[howarmat]

the comments arent worth reading other than to laugh at. its a bunch of trash talking all the time. just ignore them and you will feel better.

[aNYthing24]

Didn't one of their writers call the PlayBook their favorite tablet? I also saw them post an article about an analyst saying BlackBerry isn't in the turmoil everyone thinks they are in because of their international growth. I think they just report what they see, but they do have some iOS bias.

[anon(3733516)]

you guys still think it's good news?

[ekafara]

Sounds...interesting... Not too sure what they mean. But I thought it was supposed to be out this morning?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[ZMc1834]

you guys still think it's good news?

I don't know if that really meant that it was bad news, he was just making an analogy of how big the story was going to be. I'm not saying it is going to be good news or bad, but I don't know if he intended that to mean it is definitely bad news.

[johnenglish]

Sounds...interesting... Not too sure what they mean. But I thought it was supposed to be out this morning?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

It's not 12 noon yet in the Eastern Time Zone.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

I MUST concede to CX here, Though extensive searching of titles, (though I could NOT find the culprit article that made me take bgr off my bookmarks...) I will agree that BGR is no more Bias against RIM than other bloggers in the mobile techmarket.

I am still not a fan of the way in which BG writes, nor most of the content with a few exceptions after extensive reading of articles tonight he still wont be readded to my bookmarks, but I wont go on to say he is biased.

I totally respect that. I too am not a fan of the writing from time to time. But I just think BGR gets a bad rap from lots of people here because he tells it like it is with no sugar coating. The fact he's a fan of Apple products makes people want to believe he's bashing RIM. Again, I point to the article Rello posted.

Anyhow, what did you think of that shareholder meeting yesterday?? )

[_StephenBB81]

I totally respect that. I too am not a fan of the writing from time to time. But I just think BGR gets a bad rap from lots of people here because he tells it like it is with no sugar coating. The fact he's a fan of Apple products makes people want to believe he's bashing RIM. Again, I point to the article Rello posted.

Anyhow, what did you think of that shareholder meeting yesterday?? )

I'm upset I couldn't follow it!!
I was in Pembroke Ontario and Rogers decided that it wouldn't let me have signal enough to call in till near 9pm!

I am really disappointed no one asked RIM to address Media distribution.

Had I need there the question I would have asked was.
"Apples success in the market has been simplistic design, and simplistic means of delivering content to the consumer. I love the Blackberry design, and would not want to see it move the way of Apple, BUT the content distribution model of everything in 1 place is just so easy. what is RIM doing to address a unified solution for media, such as movies, books, Television, and music? "

I'd also like to have really gone off on them about Documents to go on the playbook, and why they need to make this wonderful tablet truly enterprise and work with Microsoft to bring me Office for the Playbook! I'd pay $50 for it without blinking an eye! but that would have been a rant and not a question.


I REALLY Hope RIM took the marketing question to heart, they method in which they put Blackberry's out to the public is so boring if they truly were not such great devices to use no one would even know they still existed!

[allengeorge]

I'm upset I couldn't follow it!!
"... what is RIM doing to address a unified solution for media, such as movies, books, Television, and music? "

I don't think you would have received a straight answer And if you did get an answer that addressed your question, I'd imagine that it'll go along the lines of "consumers like choice". (In other words - deal with it yourself).

RIM needs to substantially improve the quantity and integration of services on their devices. They need to provide a complete package that works out-of-the box. For media - maybe something like a BlackBerry Media Plan, (via Pandora/Last.fm/Spotify) that gives you all-you-can-eat streaming music for $5 a month. This is automatically tied into Amazon's Cloud Music so that your preferences are saved and you can buy and store music with a single click. Heck, they should deeply integrate Amazon's store into the BlackBerry universal search: when you type a product name, etc. in, it should give you the price at Amazon and a little "1 Click to Buy" button.

They definitely need a tie-in with Microsoft so that people can edit their documents everywhere, without having to think about files, whether their device has enough space, etc. And no, simply bundling Docs-To-Go doesn't cut it. This is what RIM's leadership doesn't understand, but Steve Jobs does: it's not about the features, it's about whether these features provide a simple and cohesive experience. If you have a good idea (Bridge) but you don't execute well, and don't integrate it into the rest of the device...it won't fly.

