BlackBerry pits latest operating system against Android, iPhone

7:04 pm | Sunday, October 9th, 2011

Android and iPhone operating systems may be enjoying the numbers in terms of global usage, but Canadian smartphone maker Research in Motion hasn’t yet given up the OS mobile fight.

Recently, RIM introduced its new phones touting the latest BlackBerry 7 OS—a platform optimized for both touch and qwerty BlackBerry units and the BlackBerry cloud-enabled ecosystem.

Featuring sleek thin designs, shiny premium metal parts and sturdy casings, the new smartphones include the BlackBerry Bold 9900, a qwerty unit with full touchscreen; Blackberry Curve 9360, a qwerty smartphone; and BlackBerry Torch 9860, a full touchscreen device.

The premium BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the thinnest unit at 10.5 mm. It includes support for near-field communication—a technology that allows devices to pair up to read or send encrypted data in short distances. The phone is currently offered by Globe through its postpaid plan P3799.

According to RIM South Asia vice president Hastings Singh, the new BlackBerry OS is better because it features a web browser that is “25 percent faster than competition.”

The new OS combines advanced WebKit browser engine with powerful hardware enhancements. Additional features include optimized zooming and panning for smoother web navigation and web engine HTML5 for incredible gaming and video experiences.

The new BlackBerry OS also features the latest release of BlackBerry Messenger.

“Filipinos love text messaging and social networking. The new smartphones are tailor-fit to their needs,” said Singh.

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Tags: Blackberry , mobile phone , New Products , Smartphone , technology

Anonymous

I still do not understand why RIM is trying so hard to sell their phones to the consumers whereas they can make a lot of money by just concentrating on enterprise.

In reality, OS 7 cannot compete with iOS and Android. Windows Phone 7 slowly getting polished and will be releasing phones by Nokia soon.

As of now, Blackberry only has BBM left and soon the same feature will be available in iOS (with its iMessage) and the iOS version will work across all iOS devices which includes the iPod Touch and iPad… The Playbook doesn’t even have a native e-mail client!

Their phones also do not allow wifi calling (possible in iOS and Android through Skype, YM etc) and wifi tethering.

I think Blackberry needs to look at the following options to regain their market share.

1. Blackberry Bridge for the iPad and Android – Blackbery users also use an iOS/Android device, only a very small percentage uses a Playbook. An ad-supported (free) BB bridge or a paid app will require “enterprise users” to maintain their Blackberry handsets and later on upgrade once their plans are due.

2. BBM for iOS and Android – BBM users will slowly transfer to iMessage once iOS 5 is up and running since they also have an iOS device (either an iPod Touch or iPad). If BBM for iOS is available, then people will still maintain their PINs and maybe decide to return to a BB device in the future.
3. BB Devices needs a front facing camera to allow video calls through Skype.

4. Playbook should be sold at less than USD 299.00! (presently Bestbuy is selling them at $299.00 no idea why international prices are still not lowered) – Simple equation… more devices sold = more developers = more apps available = selling of more devices again!
oliver terante

this hype about BB bold touch is just like that – a hype. duped by this hype, i bought one myself 2 weeks ago. sadly, it falls short of expectation. the browsing power is very slow. my BB Curve 3G is even much faster. until now, i am yet to succeed opening a single website. and the worst of all, to set-up for push mail is a nightmare. i tried all the instructions in the BB sites and forum yet to no avail. seems i want to throw it away. beware of the BB Bold Touch!

Anonymous

Just got mine the other day. Everything works fine on Globe. Had to pay the steep P 1,299 / month blackberry service fee to get connected. Sheesh. Surfing is at best mediocre but that is not my intent. Email from my two corporate accounts and gmail all working fine.

BlackBerry pits latest operating system against Android, iPhone

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