BlackBerry

The BlackBerry Bold 9700

Hello all you BlackBerry addicts out there! The new BlackBerry Bold 9700 is here, and Bold lovers everywhere are rejoicing! You see I have a few friends with Bolds and a few friends with the Curve 8900. They are constantly bickering with each other over who has the better BlackBerry.

The Curve 8900 is the smaller and lighter version of a Bold but with better features such as a nicer screen resolution and higher MP camera. The Bold on the other hand has a larger screen and is easier to work with for people who can’t read such a small screen.

Well the new Bold 9700 has the best of both worlds, it features all the upgrades of the Curve 9700 but in a bold formfactor. To make it even better, the new Bold 9700 is lighter than it’s predecessor coming in at 4.27 ounces versus 4.8 ounces. To compare the Curve 8900 is a paltry 3.8 ounces in weight.

Will I be going to a Bold 9700? Heck no! I love my Curve 8900 for the time being. But I know of a few friends that won’t be able to resist this upgrade. Once again BlackBerry scores a home run in the business world with another great smartphone!

-RP

Tethering your BlackBerry

Hi folks, so if you’re like me, you might find yourself locked away in a high security managed data center somewhere working on a problem with limited network access and no Internet access whatsoever. You run into a problem and you want to use trusty old Google to find the answer. But with no Internet what do you do?

Well if you’re a BlackBerry user, never fear! There is an app called TetherBerry which allows you to use your BlackBerry as a modem and use your data plan for the charges. This is great because it gives you decent web browsing Internet access in a pinch. You could use it for other things but then you might find that a tad slow.

You can download a 30 day free trial from TetherBerry here. I found installation quite simple and was able to get it up and running in short order. If you’re an IT person on the go, you will definitely find this app extremely valuable!

-RP

Windows Mobile 6.5 to challenge BlackBerry and iPhone

Hello again! Windows Mobile 6.5 is released! And the world went crazy……ummm…yeah….no, not really. I think Windows Mobile 6.5 has been released without much fanfare actually. It’s not like all the hype around the iPhone or the BlackBerry Storm.

I think what has happened is Microsoft has seen declining market share surrounding their mobile products for one good reason……they’re not that great. I can list countless good things about BlackBerries and iPhones, with only a few downsides. But I’ve had no end of issues with the many Windows Mobile based phones I’ve owned in the past. As a matter of fact, it was my horrific experience with Windows Mobile that actually pushed me right into BlackBerry’s waiting arms a long time ago.

Now hopefully this new version is a lot better so the Windows Mobile users out there can get a better experience, but they always claim things are better with the next version and it never really has been that great. If Microsoft wants to really get serious about this, they better really focus on what makes BlackBerry and iPhone so successful and see if they can do something about it.

For now, I will continue to recommend either BlackBerry devices or iPhones to my corporate customers based on their needs as those two devices are both proven in my opinion.

-RP

Will iPhone steal market share from BlackBerry?

Hi folks! As per my previous blog post, iPhone will soon be available at the major carriers across Canada. What does this mean to us?

Well obviously some might think this will foster competition but unfortunately the carriers haven’t been one to really compete with each other. They typically have prices that are in lock step with one another. One would almost think that they get together in the background and have meetings on setting their pricing the same.

No, I think the big thing here isn’t going to be a major shift in pricing, but a major shift in marketshare. What we will see is with the iPhone more readily available it will start to encroach on BlackBerry’s territory. Of Course the BlackBerry is still scene as the corporate smartphone leader but I think with this increased availability it will be hard for corporate types to resist taking a small peak at what else is out there.

-RP

Google Apps for BES

Hi folks, some more news from the BlackBerry front. So the latest salvo fired in the mobility wars comes from Google and BlackBerry.

You’ve all heard of Google Apps, and you’ve all heard of GMail. Currently you can receive your GMail on your BlackBerry by installing the GMail app. Unfortunately if you have used it, it’s not the greatest app and could stand for some improvement.

Well Google has decided to fix that with the Google Apps Connector for BES(BlackBerry Enterprise Server). This connector will allow all sorts of cool features such as the following as listed on Google’s web site:

• Messages sent to your Gmail inbox are pushed to your BlackBerry within 60 seconds.
• Emails read/deleted on your BlackBerry are marked as read/deleted in Gmail, and vice-versa.
• Synchronize BlackBerry folders with labels in Gmail.
• Search for email addresses and phone numbers of other users on your company domain.
• View your Google Calendar schedule on your native BlackBerry application, with one-way synchronization from Google Calendar to your BlackBerry device.
• Contacts in Gmail are automatically synchronized with your BlackBerry address book.

http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/mobile.html

This is supposed to be available come August 2009.

