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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Why I'm predicting success for the BlackBerry PlayBook

Mark Bridge writes:

The RIM BlackBerry PlayBook. Embarrassment-in-waiting or soon-to-be-success in the increasingly crowded tablet market?

Just before Christmas I stuck my neck out and predicted the latter. But that’s not a position I’ve always held.

When the device was first announced I aligned myself with the cynics when it came to the tablet’s name. The US definition of ‘playbook’ as something akin to the more-familiar ‘game plan’ gets lost in translation. In fact, I’d say it detracts from the business nature of the device.

And there’s plenty more that could go wrong. Battery life will be critical. Then there’s availability of the PlayBook versus the forthcoming iPad 2. The new Android Honeycomb tablet-focussed operating system. A possible lack of applications. Pricing, too.

However, I’ve been won over. The clincher was an overheard conversation with IT support staff looking forward to the device’s arrival. This is, after all, a tablet that promises to be more than merely business-friendly. More than enterprise-friendly. It’s IT department friendly.

Positioning the RIM PlayBook as part BlackBerry accessory, part tablet computer, separates it nicely from the iPad and Galaxy Tab (and indeed the Tab 2 and iPad 2). The potential lack of native email and calendar apps – instead it’ll wirelessly connect to the information on your BlackBerry – isn’t a problem for corporate users. In fact, there’ll be a sigh of relief from IT staff. Anyway, with research suggesting that 90% of iPad buyers already own another Apple product, it wouldn’t be too surprising to find the same thing happening with BlackBerry users.

As well as all this, there’s the impressive technical stuff. An attractive new OS. A powerful processor. Multitasking. A touch-sensitive bezel around a 7-inch screen that’ll all (just about) squeeze into a suit pocket.

Of course, as I said earlier, there’s plenty that could go wrong. But there’s also plenty that could go right.

And that’s why – despite some wavering – I’m sticking with my prediction. The iPad, like the iPhone, may take the glory. But there’s more to RIM’s business than just equipment sales… and I think the PlayBook could prove itself to be a well-crafted customer retention tool.

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The Fonecast

1/14/2011 1:48 PM

DigiTimes reckons RIM is planning to ship a million PlayBooks in Q1. www.digitimes.com/news/a20110113PD226.html

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Opinion Articles

Last week at The Fonecast: 24th June 2013

More of the same

Mark Bridge writes:

Another week, another couple of product announcements from Samsung. There appears to be no stopping them, despite a recent drop in the company’s share price.

This time it’s a couple of tablets – one of which runs both Android and Windows 8 – and a 20 megapixel camera that’s got a 4G-enabled Android device built in.

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Last week at The Fonecast: 17th June 2013

Making the network truly mobile

Mark Bridge writes:

The telecommunications industry was making plenty of headlines last week – but much of it wasn’t particularly upbeat.

The debate about privacy and security continued in the wake of allegations about US agents intercepting internet traffic. Meanwhile, Nokia prepared to make its last Symbian smartphones and Tradedoubler warned that mobile devices were having a negative effect on high-street consumer loyalty.

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How to shield from internet snooping

George Putic of voanews.com writes:

When news broke about U.S. government agencies collecting metadata about its citizens’ Internet and phone communications, many were surprised by its scope. The surveillance covered a vast number of Internet messages and phone calls. The government did not deny the action but pointed out that the collected data contained, not the substance of the communication, but the so-called metadata.

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Giving it all away

Paying with our privacy

Mark Bridge writes:

There’s been a lot of talk recently about PRISM, which may allow the US National Security Agency - and anyone they choose - to access some of our personal online information if it passes through the USA. It’s unclear exactly what (if anything) is being shared with whom… and given the nature of national security, we may never know.

However, alongside the possibility of governments seeing information we thought was secure, it’s also worth pointing out that we choose to share plenty of online information ourselves.

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6 things you need to know about mobile research, smartphone rumours and imaginary new products

Mark Bridge writes:

Where did it all go wrong?  When did the mainstream mobile industry start to slide away from innovation and into repetitive nonsense?  For a while I suspected the downloadable ringtone was to blame. Just days after hearing 'Barbie Girl' on the mobile phone of a man from Vodafone Value Added Services in the late 1990s, I'd downloaded a poptastic tune to my own Nokia 2110. Soon, the entire mobile world was focussed on 30-second instrumentals instead of technical innovation. It was the beginning of the end.

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We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

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Author: The Fonecast
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A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

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