[TechnoBuffalo] BlackBerry 10 � Any Excitement is Good Excitement for RIM

RIM sat on the sidelines with headlines bashing not only its financial performance, but its products, for the past few years. It hung out on the bench drinking Gatorade while Apple, Android and even Windows Phone took to the field and shined in the spotlight. Most of what was reported on the company seemed negative: was it going to sell off all of its assets and intellectual property and vanish altogether? Would it delay BlackBerry 10? (It did), would it ever get Blackberry 10 devices out the door?

The answer, as you already know, is yes. Tomorrow we�ll be treated to BlackBerry 10 and the first device, likely the Z10. For the first time in a while, RIM�s stepping off of the bench and entering the field with a fresh set of cleats on. It�s going to not only enter the game, but it�s going to start. And this is big news for RIM, because at this point any excitement is good excitement for the company.

I�ve already asked whether or not RIM was being too bold by scheduling its BlackBerry Live conference during the same week as Google I/O this May, and tomorrow we�ll know the answer. Are its devices sluggish or quick? In our experience, we saw nothing but speed, but those were on units controlled by the product managers (we couldn�t install apps and the features weren�t all active).

The reason I�m even writing this editorial is that I�ve been asked by a few friends: Do you really think RIM is going to come back? And that�s not entirely the whole point here. Yes, I think RIM has a really good chance at making a comeback with BlackBerry 10, but it�s going to be a tough struggle no matter how great its products are. Don�t forget that webOS was fantastic but was ultimately killed off because of bad decisions made by HP, Palm and existing partners. My point is that RIM only needs to make a little comeback to make big news.

This is a company that has been written off to the grave by nearly everyone out there. Even a little sparkle tomorrow will get the press and analysts talking more about a company, perhaps in the first positive light that it has seen yet. If a million consumers, and that�s a tiny, tiny fraction of the global population, buy a BlackBerry next year, that�s a million consumers who didn�t choose Android, Windows Phone or iOS. We can�t forget that � and it�s why I�ve argued time and time again that RIM didn�t die overnight. It died as iOS and Android slowly ate away at its market share.

We�ll have our thoughts for you tomorrow, but we all need to remember that nothing ever happens immediately. The answer RIM needs to give us is whether or not it can stay on the field for the long term. Whether or not it can play the whole game.

Any injury or setback could put it right back on the bench, and likely for the final time.


Source: TechnoBuffalo
Not a bad read. I guess.

Originally Posted by josaki

Any injury or setback could put it right back on the bench, and likely for the final time.

Gah! I hope not. They probably shouldn't demo how to pull the battery tomorrow...

Interesting read...

In our experience, we saw nothing but speed, but those were on units controlled by the product managers (we couldn’t install apps and the features weren’t all active).

This is a good thing at the onset. I can only imagine that the fluid nature and speed continue after apps are loaded.

Thanks for sharing but...don't agree, tired of the whole Palm/BB10 comparison. Makes the writer loose all credibility based on old outdated facts and proves they are publishing for publishing sake...just my 2 cents.

Originally Posted by emstardeluxe

Gah! I hope not. They probably shouldn't demo how to pull the battery tomorrow...

Oh god, I never even thought of that. That never even entered my mind as a possibility. Now I am not going to be able to sleep at all.

Originally Posted by Shanerredflag

Thanks for sharing but...don't agree, tired of the whole Palm/BB10 comparison. Makes the writer loose all credibility based on old outdated facts and proves they are publishing for publishing sake...just my 2 cents.

I think Palm's WebOS and BlackBerry 10 is a good comparison. I mean, WebOS was suppose to be a breathe of fresh air.

But i believe RIM is making better choices. Palm would have been better selling software instead of selling to HP. The fact RIM has that on the table means they are thinking this through.

So yes, the comparison is valid. In my opinion though, the stories won't end the same. Hopefully ours won't end at all.

Originally Posted by fallax

I think Palm's WebOS and BlackBerry 10 is a good comparison. I mean, WebOS was suppose to be a breathe of fresh air.

But i believe RIM is making better choices. Palm would have been better selling software instead of selling to HP. The fact RIM has that on the table means they are thinking this through.

So yes, the comparison is valid. In my opinion though, the stories won't end the same. Hopefully ours won't end at all.

RIM has a userbase of around 80M customers to draw on. WebOS didn't. That is where the comparison breaks down.

Originally Posted by s7ark

RIM has a userbase of around 80M customers to draw on. WebOS didn't. That is where the comparison breaks down.

Also RIM has a $2.9B cash pile and Palm was mired in debt and couldn't do a proper launch.

Originally Posted by fallax

I think Palm's WebOS and BlackBerry 10 is a good comparison. I mean, WebOS was suppose to be a breathe of fresh air.

But i believe RIM is making better choices. Palm would have been better selling software instead of selling to HP. The fact RIM has that on the table means they are thinking this through.

So yes, the comparison is valid. In my opinion though, the stories won't end the same. Hopefully ours won't end at all.

I think its a good comparison as well when u just look at the OS's and what they meant for both companies at launch. WebOS was a beautiful OS but still lacked certain features and apps that the market leaders had. Sure, some things can be forgiven considering its new, but couple that with only launching on sprint, shady hardware, and hiccups in the software, that ended them. I think comparisons can be made in the sense that if there turn out to be more hiccups than expected come time all these sites get their own review units, then RIM will have basically shot themselves. From the looks of it though, it seems they've done everything in their power to get the apps people want and definitely didn't make the mistake of only launching on one carrier. Tomorrow, we'll see how the software fairs. I hope they have plenty of surprises up their sleeves :)