Touch Screen Keyboard | 7 Solid Reasons To Keep The Faith In RIM, BlackBerry

It seems similar to nobody has anything great to say about BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) these days.

Analysts, bloggers, journalists, opponent device makers, device geeks–even RIM shareholders and employees –all appear to have incited a chilled shoulder to the struggling Canadian handset maker. Indeed, it’s often severe threat and low spirits in the tech press when it comes to RIM and BlackBerry today.

The negativity isn’t without reason. RIM is saying its North American marketplace share tumble neatly as smartphone users burst liner for improved waters around the Apple/Google/Microsoft/whatever camps. The BlackBerry-maker has toughed out a few quite bad-looking product launches over the past couple of years. (Think: Storm, Storm2 and, more recently, the Wi-Fi-only BlackBerry PlayBook with no local e-mail or PIM apps.) RIM not long ago cut as many as 200 jobs in and around its Waterloo, Ontario headquarters. And a number of key staffers, inclusive a one-time arch selling executive and comparison product manager , have incited tail, leaving RIM understaffed in its time of trouble.

These things of course haven’t been great for RIM or the BlackBerry brand. And it’s easy to concentration on the disastrous in tough times. But such a concentration usually paints one side of the story. we regard RIM and its BlackBerry customers still have drift to sojourn certain and upbeat. What follows is a rapid list of reasons because we still keep a BlackBerry in my pocket–and because we do not see that varying any time soon.

1) Love that BlackBerry QWERTY Keyboard

First up, the number one reason we still use a BlackBerry as my “main” smartphone, or my “daily driver:” That QWERTY keyboard.

I admire the BlackBerry “Bold-style” keyboard. And even though I’ve used a accumulation of handhelds from other manufacturers with similar keypads over the years, I’ve nonetheless to find one that functions better.

I can most listen to a combined plaint from iPhone users who would unquestionably swear they can sort just as well on their touch-screen keyboard as we can on my BlackBerry’s QWERTY keyboard. Perhaps, but we have found after ample experience that we can’t sort as swift and effectively on any touch-screen keyboard as we can with my BlackBerry keypad. Make no mistake, we have since touch-screen keyboards a satisfactory chance, we own an iPhone, Motorola Atrix, Samsung Focus and a number of extra handhelds with no “physical” QWERTY keyboards.

I use my BlackBerry roughly to one side for messaging, so the skill to sort hurriedly and with as few errors as probable is exceedingly critical to me. RIM still creates the most appropriate keyboard on a mobile device, and as such, it offers something its rivals can’t or at least haven’t yet. Until that reality changes, folks similar to me who wish the most appropriate messaging device on the marketplace will hang with RIM and BlackBerry.

2) BlackBerry Battery Life Can’t be Beat

BlackBerry battery life differs with any definite model of RIM handheld; for sure, a few BlackBerrys obtain ample more life than others. And a few definite program builds give ample more battery life than others when commissioned on the expect same device. So it may be tough to fairly quantify BlackBerry battery life.

But one thing is certain: In general, the median modern BlackBerry battery life is higher to the median battery life of RIM rivals, inclusive Apple’s iPhone and Google Android handhelds.

Just how long your mobile device lasts depends on a accumulation of factors, inclusive the strength of your wireless network at a since time, the applications and services running on your device, screen liughtness and timeout duration, and ample more. But I’ve nonetheless to use any smartphone that offering improved battery life than my BlackBerry Bold 9780.

For example, I’m all the time sending and reception letter on my BlackBerry and updating my assorted amicable networks. And even though we bring possibly my iPhone or my Motorola Atrix, too, we often usually use those gadgets to listen to song during my sunrise and dusk commutes, that arent long at all, or access a few apps. Yet my BlackBerry simply outlasts both of these gadgets day in and day out.

