BlackBerry 10 Unveiled 185
arcite writes "Research in Motion Ltd's new CEO, Thorsten Heins, unveiled BlackBerry 10 in Florida today. Will new features such as a virtual keyboard that learns from typing behavior and a camera that easily focuses on faces be enough to scrape back precious market share (which could possibly fall to 5%) from the likes of Apple and Android? With no physical device yet revealed and a release date ranging anywhere from August to October, it will be an uphill battle."
Engadget had some brief hands-on time with a dev Alpha. It seems RIM is trying to jumpstart app development through its App Generator and financial incentives.
in other news, Philco has a new audio tube. (Score:3, Insightful)
and the all-new 2013 Tucker will run on air.
RIM is out in the garden at this point with all the other vegetables, and you can write your investment off.
Re:in other news, Philco has a new audio tube. (Score:5, Funny)
I'm thinking of cashing out my bitcoins to buy RIM stock, RIM seems like a good bet.
Rimm should pull a Nokia (Score:4, Insightful)
RIMM needs to decide it can compete as a hardware maker against samsung and HTC. If they can, then they should switch to android (for the apps and open platform) and implement their own enterprise technoogy over it. They should further do like the Amazon Fire and pre-process web fetches not just for speed but also for security (e.g. maintain ssl, filter out phishing attacks and viruses, restrict access to corporate approved functions, disable features like cameras or recoring in restricted corprorate areas). They will thus become the premier value added corprorate android phone.
If they can't compete against Samsung and HTC on hardware then they need to stay away from android. Windows 8 would be the logical choice and it is aligned with bussinesses. Their best route there would be to be the premier Intel based smart phone. Windows 8 is going to run better on intel and arm. Corporations will be able to port their proprietary windows platform codes to win8 on intel. And windows RT (arm) appears to be a disaster. So they could beat Nokia in the corporate smart phone area. Let nokia have the developing nations market. High margins for their enterprise system and a high barrier to entry for everyine else in that sector.
Re:Rimm should pull a Nokia (Score:5, Insightful)
Problem is, RIM thinks they're in the mobile phone business. They're not. They think they're in the handset business. They're not.
They're in the communications business.
The value behind the BlackBerry phone system is BlackBerry Messenger, not yet another new handset that in itself offers little over its competition. BBM, and the backend services, are what make the platform valuable. Without it, a BlackBerry is just a so-so phone with a decent keyboard.
To survive, RIM needs to roll out a secure, cross-platform messaging system for use on existing smartphones and tablets. That's iOS. That's Android. And that's Window's Phone.
See http://www.isights.org/2012/04/rim-would-prefer-to-license-blackberry-os-wrong.html [isights.org]
Re:Rimm should pull a Nokia (Score:5, Insightful)
The value behind RIM isn't BBM, it is BES. RIM does exchange integration very well, and that is from BES.
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Agree. The few people why still have a Blackberry hate the phone and only stick to it because they like the email app.
OTOH, the email apps on Android and iOS aren't bad either and keep improving. Clearly RIM doesn't have the critical mass for yet another general purpose phone OS. That's a pipe dream. As the basis for some specialized apps, maybe. But if they don't make them available on Android/iOS/WP somebody else will do it.
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RIMM currently has a unique technology an RTOS based phone. Why give up a unique advantage?
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Exactly how is this an advantage to the end-user? It's hard to make a UI for a phone that enables the user to run lots of apps in a useful way, and RIM doesn't seem to have done so yet, even for their tablet.
Just having something unique isn't particularly useful.
Shouldn't shareholders demand an asset auction... (Score:4, Interesting)
...and wind down of the company while it is still somewhat profitable? i.e., before management does all those desperate things they like to do at the end, like pay themselves huge retention bonuses and blow metric assloads of money on hail-mary projects metaphysically certain to fail, all of which buries the company in debt that will cause shareholders to receive nothing from the bankruptcy certain to result.
Re:Shouldn't shareholders demand an asset auction. (Score:4, Insightful)
You could have said the same thing to the Apple shareholder when Mr. Pepsi ran it to the ground.
