[playbookster]

Should they continue to do what they are doing now with 10 or so different variations? Or should they focus on just 1-3?

I think they should do 3. An all touch flagship phone, the one that gets all the publicity, the one that will turn the heads of iphone and android users. But also have a bold style phone as well as a slider phone. No more 6 different curves 3 different torches 2 bolds, its just confusing and unnecessary.

[AugustArborists]

I pretty much agree with your choices, although a lower-end Curve type phone would be necessary for emerging or cash poor locales.

[gtpointer]

I don't think that a lower end curve is necessary, they can keep using the 7.1 handsets for the emerging markets (so essentially the bold 9900 would become the new "curve"). That is way BB10 won't be sullied by criticisms of "even with BB10 RIM still produces rubbish ". BB10 will be exclusively a high end brand which will be good for its reputation in the US.

Also if it can have dual gsm/cdma chips like the iphone that will also simplify the line up. Not sure if you were getting at this meeting playbookster with your "no more 2 bolds" comment.

So yeah, just a bold form factor, slider and full touch. Each with their own name (none of this two completely different torches thing anymore) and no numbers like 9900, 9810 etc!

[SRR500]

I think they should do one more Curve with BB10. Even us budget minded folkes want to use the newest os.

After BB10 is a year old, then start pricing the older modles for the budget and cash only markets and discontinue the Curve. However, they need to allow the phones to be upgradeable software wise for a year or two. They need to stop with the "new os = new device" crap.

[BoldPreza]

I think five would suffice.

Curve(entry level)
Torch(slider)
Bold(Midrange)
Phoenix(All Touch)
Phoenix Exec(Flagship All Touch)

[Spencerdl]

This subject was posted a couple of months ago, and I still say three(3), is sufficient. More resources can go into a lineup of 3 vs 10. All touch, touch & keypad combo, and entry level would and should be enough......IMO

[belfastdispatcher]

I don't care as long as they make a full qwerty one

[Morty2264]

Playbookster, I think you make a lot of sense. I would like to see BB10 for models like Curve, Bold, etc.; so at least each user who likes that type of phone could consider upgrading if need be. A slider phone and/or touch phone would certainly catch my eye, as well; though I'm happy with my own phone and won't upgrade until it is a necessity. Good idea for a thread!

[mca312]

They should focus on 3 phones at the start. Bold, Full touch, and Curve. After they are able to establish BB10 and a solid developer base, they can start to expand to a slider (and maybe a mid range phone as well)

[llllBULLSEYE]

Yep agree 3 phones max. U def can't leave out the curve models remember its still by far their best seller. Once they see the market is interested then they can start going crazy realeasing new models every 3 months to keep the interest.

[MsBrittz1016]

I agree 3 BB10 brands is fine!

All touch, full QWERTY & a slider.

You can't please everyone and with all their differant devices they are wasting $$

[sleepngbear]

I pretty much agree with your choices, although a lower-end Curve type phone would be necessary for emerging or cash poor locales.

Exaxtly what I was thinking. Although I think at some point all BBs will be on BB10. But who knows when or how many that will be.

[PineappleUnderTheSea]

They should focus on 3 phones at the start. Bold, Full touch, and Curve. After they are able to establish BB10 and a solid developer base, they can start to expand to a slider (and maybe a mid range phone as well)

I agree. As for the slider, well I have the Torch 9800 and I don't understand why people would want a slider: it's heavy, it's thick, keyboard is cramped...I just don't like it. Do we know what percentage of BB owners have bought these sliding phones? Is it even worth wasting resources on creating one for BB10?

I'd get rid of the slider, have a Curve, a full screen touch, and a qwerty.

[s7ark]

Five phones between 2 groups. 3 Bold brand flagship phones and 2 Curve brand emerging markets phones.

Bold Slide (torch style slider)
Bold View (full screen)
Bold Key (qwerty)
Curve View (full screen)
Curve Key (qwerty)

Can't leave out Curve. It's too important in emerging markets and since everything will be switched over to the QNX platform eventually, there is no point in forgetting about it. Eventually they'd have to bring the Curve brand over anyway, or abandon that market. So why wait? RIM can leave the Curve phones til last, absolutely. It's far more important to get the Bold branded stuff out in the US asap, but they can't just ditch Curve.

[sleepngbear]

I really think the nimber of different devices will be less of an issue with QNX than it is with the cirrent BBOS. With the more modular structure of QNX, I would think that it should be easier to code apps that render correctly on different type and size displays.

