BlackBerry 10 OS on Sony Phones?
Hi Crackberry,
i have an interesting read for you all. all ideas are just opinions and are not proven facts...yet.
Today came 2 pieces of news that came out that had me wondering why they were released.
the first news
BlackBerry strengthens board with wireless industy veterans, Richard Lynch, a former long-serving executive at US wireless carrier Verizon Communications and Bert Nordberg, a former CEO of Sony Ericsson.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...91611E20130207
cool, i thought. i wonder what they would bring to the table.
the second news came out and had a much more muted affected
BlackBerry to stop selling handsets in Japan, citing market share in Japan has shrunk to 0.3 percent from 5 percent, and that they cannot justify the cost of modifying its operating system to accommodate the Japanese language.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...91610M20130207
that completely puzzled me as to why they would announce that. Japan is a huge market for smartphones and surely they might be able to claw some of that back. The language part was a bit off too, b/c they tout the BlackBerry z10 as one of the best phones when it comes to language inputs.
why these 2 announcements why now? you may have already figured it out.
my opinion, but i believe BlackBerry picked up the ex-CEO of Sony Ericksson, Bert Nordberg in order to bridge a relationship between BlackBerry and Sony. Some found it sad that Blackberry won't be selling in Japan, but with this connection we might see this relationship extend to having BB10 OS on Sony phones for the Japanese and Global Market.
The partnership, via a licensing deal, makes perfect sense. Sony has it's struggles too. Sony makes good phones, but they're not popular when everyone else is getting a samsung or an LG or any of the chinese makers.
this would be a synergistic deal that would benefit both parties.
update 02/11/2013
dated 01/28/2013
1. RIM names multiple BlackBerry 10 music, video partners - RIM has gathered a number of big-name music and video partners for its BlackBerry 10 storefront, ranging from Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures to Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.
may 8th 2012
2. RIM continues the executive shuffle with new COO and CMO
http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/08/r...w-coo-and-cmo/
"Changes are afoot at Research in Motion. The Canadian smartphone maker today announced the addition of two new names to top executive slots. Former Sony Mobile Communications executive VP Kristian Tear will be taking on the role of the company's chief operating officer. RIM's new chief marketing officer Frank Boulben, meanwhile, comes over from Lightsquared, after having worked for the likes of Vodafone, Vivendi and Orange. The news comes on the heels of word that new CEO Thorsten Heins has been "clearing house" at the ailing phone company."
Aug 2nd 2012
3. Licensing is an option
www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/blackberr...
Heins is keenly aware that he must get cheaper devices into the mainstream. “We don’t have the economy of scale to compete against the guys who crank out 60 handsets a year. We have to differentiate and have a focused platform. To deliver BB10 we may need to look at licensing it to someone who can do this at a way better cost proposition than I can do it. There’s different options we could do that we’re currently investigating.”
That raises the prospect of a BlackBerry phone that is made by, say, Samsung or Sony. “You could think about us building a reference system, and then basically licensing that reference design, have others build the hardware around it – either it’s a BlackBerry or it’s something else being built on the BlackBerry platform. We’re investigating this and it’s way too early to get into any details. We have to also model this from a finance perspective – that’s why we’re working with the financial advisers to see if we do this where would it take the company. Either we do it ourselves or we do it with a partner. But we will not abandon the subscriber base.”
4. Alicia Keys record label is with RCA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicia_Keys); and RCA is the flagship recording label of Sony Music Entertainment. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_Records) Thanks FSeverino.
Update 02/13/2013
BlackBerry is considering licensing its smartphone software to other phone manufacturers in an attempt to get low-cost devices running its new BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system.
"We are looking into licensing [for lower-cost devices]," BlackBerry chief executive Thorsten Heins told Fairfax Media on Thursday during an international media briefing at the company's headquarters in Waterloo, Canada.
http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/busi...214-2ee9q.html
thanks to aaaaaargh for the tip
though i am hopeful we might see an BB10-powered Xperia TL, Sony does currently offer some 'low-cost' devices
http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/sto...52921644872499
special thanks goes out to "SHALLITELLUYOURCRAZY", Yasch22 and many countless other for their help and research.
BlackBerry 10 OS on Sony Phones?
This has been a relationship i hope happens because i want to see a version of OS10 beyond the mobile communication world.
Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
BlackBerry 10 OS on Sony Phones?
A case of two former titans synergizing.
On paper, Sony cooperating with BlackBerry will be salivating. However, Sony had a reputation of screwing things up, like doing 1 mile short of last stop.
If Sony does synergize with BlackBerry, I'll be very happy, on paper. Cybershot + Walkman, combined with BB10 OS? And with possible / potential cross-linking to Playstation, and many other more. Hah!
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