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Tag: Blackberry

  • Judges Say No To “CrackBerry”!

    Some Good news for BlackBerry branded product makers Research in Motion (RIM), the Trademark and trial appeal board has ruled that a gadget site cannot trademark the name, “CrackBerry”. Apparently, RIM requested that the trademark not be granted after the interested party argued its case based on a past dog toy maker who won the rights to use “Chewy Vuitton,” an obvious play on the brand “Lois Vuitton”.

    The Judges ruling over the board offered this explanation:

    “The public at large initially adopted the term “CrackBerry,” as a nickname for opposer’s goods, alluding to the widely-held view that users of BLACKBERRY wireless handheld devices often appear to be addicted to their device.”

    “The “CrackBerry” moniker for BLACKBERRY branded products had already achieved dictionary status as a slang term dating to the year 2000, and had then been selected “Word of the Year” (2006) by the staff of Webster’s New World Dictionary.”

    This win was a bit of good news in an otherwise cloudy sky for Research in Motion, whose users have been jumping ship more and more to go over to either Apple or Android products.

    Content director of InformationWeek Reports, Lorna Garey explains:

    “IT pros still like BlackBerry devices,”

    “They like the security and manageability of the platform. But end users have largely spoken, and Apple and Android devices are the future, unless RIM ‘s new CEO institutes some bold changes.”

  • Recent Research: BlackBerry Is Out!

    Recent Research: BlackBerry Is Out!

    Bad News for Research in Motion (RIM). A recent research report shows that 27% of RIM users have already replaced their BlackBerry devices or are on their way to doing so. Currently BlackBerry holds about a 70% rate for company-purchased smartphones, but those numbers decline dramatically as businesses plan for the next two years.

    Here are the findings from InformationWeek’s report titled, “Can RIM Be Saved?”:

    Findings:

    * 67% of our survey respondents consider Apple a strategic partner for enterprise mobility in the U.S. compared with 36% citing RIM and 38% citing Microsoft.

    * 46% say the former RIM co-CEOs’ leadership is a primary or significant factor in the company’s decline.

    * 4% of those using or considering RIM products plan to migrate to BlackBerry Mobile Fusion.

    * Just 1% describe RIM as a smartphone market leader, positioned to continue to grow its influence.

    Content director of InformationWeek Reports, Lorna Garey explains:

    “IT pros still like BlackBerry devices,”

    “They like the security and manageability of the platform. But end users have largely spoken, and Apple and Android devices are the future, unless RIM ‘s new CEO institutes some bold changes.”

  • Android Passes iOS In UK Market Share

    A new study shows that Android has overtaken the iPhone as the most-used smartphone in the UK. Among smartphones in use by consumers on a daily basis – not just sales – Android has 36.9% of the market, compared to 28.5% for Apple’s iPhone.

    The survey data comes from Kantar WorldPanel ComTech and was published earlier today in The Guardian. The data covers the four week period ending on January 22nd, and shows that Android use surged past iOS to take the top spot. During the same four week period last year Android had just 20.1% of the installed base, compared to Apple’s 29.2%. In the twelve months since Android gained 16.8%, while Apple and RIM lost 0.7% and 0.6%, respectively. The biggest loser by far was Nokia’s Symbian operating system, which plummeted from 26.7% of the user base in January 2011 to just 13.1% in January 2012.

    UK Smartphone Installed Base

    Market share data paints a similar picture. According to Kantar’s data, Android currently has nearly half of the smartphone sales market in the UK, while Apple has roughly one third. RIM’s market share has shrunk dramatically in the last twelve months in Britain, while Symbian has all but disappeared.

    The data for other countries surveyed is similar. Android’s market share in Germany grew by over 25% (again, mostly at Symbian’s expense). Growth in Italy, Spain, and Australia was similarly dramatic. While Android’s market share in France also grew, it did so far more modestly than elsewhere. Only one country surveyed actually saw Android lose market share. In the U.S. the iPhone’s market share soared, at the expense of both Android and RIM.

    Smartphone Market Share

    The market share data comes from a snapshot of smartphone sales during the four week period ending on January 23rd, and is compared to a similar snapshot taken during the four week period ending on January 23rd, 2011. The study also found that over half of all phones in Britain are now smartphones.

  • BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Available For Download

    In January we brought you news that Research In Motion was showing off the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 at CES. Well, it looks like the day PlayBook owners have long been waiting for has finally arrived. RIM has announced the release of BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0, the latest operating system for their BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The new software brings a host of new – and many long overdue – features to the tablet.

    The new PlayBook 2.0 features built-in email, calendar, and contact management functions. The PlayBook’s lack of these features when it launched nearly a year ago was one of the main sources of the often fierce criticism of the device. Given BlackBerry’s intense focus on the enterprise market – which it is rapidly losing to iOS and Android anyway – the lack of basic email, calendar, and contact functionality in the PlayBook struck many as ridiculous.

    Other features of the device look more like genuine advances, rather than BlackBerry playing catchup. These include social integration with contacts and calendars, and BlackBerry Bridge, which allows users to control their PlayBooks using their BlackBerry phones. The update also includes Open On, a feature that allows users to open files that they receive on their BlackBerry phone on their PlayBook. Open On is compatible with several file formats, including Microsoft Office and PDF.

    In addition to the features added to PlayBook, BlackBerry App World is getting a boost of its own. A new feature called RunTime, which we reported on late last month, allows Android developers to quickly and easily repackage their apps so that they will run on PlayBook OS 2.0 tablets, and on phones running the forthcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system. With the launch of PlayBook OS 2.0 today, Android apps repackaged with RunTime go live in App World today.

    PlayBook OS 2.0 can be downloaded directly to the PlayBook tablet. Check under “Updates” on the tablet’s “Settings” screen.

    A few days ago BlackBerry released a video showcasing the social integration features of PlayBook 2.0. Check it out below:

    Have you downloaded PlayBook OS 2.0? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments.

  • Foursquare For BlackBerry Gets “Explore” Improvements

    Foursquare announced an update with some new features for its BlackBerry app today. The improvements mainly come to the “Explore” feature.

    “Every time you find a place with Explore, we find the right recommendations for you, based on where you’ve been, lists you follow, time of day, and the 1,500,000,000 check-ins from the foursquare community,” the company explains in a blog post. “With this new version, we share more of the logic with you. You’ll also see pricing information, photos, tips, and friends who have been there right in the results.”

    “With the new Explore filters, you can find whatever type of adventure you’re craving, whether it’s places you’ve never been or places your friends love,” the company adds. “Need a recommendation near home and not work? Now you can get recommendations for anywhere in the world.”

    It also comes with menus from over 250,000 U.S. restaurants, as part of Foursquare’s partnership with SinglePlatform announced last month.

    Foursquare update for BlackBerry

    Foursquare for BlackBerry

    The app can be found in BlackBerry App World here.

    Last month, Foursquare actually made the Explore feature available for the web version (not just mobile).

  • NOAA Switches From BlackBerry To iPhone, iPad

    Late last week we brought you news that energy giant Halliburton was dropping its support for the BlackBerry platform in favor of Apple’s iPhone and iPad. Now it seems that the beleaguered RIM is about to suffer another blow. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is going to be dropping support for BlackBerry as well.

    According to an internal NOAA memo obtained by The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple, BlackBerry will officially be struck from the rolls of NOAA’s supported mobile devices on May 12 of this year. Joseph Klimavicz, NOAA’s Chief Information Officer said that new employees will begin receiving the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2, each running iOS 5 or higher. There is no word on whether employees will be allowed to supply their own devices.

    This is another blow to RIM, which has been practically hemorrhaging market share to Android and iOS over the past several years. While BlackBerry once owned the mobile enterprise market, they have never managed to properly respond to the threat posed by the extremely popular iOS and Android devices.

  • RIM Says BlackBerry App World More Profitable Than Android

    Speaking at BlackBerry DevCon in Europe RIM’s Vice President for Developer Relations, Alec Saunders, had some interesting things to say about the BlackBerry App World. Saying that he wanted to “bust a few myths,” Saunders said that BlackBerry users download over 6 million apps per day from BlackBerry’s app store. That translates to 174 million downloads a month, which translates to almost 2.1 billion downloads per year. That works out to 30 downloads per BlackBerry user per year. That, Saunders argued, puts paid to the notion that BlackBerry users don’t use apps.

