[nesstheraven]

I�ve been noticing that it is not just the media that is giving blackberry a hard time, but also general life encounters. For example, I was reading my local community parks and recreation website, and they have a quick guide (for those that what a quick tutorial of their website features). This was the 4th quick point:

4. All of our Guides are viewable and fully functional on mobile devices including smartphones (excluding blackberry devices)

I was surprised to see a lack of blackberry support, so I emailed the director of parks and recreation, and this was his response:

�Concerning Black Berry support this is what I found out. Generally, support for blackberry devices was not implemented in the mobile viewer software that we use because at the time of its release, Black Berry devices did not use the native Webkit browser renderer that supports html 5.0

Newer Black Berry devices have switched to a browser that use the Webkit rendering engine, but the support has to be implemented for it in order for the viewer to work on Black Berry. Normally it will be present in the product backlog but this is not the case, so I do not see a short term implementation of support for Black Berry Devices.

When choosing the software for our mobile viewer we chose the viewer that supports the majority of smartphones in the consumer marketplace. With the exception of blackberry devices our mobile viewer works on every other smart phone device. The most recently available information that I have available for Canada shows that the Apple's i-phone has a 77% market share, Android based telephones 8% and Blackberry Telephones 8% and 7% other. You can see a summary of the break-down by region here:

w w w.readwriteweb.com/mobile/assets_c/2011/02/global-os-marketshare-feb.2011-o-27904.php

In summary this appears to be more of an issue with the Blackberry Devices not being equipped with the required operating system software, to be able to take advantage of our mobile viewer that we use.�

I�m not sure how RIM would address these types of issues, but when I read somewhere that my device is not supported for viewing something, but every other device is, it gives me the inclination to get a non-blackberry phone.

I did email the guy back (he was the Marketing & Communications Specialist for parks and rec) and pointed out that he was not using valid or reliable stats and pointed him in the right direction for more accurate statistics on mobile usage, but the general apathy towards blackberry is alarming to me.

I have made it my mission to support blackberry (even though I use an android (samsung galaxy s2)). So whenever I come across an issue like this, I deal with it in an amicable way, i.e email them and request blackberry support.

Any comments?

[[email protected]]

I�ve been noticing that it is not just the media that is giving blackberry a hard time, but also general life encounters. For example, I was reading my local community parks and recreation website, and they have a quick guide (for those that what a quick tutorial of their website features). This was the 4th quick point:

4. All of our Guides are viewable and fully functional on mobile devices including smartphones (excluding blackberry devices)

I was surprised to see a lack of blackberry support, so I emailed the director of parks and recreation, and this was his response:

�Concerning Black Berry support this is what I found out. Generally, support for blackberry devices was not implemented in the mobile viewer software that we use because at the time of its release, Black Berry devices did not use the native Webkit browser renderer that supports html 5.0

Newer Black Berry devices have switched to a browser that use the Webkit rendering engine, but the support has to be implemented for it in order for the viewer to work on Black Berry. Normally it will be present in the product backlog but this is not the case, so I do not see a short term implementation of support for Black Berry Devices.

When choosing the software for our mobile viewer we chose the viewer that supports the majority of smartphones in the consumer marketplace. With the exception of blackberry devices our mobile viewer works on every other smart phone device. The most recently available information that I have available for Canada shows that the Apple's i-phone has a 77% market share, Android based telephones 8% and Blackberry Telephones 8% and 7% other. You can see a summary of the break-down by region here:

w w w.readwriteweb.com/mobile/assets_c/2011/02/global-os-marketshare-feb.2011-o-27904.php

In summary this appears to be more of an issue with the Blackberry Devices not being equipped with the required operating system software, to be able to take advantage of our mobile viewer that we use.�

I�m not sure how RIM would address these types of issues, but when I read somewhere that my device is not supported for viewing something, but every other device is, it gives me the inclination to get a non-blackberry phone.

I did email the guy back (he was the Marketing & Communications Specialist for parks and rec) and pointed out that he was not using valid or reliable stats and pointed him in the right direction for more accurate statistics on mobile usage, but the general apathy towards blackberry is alarming to me.

I have made it my mission to support blackberry (even though I use an android (samsung galaxy s2)). So whenever I come across an issue like this, I deal with it in an amicable way, i.e email them and request blackberry support.

Any comments?

Are you in the U.S.?

[nesstheraven]

Are you in the U.S.?

No. I live in Canada (British Columbia). Though I would imagine people are having similar experiences around the world.

[chisler]

I will in the future make a query to any party I deal with that implements mobile applications and feels the need to dismiss the platform I use (Blackberry). Thank you for sharing.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[CanadianThomas]

Well, I say screw em. Their on my coal in the stocking list for next year. PlayBook to the rescue but damn their filthy hides.

