Gadget Technology and Mobile

Is Research In Motion destined to fail? As with all holy wars, there’s always two sides to the fight. The Christians vs. The Muslims in the Crusades. The Catholics vs. The Protestants in Ireland. Windows vs. Mac worldwide. Ford vs. Holden (if you’re Australian . And, of course, BlackBerry vs. iPhone. And, like anyone with expertise in a certain area, I’m constantly getting asked “So what should I get? A BlackBerry or an iPhone?”. Personally, I’m fairly IT device agnostic. If all you’ve ever used is a hammer, then it feels like the right tool for every job, and every job starts looking like a nail. And that’s why I try to spend a decent amount of time on each device before I make my personal choice. If I’m going to be in contract with a telco (yet another evil) for a minimum of 24 months then I want to make sure that the device I choose is going to fit what I need today, and be able to add features as I need them in the future. In my 23-ish years of being in the IT industry I have learnt one thing: no one device does everything for every person every time. This is especially true in the PDA/Smartphone space. Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, RIM. It tolls for thee. The death knell has been struck. And unless RIM makes some dramatic changes, the BlackBerry is going to be relegated to an “also ran” device. There are five areas that Research In Motion needs to address quickly before losing the battle entirely to Apple. Ask almost any Joe or Josephine Random in the IT sector this question “Who is Steve Jobs?” and you’re almost guaranteed a 100% correct response worldwide. Depending on what side of the Holy War you ask, you might also get a mixture of “saviour”, “miracle worker”, “satan in the flesh”, or “the personification of evil”. Now, ask the same sampling of people “What does Jim Balsillie do?” and you’ll mostly get blank stares outside of the US and Canada. You’re may possibly going to get an earful, from the American hockey supporters, about Jim’s attempt to take over the Phoenix Coyotes. RIM needs a public face, an image to connect to. A very quick search on Google doesn’t seem to show any international whistle-stop tours by either of RIM’s top-dogs, Jim Balsillie or Mike Lazaridis, nor does any such information appear on RIM’s news or press release pages. Either Jim and Mike are afraid of flying, or their feet are nailed to the floor. Or is it just a lack of regard for the international marketplace. In fact, I would tend to believe that it is this last factor, a lack of regard for the international marketplace, is the core cultural issue that RIM needs to address. On April 1st, almost 5 months ago, the BlackBerry App World was released to the world of BlackBerry users. Well, no, not really. Only if you are lucky enough to live in the US, Canada and the UK. The App “World” was recently extended to some more European countries, but still no joy for anyone who lives in the Southern Hemisphere. Maybe the App World should have been name App N. Hemisphere.. or even App Nemesis. Even Apple managed to release the App Store in all countries where the iPhone was being released. The App World should have been the great opportunity to unify the sales or distribution of BlackBerry applications, but no. App World should have brought the BlackBerry onto a level playing field for the consumer comparison between iPhone and BlackBerry, and providing a professionally managed repostiry. As it stands, I have to hunt for new programs via Google or the many third party blog sites. Ridiculous. Come on RIM! Release App World wherever you sell BlackBerry’s. Do it now. Or close it entirely. And take a long, hard look at the application development tools for the BlackBerry while you’re at it. The desktop management of the iPhone is another area that RIM really needs to take a lesson from Apple on. I’m not a fan of iTunes, not the attempted subterfuge of indicating Safari as a Mandatory update. But iTunes, either on PC or Mac, works the same. You can integrate the synchronisation of music, photos, applications, whatever, and there’s no implied judgement on your desktop operating system of choice. There’s a Mac version, there’s a PC version. Oh and there’s even open source versions for your favourite Linux derivative. But what Operating System do you have to use to upgrade a BlackBerry. Windows. And even with the latest version of software upgrade tools, what web browser do you HAVE to use? Internet Explorer on Windows. Come on RIM. If you even had half a grain of salts worth of wisdom here, you would have written the latest update tool for FIREFOX, which at least does run on Windows, Mac and Linux. I hadn’t heard that Canada was the land of Windows. And while you’re in the decision-making mode, how about you nail down what products you’re going to sell. From Apple, theres the iPhone, either 3G or the 3Gs. They look the same, operate the same, run the same software, have the same input adapters. RIM sells four styles of BlackBerry – full keypad, reduced keypad, no keypad, and the flipphone. Oh, and software for the Storm (no keypad) won’t easily run on anything else. Oh, and just change the power adapter to the new “standard”. And the features for each new BlackBerry seem to depend on the phase of the moon, the availability of vestal virgins, buckets of goats blood, red candles, and a single silver bell. Why, oh why, RIM, don’t all of your current devices have 3G? Wireless? GPS? External SD Card slot? Flash on the Camera? I can understand the desire to have different products for different markets, but there are certain things that just should be standardized on AND THEN LEFT ALONE! You’re just making it harder for your internal Operating Systems development teams. Pick a standard feature set, and then stick to it. If it’s hard for me to recommend which BlackBerry to get then it must be nigh on impossible for the Telco’s who sell them. Just recently, an Australian telco had a print ad in a major newspaper for BlackBerrys, and the specs were wrong (No, the Storm does not have Wifi, you know who you are, my favourite Telco you!) Perhaps it is the lack of clarity in product direction that causes this final issue – a lack of innovation. I mean, how easy is it to come up with new features when the target platform keeps changing? I found an old 7-series BlackBerry laying around. After managing to find yet a third variant of USB connector cable and charging it up, lo and behold, the 3.x version of the operating system and interface was almost identical to that of my Bold running the latest O/S. I guess there is that old adage “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it”, but that old adage is just that: old. There are many areas where time has caught up and broken the BlackBerry, and shows its age. Web Browsing on a BlackBerry is about as enjoyable as giving yourself a papercut and dipping it in lemon juice and salt. Compare this experience to the native web browsers on an iPhone, or even a Windows Mobile device, and the experience is markedly different. HTML Email is another area, where time does weary the BlackBerry – even if I wanted to hardset the BlackBerry to download email-based images, I can’t. And don’t get me started on the limitation of the size of attachments – If I want to download the attachment then let me download it. Streaming media, its about time to get on it. AJAX and Web 2.0 – it’s no longer cutting edge. So, how long can Research In Motion keep serving up more cans of Who-hash? Yesterdays software isn’t going to cut it in the workplace of tomorrow. Hey, it’s barely cutting it today. Steve Ollis is a self-professed geek, who is amazed that he gets paid for something he loves so much. His blog can be found at The IT Juggler

