Blackberry 10

walkingbootweather

I see BB10 is launched today. Been very unimpressed by the evasive Stephen Bates (RIM European Managing Director). Is there any hope for BB as a business device or would money be better spent elsewhere (Apple, Android, Windows)?

FoldingJoe

Been hyped up by Stephen Fry - a well known gadget nerd, so seems like they might be moving in the right direction.

mudcow007

feel a bit sorry for blackberry, they were fantastic in 2008...but the os the phones run on is ancient which basically hasnt changed since 2008

an the app world thing is shocking compare it to itunes (spit) its prehistoric.

the only users now are kids (because of bbm) an companies who haven't replaced there handsets

we are moving to Samsung's this month, so i can finally get rid of my Bold

mroli

My wife got a Samsung to replace her blackberry and hates it for writing/texting/emailing and even answering calls - not got the hang of the swipe to answer thing. She can't get on with a touch screen keypad (and I struggle on my touch screen phone compared to a BB). The email client is far superior to anything out there - but they need to sort out camera and web browser which are both inadequate and antiquated.

For me the apps thing isn't a big issue - but I can see why it may be for other people.

BigLights

I get blackberry free through work, although we've started looking at iPhones now....Having had every iPhone since the 3G (including 3GS, 4, 4GS), I didn't get an iPhone 5 as i'm waiting for the new Samsung S4 which, if one believes the rumours, will be the last word in smartphone technology. So I think Blackberry will continue to struggle to grow (granted, they have far better security so corporates will need them), but I also think Apple may have reached its peak in the phone world. Apple was the new Blackberry, now Samsung is the new Apple.

walkingbootweather

BigLights wrote:

Apple was the new Blackberry, now Samsung is the new Apple.

So what you are saying is that Apple and Blackberry both used to be pretty tasty but are now starting to crumble?

DrLex

walkingbootweather wrote:

[...]Been very unimpressed by the evasive Stephen Bates[...]

Was he the chappie on BBC breakfast this morning? As slippery, 'on-message' and persuasive (which is not very) as a junior politico.
Would think RIM's best chance lies with a decent keyboard-equipped model. If it's a warmed-over Curve/Bold, then they're on a death spiral.

walkingbootweather

DrLex wrote:

walkingbootweather wrote:

[...]Been very unimpressed by the evasive Stephen Bates[...]

Was he the chappie on BBC breakfast this morning? As slippery, 'on-message' and persuasive (which is not very) as a junior politico.

That's the chappie. If anything he was even more evasive on the radio.

DrLex

walkingbootweather wrote:

That's the chappie. If anything he was even more evasive on the radio.

Ha - from your link -

BBC programme wrote:

RIM has struggled due to tough competition Steph finds out why.

should read
"RIM has struggled due to tough competition Steph also struggles to find out why."
If only Paxo had been wheeled out...

mudcow007

one thing i do like about blackberries, the synch with our mailserver software (Mdaemon) fantastically...although it probably helps that Mdaemon is owned/ created by RIM, who funnily enough own Blackberry

SteppenHerring

mudcow007 wrote:

one thing i do like about blackberries, the synch with our mailserver software (Mdaemon) fantastically...although it probably helps that Mdaemon is owned/ created by RIM, who funnily enough own Blackberry

That was the original selling point in the business world. Also an "App Store" (or whatever) is a liability on a business device. If you've got sensitive data on the device then really you (corporate IT) ought to be able to tightly control what shonky censored you install on it.

Sadly data security takes second place when senior execs start stamped their heels and whining "But I MUST have a Note 2".

Ian.B

walkingbootweather wrote:

So what you are saying is that Apple and Blackberry both used to be pretty tasty but are now starting to crumble?

notsoblue

I'm not a big fan of RIM and Blackberrys. I never saw the point of having to support a BES server in addition to Exchange when Exchange Activesync is so simple to run and has had pretty good security features for a while now (admittedly not quite on par with BES). Plus I think the devices are really awful. But people seem to live physical keyboards...

spasypaddy

the new devices and OS are going to be amazing. unfortunately i think they are coming a year too late.

if these phones had been out last year i might not have jumped ship to android. and now theres no going back as ive bought too many apps and have more than one android device.

meanredspider

I hate BBs with a passion - they infuriate me

Prime example is addresses. Start an email, select an addressee from my address book only to be told that there's no email address associated with this contact. Why show it to me then????? It's basic basic usability. Horrible devices.

pangolin

Yeah agree they are horrific to use. Installing any apps as well requires a complete restart of the device! Which takes minutes, rather than seconds for other devices. Awful.

We have a playbook for testing at work. Abysmally unintuitive.

vermin

SteppenHerring wrote:

Sadly data security takes second place when senior execs start stamped their heels and whining "But I MUST have a Note 2".