There are tons more ideas along this vein - I'm sure everyone here can think of something that can be done to improve the BlackBerry/PlayBook experience.

What's ironic is that RIM has been talking for years about super-apps and providing a deeply integrated experience, and about how apps will melt into the background. Meanwhile it's Google (Google+), Microsoft (Metro UI w/ it's handling of contacts) and Apple (iCloud) that are actually delivering.

It's sad.

[_StephenBB81]

I don't think you would have received a straight answer And if you did get an answer that addressed your question, I'd imagine that it'll go along the lines of "consumers like choice". (In other words - deal with it yourself).

RIM needs to substantially improve the quantity and integration of services on their devices. They need to provide a complete package that works out-of-the box. For media - maybe something like a BlackBerry Media Plan, (via Pandora/Last.fm/Spotify) that gives you all-you-can-eat streaming music for $5 a month. This is automatically tied into Amazon's Cloud Music so that your preferences are saved and you can buy and store music with a single click. Heck, they should deeply integrate Amazon's store into the BlackBerry universal search: when you type a product name, etc. in, it should give you the price at Amazon and a little "1 Click to Buy" button.

They definitely need a tie-in with Microsoft so that people can edit their documents everywhere, without having to think about files, whether their device has enough space, etc. And no, simply bundling Docs-To-Go doesn't cut it. This is what RIM's leadership doesn't understand, but Steve Jobs does: it's not about the features, it's about whether these features provide a simple and cohesive experience. If you have a good idea (Bridge) but you don't execute well, and don't integrate it into the rest of the device...it won't fly.

There are tons more ideas along this vein - I'm sure everyone here can think of something that can be done to improve the BlackBerry/PlayBook experience.

What's ironic is that RIM has been talking for years about super-apps and providing a deeply integrated experience, and about how apps will melt into the background. Meanwhile it's Google (Google+), Microsoft (Metro UI w/ it's handling of contacts) and Apple (iCloud) that are actually delivering.

It's sad.

Outside of the US the "all you can stream" model would not work, carriers are far more strict with data usage, and Just as Microsoft is telling networks they need to address this trend of video chatting through Facebook & Google+ as a risk to the integrity of the network, RIM can't try and maintain their carrier relationships while trying to promote a network crippling solution.

I AM SURE I would have got a blank stare none direct answer, but it would be something for media people to talk about besides apps apps apps. RIM CAN create a content delivery solution much easier than creating a massive developer network. these company's RIM has partnered with for content distribution are all singular players in a multigame market, they needs a unified buying option ++++++ the choices and I really feel that is something the media / anal cysts need to harp on them more about than how many apps the device has.

[Gucci33]

Looks like Geller full of it again!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[FMB8900]

heres the artice...

FEATURED
Inside RIM: An exclusive look at the rise and fall of the company that made smartphones smart

Research In Motion is in the midst of a major transition in every sense of the word. Publicly, the company is portraying a very defensive image � one that is very dismissive, as if RIM is profitable and class-leading, and the media is out of line to criticize its business, as are investors. Internally, however, there�s a different story to be told. It�s a story filled with attitude, cockiness, heated arguments among the executive team and Co-CEOs, and paranoia. We�ve spoken to multiple ex-RIM executives at length about their experiences with the company over the past few years. While most speak highly of RIM and their time in Waterloo, they also each left the company due mainly to RIM�s lack of vision and leadership. Read on for an exclusive inside look at a company teetering on the edge between greatness and collapse.

Lightning in a bottle.

�Lightning in a bottle.� That is how one former executive described Research In Motion in its early days. �This came together at the right time, the right place, with the right technology, and Jim and Mike are extremely brilliant individuals.� Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis are two irreplaceable leaders who were largely responsible for RIM�s success, our source continued. But as time progressed, Mike did not listen to the marketplace. This is obvious from the outside view, though the details surrounding why RIM is no longer a market leader � and why RIM will most likely not be able to regain its leadership position in the near future � are most interesting.

