View Poll Results: What's Your Opinion of the BlackBerry OS?

Voters
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  • I think it's Perfect as-is!

    3 3.53%
  • It could use some work, but it's essentially good.

    51 60.00%
  • I like it, but it needs major work.

    17 20.00%
  • It needs a major overhaul, Real Bad!

    14 16.47%
  1. smnc's Avatar
    So I've had a Curve 8310 for a year now, and while some things have impressed me mightily, others have left me kind of disappointed.

    Firstly, I realize the 83xx is not exactly current hardware, and many of my problems are addressed by newer devices.

    But my biggest concern is the OS.
    Tons of great apps, and the BEST e-mail of any mobile device are great, but do you ever get the feeling that BlackBerry OS is just plain dated?

    Take for instance the organization of apps.
    RIM gives you one big screen for all your apps. The only way you can organize your apps is to create folders and stick the apps in those.
    The last time I saw an interface that bad was Windows 3.1. Seriously.

    I get it; Back in the old BB days when you didn't have 10+ apps plus all the system icons, it was fine, but now?

    How about the media functions of the phone? I don't primarily use my curve as an MP3 player, but during long plane/train/bus rides, it's handy to have, just not especially easy to use. The interface for the media player is clunky at best.

    Then there's the web browser. It's not the absolute worst I've used, but it's in the bottom 3. What's up with that? Pre's cool browser, WinMo with IE6, and of course Apple's Safari.


    I'm not saying there's anything WRONG with the BBOS, but every year there just seems to be less RIGHT about it.
    With Palm's webOS, Google's Android, and even WinMo7 innovating around every corner, the BBOS just seems to be standing still. Even OS5.0 doesn't seem to be more than a tweak and facelift job.

    Please share your thoughts, either agreeing or disagreeing, but please leave the flaming at home.
    09-23-09 09:47 AM
  2. Coruptyed's Avatar
    I actually like the media player on my pearl works very well and when I got the short cuts for it figured out no problem..
    My os on my phone is also more out dated then your curve but I don't have any complaints with my phone or putting apps into folders

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    09-23-09 09:52 AM
  3. RCode's Avatar
    I agree with what your saying... but you wouldn't own a BB if you still didn't love it. It's just the fact that RIM is getting used to half-assing everything. It seems that they have nothing that is just on top of the competition. They just do everything fairly well, which makes it a good device. But it is time for them to step it up, or they will start loosing market share to all these new smartphones coming out.
    09-23-09 10:11 AM
  4. JoeyMoose's Avatar
    RIM recently purchased torch mobile. We will be seeing jumps in OS's in the upcoming years.

    BB does everything it was marketed for and more.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    09-23-09 10:16 AM
  5. smnc's Avatar
    I agree with what your saying... but you wouldn't own a BB if you still didn't love it. It seems that they have nothing that is just on top of the competition. But it is time for them to step it up, or they will start loosing market share to all these new smartphones coming out.
    Exactly! I do love my Curve, but I'd like to see RIM take webOS seriously. Yeah, I know we all have a good laugh at the iPhoneOS and WinMo, but Palm used to laugh at WinMo too. They seem determined to reclaim some of their former glory.
    09-23-09 10:17 AM
  6. Radius's Avatar
    Half-assing. Lol

    With military grade encryption, remote corporate management second to none and a host of other features you won't find anywhere else, I think that comment is a little off the mark.

    You're comparing consumer end toys with a business/critical infrastructure device, they aren't even in the same league. There is a reason firefighters, police, military, etc. Don't have iPhones.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    09-23-09 10:20 AM
  7. smnc's Avatar
    RIM recently purchased torch mobile. We will be seeing jumps in OS's in the upcoming years.
    I do have high hopes for the Torch acquisition, but until we actually see something, it doesn't amount to a hill of beans.


    BB does everything it was marketed for and more.
    That was kind of my point. It feels like the OS is just being pushed well past what it was designed to do. Not that the OS is flawed in any way, just that it's being made to do so much more than it was originally designed for.
    09-23-09 10:21 AM
  8. afropoika's Avatar
    I agree with Coruptyed; one does not really need the latest and greatest. We CrackBerry users who have older devices still know and understand to apprecitate them for what they are and not what they could be. Our phones are maybe not the most technologically advanced out there, but "they" do NOT have a BlackBerry. That is what sets us all apart. Any BlackBerry will still give you that crackin' feeling, no matter which OS your device runs.


