Blackberry and Android OS

[riviera74]

Let's say that RIM releases BB OS10 and it flops. The firm survives but is in dire straits to stay relevant. If the current CEO (or a new one) switches from BB OS to Android, would you buy a Blackberry with Android? Should RIM even consider an Android-based Blackberry now or in the near future?

[End User]

RIM?

[Dizik]

RIM?

Either you're joking, or you don't know that Research in Motion (aka RIM) are the makers of Blackberry.

Anywho...I think that RIM's saving grace is their foothold in the enterprise, and this is diminishing quickly. If they would have licensed their OS out to other manufacturers, I think that RIM would be in a very different position than they are today. However, both Android and iOS are becoming more and more common, if not the norm, in both the private sector and with the federal government. Regardless if BB OS 10 succeeds or flops, I don't see them sticking around in their current form for much longer. There's already talks of them splitting into separate hardware and software companies. BB OS 10 might be end up being a fantastic operating system, but it'll be too little, too late...very similar to HP's webOS.

[ludi]

I don't see the appeal. Smartphones have something like 50% of all new phone sales now, which generally means that those buyers are also getting data plans of some sort. If the phone can access cellular data, it can synch email, and *pop* goes one of the BlackBerry's two premier features. What was novel in 1999 has now been replicated by everybody. The other key BlackBerry feature was the security model, but it's hard to see how they could maintain that, either, if they switched to Android.

[destroy.all.monsters]

i don't see RIM doing that. I think they know that they sink or swim with BB 10 and that they'll likely be parted out or become software only if it fails hard.

OTOH they have a really good shot at replacing Symbian on the low end with phones like the 9320. I can't see them buying into someone else's ecosystem (even if it's MS throwing scads of cash at them). If they have to they'll sell BBM to other platforms and look at strategic partnerships with folks like Samsung.

Seeing how BB has many of its own patents it would likely be less encumbered than running Android should they try to license it. Thing is that it would be a shame since they make some of the best quality handsets in the world.

[kitsura]

I don't like how forked the Android OS is (some say Jelly Bean will solve that) and also call me paranoid but I don't want every single bit of my private information ending up in Google's hands. I'm currently using a BB Torch 9810 and if RIM fails then I would rather move to Windows mobile than go Android.

[Walkintarget]

Give me WebOS or give me dea ... errr, nevermind.

[kvndoom]

Give me WebOS or give me dea ... errr, nevermind.

He died before finishing this statement.

[notfred]

The current CEO said they looked at going to Android and the problem is differentiating yourself in that space http://www.bgr.com/2012/08/03/rim-ceo-t ... w-android/ Why would you buy a RIM Android phone rather than one from the other manufacturers? Also look at the current Android space http://crackberry.com/gartner-data-prov ... blackberry

Look at the data from the last few announcements from RIM, it's BB10 or bust given the cash burn rate.

[riviera74]

OK. So it really is BB OS10 or bust. Good luck to that.

[destroy.all.monsters]

You have to admit it (putting out BB 10) makes a certain amount of sense. I don't think WP 8 is going to have the penetration MS thinks it will. If it fails then they have other moves they can make. However, as an Android OEM they're going to get killed (although they'd be the only ones to have a truly decent keyboard in that ecosystem). i think they have enough to offer that they may fit in somewhere but I doubt that they'll get their market share back in the US any time soon.

They still own many markets overseas (huge in the UK apparently). If somehow they own India they sure won't need the US.

[SassySusan]

I had a BB Storm and loved it...until I needed to have the flexibility to get to things online. Oh my geez....that was like waiting for a Slow boat to any place! I think in the future the availability of apps will ultimately make or break BB. Everyone in my industry basically laughs at people still caring a BB.

Now what did I love about BB? The way it handles email. I also could type faster and more accurately on the Storm even though the screen had to depress when "typing" messages. I also liked how the address book functioned as well. But all of those are things that I can do without or can adjust to a different phone. I ended up buying the HTC Incredible 2 and wish I could have waited for the Samsung.

RIP BB....RIM needs to get its act together or their days are numbered.

[Darkmage]

Why would you buy a RIM Android phone rather than one from the other manufacturers?

Security. Blackberries are all over the gov't space due to their enterprise-level encryption and secure telecommunications products. If Blackberry can provide a secure server capability with a corporate Android/iOS application, they would have an enterprise product that would sell like hotcakes. Plug the server component into your corporate Exchange server, put the BB app on your employee's phone and get a secure communications platform for corporate email, documents, IM, etc.

They may stop being a hardware manufacturer at that point. But they can easily pass off such manufacturing to Samsung or HTC.

[superjawes]

They could get swallowed by someone else if OS10 flops. Microsoft could pick them up as a better launchpad for Win8 mobile devices, which could help Microsoft out in selling Win8 for the business sphere.

BB's big problem is that they sold smartphones to a limited audience. As soon as Apple rolled in selling iPhones to everyone, it was pretty easy to roll over Blackberry in the enterprise space. My company (and my dad's for that matter) are "upgrading" from Blackberries to iPhones and sometimes iPads.

[Chrispy_]

Apps; Google and Apple have them, nobody else does to the same degree.

All these alternative platforms keep on failing because there are no apps for them.

A platform exists to run apps, but the platform itself is irrelevant as long as the phone is usable. If we just wanted phone/web/email then pretty much any smartphone on any OS from the last decade does that already.