New BBX devices; style or functionality?

[berryaddictnoza]

While I love the Bold 9900/9930, I personally feel RIM should have made it fat enough to have an autofocus camera and a slightly bigger battery. With the coming BBX/QNX devices running dual core processors, there will likely be a bigger power demand. So the question is how much are you willing to give up to have the coolest, thinnest phone?

[deRusett]

RIM won't make the coolest thinnest phone.

I do with RIM didn't bother with the back taper of the 9900 as much and put in a 1500 battery, being slight wider, I do like the thinness of the phone, an Autofocus Camera would also have been nice or a better CMOS, Apple and Samsung pack it into similar thickness devices, RIM could have as well, if especially if they removed the bevelled back.


The first BBX phone I won't be touching, all indecations are a 4" Slab device, hopefully RIM listens to the negatives and positives of the BBOS7 line and addresses them with the first BBX phone, it needs to be sleek, but stick to the OLD rim of function > form, but remembering form is important

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[NicoBerry]

RIM needs to release a Bold-style BBX phone before I will upgrade. If I am forced to go for a touchscreen then I will look at other choices. I would hope with all the silence from RIM that this means they have something excellent to release!

However the rumours state the first BBX phone will be 4" all touch. I wonder if that will be like!

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[stillzmatik]

I would necessarily rule out getting the first of the BBX phones. I'm a Bold user as well, and I do love the keyboard, I find the Torch line to have really, really good virtual keyboards, far superior to Apple (can't compare to Driod because they aren't uniform keyboards). Sure it will take some getting used to but I could learn to love it if that is the only "drawback."

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Derwent Graphite]

RIM should continue to do what they've already been doing - make phones that feel great in the hand. Personally, that is more important to me than how a phone looks. No doubt that the iPhone 4/4S body is an engineering feat, but it's just good for looking at. Although the software on the Storm 2 was a POS, I admit that I enjoyed holding it in my hand and using it.

[psufan32]

Originally Posted by deRusett

RIM won't make the coolest thinnest phone.

I do with RIM didn't bother with the back taper of the 9900 as much and put in a 1500 battery, being slight wider, I do like the thinness of the phone, an Autofocus Camera would also have been nice or a better CMOS, Apple and Samsung pack it into similar thickness devices, RIM could have as well, if especially if they removed the bevelled back.


The first BBX phone I won't be touching, all indecations are a 4" Slab device, hopefully RIM listens to the negatives and positives of the BBOS7 line and addresses them with the first BBX phone, it needs to be sleek, but stick to the OLD rim of function > form, but remembering form is important

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Not sure if this is where you were going with this...

Form should follow function. That is what RIM did waay back when with the QWERTY style device. They wanted to combine e-mail with a phone, and the QWERTY form factor made the most sense. Apple took the BB concept several steps further, combining not just e-mail with a phone, but also a digital camera, video camera, GPS device, MP3 player, PDA, mini computer, and handheld video game player. The QWERTY form factor didn't make sense, rather, a "slab" form factor made the most sense. That is why the iPhone, and all smart phones outside of BB, are now "slabs". It is the form factor that makes the most sense for the functions which they are taking on.

RIM can certainly, and should, continue to make a Bold style phone. However, make it the lower end phone, without a video camera, limited apps, etc. Aim it at people who don't want all the extras. And, for heaven's sake, don't make a tiny little Bold screen a touch screen. Doing that proved to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the market has truly passed RIM by. It is the same thought process that went into the "iPhone killer." They thought, "It's gotta be the touchscreen. People seem obsessed with it. We'll put a touchscreen device out and, 'Bye bye Apple!"

[Blacklac]

The Bold is RIM's flagship. It may not be the first QNX phone, but it WILL come.

[Blacklac]

Originally Posted by psufan32

Not sure if this is where you were going with this...