As with all holy wars, there’s always two sides to the fight. The Christians vs. The Muslims in the Crusades. The Catholics vs. The Protestants in Ireland. Windows vs. Mac worldwide. Ford vs. Holden (if you’re Australian . And, of course, BlackBerry vs. iPhone. And, like anyone with expertise in a certain area, I’m constantly getting asked “So what should I get? A BlackBerry or an iPhone?”.

Personally, I’m fairly IT device agnostic. If all you’ve ever used is a hammer, then it feels like the right tool for every job, and every job starts looking like a nail. And that’s why I try to spend a decent amount of time on each device before I make my personal choice. If I’m going to be in contract with a telco (yet another evil) for a minimum of 24 months then I want to make sure that the device I choose is going to fit what I need today, and be able to add features as I need them in the future. In my 23-ish years of being in the IT industry I have learnt one thing: no one device does everything for every person every time. This is especially true in the PDA/Smartphone space.

Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, RIM. It tolls for thee. The death knell has been struck. And unless RIM makes some dramatic changes, the BlackBerry is going to be relegated to an “also ran” device. There are five areas that Research In Motion needs to address quickly before losing the battle entirely to Apple.

Ask almost any Joe or Josephine Random in the IT sector this question “Who is Steve Jobs?” and you’re almost guaranteed a 100% correct response worldwide. Depending on what side of the Holy War you ask, you might also get a mixture of “saviour”, “miracle worker”, “satan in the flesh”, or “the personification of evil”. Now, ask the same sampling of people “What does Jim Balsillie do?” and you’ll mostly get blank stares outside of the US and Canada. You’re may possibly going to get an earful, from the American hockey supporters, about Jim’s attempt to take over the Phoenix Coyotes. RIM needs a public face, an image to connect to. A very quick search on Google doesn’t seem to show any international whistle-stop tours by either of RIM’s top-dogs, Jim Balsillie or Mike Lazaridis, nor does any such information appear on RIM’s news or press release pages. Either Jim and Mike are afraid of flying, or their feet are nailed to the floor. Or is it just a lack of regard for the international marketplace.

