BlackBerry World 2011 is now behind us and what a week it was. Adam, Bla1ze and I made it home from Orlando and we are exhausted. But before catching up on some Zzzz's we first recorded our BlackBerry World Super Duper Roundup Podcast which you can listen to here or download on your BlackBerry PlayBook or Smartphone via the Podcasts app. We want to see this episode be the most downloaded in the BB Podcasts app, so be sure to subscribe to us there and download.
In this show we cover all of the news coming out of BlackBerry World 2011, including the newly announced BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 as well as all of the PlayBook-related news and announcements and much, much, much more. It's DEFINITELY A MUST LISTEN PODCAST. For more info on any one topic, be sure to check out the posts at the links below or click here to see all BlackBerry World 2011 news. Enjoy the show and be sure to drop us a comment!
Download Podcast .MP3 Directly | Podcast Feed
Download CB Podcasts BlackBerry App | Subscribe in iTunes
BlackBerry World 2011 Link Roundup
in no particular order...
Video Demo of Wikitude's Augmented Reality Browser
How to turn your website into a BlackBerry PlayBook App with the WebWorks SDK
Twitter for BlackBerry reaches v2.0 - Available at the BlackBerry Beta Zone
Cars @ BlackBerry World: Jaguar w/ BlackBerry Integration and QNX Concept Corvette
New Demo Video Showing off the Android App Player on the BlackBerry PlayBook!
Video Demo of Multiplayer Quake III Action on the BlackBerry PlayBook
Talking App Development with Chris Smith and Mike Kirkup of Research In Motion
BlackBerry PlayBook 101: Video Chat
How the technology behind TATs apps will be implemented on the PlayBook
Angry Birds confirmed coming to the BlackBerry PlayBook
Android Apps Running on the BlackBerry PlayBook via the Android App Player
BlackBerry PlayBook Native Email and PIM Video Demo
Official OS 1.0.3.1868 for the BlackBerry PlayBook now available
BlackBerry Bold 9930/9900 Hardware and BlackBerry 7 Walkthrough!
Facebook for the BlackBerry PlayBook now available!
BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 Hands-On Video and First Impressions
BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Officially Announced!
Reader comments
BlackBerry World 2011 Super Podcast and News Roundup!
Please do not confuse the opinions of an enterprise IT guy like Craig Johnston with someone who actually understands how to value companies. From a US IT perspective, of course RIM has been losing market share in the US and the US enterprise to iOS and Android. And also true, both Palm and RIM ran into trouble transitioning from and old OS to a new OS, but that is where the similarities end.
You see Craig, a long term investor looks for moats. A moat is a term coined by Warren Buffet which describes defenses that a good business has around it (much like castles have). A moat is a competitive advantage that is difficult to copy. Good moats will allow a company like RIM to seemingly inexplicably continue selling phones even if they are not the most cutting edge products out there. Moats also allow a company more breathing space to transition to a new platform. Here is a short list of RIM moats: BBM, enterprise, physical keyboard space, efficient data transmission (for the other 90% of carrier networks that are not 4G). These factors make the product "sticky".
Also, as a long term investor I look for things like: return on assets, return on equity, increasing profits. These numbers indicate how much money a company makes on its assets and invested money (equity). Those numbers indicate a very very profitable company. Now, we could also mention money in the bank, global distribution system (next to Nokia only), stickiness of BBM and enterprise products, the top notch new technology (QNX,TAT) and the comparison to Palm looks even sillier.
Now, about Playbook launching too early. RIM actually took a page out of Apple's 'playbook'. Not having everything perfect at launch does not mean it will fail. The original iphone left much to be desired and still doesn't play flash. It's all there in Guy Kawasaki's books on Apple's strategy. Let me give you a quote from chapter 2 of "Rules for Revolutionaries" called "Don't worry, be crappy" as he talks about "MacIntosh, the Crappy Computer".
"Revolutionary products don't fail because they are shipped too early. They fail because they aren't revised fast enough"
This coming from a guy that spent a good part of the 80's as an Apple Evangelist. Yes, its true, Apple wrote the book on releasing unfinished products and then revising like crazy, and guess what, it works! The reason it that an army of early adopters will facilitate revision much faster than 5 guys in a lab. Also, this strategy allows 3rd party developers to get developing.
it looks like blackberry users are marching into war with apple and android, APPLE THEM ANDROIDS 4 US!!!
nice podcast guys...
interesting thoughts about a debbie down view of RIM and Microsoft acquisition.
hope that doesn't happen.
can't wait for the new Bold and other phones to be released.
