On Wednesday, RIM (Research In Motion) announced their next big step in the smartphone industry, with their new operating system and lineup of smartphones. RIM, which owns the Blackberry brand, fell behind in the smartphone market over the last two years as they took a less progressive approach to their previous phone releases. Not making the jump has caused Blackberry to take a major hit and this push is possibly their last chance to keep afloat. Now, Blackberry has released a redesigned OS that is looking to push its way up to the top, with the big hitters like iOS and Android. Do not get your hopes up.
Blackberry has received an upgrade, but will it hold up in this ferocious smartphone industry? Photo by Courtland JeffreyFrom what I have learned from sites like Engadget and Droid-Life, the Blackberry 10 OS is quite simple and clean. It is small in size, which allows for devices with lower quality specs to run just as well, if not better. But, that was one of the only upsides I saw about it.
There are perks like a physical keyboard, predictive on-screen keyboard, and interesting swiping actions to pull back to the homescreen and apps. But it is lacking in some of the major points: the OS has its own small store to purchase apps and more from (which means if you have already invested in another smartphone, say goodbye to those purchases) and a map app that seems incomplete in comparison to its competitors. Looking at the Blackberry hardware that was displayed, it is easy on the eyes, but not top of the line. With a 4.2” screen, 1.5GHz dual core processor, and a smaller battery than the competition, consumers will have to take a step down in quality to try out this new (depending on your choice, fully touchscreen) breed of Blackberry.
While this is just a quick glance at what they have to offer, my opinion will probably not sway in favor of it because so many have already committed to either the Apple or Google brands and will probably not want to switch. If you are looking into a new smartphone, whether upgrading from an older Blackberry or not, you should probably just sit back and watch as RIM downsizes out of existence.
If you are planning on investing in the new Blackberry, let me know via email at cejeffre@asu.edu or on Twitter @Court_Jeffrey. Enjoy!
