So today was a big day for BlackBerry. The announcement of them teaming up with Amazon to deliver Android apps on BlackBerry 10 is something many folks have been hoping for (and against) for a while, but now that it has actually happened it's interesting to sit back and read some of the reactions from the BlackBerry community. Overall, it seems there's plenty of love for it happening...
First thing tomorrow morning BlackBerry will report Q1 results. It should be a great conference call since the company has officially launched the Jakarta phone and they've announced support for Amazon's app store in OS 10.3, which I think could go a long way to resolving many of the most common consumer complaints. But more on that in a separate piece. As a reminder, last quarter...
Call me crazy, but one of my all time favorite BlackBerry smartphones was the Style, at least in design. I was a huge fan of the form factor and it harkened back to a simpler time. Very nostalgic. The exterior screen was great for notifications, almost like a smartwatch, and the small, folded design meant it just disappeared in my pocket. Open it up, however, and it became a no-...
Rumor has it, by word of "AgentJucey", that the end of life for first generation BlackBerry 10 devices is in sight. But how realistic are those rumors? Perhaps, not so realistic at all but they are rumors and rumors that have been discussed pretty heavily in the CrackBerry Forums, so they're worth taking a look at. First of all: What does "end of life" mean? Generally, in the...
New BlackBerry CEO John Chen has already proven to be a very pragmatic leader, willing to make difficult decisions in order to keep the company afloat. He has said on many occasions that he'll exit the handset segment entirely if it proves to be in the best interest of the company, but has also made it clear that it's among the last things he wants to do. BlackBerry smartphones maintain...
As I'm sure most of you already know, last weekend Kevin, James and I headed to Montreal to check out the Canadian Grand Prix — and we had an amazing time. I drove up from New Jersey with a friend of mine, but it wasn't until the day before that it dawned on me that I wouldn't have any phone service once hitting the Canadian border. Since I rarely leave the country I don't carry an...
It's time for my annual pilgrimage to Waterloo, Canada, the birthplace and hometown of BlackBerry, to attend the company's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. This will be my fourth year attending the AGM and John Chen will be the fourth CEO to take the stage in as many years. We were there for the end of the Mike Lazaridis / Jim Balsillie co-CEO reign and we were there for the...
Once again it's time for the Mobile Nations Community Update. In this edition I'm proud to report the 'state of the nation' is strong. Android Central, Connectedly, CrackBerry, iMore, and Windows Phone Central are full of great members and conversations as usual, and to make things even better, summer is just around the corner!
Several months ago I embarked on an experiment. As a guy who'd used BlackBerry since 2000 I had deep experience with the platform along with good experience on iOS. But I had practically no experience on Android. So I put my Z10 on my bedside table and left it there while I moved my SIM into a Samsung Galaxy S4. At the time it was among the best Android handsets available. I realize I'...
It has been almost a year since my editorial on why I am still an avid BlackBerry fan and how I still remain passionate for the platform. At the time the post made its way to the front page it was the beginning of a tumultuous six months in my life both at work and at home. During this time, however, the one constant that kept my head on straight and the will to persevere was my...