In fact, I would tend to believe that it is this last factor, a lack of regard for the international marketplace, is the core cultural issue that RIM needs to address. On April 1st, almost 5 months ago, the BlackBerry App World was released to the world of BlackBerry users. Well, no, not really. Only if you are lucky enough to live in the US, Canada and the UK. The App “World” was recently extended to some more European countries, but still no joy for anyone who lives in the Southern Hemisphere. Maybe the App World should have been name App N. Hemisphere.. or even App Nemesis. Even Apple managed to release the App Store in all countries where the iPhone was being released. The App World should have been the great opportunity to unify the sales or distribution of BlackBerry applications, but no. App World should have brought the BlackBerry onto a level playing field for the consumer comparison between iPhone and BlackBerry, and providing a professionally managed repostiry. As it stands, I have to hunt for new programs via Google or the many third party blog sites. Ridiculous. Come on RIM! Release App World wherever you sell BlackBerry’s. Do it now. Or close it entirely. And take a long, hard look at the application development tools for the BlackBerry while you’re at it.

The desktop management of the iPhone is another area that RIM really needs to take a lesson from Apple on. I’m not a fan of iTunes, not the attempted subterfuge of indicating Safari as a Mandatory update. But iTunes, either on PC or Mac, works the same. You can integrate the synchronisation of music, photos, applications, whatever, and there’s no implied judgement on your desktop operating system of choice. There’s a Mac version, there’s a PC version. Oh and there’s even open source versions for your favourite Linux derivative. But what Operating System do you have to use to upgrade a BlackBerry. Windows. And even with the latest version of software upgrade tools, what web browser do you HAVE to use? Internet Explorer on Windows. Come on RIM. If you even had half a grain of salts worth of wisdom here, you would have written the latest update tool for FIREFOX, which at least does run on Windows, Mac and Linux. I hadn’t heard that Canada was the land of Windows.

And while you’re in the decision-making mode, how about you nail down what products you’re going to sell. From Apple, theres the iPhone, either 3G or the 3Gs. They look the same, operate the same, run the same software, have the same power  adapters. RIM sells four styles of BlackBerry – full keypad, reduced keypad, no keypad, and the flipphone. Oh, and software for the Storm (no keypad) won’t easily run on anything else. Oh, and just change the power adapter to the new “standard”. And the features for each new BlackBerry seem to depend on the phase of the moon, the availability of vestal virgins, buckets of goats blood, red candles, and a single silver bell. Why, oh why, RIM, don’t all of your current devices have 3G? Wireless? GPS? External SD Card slot? Flash on the Camera? I can understand the desire to have different products for different markets, but there are certain things that just should be standardized on AND THEN LEFT ALONE! You’re just making it harder for your internal Operating Systems development teams. Pick a standard feature set, and then stick to it. If it’s hard for me to recommend which BlackBerry to get then it must be nigh on impossible for the Telco’s who sell them. Just recently, an Australian telco had a print ad in a major newspaper for BlackBerrys, and the specs were wrong (No, the Storm does not have Wifi, you know who you are, my favourite Telco you!)

Perhaps it is the lack of clarity in product direction that causes this final issue – a lack of innovation. I mean, how easy is it to come up with new features when the target platform keeps changing? I found an old 7-series BlackBerry laying around. After managing to find yet a third variant of USB connector cable and charging it up, lo and behold, the 3.x version of the operating system and interface was almost identical to that of my Bold running the latest O/S. I guess there is that old adage “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it”, but that old adage is just that: old. There are many areas where time has caught up and broken the BlackBerry, and shows its age. Web Browsing on a BlackBerry is about as enjoyable as giving yourself a papercut and dipping it in lemon juice and salt. Compare this experience to the native web browsers on an iPhone, or even a Windows Mobile device, and the experience is markedly different. HTML Email is another area, where time does weary the BlackBerry – even if I wanted to hardset the BlackBerry to download email-based images, I can’t. And don’t get me started on the limitation of the size of attachments – If I want to download the attachment then let me download it. Streaming media, its about time to get on it. AJAX and Web 2.0 – it’s no longer cutting edge.

So, how long can Research In Motion keep serving up more cans of Who-hash? Yesterdays software isn’t going to cut it in the workplace of tomorrow. Hey, it’s barely cutting it today.

Steve Ollis is a self-professed geek, who is amazed that he gets paid for something he loves so much. His blog can be found at The IT Juggler

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