If Blackberry Is So Bad, Why Does The US President Have A BB?
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Considering I'm going on my 5th 9930 since September 12th, I'd say they're lagging behind in more that what users see as "cool".
I LOVE BlackBerry. Seriously, I've had just about every model since the 7250. Everytime they come out with a new one, I buy it. But, the 9930 is easily both the best and worst berry ever. Also, now that most other platforms connect to MS Exchange without incurring the cost and maintenence of a BB server, many companies are also going in other directions.
RIM is far from dead. But, they do need to focus on how the market is changing or they will go the way of Nokia...
Just my $0.02, which I know, is really worth about half that!
12-30-11 08:20 PMLike 0 -
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That was a couple of years ago. The landscape has changed. When he leaves office there is an iphone waiting for him.Last edited by sinsin07; 12-30-11 at 11:47 PM.
12-30-11 11:44 PMLike 0 -
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This is a most recent picture of President Obama and his blackberry I got off google images that link me to this site..12-31-11 02:03 AMLike 0 -
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Supposedly he's got an 8830, or at least he did back in 09.
I don't see BB as being so bad. I have devices with all 3 OS's (iPod Touch 3G, Moto i1, 8530).
I got the 8530 just a couple of weeks back as my i1 has terrible coverage, if I'm outside a building it regularly works, but step under an umbrella and it starts losing coverage, not to mention slow data (Sprint's Nextel network) and terrible battery life. Oh, and runs Android 1.6, which is ancient.
After my experience with Android, with my phone and using friend's phones, I'd say it's great only if you have 3G (maybe even 2G, but still) and a higher end phone. The 3.1" screen is borderline small as it doesn't have a physical keyboard, so typing anything means that you get 3 lines of text. Having Android 1.6 is like having BB OS 4, works, just not as good and with only half the apps. I've tried a few other phones like a Droid, some Sprint HTC phone and a Triumph. Running 2.1+ on a bigger screen is amazing, but obviously the phones are far more expensive. Amazing Google integration too.
iOS is cool, has all these cool apps, Mac integration is amazing, but the iPhone is way too restricted (having an iPod, the phone part isn't an issue for me), and having to circumvent locks just to get custom ringtones is just ridiculous.
The 8530, I've only used it for a little while. It seems to be between iOS and Android for what you can do with it, not fully open but not fully closed. Even with a low end phone it still feels good, I can get the basic apps I need (Twitter, fb, Chase Mobile -bank, Google Talk, package tracking, news). The screen is small but with the external keyboard it feels better than my i1.
Obama's phone, regardless of what it is, it's definitely not standard, and God knows what the USSS and the NSA did to it, but still pretty cool that he managed to pretty much break away from traditional requirements.
As far as popularity...
In Mexico BB's are extremely popular. Telcel has been offering special BB plans for students of some high schools and colleges, not sure if they are prepaid or postpaid plans, but from what I hear they're relatively cheap (I know my brother has one of those plans). Android is almost unheard of. I know most of the "kids" in my extended family have some form of BB (myself, 21, included). It's almost the same in Panama. The iPhones are popular too, but too expensive. I don't know the current price of an iPhone, but when they arrived to Panama (right after the US, at&t only release) they were selling them for around $850+tax. And people were buying them.
That said, I think that depending on how you use it, you can decide if it's good or bad; I originally wanted the Nexus 4S, but I couldn't justify spending that much money for a phone that I will use for maps, email, facebook and twitter. An Android without marketplace (like the DoD approved Dell) is no better than a BB with an IT policy, and I think the iPhone would be even worse, as it only comes preloaded with the Apple apps. You would in essence have a $500ish iPod with an integrated phone.
And I'm not surprised that Hollywood stars do use BB's. Remember when Paris Hilton's (?) Sidekick was hacked (do those things even exist anymore?)? I'm sure that wouldn't be so easy with a BB, I don't know what BIS uses for encryption, but the AES encryption used by BES is pretty difficult to crack (from what I read, AES is approved by the DoD to encrypt top secret documents).12-31-11 02:12 AMLike 0 -
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Nice description of the BB stuff. Glad to see some praise for the brand.Supposedly he's got an 8830, or at least he did back in 09.
I don't see BB as being so bad. I have devices with all 3 OS's (iPod Touch 3G, Moto i1, 8530).
I got the 8530 just a couple of weeks back as my i1 has terrible coverage, if I'm outside a building it regularly works, but step under an umbrella and it starts losing coverage, not to mention slow data (Sprint's Nextel network) and terrible battery life. Oh, and runs Android 1.6, which is ancient.
