Posted by The Blogging Desk on Fri, May 06, 2011
Microsoft:
At Research In Motion’s annual Blackberry World on Tuesday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced on stage a new alliance between Microsoft and RIM, outlining how the two companies can work together to help people make better decisions with Bing on BlackBerry devices. Central to this collaboration, Blackberry devices will use Bing as the preferred search provider in the browser, and Bing will be the default search and map application for new devices presented to mobile operators, both in the United States and internationally. Also, effective Monday, Bing was designated the preferred search and maps applications with regular, featured placement and promotion in the BlackBerry App World carousel.
Hurrah! Our dreams have been answered. Just kidding! Nobody uses BlackBerry's anymore. Or maybe you do, and have just unsubscribed from this RSS feed. In which case, sorry.
Does this partnership with RIM mean that Microsoft doesn't trust their own phone platform in the enterprise? Maybe. Even so, why partner with a platform that is seemingly losing ground in the enterprise field? The iPhone is moving fast and furious into companies all over the world while nobody is jumping onto BlackBerry anything for their corporate needs.
I like the Windows Phone platform, but it's just not selling as MS had hoped. At least not yet. But, RIM? Will they even have a smartphone market in 5 years? I'll bet you $10 that RIM ditches their own smartphone OS and signs with either Microsoft or Android. A whole $10!
Do you even know how many Frappé's that can buy? About two and half, actually. Don't wait until it's too late to get your own corporate mobile network secure. You know want to end up like the PSN network, do you?
Posted by The Blogging Desk on Thu, Apr 14, 2011
Joshua Topolsky:
But the PlayBook isn’t hitting home runs just yet. The OS is still buggy and somewhat touchy. Third-party apps are a desert right now, if not in number, then certainly in quality. The lack of native email and calendar support hurts. The worst part, however, is that I can’t think of a single reason to recommend this tablet over the iPad 2, or for that matter… the Xoom. And that’s what it really boils down to here; what is the compelling feature that will make buyers choose the PlayBook over something else? I don’t have that answer, but that’s not what’s troubling me — what troubles me is that I don’t think RIM has the answer either… and they should by now.
Sounds like trouble in Canada.
The most striking part about RIM's PlayBook is that there are no native emails and calendar apps built-in to the device. You can't just walk into Best Buy and treat this like an iPad. Well, you can, but you need to also have a BlackBerry device with the latest software. If you do, you can enable a "Bridge" mode on both devices that will allow you to share the email and calendering capabilities.
I don't think most folks would have a problems with the email app snafu if RIM was just marketing this to business and enterprise users. It doesn't seem that way with their ads and the fact that it's called "PlayBook". They make it seem like it's for everyone and a legit tablet competitor. Well, I guess there's nothing more fun than being separated from work tasks.
The app situation doesn't seem all that great for RIM either, judging from reviews. I think this really leaves a spot for HP's TouchPad. HP deals with many vedors and OEMS and have recently shown their Citrix app for enterprise. It's a start, and these PlayBook reviews certainly leave a chance for HP to take over the #2 spot. Either way, we still have the perfect options for your enterprise support.
Posted by The Blogging Desk on Fri, Mar 18, 2011
- by Jon, "Gingersnap", Pentecost
According to this website, there is a serious exploit in the BlackBerry that would allow someone to use JavaScript to access the content of the data stored in the built-in storage or media card.
Research in Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry devices, is working on a fix and has not received any reports that content has been accessed using the exploit so far. However, they do recommend caution and disabling JavaScript until the issue can be resolved. The problem is not with JavaScript itself but the exploit makes use of JavaScript in order to access the information on the device.
Do you have a BlackBerry or other mobile device that you would like to be sure is secured? Contact our Trigon Mobility Solutions for a complete review of your device. Would you like a review of your network? Let us know and we can talk with you about our Philadelphia and Central PA. Managed IT Services that are available.
Posted by The Blogging Desk on Wed, Dec 29, 2010
Information Week:
Apple's time nearly alone in the tablet space is set to come to an end quickly. Motorola is preparing to launch an Android-based tablet at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. The Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab has already been on sale for a couple of months. RIM's PlayBook is coming to the market by the end of the first quarter, and HP/Palm are prepping a webOS-based tablet. Microsoft may throw its hat in the ring, too (though who knows in what form).