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So, no debt. Billions of cash on the books. A rapidly growing equity position. $500 milion in free cash flow each quarter. Prem Watsa on the board of directors (a very famous value investor the likes of Warren Buffett).
So, you say that management is hoarding the cash to themselves. OK, show us hte SEC statments to prove this comment. Otherwise it is all misleading garbage.
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The only reason they're selling a few million is because they used to be selling many millions. On their current course (which they seem to be accelerating on), they soon won't be a small player, they'll be non-existent. As the parent poster suggests, at that point the random shareholders lose everything and anything of value they've made will be lost. If they sell now, it means the random investors get something out, and the things of value they've created will be more likely to be preserved. It also m
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I don't see that. RIM (even using their old design) right now has the best texting / email phone. If they were willing to move down market, get carriers in countries other than England and focus on something like a 200m data plan with unlimited text and email push cheap they could have a very nice niche phone with a substantial 2 year price advantage.
With BBOS they have the only RTOS phone with an actual functioning microkernel. In theory that should allow for some rather unique advantages like much l
Re:Shouldn't shareholders demand an asset auction. (Score:4, Interesting)
People will cling to capitalism long after it has ceased to be an effective way to distribute wealth.
Thing is, capitalism wasn't "designed" to distribute wealth. It was designed to promote productivity. The basic deal of capitalism is: produce more, get more wealth. It's a decent concept. Where it falls down, though, is when you're at the upper end of the capital curve. Then you get more wealth, not by producing more, but by already owning lots of wealth. The trait of capital to self-perpetuating in large amounts, and the capacity for capital to be passed down to people who haven't had to work for it are two properties that (IMO) undermine the system.
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And books still get translated into Esperanto – but less then Estonian. And more are books are translated into Spanish then Estonian.
But 3rd party Apps are proving to the killer app in the smart phone market. Why would a developer want to build a polished optimized app for the Blackberry – even if it’s a 6 month old version of their current product?
While Betamax was the gold standard, Sony got out when it realized it was going to be a nich product. Now, nich products can survive and thrive
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Betamax lived until everything went digital. Not sure you can say Sony really "got out"... In fact all of their digital stuff is still based on Beta (Betacam). They have been very supportive of the niche market Beta has with professionals.
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Don't play in the smart phone market. Play at the high end of the dumb phone market. They have the best email, IM, texting phone. Go down market.
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There's no good reason for the vast majority of iOS and Android apps to not just be written in cross-platform HTML5/JS/CSS except that neither Apple nor Google wants to support that as a first-class application platform because that would make competition too easy
There is very good reason. The same reason Apple was hostile to flash. Apple wants the dominant iOS apps to follow iOS HIG standards, and to follow the culture coming from WWDC. They want Apple developers plugged into Apple culture designing i
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Personally I can't wait until these mega corporations are deemed illegal.
Who is going to deem them illegal? The same government that deemed mega corporations "too big to fail" and poured hundreds of billions of taxpayer money in to prop them up?
If products were made, marketed and sold locally, the distribution of wealth wouldn't be so skewed.
That is nice when you are talking about produce at the grocery store, but the "gotta have it" gizmos everyone is enamored with wouldn't exist in such a system. What did exist would offer significantly reduced utility at a much higher price.
Spreading the wealth is a nice concept, but in reality causes there to be much less wealth to
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That is nice when you are talking about produce at the grocery store, but the "gotta have it" gizmos everyone is enamored with wouldn't exist in such a system. What did exist would offer significantly reduced utility at a much higher price.
Exactly; the reason these electronic gizmos are so affordable is because they're made by a few players in enormous quantities for a global market. Smartphones made in small quantities and only sold in a certain region would cost millions, and simply wouldn't be made. T
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If products were made, marketed and sold locally, the distribution of wealth wouldn't be so skewed.