My e.g. may not precisely be “scientific,” but the fact is that my experience with many modern smartphone tells me that in general, most BlackBerry smartphones offer significantly improved battery life than many of today’s most renouned handhelds. And all stream BlackBerry smartphones have separable batteries, as well, so you can always barter out a deceased one for creatively charged power pack. Not so is to iPhone and other renouned handhelds.

3) BlackBerry Enterprise Security and Manageability

RIM’s nearby prevalence in the craving mobility space is bit by bit eroding, but BlackBerry is still King when it comes to craving safety and manageability. That’s because BlackBerry smartphones are literally written to work along with RIM’s BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), that offers hundreds of IT safety safeguards and administration features in the form of “IT policies.” (RIM even offers a giveaway chronicle of BES, called BES Express , for organizations who do not wish to pay the pricey chartering fees is to full version.)

Sure, many BES-like products and services are existing to help secure and succeed non-BlackBerry devices, and a few of them offer many of the same or similar features found in BES. Many of the most renouned non-BlackBerry smartphones can link up to Microsoft’s Exchange Server using ActiveSync, as well.

But since BlackBerrys were written with safety in mind, they’re normally simpler to succeed and control. And they offer the top turn of security, for organizations that may wish or need it.

For example, joining a new BlackBerry to BES is a breeze, even for newbie administrators. And RIM’s Web-based BES administration console creates it elementary for BlackBerry admins to monitor, succeed and clean BlackBerrys, from anyplace they have Internet access. In other words, BlackBerry smartphones are IT friendly. Unfortunately–or opportunely for RIM–the same cannot always be mentioned about the other smartphone platforms, inclusive iOS and Android.

As long as safety waste a priority for organizations and supervision agencies, and as consumers increasingly become wakeful of smartphone safety threats, RIM’s BES will go on to be a ample valued craving solution.

4) BlackBerry Messenger and BBM Social

BlackBerry owners admire RIM’s exclusive BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) IM app that lets any and all RIM smartphone users fire messages back and onward without incurring text-message charges from wireless carriers. Though many similar cross-platform IM apps with comparable features exist–Apple even copied RIM when it not long ago expelled its iMessage app–none have gained as considerable and as constant a user bottom as BBM.

RIM knows that BBM is one the BlackBerry platform’s strengths and a profitable aggressive advantage. It even launched a extensive promotion campaign formed wholly on BBM and its assorted users around the globe. The firm moreover not long ago expelled a few cool new developer collection and an related “BBM Social” API that lets program makers confederate their applications with BBM. Very few applications with this BBM amicable formation are existing at this point. ( Foursquare not long ago expelled a assessment erect of its location-based amicable networking app with BBM integration.) But we see outrageous guarantee in the thought if RIM can remonstrate sufficient developers that it will be value the time and bid to erect BBM Social features in to their apps.

As such, BBM Social has the promising to make BBM even more attractive to BlackBerry users, whilst moreover creation the app a stronger, and that could give it a more aggressive advantage. BBM Social could even drum up a few ample indispensable eagerness around BlackBerry app development, that would of course be a great thing for RIM, BlackBerry and its customers.

5) Future is Bright for BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet

Okay, so RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook launch wasn’t precisely a investigate in how to successfully marketplace and let go a brand new, potentially groundbreaking product. More specifically, RIM essentially launched an uncompleted tablet–no mobile connectivity, no local e-mail, etc.–after spending lots of time and bundles of money hyping the PlayBook up to the masses. Not surprisingly, the inscription was bloody by many successful reviewers, many of whom couldn’t appear to end comparing the PlayBook to Apple’s hugely renouned iPad. (The fact that RIM took jabs at Apple in its PlayBook ad campaign, stating that ” Amateur Hour Is Over ,” probably didn’t help.)

I believe the BlackBerry PlayBook has a ton of potential. And most of the pieces of the baffle are there, they’re just not in place yet.

