Blackberry's new Z10 goes on sale in the UK on Thursday.
Blackberry's attempt to get back their shrinking market share falls flat
Published: 1/30/2013 5:09 PM
Last Modified: 1/30/2013 5:10 PM
For about - oh, I don't know, the last decade or so - Research In Motion has been struggling. Formerly the heavyweight champion and pioneer of the smartphone movement, RIM and their flagship Blackberry brand have since gone from Rocky Balboa to Homer Simpson.
They tried, they really did. The new Z10 looks like an iPhone, and runs like an Android. The problem is that they are taking too many chances in the wrong areas. Other folk tech writers are complaining that certain actions, like archiving email, take too many clicks. Notifications have to be checked manually.
It would seem like a smart move to integrate Android apps alongside their native Blackberry 10 apps, but most of what I've heard about that has been overwhelmingly negative. Standard Android apps run sluggishly on a phone that is supposed to align itself with the top dogs in an increasingly crowded arena. Not a great win for either Blackberry nor Android, really.
I haven't played with the phone at all myself, but the demos I've seen show that Blackberry is putting out more of a "me too" device rather than a "We're back!" device. They're pitching this like it's the comeback of a lifetime, but I'm wondering how effective it'll be. The new device and software is a step in the right direction, but may not be enough to keep them going for the long haul.
Our own Robert Evatt will have more in-depth look at Blackberry's new offerings in Sunday's Edition. Tune in to tulsaworld.com/tech to see it for yourself.
--
Do you have a topic you would like the Prairie Nerds to address? Let us know at PrairieNerds@tulsaworld.com
--
Written by
Micah Choquette
Scene Writer