Just how many tablet platforms can the market support?
Thanks for the question, Eric from Information Week. It's a doozy. Trigon, as always, is on the cusp of information technology. I mean, there is no new gadget we aren't already preparing a blog post about.
So, as we are all keenly aware, Apple is the king of the tablet hill. Sure, there are some Windows Fanboys that will point to their super awesome laptop/tablet that has some kind of twisty/swivel screen. Come on, that thing is awful and you know it. Anywho, Apple is the king of the hill, Motorola is coming out with an Android tablet fully supported by Google. RIM, bless their hearts, says their tablet that isn't coming out until March is already ahead of the iPad. And we also have Palm, who has been rumored to have created a tablet based on WebOS. That's a full slate. (see what I did there?)
Aside from Motorola having Google behind them, it's going to be very difficult for RIM and Palm to come out and get consumers behind them. Are there really people holding out for a RIM tablet? Are there really people still using BlackBerry's? If you're using one right now, sorry! (I'm not really sorry)
The mindshare that Apple has and also "Droid" is pretty remarkable. You'll notice I said "Droid" and not Android. I'd bet that 8 out of 10 people think their phone is running Droid. Sure, it's obviously not true, but that's where the mindshare is right now.
I vote no, Eric!
Posted by The Blogging Desk on Tue, Nov 23, 2010
TechCrunch:
Asked what he would say to Jobs if he were present today at the Web 2.0 Summit, Balsillie shot back: “You finally showed up.” The implication being that RIM practically invented the smartphone category and is not going anywhere.
Balsillie went on to contrast the Blackberry approach to Apple’s when it comes to web apps. There may be 300,000 apps for the iPhone and iPad, but the only app you really need is the browser. “You don’t need an app for the Web,” he says, and that is equally true for the mobile Web. The debate over mobile apps versus the mobile Web. Blackberry is betting on the Web, much like Google .
Oh no, he didn’t.
Jim Balsillie is the RIM head honcho and was willing to chat about the new BlackBerry iPad competitor, the Playbook. The surprising part about the Playbook is the OS. It’s essentially running on Adobe Air. It doesn’t just allow Adobe’s tools, it flat out embraces them. Balsillie is going to great lengths to let people know that the web is the way to go for their tablet.
The problem with that is Steve Jobs said the same thing when the iPhone was first introduced in 2007. He had previously said that the Maps app trumped any web app that Google had to offer, but when the developer conference came around, he crushed everyone’s dreams. The thousands of developers in attendance were disheartened to hear that Job’s original vision for the iPhone was web apps. (This was a full year before the App Store) We all know what happened next. Developers Jailbroke their phones so that they could learn the internal code themselves to develop their own apps, without Apple’s help.
Will the same thing happen to RIM’s PlayBook? Mobile web apps sure are nice, but when compared to native mobile apps, they look plain silly.
If you're interested in getting your mobility up to speed at your small to mid sized business, be sure to let us know. Trigon may be based out of Wayne, PA, but we also support Abington, Chester and many others!
Posted by The Blogging Desk on Wed, Sep 29, 2010
7-inch LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
1 GHz dual-core processor
1 GB RAM
Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
HDMI video output
Wi-Fi - 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
Ultra thin and portable:
Measures 5.1"x7.6"x0.4" (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
Not too shabby at all. With those specs and with the demo videos that RIM has let loose, we may have a legitimate iPad contender on our hands. With the millions of enterprise BlackBerry users, why not pick a BB tablet that can sync up wirelessly with your phone? You'd be downright silly not to.
Though, this product has no official release date or price. RIM has said, "early 2011". If my math is correct, and it always is, that would mean this PlayBook would not only be competing with the iPad, but also the iPad 2. Could be bad news, I say.
I also say that competition is good for any gadget, so good for RIM. Though, I would have waited to announce a tablet until it was about 2 months from release. Until then, it's just made up gadgety goodness.