[The_Engine]

I have been spending some time researching other Mobile platform while we are all waiting for QNX or BB8, or whatever. I am sure many of you technophiles do the same. A few things have occurred to me and I think they may be worth some discussion.

Many of us shed a tear when Ballmer announced the Bing integration into the BB OS going forward. While there is a prevailing sentiment that Bing is far inferior to Google in it�s effectiveness, I think this announcement may turn out be a good thing. Of course that depends on Several factors.

This one may get long, so please follow along with me (and be patient)

As many of you know iOS is effectively an �App Juke Box�. Apple set out to �Put the internet in your pocket�, however, they only wanted to do that if they could take your $$$ out of your pocket in the same motion. This is where Apple compromised the internet experience on iOS devices. Namely they refused to support Flash, and set about talking it down. Why do you think they did that? Well in part it is the reasons that they stated: Flash is a bloated resource hog and/or a security risk. However, another reason, is that Flash would let the end user choose where they obtain their media content from. So if the End User can go to a web site in safari mobile and play a game, watch a movie, or TV show, or utilize a web based application, then it reduces the reliance on iTunes. If the End User doesn�t go through iTunes, than Apple cannot fully monetize the user�s access to apps and media...and Apple has a lot tied into Media and Content delivery through iTunes (which existed back when the iOS platform was just a few models of iPods, and you could pay $.99 a song.)

So what did Apple do? They delivered rich web content via Apps which are only obtainable via iTunes, and under the full control of Apple. (Jail-breaking not withstanding.) Then Apple spun up the PR campaign to convince us all that there is not only an �app for that�, but that we need that App to get that content. The # Apps in the app store became a marketing bench mark as to the strength of the mobile platform. Consumers get barraged by that little �Download our app in iTunes� badge that is all over print and tv media. Many people want iPhones because things that they care about only provide iPhone apps. Palm, Windows Mobile, and RIM all suffered because their App Marketplaces were sparse. Google followed Apple�s model to an extent (which follows their own business model as they are effectively an ad firm) and developed a robust SDK and filled up their App store by helping developers monetize their apps through advertising.

Last year Jim Basille made a comment along the lines of how all apps do is deliver web based content, and if you just give the end users a desktop class browser that supports flash and other web technologies, than you really don�t need all those apps, now do you? (I am paraphrasing, so hold off on the torches and pitch forks) Well a whole bunch of us erupted at this statement. He was challenging the status quo that that Apple had set forth. What good is a smart phone, if there isn�t an app for that!? I tell you now, he was onto something. Of course it wasn't a smart statement coming from the CEO of a company that was desperately courting App Developers to make up the ground between BlackBerry�s App World, iTunes, and the Android Market. He was basically de valuing an initiative that his company was spending many millions on. Still he was onto something.

It shouldn't be about replacing browser capabilities with apps so that the revenue stream is safe. While this is perfectly sensible, if not genius for Apple, RIM doesn't really have a strong Media Content Delivery Model or revenue associated with that. They need to develop that, no doubt, but they don't have it today. So Apps for RIM should be about more than just delivering Web based content in a tightly controlled and monetized fashion. They should be about delivering an experience to the end user.

RIM has spoke often about Super Apps. Apps that are integrated into every aspect of a mobile user�s experience. They have spoken a lot about it, but have not delivered much on this front. Sure BB Travel may be on the right track, but its not quite there yet. I think the vision that RIM has for Super Apps, is what Microsoft is building into WP7, and possibly the Bing Integration they are working for BB OS.

There was little to no coverage of the demo of Bing that Ballmer presented at BBW. At least I never saw it, and CB didn�t focus on it too much. I apologize if they did, but I did not see much on this topic. However, I think this was a huge announcement at BBW, that has been somewhat swept under the carpet. So now fast forward to MS�s announcement of WP 7.1 �Mango�. They demo�d how they want apps not just to exist in the OS and launch into their own silo�s of content and delivery methods, but rather to integrate with the OS, and deliver a co-joined experience that benefits the mobile user. I mean what is a mobile device about? Getting to what to you need to in a fast and efficient manner. Those are the principles that made RIM what they are. So what is WP 7.1 going to have? One example is that when you do a search for a Movie name, it pulls results. Shocker, I know! But those results include content from apps that are installed on the device, like IMDB or Bing Maps. So from a search result you move into the rich web content delivery of the IMDB App for a review, or preview of the film. Other results may include map links to where the movie is playing so maybe you move into Bing Maps for directions and location info. So the experience of the app, is integrated into the OS, so that from a core Mobile OS function like doing a generic search, the OS presents to the user various capabilities to drill into the search results including app usage.