March of the Nerds
You guys are on fire! YOUR #1 in my book and playbook it is. Great job in teamwork dedicaton and some fine production! Thanks,you guys are the BEST continue the TORCH flame...never ends...
You guys are on fire! YOUR #1 in my book and playbook it is. Great job in teamwork dedicaton and some fine production! Thanks,you guys are the BEST continue the TORCH flame...never ends...
lol.. that picture... prices less
here is a question for all?
what a berry nerds called????
i know there are fanboys... but what are we called?
Kevin looks like such a boss in that pic, with playbook in hand
he wins the internets
by far the best picture ever on this forums
The new Microsoft Blackberry 10000 with Windows 7.1 (aka windows 8) ? Not liking the sound of that at all....
Why didn't you guys mention that some carriers "cough T-Mobile cough" are merketing it as a 4G BlackBerry®, and how this will affect battery life due to signal bouncing from EDGE to 4G?
Hahaha epic indeed. Kevin is this your special 'Super CrackBerry Bros' walk? Awesome!
Epic Pic Of Kevin !!!
Why is he carrying his PlayBook in his hand? I thought it was supposed to be pocketable?
Just showed up in the Blackberry Podcast App.
Nice Job boys, I listen to every podcast, as an investor in RIM I feel it gives me an edge to hear stright from the horses mouth. One thing though. To even speak about RIM being anywhere close to a Palm is hard to hear. Did Palm have a NOK? Did palm have a user base of 60 million? was Plam ever an international player the way RIM is? I dont think so. I'm in Thailand right now. I see 3 to 1 BB's to Iphones. they love BBM here! did Palm ever have a BBM. NO.
PS. Kevin, nice job the pipe's are getting huge!!
Fully agree ( I am listening to the postcast as we speak)...sorry CrackBerry podcast guys, however, your references of RIM to Palm is completely off-base. RIM has a lot more going for it in development and a 60m base of users. This negativity is way over done.
I have no relattionship at all, however, if you want to see some interesting articles on RIM do a search for Chris Umiastowski. He is writing a few article for the Globe & Mail right now. A fair, unbiased view.
DUDE. Did you listen to the podcast? That was Craig's single opinion on references to Palm. Not mine. I competely disagreed. I know Chris Umi well... we're eye to eye on this stuff. Seriously... Try listening to the show next time before you leave a comment like this that is wayy off base.
Also Re: Chris. Talked to him yesterday actually... think I'm going to have him as a guest on one of our upcoming shows.
Have him do a face to face with Craig. I don't think Craig could have been more negative. Not only the palm stuff but also tablet size (10 is best, seriously no way) AND the stuff about the enterprise not wanting to have phone updates. Craig wake up iPhone are coming into enterprise and they are the lesst secure phones out there. The IT guys might think they have power but they should think again.
Finally I have to say you can never assert something as true because you saw it in a movie....
Here is something that is true. Apple only exists because the US government put so much anti-trust pressure on Microsoft that Bill Gates had to invest in apple to keep it from going bankrupt.
The best thing RIM has going for it is no matter what great innovation they make with the playbook Apple will not copy it. They are the most arrogant company today and if anyone out innovates them they will be dead because they see everything they do as the best.
Kiddo2050. Almost my entire IT career from 1989 has been in the enterprise. I speak from over 20 years experience in the enterprise space that IT people don't like software update to happen outside of their control. So my comment about weekly PlayBook updates that the user can do on their own is on mark.
Secondly, I recently worked at a large bank that had over 300,000 email clients, 40,000 BlackBerry users, and 150 BESs. Part of my job there was to deploy iPhones and iPads. They are indeed coming into the enterprise space, have push email, calendar, and contacts, and can be secured just as well as BlackBerrys. Easier control can be had with products like MobileIron that simplifies device management and weed out "jail broken" devices. Secure iOS deployments are happening all over the enterprise and eroding the RIM strong-hold. Android to a lesser extent because they don't follow the ActiveSync policies as well as iOS devices do. So yes, I am very much awake thanks very much.
The ideas about Microsoft and Apple come from my own experience in this space, not from watching a movie. I mention the movie "Pirates of SIlicon Valley" because it most accurately depicts what has happened. In the last 25 years, Microsoft has been a major bully, killing companies and stealing technology from them. Bill Gates didn't think more than 640K was ever going to be needed and he didn't get the internet. They are not visionaries, but they love taking visionary ideas and killing the companies that came up with them. Stacker, the multitasking OS, the GUI, web browsers (think of how they systematically killed of Netscape), DRDOS, to name a few.