Let�s rewind a few years. Picture yourself sitting in an executive briefing at Research In Motion. You�d hear Mike Lazaridis unequivocally state time and time again that BlackBerry smartphones would never have MP3 players or cameras in them because it just does not make sense when the company�s primary customers were the government and enterprise. �BlackBerry smartphones will never have cameras because the No. 1 customer of ours is the U.S. government,� Mike Lazaridis would say in meetings. �There will never be a BlackBerry with an MP3 player or camera.�

There will never be a BlackBerry with an MP3 player or camera.

The fact is, that RIM didn�t only miss the boat in terms of product features and device trends as we now know, but the underpinnings of the company�s consumer failure began all the way back in 2005 with bold statements like these, combined with a lack of research and development in numerous key areas.

Mike Lazaridis would say that the most ridiculous idea was to name a phone with a marketing-derived name, like the Motorola RAZR. �BlackBerry will never do that, it will always be a model number,� he said to executives. �A BlackBerry with a name is ridiculous.�

�Here we are, as young, brazen people, and we�re just like, �Mike, you�re missing out. There�s a trend here; it�s a social and collaborative scene in certain media circles�,� one former executive said, describing the general feeling among other executives at the company. �Now look at what�s happened 4 or 5 years later � an MP3 player, camera, name, all done reluctantly.�

�When I would work with our major carriers, I would have to go to Mike�s product development team, and ask what are we going to bring to [redacted],� and it was never a cutting edge product, one former executive told me. There wasn�t ever a three-year roadmap. Mike was always focused on small, granular features like how to make the speakerphone in a BlackBerry the best speakerphone on the market. Mike would say that people were going to buy a BlackBerry because of the speakerphone� �because they wouldn�t need a Polycom anymore.�

The three-year roadmap for RIM products focused on refining the technology in phones had already been released, rather than looking at where to add major new componentry or trying to identify or even shape future trends. �One of the main reasons RIM missed the mark with the browser was because
they were always proud of how little data usage a user would use,� a former executive said. �There was no three-year plan at RIM.� RIM would be proud of the fact that someone would only use 1MB of data in a month in 2005, and as a result, there wasn�t ever any extensive R&D done within the browser space. Over time, that misstep affected BlackBerry tremendously as competing devices began to deliver desktop-like Web experiences. �Mike Lazaridis couldn�t imagine that consumers would be spending hours watching and streaming video to their devices, he couldn�t understand it,� the former exec continued. This is why we don�t see RIM excelling in spaces like camera technology, or displays � because the company never even attempted to anticipate the smartphone trends we�re seeing today. �RIM is a reactionary company.�

A BlackBerry with a name is ridiculous.

I remember going to sit with the CMO of one of the largest wireless carriers, and we would deliver features like �increase battery life by 40%� in the next model, and we would get a blank look on the other side of the conference room. The executives would think, �so your telling me with this device I am going to sell 40% less car chargers�, there was a blank stare. �They want the flavor of the week, and the carrier�s loyalty is to their customers and what their customers want. Then try and delivery that.�

�Mike is really brilliant, and superior beyond his years, and what he�s doing with Steven Hawking and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is compelling,� he continued. �There are hundreds of millions he�s put into it, but that doesn�t have anything to do with what RIM�s facing, and what�s in front of them, and the market is asking for them to change their ways.�

�Back a handful of years ago, if someone had a phone at work that wasn�t a BlackBerry they paid for it,� another executive who no longer works at Research In Motion said. �I was at a Fortune 500 organization a few weeks ago, and people were carrying a corporate issued BlackBerry in their left pocket and their own personal iPhone in the right pocket.� He continued, �The fact that people are spending their own money to buy the iPhone, when their company is giving them a �free BlackBerry� sends quite a message to RIM,� says one of our sources.�

The market is asking for them to change their ways.