Now I am may be doing a poor job of explaining it. You can find numerous examples of how this works on You Tube. Here is one from MS:

My point is that MS is not just trying tally up how many apps that they court developers to build, or how many SDK's they can provide, but rather they are working to figure out how to integrate the content and capabilities of the apps into the OS to deliver a faster, richer experience for the end user. Who knows if they can deliver on this, but the vision has tremendous merit.

I think this follows the Core of what RIM has always tried to do. I am assuming that this is where their Bing Integration is going. I think this would be a strong thing for RIM.

The next step beyond this integration IMHO is to utilize Cloud concepts to make your content portable. QNX's terminal experience should be perfect this. This is where RIM could take the baton from MS and then lap everyone. Here is what I mean...

I want to Start watching a movie on my TV in teh morning eating my cereal. Then leave for work, and continue watching it on my tablet or other mobile device, from the same point without having to FFwd to that point. Then I want to finish watching it later that evening back at my house on a 2nd TV in my home, again picking up right where I left it.

Take the Blackberry Bridge concept and rather than employ it as a stop gap for PIM and NOC integration, but make it a way to truly have your content and media be fully portable. "Bridge" my content via BIS, BES across multiple devices, following my BB ID, and not the Device. So the mobile device becomes a Terminal to the Cloud where the content lives and can be streamed or otherwise delivered to the user via whatever device they want to utilize. In some cases the Mobile Device can act as a portal to better content deliver method via a "Bridge". RIM can Get away from being just a Smart Phone Manufacturer and become more of a Mobile Content Delivery Provider. That content can be consumer media, or Business Proposals or Applications. Make BIS and BES access independent of a device. Let me create a BIS account, upload or purchase content and store it on RIM's cloud, then pull it down to my iPhone via an App (see what i did there?) or to my Google TV, or maybe my Playbook or Black Berry phone, or even my Desktop. Maybe even stream the Movie to my BB which is connected to a mobile network, but watch it on my TV via a Bridge.

Its very conceptual, I know, but RIM has the NOC, and now they have QNX. With the right Media content partnerships (B&N, Amazon, Netflix, etc.) they really could position themselves to deliver not only the integrated app experience MS is driving towards, but the realization of truly portable content that we are grasping at with implementations like iCloud, Google Music Beta, Amazon's Cloud Drive, or Drop Box among others.

Sorry for diverging into the cloud thing, but I think that is where this is all heading. The model of Integrated content delivery in the OS that MS if putting forth in Mango, can just be expanded upon to the Cloud and multiple devices, some mobile, some stationary.

What do you all think?

[The_Engine]

Buehler?

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[Dapper37]

Im picking up what your putting down.....

[ekafara]

What I don't like is the idea of having to pay an extra fee on my already too expencive cell phone bill. If they maybe upped the BIS fee by just a little to include cloud service I think that would be cool. It would also be cool if RIM had their own network that they could control and make so well that it never went down(I know right, dare to dream) having to rely on a great network connection all the time isn't possible right now, well atleast in Canada and Australia. it does depend on where you are in those places I guess. I'm sure cloud will have its place in the future, but it will take a while to get a lot of people on board. Apple is suspected to be announcing it next week and they usually have huge support for whatever they come out with so that should gather a pretty big support group. Although reading comments on tipb.com about it they don't seem to have a lot of support right now. We'll have to wait and see what happens with it.

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[The_Engine]

Very good point. I think a lot of this is dependent on 4g and high speed wireless networks like LTE. Where an LTE tower can cover much greater distances it may be easier to expand network coverage.

Yeah I find it odd that apple wants to go cloud but according to all reports isn't going to implement an LTE iPhone. With VZW having LTE and ATT starting on it along with several othe large carriers I would think those speeds would fit the cloud strategy. But maybe think start cloud now, and by 2012 when an LTE iPhone with second Gen modems rolls out it will be mature enough to fit together.

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[The_Engine]

Well that's the last time I post in general discussion. Jeez.

#watches a tumble weed roll by#

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[Dapper37]

Well that's the last time I post in general discussion. Jeez.

#watches a tumble weed roll by#

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No joke. That was a nice piece of work. wtf!!! fcuk it! copy and paste. title as crybaby post for a PB update.. she'll rip!

[The_Engine]

Thanks! I am sure if I just b!tched about everything wrong with rim there would 50 posts In here at the least. Whatever, thgt it was worth discussion.

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[belfastdispatcher]

The big problem with the Cloud on mobile phones is it uses a lot of data to access and sent stuff to it. Data plans caps are getting smaller and smaller.
And the other problem is security.

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[Dapper37]

So what does RIM need to do in the cloud to get to that point. with the NOC, BIS and BES are they there already. With the credit people give to cloud companies it hard to think RIM is there. They get no love? Apple just built a billion $ facility somewhere for cloud storage and service. Dose rim need to do the same or are you taking something different?

