[rkennedy01]

Just posted to Betanews.com:

RIM is a far more formidable player than either Google or Apple

Enjoy!

RCK

[bounce007]

Cool. At least someone is not writing RIM off. That one poster at the end of the article says RIM is splitting up (apparently based on that article by Reuters). Smh... Why don't people read carefully and understand! RIM is not splitting! Not right now anyway.

[OniBerry]

or if they are, they are not telling us...lol

[anthogag]

Great article. This guy knows what he's talking about

A great implementation of multi-tasking is vital for next gen devices...and BB10 will have flow

[slalom]

Interesting article, and something consistent with what I've been saying for a long time. I also said the same thing when I bought my HD-DVD player and my Betamax and my Elcassette. Unfortunately good marketing often trumps good technology and while RIM/QNX have the latter, they have not demonstrated the former in a long time.

[spike12]

"RIM is a far more formidable player than either Google or Apple



By Randall C. Kennedy


I like it when I�m right. Whether it�s dispelling the myths surrounding the Windows 7 kernel (I was right), or bursting the bubble of the VDI-everywhere zealots (right again), I enjoy having my predictions come true.

I�m also an operating system technology purist. I believe that a strong OS foundation is what determines whether or not a given platform will succeed over the long haul. This is why I�m convinced that Microsoft will ultimately dominate the enterprise mobile computing space (Windows Phone 8 is based on Windows NT, an OS for which I have tremendous respect). And it�s also why I believe they eventually will share this space not with Apple or Google, but rather the company that everyone likes to write-off: Research in Motion.




Why use iOS Crippleware?

Yes, the grandfather of the smartphone industry is poised to make a comeback. Why? Simple: QNX. Those three letters translate into a huge competitive advantage over any other mobile computing platform. In fact, the only mobile OS that comes close to QNX�s capability is Windows 8. Both are based on robust, scalable, multitasking kernels, and both support the kind of distributed computing magic that will usher in the next generation of killer mobile applications.

iOS? Crippleware from a vendor that seems obsessed with putting training wheels on everything in sight. Android? A sloppy pile of hacks and tweaks (it�s based on Linux, after all) that is being rapidly torn asunder by market fragmentation and competing vendor agendas.

By contrast, QNX is a true, real-time OS. Do a little research and you�ll discover that its reliable, proven kernel has been used in everything from the control circuits for nuclear reactors to the dashboard infotainment systems in tens of thousands of vehicles.

And now RIM owns it, along with The Astonishing Tribe (TAT), Jaycut and a host of other critical acquisitions. In fact, from a pure mobile technology portfolio standpoint, RIM is a far more formidable player than either Google or Apple, and they match up quite well against Microsoft in terms of long-term platform potential.

Those of us who have experience with RIM�s current incarnation of QNX -- whether through the Playbook or the Dev Alpha preview of the upcoming BB10 platform -- get a kick out of the latest Samsung ads slamming Apple�s lack of useful multitasking in iOS. The Playbook�s OS has offered that sort of capability for over a year, and BB10 is based on this same QNX implementation.

QNX runs Circles Around Competitors

Case in point: As I write this on my Playbook, the device is also downloading a torrent (Swarm), playing an MP3 (native music app), synchronizing my email/calendar/contacts (native messaging app), checking for forum messages (TapaTalk), updating my twitter account (Blaq) and copying about a gigabyte of files (ES File Explorer) into the device�s local storage, over WiFi, from a network share on my Windows 7 PC.

Note, also, that three of the above named programs -- Swarm, TapaTalk and ES File Explorer -- are Android apps. QNX is powerful enough to support multiple application runtimes, in this case a parallel copy of the Android Dalvik VM that integrates seamlessly with the overall Playbook UI. Factor in the Playbook�s ability to multitask these apps alongside its own native QNX apps, and you could argue that RIM�s much maligned tablet delivers a �better Android than Android� type of experience.

Bottom Line: My year-old Playbook with QNX is running circles around every competing mobile platform out there, with the possible exception of Windows 8. Which is why I�m convinced that RIM has a bright future in the enterprise: IT appreciates the qualities that QNX brings to the table, namely, scalability, robust multitasking and rock-solid security.

Whether or not these factors will translate into success in the consumer space remains to be seen. Unless we see some very sexy BB10 and Windows Phone 8 devices by this fall, BYOD may yet seal the fates of both RIM and Microsoft alike.

However, with market leader Samsung now pitching �multitasking� as a selling point vs. the competition, the game has suddenly shifted to a trajectory that passes right through the middle of RIM�s QNX wheelhouse.

Here�s hoping they seize the moment and hit one out of the park with BB10."

[[email protected]]

Interesting article, and something consistent with what I've been saying for a long time. I also said the same thing when I bought my HD-DVD player and my Betamax and my Elcassette. Unfortunately good marketing often trumps good technology and while RIM/QNX have the latter, they have not demonstrated the former in a long time.

You nailed it.

Best of CES 2009: Top 10 Products | Digital Trends

Anyone recognize the phone?