They were both stunned that someone could have a corporate-issued phone that could handle some consumer needs, but still walk around with two devices. There were and are many paradigms at RIM. In the corporate world, especially at large companies, the senior executives would buy a BlackBerry as soon as it came out. They would then give their old devices to employees beneath them, and these BlackBerry phones would eventually make their way down through the corporation. This isn�t the case anymore, and now those people that used to receive the hand-me-down BlackBerry devices are asking for shiny new phones.

Jim and Mike got along very well, I was told by multiple current and former RIM employees. The interesting thing, however, is that when they have disagreements, Mike wins all of the internal arguments. �Jim, given his background, doesn�t have the pedigree to compete with Mike on an academic level.� As a result, perhaps, I was told that things have slowly deteriorated between the two co-CEOs. Jim and Mike have �titanic� arguments in the halls of RIM headquarters on various subjects, and we�re told it�s quite open. Stories of explosive fights bleeding out into the hallways and even lunch spots in Waterloo have filled Research In Motion. It used to be that only vice presidents or above would get the privilege of listening to Mike and Jim debate � behind closed doors or in the boardroom. Regular employees now hear the arguments as well, and �they aren�t insulated for that. It�s unnerving. It makes for a nervous environment, and many employees are looking to jump ship. Most people are just uncertain as to what the future holds [for RIM].�

Most people are just uncertain as to what the future holds for RIM.

�When you hear Mike talk about the latest and greatest, it�s been the same thing for ten years: security, battery performance, and network performance. RIM has positioned battery life and network performance for years. People are not concerned with iPhone battery life,� one source told me. Network performance, to Mike, trumps any innovation a device like the iPhone offers. �Mike is convinced people won�t buy an iPhone because battery life isn�t as good as a BlackBerry,� a different source said. Mike apparently is in disbelief that people can use over 15GB of data on their iPhone and Android devices, and he feels that people will buy smartphones based on network efficiency, even though carriers with tiered data plans in developed markets love customers who use monstrous amounts of data.

While RIM has always viewed carriers as customers rather than end users, carriers have long been trying to find a different partner that doesn�t charge network fees. Since all BlackBerry devices use the BlackBerry NOC, RIM gets a piece of the data plan users pay on their bills each month. And RIM is the only manufacturer whose products are configured in such a way. �Carriers have always tried to negotiate the fees they pay RIM. They try everything to get that dropped or lowered, but that has been the one holy grail of RIM that has not been touched. �

An ex-executive who had been responsible for a number of carrier partners for RIM recently told me that the data network fees paid to RIM were definitely the number one cause of heartburn from carriers, and a big point of contention.

There was no three- year plan at RIM.

If you look at RIM�s global revenue today, the story it paints isn�t a good one as far as driving new business and revenue channels. �They essentially just channel stuff,� a former exec said. For instance, when RIM wants to sell to a new market, it will go to two or three primary carriers and make those carriers purchase a set amount of devices up front to stock the channel for what is typically the remainder of the calendar year. Then RIM will sell those devices at full margin. It�s a great quick and easy profit from the channel. So RIM has now opened up three new carriers in a new country, let�s say, and it had them each purchase �X� thousand units each. Now, RIM can report to the Street that it shipped 700,000 devices at full market value.

After multiple sequential quarters of opening up new countries, there�s obviously a lot of volume there. Though the consensus of many is that RIM is nearing capacity with this strategy. The company now has to rely on the old school model of growth within these existing channels, and just as we�re seeing in North America with the tide changing now that long-standing BlackBerry customers are moving to other platforms and devices, that will happen in countries outside of the U.S. and Canada that have been stuffed with BlackBerry phones. Growth will slow to a stall in these markets, one source told me, and the problems will be compounded by the fact that a lot of these devices are not being sold through to end users. �They�re selling a screen with a giant calculator attached to it. It�s not a cool device anymore.�

