BLACKBERRY: CAN IT BOUNCE BACK FROM THE RIM?

Picture from Reuters.

BLACKBERRY: CAN IT BOUNCE BACK FROM THE RIM?

Good afternoon, Synapse Circuit Readers... I am on my second mug of coffee – not that I need a boost as I am pretty animated today!

Are you the proud owner of a BlackBerry handset? Are you planning to upgrade to the BlackBerry 10?

THE COMEBACK KID
As you know, BlackBerry has had more than its fair share of problems. I remember very, very well that I couldn’t communicate with my BlackBerry friends due to a service outage for a period of 24hrs or more... Anyway, I know that my BlackBerry friends were less than impressed. Then there are the problems with the hardware... Buttons becoming stuck for no apparent reason and so on...

From what I have seen of BlackBerry 10 it looks like it is a contender and can stand up against the competition.

THE DEDICATED
Despite the problems I know of many dedicated BlackBerry owners who are sticking with RIM. I understand why... For the most part the BlackBerry is very much a business handset and the people who I know with BlackBerry handsets happen to be in business – mainly self-employed; they have come to rely on push email.

Then there are the teenagers who are fanatics of the BBM!

And so many BB owners love the physical QWERTY keyboard. So, what are they going to do with the BB10 touchscreen?

THE UNFAITHFUL
I don’t see how RIM can get back the unfaithful that have gone on to Samsung and HTC. From watching the BB10 the interface I can see similarities to Android and I think that because the platform is constantly developing it will be hard for RIM to keep up. Android 5, Key Lime Pie is imminent and I somehow can’t see Android users being envious of BB10.

That said, I would love to see BB10 push Google to develop Android the best they can; Google must surpass expectations. I think this is the reason why Android 5 isn’t out as yet. It could very well be that the Google I / O conference in May will reveal Jelly Bean 4.3 with 5 expected to come around August / September.

In any event, the unfaithful BB users have gone on to Samsung and HTC; their premium handsets with the latest version of Android really are the business! As I have said before, Samsung have swayed business users away from not only BlackBerry, but iOS too! So, unless users of Samsung and HTC experience hardware failure I don’t think that they will come back to BB!

THE TECH-JUNKY
What I can see happening is that Android and, possibly, iPhone users would want to have a second handset for certain aspects that is lacking in the respective platforms. BBM is the main app that is most desirable. And there are many people who have more than one handset. Me? I have 6 handsets due to the fact that it wasn’t worth my while exchanging the old models for cash! Oh, that’s 7 handsets if I counted the HTC Hero that hasn’t been switched on for months! Such is the nature of the 24 month contract. By the time the contract is up the handset loses a significant amount of value. However, I keep the handsets in order to root and extend the capabilities with new custom ROMS that will allow for a later version of Android.

Yep, I have been considering getting a Windows 8 handset and even the iPhone! I have been considering getting an iPhone so that I can write more about it but I can’t say that I am very enthusiastic about the idea. I would rather have BB10 over it and over Windows too! There you go! Maybe I will have a BB10 this spring or summer!

Anyway, here’s some news directly from BB...

NEW BLACKBERRY WORLD FOR BLACKBERRY 10 TO INCLUDE EXTENSIVE CATALOGUE OF SONGS, LATEST MOVIES AND TV SHOWS
Unified Multimedia Storefront Will Carry Music and Video Content from All Major Studios, Labels and Broadcasters

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX:RIM) today announced that the new BlackBerry® World™ storefront (formally BlackBerry App World™) for BlackBerry 10 will offer one of the most robust music and video catalogs in mobile today. The new BlackBerry World will include an extensive catalog of songs as well as movies and TV shows, with most movies coming to the store the same day they are released on DVD, and next day availability of many current TV series. The competitive offering will feature content from all major studios, music labels and top local broadcast networks. Customers will be able to preview tracks and access the content using multiple payment options.*

“Music and video content is an integral part of a rich mobile experience. People want easy and convenient access to their favorite music, movies and TV shows wherever they are,” said Frank Boulben, Chief Marketing Officer at Research In Motion. “RIM is committed to working with content providers to bring the best, most up-to-date content to our customers with BlackBerry 10, and to make it easy for them to get what they want.”

The video download and rental section in BlackBerry World will initially be available in the US, UK and Canada. Varying by region and distributor, customers will have access to movies from the following studios and independents: 20th Century Fox, Entertainment One (eOne), Lionsgate, MGM, National Film Board of Canada, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (US), Starz Digital Media, STUDIOCANAL, The Walt Disney Studios, Universal Pictures (UK), Warner Bros. Customers will also have access to TV shows from the following broadcasters and studios: ABC Studios, BBC Worldwide, CBC/Radio-Canada, CBS, DHX Media, ITV, National Geographic, NBCUniversal (UK), Nelvana, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (US), Starz Digital Media, Twentieth Century Fox Television, Univision Communications Inc, and Warner Bros.

The BlackBerry World storefront’s DRM-free music download section will feature an extensive catalog from all major and independent labels including: 4AD Records, Domino Recording Company, finetunes, Matador Records, [PIAS] Entertainment Group, Rough Trade Records, Sony Music Entertainment, The Orchard, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, XL Recordings and Zebralution. The music section will initially be available in 18 countries: Canada, USA, UK, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.

Thank you for reading!

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