[Troy Tiscareno]

Outside of that as I use all 4 platforms - Blackberry still excels with PIM data. The Calendar app is better, contact management (with social networking integration) is better, the voice quality when making calls has always been better. Android and iOS are business capable but their PIM functionality is lacking. Let's not get into the poor file management on iOS.

Can you access your BB PIM data from your tablet and PC (using any OS on either)? If you lose your phone, can you buy another one just like it, log in once, and have all that data magically at your fingertips again? Can you save contact info on your tablet, and have that contact information appear instantly on your PC or phone?

Those are PIM features that MATTER to a lot of people, and that BB can't deliver, but all three other ecosystems can.

I honestly think that some BB fans have simply insulated themselves from the outside world for so long that they just don't realize what the other platforms actually offer, and how they make the overall experience better. I *can* tell you that BB's sales show that most people who have tried another ecosystem aren't in any hurry to switch to BB. While you can always find a handful of people who strongly prefer a niche experience, and absolutely can have valid reasons for doing so given their own personal use cases and work flows, BB can't survive in such a small niche. Survival in this field in 2013 means SOME level of mainstream consumer adoption, and at <1% of the market, BB10 doesn't have that.

That's a shame, because I would prefer having another option available, and having that much more pressure on other ecosystems to constantly improve, but BB allowed itself to get way too far behind the curve, and as the smallest player, it doesn't have the resources (or the time) to catch up.

[Tre Lawrence]

Frank, have you seen BBRY's top-grossing apps? If we are judging overall usefulness of a platform on that metric... we must be looking at different lists. IMO, BBRY's biggest drawback is a lack of tools that assist with productivity.

[CHIP72]

I think they will all be around in 3 to 4 years. Google and Samsung are the clear dominant force now. Even though many iPhone users still refuse to see the fact that they've lost to the little green robot. People have been claiming BlackBerry was dead, closing it's doors, going out of business, going all the way back to when I bought my first torch. And here I am still buying bb's. They presented their strategic alternatives speech to people that have been demanding information. They are admitting they can't continue this way and make their share holders happy. And all the people that have proclaimed the death of BlackBerry for the last several years have jumped on it in a way of 'I was right' sort of speech. At no point have they said, we're selling, we're shutting down, etc etc, but that's all certain people have heard. I say I'll believe it when someone with some real knowledge says so. As far as this forum, the only people with anything other than armchair CEO theories, would be Kevin and the rest of the editors, and a couple of people that are on the boards that are... shall we say related to BlackBerry? and what I have noticed is, none of them are worried. Seems to me that it's just a bunch of us Americana jumping up and down chearleading that we beat the great Canadian threat, while the Koreans have silently demolished us while we weren't paying attention. Lol

Posted via CB10

In all seriousness bradu1, I think if Blackberry is around in 3-4 years, it will be as a scaled-down, software only services company. Spinning off units that could be successful in the longer-term, such as BBM, is Blackberry's best chance of survival as a company.

Others on here have already said it, but Blackberry didn't need to make its "strategic alternatives" announcement to actually be evaluating strategic alternatives. The company has probably been doing so for months, if not a year or two. The fact they announced to the world they are seeking alternatives means, at least to me, that they realize they are serious trouble right now.

[Frank Castle]

[QUOTE=Troy Tiscareno;9090441]Can you access your BB PIM data from your tablet and PC (using any OS on either)? If you lose your phone, can you buy another one just like it, log in once, and have all that data magically at your fingertips again? Can you save contact info on your tablet, and have that contact information appear instantly on your PC or phone?

Those are PIM features that MATTER to a lot of people, and that BB can't deliver, but all three other ecosystems can.

I honestly think that some BB fans have simply insulated themselves from the outside world for so long that they just don't realize what the other platforms actually offer, and how they make the overall experience better.

