So, how bad are modern Blackberry's?

[Aglifter]

Google wants to read all my content, and, apparently, Apple wants to provide others w. the ability to turn off recording and broadcasting...

So, what's RIM up to?

[MiddleAgedKen]

Don't think of it as selling out: think of it as buying in.

[HTRN]

So, what's RIM up to?

Dying a slow ugly death.

[JustinR]

I liked my Blackberry Bold 9700, but as time went on and they lost market share, fewer and fewer apps were being releasd with a blackberry version. The last major firmware upgrade crippled the browser and caused repeated crashing, and drove me nuts. We finally switched to ATT to get better reception at our house, I got an iPhone 5 and my wife got the latest blackberry that still has a keyboard. Her first phone had some broken plastic trim and was replaced, and this one is having some issues with keys sticking. My wife didn't want a touchscreen, but even the blackberry with the full keyboard has one now, and it doesn't inhibit touches when you put it up to your ear like my iPhone does.

I think that Apple has the iTunes/store setup correct, google's has gotten much better the last time I played around with my mother's android phone, but RIM's setup is still clunky and antiquated.

YMMV.

[Greg]

As HTRN said, BB is currently in the process of dying. Right now the best they can manage is to limp along on sales in parts of the Third World where they have a high-status reputation still (Africa, the Middle East and SE Asia).

Their older phones (based on the old version of their OS) despite increasing smartphone pretensions, sucked as smartphones and are really best thought of as more of the same push-email and private messaging devices they've been putting out for 10+ years. Their reputation for security is overblown, and the competition has added necessary features to steal their formerly captive corporate/gov't markets.

Their newer phones (based on their new OS) are very expensive, don't compare particularly well to the competition, have no apps (they supposedly can run Android apps but it's questionable, and there are no native apps), and are not selling well.

They desperately need to put out an updated low-cost model to serve their remaining enthusiastic customers (the ones in the better parts of the Third World) for revenue and market share, but somehow seem unable to do so. It is an open question how much longer they will survive as a company, though they do have some assets that would be desirable post-breakup.

[Rod]

Just found THIS online. Why does Yahoo use such long urls?

[Weetabix]

Hm. Opinions seem to vary.

[Greg]

Hm. Opinions seem to vary.

Writer of that piece has a 'tl;dr' problem, as well as a very narrow tactical outlook. They seem to think Blackberry is doing just fine because they didn't lose too much money last quarter. The flaws in that outlook, and argument.... they run deep.

[HTRN]

That's all concerned with stock price - keep in mind, "long term" on wall street is two quarters. RIM has nothing(or at least, has shown, or even hinted at) that will allow it to compete with Apple and the various Android phones, which colectively own something like 90% of the smartphone market. They need a killer app, or their long term prospects are not good. 2 years ago, I would have suggested some kind of tablet tied to cloud storage, but Drop box and a few other services have basically killed that idea.

[Greg]

That's all concerned with stock price - keep in mind, "long term" on wall street is two quarters.

Yep. We've had the discussion about corporate governance and managing for stock price before.

RIM has nothing(or at least, has shown, or even hinted at) that will allow it to compete with Apple and the various Android phones, which colectively own something like 90% of the smartphone market. They need a killer app, or their long term prospects are not good. 2 years ago, I would have suggested some kind of tablet tied to cloud storage, but Drop box and a few other services have basically killed that idea.

Oh they're dead. Getting behind the curve on network effects wrt platform (or 'ecosystem' is the current buzzword) with no meaningful counter, while stuck for too long with slow-moving, unimaginative and downright smug management... They don't even seem to understand the extent of the danger they're in, much less be equipped to deal with it.

Their patent portfolio is worth quite a bit, though if nothing else.