    Saunders also took issue with the claim that BlackBerry App World isn’t profitable. He argued that App World sees more paid downloads than the Android App Market, and that it sees 43% more downloads per app per day than Apple’s App Store. In fact, Saunders said, BlackBerry App World generates 40% more revenue than Google’s Android App Market, putting it solidly in second place behind Apple’s iOS App Store in terms of profitability.

    While it may be true that BlackBerry App World is more profitable than Android, it is also true that the Android App Market has a significantly higher percentage of free apps than either App World or the iOS App Store, so Android may not be the best comparison. Also, even as RIM is bragging that App World is a more profitable than the Android App Market, they are also putting forth a great deal of effort to get Android developers working for them. The addition of RunTime to the BlackBerry 10 and PlayBook 2.0 operating systems is meant to provide an easy way for developers to port their Android apps to BlackBerry devices.

  • Halliburton Drops BlackBerry, Switches to iPhone

    In 2007 Research In Motion’s BlackBerry platform owned the mobile enterprise market. As the iPhone – and Google’s Android platform after it – have grown in popularity, RIM has steadily lost market share. With the help of a few bad business decisions and some products that did not live up to their potential, RIM has reached the point where they are in significant trouble as a company.

    Now it looks like they’re about to suffer another blow. AppleInsider has apparently gotten hold of an internal memo detailing plans by energy giant Halliburton to transition from BlackBerry to iOS as its mobile business platform. According to the document, the company intends to expand its use of mobile technology in the coming months as it phases out BlackBerry and phases in the iPhone. The decision apparently comes after extensive research into the mobile platform options available – iOS, Android, and BlackBerry. The company concluded that iOS best suited Halliburton’s security and control needs. The company plans to make the transition to iOS products over the next two years.

    The loss of such a large customer could do significant damage to the already struggling RIM. The company has made some efforts in recent months – including appointing a new CEO – but it remains to be seen whether it will be possible to right RIM’s ship, or whether the recent efforts are too little, too late.

  • UK Man Jailed For Inciting Riot Via Blackberry

    21 year old Sam Lowe plead guilty to charges of inciting violent disorder and has been jailed for 3.3 years by a UK court. Apparently, Lowe sent messages to 160 people last year as they gathered in Nottingham city centre in August. He was prompting them to commit acts of violence with the messages.

    Detective Rich Henson from the Nottinghamshire Police comments on the events and subsequent conviction of Lowe:

    “Lowe broadcast his initial message to the 160 BlackBerry users he’d added to his contacts list and subsequently deleted it”

    “Not only did we manage to gain access to Lowe’s BlackBerry Messenger messages, we were able to retrieve his deleted messages, which are also very difficult to recover due to rigorous security settings.”

    Police caught onto Lowe after he texted the people involved encouraging them to rise up against the police:

    “It is impossible to quantify the impact and effects of the messages he sent that night. It is clear, however, that this was an irresponsible and criminal act at a time when people were rising up against the police on a national scale.”

    There has been over 140 arrests related to the riot and so far, there’s been almost 90 convictions.

    Henson adds:

    “Let this be a clear warning to those criminals out there who think they are safe using BlackBerrys to orchestrate or commit crime. There is no where to hide.”

  • Android Smartphones & iPhone Gain Market Share, Everyone Else Loses

    Android’s market share grew 2.5% in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 47.3% of the smartphone market, according to data just released by comScore. In September Google’s operating system had 44.8% of the smartphone market. Smartphone users make up 40% of the overall mobile phone market.

    Apple also grew in market share during the last quarter, and by nearly as much. In September Apple had 27.4% of the smartphone market. Apple’s market share grew 2.2%, hitting 29.6% in December.

    Of course, with Apple and Android getting a collective surge of nearly five percentage points, someone has to have lost out. Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, the big loser appears to have been RIM. Their BlackBerry platform went into the quarter with a market share of 18.9%. By December they had lost 2.9% – more than either Apple or Android gained – to bottom out at 16%. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Symbian suffered smaller drops, finishing December at 4.7% and 1.4% market share, respectively.

    Smartphone Market Share

    ComScore also collected data about mobile phone OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). Apple gained 2.2 percentage points and ended December with a market share of 12.4% of all mobile phones, not just smartphones. That leaves Apple in fourth place, after Samsung, LG, and Motorola. RIM maintained its fifth place position. Of the top five mobile phone manufacturers, Apple was the only OEM to actually gain market share during the September-December period. Samsung held steady at 25.3%, while LG, Motorola, and RIM all lost market share.