For your first part - Why yes I do as my primary use of Blackberry is Exchange data which Blackberry syncs up to quite seamlessly. On the consumer side Blackberry can sync against any of the cloud email platforms so unsure how by having a Blackberry you are missing out on PIM data syncing up. If you think Android / Apple can be as effective you obviously do not work in a large company and recognize how vital email and PIM still is. It is by far the leading use case for mobile devices. I easily get 300-500 emails daily. it's just not as efficient or easy to manage that type of volume on the other platforms. Is that bias from using Blackberry? - sure. It works for what I want the device to do. Is it perfect - no device is. Anyone acting like Android or iOS don't have shortcomings has likely very basic usage.

Did you miss my exposure to other mobile platforms? I've been a user since the Palm Professional and have pretty much supported and used every mobile device since the 90's. I've had an iPhone since the first model, Android from the G1 - my lastest quad core Android, Windows Mobile - Windows Phone, Symbian, Palm etc. I certainly see the appeal of iOS and Android. I just don't value either and do not like the business practices of Apple (as an ex-Mac user who got burned one too many many times) and don't feel Android really offers anything to mobile.

What I don't like is this vendetta for Blackberry to fail and gloat over every single negative thing that comes out. So today we have a article how the Q10 isn't selling based on a wireless reseller in the midwest. Is that the benchmark for a device success now? Some random reseller who states he's not selling any? Considering Blackberry is not going to report much data going forward it's a guessing game.

[badiyee]

Can you access your BB PIM data from your tablet and PC (using any OS on either)? If you lose your phone, can you buy another one just like it, log in once, and have all that data magically at your fingertips again? Can you save contact info on your tablet, and have that contact information appear instantly on your PC or phone?

Those are PIM features that MATTER to a lot of people, and that BB can't deliver, but all three other ecosystems can.

I honestly think that some BB fans have simply insulated themselves from the outside world for so long that they just don't realize what the other platforms actually offer, and how they make the overall experience better. I *can* tell you that BB's sales show that most people who have tried another ecosystem aren't in any hurry to switch to BB. While you can always find a handful of people who strongly prefer a niche experience, and absolutely can have valid reasons for doing so given their own personal use cases and work flows, BB can't survive in such a small niche. Survival in this field in 2013 means SOME level of mainstream consumer adoption, and at <1% of the market, BB10 doesn't have that.

That's a shame, because I would prefer having another option available, and having that much more pressure on other ecosystems to constantly improve, but BB allowed itself to get way too far behind the curve, and as the smallest player, it doesn't have the resources (or the time) to catch up.

I find a fault with that statement. Really, I do. The reason why is that you're saying that because other ecosystems have a certain module (in this case a supposedly seamless PIM) and because BlackBerry *cannot* deliver (or I think they already did, just need some tweaks here and there, as per usual suspects) therefore BlackBerry can go and die. That's easily just as claiming that Nokia and Samsung should have died because Sony Ericsson had a better symbian system installed on their phones when the Symbian war commenced. Or all phones will die because BlackBerry had a full qwerty and other phones are still stuck at T9 (One of those of *HEY, I CAN TYPE MORE! TYPE FASTER! SUCK IT YOU T9 USERS MWAHAHAHAA mode?* users )

probably to you using a qwerty over T9 is nothing to you. But to some others, its a big deal. The other fallacy in that statement is that by that assumption alone, the earliest O2 models of WP would have wiped out BlackBerries, Palm, etc because it was a full touch screen and in fact runs windows, (albeit miniaturized) with a full touch screen! Because others don't have it!

just because at the moment BlackBerry can't deliver, doesn't mean its that bad of a phone that you have to dump it. I could go on, but I really think that fundamentals behind the statement of yours really is flawed.

[bradu1]

[QUOTE=Frank Castle;9091393]

Can you access your BB PIM data from your tablet and PC (using any OS on either)? If you lose your phone, can you buy another one just like it, log in once, and have all that data magically at your fingertips again? Can you save contact info on your tablet, and have that contact information appear instantly on your PC or phone?