That being said, I want a landsacape slider in addition to all the models s7ark listed.

[pfe1223]

For those suggesting a Curve-style BB10 device, what would you do to lower the cost for consumers? Not trying to be a here, but genuinely would like to know your thoughts. Nokia and Windows Phone are dealing with this same issue. Nokia, no doubt, was a driving force behind WP Tango, which allows the OS to run on lower hardware (256 RAM instead of 512, sub 1 gHz processor, etc.). Tango does not have access to some features like Local Scout (think Poynt, but done by MS), and auto uploads to SkyDrive have been turned off. The neat thing about WP7 is that it gets some amazing performance on a single-core 1.4 gHz processor. Would BB10 be so flexible as to allow a quality user experience on such inexpensive hardware? What features could be cut and still draw in new users? It is a challenging question, but I hope RIM has an answer.

[playbookster]

Five phones between 2 groups. 3 Bold brand flagship phones and 2 Curve brand emerging markets phones.

Bold Slide (torch style slider)
Bold View (full screen)
Bold Key (qwerty)
Curve View (full screen)
Curve Key (qwerty)

Can't leave out Curve. It's too important in emerging markets and since everything will be switched over to the QNX platform eventually, there is no point in forgetting about it. Eventually they'd have to bring the Curve brand over anyway, or abandon that market. So why wait? RIM can leave the Curve phones til last, absolutely. It's far more important to get the Bold branded stuff out in the US asap, but they can't just ditch Curve.

well thats not fixing the problem at all.. its already confusing with the amount of models. They need to cut down and focus on 2 or 3 key phones. Not release a new curve every 2 months. And the names need to go too, a complete re branding.. No torch, no curve, no more bold. All new. Its a complete re launch of the blackberry brand. For emerging markets they can continue to sell BB7 phones untill BB10 phones are affordable.

[o4liberty]

It would be a big mistake if rim doesn't make a BB 10 just like the new bold. I love the keyboard and the feel of my 9930 so if BB10 went all touch screen I would not buy one for sure.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[playbookster]

It would be a big mistake if rim doesn't make a BB 10 just like the new bold. I love the keyboard and the feel of my 9930 so if BB10 went all touch screen I would not buy one for sure.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

They will for sure.. but it wont be the flagship phone. the qwerty phone from RIM doesnt need the marketing blitz. It will be the iphone/android competitor all touch super phone that will need it. the qwerty bb10 phone will sell itself to the blackberry fans.

[Thunderbuck]

I wonder if the Curve will be left on OS7 for, say, another year or so?

Definitely would make for a clean break between the hi-spec and lo-spec model lines. Particularly if they repackaged the internals of the 9860 as a full-touch Curve model.

[_StephenBB81]

I will be WAY different than most o you in my opinion

RIM needs
1:Premium All Touch BB10 device - New Model Yearly
2:Entery level All Touch BB10 Devie - New Model 18-24 month cycle
3:Premium QWERTY Candy Bar device - Alternating Model between 9900 size, and 9700 size yearly
4:Enter Level QWERTY Candy Bar device - Alternating yearly models with different Niche focus
5:Ultra durable Flip Phone with QWERTY ( Style like) - Durable Niche market phone, contractor, military, outdoor extreme markets,
6:Ultra Small Candy Bar SureType ( Pearl like) - Ultra portable, slim line, made for the person on the go, with medium/low smartphone requirements, most likely targeted as a kids smartphone, or fitness buff smartphone high storage, light weight, good battery, no camera.
7: Mid Range Portrait slider, Hybid device between ALL touch and QWERTY, 18-24 month upgrade cycle


I would want the Entry level all touch device for the NON Latin/Roman alphabet markets with the low GDP per capita groups. these devices will not be devices that get upgraded often so you want them to be on the current OS, and not just push BB7 devices into that market, they need BB10 global market share, China has 1 Billion mobile subscribers, they need BB10 in there.

