RIM 2001 AGM – Now in Session Live

Hi all,

head over to the RIM AGM live podcast!!

http://webcast.streamlogics.com/audience/auditorium/index.asp

Registration is Immediate.

Jim Balsillie is on the mic!

18 petabytes a day of data

Fiscal 2011
52 Million devices shipped
67 Million BB Subcribers

Product lunches later this summer
Reduction of headcount a difficult decision and appreciative of feedback from employees.

Generated $B in Cash from FY11 operations
Repurchased $2B in shares FY11
Authorized to repurchase 5% of outstanding shares.
$770 million in Nortel Patent purhcases as part of a consortium.

600+ Global Carriers & Distribution partners 175+ COuntries globally.
BBM over 45Million active Subscribers.

Mike Lazaridis President & Co-CEO

Mike Lazaridis President & Co-CEO
90% penetration of smartphones in Fortune 500.
PlayBook evaluation in 1500 enterprises

Strong relationships with: SAP, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, HP, and Cisco

Recent acquisition of Ubitexx allows management of multi-device enterprise environments – in tandem with BlackBerry Balance.

NFC Provides new opportunity for enterprise growth.

BB7 Smartphones scheduled for launch in the coming months.

Currently 491 certification programs with 191 carriers.

4G PlayBooks to launch this Fall.

Future of BlackBerry > going to BB7 & QNX.

First QNX Smartphone to debut in the first part of 2012!!

 

OMFG!! iOS5 Has AutoText?! Let me clarify

I just hacked on iOS5Beta2 on my 16GB iPhone 4 and in Settings, Keyboard … there is option called “ShortCuts” with one pre installed “omw” = “On my way!” .

This is EXACTLY like AutoText that was solely available to BlackBerry. I’ve posted about how powerful this is and something that business users the REAL corporate types must have when composing full emails on their BB’s while mobile … I honestly believe this is something that Mr. Jim Balsillie and Mr. Mike Lazaridis use DAILY without a sweat.

I’d SWEAR an Apple iOS internal developer had a) read my blog, or b) owned a BlackBerry for YEARS and had to implement this.

Oh yes and you can “Add New Shortcut”:

Phrase: Look RIM we have autotext tooo!

Shortcut: OU812

description: Create a shortcut that will automatically expand into the word or phrase as you type!

 

WOOOOOAAH!

This brings back Van Halen’s OU812 album cover meaning to the smartphone user realm.

Now I gotta get this badboy to make calls and do a sync – if not then I’m back to BlackBerry as I think I bricked my iPhone 4. I NEVER ran into this installing beta firmware on my BlackBerry – something I LOVED about RIM.

Thoughts on Nokia E6 vs BlackBerry 9900

I felt it was important to post something I did on Howardforums a few months back when the Nokia E6-00 prototype was first leaked and the RIM BlackBerry Dakota was also leaked without full specs.

Link: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1709045-Bold-9780-or-Torch-9800-Which-would-you-buy-if-you-had-the-option?p=14340123#post14340123

Date: March 30th/2011.

If Nokia’s E6 is any close or minor indication of what the Bold 9900 would be like … I think you’ll be disappointed. 

Having a small screen and small resolution for an OS that is to thrive on a large screen – will leave you wanting more. Having a large screen with higher resolution with a keypad will look & feel like those 2 horrible HP Win6.1/6.5 smartphones of yesteryear that will really cause remorse. 

The key will be to have a medium size screen – 1″ larger than the Bold 9700/9780 models, being just as svelte to have large battery yet fit in the hand just as perfectly. Not to mention such a screen BEGS to have a higher resolution (Half-VGA just will not cut it; UNLESS smaller icons & more adjustable font)!! Although RIM is taking their SWEET ARSE time to perfect this … I just think its a dead endeavor and that a refined Storm with the Torch’s screen along with QNX is what consumers and the industry needs. 

1. How many long term – 3yrs dedicated straight – diehard BB users can type this simple sentence without looking at the screen. (how about the last 8 words!)

• This is not about memorizing the QWERTY keyboard, or AutoText (renamed in BB6); its about lack of full trust in the keyboard and less on touch sensitivity wihtin our fingers. 

2. The quick popularity and stable sales of the Torch 9800 have proven that traditional and new BB users WANT a larger screen. 

• We require that to READ MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint attachments (Not everyone will carry a PlayBook – portability of IN the pocket will ALWAYS best in the Jacket pocket). 
• We require more screen real-estate to enjoy the web, especially multiple tabs. 
• We require more screen real-estate to remote into PC/Mac/Nix machines and admins for Servers. 