Ah yes, I'm sure that locally-made smartphones, totally incompatible with smartphones made in other regions, and totally incompatible with cellular networks in other regions or countries, would be a great thing for the economy. I'm sure app developers would be jumping up and down to write apps for dozens or hundreds of different proprietary smartphone OSes used all over the world.
BB is a business phone (Score:2, Insightful)
BB is a business phone, I think any attempt to make it more of a toy can only make matters worse.
Apple and Android are very tough competitors, no point aiming at ousting them.
Business people (if they exist, of course) need a phone which performs the usual basic office tasks, can be used a whole day without the battery dying and easily ties in to the corporate communications suite.
Re:BB is a business phone (Score:5, Insightful)
You must have missed all the news about users opting out of outdated business devices to purchase their own devices and how business is are going nuts over bring your own device initiatives thinking it saves them money.
Also the latest RIM devices are no-longer monochrome devices that last days on a charge, their touch screen units are barely on part with others in the market for battery life.
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Most other users, however, DO care if their phone has Angry Birds or other such apps. So if they have a choice between a) boring business-only phone, or b) cool do-everything phone that has zillions of apps and games, they're going to pick b). Of course, there's a few weirdos who'll tell them to just carry around two phones, one for work and one for personal use, but what kind of idiot wants to carry around two phones?
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but what kind of idiot wants to carry around two phones?
Me, for example.
I don't mix business life with personal life, and when I'm off duty, I shut down my business phone but am still available to family through my personal phone. It helps.
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I don't feel like hauling around two handheld devices on my belt at all times, and I suspect many people agree with me. When I'm off duty, it's simple enough to simply ignore calls from work-related numbers and let them go to voice mail.
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but what kind of idiot wants to carry around two phones?
The kind of idiot who thinks that his cell phone that he pays for is none of his employer's business. The kind of idiot who doesn't want his phone ringing every 5 minutes while on vacation. Or, and here's one the BYOD freaks probably haven't thought of: the kind of idiot who, when he leaves an employer doesn't want calls from people who don't know he left or salespeople doing their surveys or cold calls or whatever they think helps that never does.
Besides, iPhones are useless for typing large messages wi
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Also the latest RIM devices are no-longer monochrome devices that last days on a charge
That's true. They're now full-color touch-screen devices that last for days on a charge.
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> As far as I can tell their dead in the water.
As far as I can tell
- you can't spell
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Depends. :) - the phrase still makes sense, but it's constructed in a weird way, not to mention that it makes no sense in the given context. But strictly from a literary standpoint... it's correct.
He's basically saying he only can tell their dead in the water (presumably able to tell their dead apart from other dead) up to some extent
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BB is a business phone, I think any attempt to make it more of a toy can only make matters worse.
Apple and Android are very tough competitors, no point aiming at ousting them.
Business people (if they exist, of course) need a phone which performs the usual basic office tasks, can be used a whole day without the battery dying and easily ties in to the corporate communications suite.
You're dead wrong. RIM must offer devices that can be used for work AND play, because that's what their competition offers and that's why customers aren't choosing Blackberry when they are offered a choice. If they don't change, they're sunk.
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I don't know. I loved my Nokia E71 before Nokia suicided, and many of my business friends swear by their Crackberries. Most of the business people that jumped on the iPhone train are now sick of it and looking to switch. Much as I love my S2, I miss the proper keyboard and battery life is as bad as the iPhone once you put on several VoIP apps to speak with friends abroad for free.
If Blackberry produced a razor thin phone that lasted for days on end and had keyboard plus slick integration, then I would love
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I don't know. I loved my Nokia E71 before Nokia suicided, and many of my business friends swear by their Crackberries. Most of the business people that jumped on the iPhone train are now sick of it and looking to switch.
My employer is a Fortune 500 technology firm that has a BYOD smartphone policy. Employees pay out of pocket for the device of their choice and are generally eligible to upgrade once a year (18 months for iPhone). Consider the following (in order of growth):
5,234 Android devices with an adoption rate of 9.5% annually
20,581 iPhone devices with an adoption rate of 3.9% annually
12,290 Blackberry devices with an adoption rate of -1.6% annually
2,185 other devices (Palm, Nokia, etc.) with an adoption rate of -3.8%
Re:BB is a business phone (Score:5, Insightful)
Both the iPhone and Android can just as easily be integrated into an existing business environment.
