[digitalsurfboard]

Just found out that certain city of Toronto empolyees (in management), will not be getting new Blackberries.

Apparently they're getting iphones becaues the geniuses that run our city feel that it's not worth the upgrade costs since Blackberry might not make it as a company. There could be other reasons, but that's the reason the employees getting the phones are citing.

This only from one source, so not sure if all departments.

I'm really hoping the media catches wind of this and can verify it.

[crankedcoffee]

A buddy in the water dept said the same thing

Posted via CB10

[digitalsurfboard]

and just to clarify. i don't think it's started happening yet. they're not due to start issuing the iPhones for a month or two.

[glamrlama]

I would have thought that that Mayor Ford would be all over the "Crack"Berry phone.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

More likely it is because of some application that they plan to implement that BlackBerry does not currently have access to. Lots of Cities now have APPs in the App Store. Pay your water bill, report a pothole or broken street light, check for city events. It's not about the device, but the tools that device has access to.

[John Vieira]

My buddy works as IT for some government offices in Toronto, and he still deals with Blackberries on a daily basis (he hates link)

I'll ask him if he knows anything about the roll out and whether he starts servicing more iPhones


Via Z30 10.3.0.1337

[Signhere]

Well, the world has certainly seen that people running Toronto aren't very bright. No surprise here

DirtyThirty Zed it

[Morty2264]

It shouldn't surprise me that this is happening. Lots of people now want iPhones. They want what's "cool," what's "trending," etc. Of course, from an economic standpoint, I can see if they were worried about BlackBerry's future as a company, it may make sense not to buy a whole bunch; but think about it. If every company thought this way, then BlackBerry would suffer further. If lots of companies purchased BB10 or legacy devices, maybe their fears wouldn't be confirmed. A self-fulfilling prophecy.

I'm not a huge fan of Toronto, but as a Canadian company, it'd be nice if they showed some respect for RIM and BlackBerry.

Posted via CB10

[kbz1960]

It shouldn't surprise me that this is happening. Lots of people now want iPhones. They want what's "cool," what's "trending," etc. Of course, from an economic standpoint, I can see if they were worried about BlackBerry's future as a company, it may make sense not to buy a whole bunch; but think about it. If every company thought this way, then BlackBerry would suffer further. If lots of companies purchased BB10 or legacy devices, maybe their fears wouldn't be confirmed. A self-fulfilling prophecy.

I'm not a huge fan of Toronto, but as a Canadian company, it'd be nice if they showed some respect for RIM and BlackBerry.

Posted via CB10

I think it may be more they want the specialized apps that are available on iPhone.

[early2bed]

Well, the world has certainly seen that people running Toronto aren't very bright. No surprise here

Is it really necessary to diss the city government to defend Blackberry? Who's next? The people of Toronto or Canada? It seems that when some negative news comes out, there is reflex to immediately search for something to discredit the author or perpetrator of the news.

[scienceboy]

Well, to be fair, I've seen turnips that are brighter than Mayor Ford

Posted via CB10

[stabstabdie]

I would have thought that that Mayor Ford would be all over the "Crack"Berry phone.

Ya but its 'black'berry

He's racist too.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Well, the world has certainly seen that people running Toronto aren't very bright. No surprise here

I bet there are some pretty smart people that have review the information available at the time and made a very informed and "safe" decision. Just like most people did back in the late 80's and early 90's when Windows became the dominate computer Operating System. You go with the company that has the best support, the best compatibility and looks like it will be around in the years to come.

No shortage of developers with the skills to make profession apps (if they aren't already available).
Device are standardized and don't change much year to year - consumer might not like it, but enterprise does.
Easy to train users how to operate.
Accessories - all sorts of add on hardware.
Compatibility - lots of other devices are designed to communicate via Wi-Fi and most have apps for iPhone devices. Cameras, Meters, Traffic Controls....


Not being bright would be investing millions in a platform that isn't really a platform for nationalistic or sentimental reasons. The only ACE BlackBerry has is security.... but that rarely trumps functionality.

[digitalsurfboard]

More likely it is because of some application that they plan to implement that BlackBerry does not currently have access to. Lots of Cities now have APPs in the App Store. Pay your water bill, report a pothole or broken street light, check for city events. It's not about the device, but the tools that device has access to.

it's not about this. they will not have any apps on their phones. they're not allowed to install anything on their current blackberries and won't be allowed to install apps on their iphones. these guys use their phones as communication tools. not for paying for water bills.

another reason cited is the expense of upgrading servers (for a product that might not be around in the long run).

[Brandon Orr]

I have a few friends that work for the city of Toronto. Very few people get issued a device. Big whoop if it switches. My point if view at least.

- Developer of PinGuin

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

it's not about this. they will not have any apps on their phones. they're not allowed to install anything on their current blackberries and won't be allowed to install apps on their iphones. these guys use their phones as communication tools. not for paying for water bills.

another reason cited is the expense of upgrading servers (for a product that might not be around in the long run).

The same System that the public would use, would also allow employees access. They can log into work, report issues to the correct departments, order materials in the field, respond to work orders, take pictures and create reports on need maintenance, the bosses can track them, read meters, get alerts....


Hard to believe that cost is an issue for a city the size of Toronto.... wouldn't one new BES10 Server handle all the devices - the only payout would be the hardware and server OS cost? Unless the city is buying older iPhone 4S the cost of devices isn't going to be much cheaper than Q10 and would be more than Z10's. And CAL right now for BB10 devices is pretty cheap, don't believe that GOOD or any other platform can beat the $19 per BB10 device price (or free if upgrading the CAL from BBOS).

Pricing I don't buy. Functionality or concerns for the future I understand.

[Fevr]

Because Ontario's economy is just on fire right now. Might as well buy American when an equal/comparative product is available from a company based in your own province! Too damn funny.

Posted via CB10 on my Z30

[anon(5906760)]

I would have thought that that Mayor Ford would be all over the "Crack"Berry phone.

Came here for a rob ford joke.

Was not disappointed lol.

Posted via CB10

[digitalsurfboard]

The same System that the public would use, would also allow employees access. They can log into work, report issues to the correct departments, order materials in the field, respond to work orders, take pictures and create reports on need maintenance, the bosses can track them, read meters, get alerts.....

what city do you live in? if they have an integrated system like the one you mention, then i'm moving there. they must have their **** together.

Toronto is a huge city, with a small town mentality. actually that's demeaning to small towns. they're probably governed more progressively than TO.

i would be SHOCKED if this was about some sort of integrated mobile system like you described. do you realize that our bus tickets are made from paper? that even when the whole world was paying for bus tickets/tokens with debit, we had to use cash?

i'd be willing to bet this is more about some fools who think blackberry is going bankrupt and their kids have iPhones and they think iPhones are better.

and you're right, for a city this big it's not about actual money, it's about the perception of cost and finding little savings here and there instead of tackling big issues that would make a noticeable impact on the bottom line. the mayor just proposed adding library fines to property tax bills to make some more money.

[John Timothy]

City of Waterloo is issuing new BB phones to their employees, to do the same thing as what City of Toronto will be using the phones for! So the only reason i can think of why they want to switch to Iphones is so that the next time Mayor Ford goes to Bar and forgets his phone .. the finger print scanner will save the day and prevent someone from hacking into his phone. Oh wait maybe not didn't some one figure out how to hack the finger print scanner? Oh well!

[donnation]

What!!!! I thought it was the US's fault that BB's weren't selling well. This can't be right.

[NotGoodIMO]

It shouldn't surprise me that this is happening. Lots of people now want iPhones. They want what's "cool," what's "trending," etc. Of course, from an economic standpoint, I can see if they were worried about BlackBerry's future as a company, it may make sense not to buy a whole bunch; but think about it. If every company thought this way, then BlackBerry would suffer further. If lots of companies purchased BB10 or legacy devices, maybe their fears wouldn't be confirmed. A self-fulfilling prophecy.

I'm not a huge fan of Toronto, but as a Canadian company, it'd be nice if they showed some respect for RIM and BlackBerry.

Posted via CB10

First, I don't think iPhone is cool anymore. To me, people using iPhone seem like they haven't moved on, still stuck in the past. May be too scared to try anything different I guess. There are so many choices available in the market now. Having said that, I think it's totally hypocrite and irresponsible for city of Toronto to spend tax payers money on something just because it's cool.

[BobWalker]

If I lived in Toronto I'd be writing some letters and making some calls. What a waste of tax dollars! The keyboard alone makes BB10 a more economical choice if the idea is to help employees be productive.

[NotGoodIMO]

I bet there are some pretty smart people that have review the information available at the time and made a very informed and "safe" decision. Just like most people did back in the late 80's and early 90's when Windows became the dominate computer Operating System. You go with the company that has the best support, the best compatibility and looks like it will be around in the years to come.

No shortage of developers with the skills to make profession apps (if they aren't already available).
Device are standardized and don't change much year to year - consumer might not like it, but enterprise does.
Easy to train users how to operate.
Accessories - all sorts of add on hardware.
Compatibility - lots of other devices are designed to communicate via Wi-Fi and most have apps for iPhone devices. Cameras, Meters, Traffic Controls....


Not being bright would be investing millions in a platform that isn't really a platform for nationalistic or sentimental reasons. The only ACE BlackBerry has is security.... but that rarely trumps functionality.

You sound like someone who works for either Apple or City of Toronto.

[Gator99]

Well, the world has certainly seen that people running Toronto aren't very bright. No surprise here

DirtyThirty Zed it

You've got that right!

Sent from the future on my ? Z10