BlackBerry 10 phones being tested by carriers as Pentagon says it will keep using RIM handsets

Research In Motion boss Thorsten Heins has announced that devices running the firm's next-generation OS, BlackBerry 10, are now being tested by carriers around the world, keeping it on course for release early next year. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has said it will continue to use BlackBerry devices in its work.

It’s encouraging. It’s a step in the right direction. It might mean Research In Motion (RIM) really will fulfill its promise of a first-quarter 2013 launch of its next-generation BlackBerry 10 OS and handsets.

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins announced in a statement on Wednesday that handsets running the new OS were now being tested by more than 50 carriers worldwide.

Heins said reaching the testing phase meant the company had “passed a critical milestone” in the development of its new mobile computing platform.

“The hard work will not stop here as we build towards launch,” Heins said in the statement, adding, “Our developer teams are continuing to generate momentum to bring a wealth of applications to BlackBerry 10, our enterprise teams have started to present BlackBerry 10 devices and services to our business customers, and our engineers are fully mobilized to ensure that BlackBerry 10 launches flawlessly in the first quarter of 2013.”

In an interview with the BBC last week, Heins urged consumers not to underestimate “the dynamic [BlackBerry 10] is going to create in the market.”

In other news involving the mobile company, the Pentagon made clear this week that it would carry on supporting “large numbers” of BlackBerry handsets despite going ahead with plans to allow the US military to use other devices such as the iPhone.

“The Defense Information Systems Agency is managing an enterprise email capability that continues to support large numbers of RIM devices,” a spokesman told Reuters this week. A number of government agencies and businesses have said in the last year they would be issuing staff with iOS or Android devices, ending long-standing contracts with BlackBerry. While the Pentagon also appears to be relaxing its association with RIM, things are so serious at the Canadian company that the defense agency’s announcement that it’s not switching entirely to rival devices will actually be perceived as good news by many.

The BlackBerry was once the phone of choice for many agencies and firms thanks largely to its strong security features. However, security on rival handsets such as Apple’s iPhone and a number of Android-powered devices has improved over time, offering an alternative to the BlackBerry.

The launch of RIM’s next-generation OS and handsets is its make-or-break moment. Perhaps the Canadian mobile maker – once the country’s most valuable company – can still turn things around, remain a viable player in the mobile game and consequently help to keep competitors on their toes.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

RIM boss Thorsten Heins hits back at BlackBerry-bashing NY Times article

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has hit back at a recent NY Times article that interviewed a number of disgruntled BlackBerry owners. In a letter published by the newspaper on Wednesday, Heins accused the piece of lacking balance and said there were still "millions of BlackBerry fans out there."

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins must have had smoke coming out of his ears when he read a New York Times article on Monday entitled The BlackBerry as Black Sheep.

His company is struggling, for sure, but he’s hoping it can turn things around with the launch of its next-generation operating system, BlackBerry 10, early next year. Until then, he needs to hold on to his customers, and prevent the company’s image from being bashed about any more than it is right now. His heart will have sunk when he read the NY Times piece.

It pretty much ripped into the phone maker, interviewing users who had apparently become embarrassed about pulling their BlackBerry phone out of their bag. “I’m ashamed of it,” said one, who claimed to hide her device under her iPad for fear of being judged by clients.

Another said she wanted to “take a bat to it,” which, let’s be honest, seems like something of an overreaction when it comes to feelings about a mobile device. There were a few favorable words towards the end of the piece from a BlackBerry owner called Mr. Fenton who said he couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about when it came to the iPhone, but in case the reader might start to think that perhaps RIM’s phones weren’t so bad after all, the article finished off with someone called Mr. Mindel laying the boot in, saying, “I’m considering removing my BlackBerry battery, pouring in cement, and using the BlackBerry as an actual paperweight.” You get the picture. 

So imagine Heins in his office earlier this week, NY Times in hand, reading this article. Of course he wasn’t going to let this go without saying something. He hammered out a response and on Wednesday the newspaper published it.

In his letter, Heins accused the publication of lacking “the balance your readers expect,” before going on to explain that carriers and partners around the world have recently told him “there are millions of BlackBerry fans out there who not only find great value in their device, but also pride in being a BlackBerry owner.”