Form should follow function. That is what RIM did waay back when with the QWERTY style device. They wanted to combine e-mail with a phone, and the QWERTY form factor made the most sense. Apple took the BB concept several steps further, combining not just e-mail with a phone, but also a digital camera, video camera, GPS device, MP3 player, PDA, mini computer, and handheld video game player. The QWERTY form factor didn't make sense, rather, a "slab" form factor made the most sense. That is why the iPhone, and all smart phones outside of BB, are now "slabs". It is the form factor that makes the most sense for the functions which they are taking on.

RIM can certainly, and should, continue to make a Bold style phone. However, make it the lower end phone, without a video camera, limited apps, etc. Aim it at people who don't want all the extras. And, for heaven's sake, don't make a tiny little Bold screen a touch screen. Doing that proved to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the market has truly passed RIM by. It is the same thought process that went into the "iPhone killer." They thought, "It's gotta be the touchscreen. People seem obsessed with it. We'll put a touchscreen device out and, 'Bye bye Apple!"

This stripped down Bold is already available. They call it a Curve. If you dont like a touchscreen, you dont have to use it.

[ichat]

Hey BB! If you make another stupid full touch then say bye bye to a loyal customer for years. I don't want a copy-paste from apple and samsung. I want the originality which you have put into your BBOS. If you are making a non-keyboard iOS competitor then I'm sorry. You have to admit that iOS and Android does that better. What will stop me from going there? Please, please, please do put a keyboard on the phone and make sure you have the amazing instances of BBOS packed into BBX. Good luck RIM,
I'm awaiting.......

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[moiselles]

Originally Posted by stillzmatik

I would necessarily rule out getting the first of the BBX phones. I'm a Bold user as well, and I do love the keyboard, I find the Torch line to have really, really good virtual keyboards, far superior to Apple (can't compare to Driod because they aren't uniform keyboards). Sure it will take some getting used to but I could learn to love it if that is the only "drawback."

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I'm going to disagree with you on this. I've owned a Torch and its virtual keyboard is sincerely lacking compared the the iPhone4S. The iPhone keyboard has to be amazing because it's the only way to type on the phone. I had a very hard time using the touchscreen on my Torch. If the phone were laying on a flat surface, it was unresponsive and forget about trying to type on it...

[deRusett]

Originally Posted by psufan32

Not sure if this is where you were going with this...

Form should follow function. That is what RIM did waay back when with the QWERTY style device. They wanted to combine e-mail with a phone, and the QWERTY form factor made the most sense. Apple took the BB concept several steps further, combining not just e-mail with a phone, but also a digital camera, video camera, GPS device, MP3 player, PDA, mini computer, and handheld video game player. The QWERTY form factor didn't make sense, rather, a "slab" form factor made the most sense. That is why the iPhone, and all smart phones outside of BB, are now "slabs". It is the form factor that makes the most sense for the functions which they are taking on.

RIM can certainly, and should, continue to make a Bold style phone. However, make it the lower end phone, without a video camera, limited apps, etc. Aim it at people who don't want all the extras. And, for heaven's sake, don't make a tiny little Bold screen a touch screen. Doing that proved to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the market has truly passed RIM by. It is the same thought process that went into the "iPhone killer." They thought, "It's gotta be the touchscreen. People seem obsessed with it. We'll put a touchscreen device out and, 'Bye bye Apple!"

Not where I was going at all

RIM once said that function mattered more than Form, and that is why they didn't have pretty devices compared to the UTstarcom's and Audiovoxs of the day, and They were right in saying so the BlackBerry was a tank that kept working and worked well, then RIM started making form = function and the market become more competitive, RIM lost it's super usability for something more pretty, they continued to grow...,

Today RIM needs to go back to Making the most functional phones, and I'm sorry but a SLAB is not it, I still see as many 7XXX series BlackBerry's as I do slab phones including the iPhone in business, people clinging onto the BlackBerry that got the job done so well. do you think Anyone who can afford it hasn't ditched their iPhone 1 for an iPhone 2,3,4 etc?
The Slab phone is pretty, it is basic, but it lacks a lot of user function, if your phone is to consume, watch, read, listen, it doesn't matter, but if your device is used for creating content, then the Keyboard and Buttons still are the Functional solution for efficiency,


RIM maintained it's position in the market because of it's highend keyboard phones.. your suggestion is to eliminate that market?