Damn right Microsoft was forced to pay for their anti-trust activities. Did you know that outside the US, when you install Windows, you get a choice of 10 browsers? Why? Because Microsoft helped kill other browser by embedding IE in Windows. They got sued and lost and were forced to provide a choice. They are an anti-trust violator and people know it.
I have to laugh at your last comment about Apple being arrogant. Apple has always thought outside the box (to coin a tired corporate saying) about the products they bring to market. Think the GUI, multi-tasking OSses, buying music online legally, the iPod became the best MP3 player out there, iOS, etc. It is actually RIM that is arrogant.
For 3 years they refused to address the gorilla in the mobile space, the iPhone, and later Android. They sat back and kept putting out small updates in their technology, not acknowledging that people want a touch screen phone with a modern OS that is easy to develop for, not to mention a fast CPU and dedicated GPU. Ask a developer how difficult it is to write an app for a BlackBerry (not QNIX, the BlackBerry OS).
I have had a BlackBerry since 1999, now have a PlayBook, and I hope that RIM does survive and that QNX does save them, but why should we put our heads in the sand? I'm just being realistic.
Craig, are you certain you can achieve parity in the enterprise with the iPhone/iPad versus a BlackBerry? Remember that whole "experiment" in Germany with iPhones and couple of banks. Literally weeks later, some guy posted a video where he jailbroke an iPhone, and was able to get to the root that showed all the security protocols and passwords (which apparently all reside on the device). Worst part was, that he was able to do it all in about 6 minutes. I think iOS has more issues than anyone is willing to admit...many such issues still being discovered. I could be off the mark though because I am not a uber-guru...
Craig
Thanks for replying to my post. First off don't be fooled by my handle. I know a whole hell of a lot about antitrust issues in corporate america in fact it's part of what I do for a living. And given your background I can honestly say I know a lot more than you do about US antitrust policy and implementation.
Let me point out that Apple is doing everything that you accuse microsoft of doing. Chiefly restricting all access to their devices except through them as a gate keeper (iTunes). They can only get away with this stuff because they haven't yet reached a level of market power that the government feels the need to step in.
In other words what Microsoft did was natural in corporate America. We have antitrust laws in the US that limit things a monopolist can do that are other companies can do legally. It isn't that Microsoft is "bad" it's in fact that they were incredibly successful at what they did that limitations have been placed upon them.
The general view that Microsoft is a "bad" company or the "evil empire" is techno nerd BS.
You say Microsoft stole the GUI from Apple. As the guys at RIM said about the UI for the playbook vis a vis Palm companies naturally copy one another, look at auto design. Say apple did invent a windows base GUI (which they didn't) that still does not explain why MSFT ended up being the 10 ton gorilla and apple did not. After all, at that point they both had GUI and in fact Apple had it longer. No, MSFT was a better company that produced product that people wanted and apple did not. Why did apple fail?
Steve Jobs should get up everyday and thank God for the US government and other antitrust regulators. Microsoft could still send apple reeling if they weren't restricted. Think of waking up to the headling " Microsoft stops producing office for the Mac"
On arrogant Apple"
Apple brings to market out of date laptops and sells them as being innovative. (You don't call that arrogant???)
Apple brings out an updated iPad and is cheered for producing a product which is second rate in term of specifications rather than being held to account by the media as it should be. Great marketing, yes, but very arrogant.
Apple refuses it's customer's flash and says it just isn't good instead of building the technology into the product properly. (You don't call that arrogant???) If Jobs really thinks flash is so bad why doesn't he take it off the iMac and Macbooks??? No it's really that iOS can't handle it but does he say that? No he slags off another company's product.
When Apple was found to have made a phone that had reception issues, what was his response? Blackberries do as well. You don't call that arrogant???? Of course Blackberries had no reception issues there were 30-40 million BB users at the time, if there were issues don't you think the public would have known? Instead the CEO blows smoke! (Craig I have to laugh at your defense of Apple not being an arrogant company. I think you are one of the few people in the world that thinks that).
Yes apple is hugely successful. The first reason is marketing. The second is of course is the iPod and on that:
"Almost 30 years after this object was conceived by Kane Kramer, 52, Apple admitted it was not the real inventor of the iPod. Apple was forced to produce evidence in a lawsuit over iPod-related patents and, so, it fetched that drawing below with the included specs to defend itself, the DailyMail is reporting. Kramer, however, hasn't been paid a dime." Google it.