Multi-Tasking and that other 'hooey' doesn't matter to the average consumer.

Not unless you have great marketing tell consumers 'This is the product you NEED to have."

Tech reviewers are like movie critics... Outside of a certain circle, Nobody really cares...

[avt123]

So this guy just sounds like a super fanboy telling it how it should be but not how it is. If the OS is better, that does not mean it will succeed.

I hope BB10 has a massive take off, because I will be getting the first device and would love to see it thrive. But, I am going into this knowing that it is not all about the OS, it is about how well RIM executes. This guy said nothing about that, and just that QNX will do it.

He also sounds very arrogant. If iOS and Android were so bad, people wouldn't be buying them as much. Yes marketing helps, but it also helps that these platforms are offering things people want and need. I bought the iPhone and my Android devices not from marketing, but because I liked what they offered (due to my own personal research, nothing about Apple commercials/ad or Google commercials/ads made me want these devices). I will be buying a QNX device not from marketing, but because I like what it offers. If QNX was just so amazing, tens of millions of PlayBooks should have been sold and should already be doing what he is claiming. But they weren't and the PB was the joke of the industry for a while. I think it is a great tablet.

Also, everything the author listed that he is doing on his playbook can be done on Android.

Case in point: As I write this on my Playbook, the device is also downloading a torrent (Swarm), playing an MP3 (native music app), synchronizing my email/calendar/contacts (native messaging app), checking for forum messages (TapaTalk), updating my twitter account (Blaq) and copying about a gigabyte of files (ES File Explorer) into the device�s local storage, over WiFi, from a network share on my Windows 7 PC.

I can do all of this on my Galaxy Nexus, and have been able to for some time with Android for the last few years. This really is nothing new. I would hope BB10 can do this.

[hurds]

Seems like with the media today its quantity over quality.

If 10 people told you to jump off a bridge cause its fun its a good idea but if 1 person says you'll die its a bad idea they get ignored.

For all the apple fanbots I think the way he thinks could be applied here too. ios could be argued to be a better platform than BBOS and we are seeing it now in sales. You are sadly misinformed or naive if you think ios even remotely compares to QNX as a platform for the future of mobile computing. Apple is an amazing marketing company, but they also had a great product to market for. We will see the competition catch up and surpass anything apple currently has and they will be forced to make the transition RIM is now making or they will die.

[amazinglygraceless]

Tech reviewers are like movie critics... Outside of a certain circle, Nobody really cares...

Roger that. How many movies, or albums (yeah, I'm old ), or books have we seen panned
that went on to become blockbusters? By the same token how many of those things have
the critics lauded that were abysmal failures?

This is the primary reason I listen to so few of these people and some not at all. David Pogue,
of the New York Times for instance, is a man who couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat.

[sleepngbear]

iOS? Crippleware from a vendor that seems obsessed with putting training wheels on everything in sight.

Made me LOL All over the place.

Nice article -- thanks for sharing.

[Shlooky]

Why don't people read carefully and understand! RIM is not splitting! Not right now anyway.

How do you know? Do you work for RIM? Are you part of their board?
Do you have insight into RIM that we don't?

I think a split of RIM hardware manufacturing can occur. All they have to do is licence BB10 OS to the likes of Samsung and others and there you go. RIM can focus on enhancing their network infrastructure/security which other build BB10 hardware.

[[email protected]]

Seems like with the media today its quantity over quality.

If 10 people told you to jump off a bridge cause its fun its a good idea but if 1 person says you'll die its a bad idea they get ignored.

For all the apple fanbots I think the way he thinks could be applied here too. ios could be argued to be a better platform than BBOS and we are seeing it now in sales. You are sadly misinformed or naive if you think ios even remotely compares to QNX as a platform for the future of mobile computing. Apple is an amazing marketing company, but they also had a great product to market for. We will see the competition catch up and surpass anything apple currently has and they will be forced to make the transition RIM is now making or they will die.

What makes you think that Apple is sitting on it's laurels in any way? They have the money to recruit the best talent and to keep looking forward.

Blind hatred is just as silly as blind patriotism...

[MasterOfBinary]

How do you know? Do you work for RIM? Are you part of their board?
Do you have insight into RIM that we don't?

I think a split of RIM hardware manufacturing can occur. All they have to do is licence BB10 OS to the likes of Samsung and others and there you go. RIM can focus on enhancing their network infrastructure/security which other build BB10 hardware.

Cuz... RIM Splitting Business is

[homer1475]

What makes you think that Apple is sitting on it's laurels in any way? They have the money to recruit the best talent and to keep looking forward.

...And yet they keep coming out with the same product over and over, with minor if any improvements. This same strategy is exactly what got RIM in the position its in.

[Splange]

So this guy just sounds like a super fanboy telling it how it should be but not how it is. If the OS is better, that does not mean it will succeed.



I hope BB10 has a massive take off, because I will be getting the first device and would love to see it thrive. But, I am going into this knowing that it is not all about the OS, it is about how well RIM executes. This guy said nothing about that, and just that QNX will do it.