The Entery level QWERTY like current curves is for the prepaid market and the low cost markets again, they should do different curve models changing the focus every 12-18 months, so upgrades are worth changing for. maybe 1 year a HD camera Curve model, the next year a high storage, model,

The Style like device would be made like the durable motorola phones for Military applications, and for extreme weather markets and for contracting job sites, NO ONE is addressing these needs in smartphones main stream, costs are astronomical and options are not there, MDM doesn't exist so RIM could take this market with a quality built deployable and remote manageable smartphone

I'd like to see the Pearl device brought back, appox 110 x 50 x 11 mm, suretype keyboard, this device is to target to the kid market, the fitness freak market it is a glorified phone/MP3 Player, small screen, compact size you CAN txt on it, but that isn't the primary function it is a PHONE, and a MP3 Player


RIM needs to be a global player with BB10, they need a 2 year road map with multiple device launches globally over those 2 years to ensure they have over 50% of their user base running BB10

[_StephenBB81]

well thats not fixing the problem at all.. its already confusing with the amount of models. They need to cut down and focus on 2 or 3 key phones. Not release a new curve every 2 months. And the names need to go too, a complete re branding.. No torch, no curve, no more bold. All new. Its a complete re launch of the blackberry brand. For emerging markets they can continue to sell BB7 phones untill BB10 phones are affordable.

yes because that thinking will allow them to compete against Android and WP8 devices which will have affordable phones in other markets.

BB7 needs to be retired by 2013, there should be no new BB7 device launches in 2013, so over the 2013-2014 years ALL devices need migration to the BB10 line

People are confused because of the OLD chipsets making 3 same curves with 3 different numbers depending on carriers, with new chips that should change like the Bold line now, the 9900, and 9930 are the same phone 1 CDMA 1 GSM, they didn't bother with different numbers depending which GSM or which CDMA variant they were using, that was wise.

[playbookster]

I will be WAY different than most o you in my opinion

RIM needs
1:Premium All Touch BB10 device - New Model Yearly
2:Entery level All Touch BB10 Devie - New Model 18-24 month cycle
3:Premium QWERTY Candy Bar device - Alternating Model between 9900 size, and 9700 size yearly
4:Enter Level QWERTY Candy Bar device - Alternating yearly models with different Niche focus
5:Ultra durable Flip Phone with QWERTY ( Style like) - Durable Niche market phone, contractor, military, outdoor extreme markets,
6:Ultra Small Candy Bar SureType ( Pearl like) - Ultra portable, slim line, made for the person on the go, with medium/low smartphone requirements, most likely targeted as a kids smartphone, or fitness buff smartphone high storage, light weight, good battery, no camera.
7: Mid Range Portrait slider, Hybid device between ALL touch and QWERTY, 18-24 month upgrade cycle


I would want the Entry level all touch device for the NON Latin/Roman alphabet markets with the low GDP per capita groups. these devices will not be devices that get upgraded often so you want them to be on the current OS, and not just push BB7 devices into that market, they need BB10 global market share, China has 1 Billion mobile subscribers, they need BB10 in there.

The Entery level QWERTY like current curves is for the prepaid market and the low cost markets again, they should do different curve models changing the focus every 12-18 months, so upgrades are worth changing for. maybe 1 year a HD camera Curve model, the next year a high storage, model,

The Style like device would be made like the durable motorola phones for Military applications, and for extreme weather markets and for contracting job sites, NO ONE is addressing these needs in smartphones main stream, costs are astronomical and options are not there, MDM doesn't exist so RIM could take this market with a quality built deployable and remote manageable smartphone

I'd like to see the Pearl device brought back, appox 110 x 50 x 11 mm, suretype keyboard, this device is to target to the kid market, the fitness freak market it is a glorified phone/MP3 Player, small screen, compact size you CAN txt on it, but that isn't the primary function it is a PHONE, and a MP3 Player


RIM needs to be a global player with BB10, they need a 2 year road map with multiple device launches globally over those 2 years to ensure they have over 50% of their user base running BB10

too many screen sizes, too many different specs. BAD FOR APP MARKET.

[pillsy]

I pretty much agree with your choices, although a lower-end Curve type phone would be necessary for emerging or cash poor locales.

What does "cash poor" mean? People on food stamps have iPhones these days.

[_StephenBB81]

too many screen sizes, too many different specs. BAD FOR APP MARKET.

Screen size variation can be handled with dynamic development as android does it now,

quick look at current Samsungs
Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos I589 @ 320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inche
Samsung Galaxy Nexus @ 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.65 inches
Samsung Galaxy Note @ 800 x 1280 pixels, 5.3 inches
Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos @ 400 x 240 pixels, 2.6 inches

the way OLD BBOS handled resolutions and Current Apple does it, isn't the only way, there is the horse power for dynamic resolution management, as well as building tools for scaling into IDE's and SDK's

I never touched on specs, you realistically could manage the line with 3 chipsets over 2 years for all of those specs as you can run all premiums on a primary chipset which becomes the discount line chipset the following year, but lower build quality like the curve currently is 3x Industry standard, and the Bold is 5x Industry standard,