As far as the PlayBook is concerned, RIM�s initial 500,000 shipments weren�t even sold at full margin. �RIM�s thought process was that they hoped if they put a product in a carrier�s hands that was less than full margin, it would entice the carriers to apply whatever number of discounts against that to bring it to market at an even lower price � a subsidy on the tablet. RIM isn�t making any money on the PlayBook.� To complicate matters, however, Jim Balsillie told the carriers at the 11th hour that the PlayBook wouldn�t have native email and would require the Bridge app in order to receive emails and provide calendar functions. �RIM is notorious for dropping these bombshells at the 11th hour on the carriers, and the PlayBook not having native email was a shock to the carriers.� They were all expecting a BlackBerry with a bigger screen. RIM was hoping to blow through the 500,000 units and have carriers take orders for millions of additional PlayBooks, but that has not happened yet. Mike Lazaridis looks at it as, why aren�t people buying this tablet when it has the most powerful engine with respect to multitasking, and supports Flash? But consumers have spoken pretty loudly a number of times, and Mike unfortunately leads the product side and continues to miss the mark with the masses, a former RIM executive told me. �I don�t even see anyone in Waterloo walking around with a PlayBook that doesn�t work for RIM,� another former RIM employee said.

Mike is convinced people won�t buy an iPhone because it doesn�t have a battery as good as a BlackBerry

�People really think Mike has lost his touch and vision. He�s paranoid. It�s not uncommon to see him walking around campus with bodyguards in tow,� one source told me. �This is a small community of folks in Waterloo. There�s what? 100,000 people and 30,000 of them are students, and it�s an understated place. Sure there are millionaires but no one drives anything fancier than a 5-series BMW. For Mike to be on campus with bodyguards is very peculiar. It�s very Orson Wells-like.� Another former employee I spoke with doesn�t find the fact that Lazaridis has bodyguards to be odd at all due to his stature. RIM�s other Co-CEO, however, is a completely different person.

�Every year, Jim Balsillie and COO Dennis Kavelman would take all the executives to Redtail golf course for a day of R&R with great meals, great VIP service, and every year one executive would not ever go.� Mike could not understand why everyone would go and have a golf day. In fact, he supposedly hated it and he never showed up on purpose, I was told.

�Jim chasing the NHL teams, that caused some separation between Mike and Jim,� one former executive stated. When Jim was in the midst of buying an NHL team, the NHL hired a large group to work on the project, and it had countless former RIM executives called for testimony on what Jim Balsillie was really like � all of the �TMZ dirt,� as one source described it. One executive BGR spoke to refused to talk to the NHL when they reached out, however many others were happy to open up. While this former exec did not have an issue with Jim, it was hypothesized that those with an axe to grind lobbed some dirt at the NHL and it�s most likely one of the reasons they didn�t allow him to proceed with a purchase.

They�re selling a screen with a giant calculator attached to it. It�s not a cool device anymore.

Multiple former executives also spoke of a notable divide between Mike, an internal product guy, and Jim, who focuses more on external partner relationships, in how they each react to leaks from inside the company. �I remember this one time when we had a new device coming out and it leaked to BGR.� Mike lost his mind for a few weeks. He couldn�t fathom how something like this would happen, and he constantly threatened to fire any employees who leaked any information. �He had this �you�re either with us or against us� attitude, and he went off the rails. Every product is Mike�s baby�. On the other hand, Jim would try and spin things, I was told. He would get everyone excited, �you know, here it comes, he�d roll with it and have the attitude that they�re boosting the hype of the device, they�re pre-selling it for us, and so on. That was the message Jim would take.�

RIM seems to be doing damage control in a bunch of areas right now. One such area is the PlayBook and trying to mitigate the negative response to that product, and I was told the company is even going so far as to selectively block different media and even social networking sites from being accessed by employees. One of my sources said he anticipates RIM always having a niche market in the enterprise and government spaces, but he doesn�t think RIM has the potential to become a true market leader with consumers due to several shortfalls. �You�d honestly think RIM is more than a year or two behind in [the consumer market],� one source told me. �There will most likely be another heavy reduction in the workplace later this year or early next year. I don�t see the stock getting back to where it was. There are no real market impact executives coming into RIM, times have changed since Robin came in from Motorola, that �stock� incentive isn�t there any more.�

Inside RIM: An exclusive look at the rise and fall of the company that made smartphones smart

[BBThemes]

If you want to see how negatively biased against RIM BGR is, then simply look at their appworld hitting 1billion post, compare that to the CB post, and other posts from other blogs on the same release.