Yes that's right Apple did not invent the iPod. The key device that turned the company around. And Kramer gets nada.
So who's the bully???
Finally, yes iPhones are going into business and I'm happy that you are making money helping out, but did you think this wouldn't happen? Should a company run for the hills when this happens? When you start with nearly 100% market share there isn't anywhere to go but down.
Apple is about to find this out in the tablet market, no where to go but down, by definition. It'll be interesting to see how the media reports this...
I think you Guys are in denial.
This new bold is 2 years too late, it would have been a nice flagship device in 2009 not late 2011.
Rim is not going away but they need to get use to being #3.
I know an engineer that works at Rim and he told me they were fucked 3 years ago and that the platform was maxed out back then just before the bold was released.
They are lucky that the majority of their user base is an older demographic that doesn't like change because if you really use an iPhone or android device for a week the 9780 is like comparing coleco pong vs Sony play station.
I used a bb for 7 yrs and switched last year when I had enough of the outdated Os.
I hope they can catch up but I don't think so...they need better phone designs not rehashed 3 year old designs.
After the disaster Torch release they should have gone in a new direction but instead they rehashed their best past phone in act of desperation.
I smell panic in Waterloo !
No one is in denial, all the problems you state are well known and were discussed in the podcast. The question is with the best OS in the business do they have enough time to get the new products out.
Who cares if the are number 3 do you care how the company that made your car ranks? Do you care if the network you watch you favorite TV show is number1?
The only thing RIM has to ensure is that they get enough high quality content on their devices. and this we'll just have to see.
Kevin
With all due respect...I did listen to the podcast...all two hours of it. Perhaps you should relisten to that segment. There was no attempt to stop the one podcast guy (Craig) from comparing RIM and Palm...he went on and on!!! Totally offbase...Seriously, where was the interaction to correct the direction. I take my personal time to listen to you guys and you flame me for a comment...Grow up a little bit please.
The comment of Chris U was only to direct others to another unbiased viewpoint for readers, not to counter the CrackBerry guys.
Kevin, you are a little quick here to slam...readers come here voluntarily.
eagle007. I see many similarities between Palm and RIM. You are correct that RIM has a much larger install base, however Palm and RIM both lost a lot of people to other vendors, they were both around a long time, they both have/had aging operating systems, and they both launched a new, completely new product that was not backward compatible to their old (with the exception of using emulators to run the old software).
Palm failed not because webOS is bad, in fact its an amazing operating system (and you can see an almost exact copy of it on the PlayBook). They failed because the hardware they chose to run it on was not capable. They also did it very late in the game. Essentially they did not execute as they should have to save themselves.
Now read what I just wrote and put RIM in place of Palm and tell me if that sounds familiar. The only switch is that the PlayBook hardware is amazing, but the software is not ready.
Have you considered the following differences of PALM and RIMM
1) How large is the BBM users base and social graph? did PALM have an equivalent sticky app?
2) How much cash was PALM burning per quarter vs. how much cash RIMM has been generating?
3) How much cash did PALM have on the balance sheet? vs. RIMM
4) to equate QNX and PALM OS is idiotic
The points you made comes back to one word "EXECUTION" or lack of execution of the plan/strategies.
But, in RIMM's case it is, and will NOT be FATAL as long as they can get the phones out - RIMM's balance sheet is totally different when PALM attempted its last act. To equate RIMM to PALM is misguided.
Here is the article mentioned in the Podcast by Kevin:
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11104757/1/rims-valuation-reflects-unreal...
Anton Wahlman worked at UBS in the late 90's as an analyst.
Microsoft could make a run at RIM, but I'm not sure that even they might prefer a partnership. RIM is not a small company and there would be a lot of hard work to integrate RIM into it.
If MSFT gets BB onto the MS cloud and can make the users (or firms) pay for that it might be all they want.... for now.
If the playbook tablet takes off they might see RIM as a desirable purchase since windows on the tablet doesn't seem likely.
Palm didn't sell phones as many phones in it's whole lifetime that RIM sold it's in the previous quarter. Kevin made an interesting point, take away BES/BIS, BB OS, QNX but they still can make killer hardware, software on top of Android and still make money more than anybody else out there because of their brand value and their userbase. Another difference RIM is still adding customers but Palm never grew beyond three carriers. Palm was always in a state of confusion, they even adapted Windows ME to fill in for their old OS and they never made good hardware. webOS had many reasons for its failure such as carrier, hardware, execution, marketing, budgets etc.
