1. Skidoo583's Avatar
    First let me say this, I have bought both the q10 and the z10. My first smartphone was a blackberry curve, then I went to the htc evo then after that I got a samsung s3 when I got the Samsung I had every intention on getting the blackberry 9900 but my wife was with me and she liked the samsung s3 and they had a special on them when you buy two they were half price so I gave in and we both got the Samsung s3, I never really liked the way the Samsung felt in my hand it was way too light feeling and I couldn't stand the plastic feel it just plain felt like a cheap piece of crap , the built-in calendar felt childish and I constantly was searching for a good calendar app nothing compares to the blackberry calender. I could go on and on but I won't, the point I'm trying to get to is I love the way the new blackberry os works but this whole app thing is getting really frustrating I own a small business and blackberry is supposed to be a business phone but all the apps that are being built are for iPhone or Android. Sometimes you can find the android version and some work and some don't or they are ridiculously slow. I keep telling myself that maybe this fall when they release 10.3 everything will get better. Right now I need a PayPal credit card reader app and there's no signs that they will make one. I tried emailing paypal asking them why they don't have an app for BlackBerry, according to them there's not enough blackberry phones for them to justify building an app. It's just plain frustrating. Why can't they just make apps compatible with all phones? I don't want to go back to a android phone but I might have to if blackberry can't get this app thing figured out, I don't care how badass of phone os they build if there's no apps to go with the os how do they expect people to want to buy their phones ,you might as well have a flip phone.

    Posted via CB10
    08-14-14 09:34 AM
  2. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    You are not alone... many of us really like the way the HUB works.

    But the App problem is a problem, and too be honest... long term it is most likely only going to get worse.

    Apple nor Google have any interest in their apps really being cross-platform. Google is even now working toward closing their ecosystem so the all these new comers with their RUNTIMES can't access future apps. The non approved Chinese Devices, Sailfish, Tizen, BlackBerry Runtime and even Amazon may find the future not very friendly.

    And sadly many developers just don't see supporting every mobile OS that comes along as profitable. I look at the Kindle platform with over 50 million devices and the new phones, and then the developers of Instagram.... at some point I guess you have to say no more, and that is what Instagram did.

    And HTML5 Apps that work on any device... just doesn't seem to be happening like so many expected.
    shaleem, JeepBB, kbz1960 and 1 others like this.
    08-14-14 10:06 AM
  3. serbanescu's Avatar
    What I cannot understand is why people are complaining so much about the app gap and not simply move to iOS or Android, if they are not finding the right apps for them on a BlackBerry. Why feel miserable and not take the phone suited for your needs? Nobody is forcing anyone to keep using a BlackBerry.

    I have a Z10 because I like it. If I didn't like it I would have bought other phone.
    08-14-14 10:16 AM
  4. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    Maybe because they are in a long term contract....

    Or some may view the features of BB10 enough to stick with the platform even tough there are apps they wish they could get....

    Possible their BB is a company issued device that they have no choice but use.....

    But yeah those that have a choice are getting other devices - thus the poor sales and current marketshare. Just as you too will be force to get another device if BlackBerry doesn't fix the problems. Enterprise uses apps too, that is one of the big points with the IBM/Apple deal, Apple want to be the platform that IBM builds for. Security is important, but productivity usually wins out.
    shaleem, JeepBB, kbz1960 and 1 others like this.
    08-14-14 10:26 AM
  5. serbanescu's Avatar
    Maybe because they are in a long term contract....

    Or some may view the features of BB10 enough to stick with the platform even tough there are apps they wish they could get....

    Possible their BB is a company issued device that they have no choice but use.....

    But yeah those that have a choice are getting other devices - thus the poor sales and current marketshare. Just as you too will be force to get another device if BlackBerry doesn't fix the problems. Enterprise uses apps too, that is one of the big points with the IBM/Apple deal, Apple want to be the platform that IBM builds for. Security is important, but productivity usually wins out.
    There are some valid points here
    08-14-14 10:29 AM
  6. MarsupilamiX's Avatar
    What I cannot understand is why people are complaining so much about the app gap and not simply move to iOS or Android, if they are not finding the right apps for them on a BlackBerry. Why feel miserable and not take the phone suited for your needs? Nobody is forcing anyone to keep using a BlackBerry.