[psufan32]

Originally Posted by deRusett

Not where I was going at all

RIM once said that function mattered more than Form, and that is why they didn't have pretty devices compared to the UTstarcom's and Audiovoxs of the day, and They were right in saying so the BlackBerry was a tank that kept working and worked well, then RIM started making form = function and the market become more competitive, RIM lost it's super usability for something more pretty, they continued to grow...,

Today RIM needs to go back to Making the most functional phones, and I'm sorry but a SLAB is not it, I still see as many 7XXX series BlackBerry's as I do slab phones including the iPhone in business, people clinging onto the BlackBerry that got the job done so well. do you think Anyone who can afford it hasn't ditched their iPhone 1 for an iPhone 2,3,4 etc?
The Slab phone is pretty, it is basic, but it lacks a lot of user function, if your phone is to consume, watch, read, listen, it doesn't matter, but if your device is used for creating content, then the Keyboard and Buttons still are the Functional solution for efficiency,


RIM maintained it's position in the market because of it's highend keyboard phones.. your suggestion is to eliminate that market?

No, I stated that they should continue to make a Bold style device for those who don't desire the "extra" functions that a slab form factor is geared towards.

[guerllamo7]

I think the BB-X phone is meant for users that are not currently using OS7. I just don't think you could improve on the Bold 9930 ( I mean faster, longer battery, better camera and all that is something you could always ask for regardless of what you have) but I love it because of how efficient it is. I'll take efficiency over beauty every time but I do catch myself looking at it as it sits between my computer and me and just think "Hmmm... that is one beautiful phone".
The reason I'm excited about the BB-X phone is that I have a chance to get that for my wife. She is still holding on to an HTC Evo 4G that I traded in when I came back to BB. She uses it to watch movies/shows when she is at the gym on the treadmill.

I'm open to getting one but it is going to pretty much fly and build me an island for me to give up this keyboard and my new favorite app (SCM). If RIM builds something that lures me away from the Bold 9930, the stock is going to $100.00 bucks.

[sam_b77]

I have mixed feelings about this. Yes function tops my list, but form comes a very close second. The 9900 is the prettiest BB till date and on the looks department it is very high. It looks like a premium "want it" device.
However, I'm not sure with RIM's strategy of launching a slab phone with BBX first. Basically if they launch a 4" slab version then they are fighting on Apple's and Android's home turf. Not a good war strategy in my book.
A full touch BBX runs the risk of being ignored by the BB faithful and everyone knows that iFans and Phandroids would sell their mothers before they pick up a BB.
This might lead RIM to be in the same situation as the PB but this time with their bread and butter, smartphones.
I would say launch a keyboard BBX along with a slab version. The OS6 and OS7 people will jump at it and drive up the holy grail of sales figures, something which the analysts focus on exclusively. Then try and launch an attack on the slab home.
The danger for RIM would be low sales figures of BBX slab phone, with BB fans avoiding it because they are waiting for the keyboard BBX (like deRusset said), and very little churn from the Apple and Android user base. What will follow is negative press and negative market sentiment for RIM. Another round of that might force major changes at RIM and the company would definitily lose focus, even though they might have a killer future product like the BBX keyboard phone.
Of course the RIM management might know better as they would (should) have done their market research.
Personally, I would get the BBX slab simply because RIM made it and they make the best communication devices (yea I said it), but would keep my 9900 around because, hey if I was comfortable with a full touch toy, I wouldn't be here.

[berryaddictnoza]

This has become a form factor debate (slab vs qwerty), my point is that either form factor will become a trade-off between style and functionality when pushing for ever thinner phones, how far should RIM go down this path?