-RP

Microsoft Direct Push Technology

Hi folks, so I wanted to talk a little bit about push technology as it relates to mobile devices. This is something that RIM has had for a long time with it’s BlackBerry devices. This was one of the major things that set RIM apart from the competition.

For example, push technology is when you get a new email or a new calendar appointment and the server side pushes down the changes to your mobile device without your device having to continously poll the server for changes.

Microsoft introduced this tech to Microsoft Exchange 2003 with service pack 2, and it also exists in Microsoft Exchange 2007. No longer do you need to worry about polling the server for changes, instead you can get instant updates as they happen thanks to push technology.

Unfortunately your older Microsoft based phones will not support this as you require newer Microsoft Windows Mobile software which is usually only supported on newer devices. The new Palm Pre for example also supports this technology and is poised to be quite the phone based on all the hype I’ve been hearing. It will be very interesting to see what portion of the market share Palm can steal from the iPhone and the BlackBerry Storm!

-RP

BlackBerry app making a buzz!

Hi folks, so there is this cool new app for all you BlackBerry users out there. It’s called BuzzMe and it’s made by BigTinCan!

What does this app do? It vibrates your BlackBerry of course! Now you may ask, why the heck would I want that, my BlackBerry already vibrates! True, but does your BlackBerry ring and vibrate at the exact same time? You see BlackBerries alternate between ringing and vibration as opposed to both at the same time, which is really silly if you ask me. They should just add this as a feature already.

Since RIM hasn’t done this yet, you have this app called BuzzMe. You start it up and it runs in the background and then you turn off vibration in your phone and just leave your ringer on tone. Then when people call you, your ringer goes off and then the BuzzMe app starts vibrating your phone at exactly the same time.

You get all this functionality for free but if you buy the pro version you can have the program autostart with your phone when you reboot that way you don’t forget about it. Also it allows you to set this functionality for things other than just phone calls. You can get the full details at BigTinCan’s web site.

-RP

RIM doing well despite the iPhone

Hi folks, so recently RIM has been claiming more market share due to their BlackBerry phones. Recent reports have pegged RIM at having 55 percent of the smart phone market share in the industry.

This is more than any of the competing companies going against RIM. Even Apple! So despite the poor showing with the new BlackBerry App World store, how is RIM doing it? I suspect they’re doing it with the inherent usability of the BlackBerry devices.

RIM has always made great smartphones, and now by expanding their offerings by including the Storm and the Javelin, it’s easy to choose RIM. I love the iPhone as a personal use device, but not for business. I still personally prefer the BlackBerry. I carry around an iPod Touch for other functionality I need that my BlackBerry doesn’t provide. It will be interesting to see how this competition turns out.

For more information see this article here.

-RP

How’s BlackBerry App World doing?

Hi folks, I’d thought I’d take a moment to speak about App World again. Now that it has been out there for a while I thought I’d offer up my opinion on what I think of it.  For those of you that don’t know, App World is the application store for BlackBerry devices. This is RIM’s answer to Apple’s app store for their iPhones and iPods.

Now the strategy to come up with their own app store was a good idea on RIM’s part. I’ve always said that software is a huge determining factor when choosing a platform. After all, if a device doesn’t have the apps you want, you’re not left with much of a reason to buy it.

Well I have to say that App World is easy to use and very cool. It’s very easy to navigate through, read reviews and download my favourite apps. Also now that I’ve had it for awhile it also notifies me when my current apps need upgrading and it makes that process fairly simple too. So what’s the downside on all of this?

The apps themselves. There are only a few really good apps for the BlackBerry. Even after the AppWorld launch I’ve found that I don’t have nearly the selection that my friends do on their iPhones. I have to say I’m quite dissapointed in the app turnout. Let’s hope that this changes soon because right now, Apple has nothing to worry about on the app front.

-RP

Twitter for your BlackBerry!

So with Twitter getting more and more popular I finally caved in and decided to try it out. My honest opinion? It’s like Facebook without all the extra stuff. Basically like doing Facebook updates. Having said that, I have tons of friends on Twitter so I finally decided to use it. Also their are many web sites out there that publish RSS feeds through Twitter as well and it’s a neat way to keep up to date.

So where am I going with this? BlackBerries of course! There is an application for Blackberries called TwitterBerry and it’s quite easy to use! Just download the application from here directly from your BlackBerry and install it and then when you launch it enter your username and password.

From there you can update your Twitter status on the fly right from your BlackBerry without having to browse to the Twitter web page. You can also get your friends list updates and see what all your buddies are doing. A very small but convenient app for the BlackBerry!

Now if only someone would make an application that crosses over your Facebook and Twitter so if you update one it auto updates the other and syncs the status. That would be great!

-Cheers, RP