He says that he takes reports of dissatisfaction among BlackBerry users very seriously, adding that he was encouraged by the supportive comments received in response to the NY Times article.

After trotting out a couple of stats, Heins ends his letter confirming that RIM is on track to deliver BlackBerry 10 in the first quarter of 2013, and offers thanks to “the customers who have remained loyal to the BlackBerry platform.” He also says RIM is looking forward to “winning back many who have left.”

Heins is all too aware that having nothing to show for at least another 10 weeks gives BlackBerry bashers ample time to keep on bashing, and that what RIM must do is keep current users on board while trying to put a positive spin on a very difficult situation. Of course, there will be those who say RIM has done a decent job of beating itself up in recent years with various PR blunders and missteps, but Heins is steering the ship now and is doing everything in his power to save the company from collapse.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

RIM CEO filled with optimism over BlackBerry 10, but still can’t nail down a release date

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has delivered his BlackBerry 10 Jam Americas keynote, where his enthusiasm for BlackBerry 10 was palpable

September 25 saw the beginning of the BlackBerry 10 Jam Americas conference, where CEO Thorsten Heins took to the stage to entertain and encourage 1,500 attending developers and partners.

He began by talking about what BlackBerry 10 would offer customers when it’s released, promising that productivity, reliability, security and multi-tasking would all be taken “to the next level.” Also on the list was a new keyboard with improved predictive text, and a completely new web browser he described as “killer.”

Rarely did Heins describe BlackBerry 10 as a smartphone operating system though, preferring to say that it’s a step forward in “mobile computing,” and emphasized its suitability for individual business users and enterprise clients.

This was particularly evident during the brief demonstration of BB10, where the calendar was shown off, as well as a feature named BlackBerry Balance, where the phone can be switched between personal and business accounts. Both sets of data are totally separate, right down to the security and access to the BlackBerry App World store.

Hub, Flow and Peek

Much was made of the BlackBerry Hub, Peek and BlackBerry Flow, which make up the basic user interface of BB10. The Hub collects all incoming information and notifications — which RIM says isn’t like a unified inbox at all, but everyone else will probably disagree — while Peek lets you swipe aside open apps to return to the Hub, then swipe in a new app to use.

Finally, a feature named Flow seemed to provide fluid movement through the Hub, but wasn’t expanded upon during the presentation.

Sadly, the demonstrations highlighted the Dev Alpha device’s inability to recognize touch gestures on more than one occasion, and while enthusiasm concerning BB10’s interface was high, it wasn’t quite as exciting in real life.

Time and again, the example of a “business man running through an airport” was trotted out, particularly to show the ease with which BB10 can be controlled using one hand and one thumb.

Also highlighted was RIM’s increasing interest in Asia and other emerging markets, from the prevalence of locations in India, Africa and the East on Heins’ tour map, to making a point of intelligent multi-language support in BBM, without the need to manually change keyboards mid-flow.

On track for early 2013 release

So when is it coming? For all Heins’ high-fives and gusto during the keynote, the story of BlackBerry 10’s release is still the same — early next year. He said everything is “on track” and that release is “a few short months away,” plus they are currently testing better devices too.

A degree of positivity regarding BB10’s impending release came from the news that next month, the hardware and software will be sent to carriers for testing, although in another interview RIM’s chief marketing officer warned that this process can take anywhere between six and twenty weeks. While this won’t be true of every network all over the world, it could see some releases delayed until March 2013 at the earliest. In the same interview, it was revealed that BlackBerry 10 will initially debut in America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa.

Heins, like the rest of the tech world, knows what’s at stake with BlackBerry 10, calling it “our most important launch ever” and going on to share what sounds like a realistic expectation of how it will perform: “We have a clear shot at being the number three platform in the market” he said.

The 40-minute keynote finished with the news that the company’s user base has grown to 80 million subscribers, and that BBM has 60 million users worldwide. A new SDK will be released this week and app submissions will start on October 10. To show how RIM loves its developers, it serenaded them with a song. Yes, really.

According to a very positive Thorsten Heins, there’s “a new culture, new energy and a lot of fighting spirit at RIM,” and solely based on his upbeat BlackBerry Jam keynote performance, it’s becoming easier to believe him.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com