[thecsman]

This lady didn't find anything else to write about than to throw more mud to the Blackberry brand.

Lots of false claims and no mention of BB7 devices.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/te...ref=technology

[Masahiro]

Some people care way too much about what other people think of their phones.

[mind_blogger]

cripes she was soo harsh

[BPMurph]

Wow, that is about the most biased piece of (non-political) writing I've seen. Just a hit piece from start to finish.

[richardat]

Excellent article...whether you like what she was writing about or not. That was no "hit piece" anymore than a number of posts made by BB loyalists here! Captures what seems to be a real aspect of the zeitgeist that's out there. MANY posters here have said the exact same thing.

[adriank403]

What she is saying is true for some people. Some people get criticized because yes, Blackberries are behind on the times. I too feel like in this era of technological advancement in the mobile industry that the Blackberry really is like "using myspace and AOL chat" as the article said. When even the most intelligent and loyal abandon ship because they were let down so many times as a consumer who's fault is that? It's not their fault it's the product's fault. They teach that in High School, supply and demand. The co-CEO's didn't listen to the market and they produced a product that didn't hold demand. Demand of consumers but more importantly of developers. App support didn't keep up and BAM angry consumers fell off the RIM tree like it was Fall. Damage is done and journalists keep reminding us because they surely can't think of anything else in the world that is as important as being embarrassed around snooty clique dwellers because of their phone. Surely they could have enough confidence to say that they prefer it and admit that it has it's downfalls. Maybe point out that Apple has so many apps that they had to hire a third party to reorganize the sea of crapps (crap apps) because their customers couldn't get to the good stuff and devs weren't making any money. When the Ten comes out and kicks the door in on the market with it's frenemy windows8 we'll see if this current duopoly will stand getting Red Rovered.

[CairnsRock]

99% of NYT readers probably agree with the article. Some here don't, so who is biased them or us?

[kemj]

I don't give a and I always carry my Bold 9900 naked and always in hand in front of anyone, proud as heck for what I'm showing. I'm so sorry for her to have such a depressing life and such a depressing self esteem.

How many iPhones do you want me to buy you?

Some people just don't deserve to be called "homo-sapiens..."

[Bla1ze]

Although you may disagree with the article.. read it. Nicole, the writer -- never really conveyed much of her own thoughts on the matter but instead simply relayed the thoughts of users she spoke with. Like it or not, those are the real world perceptions that RIM is facing in releasing BlackBerry 10.

Consider who she spoke with. e.g. The girl who stated “You can’t do anything with it.” --- Uhh.. a 8530 user on the Sprint network. Of course you can't do anything with it. That device is a budget device meant for the bare minimal, it's not up to task of doing anything outside of email and BBM really.

Does the user know that? Not likely.. All she knows is that she owns a BlackBerry and it sucks for her use case scenario.

[southlander]

Excellent article...whether you like what she was writing about or not. That was no "hit piece" anymore than a number of posts made by BB loyalists here! Captures what seems to be a real aspect of the zeitgeist that's out there. MANY posters here have said the exact same thing.

More like some excellent whining. If someone hates their phone that much they should just replace it. We don't care. Get a new phone. Shut up. And go on with life.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[Masahiro]

More like some excellent whining. If someone hates their phone that much they should just replace it. We don't care. Get a new phone. Shut up. And go on with life.

#firstworldproblems

[ioan_calin]

Biased and unprofessional, if I were the employer, I would kick her out. I am very proud of my Bold 9900 and yes, I can do a lot with it, unlike the Android phone I tried out for 2 months and gave it away. Waste of 2 minutes of my life reading it. I agree with southlander above, go on with your life, buy another phone and that's it.

[mikelcal]

I read it, but I'm skeptical of her sources. If she targeted users strangling their poor BB's I can see how her article would slant towards BB haters. Although there is a "BlackBerry by Choice" user there... There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[southlander]

Biased and unprofessional, if I were the employer, I would kick her out. I am very proud of my Bold 9900 and yes, I can do a lot with it, unlike the Android phone I tried out for 2 months and I gave it away. Waste of 2 minutes of my life reading it.