I can attest that BES5.01 SP1 is NOT suitable to be viewed EVEN on the Torch’s screen. 

Going forward RIM needs to think about mobile access to the BES for Administrators if it wants to really best the competition. To be honest … not even APPLE thinks of this with Safari and Snow Leopard, Leopard or even Lion/Lion Server built-in.

Going forward I think the Bold 9900 will do quite well in the corporate space – until iOS releases v5 and Android goes to Ice Cream Sandwich (man code-names like this really are terrible) with more robust features to come close to what corporations expect with bumped up security.

The consumer space may take to this Bold … but its a real unknown.

I somehow miss the feel of rubbing my thumbs across the keys of the blackberry, looking at the 9700’s (and 9780’s) profile as I turned it round in my hand while thinking out a complex problem. I’m REALLY looking forward to RIM’s implementation of NFC with or without the BBM World API. If I make the switch again it has to last a full 2yrs – at least to the same platform. Android will only get me IF, and IF hardware design choices are in line with RIM or Apple’s – I hate the cheapo plastic look, feel, and poor build-quality to resist the slight clumsy drop from waist high.

9 Reasons why Google will NOT buy Research In Motion

This article is a rebuttal to the pathetic, yes pathetic, belief that mobile site crackberry thinks Google will by RIM. Their arguments are VERY WEAK at best.

QNX … is the reason or better yet a BET for RIM’s future survival; that’s IT! I may be incorrect that RIM licensed this or bought out QNX Inc. yet I do know its licensed and it has a VERY unique set of patents that ANY company would want yet with no specific expertise to use it or implement and also non to support existing contracts. QNX is for RIM not for Linux/Android/Java.

Canada … Google has an office there as to do business plain and simple. source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/tech-news/googles-big-bet-on-canada/article2027429/

In particular, Chrome, the project that started out as a Google-built browser but has since expanded to a browser-based operating system, has become almost entirely driven by the engineers in Kitchener-Waterloo. And as Google moves to sell its own Chrome-powered laptops, the software and the engineers building it have become more of a corporate priority.

Java: Java is at the heart of Android, but its also at the heart of a LOT of mobile OS or other business. You don’t see CISCO looking to buy RIM – although they heavily use Java and now use Android for their corporate-focused Tablet for Video Conferencing.

Mobile Patents: This is the ONLY credible reason why Google would purchase RIM; especially since Google and their consortium constituents lost out to Apple & company (which includes RIM) with respect to those incredible delectable Nortel patents (a former Canadian great corporation).

T.A.T. – The Astonishing Tribe; experts at UI design and interface. They’ve been around since S60’s heyday with Nokia doing design concepts. Nokia originally had interest to purchase this renowned company and decided against it. This is NOT a reason to purchase a company for. Case in point … Apple considered purchasing BE Inc … for their UI design of BE OS … (this was before Jobs’ return to Apple) and it was a GOOD thing they didn’t. Be outsources their expertise to many company’s before RIM purchased them. RIM heavily NEEDED TAT, not Google or any other major OS supporter.

Enterprise: Guys … you SERIOUSLY need to do research! Good Technology, MobileIron, Motorola, Microsoft’s Exchange ActiveSync, and even Lotus Domino via ActiveSync can provide minimal corporate management of Android assets. IBM has HUGE expertise at multiple mobile and OS support: iOS, Mac OSX, Linux RedHat, etc. Rove Mobile even supports Android.

Carrier Relationships: Google most likely has STRONGER carrier relationships than RIM. The worlds strongest wireless providers has at least 3 Android phones by manufacturers being offered. Google doesn’t require carrier relationships and should remain agnostic to them … let Samsung, Nokia, LG, etc deal with providers – they do it best and have been for over 20years now … longer than RIM has. They also have economies of scale when it comes to production, shipments, and deliver even with mid-cycle price fluctuations.

Proof of concept complete / commitment to Android: This is NOT a commitment, its a half-hazard way to attract developers that otherwise en masse ignored the PlayBook – web or native code. Get real already!

Reduce Fragmentation: Are you SERIOUS?! RIM has just as equal fragmentation supporting OS 4/5/6 and soon OS7 … BEFORE QNX based smartphones arrive on the market. Not to mention different resolutions, different size and slightly differing API’s being supported on top-tier devices vs others. email, pin, web are the ONLY things that is exactly the same for EACH BB device: Keyboard as well – except Pearl & Storm series. Sounds pretty fragmented to me.

Eric Schmidt … showing a picture that dates back almost 2 years ago of Eric taking a photo with a BB. Have we seen MORE of this?! Lame.