    OEM Market Share

    Finally, comScore looked at mobile content usage (i.e., activities other than making phone calls) across all mobile subscribers, not just smartphone users. The most popular activity by far is texting, with 74.3% of users saying they had used their phone to send text messages. The second most popular activity at 47.6% was downloading mobile apps, followed very closely by using their phone’s browser at 47.5%. Just over two thirds – 35.3% said they used their phone to access social networking sites or blogs, while 31.4% played games and 23.8% listened to music. All of these activities gained in popularity in December. Downloading apps saw the biggest jump in popularity at just over 5%.

    Mobile Content Usage

    [via comScore]

  • First BlackBerry 10 Image Hits The Web

    First BlackBerry 10 Image Hits The Web

    BlackBerry fans everywhere have been eagerly anticipating the new BlackBerry 10 smartphone since RIM announced the BlackBerry 10 operating system back in October. Now it looks like a photo of the phone may have been leaked.

    The above image was obtained by CrackBerry, and purports to be a photo of the BlackBerry London, the first “Superphone” to run the BlackBerry 10 operating system. The image doesn’t give many details about the phone. The information offered on the slide is extremely generic, and in fact tells us almost nothing about the device itself.

    Assuming this is genuine, though, the BlackBerry London looks like a fairly solid entry in the smartphone market. As we reported yesterday it, along with PlayBooks running OS 2.0, will have access to Android apps that have been ported using RunTime, which has the potential to vastly expand the BlackBerry App World catalog.

    There’s no word yet on when this phone might hit the market – again, assuming the photo isn’t a fake. RIM has said that the BlackBerry 10 would release sometime this year. Stay tuned for more news as it becomes available.

  • BlackBerry RunTime Brings Android Apps To PlayBook OS 2.0

    Research In Motion, the embattled makers of BlackBerry, made news at CES earlier this month when the announced new operating systems for their BlackBerry phones and PlayBook tablet. One new feature that hasn’t gotten much attention is RunTime. RunTime allows Android developers to repackage their apps so that they will run on the upcoming PlayBook OS 2.0 and the forthcoming BlackBerry 10.

    A post on the BlackBerry developer’s blog today lists several requirements for developers who want to bring their apps to BlackBerry devices. Among other things, they must remove all references to Android from both the application and its description, as well as any links to the Android Market. Though apps may be submitted at any time, the post also requests that as many apps as possible be submitted by February 6th so that they can be in the BlackBerry App World storefront by the time PlayBook 2.0 launches.

    What do you think about Android apps coming to BlackBerry devices? Let us know in the comments.

  • RIM Introduces The Bold Team

    RIM Introduces The Bold Team

    RIM is not in good shape, and their latest move doesn’t make it any better.

    RIM’s new marketing strategy for BlackBerry, announced via their blog, is The Bold Team, a group of super heroes that personify BlackBerry users.

    Whether it’s the determination to run in your first marathon or earn a degree, you proved to us that for you, 2012 is about one thing – boldly seizing opportunities to pursue your dreams. More than this, four bold characters emerged from your #BeBold resolutions, and it’s clear to us that all are bravely stepping out of 2011 and into a 2012 filled with unlimited possibilities. Which are you?

    A full rundown of the new “heroes” include Gogo Girl who is “saving the day with a brilliant strategy, a smile or a spatula;” Max Stone who is “able to jump out of a plane and land on a moving speedboat;” and Justin Steele who is “outgoing and kind.” Obviously saving the best for last is Trudy Foreal who is “not afraid to call it as she sees it.”

    theboldteam

    The company is having users tweet their stories with #BeBold. As expected, the Twitterverse hates this new marketing ploy more than I do and is showing it in marvelous form today.