He also sounds very arrogant. If iOS and Android were so bad, people wouldn't be buying them as much. Yes marketing helps, but it also helps that these platforms are offering things people want and need. I bought the iPhone and my Android devices not from marketing, but because I liked what they offered (due to my own personal research, nothing about Apple commercials/ad or Google commercials/ads made me want these devices). I will be buying a QNX device not from marketing, but because I like what it offers. If QNX was just so amazing, tens of millions of PlayBooks should have been sold and should already be doing what he is claiming. But they weren't and the PB was the joke of the industry for a while. I think it is a great tablet.



Also, everything the author listed that he is doing on his playbook can be done on Android.







I can do all of this on my Galaxy Nexus, and have been able to for some time with Android for the last few years. This really is nothing new. I would hope BB10 can do this.

So true. The author sounds like he's never even used other phones if he's bragging about basic multitasking. The playbook OS doesn't "run laps" around all other OS - it's very good - but it doesn't do anything you can't do on a top-tier android tablet for example.

This just brings me back to the days when people were gushing about how the webkit browser in OS6 would change everything and blow the competition away, when it was really just basic catching up.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk

[Shlooky]

Cuz... RIM Splitting Business is

So was the idea of removing the Co-CEO's from position, oh and look what happened!!!

[Splange]

...And yet they keep coming out with the same product over and over, with minor if any improvements. This same strategy is exactly what got RIM in the position its in.

I wouldn't say over and over again, but I would agree it does look like they've gotten too comfortable especially with the iphone 4 - 4s jump. But we'll have to wait till the iphone 5 to really see if they've started to fall to incremental insignificant tweaking.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk

[sleepngbear]

How do you know? Do you work for RIM? Are you part of their board?
Do you have insight into RIM that we don't?

I think a split of RIM hardware manufacturing can occur. All they have to do is licence BB10 OS to the likes of Samsung and others and there you go. RIM can focus on enhancing their network infrastructure/security which other build BB10 hardware.

Licensing the OS to another hardware vendor is totally different than selling off the hardware business. Under the former, RIM still owns and controls the hardware specs and patents; but you could theoretically have RIM/Blackberry and another manufacturer both building devices that run BB10 and/or BBOS (of all the 'strategic options', this the one I'd really like to see). Or you could have RIM continuing to build only legacy BBOS devices with another party building just BB10 hardware. Whereas selling off the hardware business could result in just one other manufacturer building all BB hardware, or worse, building something else and scrapping the BB brand altogether. Once someone else owns it, they can pretty much do whatever they want with it, including nothing at all.

[sleepngbear]

...And yet they keep coming out with the same product over and over, with minor if any improvements. This same strategy is exactly what got RIM in the position its in.

That is an interesting point, but the major difference is that the original product was hugely popular right out of the gate, and was probably mostly responsible for the explosive growth in the whole smart phone market the last four-five years. It is also the form factor that almost every Android-powered device has duplicated, obviously with a lot of success. Because it is so simple, it really is a very flexible model. (except there are still people like me who can't type on it for ssssquat.) I really can't even begin to guess what it would take to displace it as the preferred design short of HUD contact lenses and personal implanted comm chips hardwired to your brain stem. And I really hope QNX gets there first, because that is something I absolutely would not want Google tapping into.

[[email protected]]

...And yet they keep coming out with the same product over and over, with minor if any improvements. This same strategy is exactly what got RIM in the position its in.

I think it has more to do with yearly cycles than strategy.

New phone, upgrade. New phone, upgrade.

HTC EVO, EVO 3D, New EVO.

Do you honestly think BB will launch a completely newly designed phone each year?

[WinningWithLogic]

So true. The author sounds like he's never even used other phones if he's bragging about basic multitasking. The playbook OS doesn't "run laps" around all other OS - it's very good - but it doesn't do anything you can't do on a top-tier android tablet for example.

This just brings me back to the days when people were gushing about how the webkit browser in OS6 would change everything and blow the competition away, when it was really just basic catching up.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk

You summed it up perfectly with your final sentence. People on these forums have been claiming "The competition is going to be blown away by X!", where X has been all of the below at one point or another:

* BlackBerry Storm
* BlackBerry Torch
* BB OS 6
* BB OS 7
* BB Webkit Browser
* PlayBook
* PlayBook OS 2.0
* Android application compatibility

Of course, X comes and goes and nothing changes.

Oh look, RIMM is down another ~10% today (to ~$9/share). What a surprise.

[tchocky77]

That author is a piece of sh!t "reporter" who got himself fired for lying.

True story.

[ADGrant]

That author is a piece of sh!t "reporter" who got himself fired for lying.

True story.

He certainly doesn't know anything about operating system architecture.

[anthogag]

Made me LOL All over the place.

Nice article -- thanks for sharing.

Just a taste of the kind of BS we get from Boy-Dumba$$-Report, GomerGadget, et al