seems to out class Windows 8 by miles but stays clear of looking or feeling like Android or iOS - I think Microsoft will be the ones quaking in their boots.

The Blackberry app store seems to be well set up for launch including the media side of things (in Canada anyhow) Seems the OS is good enough to dance with Android, but can the handsets dance with the Note 2 or S3 ....

[13thmonkey]

just switched to an S3 LTE, plan was cheaper, phone was free, having waited and waited, been promised android apps, none of it materialised in time, a real keyboard with a good sized touch screen (like a bigger torch) would have been great, but that didn;t materialise either.
I miss having appts, top emails all on front screen, but I suppose I just need to find a better widget. The S3 is a battery hog, but then they all are.
I might go back if they are still around in 2 years, but when contract lengths are 24months BB might be no more by then.

There is a widget for that if you search... hint: not much searching required :-)

I did find it, just not as obvious, very very happy though

[Noxvayl]

The new OS 10 seems to out class Windows 8 by miles but stays clear of looking or feeling like Android or iOS - I think Microsoft will be the ones quaking in their boots.

The Blackberry app store seems to be well set up for launch including the media side of things (in Canada anyhow) Seems the OS is good enough to dance with Android, but can the handsets dance with the Note 2 or S3 ....

Probably true, Microsoft are new in the mobile space so don't have brand loyalty like BlackBerry. Having the ability to load Android apps is also a major benefit for BlackBerry. Microsoft did well to convince Nokia to go with their operating system exclusively, they are a well known brand in mobile phones despite their shaky foray into smartphones; people trust Nokia to design good quality phones and now that they have produced some good phones that can compete with the best in the market they have a good consumer base to work from.

BlackBerry and Microsoft are in similar positions with regards to mobile devices but my bias is for BlackBerry so I tend to think of their advantages as more beneficial than the ground Microsoft has managed to cover over the last few years. I suspect that the way Nokia is perceived in the media today compared to a few years ago will turn out to be similar to what is happening with BlackBerry, overly exaggerated negativity that slowly disappears as we realise that they have managed to improve themselves.

[3dcandy]

I think the Playbook sold out because it was available for as low as £129 for a named tablet. Tesco also sold out of their Archos offer of a £49 tablet in 11 mins if you read the bumf they're going on about. People WANT tablets, but want them cheap. If the Playbook was it's normal price then it would have struggled. On a side note, all the people I know who got a Playbook for Christmas are fed up already of them, so that doesn't bode well either. Nokia is different, they were the best by miles and now they are just treading water. I find it amazing that we got the new BB's first, but then again, we are the best market for them now by a mile, I read somewhere that the UK accounts for over half of their sales these days by volume - can't find it now though!