1. davewoodson's Avatar
    I am just an average blackberry user, been using them for sometime. I had two with Sprint and I now have the Storm.

    Why is it, that it seems like the iphone gets all the killer apps even though there are more BB users. It really does not make any sense to me. Am I missing something?

    D
    Last edited by Reed McLay; 09-29-09 at 08:55 AM. Reason: Content
    09-29-09 08:53 AM
  2. Reed McLay's Avatar
    It may well depend on your definition of "killer apps". The vast majority of iPhone apps are flatulence emulators and accelerometer games.

    My idea of a killer app may be a lot different from yours, but mine are the communications functions in the core OS. Everything else is window dressing.
    09-29-09 08:59 AM
  3. dragonsamus's Avatar
    I think its because developers much rather work on stuff for apple. Isn't the bb core kind of locked down from developers anyway?

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    09-29-09 09:28 AM
  4. elvin1983's Avatar
    Yeah, it's all kind of by definition... sure, the iPhone apps may be a little more flashy than the BB apps, however, there are advantages to many of the BB apps over the iPhone ones. For example, with the Facebook app, new notifications that are sent to your BB get kicked over to the FB app, allowing you to view new updates in real time, without having to physically open facebook and have it check to see what new notifications you have, they just get pushed to your device! The iPhone app doesn't do this, you don't get any alert to new updates, you have to just randomly open the app and check to see if any new updates are out there... Like Reed said, it's mostly personal preference...
    09-29-09 09:33 AM
  5. elvin1983's Avatar
    I think its because developers much rather work on stuff for apple. Isn't the bb core kind of locked down from developers anyway?

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    Actually, it seems to me that BB is opening up even more to developers. Haven't they been holding developer conferences or something like that? I don't think that the BB "core" is going to be open to anyone outside RIM to tamper with, just because of the intense security that is built into the devices, but as far as the world of 3rd party development is concerned, I think that RIM is pretty active in making it easier for developers to create new and better apps for their devices. If they're not, then they're seriously hindering themselves in the consumer market, since the direction things seem to be going is more towards the 3rd party application based market... where can you get the most apps to do what...
    09-29-09 09:37 AM
  6. BergerKing's Avatar
    Define 'killer' apps. What are they?

    Give me functionality over glitz any day.

    If you want to play, many folks use the iPod Touch. All-in-one on your phone leaves you hung up if you kill the battery playing games somewhere where you can't recharge. Oops.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    Last edited by BergerKing; 09-29-09 at 09:43 AM.
    09-29-09 09:39 AM
  7. thebeags's Avatar
    My only gripe on Apps are r/t the Sports Apps.

    The ESPN app and MLB at Bat app are far superior on iphone than Blackberry.

    Other than that, I prefer what I run on my blackberry, w/ push notifications and auto updates rather than what I have on my iphone.
    09-29-09 10:04 AM
  8. Xopher's Avatar
    It is also easier to develop for iPhone. You have one device to develop for - you really don't have to account for the three different versions, just make sure you are supporting the current level software.

    With Blackberrys, you have how many devices? How many different operating systems? GSM? CDMA? aGPS or Dual-Mode GPS? How much memory? What screen resolution? Do you support OS 4.6+ with better graphics and leave out other devices? What about a seperate Storm version?

    I remember over the summmer an app came out that was even on the front page. A lot of people had problems with it. This was due to the German developer only having access to the GSM version of the Curve, and the app wouldn't work on the 8330 CDMA Curve.

    It's not like you can just create one app and it will work on all BlackBerry devices. You have to account for all the differences. It makes it a completely different game than just developing for one device.
    09-29-09 10:15 AM
  9. elvin1983's Avatar
    My only gripe on Apps are r/t the Sports Apps.

    The ESPN app and MLB at Bat app are far superior on iphone than Blackberry.

    Other than that, I prefer what I run on my blackberry, w/ push notifications and auto updates rather than what I have on my iphone.
    I agree with the sports apps, but ScoreMobile is a pretty easy app to use and works pretty well. I would love it if ESPN would come out with one... Anyways!