Both can be forced to follow corporate policies.
Both can be remotely wiped if lost or stolen.
Both can connect to Exchange - and I mean a full connection, syncing email, calendar and contacts - without having to buy extra software or hardware (which for years was a pre-requisite to get the best out of Blackberries; I don't know if it still is).
Essentially, RIM's unique selling points were on borrowed time the day ActiveSync was made available for licensing. The only amazing thing is the length of time it took for any handset developer to actually integrate it properly.
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without having to buy extra software or hardware (which for years was a pre-requisite to get the best out of Blackberries; I don't know if it still is).
It is still true, for the most part.
You do still HAVE to have extra software in place to connect a Blackberry to Exchange. However, there is now a truly free version available....the paid for version has more bells and whistles.
In the overall topic at hand, RIM is completely fucked. Completely. They just haven't realized it yet.
My boss is a hardcore RIM fanboi...his first BB goes back pretty much to the second commercially-available blackberry (The 857 IIRC). Just bought himself a couple of months ago a
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Android phones are also less secure, since their internet connection isn't going through a work-controlled server.
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My phone gets backed up pretty regularly. Wipe away.
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Wovel is right. Just back your phone up including data.
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You know, remote wipe isn't really a working solution. I've never had a remote wipe that worked successfully.
Why? because remote wipe requires connectivity, whereas a stolen device is guaranteed to be switched off and the sim card removed immediately. Then you would have to count on connecting to a wireless network. Without user intervention.
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Be that as it may, the important question is "Do the features we care about work?". If your employer relies on a number of features that really are Blackberry-exclusive, then obviously you're a bit stuck. But for many businesses, that's not the case.
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Not sure about Android, but for the iPhone Configuration Utility lets you:
- Disable installing apps.
- Disable the use of the camera.
- Disable FaceTime.
- Disable screen capture.
- Disable automatic sync while roaming.
- Disable Siri.
- Disable in-app purchasing.
- Force the user to enter an iTunes store password for all purchases.
- Disable multiplayer gaming.
- Disable adding Game Centre friends.
- Disable YouTube.
- Dis
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Windows Phone "Mango" has built in office apps, connectionst to the cloud/skydrive (move apps between desktop/laptop/phone), and one of the best phone email apps out there.
This new BB 10 OS and device will have to compete against WP8 "Apollo", which will have even more "business' features, as well as being a competitive consumer phone, with a solid HTML5 browser in IE10. It will also have to compete against, presumably, the iPhone 5 and iOS6.
I'm not seeing much of a market left for BB.
RIM is local to me. (Score:2)
As such, I'd /really/ like to see them succeed. I watched them grow from a little company on Shoemaker Dr in Kitchener to the conglomerate they are now. They employ many of my friends.
That said, I don't think they can. They've been waaaay behind the curve and resting on their laurels for a really long time now. And it's bit them in the ass.
The Playbook is still a disaster. Their current phone offerings suck. And this device has ditched hardware keyboard, which was one of the things RIM really did righ
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Really? (Score:5, Interesting)
The PB is not a disaster; it is the most business-friendly tablet out. That might change if Samsung does a really good job on ICS for the Note, but at this point they are behind RIM, even though they are ahead on consumer tablets.
One key thing for Blackberry is that, if they go for a touchscreen keyboard, they must do it better than anybody else (or I will stay on my 9810 till it dies...) My belief, having seen the report, is that they get this. Six months ago I too had written them off. Now, I'm not nearly so sure.
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The Playbook was a huge flop especially after their arrogant 'amateur hour is over' campaign. RIM had to take a $485 million write off due to the deep price cuts just to move units. And even with those price cuts it took nearly a year to supposedly sell 1 million.
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Commercial failure? Sure. From a technical and user interface perspective it's completely unmatched.