Those are PIM features that MATTER to a lot of people, and that BB can't deliver, but all three other ecosystems can.

I honestly think that some BB fans have simply insulated themselves from the outside world for so long that they just don't realize what the other platforms actually offer, and how they make the overall experience better.

For your first part - Why yes I do as my primary use of Blackberry is Exchange data which Blackberry syncs up to quite seamlessly. On the consumer side Blackberry can sync against any of the cloud email platforms so unsure how by having a Blackberry you are missing out on PIM data syncing up. If you think Android / Apple can be as effective you obviously do not work in a large company and recognize how vital email and PIM still is. It is by far the leading use case for mobile devices. I easily get 300-500 emails daily. it's just not as efficient or easy to manage that type of volume on the other platforms. Is that bias from using Blackberry? - sure. It works for what I want the device to do. Is it perfect - no device is. Anyone acting like Android or iOS don't have shortcomings has likely very basic usage.

Did you miss my exposure to other mobile platforms? I've been a user since the Palm Professional and have pretty much supported and used every mobile device since the 90's. I've had an iPhone since the first model, Android from the G1 - my lastest quad core Android, Windows Mobile - Windows Phone, Symbian, Palm etc. I certainly see the appeal of iOS and Android. I just don't value either and do not like the business practices of Apple (as an ex-Mac user who got burned one too many many times) and don't feel Android really offers anything to mobile.

What I don't like is this vendetta for Blackberry to fail and gloat over every single negative thing that comes out. So today we have a article how the Q10 isn't selling based on a wireless reseller in the midwest. Is that the benchmark for a device success now? Some random reseller who states he's not selling any? Considering Blackberry is not going to report much data going forward it's a guessing game.

Frank, your a very smart man, this thread is dead, it's been turned in to an opinion piece for someone who signed up a month ago simply to, as you say, gloat about the very real possibility of BlackBerry being pieced out and sold . It's almost as if we're talking about religious beliefs, or speaking of political views with a Bill Maher or a Rush Limbaugh. I should have known when I read the original manifesto that there was no true discussion to be had in this thread, simply the preaching as if fact of one of many very real possibilities. I simply felt bad that the op had his thread taken over with such propaganda.

You however made a beautiful argument that could and should be used in many threads throughout CB. The fact that the very people that claim BlackBerry is not a work device, not a tool, and that the other platforms are better tools, are also the ones complaining the loudest that BlackBerry does not have native Instagram, or words with friends, or whatever game is popular right now. Showing what is in fact listed as top apps in Android and ios world shows what people are actually using their phones for, and it's something that those of us with multiple devices can open our app stores and see with our own eyes. I, like you, have tried multiple devices, and only one has actually proven to be truly helpful in making me more efficient, more productive. One actually hindered me. I'm incredibly sad to think that what they are hoping to come to pass might actually occur, however, even in my want that it doesn't, I can see the other side. Now, in a few years when Apple's marketshare drops to embarrassing levels, which it is already on a fast track to, I certainly won't be spending my time on iMore harassing the fans of the device. I do hope to see you more in other threads though, where true discussion is taking place. I appreciate your thoughts and the way you express them.

Posted via CB10

[Tre Lawrence]

The argument is not whether BBRY is a work tool; it's the perpetuation of the old notion that other platforms cannot be effective for work.

I think I could work with any platform with regards to being productive; it would just be way harder to accomplish on the others I'm not currently using.

[badiyee]

The argument is not whether BBRY is a work tool; it's the perpetuation of the old notion that other platforms cannot be effective for work.

I think I could work with any platform with regards to being productive; it would just be way harder to accomplish on the others I'm not currently using.

Or perhaps its in this thread that's going "BBRY can't do a damn thing right, iOS and Android is a better work tool! See, you can't do PIM on a BBRY! Therefore iOS and Android is far superior to BBRY as a working tool!" mode.