Is email enough for RIM to attract new buyers to their products? The company behind BlackBerry has revealed some of its plans for its upcoming strategy, as smart phones begin to increase in interest and purchases by consumers. In an era where most smart phone buzz is about the iPhone and Android devices, RIM still fights to remain relevant in a quickly-changing world.

Relevancy is a term I use loosely, as BlackBerry is still one of the best-selling smart phones in the world. However, the capabilities of new devices being released regularly for Google’s Android platform and the continued success of the iPhone has left a lot to be desired for RIM’s “flash factor.” BlackBerry phones aren’t as sexy as they used to be, and RIM hasn’t done as much to push a marketplace to run apps or further monetize the activity taking place on smart phones.

As a result, RIM plans to update its mobile web browsing capabilities, amongst other things, to attract more consumers. The problem with this part of the strategy is that it merely allows RIM to catch up to other popular mobile platforms out there. The app market is not only a way for mobile platform owners and app developers to generate more revenue, but it’s also an added benefit to a consumer that wants the biggest bang for their smart phone buck.

However, a study from Nielsen and other data from RIM indicates that email is still a driving factor in the decision-making process when consumers consider the purchase of a new smart phone. While BlackBerry phones are still widely used by businesspeople, other smart phones are able to provide access to email, and then some.

In looking at the growth rate of smart phone adoption, the increase is steadily rising. And while BlackBerry users are some of the most loyal, they’ll also have an easier time switching away from RIM devices as the technology of other smart phones continues to improve.

Aside from doing mobile email well, RIM also has numbers on its side. While Apple dawdles around its 3-5-year exclusive contract with AT&T, RIM devices are available through most carriers in the U.S. Google’s Android has had a rapid roll-out of varying devices from multiple manufacturers, most of which are available through several carriers, but not many of them have been marketed as a business tool.

Tapping into the large consumer base that has yet to get a smart phone, RIM may sell less expensive devices to a wider range of people. The strategy isn’t too dissimilar from what Google has done with its Android platform, but RIM is far more established in the mobile industry, and already has a stable platform which can be further built out.

As mobile apps become more integrated with our daily social and consumer activity, the need for app intgration on our smart phones will also become standard. RIM is already making moves in this direction, with an app store and the seeking out of partners to create specific (and official) apps for its devices. Until then, targeting the yet-untapped market of non-smart phone users may be a good strategy for RIM to adopt.

Over a year ago, Tivo and RIM announced an app for Blackberry and it’s finally here. I wish I still had the Blackberry Tour to play with this app a little. I’m a devout Tivo user.

The app allows BlackBerry users with a TiVo box to access their program guide and remotely schedule recording. Yep, it’s a scheduling app. If you expected to be able to watch videos, that isn’t coming any time soon. I’ve learned when trying to export my own Tivo’d shows that most of the shows are copyprotected and not exportable, even if I’m just trying to watch them on my mobile phone.

Screenshots from Boy Genius.

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Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

I’ve been avoiding writing this review. After all, once the review is written, I have to give the phone back, and I rather like it. In fact, there is only one thing about this phone that has kept me from running out to purchase it: the lack of WiFi.

In this phone challenge, I’m trying to review phones to see how they fit in with my own lifestyle. Because I’m a freelancer, I’m the only one in my office. I need to be connected all the time, so the phone needs to survive my personal daily grind:

• The phone needs to be an actual quality telephone and quality texting device.
• I need to be able to check my email periodically without losing things between the mobile and the laptop or constantly charging the phone.
• I need access to all my contacts and all my calendars. On top of that, I need to be able to update and change these on the fly, preferably through the cloud and not through desktop syncing. In general, this means either some mystical cloud communication or the ability to use Google Cal / Contacts.
• I need access to a speedy, easy to use browser.

The Blackberry fit well into my lifestyle. I found the Tour very intuitive. I didn’t need to pull out the manual to get started and I had the entire thing set up before I even opened a book. Making it work just made sense. The BlackBerry Tour is a 3G world phone, with the option to make phone calls in 220 countries and to access e-mail and Internet in any of the 175 countries where Verizon Wireless provides data roaming services. It had a nice 3.2 megapixel camera with geo-tagging and video recording and a flash and built-in GPS.  The Tour has 256 MB built-in memory, but comes with an upgradable 2 GB mini SD card. The keyboard is easy to use, and I didn’t have any trouble hitting the wrong keys – the keyboard seems well spaced. One of my girlfriends didn’t like the plastic battery cover. I wasn’t bothered by it at all, and actually found it easy to manage. The phone is small and flat enough that it didn’t bother me when I slipped it into my front pocket or into my purse. In fact, I lost it in my purse a few times.

One thing I love about Blackberry phones is the ability to view all my mail within one Inbox instead of having to separate each account. I had no trouble adding all of my Google and IMAP accounts to the phone. I’ve read that the browser leaves something to be desired. I found it easy to use and quick. I think the process of adding a URL is a little cumbersome, but that was my only complaint. Getting used to the smaller 480×360 pixel screen after the full screen, accelerometer based iPhone was a little hard, but a relatively quick adjustment.

I had service wherever I went, which was useful. I even found myself at a winery in the middle-of-nowhere Kentucky last week and I still was able to make and receive calls on the Blackberry. The battery life was about a day and half with one caveat. Using the built-in GPS with Google Maps worked beautifully, but it sucked up the battery life like a sponge. If you’re going to be on the road with your Tour as your GPS, get a car charger. Verizon phones also include access to the VZW Navigator, which I did not use. VZW Navigator is an extra per-month or per-use charge but includes turn-by-turn voice directions.