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Re:RIM is local to me. (Score:4, Interesting)
The Playbook is still a disaster.
Have you used one? It blows everyone else out of the water. I've yet to see an Android or iOS user that wasn't completely shocked and amazed when they get a few minutes hands-on with the PlayBook.
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I have spent a few hours with one, it does not blow anything away. The Xoom is a much better tablet. Neither is even in the same category as an iPad 2 or 3.
The playbook is clumsy and slow. I never understood where RIM finds these cheerleaders.
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The playbook is clumsy and slow.
Clearly, you've never used one.
Slow? I've never once seen the UI slowdown, even when running multiple heavy applications. It's always fast and smooth.
Clumsy? Again, the UI and suite of gestures simply make for the best tablet expereince on the market. The Xoom doesn't even come close. iOS is just painful to use after using a well-designed UI like you find on the PlayBook.
You're completely out of your mind.
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Meet me.
I won't rehash it, so here's my original review [slashdot.org], with the disclaimer that the at time of evaluation the Playbook had only been out for a month, and I know it's improved greatly since then... but it took a YEAR for email, contacts and calendars to be added, not a few months like they said at first.
But, you're talking about first impressions, and that was mine.
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Funny, mine had email contacts and calendar since day one via BlackBerry Bridge.
Oh, you mean native applications written and preinstalled by RIM (because the ones in App World didn't count).
I won't argue that OS 2 brought a lot to the table -- the PlayBook was good, and now it's even better. I don't know that any other tablet really compares as far as the UI and overall UX are concerned. Even spec-wise, a year after launch, it's still a high-end tablet.
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Can you tell me what's better?
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RIM's problem is that their SDK doesn't allow enough control over things yet. The native SDK essentially allows you to use openGL, and that's about it. There isn't any form of background processes yet or interaction amongst apps, and that's what is killing them. It's not just that app developers
Too late... Blackberry is on my 'Do Not Buy' list (Score:2)
I bought a blackberry because I couldn't stand the idea of letting Apple control another one of my gadgets, much less my phone.
What I got is an obviously flawed piece of technology that had to be replaced twice and even when working correctly was underwhelming at best. Even iTunes is better than using a Blackberry.
While I bought a BB with high hopes which were crushed over the next two years, my trusty Android has served me well for over the past couple years. Unlike with my blackberry I wasn't impatiently
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^^Unless RIM chooses to hand over all your data.
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Even iTunes is better than using a Blackberry.
Wow, now that is saying something. *cringe*
Encouraging tourists who've tired of travel? (Score:3, Informative)
It's not unreasonable to say that at this point, most people who want smartphones and would be in their market have purchased one, and many are one or two years away from being able to by a Blackberry 10 device anyways.
Many people have already become involved in a non-RIM ecosystem (iOS, WM, or Android), and ecosystem inertia is a huge factor. The sunk cost in buying the compliment of apps one wants or needs is huge, and makes people very reluctant to "try something new" for a phone. At best, I think RIM is competing to keep the people who use Blackberries now, and haven't yet moved to another system. Which is good, but not ultimately sustainable, and is aiming for reduced shrinkage rather than actual growth.
They can lure developers, but all that that does it make it hurt less for users to switch to Blackberry (because they'll still never compete with Apple or Android in app variety). They could lure consumers with pricing, but for most people, any ecosystem switch has a $100+ app re-purchase penalty, not to mention the apps that simply can't be purchased at all and the time it would take to move over.
Simply put, the only thing (I think) that can save RIM would be something revolutionary. Some feature, certification, approach, or situation that makes people say "You know what, screw the apps, screw the extra time and money, I want THAT, and I'll do what it takes to get it."
I don't see that having happened here, sorry, RIM, but the writing's on the wall.
Faithful Enterprise BB user here. (Score:2)
I recently had an opportunity to change phones from the absolutely disastrous experience I was having with my BB Torch 9800 (keyboard too small, unbalanced when slid open, crashy and laggy OS, battery sucking bugs, etc...)
