We've had a hunch for a long time now that the first BlackBerry 10 phone to hit the market later this year will feature a full touchscreen design, lacking the physical keyboard that BlackBerry is traditionally known for. This was confirmed earlier this month at BlackBerry World, when we got our first preview of BlackBerry 10, running on a full touchscreen Dev Alpha device.

Some media outlets took the BlackBerry 10 touchscreen typing demonstration to mean that Research In Motion would be abandoning the physical keyboard on future phones.  CEO Thorsten Heins quickly squashed that misinformation the next day, when he confirmed during a press session that there would definitely be phones in the BlackBerry 10 portfolio that offer a physical keyboard.

Phew. This confirmation led to a big *sigh* of relief from CrackBerry Nation, including your's truly. Despite this good news, however, I've observed a lot of comments and discussions in the forums among users arguing that it's a mistake for BlackBerry 10 to launch with a full touchscreen device. For many BlackBerry users, it's precisely the love for the physical keyboard that has kept them from defecting to the competition, and it's these users who have been waiting the longest for a major operating system revamp to BlackBerry phones.

As of now we're not sure how long it will be after the launch of the first BlackBerry 10 phone before a variant with a physical keyboard will be released. For the sake of the BlackBerry faithful who want it, I hope that the wait will be a short one. But I will reason that RIM is absolutely making the right decision to launch a full touchscreen BlackBerry 10 phone first. Keep reading for my reasons why.

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Welcome to CrackBerry Kevin's Mock School of Smartphone Economic Theory. Today's class... the effects of iPhone sales on the US economy. Examine the two charts above. The chart on the left plots the USA Index of Economic Freedom from 2006 to 2012. The chart on the right plots iPhone sales in the USA from 2007 to 2012. Notice how ever since the iPhone went on sale in 2007 that the US economy has progressively gone downhill?

Sure, iPhone sales are great for the people who own shares of Apple's skyrocketing stock, but the overall result of Apple's success on the US economy is actually a net loss of hundreds of millions of distracted man-hours spent playing Angry Birds and Cut the Rope. More iPhones = Less Productivity = Economic Downturn. It's a scary correlation people, and if Apple's sales continue to grow, things *could* get worse.

The solution? I propose it's time for BlackBerry to make a comeback in the USA. Put productivity first, games second! Let's all buy BlackBerry 10 phones when they hit the market, get our priorities straight and get America back on track!!

Sources: Economics One, Asymco

Just the other week Kevin posted about his Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry and asked the community if RIM was to do any other partnerships with brands, who would you want to see them partner with. In the post, we showed off a hot looking Ferrari PlayBook concept. Now today in CrackBerry's forums, guess what photos showed up? That's right, a Ferrari BlackBerry, but in this case it's actually a Bold 9700.

This isn't a device we remember seeing before, and Google didn't have much to offer regarding it either. Obviously it's an older device, and still rocking OS5. Heck, we aren't even 100% sure that it's a legit BlackBerry, though it sure is pretty convincing. There are a ton more pictures of the device and the packaging in the forum thread at the link below, both from the person who claims to own this device, and an old eBay listing Bla1ze found online.  Go take a look, and let us know if you think it's legit and if it's a design you'd like to see on a newer device. 

More pictures/discussion on the Ferrari edition BlackBerry Bold 9700 

This is an editorial that's been in my head for a while now, and if you listened to my recent guest appearance on the Engadget Mobile Podcast you will have already heard a good chunk of it. With today being Valentine's Day and this article aimed at re-building the love for BlackBerry in the USA, the timing is right to publish it.

Long story short, I think Research In Motion formally needs to set up a BlackBerry USA division, complete with a newly appointed President of BlackBerry USA. Doing so will help RIM to better control the "BlackBerry" message within America and more importantly, help place a more clear distinction and barrier between BlackBerry USA, where sales are lagging and the brand isn't perceived so hot right now, and BlackBerry in the rest of the world, where the brand is still held in high regards.

Furthermore, as the company launches its new BlackBerry 10 phone line later this year, having a dedicated President of BlackBerry USA whose key role is to communicate with US media and Wall Street will help foster a stronger relationship with the company. I like RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins a lot, but he can't spend all of his time doing interviews - he has to actually run the company. Unfortunately, through this transitional period and into the launch of BlackBerry 10, I think a lot of BlackBerry face time is needed in the USA. Having an extra well-positioned BlackBerry spokesperson to share the work load on the communications front will only help.

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While Research In Motion carries out the process of recruiting a new Chief Marketing Officer to the company, I've decided to temporarily fill the position by throwing some CrackBerry Kevin BlackBerry marketing logic into the ether. You know what they say - no time like the present. And with new CEO Thorsten Heins set to present his ideas for change to RIM's board in two weeks time, the sooner we get these ideas -- both big and small -- out there, the better. Let's kick things off today with what I feel is a long overdue name change.

