This section lists all blog posts, regardless of topic.
BlackBerry mentions fade as BB7 agesSeptember 16, 2012
It has been a bit depressing this week as I start to see more mentions of smartphones that refer to iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, but don't bother to mention BlackBerry.
Most prominent is
this article which grapples with the question of which type of smartphone to buy.
After closer inspection, there is a paragraph that mentions BlackBerry:
"We didn't forget about BlackBerry OS, which is currently still stuck in a development cycle, and therefore isn't a serious contender. We expect BlackBerry-maker RIM to release Blackberry OS 10 and a new phone in 2013. RIM faces an uphill battle keeping loyal customers and gaining new ones, but we always hope to see a struggling player pull out something that'll amaze."
What I find interesting is that they're implicitly saying is that BB7 isn't even on the radar as an option for consumers. Wow. The 9900 is a fantastic device, and while Android and iOS have some very shiny features, it seems very odd, and sad, that BB7 is being stigmatised this way.
Physical keyboard or touch screen keyboard?September 15, 2012
I've had the Samsung Galaxy S III for a month or so now and one of the conclusions I'm coming to is that I prefer all-touch phones. Don't get me wrong, I love the physical keyboard on the 9900 -- this is more about the trade off between physical keyboard VS more screen real estate. So what I'm really saying here is that:
  | Having a larger screen makes many use cases much more compelling. |
| An all-touch keyboard isn't too bad. |
I think one of the factors here is that I haven't used a BB enough to become a super-pro at typing, and so moving to an all-touch keyboard doesn't set me back much.
What I'm most interested in talking about here are the use cases that a larger screen makes a big difference for:
| 1. | Web browsing. This is really what it mostly comes down to: Having a big screen is so, so nice for web browsing, such as searching Google, and viewing Google Maps. |
| 2. | Watching video: Obviously having a beautiful wide screen display makes watching video way better VS the 9900's small square display. |
| 3. | Flexibility in apps. I think this goes all the way back to Steve Jobs' intro when the iPhone was first released: If you give apps more space by removing physical buttons, they can use that space for good things. I'm sold, I think he's right. |
So I sure am glad that BB10 is, first and foremost, a full-touch experience. Yes, they will also sell physical keyboard phones, but the OS and the experience have been designed so that all-touch isn't a second-class citizen.
iPhone 5 RevealSeptember 12, 2012
Today was one of those big days that us gadget geeks anticipate. It was pretty cool finally beholding all of the details about the iPhone 5.
My simple reaction: Very nice! Apple has delivered another solid improvement. I'm looking forward to putting in my preorder on Thursday and getting to play with it soon.
My positive reaction is paired with some feelings of sorrow for BlackBerry. Sorrow is probably too strong a word. The increasing realization is that RIM isn't a company today that is going to release a phone that can match the iPhone in terms of thinness, weight, manufacturing marvel, and all-around "wow" in terms of how it looks. Well, perhaps that can be said for all of the other companies on planet earth. But back to my point: I think every BB10 fan would love to see RIM become more Apple like in its ability to create physical objects that make your heart skip a beat. Part of that is specs, and RIM is doing pretty well there these days, but there is definitely more than specs. Anyway, I shouldn't dwell on that too much, but point noted.
I'm actually really intrigued by the maps application. It seems incredible bold, almost stupid, for Apple to be doing their own Maps. I mean, isn't Google the king when it comes to that stuff, and isn't it a pretty big deal to try and top that? So I'll be interested in playing with their maps. What REALLY caught my eye were those 3D renderings of buildings that looked 5 years ahead of the curve in terms of eye candy. Hard to tell from such a brief glimpse, and of course they're going to have San Francisco perfect, but those zoom overs looked super super impressive.
I was actually surprised that more wasn't said about Siri. They've added some new capabilities, but this didn't seem to be a Siri-intensive release. Maybe that's understandable given that last release was Siri-fest. Hopefully we'll see another volley of inspiring Siri stuff in the next couple of years.
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