    I am against the need for a major overhaul. Think what Apple did to hundreds of its customers when they released the new Mac Pro with PCI-Express. Earlier Mac Pro / Power Mac had PCI-X bus, which meant no compatibility for separately purchased PCI-X preipherals with the new Mac Pro. A great let down, which also made many Apple customers unhappy. I know some of them who even pulled the trigger and switched to PC. The same can happen with BlackBerry if RIM are not careful and make a new OS completely from scratch. If it does not retain the ease of use, shortcuts and e-mail functionality we all know and love, it would be definitely a let down for many. If the new OS did in fact retain at least the aforementioned points, then it wouldn't really be a new OS.

    Not everything is perfect though, so I do want that RIM develop new software and applications actively. I really do not want to end in the same bag as iPhone users: "there's an app for that". There's a difference with official / first party and third party software. NO WAY will I rely on third party stuff. That is why I love the fact that RIM are the ones who provide Facebook, Google Talk, AIM, et cetera.
    09-23-09 10:23 AM
  9. FYDave's Avatar
    I find that the OS could stand to be improved certainly. Then again, what OS out there couldn't be improved?

    I think that the pro's far outweigh the con's right now, for me, otherwise I don't think I'd still have a Blackberry.
    09-23-09 10:25 AM
  10. smnc's Avatar
    Half-assing. Lol

    With military grade encryption, remote corporate management second to none and a host of other features you won't find anywhere else, I think that comment is a little off the mark.
    I don't think anyone is going to fault the core of what a BlackBerry is. You are 100% correct that it is the ONLY device to handle the corporate side of things so effectively, not to mention it's e-mail and messaging.

    The problem stems from the RIM not addressing a changing landscape effectively.
    Should BlackBerries be a toy like the iPhone? Of course not!
    But should they ignore the strengths of the iPhone just because it is a toy? NO!
    09-23-09 10:28 AM
  11. smnc's Avatar
    I agree with Coruptyed; one does not really need the latest and greatest. We CrackBerry users who have older devices still know and understand to apprecitate them for what they are and not what they could be.
    That's an interesting perspective, and I really respect you for saying it.
    It's true. A lot of core RIM users don't want or need the latest greatest thing.

    The problem is that the market is changing and more and more people are getting smartphones. Many of them look at a BlackBerry, then go look at an iPhone or Pre. For the average user, what do you think is more enticing?
    I'm not saying RIM needs to appeal to every single buyer, but if they're not careful, all the growth they've experienced in the last few years could turn around really quick, and relegate the blackberry back to the realm of the corporate only environment.

    I am against the need for a major overhaul. Think what Apple did to hundreds of its customers when they released the new Mac Pro with PCI-Express... The same can happen with BlackBerry if RIM are not careful and make a new OS completely from scratch.
    I agree completely. Although I'd like to see RIM make some significant progress in a new User Interface, I would hate to see anything that would break compatibility or usability from the older system.
    09-23-09 10:40 AM
  12. JoeyMoose's Avatar
    RIM is making improvements, BBM 5.0 for starters.

    I don't get why some people buy a Blackberry and than complain about it. The specs on the phone do not lie, the salesman didn't twist your arm, and you had 30 days to return it.

    They make 100's of phone models, maybe a BB wasn't the one for you.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    09-23-09 10:44 AM
  13. smnc's Avatar
    RIM is making improvements, BBM 5.0 for starters.

    I don't get why some people buy a Blackberry and than complain about it. The specs on the phone do not lie, the salesman didn't twist your arm, and you had 30 days to return it.

    They make 100's of phone models, maybe a BB wasn't the one for you.
    Okay so this is really starting to tick me off.
    Why is it that whenever someone starts discussing areas of improvement for the BlackBerry that some of you out there get so touchy?
    I've been told at lest 3 times now, in multiple threads, that if I don't believe that everything about the BlackBerry is perfect then I should buy something else.

    You love your Berry. I GET THAT.
    I love my Berry. UNDERSTAND?
    But I'm not blind to the fact that it's not perfect. Why can't I have conversation about the BlackBerry vs. it's competitors without this kind of crap?
    09-23-09 10:55 AM
  14. cd36's Avatar
    Okay so this is really starting to tick me off.
    Why is it that whenever someone starts discussing areas of improvement for the BlackBerry that some of you out there get so touchy?
    I've been told at lest 3 times now, in multiple threads, that if I don't believe that everything about the BlackBerry is perfect then I should buy something else.