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When I saw Marco van Hylckama Vlieg wearing a BlackBerry PlayBook around his neck in his BlackBerry Rap video submission for CrackBerry Super Fanboy Contest I was INSPIRED. I just knew going to BlackBerry DevCon in San Francisco this year that I had to represent the loyal BlackBerry fans out there with a pimp'n PlayBook necklace of my own.

Turns out it was a great idea, and the PlayBook on a gold chain at DevCon got a ton of attention. Since debuting it on the blogs, I've been getting a bunch of requests from CrackBerry readers asking for the details on how I built my version. My motto is to give people what they want, so here it is... the Do It Yourself instructions so you can build your own pimp'n BlackBerry PlayBook necklace. Watch the video above and keep reading for written instructions. 

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Left Chart: PlayBook, BB6 & BB7 stats are reported under Safari
Right Chart: Drilling into Safari stats, PlayBook, BB6 & BB7 devices report as Safari / (not set)

SERIOUSLY. Given the "perceived" state of BlackBerry in the marketplace today, having to write a blog post like this makes me really, really upset. I'm going to assume it's an oversight by Research In Motion or the Torch Mobile team, but it's a big one in my opinion that needs to be addressed asap. 

I don't spend too much time looking at the nitty gritty details of our site analytics, but today I logged into Google Analytics as I wanted to take a look at how many users/what % of users are coming to CrackBerry on BlackBerry 7 Smartphones. Drilling down into the Visitor > Browser stats (top left image), I found no shortage of OS 5 and older devices being reported, but it seemed for the most part that there is a complete lack of BlackBerry 6 / 7 devices and the BlackBerry PlayBook. Essentially, all of RIM's newer phones that run WebKit. Not good.

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On the recent RIM earnings call one of the most unexpected things said by RIM's Founder and Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis was this:

"Well, we've got a lot of planned announcements at DevCon in October, and we've got -- we'll be announcing our new development platform for QNX and our QNX-based phones. We'll be launching the development phones, so that people can start experiencing the QNX phones and the applications. So we've got a lot of things planned. At this point, we want to be careful not to give up too many of our secrets and specifications of the product and delivery dates. But we're very excited, and the fact that we've already got the development phones operating right now and we're testing them is a great sign" 

The announcement that QNX developer phones would be present at the BlackBerry Developers Conference next month definitely came as a surprise to me. And heck, I wouldn't doubt it came as a surprise to many a RIM employee as well (just like how Jim Balsillie said the PlayBook would get native email in 60 days...lol). This definitely is a new move for RIM. Typically new moves for RIM end up having a back story to them, and by piecing together various rumors and intel I think I have a pretty good hypothesis of what's happening here.

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With a Research In Motion earnings announcement and investors call happening later today (we'll be live blogging it at 5pm ET here on the CrackBerry blogs), per usual we're seeing the stories ramp up on the internet as analysts start voicing their predictions about how RIM is doing and what the future holds. I always like reading these stories. I talk to a lot of analysts on a regular basis (they reach out to me as they know I know my sh!t), so it's fun to see which ones say things that line up with my thinking, and which ones say things that I don't agree with (overall, I have a pretty solid track record for getting things right).

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OK. So I can't say for 100% certain that CrackBerry's RIMPIRE STRIKES BACK initiative is what inspired Canada's Future Shop to put RIM Strikes Back, BBM 6 is here on the cover of their latest issue of Cellshop, but I'm going say it did. Think about it. RIM isn't in the consumer facing brand that the average person knows.... BlackBerry is. So for Future Shop to decide to put RIM strikes back vs. BlackBerry strikes back must mean it was a conscious decision. A decision in recognition of CrackBerry, BlackBerry and our RIMPIRE STRIKES BACK movement.

Or maybe I'm crazy and it's coincidence. Either way, I love it. PURE AWESOME Future Shop! #RIMPIRE

Guess who's going to be giving one of the sessions at BlackBerry DevCon this year? I AM!! While it's not up in the session catalog just yet (should be there by the end of the week), I'll be on stage for a breakout session giving tips and tricks to BlackBerry developers in attendance on how to work with bloggers and the media to maximize the exposure of their app efforts. Here's the overview:

Session Title: Working with Bloggers and Media
Technical Level: General (Suitable for ALL devs, whether beginner or advanced!)
Type: Breakout Session

Abstract: Developers need to understand how they can leverage bloggers and social media to increase their success with very little cost. Learn from one of the best experts in the field, Kevin Michaluk, founder of CrackBerry.com on what the best tips and tricks are for engaging in this space.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn what to do (and more importantly, what NOT to do) in order to get a blogger's attention and make sure your app gets the free publicity it deserves.
• Learn how to engage with the BlackBerry enthusiast community to build better apps and a following of loyal users.
• Learn what to do next. Getting your app announced and reviewed is only the beginning of the promotional process.

So if you're hitting up DevCon this year, be sure to checkout my session! You can keep your eyes on the BlackBerry DevCon website for more details as they emerge. And if you're not heading to San Francisco for BlackBerry DevCon 2011, what are you waiting for? Register Now!! Hope to see you there!

