A new and improved BlackBerry?
Filed under: Technology, Research In Motion, Apple
Research-In-Motion (RIMM), creator of the widely used BlackBerry smartphone, has been feeling the heat from the Apple (AAPL) iPhone.
In an attempt to stay competitive with the Apple product, RIM has introduced a new version of its phone called the BlackBerry Storm 2. According to the company, "the second generation of RIM's innovative and award-winning touch-screen smartphone, the BlackBerry Storm 2 significantly improves the BlackBerry touch-screen platform."
Apple is already pushing into the BlackBerry's traditional market -- businesses. A new study by JD Power showed that "among customers who use their smartphones primarily for business purposes, Apple's iPhone ranked highest with a score of 803, followed by RIM's BlackBerry with 724, on a 1,000-point scale." RIM cannot afford to have erosion in its market share among business users and hope to keep up its subscriber and earnings growth.
The advantage Apple has may have almost nothing to do with smartphone hardware or screen capability. Its Apps store now has thousands of useful software downloads, which tremendously broaden the appeal of the iPhone. RIM's applications offerings are very modest.
The Storm 2 may be a significant leap forward for RIM, but without the backing of a wide variety of software applications, that may not matter.
Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 24/7 Wall St.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-15-2009 @ 12:18PM
Oakfeathers said...
The Blackberry Storm was so hard to use, before my 30 days was up, I returned it. The whole touch screen thing on such a small device, if you don't have fingers the size of a five year old you can't hit the right buttons quickly like you can with an actual keyboard.
The Tour is better than the Storm, but I am waiting for LG to come out with a new phone that is similar to their original EnV, but with better internet quality and ability to sign into bank accounts and other websites easily. The size is by far better for pockets, cases, and smaller purses, yet the keyboard is much larger and easier to use.
But no more touch screens for me unless its keys are the size of an average finger! That would mean the thing would need to be huge, so forget the touch screens.
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