Craig
When did Palm have quarter after quarter of profit and growing sales...when did Palm have $2b in the bank and value of $25b and zero debt...when did Palm have 60m user base...when did Palm have the new stable of companies and potential like RIM's TAT, QNX, Certicom, Torch Browser, etc...when did Palm have the enterprise advantage?
RIM is in a product transition to a new OS with QNX base...comparing RIM to Palm is just plain wrong and really just adding fuel to the fire to compare the two.
At least be objective and display both sides...
One thing to remember is that the Smartphone market is very different in North America than in our countries/continents.
What a great techie battle.. :)
Agreed.
Who gives RIM credit for it's outside North America expansion? I have travelled the world for 25 years...most developing countries barely have 2G or Edge...never mind 4G or LTE. Rim will succeed here...just be patient. They are taking a global approach. I bet if you ask most North Americans they have no idea whether their BB O/S is 4.6, 5.0 or 6.0...they really do not follow it that closely. Like my wife said, who cares, I like my phone!
SUPER CALI FRAGI LISTIC EXPI ALI DOCIOUS
SUPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Had to download in iTunes...not showing up in the BB Podcast App.
wow
thanks for this !
amazing podcast, really enjoyed it, lots of insight and many different opinions about blackberry and its future in general
thank you
love rim <3
and im the #1 blackberry-fanboy ; >
thats kevins power walk. look at that. he's like a playbook toting gazelle. fabulous pic. I remember when i used to work out for two years straight..*sigh* Now i'm just a playbook toting fat bastard. :(
the keven douchey standard for ranking tablets... lol... priceless. That should totally be a rating on every review.
nice podcast. I knew but I didn't really know how much there was to talk about.
Now is the time to be a BlackBerry user... Release date I am getting two 9930s... and once RIM drops accessibility features, we getting two Playbooks... so there
I agree with Kevin, don't put all your devices on display until majority of them are ready for immediate release. Bold 9930 will be the flagship and needs to be put out there, the others will just follow suit with a announcement and immediate gratification.
Whoa Kevin would push an old lady to get to a BBWC keynote :-p
Awesome pic! Next Devcon! I so wanna be there!
If you look closely you can see said lady in the background being trampled by 6,000 people :P
Enjoyed this pic - but why does the CB podcast only appear on my Torch after 24-48 hrs? Come on already! ;)
Worth a thousand words - LMAO!!!!
is it me? Just one phone introduced this week at Blackberry World? Just one???? I've been waiting on the edge of my seat all week for some new phone technology and all we get is the Bold 9930 with no release date.... Hmmm. I love the playbook and all but I need to get an upgrade from this storm 1 before I can even consider a playbook...
Ditto
Ok i'm assuming this is BS post, but in case it isn't. Why wait for a phone before you consider the playbook? Once I got my playbook I hardly use the phone for anything other than phone, email, and calendar. In other words in all areas where RIM phones are lacking the playbook fills in. Yes we are awaiting more apps but there are enough there to keep me pretty happy for now. And zero doubt that more good apps are coming.
Also the whole issue of the official release was addressed in the podcast.
Kevin on FIRE!!.
That was Great Thanks!!
NO!!!!
RIM stays in Canada!!
That's it nothing else.
As my twitter profile says I love anything says "meow" ((=
Nice picture haha :P
To be No.1 in the podcast app the damn thing has to go international first!
It's not on the PlayBook's Postcast app yet :(
Was there any news on when we'll be able to listen to our Crackberry Podcast on the Playbook with bluetooth headphones?
Haha, the picture is priceless :')
LOL i gotta say the picture cracks me up! its freaken awesome!!! getting ready to listen to the podcast :)
How do you NOT comment on a picture like this?! Not only does the K-dude have his "Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto" action going, them guns are ready to take out anyone who might dare pass him up (the photog being the clear exception).
Awesome.
(Kudos to said photog. I've been to the San Diego Comic-Con at opening... Standing in front of a stampede takes some major huevos.)
Listening to it right now!
WoooHooooo!!!
6,000 people heading into a keynote and CrackBerry is #1 in front of the sea of people with a PlayBook in hand. Gotta love it! :)
That's not a PlayBook.....that's Kevin's Kindle... ;)
Kevin
Excellent coverage of BlackBerry World events.
Listening to the podcast on my PlayBook as I write this message...great podcast. Thanks and keep up the great coverage!
Who's that CB guy in the pic? :)
awesome picture Kevin. :)