[kelton]

Just this morning (August 24, '11) NPR did a long piece on RIM/Blackberry and it's competition (Droids/iPhone).... and it's future.


Perhaps, soon, it will be available for a listen on their web site.

[grover5]

What was their outlook? I'm bummed I missed it. I'll definitely give it a listen later.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[kirrill]

Here you go:


Users Drop BlackBerries For Competitors' Apps : NPR

[JasW]

It's a very accurate piece, or at least interview with Rich Jaroslovsky from Bloomberg. And you know it when he pinpoints RIM's ecosystem bind right at the beginning of the interview. He doesn't even talk about hardware, which is right -- that can be fairly easily addressed, as RIM has shown. People -- even business professionals -- want the apps option. RIM's not providing it.

You can rail all you want about being able to get all of the apps you really need on your BB, or really only wanting a device for communication, but the bottom line is what a lot of us see regularly: a story or blurb about some app that sounds very interesting, and the mention that it is available for iOS and Android, with no mention of BlackBerry.

In conjunction with the push to QNX, RIM should launch a Manhattan Project to make the new OS as absolutely developer friendly as possible. Wine and dine the developers, throw wads of cash at them, whatever they have to do. It's not about overtaking iOS or Android, it's about establishing a solid niche in the market -- a recognizable and completely acceptable option to potential Android and iPhone users. If not, RIM will subsist in a very tiny niche, with perhaps only the U.S. government and a dwindling number of security-obsessed companies as their only customers.

[DrewDT]

This is a very accurate assessment of the current state of BlackBerry. My biggest gripe has always been the lack of developer support for the BB platform. Consumers want and need apps for whatever their needs are. RIM has the hardware component down and QNX sounds promising. OS6-7 would be alot more appealing if RIM could get some more strategic partnerships with developers or reach out to them in some manner.

[limh5]

Well the Android App Player completely neutralizes this disadvantage. With the ability to run 250,000 Android Apps, consumers wouldn't feel that BlackBerry has less apps that other platforms.

Of course, it's good to have apps designed specifically for BB. And RIM is addressing that, with the ability to develop for Tablet OS using WebWorks, Adobe AIR, Java (soon) and NDK (soon).

[Economist101]

Well the Android App Player completely neutralizes this disadvantage. With the ability to run 250,000 Android Apps, consumers wouldn't feel that BlackBerry has less apps that other platforms.

One, it doesn't work that way. The Android App Player will not support all Android apps, but rather apps that developers submit to App World, a number which will not be 250K any time soon. Now there may ultimately be some side load type solution that allows direct access to Android apps, but it's not reasonable to expect the average consumer to risk voiding their warranty in order to load apps.

Two, even if we assume the Android App Player will be made available for QNX-based phones, that still leaves a whole lot (read: the vast majority) of users with incompatible hardware. Therefore, the actual benefit to an Android developer submitting an app to App World will be relatively minimal until there's a decent number of QNX devices available.

[sosumi11]

Well the Android App Player completely neutralizes this disadvantage. With the ability to run 250,000 Android Apps, consumers wouldn't feel that BlackBerry has less apps that other platforms.

Of course, it's good to have apps designed specifically for BB. And RIM is addressing that, with the ability to develop for Tablet OS using WebWorks, Adobe AIR, Java (soon) and NDK (soon).

This is about as good as a solution as Ford saying they will put Chevy engines in their cars. The message tells the consumer that Android is better than Blackberry. Doesn't help the Blackberry brand at all.

Besides, why would ANYONE buy a device that can only run a small percentage of Android apps (resubmitted apps to RIM) versus one that runs all of them?

RIM has to build their own ecosystem, but time is running out. Too many corporations are adapting other platforms and once all the big boy companies make decisions, it will be that much more difficult for RIM to break in. They had the advantage, but technology advanced outside of Waterloo.

[mjs416]

This is about as good as a solution as Ford saying they will put Chevy engines in their cars. The message tells the consumer that Android is better than Blackberry. Doesn't help the Blackberry brand at all.
.

Bad metaphor. if you took the cummins engine out of a dodge and put it in a ford you would have the absolute baddest truck on the planet. Sometimes the best of both worlds yields the baddest thing you have ever seen.

[pcgizmo#IM]

NPR

[recompile]

My biggest gripe has always been the lack of developer support for the BB platform.

I don't understand this. Since my first BB, 7290, I've had no trouble developing for BB at all.

Say what you want about their old Java dev stuff, but it was and still is better than the Android API (it's a lot of good ideas, executed poorly.)

Now, with webworks, its never been easier to write apps for BB phones. I can think of a few places it could be improved, but they did a top-notch job overall.

Simple projects take hours, not days, to get running. It's absolutely spectacular for small applications. It's a perfect fit for small / medium companies that need a custom mobile app but have limited development resources. A skilled non-professional could use it!

It doesn't appear to be the best platform for games, granted, but a clever developer could do quite a bit with it. Considering the complexity of many mobile games, I don't see any reason that it wouldn't be viable for a good variety of games. Just an example, when I first started tinkering with webworks, I was able to write and deploy a "lights out" style game in just over an hour.

Now, that's just ONE way to develop for BB. Say what you want, but RIM has responded, and responded well, to the unfounded criticism that developing for BB is unnecessarily difficult. As it stands now, it's painfully simple.

[sam_b77]

Maybe RIM should change their approach a bit.
Setup their inhouse developing team which ties up with major online content providers like Skype, Amazon (Kindle), Hulu etc and develops compatible apps for their phones. Preload them embedded into the OS for better response and native support.
RIM might have to enter into contracts with the Sites but it will payoff in the longterm. More people buying their phones will kickstart developer involvement.
They are already doing this with their own apps like BB Travel, Protect etc which are amazing apps and make life easier.
Just bring into their ambit the adamant people.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Rootbrian]

Maybe RIM should change their approach a bit.
Setup their inhouse developing team which ties up with major online content providers like Skype, Amazon (Kindle), Hulu etc and develops compatible apps for their phones. Preload them embedded into the OS for better response and native support.
RIM might have to enter into contracts with the Sites but it will payoff in the longterm. More people buying their phones will kickstart developer involvement.
They are already doing this with their own apps like BB Travel, Protect etc which are amazing apps and make life easier.
Just bring into their ambit the adamant people.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Except that 3UK and Verizon have a lock on skype, which is difficult to bust open for other platforms

If they broke the exclusive, then we'd all have an official skype app.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com