[jechow]

Anyone else think it is time for RIM to lose its hardware division (which is losing money) and concentrate on BB10 OS? Maybe RIM should take on the Andriod model and license (for a fee) its BB10 OS and let Samsung, HTC and Sony battle it out in terms of hardware.

Something needs to change here and Heins no compromise approach is killing the company. At least in the short term and remember you need to get past the short term in order to make it into the long term. Remember Apple and Palm, only one of these companies made it past the short term.

[cgk]

What is the benefit to anyone of licensing bb10?

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

[Foreverup]

Got to release BB10 before they can license it

[screamcap]

In my amateur opinion. I think the best solution (perhaps too late) is for RIM to focus on a single phone model, a Blackberry 10 with keyboard. This would end all the model confusion, allow them to redirect (even more) limited resources and capitalize on their core strengths of the keyboard, BBM and the various business-friendly software systems/services they have in place.

[omi10468]

In my amateur opinion. I think the best solution (perhaps too late) is for RIM to focus on a single phone model, a Blackberry 10 with keyboard. This would end all the model confusion, allow them to redirect (even more) limited resources and capitalize on their core strengths of the keyboard, BBM and the various business-friendly software systems/services they have in place.

I agree...I don't understand RIM plan here. If a majority of us BB owners are using devices with keyboards why are they appealing to the "full touch" users first. I find it doubtful that many of the current Android and iOS users will crossover for a BB device. Even if the hardware is amazing many of those users choose those platforms because the apps that are available to them. Make another amazing device like the 9900.

[Powdah]

Being in the minority, I do not want a keyboard.

However, I think RIM needs to get out (yesterday) a top end hardware spec phone running OS7 that could be upgraded to OS10 when it becomes available. Would give an instant boost to sales as many of us are waiting for the new BB10 phones and are running old hardware /software.

[Superfly_FR]

Being in the minority, I do not want a keyboard.

You're ... not in the minority.
Here are the BB hard fans, most being keyboard addict. It's not "the world"
P.S: I do like my physical keyboard ... too.

P.S: for the top end hardware phone ... see this : http://forums.crackberry.com/general...bb7-os-732534/

[ssbtech]

I'd love it if they updated the 9810 to run BB10. I'd upgrade from my 9800 now if they did that. I'd probably even pay $49 for the OS7 to BB10 upgrade when it comes available.

Carriers aren't helping either. Nobody wants to upgrade their current phone only to be stuck with a early upgrade fee when BB10 phones hit.

[WinningWithLogic]

In my amateur opinion. I think the best solution (perhaps too late) is for RIM to focus on a single phone model, a Blackberry 10 with keyboard. This would end all the model confusion, allow them to redirect (even more) limited resources and capitalize on their core strengths of the keyboard, BBM and the various business-friendly software systems/services they have in place.

I'm with you. Honestly, I think RIM should narrow its focus to offering devices purely for communication.

Imagine if they had gone the route of heavily customizing Android with a custom email client + BBM + security + hardware keyboard + scalado camera software + custom touch keyboard + BES integration, I bet they'd be so so much better off today.

I would buy it.

[ssbtech]

I don't think "Android" and "Security" go together...

[WinningWithLogic]

I don't think "Android" and "Security" go together...

Android and security go just fine together. Most of the garbage reports you read online about this stuff are severely mis-informed and pretty much are some variant of "I installed third-party app X, and it does bad stuff! Android is broken!11"

Of course, what's never mentioned is that when you install an Android app, it explicitly lists what permissions/data it accesses, and in fact the default BlackBerry permission set is even more permissive than the Android one.

Also, if you install a misbehaving app on Windows it will do bad stuff as well. Bad apps do bad things - don't install them on any platform. News @ 11.

Also, my point was that RIM could likely harden Android's security in several different ways - that's how they can differentiate and add value.

[ssbtech]

If RIM started sticking 'droid on their devices, I think there would be a great risk of diluting their own branded OS.

They might sell more hardware, but that's not where the money is. If they're supposedly taking several more months to get BBM working on BB10, there's no way they'd get 'droid up and running by the end of this year.

[kbz1960]

If RIM started sticking 'droid on their devices, I think there would be a great risk of diluting their own branded OS.

They might sell more hardware, but that's not where the money is. If they're supposedly taking several more months to get BBM working on BB10, there's no way they'd get 'droid up and running by the end of this year.

RIM can not compete with other Android makers.

[ssbtech]

I don't know why it's so difficult for RIM to come up with some appealing hardware.

That white BB10 drawing we saw here not long ago was a cool looking phone. Why someone at RIM doesn't send that off to their manufacturing partner and say "here, make us half a million of these" is beyond me.

Clearly with the phones they have they know HOW to design and build the hardware. The Torch slider wasn't exactly easy as pie to design and package into the form factor that it is, so this proves that RIM has the know-how to screw together a nice bit of kit.

[Foreverup]

RIM can not compete with other Android makers.

Yeah but it would of been a fun experiment to see the power of RIM's patents.

Might have been the only manufacture Apple wouldn't have tried to sue.

[OzarkaTexile]

RIM wants to own the whole experience: hardware, software, network. It was a huge advantage in the days before BYOD, but now it's a liability. They have to be large enough to do all three of these with scale in order to compete. If they were just hardware, they could sell Android or WP7 devices, but likely at a low margin. If they were just software, they could license their OS to manufacturers, but they don't have an OS to license. If they just do the network, securing transmissions for iOS and Android devices, that doesn't leave much hope for "BlackBerry people".

Whatever they should do, I think RIM has chosen their path. They're going to try to do all three and they're going to try to do it with BB10. My prediction is that they will fail, and either disappear completely (like Palm) or become a network infrastructure provider (BBM, device management, secure network).

Either way, I don't think we'll see more than two BB10 devices before RIM dies or gets out of the handset business. And given their past history of execution, I suspect BB10 will never be released.