Well I mean I have complaints about any device.. To be reasonable. I have BlackBerrys with all their flaws. I have a Droid RAZR Maxx which has some aspects I do not like. My wife has an ipad I use at times. It has good aspects and some bad to me.

But I would never feel self conscious using a device of choice in a room of people. I mean to treat it like some mark of shame is just silly. Carrying it too far. If one's self esteem is that entwined with their tech, then that's a bit overboard to me.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[Bla1ze]

I mean to treat it like some mark of shame is just silly. Carrying it too far. If one's self esteem is that entwined with their tech, then that's a bit overboard to me.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

+10000

[ioan_calin]

Yes, I am a BlackBerry fan, but when I meet with my friends for a beer (or more...) in a pub, I never tell them about how bad their iphones or androids are. We exchange opinions and ideas, swap phones and comment on them, in the limit of common sense. Placing too much importance on a piece of plastic which at the end of the day serves one purpose, communication. When you read the article, sounds like doomsday on RIM...well, things aren't so bright right now, but to say they're dead is way too much. And yes, all devices have good and bad parts. As long as it suits your needs, it's ok. That part was sooo strange, the lady trying to hide her BB , ashamed of it ) how low can you get in terms of journalism??

[friendly1013]

It is regrettable that people have this perception, but understandable. I bought my first blackberry in 2008 when they were still cool, because there was a great sale. In 2010, I was broke, and based on user ratings, the curve 3g was the best phone I could find for the price. It worked great. I had GPS, turn-by-turn nav, vlingo for speech to text, bluetooth voice dialing, quick loading of mobile web sites... Lightweight, felt good in the hand. No complaints. Then I got a playbook on sale. Wow! The bridge features blew me away... Remote control, caller iD on the tablet, etc... Also, flash support. I suppose I never had a desire to get into anything that I didn't already have. Full desktop-formatted websites are often my choice over the equivalent mobile or tablet app, so even though, say I have the android fantasy football app for PB, I don't use it because the web app is more powerful.

Then I got the Bold 9930...

I have been a tech savvy guy my whole life. If people had any idea how awesome the combo was... RIM would be doing fine. I am an evangelist for the platform, but only because I am impressed with the features... The best keyboard, fast browser, great resolution... Sms on the tablet now, great speakers on thje tablet... Look, I could go on and on.

The BB ecosystem has me sucked in, it's awesome!! I'm typing this on my 9930 now, bridged through the PB, on the full CB website. I can't switch to apple or android now! This is too cool!

Like I said, if more people were familiar with the kind of experience I am having...

[ioan_calin]

One of the major problems with RIM is bad/lack of marketing/advertising, really, people don't know about how good and efficient their products are. When I show my phone to others, users of other platforms, they are all impressed, they ask me about the price, the data plan, the compression of data (major point for BB), and as such I managed to convince 2 of my co-workers to buy BB's. It's all different with BB 9900, compared to my former 9700 (still, a good device), it's all faster, better, easier, with the battery as a downside (lasts me through the day, though, with 25% at around 11 o'clock in the evening, heavy usage, compared to 9700 - 2 or even 3 days, but with a lot lower specs than 9900). A little bit more aggressive promotion would do them good. When you turn on the TV all you see is iphones and samsungs. Maybe once a month you see a BB, and that only because Orange or Vodafone has a special offer, otherwise no way. Maybe the ship changes direction with BB 10, which by the way I can't wait.

[Balti43]

maybe the reason ms cosby or whatever her name was, got ridiculed was not because of the phone she carried but of her personality because from the look of it she just likes talking a bunch of nonsense

[Superfly_FR]

Stay.calm.and.confident.
Many of those "disgusted" people may lick the window of shops soon.
Reporter included.

