iPhone

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

iPhone in Canada, coming to Bell and Telus

Hi folks! As some of you may know, Rogers is the only wireless provider that offers the iPhone in Canada. For a long time now customers of Bell and Telus have been hoping for Apple’s prize fighter of a smart phone to come to their networks.

Well it looks like the wait is going to finally be over. Bell and Telus are rumoured to have inked a deal with Apple regarding providing the iPhone. I haven’t heard any details on the types of plans that will be involved but I have heard that Internet speeds will be up to 21 mbps.

So for those of you that do have smartphones with Bell or Telus, this might be your chance to upgrade. If you were considering upgrading to a new smartphone, just wait a little longer and you can have a shiny new iPhone!

-RP

Apple fixes vulnerability

So unless you’ve been under a rock lately, you’ve probably heard about all the hullaballoo surrounding the vulnerability in the iPhone. It was announced at a recent BlackHat conference.

This vulnerability had the ability for a hacker to use SMS message to compromise an iPhone! This was a big blow to Apple, as traditionally Microsoft OS’ have been the target of hackers. But now with the rising popularity of the iPhone it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.

Fortunately for all those iPhone users out there, Apple rode in to the rescue and has issued a patch that is available from them that fixes the vulnerability. Apple also announced that they hadn’t heard of anyone that was actually compromised by this attack.

This however has me thinking. If this one vulnerability is there, how many more are they going to find?

-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

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

Finally, I got a Storm!

So after all the waiting I was able to finally find a store with the Storm in stock. I asked them to put it on hold for me and I rushed down to the store to get it.

Well I have the Storm now and I have to say I’m a bit underwhelmed. Actually I’m quite surprised at how underwhelmed I am. I expected it to be a lot more snazzy than what it actually is. This phone without a doubt is not an iPhone killer and this is coming from me, a huge fan of BlackBerries.

It’s not that the phone is not good, it’s actually quite a nice phone. The screen is clear, the push in tactile feel you get when you type is cool, and the sound on the external speaker is great. But where I find it all falls down is with the touch sensitivity itself. Even with the sensitivity cranked up to the max, it just feels unresponsive in comparison to the iPhone. Also typing on the touch keyboard in portrait or landscape mode is a chore because it’s very easy to hit the wrong buttons. I find it 100 times easier to type on an iPhone. 

On the bright side, video and sound are phenomenal and those are two things which I love. Also the multiple buttons in addition to the touch screen make it a lot easier to use as well. I still hope they come out with a newer version with the touch screen sensitivity fixed.

-RP

BlackBerry Storm Sells out on First Day

Hi folks, so rumour has it that the new BlackBerry Storm sold extremely well on it’s first day. In cell phone stores all across the USA the Storm was sold out. In some places stores sold out of the Storm in less than an hour.

I hope Apple picks it’s head up and takes note of this. This means that for the first time the iPhone has a real threat on the horizon. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the Storm is the iPhone killer or anything like that as people including myself have been saying previously. But it is going to force Apple to make sure that their product is as perfect as can be.

Like I always say, competition in any segment is always good for the consumer. Whether it’s virtualization or smart phones!

 There’s a great review of the BlackBerry Storm here.

 -RP

RIM takeover rumour by Microsoft

So I don’t know if you guys heard yet but the rumour mill is starting to crank out some interesting tidbits about RIM! The rumour is that Microsoft wants to takeover RIM. RIM is the company that makes the famous BlackBerry devices.

Now this would be a great move for Microsoft in the mobile market and could help launch Microsoft to the top of the mobile device heap to make them King of the Hill. Don’t get me wrong, Windows Mobile is popular, but my personal opinion is that it doesn’t hold a candle to BlackBerries or the iPhone. This could be Microsoft also positioning to be prepared for Google Android.

If Microsoft were to buy them, it makes you wonder what would happen to our beloved BlackBerries. Would Microsoft merge the technologies of BlackBerry OS and Windows Mobile, or dump one in favour of the other, or keep everything status quo? Some interesting questions for sure. Whatever happens it’s gonna be a fun ride!

-RP