    @AgentBlackBerry
    JT Teran    The #BeBold super heroes, Jim B’s last act as CMO of RIM 29 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto

    @sberkovitz
    Steven Berkovitz    Dear RIM: Marketing is not your prob, its that you have a track record of not delivering devices on time, and when you do, they lack #BeBold 35 minutes ago via MetroTwit · powered by @socialditto

    @transverberate
    Ben    Just when you thought RIM couldn’t hit a new low… http://t.co/9Fba0FxL #BeBold #fail 11 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @Robotstephe
    Stephen    Now, I’m not one to call #BlackBerry “f$cked” per say, but they are f$cked. It’s gonna be a bad year. #BeBold http://t.co/88PEfGMi 1 hour ago via Update app · powered by @socialditto

    @LiannePerry
    Lianne Perry    Anyone want to buy a #Blackberry? Cheap. PS – I’m a GoGo Girl! #BeBold Sigh. 37 minutes ago via Twitter for iPad · powered by @socialditto

    @jjsnape
    jjsnape    @BlackBerry #BeBold cartoon characters are not a good look for the company. 2 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto

    @rydermackay
    Ryder Mackay    Where’s the one in the wheelchair? http://t.co/jmxRA6vS #BeBold 3 minutes ago via Twitter for Mac · powered by @socialditto

    @DogDen_Pro
    Dave Ogden    And by the way, I’ve never seen a BlackBerry user who would actually look good in spandex #BeBold 4 minutes ago via Twitter for Mac · powered by @socialditto

    What do you think of RIM’s new marketing strategy? Is it a good idea? Or is just really embarrassing? Let us know in the comments.

  • Over A Third Of iPhone Buyers Switched From Android, BlackBerry

    Over A Third Of iPhone Buyers Switched From Android, BlackBerry

    The iPhone 4S launch in October was met with high level of demand that has become customary for the launch of new Apple products. Of course, not all of those people lining up for new iPhones are current iPhone users, raising the question of where they all come from.

    Consumer Intelligence Research Partners has released a study today that sheds some light on the issue. According to their data, 18% of those who bought the iPhone 4S at its launch in October were switching from other smartphone platforms like BlackBerry and Android. For October, November, and December 2011 combined, that number jumps to 36%.

    Additionally, CIRP’s data showed that the iPhone has had a significant impact on the market shares of the major carriers. Three of the four major carriers – AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint – carry the iPhone. The fourth, T-Mobile, does not. CIRP’s data showed that T-Mobile lost market share during the first three months of the iPhone 4S’s availability, while the other three maintained their market share.

    Interestingly, the fact that 36% of new iPhone buyers were coming from other platforms seems not to have had much of an impact on those other platforms’ market share. According to an analysis released by StatCounter at the end of 2011, BlackBerry and Android continued fairly steadily in their respective trends throughout the last quarter of 2011. BlackBerry declined steadily throughout 2011, and showed no change in the rate of decline during the three months the iPhone 4S was available. Android, meanwhile, continued its steady climb throughout the year (even surpassing the iPhone in late summer), though it did show a very slight levelling off in October, around the time of the iPhone 4S’s launch.

    [Hat tip, AppleInsider]

  • RIM’s New CEO May Be Willing To License BlackBerry OS

    Despite the competition between RIM and Apple, the two have always had one thing in common when it came to their smartphones. Both companies offered their phones as an integrated software/hardware platform. Unlike Google’s Android operating system, which is open source and available to any manufacturer that wants it for free, BlackBerry and iOS software has only ever run on BlackBerry phones and Apple’s iOS devices, respectively.

    That may be about to change for BlackBerry, though. In an interview with the Globe and Mail, newly-minted RIM President and CEO Thorsten Heins spoke of numerous changes coming to the BlackBerry platform. One of those changes was a potential willingness to license the forthcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system to other handset manufacturers. While he insisted that BlackBerry would remain an integrated hardware-software platform, he also said that he would be willing to entertain licensing offers from other manufacturers if the offers made good strategic sense for RIM.

    BlackBerry 10, which is set to release sometime this year, is the next major iteration of the BlackBerry mobile operating system. It employs technology obtained by RIM in their purchase of QNX Software Systems, a company acquired by RIM in 2010. The software was originally named BBX until a lawsuit by BASIS Software forced them to abandon the name in favor of BlackBerry 10.

  • iOS Beats BlackBerry Among IT Professionals

    A recent survey of IT professionals shows that Apple’s iOS mobile operating system is more popular in the workplace than BlackBerry or Android. The survey polled 768 IT professionals in five countries – the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and Japan – with the goal of learning about mobile trends. The specific focus was on the kind of data storage/access done with mobile devices and the security risks associated with mobile device usage.