With the market share BB has over the world it's very short sighted to dismiss. Especially when both parties are Canadian.

[nesstheraven]

Well, I say screw em. Their on my coal in the stocking list for next year. PlayBook to the rescue but damn their filthy hides.

With the market share BB has over the world it's very short sighted to dismiss. Especially when both parties are Canadian.

I agree it is short-sighted, and unfortunate that they (parks and rec) are a municipal organization, and thus funded from the public coffers. It�s unfortunate because they are not adequately serving the public (their main directive), and essentially telling people to not buy a blackberry (at least that is how I view it).

A thought I had was that a lot of marketing professionals (and consequently web designers) use i-devices, and there seems (from my perspective) a little hate-on from this group (i-guys) towards blackberry products.

I think if people (blackberry users and supporters) start pressuring places to implement blackberry support, the mantra might change. Because the last thing I want to see is, �supports all devices except blackberry�

[Tre Lawrence]

Limited resources... you have to pick and choose what you are doing with those limited resources. It's not optimal, but is realistic.

[nesstheraven]

Limited resources... you have to pick and choose what you are doing with those limited resources. It's not optimal, but is realistic.

I agree with limited resources you have to pick and choose. However if you read the message I received from the marketing guy from parks and rec, he stated,

�When choosing the software for our mobile viewer we chose the viewer that supports the majority of smartphones in the consumer marketplace.�

Here are the stats from comScore:

Top Smartphone Platforms
September 2011
Total Canada Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers

RIM 35.8%
Apple 30.1%
Google 25.0%
Symbian 4.2%
Microsoft 3.2%


Top Mobile OEMs
September 2011
Total Canada Mobile Subscribers (Smartphone & Non-Smartphone) Ages 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers

Samsung 25.2%
LG 20.0%
RIM 14.3%
Apple 12.0%
Nokia 10.1%


Fare enough he is using data that says 77% of Canadians use iPhones. But the real data is quite clear and readily available from non-biased sources.

[anthogag]

Why would you make it your mission to support BB when you own Android

Can you give us a link to this website the spot that states "BlackBerry excluded"

[nesstheraven]

Awesome. I have been in contact with the marketing rep at the site and they will be changing the words "excluding blackberry devices" to "excluding some older blackberry devices" because they are actually supporting newer versions of Blackberry now.

Here is a link to the site (hopefully they haven’t changed the wording quite yet so you can see):

w w w.saanich.ca/parkrec/recreation/alg.html

Sorry, I can't put a proper link because my post count isn’t high enough. But that upper one is the address is you want to cut and paste (the www has spaces between them right now).

[Tre Lawrence]

I agree with limited resources you have to pick and choose. However if you read the message I received from the marketing guy from parks and rec, he stated,

�When choosing the software for our mobile viewer we chose the viewer that supports the majority of smartphones in the consumer marketplace.�

Here are the stats from comScore:

Top Smartphone Platforms
September 2011
Total Canada Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers

RIM 35.8%
Apple 30.1%
Google 25.0%
Symbian 4.2%
Microsoft 3.2%


Top Mobile OEMs
September 2011
Total Canada Mobile Subscribers (Smartphone & Non-Smartphone) Ages 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers

Samsung 25.2%
LG 20.0%
RIM 14.3%
Apple 12.0%
Nokia 10.1%


Fare enough he is using data that says 77% of Canadians use iPhones. But the real data is quite clear and readily available from non-biased sources.

I am with you. My belief is that you need that BB segment. For instance, I fail to understand why Google doe not have a BB port for Google+. It makes no sense, and they have the resources. Bad business... but what do I know?

You got to appeal to the BB folks, as it is a vibrant percentage.

[nesstheraven]

Why would you make it your mission to support BB when you own Android "

I do own playbook (on a side note, a fully functional android to playbook bridge would be awesome). I also used to own a Torch 9800, which I gave to my mom when I bought the Samsung Galaxy S2. I have lots of family and friends who own BB's too. And if the new BB London is all it's cracked up to be, I'll be replacing my s2 with it. You can't beat how BB manages your email, and I liked their Calendar too (can't find a comparable one for android).

[Tre Lawrence]

I do own playbook (on a side note, a fully functional android to playbook bridge would be awesome). I also used to own a Torch 9800, which I gave to my mom when I bought the Samsung Galaxy S2. I have lots of family and friends who own BB's too. And if the new BB London is all it's cracked up to be, I'll be replacing my s2 with it. You can't beat how BB manages your email, and I liked their Calendar too (can't find a comparable one for android).

I am picky. Check out Business Calendar. Cloud syncs and integrates contacts, color coding for multiple calendars, drag and drop, etc. Fantastic. I wanted something that would mimic BB's calendar, and I think that surpasses it.

And careful... some folks expect you to wear only BlackBerry drawers to qualify as a BB advocate...