My only choices at work were BB Bold 9900 or an iPhone 4S. My wife owns an iPhone 4, so I'm very familiar with both platforms. What it came down to for me was that after all the gee-whiz novelty of apps, games and fancy touch screen gestures wears off, what I need my phone to do is handle
RIM's big last gasp comes down to a camera? (Score:2)
This is almost as painful to watch.
And nobody cares.... (Score:2)
Most businesses I deal with have flocked away from BlackBerry. and yes this is Fortune 500 companies as well as mom and pop places with less than 50 employees.
Rim dropped the ball, kicked it off the field and is trying to fake they still have it. Everyone knows they are dead.
the ONLY chance they have is to stop the RIM email fees, give away the enterprise server software for free and make it less of a ugly evil turd as well. And finally, tell all governments to stuff it in their ass and revoke all email
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the ONLY chance they have is to stop the RIM email fees, give away the enterprise server software for free and make it less of a ugly evil turd as well. And finally, tell all governments to stuff it in their ass and revoke all email+messaging interception to regain the trust of the corporate world. yes that means telling the UAE to stuff it in their Bursa.
Why would RIM tell governments to stop email interception, and what does this have to do with BlackBerrry Enterprise Server?
BES is the only mobile mail solution that UAE and other governments cannot intercept.
There was a lot of press when RIM allowed governments access to the consumer messaging, but that only made them equal to Android, iPhone and WinPhones. All of them are equally open to snooping by governments ( and others), the only exception is BlackBerry phones connected to a BES server where t
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BES is the only mobile mail solution that UAE and other governments cannot intercept.
What about IMAP, or ActiveSync, or virtually any other protocol over a secure channel?
The only reason why interception is even an issue is because the data goes through RIM servers. Why you'd want that when you have your own mail server is beyond me.
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Looks like someone *still* doesn't understand BES!
Here's a hint: RIM's servers need not enter the equation.
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If RIM servers don't enter the equation, then how can RIM provide access to customers' data to those governments that have requested such (and were granted)? Also, what about this [bbc.com]?
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"BES", the historically pricey and complex enterpri
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Thank you for the detailed explanation!
At this point it goes back to the original question: what's the point of BES? You describe it as "wraps its tentacles around the customer's mailserver" - so what does it actually add on top of what mail server itself offers? My understanding is that, historically, this has mainly been push email, but e.g. ActiveSync and Push-IMAP also do that. What else?
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3DES not truly being any more secure than any of the HTTPS encryption standards, it does nothing. It will route all your mail traffic through RIM for you.
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Start here for some simple answers [blackberry.com]
Dig through here for more [blackberry.com]
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What I'm looking for is a simple list of points. You know, "we can do X", or at least "we can do X better than Y". Let it even be marketing speak, I can wade through that. But I don't need installation & configuration guide for BES.
Are you saying that RIM doesn't have such a list? If that's the case, then it's either because it's empty, or because their marketing department sucks.
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Do you want a marketing page? You really couldn't find it with a simple google search? Did you even try their website? Of course not! It's much easier to spread misinformation than it is to learn about things you don't understand. Do you need me to read it aloud?
Well, let's read what you've linked to - first of all, what it claims to do:
"The complete wireless solution for the enterprise
The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution allows mobile users to access communications and information wirelessly, including:*
Email & Text Messaging
Corporate data
Instant messaging
Phone
Internet and intranet access
Organizer"
Hm. My coworkers don't use BBs (it's a mix of iPhones, Androids and WPs), but they all have these features. Okay, let's check "benefits for your organization":
"Flexibi
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I guess you missed all the stories over the past few years about RIM handing all BES traffic to the whiny governments that demanded it.
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Blackberry lost it's cachet (Score:2)
In 2005, before people realised the enormity of the pending financial crisis, having a blackberry in the city gave you the look of a soon-to-be rich cityboy/girl. Afterall, these people had had RIM's pager's since the late 90's - issued to them so that they could be on-call for their respective banks 24/7. Back then, they were expensive, and generally, only people who needed them, had them.