After my experience with Android, with my phone and using friend's phones, I'd say it's great only if you have 3G (maybe even 2G, but still) and a higher end phone. The 3.1" screen is borderline small as it doesn't have a physical keyboard, so typing anything means that you get 3 lines of text. Having Android 1.6 is like having BB OS 4, works, just not as good and with only half the apps. I've tried a few other phones like a Droid, some Sprint HTC phone and a Triumph. Running 2.1+ on a bigger screen is amazing, but obviously the phones are far more expensive. Amazing Google integration too.
iOS is cool, has all these cool apps, Mac integration is amazing, but the iPhone is way too restricted (having an iPod, the phone part isn't an issue for me), and having to circumvent locks just to get custom ringtones is just ridiculous.
The 8530, I've only used it for a little while. It seems to be between iOS and Android for what you can do with it, not fully open but not fully closed. Even with a low end phone it still feels good, I can get the basic apps I need (Twitter, fb, Chase Mobile -bank, Google Talk, package tracking, news). The screen is small but with the external keyboard it feels better than my i1.
Obama's phone, regardless of what it is, it's definitely not standard, and God knows what the USSS and the NSA did to it, but still pretty cool that he managed to pretty much break away from traditional requirements.
As far as popularity...
In Mexico BB's are extremely popular. Telcel has been offering special BB plans for students of some high schools and colleges, not sure if they are prepaid or postpaid plans, but from what I hear they're relatively cheap (I know my brother has one of those plans). Android is almost unheard of. I know most of the "kids" in my extended family have some form of BB (myself, 21, included). It's almost the same in Panama. The iPhones are popular too, but too expensive. I don't know the current price of an iPhone, but when they arrived to Panama (right after the US, at&t only release) they were selling them for around $850+tax. And people were buying them.
That said, I think that depending on how you use it, you can decide if it's good or bad; I originally wanted the Nexus 4S, but I couldn't justify spending that much money for a phone that I will use for maps, email, facebook and twitter. An Android without marketplace (like the DoD approved Dell) is no better than a BB with an IT policy, and I think the iPhone would be even worse, as it only comes preloaded with the Apple apps. You would in essence have a $500ish iPod with an integrated phone.
And I'm not surprised that Hollywood stars do use BB's. Remember when Paris Hilton's (?) Sidekick was hacked (do those things even exist anymore?)? I'm sure that wouldn't be so easy with a BB, I don't know what BIS uses for encryption, but the AES encryption used by BES is pretty difficult to crack (from what I read, AES is approved by the DoD to encrypt top secret documents).
Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com12-31-11 02:39 AMLike 0 -
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I believe this is a valid statement but you also have to look at his position. He's the president of the US im pretty sure he could use any device he wants to and he would have some part of the government secure it for him..... Saying that he uses a BB is irrelevant because he could just as well use a pager and it would be one of the most secure devices.....azrin640 likes this.12-31-11 02:46 AMLike 1 -
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Yes, but keep in mind that BB was designed around the corporate user, security features and such. I'm sure the government could make an iPhone equally secure, but it sounds like it would be much more of a challenge, and I'm not sure to what extent Apple would be willing to work with the USSS and NSA, as they would probably need to tweak the OS a bit. I'm sure they already have plenty of BB's running, some of them with some changes. On that note, notice that several models (8350i, 9630, 9650 and some others) are offered without a camera, which shows the level of commitment that RIM has with corporate users, as almost every smartphone nowadays has a camera, and there's quite a few people who need/want smartphones yet they work in a place with restrictions on camera phones.I believe this is a valid statement but you also have to look at his position. He's the president of the US im pretty sure he could use any device he wants to and he would have some part of the government secure it for him..... Saying that he uses a BB is irrelevant because he could just as well use a pager and it would be one of the most secure devices.....12-31-11 10:59 AMLike 0 -
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Obama wanted an iPhone but his IT team siad it wasnt secure enough.
Obama wouldnt know what is good anyway....just look at how bad everything has turned out for him.....plus he needed a phone that could sustain a golf ball hitting it since he spends 80% of his time on the course.rdonnelly likes this.12-31-11 09:19 PMLike 1 -
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This is the best and most logical response yet.Obama wanted an iPhone but his IT team siad it wasnt secure enough.
Obama wouldnt know what is good anyway....just look at how bad everything has turned out for him.....plus he needed a phone that could sustain a golf ball hitting it since he spends 80% of his time on the course.01-01-12 08:47 AMLike 0 -
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Why doesn't this response shock me?Obama wanted an iPhone but his IT team siad it wasnt secure enough.
Obama wouldnt know what is good anyway....just look at how bad everything has turned out for him.....plus he needed a phone that could sustain a golf ball hitting it since he spends 80% of his time on the course.01-03-12 10:25 AMLike 0
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If Blackberry Is So Bad, Why Does The US President Have A BB?
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