    The survey (PDF) found that iOS devices are the most popular devices on corporate networks. Thirty percent of devices were iOS, while BlackBerry came in a close second at 29%. Android devices were a relatively distant third at 21%, and Windows Mobile and Windows Phone came in at a respectable 18%.

    Mobile OS Graph

    Another interesting finding from the study is that IT professionals saw Anrdoid as the greatest security risk, followed by iOS, then BlackBerry. Also, 64% of respondents said that they had experienced an increase in security threats to their company’s system in the last two years, while 34% said they had seen no change, and 3% saw a decline.

    Other interesting findings from the study include: 89% of respondents said that there were mobile devices connecting to their corporate networks; 65% allow employees to use their own devices; 71% said that the proliferation of mobile devices has increased security risks; and 72% said that careless employees present a higher threat to security than hackers.

    RIM, the makers of BlackBerry, have just announced the appointment of a new CEO and President, Thorsten Heins. The timing of this report is interesting, in that it shows the kind of hole Heins has to dig RIM – which once held almost undisputed hegemony in the enterprise mobile market – out of in order to make the company more competitive again.

  • RIM Names Thorsten Heins New President And CEO

    Research In Motion, makers of BlackBerry, have announced that Thorsten Heins has been appointed the company’s new President and CEO. Heins replaces Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, who have served as co-chairs and co-CEOs for several years now.

    According to the announcement, Heins was recommended to the board by Lazaridis and Balsillie as part of a succession plan that they proposed to the board. The board voted unanimously to accept the plan and appoint Heins. As part of the succession Balsillie remains a member of RIM’s board of directors and a major shareholder. He expressed his enthusiasm at the change of leadership and said that Heins and the current management team “will have my full support.”

    Lazaridis will become the Vice Chair of RIM’s board of directors, and chair of the board’s new Innovation Committee. Lazaridis also expressed enthusiasm at the move, saying that he felt Heins had shown “the right mix of leadership, relevant industry experience and skills to take the company forward.” He is so confident, in fact, that he also stated his plans to purchase another $50 million in RIM stock.

    Following a 23-year tenure at Siemens Communications Heins, a native of Germany, went to work at RIM in 2007 as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering. In 2011 he became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales.

    As part of the announcement, RIM posted a series of videos featuring Heins talking about RIM. Here are some of them:

    Times have been hard for RIM lately. The company has been steadily losing market share to Android and iOS devices, and a string of underperforming products and poor business decisions have taken the situation from bad to worse. There have even been rumors that the company was looking to sell. While Heins’s appointment argues against such a sale, the fact remains that RIM remains in a tough spot. It will be interesting to see whether a new CEO can right RIM’s troubled ship. While the company seems enthusiastic about the change, reactions on Twitter and elsewhere were somewhat cooler:

    @ALL_CAPS
    David Hicks    RIM finally releases BlackBerry CEO 2.0. 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPad · powered by @socialditto

    @Pogue
    David Pogue    The co-CEOs of RIM (maker of BlackBerry) stepped down, after riding RIM’s market share from 50% down to 9% in 2 years. http://t.co/EdGfhUmI 11 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @micahgoulart
    MicahGoulart    RIM CEOs step down. Apparently they both slipped and fell into a lifeboat while Blackberry sunk. 12 hours ago via Tweetbot for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    What do you think? Will a new CEO be able to get RIM back on track? Sound off in the comments.

  • Delta Knows We Hate Delays and Love Twitter, Wi-Fi, & Facebook

    I love to fly, but what I hate are the lines, the delays, and the impersonal service. To top it all off, on long flights, I feel like i’m in a time warp and out of touch with reality during the whole process. No cell phone usage, no internet connection, and occasionally being forced to watch some movie I’d rather not see. So maybe I really don’t like to fly.

    Delta Airlines is trying to combat these exact problems for their clients. It started about a year ago when the airline introduced the Facebook Ticket Counter App. The application allows flyers to check in on Facebook, view in-flight amenities and entertainment, and share flight details with friends and family.

    Communication doesn’t stop there, gripes and bitches can be lodged on Twitter. Technical issues can be resolved via Delta assist. This is especially helpful if you have a smart phone. iPhone, Blackberry and android all have apps (Fly Delta app) available to alert customers about parking issues, airport specifics, tracking baggage, paying for extra baggage, and travel updates.