    That brings me to another point that j0hnnyRingo sort of touched on, the auto updates. With your BB, you can set the app to run in the background, which will allow it to update after a specified amount of time passes. For example, this past Sunday, I was at the Packers/Rams game, and I wanted to keep up to date on what the scores were in the other games going on, so I opened up ScoreMobile, pulled up the scores page that lists all the games, then set the app to "hide" which sends it to the background, and it auto updates every 5 minutes. While this was happening, I have BerryWeather running in the background as well, updating every 30 minutes to tell me what the weather is doing... the iPhone cannot do this.
    iPhone app would need you to either keep the Score app open the entire time, or you'll just have to open and close it each time you want to check the scores... it won't let you run a number of apps continously in the background, which isn't nearly as efficient...
    Last edited by elvin1983; 09-29-09 at 10:29 AM.
    09-29-09 10:26 AM
  10. Arson627's Avatar
    Developers will design their apps for the most popular phone. What is the most popular phone? And what is the market for that phone? Kids that want something flashy to show to their friends. Think a guy with a blackberry is going to want to drink a digital beer? Developers know what their target is, and they go after it. Why would they develop something for the blackberry that no one would use?
    09-29-09 11:37 AM
  11. Radius's Avatar
    I'm still upset they pulled the shaken baby app. In fact, long before it was out I was musing to my coworkers I should make something like that.

    Perhaps I can have my chance on the Storm 2?
    09-29-09 12:16 PM
  12. Chrisy's Avatar
    Define 'killer' apps. What are they?

    Give me functionality over glitz any day.

    If you want to play, many folks use the iPod Touch. All-in-one on your phone leaves you hung up if you kill the battery playing games somewhere where you can't recharge. Oops.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    Agree with this statement! i don't own a PC and do just about everything on my BlackBerry!

    i also use it for entertainment though. Listen to MP3s, Slacker, FM radio. The games are good for me too but i don't spend hours playing.

    i use my BlackBerry for communication, organization and that's where it excels!

    As an example, i was playing with a freinds iPhone a few weeks ago, checking out an app for local searches. You could shake the iPhone and it played a noise while restaurants on a slot machine flashed by. It seemed really pointless to me. i'd rather just get to the Poynt!

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    09-29-09 12:21 PM
  13. davewoodson's Avatar
    I am in Real Estate and Mortgage and it just seems like Zillow and Trulia and other companies are doing iphone apps and ignoring us on the BB. I get a real sense that the iphone is a good social media phone and bb is far superior for business. But, I do both.
    09-29-09 12:26 PM
  14. Username00089's Avatar
    I am just an average blackberry user, been using them for sometime. I had two with Sprint and I now have the Storm.

    Why is it, that it seems like the iphone gets all the killer apps even though there are more BB users. It really does not make any sense to me. Am I missing something?

    D
    I just switched to an iPhone a month ago after being a Blackberry person for
    about 2 1/2 years. Now I basically use the same sorts of apps that I did on
    the BB and a few more than that on my iPhone. To me it's not about "killer
    apps", but the difference to me is apps running smoother (to me).

    For example I use Market Simplified for TD Amertirade. I used it on my BB and
    it worked just fine. Now that I'm using it on my iPhone I find it to run
    smoother and I'm able to do things on it with much more ease. I mean even
    the whole UI on the app looks much better. The other looked kind of messy.

    Other "killer apps" though are pretty much useless. But those are designed for
    kid crowd.

    As far as media is concerned, iPhone wins by a longshot. The BB doesn't even
    compare and I don't care what anyone says or what argument they give. But
    then again, media and streaming videos are something I use on a daily basis.
    Probably not for most BB users though. All depends. But the "killer apps"
    argument for the iPhone against the BB is weak.
    09-29-09 12:59 PM
  15. BergerKing's Avatar
    Agree with this statement! i don't own a PC and do just about everything on my BlackBerry!

    i also use it for entertainment though. Listen to MP3s, Slacker, FM radio. The games are good for me too but i don't spend hours playing.

    i use my BlackBerry for communication, organization and that's where it excels!