    I have a Z10 because I like it. If I didn't like it I would have bought other phone.
    I basically don't need apps, since half of my phone usage is the HUB and the other half is the browser.
    This will be a reason why I am very interested in the Passport.

    Now that doesn't stop me to complain, because it is indeed a huge issue for the majority, and even I would like (not need) some apps (like banking, public transport, travelling, a better maps application,etc).

    But you can bet that the moment I see the NEED for apps, I'll buy an iPhone.

    Posted via CB10
    haringfish likes this.
    08-14-14 10:50 AM
  7. Troy Tiscareno's Avatar
    Why can't they just make apps compatible with all phones?
    1. There is no universal language for apps. Each platform uses its own programming language, its own APIs, and has its own style and layout guidelines.
    2. HTML5 apps, which are (mostly) universal, have many, many limitations compared to native apps, which is why apps are preferred. For example, security and encryption can be much higher, preferences can be stored, resolutions and screen sizes can be adjusted to more quickly and easily, etc. HTML5 apps also are limited in their access to the phone's hardware, so many apps simply could not be made in HTML5. That's why, for example, you need an app to do an online check deposit, and can't do that with a bank's HTML5 website interface, even if that looks very close to the app.
    3. The companies that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars or more investing in their platform's ecosystem (all of the developer programs, API enhancements, conventions, etc. cost a ton of money) have no intention of letting other companies come along and help themselves to those hard-won apps for free.
    4. And as for developers, they have a very good idea of which platforms are likely to be profitable for them, and which would not. Any platform that is not profitable means that developer would incur a loss by developing for it, and that's not good business. Many developers are barely getting by, and need to spend their limited time continuing to develop their apps on the platforms that are making them money, vs. a platform with very limited profit potential (or, worse, a loss).


    All of these things were discussed back in 2010 when BB bought QNX rather than, say, adopting Android. It was well-understood even then that developers could only afford to support a limited number of ecosystems, and that that number was likely to be 2 or maybe 3, but definitely not more than that.

    Had BB spent the last 4 years making a secured version of Android instead of investing literally more than a billion dollars in developing on QNX, BB would have the whole Play Store ecosystem available to it and would have saved a huge amount of money in the process (all the money they spend to promote and develop their own ecosystem). Of course, there are people who will argue that QNX is better, and I'm not disagreeing - for BB's purposes (i.e., security), it probably is better. But being better isn't likely to save BB's handset business - that's likely to end by 2016, because of a lack of sales that is a direct result of the lack of an ecosystem for BB10. Mike and Jim (mostly Mike) arrogantly assumed that BB could build a rival ecosystem that BB could profit off of, even though they were many years late to the game and had much less in the way of resources compared to Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Clearly, that was a poor assumption, and BB is still paying dearly for that mistake.

    I would prefer that BB stay in the handset business, because the more competition there is, the better it is for everyone, but no company can continue to support a division that isn't profitable and isn't projected to become profitable in the near future. BB doesn't have the bankroll to continue the handset business if it isn't making money, and it hasn't been for BB since before the launch of BB10.
    TGR1, JeepBB, Timothy Cox and 5 others like this.
    08-14-14 10:59 AM
  8. Loc22's Avatar
    Basically if you have it Black, there is no going back.

    Most people don't see it that way. They've not had it black before. After you've used a BlackBerry, you'll find it really frustrating to go back to iOS or Android.

    However you'll need to settle with the lack of Apps problem with your Blackberry. I see that there are plenty of alternatives but sometimes there aren't any because you need to use some proprietary apps & the company producing these apps think that BlackBerry has already closed down so they are not willing to support them.

    Posted via CB10
    08-14-14 11:06 AM
  9. Kurdis Blough's Avatar
    Basically if you have it Black, there is no going back.

    Most people don't see it that way. They've not had it black before. After you've used a BlackBerry, you'll find it really frustrating to go back to iOS or Android.

    However you'll need to settle with the lack of Apps problem with your Blackberry. I see that there are plenty of alternatives but sometimes there aren't any because you need to use some proprietary apps & the company producing these apps think that BlackBerry has already closed down so they are not willing to support them.

    Posted via CB10
    No. I've used plenty of BlackBerry phones in my day. When phones became more than just a way to place calls emails and text, BlackBerry devices became unattractive. There is no going back.

    Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android
    JeepBB and bbq10l like this.
    08-14-14 11:16 AM
  10. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    I have NEVER understood what made BlackBerry believe that something would change between the PlayBook and the new Phones.
    JeepBB likes this.
    08-14-14 11:20 AM
  11. Banco's Avatar
    I just don't see an app issue. Native and Android between them cover most eventualities and the Android ones run absolutely fine almost always. May be a Z30 attitude because as far as I can see it's the other devices where the complaints come from mostly.

    Posted via CB10
    08-14-14 11:23 AM
  12. Tre Lawrence's Avatar
    I have NEVER understood what made BlackBerry believe that something would change between the PlayBook and the new Phones.
    It is interesting.

    I think BBRY just ceded the battle.
    08-14-14 11:30 AM
  13. shaleem's Avatar
    Oh, for a good call blocking app!
    DINGSTER1 likes this.
    08-14-14 11:33 AM
  14. dbmalloy's Avatar
    If people would simply do a bit of research before they commit to a platform.... there would be no app issue.... if you simply list the top 10 apps you use or want and half are not avaialble... why go to that platform..... go to the one that has it.,... It is not that BB has a reputation for abundance apps... so why it is an issue... a cursary google search would inform even a novice user that apps availablilty is an issue to many... percieved or actual..... so why people insist on creating threads like this to rehash what is basically a personal preference issue... For me I find no app gap.. everything I need is in BB World... which is why I bought a BB in the first place... how many time are we going to flog the preverbiable dead horse.... Taking the OP view... Apple and Google are deficient because they do not have the HUB which to me is crucial.... guess I need to go over rail at them....
    08-14-14 11:45 AM
  15. tinochiko's Avatar
    What app issue?

    Check Out TechCraze
    acovey likes this.
    08-14-14 11:56 AM
  16. lovedaazn's Avatar
    For the apps I would hold off and see what the amazon deal has to offer! I think the amazon deal will provide a lot of new things.

    Posted via CB10
    08-14-14 11:58 AM
  17. ubizmo's Avatar
    Or some may view the features of BB10 enough to stick with the platform even tough there are apps they wish they could get....
    In my case, it's this one. I really do like BB10, and at the moment my app needs are covered, between native BB10 and Android. But my app needs are pretty modest. The OP mentions the PayPal reader app, which we don't have. There are many other business productivity apps that are missing, and it's just a huge problem for BlackBerry. It's one thing to say you're not really in the consumer market anymore, but to make a believable claim on the enterprise market you need more than MDM. You need the apps that businesses use.

    Troy Tiscareno make the very good point that the question of the decade is: How many app platforms can the market really support? It looks like the answer is: at most 3, and WP in that third spot is in doubt.

    For people like myself, with very modest app needs, BB10 is a great experience. But I think I/we are a dwindling segment. To a large extent, running apps is what smartphones are for. And as our expectations rise, the resources needed to build really good apps rise too. This is a natural progression. I'm old enough to remember MS-DOS (CP/M too, but never mind), when there were some pretty decent word processing apps (we didn't call them apps back then, of course) being produced by individuals, working on their own. They were soon blown out of the water by the large software houses that had the resources to build stuff that no lone software whiz could hope to compete with.

    We're in that part of the cycle now with smartphone apps. The smaller developers will gradually be crowded out by the larger ones, and the larger ones, to compete with each other, will have to ignore the fringe platforms.

    In my opinion, the only way BB10 can stay in the game for more than a few more years is for the Android runtime to get so good that it really does rival a native Android experience -- and developers have to stay interested enough to build generic versions of apps that don't need Google Play Services. That is, the Amazon app store has to get stronger.

    I don't know what the odds of either of these things might be, but that's the position BB10 is in.
    08-14-14 11:59 AM
  18. Loc22's Avatar

    We're in that part of the cycle now with smartphone apps. The smaller developers will gradually be crowded out by the larger ones, and the larger ones, to compete with each other, will have to ignore the fringe platforms.

    In my opinion, the only way BB10 can stay in the game for more than a few more years is for the Android runtime to get so good that it really does rival a native Android experience -- and developers have to stay interested enough to build generic versions of apps that don't need Google Play Services. That is, the Amazon app store has to get stronger.

    I don't know what the odds of either of these things might be, but that's the position BB10 is in.
    I would like to add to that, BlackBerry need to sell BlackBerry 10 OS at a very low cost or probably for free to other devices manufacturers so that there will be a higher number of BlackBerry OS 10 devices out there thus creating more demand for apps. Then the situation will make it profitable for more developers to develop for BlackBerry 10.

