[mciriello]

My advice to RIM is to make 2 devices and call it a day. Focus on software instead.

1. High-end QWERTY = Bold (GSM and CDMA)
2. Consumer-level QWERTY = Curve (GSM and CDMA)

Ditch the Pearl. Reintroduce the Storm entirely once you can build a touchscreen phone that is compettitve and has an appropriate OS.

[pkcable]

FIX BIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <-----sorry couldn't resist!

[MrObvious]

The Pearl has a purpose though and has been immensely popular with your basic consumer.

[Masahiro]

So my point is they keep pushing out devices with marginal differences and fanbois will buy it because it's the "latest and greatest" blackberry.

So RIM makes newer devices and people buy them... That's your point? What do you want them to do? Stop producing newer devices so often when people are buying them? It's not like these "fanbois" don't recuperate some of their losses by selling their old phones...

RIM is a business. They're here to make money, and if they could make money by releasing "rehashed" models every so often, then that's what they'll do.

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[iPhoneLoyalist]

All of those points were very good

[stuaw11]

So RIM makes newer devices and people buy them... That's your point? What do you want them to do? Stop producing newer devices so often when people are buying them?

No but you have to admit things like the Tour -> Tour 2 was just a low blow to users.

Merely change out the trackball and add WIFI (which there was no excuse it was missing to being with on a business phone) and release it 6 months later? Cmon now. The Storm 1 shouldve never been sold to the public, it was a total mess, the Storm 2 shouldve been the first Storm.

There's making money, which manufactures are entitled to, and then just screwing people in the process.

[Masahiro]

No but you have to admit things like the Tour -> Tour 2 was just a low blow to users.

Merely change out the trackball and add WIFI (which there was no excuse it was missing to being with on a business phone) and release it 6 months later? Cmon now. The Storm 1 shouldve never been sold to the public, it was a total mess, the Storm 2 shouldve been the first Storm.

There's making money, which manufactures are entitled to, and then just screwing people in the process.

No one's putting a gun to anybody's head and forcing them to pay for an upgrade. It's completely optional. Like I mentioned before, even for those "fanbois" that like to upgrade to every new phone out there, they could recuperate some of their losses by selling old phones anyways.

However, I suspect those that are that obsessed over what's shiny and new with the best specs wouldn't have a BlackBerry in the first place. I'm sure they'd be more likely to get some phone with a 1ghz Snapdragon processor, 5mp camera and a
giant screen or something. I mean, if the Tour and Tour2 are almost the same, why bother buying it? I'm sure new or renewing customers would gladly choose the Tour2 though.

If you want to see a real screw job, how about companies that force farmers to keep buying mandatory upgrades to their equipment every year, or terminating their contracts if they refuse or run out of money?

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[dwaynewilliams#WN]

Why. do people keep saying that RIM shouldn't have come out with the Storm? I think that it was just as good an effort as most manufacturers creating a new design. I still believe that smartphone consumers have unrealistic expectations. The successor to a device that was released 6 to 12 months prior isn't going to be a worthy upgrade. I have yet to see a smartphone company make considerable changes over a device within a period of one year or less.

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[mciriello]

It is clear that the Storm was not ready for prime time. The return rate was huge, the touchscreen technology was universally lamented, the build quality was poor, and the OS was not designed for manipulation by touchscreen (same old OS with marginal differences - limited web and media capability). The Storm2 still suffers from the OS limitations.

Why. do people keep saying that RIM shouldn't have come out with the Storm? I think that it was just as good an effort as most manufacturers creating a new design. I still believe that smartphone consumers have unrealistic expectations. The successor to a device that was released 6 to 12 months prior isn't going to be a worthy upgrade. I have yet to see a smartphone company make considerable changes over a device within a period of one year or less.

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[sivan]

I came to BlackBerry after being a Palm OS user, tried all the shiny stuff from Android and the new Palm, and now I see RIM is the only company left that's actually caring about optimized mobile devices. So that's what I use, it is not inferior, it just has the right priorities.

My BB can be very entertaining, all I have to do is launch Pandora, use UberTwitter, browse with Opera. What's the problem? I don't need to be entertained by a huge screen and dancing UI. For reference, the music player on the BB blows away the ones on Android and webOS and it's definitely faster than the iPod and having physical controls. Not to mention having PodTrapper, the best podcast player on any platform.

Now, I love the fast calendar, email, GTalk and texting. All quick without any animated BS which I have no time for. And I love the battery life that lets me use the device carefree. But above all I like having RexWireless, that thing flies on the BB. I wouldn't be able to tolerate it if it made me wait through some BS sliding menus and fades. It just a device that's built for speed, it's utilitarian and you can drive it quickly from the keyboard without having to gesture at it.

Let others build the eye candy, why must the BB also be like this?

The one problem RIM has is its strategy of aligning with carriers whereas its competitors are aligning with consumers, who then demand the devices from carriers. That is a problem for RIM because the carriers interfere and hurt RIM's image and prospects with actions like killing WiFi on the Tour or preventing RIM from including App World on devices for new users to find. RIM needs to flex some muscle, but they need carrier cooperation for all the complex network integration. It's not simple. But this is RIM's real challenge, not the BS consumer stuff.

[bigmac05]

Im not a BB pro at all, i have had a BB for about 3 years now, starting with the Curve and i now have the Tour.

I feel like BB's do lack in certain areas but they arent "behind" in my opinion, RIM is just doing their own thing because users like it. To me, there is no comparison between devices like the Nexus one, iPhone etc and a BB. A BB is a straight messaging device, emails, texts, BBM whatever. They are the easiest phones i feel like to do all those things, if i have to write an email i pick up the phone, hit the trackball and click email, then write it and hit send, takes seconds. Writing an email is the same thing as writing a text basically, it all looks real simple and not very "cool" like the new Android or Apple phones but i dont think it was supposed to be anything more then a serious messaging device. I love my BB but i have thought about lately switching to a newer platform (i really like the nexus one) but no other device will make it so easy to send any type of message. Basically, your thumb can do everything on a BB, yea it looks plain and simple but if you are a serious messenger thats all you need.

I totally agree with this. Blackberry is simple and functional. Not everyone wants oooos and awwws just to send a message. Blackberry is practical and will continue to appeal to those who want it.

It's a free market, so if you want a phone like what Apple or Google has, then buy an Apple or Google phone.

Being a blackberry user for 3 years, I have looked into getting other phones. But nothing has yet to compare to the messaging capabilities of a blackberry. And that is what will keep RIM in the game.

[Pilot Prop]

I like the BB OS as is but if it were to be spiced up a bit I wouldn't be mad lol...

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[dwaynewilliams#WN]

I have. Just look at the first gen iPhone compared to the iPhone 3G. I consider a lot of the differences between the two to be major changes, especially since the 2nd iPhone was able to use 3G data.

Let's not forget that the changes the iPhone 3G got, so did the first iPhone. The only real difference in the end was the 3G capability. Also, remember the first iPhone, Palm Pre, and G1. These devices were plagued with limitations. In some instances, they still are very limited. The Pre just received video recording capabilities last week. The iPhone still doesn't multitasking properly. The G1, well it was the G1. The Storm was a good effort of course it could have been better, but what device couldn't be?

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