So to avoid Blackberry hell, my Note 1 runs the Good For Enterprise app. Is that a security concern?

vermin

pangolin wrote:

We have a playbook for testing at work. Abysmally unintuitive.

Only because you're not used to it though. I had a go on a Mac the other day. I wanted to send an email, so I clicked on a postage stamp icon; I got a photo gallery. I wanted to look up a contact to whom to send the email, so I clicked on a face icon; I got a file explorer. I wanted to look at a map, so I clicked on a compass icon; I got a web browser. None of that makes any sense to me, and yet Apple is held up as the epitomy of intuitive UI design.

meanredspider

vermin wrote:

pangolin wrote:

We have a playbook for testing at work. Abysmally unintuitive.

Only because you're not used to it though. I had a go on a Mac the other day. I wanted to send an email, so I clicked on a postage stamp icon; I got a photo gallery. I wanted to look up a contact to whom to send the email, so I clicked on a face icon; I got a file explorer. I wanted to look at a map, so I clicked on a compass icon; I got a web browser. None of that makes any sense to me, and yet Apple is held up as the epitomy of intuitive UI design.

It's a fair point that "intuitive" is often learned from norms. All your examples are just your interpretation of icons rather than actions though. BB has very poor usability IMO (and part of my job is usability of electronic medical devices). Even after years of using it, I'm still not sure how some things work.

greg66_tri_v2.0

mudcow007 wrote:

the only users now are kids (because of bbm) an companies who haven't replaced there handsets

So true. 66 major's school is rife with BBs for this reason.

It seems to have prompted some unlimited text mobile tariffs though, which is good.

The only thing I thought my old BB Pearl did better than an iPhone was list all mail and text messages in a single inbox. Really don't get why Apple insists on separate apps for mail and SMS.

asprilla

vermin wrote:

pangolin wrote:

We have a playbook for testing at work. Abysmally unintuitive.

Only because you're not used to it though. I had a go on a Mac the other day. I wanted to send an email, so I clicked on a postage stamp icon; I got a photo gallery. I wanted to look up a contact to whom to send the email, so I clicked on a face icon; I got a file explorer. I wanted to look at a map, so I clicked on a compass icon; I got a web browser. None of that makes any sense to me, and yet Apple is held up as the epitomy of intuitive UI design.

Applauds.

Whilst I find iOS straightforward and treat it as a benchmark for all other mobile device operating systems I find OSX to be appalling, along with many of the apps that go with it.

I'm impressed with the new Blackberry and fancy working for them.

/wanders off to google to look for RIM jobs....

pangolin

asprilla wrote:

vermin wrote:

pangolin wrote:

We have a playbook for testing at work. Abysmally unintuitive.

Only because you're not used to it though. I had a go on a Mac the other day. I wanted to send an email, so I clicked on a postage stamp icon; I got a photo gallery. I wanted to look up a contact to whom to send the email, so I clicked on a face icon; I got a file explorer. I wanted to look at a map, so I clicked on a compass icon; I got a web browser. None of that makes any sense to me, and yet Apple is held up as the epitomy of intuitive UI design.

Applauds.

Whilst I find iOS straightforward and treat it as a benchmark for all other mobile device operating systems I find OSX to be appalling, along with many of the apps that go with it.

I'm impressed with the new Blackberry and fancy working for them.

/wanders off to google to look for RIM jobs....

Mmm to an extent. Have you tried the playbook Asprilla or just the phone? It really is bad. It took me several minutes to work out how to change the background pic. I wondered if I was just being slow so got a few other people to try the same thing. 2 never managed it, everyone took over a minute.

ETA - they are pretty cheap though!

asprilla

Oh I don't doubt it's terrible, I was really just arguing that OSX is also terrible and then making a really bad gag about analingus.

pangolin

Well yes there is that.

meanredspider

I'm not sure OSX is that bad. Even Mrs MRS has been able to work it out. I'm a relatively recent convert to Apple and I've found it very simple. If the icons are the hardest part, I'd say that's pretty good. About the only thing I've needed to look up is the "screen grab" function.

Gazzaputt

Windows phone is the way.

Love my Nokia Lumia and having a proper operating system and a single account to activate everything from music to emails is great.

After this I like Andriod and a poor 3rd imo is Apple.

MrChuck

My OH is in her second Blackberry, and whenever I pick it up I wonder why anyone still buys them (for personal use, anyway). Next to my Android (which is only a Defy on Android 2.2) the OS, usability and overall experience is like something from 10+ years ago- it's like Windows 95 next to Windows 7 or OSX. She often asks for my phone to do stuff on.

That said, it does have better battery life and I suppose the physical keyboard might be a draw to some people.
But I think it'll be very difficult for RIM to claw their way back from where they are now, even with a very very good product.