Fast-forward to 2010, and suddenly every kid seemed to sport a cheap plastic phone with a qwerty keyboard. Suddenly,
Tablets & Smartphones go Hand n Hand (Score:2)
I'm a fan but they are STILL missing the boat. (Score:5, Interesting)
1. Be the BEST and most integrated social networking tool.
2. Be a WALLET by leveraging their existing encryption infrastructure.
Humans are social creatures. Making a product directly targeted at these two areas will be a winner. Humans are fed up with carrying around a ton of credit cards, bank card, coins and bills.
RIM needs to get away from feature-itis and gimmicks. There are no legs to this approach. Leveraging the existing social and commercial ecosystem is the way to go.
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To regain market share, RIM needs a product that will:
Whatever they need to do to regain market share they should have done 3 years ago. Now it is too late, unless they can revolutionize the market. I think we all know how likely that is.
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I am surprised how many people think Blackberries have some special encryption technology. This is no longer in anyway unique.
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To regain market share, RIM needs a product that will:
1. Be the BEST and most integrated social networking tool.
2. Be a WALLET by leveraging their existing encryption infrastructure.
No matter what gee-whiz bang they add to the hardware, RIM is still stuck with the features & API that the social networks provide to RIM - and every other platform.
Microsoft tried to go social with a couple of Windows phones - one was summarily canceled on the day of release. Microsoft tried again with Windows Phone 7, and was met with chirping crickets. I doubt RIM or anyone else would do better.
RIM's vaunted existing encryption and infrastructure isn't that special these days; it's certainly nothing
Microsoft or Apple (Score:2)
Should just buy them to put them out of their misery and get what is left of them out of the game so they are no longer an irritant.
An Apology and Another Prediction (Score:2)
I thought this because RIM had the best integration with Exchange (better than Windows Phone7), and I could not see a future for RIM as an independent company. Well, Steve Balmer made his seco
BlackBerry 10 (Score:4)
App Development (Score:2)
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What exactly is the point of a single crApp that functions exactly like a web browser but is limited to a single site, when you could just use the system web browser to do the same thing?
Better performance, much more efficient, and complete control over the app's behavior, which in most cases means a much better user experience. Add not having to deal with the various browser quirks, and it's often a compelling case - as Apple, Google and many others have proven.
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Rendering shouldn't be any different between a program that uses a component and the original browser. If it is, then something is wrong with the browser.
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"crApp"?
You're trying too hard. We get it: you don't think smartphones are useful or worthwhile. Perhaps they're simply not for you?
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When the software consists of nothing more than worthless single-site browsers that do nothing but show a webpage? Definitely not.
Tell me: Would you like all the software on your computer to consist of nothing but web page frontends? If so, you may want to switch to Chrome OS, and I hope you enjoy your laggy response time and inevitable "cloud" data loss.
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When the software consists of nothing more than worthless single-site browsers that do nothing but show a webpage?
It doesn't, though... There's a vast selection of useful applications. Many of them interface with centralized web services (Evernote, Facebook, Netflix, weather forecast, just to name some examples) however I wouldn't consider them to be worthless. I don't doubt that app stores are riddled with useless webpage loaders, but I never really see them...
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What can BES do that can't be done without it, though?
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Do you really need to ask?
Honestly, a quick google search and you'll go "oh, no wonder RIM is loved by IT departments everywhere".
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I did a quick Google search and looked at Wikipedia article, but nothing of note was found. Why don't you just list a few points, even without references?
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It really does very little that can't be done with ActiveSync. There was a time when BES allowed access to a longer email history, but that has not been true for about 5 years.
I believe BES costs more and does not support as large of attachments as activesync. Maybe those are features. BES will log all of the SMS messages. Ask your legal, HR, or compliance departments if they consider that a feature (most of them will want you to make sure it is not turned on).
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I gave a fuck. I have to be able to support these damn things on a BES when they are released.
But it wasn't a happy fuck. Indeed, it was a rather troubled fuck.