[9of13]

this is what makes me laugh. the general perception of a brand based on the low-end devices of the "average" user. sure, ive been ridiculed over having a blackberry. but then the tables turn when those same people see a pic i took, see the quality, ask what i used to take it, and become amazed when i tell them it was with my BB Style! BlackBerrys now is like the Afro bacl in 1990-laughable. nowadays, people get mad at me when i cut my afro because they love it. in 2013, it will be the same with BB.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9670 using Tapatalk

[richardat]

More like some excellent whining. If someone hates their phone that much they should just replace it. We don't care. Get a new phone. Shut up. And go on with life.

First, you're being dishonest: you obviously do care. You care so much that you're telling people with a different opinion from your opinion to "shut up".

You know, it's of course very easy to just call an opinion different from you own "whining", and tell them to shut up, but is that the best way to handle things? Does it sound more like an open-minded, intelligent, adult interested in technology, or a an abusive alcoholic husband? So come on man, we can do better than that.

Just a short time ago, there was a thread wherein a person described how they felt mocked and shunned for having a BB....and there have been many similar posts recently. I did not see you jumping into them and calling those people whiners, or telling them you don't care, or telling them to "shut up". I'm very glad of that! Is that really the way you want to represent yourself or Crackberry?

As I said before, regardless of whether or not you believe that this was a reflection of majority opinion (that is unknown, though numbers would suggest it is), and regardless of whether you think the feeling is justified or not, the feeling does seem to be out there. It is PERFECTLY legitimate for a writer to write about it (indeed, I would argue it should be looked on as a good thing by all parties), and people, especially when asked by a reporter, are absolutely entitled to express their feelings about it.

If it is true that you really "dont' care", then at least stop attacking people, and trying to dictate what they can or cannot say.

[richardat]

maybe the reason ms cosby or whatever her name was, got ridiculed was not because of the phone she carried but of her personality because from the look of it she just likes talking a bunch of nonsense

Maybe. By that same token, a number of people on this site have expressed similar sentiments about feeling looked down on due to their phones, but perhaps that was also due to their personalities.

[richardat]

But I would never feel self conscious using a device of choice in a room of people. I mean to treat it like some mark of shame is just silly. Carrying it too far. If one's self esteem is that entwined with their tech, then that's a bit overboard to me.k

This is much better than just telling people to "shut up"! However, while I agree, that people should not be embarrassed by their phone, and while I would encourage them not to be, one should also acknowledge that it is very human. YOU absolutely care what other people think, and so does everyone else on this forum. While many of us might not be worried about what image our phone presents, many of us are concerned with the way we look, what we say, what we do, in regard to how it comes across to other people. Those same people embarrassed by their phone may look at something that embarrasses you, like clothes, a fat gut, losing your hair, looking like a tourist, looking like a redneck, looking like a gay man, looking like somebody who knows nothing about tech....whatever..... and think it silly.

So dismissing it as "silly", may well be fine for you personally....I'm glad it is...me too...... but there really is no objective measure of "silly", and these people's feelings should not be dismissed so glibly.

[simu31]

Although you may disagree with the article.. read it. Nicole, the writer -- never really conveyed much of her own thoughts on the matter but instead simply relayed the thoughts of users she spoke with.

That makes Nicole a bad journalist. It might be my other-side-of-the-pond mentality, but journalists should at least feign impartiality, instead what she did was pick the people who had the most biased view, added in some bad numbers to make it seem even worse, then presented that as fact.
I saw NO opposing views, I saw NO mention of the advantages from the upcoming platform over the current, I saw NO correction to statements which were not true (“You can’t do anything with it. You’re supposed to, but it’s all a big lie.”, that's cause for a law suit for defamation). The whole charger example was just a LIE, it's a standardaised charger, ONLY Apple has something different, so if they have chargers for Android, they'll work. In fact she added in her own hatchet job on the "getting directions, booking travel..." part, sorry but I believe that BlackBerry Maps and BlackBerry Travel exist and have done for quite a while.
Her job is not to just say: "Yeah some users hate BlackBerry and they're right, I'll add in a few extra lies to make it seem worse"; her job, as a journalist, is to tell the truth, or at least both sides of a story.

This type of "journalism" make me seriously worry about the future of newspapers.

Si.