    You love your Berry. I GET THAT.
    I love my Berry. UNDERSTAND?
    But I'm not blind to the fact that it's not perfect. Why can't I have conversation about the BlackBerry vs. it's competitors without this kind of crap?
    It's a good thing RIM doesn't have (I hope) the attitude of "If you don't like it, go somewhere else" or else their sales are going to fall off a cliff. Remember basically all growth for RIM is coming right now from the Consumer end, if you see the Consumer side of things fall off, you will lose it all. The "IF you don't like it go somewhere else" excuse is just lazy, and prevents innovation (That RIM was once known for). Good luck growing as a company with that mindset.
    09-23-09 11:20 AM
  15. smnc's Avatar
    It's a good thing RIM doesn't have (I hope) the attitude of "If you don't like it, go somewhere else" or else their sales are going to fall off a cliff. Remember basically all growth for RIM is coming right now from the Consumer end, if you see the Consumer side of things fall off, you will lose it all.
    I think RIM is aware of the increased competition, and I'm sure they're working hard on improvements constantly, but remember that until the last few years RIM clientele was almost exclusively Corporate.
    It's not so much the "If you don't like it, go somewhere else" attitude that worries me. I'm more worried that RIM is having trouble learning HOW to adapt to a consumer based market.
    09-23-09 11:34 AM
  16. toomuchgame441's Avatar
    Well we all know how RIM started out as a business device. But they are transitioning over to the consumer market too. I think their transitioning is moving too slow for what's out there. That's why I'm gettin an Android device. That htc hero will be mine come the 11th

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    09-23-09 12:13 PM
  17. JoeyMoose's Avatar
    There is no such thing as perfect.

    If you think there are areas of improvement than go ahead and improve them.

    Send an email to RIM
    or write a new OS yourself wiseguy.
    09-23-09 12:48 PM
  18. smnc's Avatar
    There is no such thing as perfect.

    If you think there are areas of improvement than go ahead and improve them.

    Send an email to RIM
    or write a new OS yourself wiseguy.
    What's with this hostility? Are you so emotionally invested in your Berry that you perceive this discussion as a personal attack?

    Seriously, what I have I done that you find so offensive? If you don't want to participate in this discussion then you can just ignore it, but why join the conversation just to complain about the conversation?

    Now stop trolling please.

    edit: I just read your sig, lol!!! Wow what a hypocrite you are!
    Last edited by smnc; 09-23-09 at 01:00 PM.
    09-23-09 12:53 PM
  19. corbintechboy's Avatar
    I think the thing to remember here is the original purpose the BB was derived.

    BB is not in competition with the iPhone, Pre, Android.... They have built a product that excels in the corporate market and still hold the title in that area. The people out there buying iPhones and Android based deviced are the people who used normal phones while BB has been doing this all along.

    It is true, those phones are toys and made for that type of crowd. Why would a company (BB) want to forget the very principles for which it was founded in order to draw a crowd like those other devices do?

    Dumbing down a device to make make it "user friendly" (in a iPhone sort of way) introduces security holes and draws mass attention to a device that was not created with this in mind.

    I for one (being a new BB user) do not want the masses to flood in this direction! I don't want BB to feel like they are in a race! I want an operational device that is stable and works really well! This is where the BlackBerry shines!

    Don't let the illusion of "innovation" ruin an already awsome product!
    09-23-09 01:06 PM
  20. JoeyMoose's Avatar
    No Hostility, just don't understand why a noob such as yourself can't understand that the Blackberry has been around for a long time and has been delivering for years as the best business device. It is not a gaming device, nor will it ever be. As i stated before they recently purchased Torch mobile and will be developing newer and better OS in the near future as the demand for non-business users has grown.

    The BB cannot and should not be compared to the Iphone or any other phone since it is in a class of its own.

    Call me a troll, a hypocrite, or anything else, but smart people understand this and make educated decisions before they purchase something.
    09-23-09 01:06 PM
  21. JoeyMoose's Avatar
    I think the thing to remember here is the original purpose the BB was derived.

    BB is not in competition with the iPhone, Pre, Android.... They have built a product that excels in the corporate market and still hold the title in that area. The people out there buying iPhones and Android based deviced are the people who used normal phones while BB has been doing this all along.

    It is true, those phones are toys and made for that type of crowd. Why would a company (BB) want to forget the very principles for which it was founded in order to draw a crowd like those other devices do?