BGR concentrate simply on the fact 1billion includes updates and leaves it at that. CB (and others) rightly show where for example bellshare have made over $1m in revenue, and the dev with almost a million downloads in a month!

there are negatives and positives for everything, i dont find it acceptable to only be told the neagtives, as its not `the full story` aka biased

[Gucci33]

Same crap different day nothing new

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[BBThemes]

Same crap different day nothing new

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

BGR really are the news corp of the interwebs

[JRonin]

That was pretty high school.

[diegonei]

He's a good journalist. That's just the kind of article I expect to see on those low-class tabloids. He really should apply (althou I think ads are already paying him much more).

I dropped the article after 3 minutes. That was just bad reporting... And exclusive at that.

EDIT: rofl, I was beaten to the tabloid reference and I quote:

""The fun continues with more anonymous supposedly former RIM executives speaking out about RIM and its Co-CEO’s courtesy of the latest tech tabloid BoyGenius Report. It seems to be the same story again with and extra helping of hearsay and negative spin attached. The thing is some of it is totally believable while on the other hand it makes you wonder what the big deal is especially since most of the things that the BGR points out are things RIM has already fixed or is improving in the next 6-8 months. While they may be later to market than we would like they definitely have some serious fight left in them. RIM’s CEOs have admitted that they fell behind the curve but they are committed to fixing that. It could be they were a bit pigheaded but their latest QNX work and other signs point to drastically changed times. Harping about the past just seems to be crying over spilt milk. Hearing old executives talk about RIM before they entered this “Transitory period” over to QNX and new hardware doesn’t seem to add much to any conversation.

via BerryReviw

[Crackberrykills]

What do you expect from BGR? After Zach Epstein picked the PB as his tablet of choice, you should have known that BG would come back with a RIM "exclusive" of some sort. I cannot go on that site anymore; the hyperbole is just too much. If that is how you want to roll, fine, but do not report it as actual fact when it is mostly suppostion. My favorite BG quote came via Twatter a couple of years ago: "The BlackBerry Bold 9000 will be the most returned device in RIM history." This came before the device even hit the street. Love that guy.

[Rickroller]

“When you hear Mike talk about the latest and greatest, it’s been the same thing for ten years: security, battery performance, and network performance."

This made me laugh..because that's the only argument I hear on these forums too.
Judging from the latest interviews with Mike and whatnot..and his denial of the "60 day for native email" statement..this article (to me) seems like a fairly accurate depicture of what has probably been going on at RIM these last few years. It's no secret that when the iPhone dropped..emergency meetings were held and whatnot..after Mike had supposedly laughed off the thought of anyone buying such a product.

And why wouldn't he need bodyguards? If the President of the United States gets to have bodyguards..then why not Mike? (although he was probably disappointed when Kevin Costner wouldn't return his calls to be his bodyguard)

[jd914]

�When you hear Mike talk about the latest and greatest, it�s been the same thing for ten years: security, battery performance, and network performance."

This made me laugh..because that's the only argument I hear on these forums too.
Judging from the latest interviews with Mike and whatnot..and his denial of the "60 day for native email" statement..this article (to me) seems like a fairly accurate depicture of what has probably been going on at RIM these last few years. It's no secret that when the iPhone dropped..emergency meetings were held and whatnot..after Mike had supposedly laughed off the thought of anyone buying such a product.

And why wouldn't he need bodyguards? If the President of the United States gets to have bodyguards..then why not Mike? (although he was probably disappointed when Kevin Costner wouldn't return his calls to be his bodyguard)

When you have nothing else to hang onto these might seem like valid points but as pointed out previously the average consumer doesn't care about security, battery life and network performance. RIM hung onto what they thought was important to their consumers and began rehashing their OS's and putting out basically the same hardware year after year and this is where they are today, struggling from keeping irrelevant in the smartphone market.