    Blackberry's main problem now is not really an app gap, I believe that it's main problem is marketing & that is why the number of devices are still low. Most people don't know that BlackBerry is still around anyway.


    Posted via CB10
    eyesopen1111 likes this.
    08-14-14 12:12 PM
  19. ALToronto's Avatar
    I chose door #3 - a BlackBerry phone and a Windows tablet. Between the two of them, I have all the apps I need. If Windows didn't have the apps I was missing, I would have bought an iPad mini. Why is this such an insurmountable obstacle for so many people?

    Posted via CB10
    08-14-14 12:13 PM
  20. Carrtman's Avatar
    Microsoft is going the right direction with the surface pro 3 all they need is a replaceable battery, DVD drive and a better keyboard plus a competitive price.
    The surface pro 3 plus Windows 7 would be my ultimate notebook replacement if they get this right.
    08-14-14 12:20 PM
  21. GodGibson's Avatar
    First let me say this, I have bought both the q10 and the z10. My first smartphone was a blackberry curve, then I went to the htc evo then after that I got a samsung s3 when I got the Samsung I had every intention on getting the blackberry 9900 but my wife was with me and she liked the samsung s3 and they had a special on them when you buy two they were half price so I gave in and we both got the Samsung s3, I never really liked the way the Samsung felt in my hand it was way too light feeling and I couldn't stand the plastic feel it just plain felt like a cheap piece of crap , the built-in calendar felt childish and I constantly was searching for a good calendar app nothing compares to the blackberry calender. I could go on and on but I won't, the point I'm trying to get to is I love the way the new blackberry os works but this whole app thing is getting really frustrating I own a small business and blackberry is supposed to be a business phone but all the apps that are being built are for iPhone or Android. Sometimes you can find the android version and some work and some don't or they are ridiculously slow. I keep telling myself that maybe this fall when they release 10.3 everything will get better. Right now I need a PayPal credit card reader app and there's no signs that they will make one. I tried emailing paypal asking them why they don't have an app for BlackBerry, according to them there's not enough blackberry phones for them to justify building an app. It's just plain frustrating. Why can't they just make apps compatible with all phones? I don't want to go back to a android phone but I might have to if blackberry can't get this app thing figured out, I don't care how badass of phone os they build if there's no apps to go with the os how do they expect people to want to buy their phones ,you might as well have a flip phone.

    Posted via CB10
    I use the Paypal card reader android application without any problem it works fine over bluetooth with my card reader. The applications are fine just a little slow at times, (Q10 I run with 10.2.2)
    southlander likes this.
    08-14-14 12:22 PM
  22. BerryPirate's Avatar
    It's basically gotten to the point where Blackberry users need to also get an android or iphone device to get all the apps they want. I can live without apps myself. Never had any need for any of them. But I can understand those who live and die by them. And if you live and die by your apps, but still want to use a Blackberry for your communication needs, well the only way to go is to get a second device. Android phones are so cheap now, may as well pull the trigger.
    sentimentGX4 and KingOfQwerty like this.
    08-14-14 12:27 PM
  23. Banco's Avatar
    It's basically gotten to the point where Blackberry users need to also get an android or iphone device to get all the apps they want. I can live without apps myself. Never had any need for any of them. But I can understand those who live and die by them. And if you live and die by your apps, but still want to use a Blackberry for your communication needs, well the only way to go is to get a second device. Android phones are so cheap now, may as well pull the trigger.
    Um, you what? The app position has never been better than it is now.

    Posted via CB10
    08-14-14 12:30 PM
  24. iamagod's Avatar
    Microsoft is going the right direction with the surface pro 3 all they need is a replaceable battery, DVD drive and a better keyboard plus a competitive price.
    The surface pro 3 plus Windows 7 would be my ultimate notebook replacement if they get this right.
    I think DVD drives are going the way of the floppy disk. All you really need now is a couple of USB slots and I think that is the direction all manufacturers will continue to go with tablets and ultrabooks.

    Posted via CB10
    08-14-14 12:39 PM
  25. Bbnivende's Avatar
    I was reading that HTML5 apps were becoming the second most popular platform in emerging countries . There is even HTML5 app stores like Appsfuel. Does anyone know how this store works and the app shows up and is used ? How will HTML5 apps affect BlackBerry ?
    08-14-14 12:52 PM
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