    As an example, i was playing with a friends iPhone a few weeks ago, checking out an app for local searches. You could shake the iPhone and it played a noise while restaurants on a slot machine flashed by. It seemed really pointless to me. i'd rather just get to the Poynt!

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    I use the BB in lieu of a PC also. Can't afford to outlay hundreds of dollars to buy a laptop, and then support it on the road. Just can't justify it.

    Nearly everything I need a PC for is covered by my Curve. Paying bills, e-mail, CrackBerry, etc.

    I have extensive music, some videos, and 3 games. I have Sprint TV I rarely use, NFL Mobile Live, Turn-by-turn Nav, and access to search for almost anything.

    The only thing that would make me happier is a flash media capability.

    I also like having ability to make improvements on my schedule, a flash on my camera, and popping in a spare battery in a pinch.

    And a real keyboard.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    09-29-09 01:15 PM
  16. papped's Avatar
    I am just an average blackberry user, been using them for sometime. I had two with Sprint and I now have the Storm.

    Why is it, that it seems like the iphone gets all the killer apps even though there are more BB users. It really does not make any sense to me. Am I missing something?

    D
    There's far more user demand, money to be made making iphone apps AND it takes far less effort.

    Put those together and you have an obvious answer as to why. Supporting multiple BB hardware is nothing but a hassle.
    09-29-09 01:28 PM
  17. smnc's Avatar
    It is also easier to develop for iPhone. You have one device to develop for - you really don't have to account for the three different versions, just make sure you are supporting the current level software.

    With Blackberrys, you have how many devices? How many different operating systems? GSM? CDMA? aGPS or Dual-Mode GPS? How much memory? What screen resolution? Do you support OS 4.6+ with better graphics and leave out other devices? What about a seperate Storm version?
    This is supposed to be one of the reasons for moving to one unified OS, right?
    Developers will only need to deal with one SDK. There's still hardware considerations like GSM/CDMA, and the Storm, but it should at least narrow the gap.
    09-29-09 01:52 PM
  18. papped's Avatar
    This is supposed to be one of the reasons for moving to one unified OS, right?
    Developers will only need to deal with one SDK. There's still hardware considerations like GSM/CDMA, and the Storm, but it should at least narrow the gap.
    Down the road it might help, but look at it in the near future, it won't.

    You still have to support all the 83xx curves, 81xx, etc, that will never see OS5. Even worse, a lot of people never upgrade their phone firmware, which means any of the phones that did not ship with OS5, yet still support it, will have to support the old OS and the new OS.
    09-29-09 02:05 PM
  19. smnc's Avatar
    Down the road it might help, but look at it in the near future, it won't.

    You still have to support all the 83xx curves, 81xx, etc, that will never see OS5. Even worse, a lot of people never upgrade their phone firmware, which means any of the phones that did not ship with OS5, yet still support it, will have to support the old OS and the new OS.
    No, I understand that. I meant, that as I understand it, one of the long-term goals of unifying the OS is to make app writing easier.

    Besides, I imagine in the next year or so a lot of "consumer" apps (the apps that I think the OP is talking about) will migrate to OS5 and leave 4.5 and older in the dust. It's already starting to happen, with a lot of newer apps requiring 4.6 or higher. And with the 8520 and Tour, it's clear RIM wants to cast off anything with 4.5 or less.

    Also, OS5 has already leaked for the 8330, lending hope that all the 83xx devices may get it. *fingers crossed, really hard*
    Last edited by smnc; 09-29-09 at 04:53 PM.
    09-29-09 04:49 PM
  20. papped's Avatar
    That might be another problem if "consumer" apps only support newer devices. There's a large portion of non consumer users that could easily be holding on to quite old devices (83xx being a best seller for example).

    Unifying OSes for OS5 is one thing, but I question how long will it last. Eventually you'll start seeing iterations of OS5, etc, and will all the last 2 years of devices see the same updates?

