JLatimer

Judging by the lack of any thread on this topic I guess I am alone in being excited to see what RIM comes up with here.

With January 30th being the date of the launch event for BB10 and the 2 new upcoming devices I am watching the news for any clues as to what it might bring. Being local to the Waterloo area I have caught glimpses of RIM staff and developers with Dev Alpha devices but haven't been hands on yet.

Is anyone else interested in what RIM is doing, or in seeing Blackberry back in the game?

RIM's BB10 News and Updates page is here.

Discuss....

JLatimer

:crickets: Apparently no one does care

Some more reported leaks of the new BB10.
http://news.yahoo.com/rim-first-blac...134515489.html

TSX69

Well, if it makes you feel any better I started a BlackBerry PlayBook thread a while ago that did not garner much interest.

I am curious to see what they come up with as I had several BlackBerries back in the day before SmartPhones became all the rage. I switched over to Palm Treos bc I wanted the touch screen & was tired of the scrolling wheel.

I hope that they find success, that way consumers can pick between Android, BlackBerry, ios & Windows ....

doopstr

I like my Bold. I have unlimited data plan, streams pandora to my car's bluetooth. On the negative it keeps me connected to work.

phee

iTrader: (5)

#1 STUNNA

They have to offer something uniquely different and better. Like Microsoft has done with their live tiles and deep social network integration. From what I've seen of bb10 I looks like another clone of iOS/ android grid of static icons that people are already getting tired of. Also their gestures are more difficult and the segregating work and personal in the phone seems ridiculous.


I think it's too late for them this should've been out two years ago

speedemon90

^ yea if they have something that like android/iOS no one from those platforms will really switch.

The best thing about windows is that it actually is a different experience, which is good if you get bored of iOS or android for that matter.

Ken1997TL

Can't believe people like the 'tile' interface

Convoluted, gimmicky etc.

First thing I got rid of on my Windows 8 install.

#1 STUNNA

Glad you gave it a fair shot by getting rid of it right away. Live tiles and deep pinning are pretty cool and much more effective use of space compared to a static icon that tells you nothing

Ken1997TL

I've been a beta tester of every desktop iteration of Windows since 2000. The UI sucks and that's my opinion after having dealt with it for months on end. Stardock's Ui fix is a godsend.

I'm glad you like it though

speedemon90

thats why android has widgets!

#1 STUNNA

So you used it during beta when there were hardly any apps in the store that took advantage of it's capabilities and then got rid of it before any real apps came out that take good advantage of them...

JLatimer

Yeah, I think there is a fine line between coming out with something new and unique and alienating yourself from the users accustomed to the old. Although some of what you see of the BB10 appears to be a bit of a recycle of a static grid of icons it doesn't just stop there. And honestly if you get rid of the static grid you will find users that hate it (ie. Windows 8 discussion above).

I think Hub and Balance are going to be the things that make BB10 stand out for now. I am certainly interested in Hub and hope that it is heavily customizable to eliminate the clutter. Balance (separate work and play) is a very good idea that will give BB a chance to redeem itself with the bread and butter of corporate. That is if they make it intuitive enough.

The other thing is I have never found a predictive text feature as good as the one on the playbook and it is reported that they have improved it even further on BB10.

JLatimer

Launch event was today. Not too much more said outside of what the rumor mill had already pumped out. Big surprise was seeing Alicia Keys join Blackberry as Creative Director. Strange!?!?

Z10 is going to be the full touch device. They didn't give specs. Will be available in UK markets tomorrow, Canada next week and US next month.

Q10 will be physical keyboard version and they didn't clarify availability on that.

It looks like the recent push on apps has paid off. They had a pretty impressive list in the presentation.

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

I hope it does well. I'm thinking all those BB hold outs are gonna be upgrading so they are going to sell a ton a launch. Weird that UK is their first market though, I would have thought Can/US out of the gate.

#1 STUNNA

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pD7hyZh7p9I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

doopstr

Why did they bother trying to shove in Android app compatibility?

I want to see what current hard core BB users think of this. It looks nice but don't think it's good enough to get people to give up their droid/iphone.

Mr Marco

Wonder what they are up to these days:

alex2364

So they can say they have 70,000 apps, with 69,000 junk apps.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/30/39...rry-z10-review

#1 STUNNA

cM3go

Silly RIM, err Blackberry, the smartphone train has passed them. I highly doubt they will catch traction with this new OS/Phone, Android/iOS are too far ahead.

Ken1997TL

Well.. I hope it does well. My brother designs some of the more secretive firmware for RIM.

Whiskers

Its actually amazing how many people use BB here in the UK. Ill play with it tomorrow.

Ken1997TL

Is that because of BBM?

Whiskers

Yes, for the younger. Older like the physical keybaord and cheap UK companies not willing to switch. And financial who like the BB security.

doopstr

Can someone explain why I would want to use BBM instead of SMS?

Ken1997TL

International messaging ability without someone knowing your phone number. Numerous emoticons, file sharing etc.

#1 STUNNA

Probably why it's dropping their first, then US and Canada sometime next month...

Whiskers

Fixed. Pretty much what Ken said. Doesnt use cell networks, so basically free. iMessage is Apple's version. From a corporate perspective, its sort of corporate IM over mobile. All the cool kids are doing it.

Whiskers

Maybe, but what a slap in the face to Canada.

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

sent & read receipts are a big thing too, most users swear by them.

Ken1997TL

From my brother's email this morning regarding carriers:

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

I thought that was weird too, considering all their beta testing would have been on our networks I would have thought they would be launch partners on day 1.

doopstr

Saw some guy on CNBC complaining that they called it the Zed 10 and not the "Z" 10.

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

haha sounds better

JLatimer

Uses cheaper data instead of per message pricing from the carrier, tells you when your message was received, read, and tells you when the sender is typing. supports group conversations. The list goes on. And now it supports video and voice.

MWalsh9152

Warren, let us know what you think. I have been waiting a few weeks to see how this is before making a decision on a new phone.

I'm really hoping that the Bold will drop in price when the Z10 comes out. I paid a penny for my current Bold, I cant possibly see myself paying $200 for one right now though. I'll get one of each since both lines are up for an upgrade

MWalsh9152

I stopped using BBM because most of my friends went away from BB, but I was still using it with my wife....but I would often never get a message, and then get bitched at by the wife because I didnt respond/do what she asked etc

Whiskers

k

Moog-Type-S

My guess is this is RIM...Blackberry's swan song.