[anthogag]

I do own playbook (on a side note, a fully functional android to playbook bridge would be awesome). I also used to own a Torch 9800, which I gave to my mom when I bought the Samsung Galaxy S2. I have lots of family and friends who own BB's too. And if the new BB London is all it's cracked up to be, I'll be replacing my s2 with it. You can't beat how BB manages your email, and I liked their Calendar too (can't find a comparable one for android).

Thanks for the clarification...

The playbook can view it, maybe you could mention this to them. Flash is required to view it (Active Living Guide) so I presume the iPad wouldn't work

[[email protected]]

No. I live in Canada (British Columbia). Though I would imagine people are having similar experiences around the world.

I can only say that here in the states RIM is becoming(maybe unfairly, maybe not) irrelevant. Most opinions I hear are neither good nor bad. Just indifferent. Many associate BB with work. Though I'm not in the business anymore, most of the Wall Street'ers I know carry two phones. The BB for work and a different phone for after hours usage.

The U.S. is, once again, the World's largest consumer nation.

Surpassing China.

Though I know most here feel "R.I.M doesn't need U.S. consumer dollars" I firmly that is NOT how the folks in Waterloo feel.

I don't really know how RIM can attract more of the non-enterprise users here in the states without doing something significant.

The average American is spends 11% of their yearly income on consumer electronics. That includes smart phones and tablets.

It's 'Ludacris(Luda!)' to believe that R.I.M would be willing to simply walk away from, disregard, or allow themselves to become a non-entity in the U.S. consumer market just doesn't make sense.

So, I assume, they have something up their sleeves.

[nesstheraven]

I am picky. Check out Business Calendar. Cloud syncs and integrates contacts, color coding for multiple calendars, drag and drop, etc. Fantastic. I wanted something that would mimic BB's calendar, and I think that surpasses it.

I just downloaded it and I'll give it a whirl. Is there a big difference between the free and $4.99 version?

Also, it is good to know that if you politely engage in conversational debate, you can make these little changes. I don�t know if changing the wording on the Saanich Rec site will result in extra sales for RIM, but it can�t hurt, and it makes me feel better knowing that people won�t read the words, �works on all devices excluding blackberries.�

[Tre Lawrence]

I just downloaded it and I'll give it a whirl. Is there a big difference between the free and $4.99 version?

Also, it is good to know that if you politely engage in conversational debate, you can make these little changes. I don�t know if changing the wording on the Saanich Rec site will result in extra sales for RIM, but it can�t hurt, and it makes me feel better knowing that people won�t read the words, �works on all devices excluding blackberries.�

* drag&drop mode in the multi-day view to move and copy events
* option to link a contact to an event
* configurable font sizes for the app and the widgets
* option to select individual calendars for each widget
* own Business Calendar reminders

I use the second and last option a lot (I don't have to use the stock calendar). In the free version, I believe you get ads.

I agree... that is a responsive person you talked to. Good PR.

[Claidheamhmor]

No. I live in Canada (British Columbia). Though I would imagine people are having similar experiences around the world.

Here in South Africa, BlackBerry has triple the market share of iPhone and Android combined, and that lead is actually getting greater.

[Dapper37]

Limited resources... you have to pick and choose what you are doing with those limited resources. It's not optimal, but is realistic.

hmmm, html5... but they still didn't???? not to smart those park rangers.

[soo007]

Addicted to my berry but will jump ship when rim goes belly up.

[dbollman423]

Addicted to my berry but will jump ship when rim goes belly up.

That would stand to reason for everyone IF BB went "belly up.". I certainly hope not.

[T�nis]

If BIS ceased to exist, I would put a prepaid SIM in my Bold and use it for calls and texts. I will not use ios, and I will not use android.

[amazinglygraceless]

Seriously people? This is an issue worth getting ones knickers in a wad over.

So there are entities out there that does not support BlackBerry. Is this the ONLY manner
in which you are capable of viewing this information. Is this such a world turning matter
that it requires umbrage and kneejerk defense of RIM and BlackBerry.

This stuff happens. Get over it already.

[pididipop]

RIM stock had been creeping up the last little while hovering over $11 now which is a good sign. Also a report today shows Playbook now at over 20% of tablet market share in Canada...I think the word is spreading about what a great little tablet this is!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9800 using Tapatalk

[ubizmo]

I work at a university where, just a few years ago, all administrators were issued BBs. Now they don't support them at all. I am unable to get my 9900 to connect to the campus wifi network. IT refuses to help, stating simply that BB "isn't supported." I don't understand why it won't connect, but it won't. I have no problems with other wifi networks.

My WP device wasn't supported either, but it was able to connect with no problem, so I didn't need support. So I just do without wifi at work when I have the BB.

This sort of thing makes the hill that BB10 has to climb a little steeper but I don't think it's a lost cause.