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RIM- BB10 IS A WINNER - - Foolish Blogging Network
RIM- BB10 IS A WINNER
By Kurt Windibank - January 9, 2013 | 0 Comments
Kurt is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinions of our bloggers and are not formally edited.
When gearing up to take one last turn at bat, RIM (RIMM) had to do some soul searching. The Company that once dominated the smartphone space has taken a severe beat down at the hands of Apple (AAPL) and Google's(GOOG) Android platforms.
From what we have seen so far in terms of what BB10 has to offer it is very apparent that RIM took the time to analyze it's core strengths and weaknesses. In BB10 they have tried to improve on the strengths that made them all the rage in the past (reliable and secure workhorse of a business tool) and transfer those same strengths and attention to detail to the Consumer side . Below I will attempt to showcase the areas where I feel that RIM "got it right" and why an investment in RIM at this time can pay off in a big reward down the road:
UI/User Interface: In December 2010 RIM purchased a company called TAT-The Astonishing Tribe. This company is a group of designers and "visual artists" who design "astonishing" user interfaces.
TAT was immediately tasked with designing the UI for BB10 and by all accounts they have hit a homerun.
Have a look at the amazing work that TAT has been working on!
The Hardware
BlackBerry 10 OS.
Dual-core 1.5 GHz TI OMAP 4470 (Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 for US and Canada).
4.2", 1280x768 (356 PPI) screen with 24-bit colours and a 15:9 aspect ratio.
8 megapixel autofocus rear camera with flash and 1080p recording, 2 megapixel front facing camera.
2 GB RAM, 16/32 GB internal storage, microSD card slot.
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, micro-USB, micro-HDMI.
GPS with A-GPS.
Sensors: Ambient light, Accelerometer, Magnetometer, Gyroscope, Face Detect for phone calls.
1800 mAh removable battery.
These hardware specs put BB10 at minimum on par with the best phones on the market,however when optimized with the BB10 OS they make for super fast,fluid and best in class phone.
The screen size is slightly larger than the iPhone 5 but smaller than the "Phablet" style of the Galaxy series offerings.
Screen resolution is Best in Class.
The 8MP camera with autofocus puts it ahead of both Android and iPhone5.
All in all it is a heavyweight class phone.
The OS:
The BB10 OS is where it all comes together.
The Peek,Flow and Hub experience of the BB10 OS allow users to be "always on". Gone are the days of moving in and out of apps. Peek allows you to take a "peek" at your BB HUB where all of your messages (email,texts,social media notifiers etc) are all available in one place with the added benefit of responding without having to open a specific app like Facebook or Twitter. This is a huge time saver , one that applies not only to the busy business owner but to everyone in the hyper connected day and age.
BlackBerry has always been strong in terms of the keyboard functionality. With BB10 RIM focused heavily on making the touchscreen keyboard as efficient and user friendly as possible. The keyboard features "Flick" technology which is better explained in this quick video. The keyboard also allows users to type in multiple language making full use of the intuitive features without having to move in and out of language settings. I for one have always been a qwerty fan (and RIM offers a BB10 qwerty version) however the simplicity and speed in which the new FLICK technology offers on the touchscreen makes me think i'll go full touch rather than qwerty.
The Web Browsing experience on BB10 is Best in Class. These vidoes here, and hereshow the BB10 being tested against the iPhone5 and Windows8. BB10 has received the highest test score for any device surfing the web whether it be asmartphone,tablet or even a desktop PC! Simply amazing. The added bonus is that BB10 web browser is flash enabled, meaning that all web pages are fully rendered. RIM got it right here!
BlackBerry Balance is another feature that appeals to IT managers as well as the BYOD crowd. It allows for (2) separate profiles on the same phone. Fully securing a company's data on the work profile and keeping the prying eyes of your boss out of your personal data. It is a unique concept that can only be achieved with the BB10 OS architecture.
The Time Shift Camera feature shows that RIM considered the Consumer side. Aside from a well built 8MP camera in the hardware,the Time Shift feature takes a few snippets of video before and after each picture. In the case of a group photo where everyone looks great except grandpa with his eyes closed the user can simply tap on grandpa's face in the image and "shift in time" before or after until they find a spot where he looks better and then tap again to adjust,making for a perfect picture every time.
RIM still holds a solid edge in terms of overall device and data security vs the competition. Legions of customers fled the BlackBerry platform in search of the better social media and overall user experience that Apple and Android offered.
In BB10 RIM has sharpened the core strengths it has always had and addressed the issues that had frustrated fans in the past. They now have a device that is a killer business tool while at the same time can compete with the likes of Android and Apple from an overall "fun" aspect.
HTML5 vs Apps
One last perspective I'd like to throw out there is the hot debate raging between the HTML5 crowd and Apps in general. Web Apps vs native Appsis the war that is being waged and it is hard to say which will win out. The argument says that HTML5 allows for cross platform web development apps and can bypass the traditional "App Store" download model. They will drive revenue from ads etc rather than purchase price like the current native app model. With a fully flash enabled web browser the web app side is fully available on BB10.
RIM has decidedly covered themselves in both arenas by being HTML5 friendly as well as making a major push to get the apps its needs. BB10 will launch with somewhere between 70k and 150k apps available. Couple this with the fact they recently signed a deal with Appcelerator's 300k strong App development community and i think RIM has finally addressed the whole "lack of apps" issue and has positioned themselves to be ready for whatever direction the market takes going forward.
The Investment
RIM has definitely been a controversial stock play. Running from the lows of 6.22 and reaching a recent peak of 15.50 in after hours trading on Dec 21 2012.
Currently trading in the 11.95-12.00 range RIM ,in my opinion, is still a bargain.
The Jan 30 2013 launch date for BB10 is fast approaching and we should begin to see the hype machine roll out in full force.
RIM has a current user base of 80 million subscribers that they are launching BB10 into. This gives them a leg up on a platform like Windows8 which has to fight and steal for every new subscriber.
Initially selling into the Enterprise base is the right strategy as it will get millions of phones out into the public right out of the gate.
RIM recently set up 150 large Enterprise users with BB10 test phones so that they can become the early adaptors of the platform.
These initial sales will stabilize RIM as a business and then they can focus on marketing the platform to the consumer side.
With a new management team at the helm, a new OS and a market that is due for some "disruption", RIM is positioned for some growth,both short term and long term.
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