[Dapper37]

Bare with me a bit. So its the transfer thats going to cost us in the future. Make the people believe their getting something for free and send them the bill just to use the service. RIM has the ability in place already. Is it the Telcos who make the most coin from the cloud? I got to read your post again...

[TrespassersW]

A really excellent and thoughtful post. Made some great points about likely future strategies.

[Dapper37]

I'm hoping rim is like a deflated balloon. Blow them up and you have this massive cloud read to do business..

[The_Engine]

If you look at how RIM has all Messaging data flowing through their NOC, they are not different form a cloud. They have to apply the same concepts to larger files for Media etc. and add a Storage component. 10 gb per BIS account with an annual fee for more?

The Key is that their platform revolves around securely moving data through their NOC. So if you can increase the amount of data and how fast it moves, you could support Media and content sharing. They have all that cash on hand, and the partnership with MS, so lets get to it. BES could even totally be a cloud service, so that Subscribers wouldn't have to supply hardware unless they wanted it in house.

This is a place where RIM has more assets in place. But they need the business model and Content partnerships. They could definitely tout being more secure than Google or Apple, I am sure.

[berryaddictnoza]

I have been thinking at least BES should have a "secure cloud" service, and at least a partnership cloud service for BIS (MS, Amazon, ?) Let's face it, cloud service has some real advantages.

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[Dapper37]

Got Ya. I'll be looking for any indication this is the way their going. Makes sense to me. I cant wait for RIM to get a step up again..

[Dapper37]

I just came across this, it seem there is going to be some challenges with the cloud, like you stated. The hope being that RIM with Capitalize!
By reading the artical its clear, nobody is aware of RIM in the cloud... Yet!

Data breaches threaten to dampen cloud computing’s prospects - The Globe and Mail

[allengeorge]

TheEngine: Good post - well thought out and written.

I've been thinking along the same lines - especially wrt. the Bridge concept. It's extremely interesting and should be expanded on. Basically RIM should be thinking of all your devices as views into a virtual device space. Your stuff exists in that space and your devices are smart terminals into it. This idea isn't revolutionary BTW: dumb terminals in the 70s did this, and researchers have been trying to implement a platform that seamlessly does this across heterogeneous devices for years.

As to the web: your analysis of Balsille's statements is spot-on. And while I think he's right I also think he's way too early. It's simpler - and more attractive - for a developer to create a silo'd stand-alone application that has known branding, access controls and differentiating factors.

RIM is attempting to move in this direction. Universal search is one aspect. I'd like to see it significantly expanded though: it should accept fuzzy terms, search across your devices, and the internet. Search for movies should automatically bring up relevant Youtube videos, and videos in your Netflix account, etc. I also think all your content, from images, to audio, to text (PDF, etc.) should be searchable.

I don't think RIM will achieve this vision. If they wanted to, I would have expected to see some aggressive moves by now. What I see is piecemeal (Bing integration, Office 365 integration for businesses, BB ID) and slow.

Heck - with all the Microsoft tie-ends, RIM should simply buy into the MS cloud strategy and use their devices as front-ends into it (this is dangerous since you're giving significant control to a bigger partner, and MS is ambivalent about the cloud, but ... )

[The_Engine]

Good points @allengeorge. I think Apple has really put together a piece of my cloud vision with iCloud. They are making iTunes in the cloud instead of your PC. RIM may be able to capitalize on a vision that is a bit different from Apple's but not quite what Google is looking to do.

Here is an interesting article on the dif between Google and Apple in the cloud: Apple cloud vs. Google cloud: The philosophical differences | TechRepublic

Managing content is becoming a full time hobby. I just spent several hours cleaning up my music files so I move them to the Thunderbolt. ( I also realized I have an Album Art OCD. Who Knew!?) So any provider who can make that process a lot easier is going to be a good place. Apple is really good at this, but you have to buy into their Eco System. RIM could make the same capabilities a bit more ecosystem agnostic.

Also the addition to the cloud strategy is the terminal strategy. Don't just let me have my content via the cloud, but let me run it from a device to another easily for display purposes. This may be more easily achieved then having all the possible content solution ties to your Eco System. (TV, Tablet, Phone, Car Doc, PC, etc.) You can't get all that hardware in place, and only a few consumers would get into an ecosystem like that in full. But have an App on TV that runs apps that lets me stream content from my BB or Playbook. Or even just emulate it. Take DLNA or HDMI mirroring to next level.

The thing for RIM to do is not try to do what Apple or Google are doing better, but to take what they are innovating to the next level. Just like Apple took the smart phone to new levels and google is building upon that.