    If you’re feeling a little disconnected during flights, like me, Delta is nearing completion on a project to install in-flight Wi-Fi on more than 800 of their aircraft. What else is cool is that they have even upgraded their top 19 airports to include branded charging stations. Great news if your ambition exceeds your battery life.

    So what else can you ask for? Flying is still going to be a pain in the ass but at least you can surf the net and find your baggage right from your seat. If you’re having a crappy flight you can complain to corporate right from your seat in mid-flight!

    PC World Magazine recently named Delta “Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline” because of all the innovations they have made. If you’re a tech savvy flyer, you may want to check out Delta for your next flight. If you’re like me and can’t tolerate the inefficiencies of air travel, it may provide some relief.

  • General Electric and Apple

    General Electric is a company that has been around for 120 years and has a reputation synonomous with houshold appliances and lightbulbs. Executives at the company report that one of their largest challenges is convincing their workforce that they are modern and hip to new technology.

    Testing the support of Apple products in the office, GE began a program last year to replace some of their 330,000 PC’s with Macs; though only about 1000 Macs have been put into place. About two years earlier, a year after the iPhone was introduced, GE gave employees the option to replace their Blackberry with an iPhone. While the popularity of the iPhone is still growing, only about 10,000 out of 60,000 have taken the option.

    A recent IDG survey reported that Apple products popularity in the work place is on the rise overall. In fact, 83% of businesses won’t consider buying anything but Apple brand at all. The same study reports that over 90% of the iPads being used, are used for business.

    [Source: Cult of Mac.Com]

  • RIM May Be Looking To Sell; Is Samsung Buying?

    To say that Research In Motion has been having a rough year would be putting it mildly. In fact, they’ve had several rough years in a row. BlackBerry’s market share has plummeted as the company has struggled and failed to remain relevant in an industry now thoroughly owned by Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android operating system.

    Now it looks like RIM may be getting desperate. Citing “trusted sources,” BGR is reporting that the company is shopping around for buyers. Whether they plan to sell off individual divisions or the entire company is apparently still up in the air at this point. If BGR’s sources are to be believed, the company is ready to sell whatever they can to whoever will buy. The asking price for the whole company would probably be in the $10-12 billion range, though whether anyone would be willing to pay that is unclear. Samsung and HTC have been floated as potential buyers, but there is little solid information at this point.

    RIM unveiled updates to their BlackBerry and PlayBook operating systems at CES last week to generally positive reviews. Nevertheless there have been increasing signs in recent months that BlackBerry was on the way out. In November they announced BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, which would allow BlackBerry’s vaunted security and IT management platform to work with iOS and Android devices. The move was seen by many as RIM’s acknowledgement that BlackBerry had lost hegemony in the business world. Then, late last month, there was another report from inside RIM claiming that the launch of the much anticipated BlackBerry 10 phone was being delayed because RIM couldn’t get a decently functional prototype of the device.

    All in all, it looks like we may be moving quickly toward the last days of RIM, at least in its current form. Whether the company is sold off piecemeal or all at once, there are certainly big changes on the horizon.

  • E-reading Company Kobo Sold To Rakuten For $315 Million

    E-reading Company Kobo Sold To Rakuten For $315 Million

    Kobo, makers of e-readers and e-reading apps, announced today that their sale to Rakuten has closed. Rakuten, based in Japan, is a major global marketplace, selling a wide variety of products around the world. The sale was first announced in early November.

    The sale means that Kobo will have a new marketplace for its e-readers, something it desperately needed after Borders, its previous primary retail partner, went out of business. Though hardly one of the big names in the e-reader business, Kobo’s products are generally well-reviewed. Their products include a line of e-readers, as well as e-reading apps for iOS, Android, and Blackberry.

    Kobo saw a remarkable surge during the 2011 holiday season. They gained over a million new users in December. New customers increased 10-fold compared to pre-holiday numbers. Meanwhile, this year saw a 500% increase in eGifting, and a doubling of sales eReaders and eBooks.

    Michael Serbinis, Kobo’s CEO, said that the acquisition by Rakuten “will accelerate our growth internationally, bringing new products, a leading eReading experience and a world class catalogue to passionate readers everywhere.”

    [Source: Kobo Press Release]