Oh my stars, folks; someone got it right! The debate over which smartphone is better, BlackBerry or iPhone, has raged since the dawn of...well, the iPhone. In this video from The New York Times, assistant technology editor Sam Grobart, and Dealbreak editor Andrew Ross Sorkin finally have it out. Mano a mano, suits versus khakis, iPhone vs. BlackBerry.

The two swap smartphones (and their clothes transform, apparently to great surprise), and hilarity ensues. Well, no but the pair do come to a bit of a realization. The phones both have nice features and are great pieces of technology, but the borrowed devices just "weren't right for" them.

At CrackBerry.com, we're firm believers that there is no one smartphone perfect for each and every person. Kevin's Hierarchy of Smartphone Needs explains this in much greater detail (it's classic Kevin, but it's a good read).  The video up there gives a great demonstration of the hierarchy in action. The best smartphone is the one that best delivers what the user wants to do. Communication and security are the BlackBerry's forté, media and entertainment are the iPhone's.

In the end, the question isn't "What's the best smartphone?"  It's "What's the best smartphone for me?"

Thanks to Jake-44 

As a long-time BlackBerry enthusiast and proud Canadian, I want to see Research In Motion turn around the negative sentiment that is now stalking them in the media and gain back the sales momentum and brand popularity they have enjoyed in the past.

But should this challenge prove too difficult in the months ahead or simply take too long to execute in the face of an eroding market cap, what will become of RIM? I've pondered this question a lot in recent weeks from every conceivable angle, and it was sitting on a patio sipping my fourth pitcher of Sangria on Canada Day that I concluded Google will buy Research In Motion. It won't be Microsoft - they've made their bet on Windows Phone and Nokia (and the Steve Ballmer at BlackBerry World thing was little more than a PR stunt). It won't be Co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis buying back the company and going private again (though I'm sure they'd love to do that). It won't be any other company seriously stepping in with a bid. It'll be Google. Keep reading for my logical reasoning.

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Reflecting upon Thursday evening's RIM Q1 Results and earnings call, the pieces finally fell into place so we can more accurately tell the story of why it is taking so long for RIM to bring the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 and other next-generation BlackBerry Smartphones to market.

On the historic call, which featured both Co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis delivering the results commentary and tag teaming the Q&A period, the following was what Mike had to offer in regards to the lull in new BlackBerry phones:

We were already well down a development path to the next-generation BlackBerry handsets when we realized that in the US the features and performance arms race demanded that we upgrade the chipset and port BlackBerry to a higher-performance platform. This was an engineering change that affected hardware and software timelines and pushed out entry into carrier certification labs.

It's only two short sentences, but if you've followed the BlackBerry development path for a few years there's a lot you can gather from them. Specifically, Mike is saying that devices like the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 at their design inception were not originally intended to get the 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset that they are going to launch with. That makes sense considering we've been hearing about devices like Magnum and Onyx III since before that chipset even existed.

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Maybe it's just because I blog about BlackBerry so am continuously typing it out and worrying about post headlines and tagging articles and site organization and visitors easily finding information about the device they own quickly, but I'm finding it **really** annoying that RIM decided to abandon/ignore the unified naming convention on their upcoming touchscreen BlackBerry Bold to be both the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry Bold 9930 without adding in an extra word to the name that encompasses both new models.

With the BlackBerry Curve 3G and BlackBerry Pearl 3G, RIM did the right thing in my opinion - they made it clear to owners that they had a uniquely different device from previous generations, and gave it a name that refers to multiple devices within that generation of device (the Curve 3G 9300/9330 and Pearl 3G 9100/9105). But for the new Bold now, everytime I want to talk about it in a manner that talks about both the GSM and CDMA variants of the device, I need to refer to both the Bold 9900 and Bold 9930 (If I just say 9900, I'm technically excluding the 9930... though I could say Bold 9900 Series... but that's not really an official name either).

Cutting short what I could turn into a really long rant, I just wish RIM would have called it the BlackBerry Bold Touch. Sure, the Bold Touch sounds like it could be the name of a porno movie or a Harlequin romance, but it would make my life soooo much easier and less annoying on a daily basis, and I'm sure most consumers would appreciate having a distinct name for their new Bold over a distinct number. If not Bold Touch, then maybe Touch Bold, or something unique.

Blue steel? Ferrari? Le Tigre? They're the same face!  Bold 9900? Bold 9930? For the majority of consumer purposes, it's the same device! I feel like I'm on crazy pills here! I want to refer to both under one name! If you're with me (or not), be sure to sound off in the comments. Not sure why I'm so ranty today... could be that I'm sick of waiting for my BlackBerry Bold 9900 / BlackBerry Bold 9930 and just have to vent. Notice how much easier that last sentence would have been if said I'm sick of waiting for the BlackBerry Bold Touch?

/endrant