The Tour worked flawlessly with my various Google apps. I installed Google Sync and easily synced all my contacts and calendars with the phone. Whenever I made an update either on Google or on the phone, the change was transferred to all my devices quickly. I also installed the Google Voice app for Blackberry. This app, developed by Google, is well integrated with Google Voice. I was able to call and text using my Google Voice number. I also downloaded Pocket Blackberry for Mac. Pocket Blackberry is a free program that synced my Tour with my Mac. It was able to sync my Contacts, Calendar, Mail, and even my non-DRM items in iTunes.

I wasn’t overly impressed by the Blackberry App store, although it was easy enough to navigate and access from the phone. I had better luck finding apps by Googling. I particularly liked UberTwitter for the Blackberry, which allowed me to tweet from multiple accounts.  The sleek Blackberry Facebook app integrated nicely with my Mail and I used it far more than I use Facebook on my laptop. I used Slacker Radio for music, which was nice.

While the Blackberry speakers aren’t loud, they were passable, and my Senheiser headphones fit nicely into the headphone jack. I didn’t like the headphone jack location – on the right side. I prefer it on the top of the phone.  Under that plastic battery cover, you’ll find an included 2GB mini SD card that I upgraded to a 16 GB mini SD card (provided to me by Verizon) and loaded up with videos. I watched True Blood and several other videos on the phone and the video player worked great. I also took several photos and videos. While the videos aren’t the greatest, the photos (mostly of food in dark restaurants) came out fairly well.

In the end, I took to the Blackberry Tour like it should have been my phone all along and I was impressed by the amount of apps available – even if they weren’t all through the official App Store. I really don’t want to give the phone back. But the lack of wi-fi is a serious detriment for me. While the Verizon 3G network is fast, wifi is faster, and there are times when it’s easier.

The Blackberry Tour is currently $149.99 at Verizon.

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Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

At the end of July, I went searching for a new smartphone. (I’m still searching, by the way.) I visited every store, but at the Verizon store, I had a prolonged discussion with one of the managers. I wanted wi-fi on my phone (and I didn’t necessarily want Windows Mobile). Not surprisingly, I was attracted to one of the Blackberry phones, but it was without wi-fi. The manager and I went back on forth on why I did/didn’t need it. In fact, he tried very hard to convince me that there was no need for wi-fi when you have the Verizon 3G service.

So my thanks today to Om Malik, who has written an excellent post on exactly why I need wi-fi on my mobile device. Quite frankly, it helps me to be more mobile.

It all comes down to this – whether we’re using an iPod Touch, a netbook, a laptop, or a Blackberry, we’re using portable devices to access the Web no matter where we are. We can be in a park, a coffee shop (as I am right now), our home, or in an airplane. Om got some statistics from his neighborhood wi-fi net provider, Meraki:

First, some stats from the census that compared the devices that accessed Meraki access points in 2008 and 2009:

• The number of Apple devices observed, including laptops, iPhones and iPods grew by an impressive 221 percent.
• Apple now represents 32 percent vs. 14 percent in 2008 of all the devices seen by Meraki networks in North America.
• The number of smartphones (handheld devices) has quadrupled over the past year, with RIM showing a gain of 419 percent.
• The number of people using Intel-based devices declined 11 percent, which tells me that more people are using smartphones vs. laptops.

That last stat is key for me. Intel-based devices declined 11% in a year, which means there are more smartphones accessing this particular net than laptops. That’s fantastic growth, and should be a key indicator for wireless carriers. Their phone must access the Internet with more than just the 3G option.

An AdMob report from Feb 09 shows that smartphone usage increased from 25% to 33% in the previous 6-month period. Even the recession couldn’t stop us from investing in smartphones. According to PC Week, the number of smartphone users in 2007 doubled from the previous year. If that was 2007, can you imagine 2010?

Heading out? Don’t forget that computer in your pocket. And Verizon Manager Guy? Check out the stats and let me know if you still think I don’t need wi-fi on my phone.

Photo Credit (via Creative Commons)

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Cheers!

Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

There have been social networks set up around mobile devices or mobile brands, namely Nokia. It was generally for the purpose of gaining some consumer data based on app usage and other metrics that can be garnered from seeing what users like and don’t like about their phones. So it’s not a far stretch for BlackBerry to be launching a social network for similar purposes. It may be a necessary step for several devices and manufacturers that are supportive of the economy a mobile application platform can provide, especially as pretty much any other platform other than Apple will need all the help it can get.

So RIM BlackBerry is reportedly coming out with a social network of sorts this week, dubbed MyBlackBerry. The network will be for BlackBerry users, giving them a social profile where they can review mobile apps, and even complain about them. It’s biggest potential advantage would be the ability to turn all those reviews and complaints into recommendations and searchable data for making BlackBerry applications more discoverable. This would, in the end, promote BlackBerry’s mobile application platform.

It could be considered a way to get a leg up on Apple’s own mobile application platform for the iPhone, which is rendered through iTunes. Have you noticed that iTunes is notoriously difficult to search? Customer reviews, complaints and other data are hard to come by and the end result is a mobile app economy that supports those with lots of cash and marketing power instead of reflecting the true capacity of the longtail (still epitomized by nearly all things iTunes related).

While user-generated reviews within a social network is a somewhat passe way in which to gain and repurpose information, it can be readily applied to mobile app platforms in this early stage. So far, MyBlackBerry sounds good in concept. But as mentioned on TechCrunch, the network itself is more like a “bulletin board” and the ability to view apps is limited to only those that are supported by your phone.

Is this limiting BlackBerry’s ability to leverage its own network? Perhaps seeing reviews on apps designed for the BlackBerry Storm will encourage other BlackBery users and non-BlackBerry users to make the move to a new device. Opening up a network such as this could really help BlackBerry if implemented well. This could be a tactic other platforms use to one-up Apple’s iTunes store.

[image credit DC to BC]