[maddie1128]

EXCUSE ME!!!!!!!! I am an average consumer and I DO care about these things. If I only had fart apps and games on my phone- then not so much! Don't speak for me.

[diegonei]

Funny thou, I do see android owners complain how their batteries do not last as much as they wanted...

Security matters to some people. Maybe not in the US, but it does in other places...

Really funny thing here... Battery life and security (two things that are a must nowadays) are not a concern of the US average Joe. Tells you something...

No, not bashing Android and iOS, great platforms with loads of apps (and even some useful ones, not just fart/lightsaber ones). Let's just see how OS7 phones run on BIS 4.1. That should be (actually better be) the turning point for RIM.

[Rickroller]

Really funny thing here... Battery life and security (two things that are a must nowadays) are not a concern of the US average Joe. Tells you something...

Mike L? Is that you?

Really? A must? I'd say the market trends say otherwise lol..

[Crucial_Xtreme]

He's a good journalist. That's just the kind of article I expect to see on those low-class tabloids. He really should apply (althou I think ads are already paying him much more).

I dropped the article after 3 minutes. That was just bad reporting... And exclusive at that.

EDIT: rofl, I was beaten to the tabloid reference and I quote:

""The fun continues with more anonymous supposedly former RIM executives speaking out about RIM and its Co-CEO�s courtesy of the latest tech tabloid BoyGenius Report. It seems to be the same story again with and extra helping of hearsay and negative spin attached. The thing is some of it is totally believable while on the other hand it makes you wonder what the big deal is especially since most of the things that the BGR points out are things RIM has already fixed or is improving in the next 6-8 months. While they may be later to market than we would like they definitely have some serious fight left in them. RIM�s CEOs have admitted that they fell behind the curve but they are committed to fixing that. It could be they were a bit pigheaded but their latest QNX work and other signs point to drastically changed times. Harping about the past just seems to be crying over spilt milk. Hearing old executives talk about RIM before they entered this �Transitory period� over to QNX and new hardware doesn�t seem to add much to any conversation.

via BerryReviw

The BerryReview piece was a joke of a rebuttal. The author addressed everything everyone already knew in the article, nothing everyone didn't already know. Claims BlackBerry's cameras rival their competitors? Really? Seriously?

I'm as loyal as any other BlackBerry users. But I refuse to apologize for make excuses for RIM. Nor am I going to criticize any site for writing a piece on them that doesn't hold them in such high regard. Just look at the list and you'll see the guy making excuse after excuse for RIM. If all was so well, we wouldn't be having this conversation now would we.

[diegonei]

The BerryReview piece was a joke of a rebuttal. The author addressed everything everyone already knew in the article, nothing everyone didn't already know. Claims BlackBerry's cameras rival their competitors? Really? Seriously?

I'm as loyal as any other BlackBerry users. But I refuse to apologize for make excuses for RIM. Nor am I going to criticize any site for writing a piece on them that doesn't hold them in such high regard. Just look at the list and you'll see the guy making excuse after excuse for RIM. If all was so well, we wouldn't be having this conversation now would we.

My dear CX, over my years here on CB I've come to respect you greatly so don't get me wrong, I am well aware of the problems we all face as BlackBerry users and I have more than once said that the content of BGR is accurate.

That does not change the tabloid style perception. Pick a target, write about it till you kill it. Make up stories about it. Lots of hear say (annonymous letters? ok...) turned fact.

I am not attacking anyone, but I did find amusing that he used the word tabloid , because I was about to mention how similar things are looking like.

Oh. Some of his points are not points at all thou. I'll stand by BerryReview on them.

Mike L? Is that you?

Really? A must? I'd say the market trends say otherwise lol..

Sure wish I had his money and position, that's for sure!! Could bring all the CB userbase demands to attention and push for them to be addressed! But no, I'm not him. We'll have to see what the next 6 months hold in store...

And on trends. They are just that mostly. We live in the digital, mobile age. If you really think you do not need security in you devices, I hope you are one lucky guy not to ever need it. Not gonna comment on battery life, moot point.