RIM is approaching to let go local e-mail and personal data administration (PIM) apps any day now, that will should make the inscription more attractive to non-BlackBerry smartphone users, who have once been not able to to access Web letter around PlayBook without rising a browser first. And the Android App Player for PlayBook, that will enable BlackBerry inscription users to run matching Android applications, should moreover be exceedingly well received.

When all of these pieces advance together, the BlackBerry PlayBook could advance out seeking rsther than impressive–and those early disastrous reviews may infer insignificant.

6) Seven New Handhelds in 2011, Promise of QNX-Based BlackBerrys

RIM has been slow to let go new BlackBerry handhelds during the past year, but that’s all about to change. The Canadian firm skeleton to let go at least 7 brand new smartphones before the end of 2011, according to its co-CEO Mike Lazaridis , even though usually one of those devices, the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 has been strictly announced.

Thanks to a accumulation of leaked trusted materials, it’s well known that RIM moreover skeleton to let go a revamped chronicle of it BlackBerry Torch 9800 device, the Torch 9810; and the BlackBerry “Touch” 9850/9860, a new Storm-like device with no earthy keyboard, along with a couple of

All 7 new gadgets will as if run RIM’s ultimate mobile OS, BlackBerry 7, before referred to as BlackBerry 6.1 . And even though BlackBerry 7 overtly doesn’t appear all that not similar from BlackBerry 6, it does fill up a few cool new features inclusive encouragement for Near Field Communications (NFC) technology, more absolute finding capabilities and improved Web browsing, amid other things.

While BlackBerry 7 won’t likely pull many smartphone users divided from Android gadgets or their iPhones, it should help to keep stream BlackBerry users, since it’s of course a step up from the BlackBerry 6 OS.

And BlackBerry 7 is really just a office building inhibit toward the next leading BlackBerry mobile OS, that will be formed on a program substructure from QNX Systems. (RIM paid for QNX in 2010.) The BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet OS was likewise built on QNX code, and interjection to a few help from other new RIM acquisition, The Astonishing Tribe (TAT), the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet OS is a ample more functional, modern and visually attractive OS than the aging, dull BlackBerry smartphone OS.

The splendid BlackBerry Tablet OS bodes well is to upcoming, QNX-based BlackBerry smartphone OS. And a more modern BlackBerry handheld OS with a improved on the whole user experience should of course grasp they eyes of device geeks and help RIM vie with its leading rivals in the smartphone space.

7) BlackBerry Data Compression

BlackBerry smartphones occupy “DataSmart” technology to compact data sent back and onward between wireless networks and RIM handhelds. DataSmart tech, according to RIM, “works a lot similar to zipping considerable files on your computer. When you use data on a BlackBerry smartphone, it’s roughly as if the data is zipped up before it’s sent or received so it’s not as big and uses up reduction of your data plan.”

Most median smartphone users couldn’t caring reduction what goes on at the back the scenes, as long as their gadgets work when they need them. But DataSmart technology can obviously save BlackBerry users money. And that ought to squeeze a few attention, notably in a time when many infinite smartphone data skeleton are being phased out and mobile data use in broad is hurriedly getting more and more expensive.

In fact, a RIM-sponsored investigate by research firm Rysavy Research not long ago found that BlackBerry users can obtain two times more Web browsing, 4 times more e-mail and two times more amicable networking, than users with “other leading smartphones.”

As more and more people and businesses beginning to feel the belongings of mobile data cost hikes, the BlackBerry platform, with its DataSmart tech, should become more attractive.

Bottom line: RIM is, with great reason, struggling correct now, but we believe the firm can pull itself back up by its metaphorical bootstrap. RIM didn’t become one of the world’s largest smartphone makers overnight. And similarly, it’s ridiculous to regard the firm will fall just because it had a couple of coarse years struggling with new challenges.

RIM still has a few free-for-all left in, and we still have conviction in RIM.

Al Sacco covers Mobile and Wireless for CIO.com. Follow Al on Twitter @ASacco . Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook . Email Al at asacco@cio.com

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