    Yeah it will be better than it is right now (is that really saying much though? Only WM is worse off than BB right now), but it will never, ever be even close to equal to the iPhone. At the end of the day you are still using java apps anyways with highly restricted apis, regardless of if they are easier to produce for multiple devices. So even if the OS unification works out great, you're still not going to see another massive jump in consumer apps (considering RIM usually has to eventually break down and make them themselves because no one else can)...
    09-29-09 07:23 PM
  21. papped's Avatar
    And here is one other huge reason BB won't get a huge boost in consumer apps...

    Smaller Developers Unhappy With New BlackBerry Alliance Program? | BerryReview.com �

    Small developers not having access to BIS-B is no bueno...
    09-29-09 08:37 PM
  22. smnc's Avatar
    Fair enough. I'm really not the one to be defending BBOS, lol.
    I'm actually one of those who favours a new approach.

    One idea (that we'll never see) that I put forward in my other thread is that RIM should develop TWO OS's. One would be the ultra secure Corporate and Government oriented version we have now. The other would be a more modern consumer oriented OS. Both would be able to run on the same hardware...
    09-30-09 12:40 AM
  23. dwaynewilliams#WN's Avatar
    I am just an average blackberry user, been using them for sometime. I had two with Sprint and I now have the Storm.

    Why is it, that it seems like the iphone gets all the killer apps even though there are more BB users. It really does not make any sense to me. Am I missing something?

    D
    They seem to have pretty much the same applications. The iPhone apps look different, but as far as what applications Are available, they are almost the same.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    10-01-09 05:32 PM
  24. smnc's Avatar
    They seem to have pretty much the same applications. The iPhone apps look different, but as far as what applications Are available, they are almost the same.
    Sorry, but I have to say this.

    You're kidding right?
    There's over EIGHTY FIVE THOUSAND apps in the Apple App Store. I think RIM is approaching THREE THOUSAND....
    That's around THIRTY TIMES as many apps for the iPhone/iTouch as for RIM. And bear in mind, many of the RIM apps are not available for all devices, so the the actual number available for any particular BlackBerry is much less...

    Yes, they mostly fall into the same categories: weather, entertainment, games, sports, etc.
    But trying to say they're equal is like saying my local paper (about 50,000 copy distribution) is the same as the New York Times (about 1,040,000 daily distribution) because they contain the same sections.
    10-01-09 07:22 PM
  25. stuaw11's Avatar
    I have to agree here having a Bold and iphone with the above

    There is plenty lacking in the BB app line-up that arent the stereotypical fart apps people love to throw around here

    Remote desktop? iphone has Jaadu, Logmein Ignition, and many other good ones. Far from a joke kids app- its a business tool

    Turn by turn gps? Yes you have the ones over the data networks, but what good is that when you get lost in a place without service or data? iphone has ALL the big names with apps that store the maps on the device- Igo, CoPilot, Navigon, Tomtom.

    Documents- why does Docs2Go cost $70! on BB and $10-15 on iphone? Its the same app but about 1/6th the cost.

    On a similar note, Beejive and IM+ are 4 times the cost for Blackberry (not a business app but everyone really uses some messaging service)

    Bank of America "app" (more like web portal) STILL doesnt support the Bold, just throws back errors. The iphone app isnt a webportal, but a full app and works flawlessly.

    Other little app- document scanner (take a picture and turns it into a pdf, makeshift scanner bed)

    Also, for personal use, complete access (in app form) to the US Code and Florida Statutes. Dont need to search online or run to the library to look up a law.


    PLENTY of "business" apps that Blackberry lacks in outside of the games and twitter/facebook/tinker apps.

    Saying otherwise is just making up excuses like tossing around the fart app line- its played out already. Yes 90% may be crap "fluff" games and crap apps, but 10% arent. thats still a TON (a few thousand) of helpful apps for every day and business users. And with the popularity of the iphone and sheer units sold with the easy to use SDK, more and more relevant and business apps will be appearing.
    Last edited by stuaw11; 10-01-09 at 11:39 PM.
    10-01-09 11:35 PM
26 12
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD