Could the Blackberry Bridge be a game changer???
I've been thinking about this for a while...could RIM have the kernel of a true game changer with the Blackberry Bridge?
What are the positive things that RIM is best known for? Security, email, push technology, bandwidth efficiency, simple and very effective user interfaces (for very specific functions such as email), Enterprise class management and control, battery life, and the ability to integrate with pretty much every carrier's wireless infrastructure.
What are the things that RIM is best known for being bad at? "Cool" user interfaces, leading edge handsets (they seem to lag 1-2 years behind others), touch screen technologies, web browsers, consumer markets (although their Curve line and BBM seems to have finally given them a foot hold in the 15-22 age range), social media, etc.
So here's the idea about the Bridge...suppose RIM were to focus on building a mifi type device which embedded inside it all of the cellular radio components, wifi and bluetooth interfaces, and all of the blackberry platform functionality for which they are so well respected - the security, Enterprise management and control features, push email, contacts, tasks, BBM, etc, AND....they left out the screen, keyboard, and UI.
Suppose they then licensed (an extended implementation of) their Bridge techology (either protocol specs or APIs across the main mobile OS platforms) to every handset manufacturer in the world.
What could this do to the handset industry?
Suddenly, every handset manufacturer could focus on building the coolest, most functional and usable UI, without having to worry about how to interface to every different carrier in the world (diff radio spectrums, different underlying technologies such as GSM, CDMA, LTE, HSPA+, etc). In addition, every handset would automatically inherit all the Enterprise class security, push email, contacts, and all the other world class features that RIM is known for.
Time to market for handset manufacturers would likely be significantly improved because they would no longer need to bring out multiple versions of each handset for different carriers, plus none of the cellular technology would need to be tested by them. In addition, since handsets would no longer need to support cellular radios, the cost of handsets would be reduced, the battery life would be extended, and there would be more room in handset for a larger battery or other components.
Carriers would have a tremendously simpler landscape for testing new handsets - the difficult testing would sit with new versions of the RIM "mifi" device - actual handset testing with be dramatically reduced. Presumably this could significantly speed up Carrier testing and acceptance of new handsets or even take carriers out of the loop entirely for handsets (and get them out from having to offer rebates or subsidies for new handsets???).
Consumers would gain far more flexibility to change carriers - they'd only need to buy a new mifi device, not new handsets! And no matter what handset they choose, they'd get all the great Enterprise features of a RIM device (including UMA if their carrier supported it), without being held captive to RIM's slow pace of handset innovations and poor consumer friendly UI capabilities. In addition, since it would be the mifi device where all contacts, emails, tasks, etc are stored, when you replace your handset (with the very latest cool features), there would be literally no migration needed - none of your data lives in the handsets - it's all in the mifi device!
What do people think? Is this a ridiculous idea or a way for RIM to "rule the world"?