    Dumbing down a device to make make it "user friendly" (in a iPhone sort of way) introduces security holes and draws mass attention to a device that was not created with this in mind.

    I for one (being a new BB user) do not want the masses to flood in this direction! I don't want BB to feel like they are in a race! I want an operational device that is stable and works really well! This is where the BlackBerry shines!

    Don't let the illusion of "innovation" ruin an already awsome product!

    +1 for the post time and this post.
    09-23-09 01:07 PM
  22. corbintechboy's Avatar
    +1 for the post time and this post.
    Just noticed the post time... SWEET!

    Belong to many forums and I believe that is a first for me .
    09-23-09 01:12 PM
  23. JoeyMoose's Avatar
    Welcome, Corbintechboy! Seems like you will be great addition to these forums.
    09-23-09 01:17 PM
  24. smnc's Avatar
    I think the thing to remember here is the original purpose the BB was derived...
    They have built a product that excels in the corporate market and still hold the title in that area.
    Excellent argument! I agree 100%, and I've already said so
    I don't think anyone is going to fault the core of what a BlackBerry is. You are 100% correct that it is the ONLY device to handle the corporate side of things so effectively, not to mention it's e-mail and messaging.

    BB is not in competition with the iPhone, Pre, Android....
    The people out there buying iPhones and Android based deviced are the people who used normal phones while BB has been doing this all along...
    It is true, those phones are toys and made for that type of crowd.
    I have to disagree somewhat with you here on a couple points.

    First, Palm has ONLY ever made smartphones and PDAs, and unless I'm very much mistaken, the Palm Pilot predates the BlackBerry by several years.

    Secondly, to say that the BlackBerry is not in competition with other smartphones is naive imo.
    As several posts here have mentioned, the transition to a consumer or at least "pro-sumer" device is in progress an inevitable.
    Yes RIM was first, but does that mean nothing should ever change?

    Here's an example:
    IBM was the first out the door with the PC. Amigas and Apples were just considered toys. IBM also ignored companies like Dell and Compaq (now HP) because IBM OWNED the business market, and that was all that mattered. Everything else was just for home users. Well, that kind of thinking almost made IBM go bankrupt.

    Now here's an even better example:
    Back in the late 90's the Palm was THE device for busy professionals. In 1999, a new type of device appeared on the scene. It was a innovative two way pager called a BlackBerry.
    Well Palm wasn't too worried, after all they owned the PDA business so some pager was no competition at all. For a few years, all went well for Palm as the BlackBerry continued to evolve. In 2002 the first "modern" smartphone style BlackBerry came out, and things started to change over at Palm.
    Palm bought Handspring to get the Treo smartphone of to compete with RIM, but the pendulum had already started swinging away from Palm. By 2005 Palm had started shifting to WinMo as it was unable to stay competitive with the much more innovative BlackBerry on its own.


    For the Record I agree 100% on the iPhone. It is a toy, but I'd keep an eye on Android and WebOS if I were you. They're new, and they'll never take away the hardcore corporate market that RIM was built on, but I think either or both are completely capable or marginalizing RIM to JUST the hardcore corporate market.

    Why would a company (BB) want to forget the very principles for which it was founded in order to draw a crowd like those other devices do?
    Dumbing down a device to make make it "user friendly" (in a iPhone sort of way) introduces security holes and draws mass attention to a device that was not created with this in mind.
    Why do these things have to be mutually exclusive?
    Windows 7 has a MUCH better user interface and is MUCH more user friendly than say Windows NT4.0, but it's the most secure Windows yet.

    I for one (being a new BB user) do not want the masses to flood in this direction! I don't want BB to feel like they are in a race! I want an operational device that is stable and works really well! This is where the BlackBerry shines!
    While I agree that having a device that "just works" is the most important thing, I can only see more BB users are a good thing. More users mean more apps, more money for r&d and better device prices.
    And for the record I have to do a battery pull at least once a week or so to keep my Curve usable.
    I don't think that's a completely stable...

    Don't let the illusion of "innovation" ruin an already awsome product!
    How can innovation be a bad thing? The whole idea of the BlackBerry is an innovation over the original text-receiving pager. Innovation is what drive the technology industry.
    09-23-09 02:08 PM
  25. JoeyMoose's Avatar
    True, innovation is great! Also if you are doing a battery pull once a week that is much less than the average user. There is an app called quickpull that will schedule battery pulls for you so you don't have to physically pull the battery.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    09-23-09 02:51 PM
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