RIM buys a lot of companies
by Volker Weber
Research in Motion is buying lots of small companies who can't make it on their own, in a struggle to remain relevant:
- Viigo March 2010
- Dataviz September 2010
- TAT December 2010
- Gist February 2011
- Tungle April 2011
- ubitexx now
Is it working?
Comments
Too early to tell, don't you think?
The Storm really helped me understand RIM: "We own you and you will put up with crappy products from us", which is why I moved to Apple and the iPhone, and I haven't looked back. I think it is too late for them to be relevant, but their installed base means they can make money for years.
No
IT Industry sectors go through "idea consolidation" periodically.
But also when you don't have a single original commercial idea or any competent ability to implement a commercial initiative internally, you go out and buy it from someone who has.
It should work for RIM, look how big IBM is now .... LOL
Unknown if it will work for RIM. But if they want to buy ideas I am available as well.
What do all these companies do. I'm familiar with Tungle, but the rest eludes me.
The acquisition of ubitexx was a very intelligent move as there is currently no big player involved in the device management sector for iOS and Android.
If you plan to deploy iOS in a larger company, you will need a device management solution comparable to BlackBerry/BES. Getting that from RIM may limit costs, complexity, support and operational effort. I kind of like that idea ...
However on the other hand, my personal opinion is that RIM currently has a severe problem with technical resources. They are just not able to perform. Best support you can buy (TX5) is helpless when development is not able fix the revealed bugs.
Volker:
You might find this of interest ... Infoworld says:
"Yesterday at its BlackBerry World show, Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that the BlackBerry is dead."
More: http://ow.ly/4MBKL
Not sure I agree, but his premise is that every device is now a "one of" device ... makes it extremely hard for large organizations to standardize.
Did u forget QNX software or do they go by another name?(posted from a Playbook :)
To be honest in my part of the world, BB is the only viable option. I don't care how many bells and whistles are packed into the latest Androids and iPhone Devices, BB gives me unlimited global roaming Data plans, and none of the other devices offer that. I would basically go bankrupt if I was using another device the way I use my BB. And don't talk to me about wifi, who wants to go tru the hassle of finding free AP, etc. I need constant non-stop data access anywhere anytime, and BB is the only option (at least in my region). wondering how others deal with this.
I guess some people in Dubai won't go bankrupt. :-)
@Joel:
I get (or might know) your motivation to use a BB-phone, but I don't get your point with the "non-stop data access anywhere anytime ...". How does it differ from other smartphone-offers? I assume you're not talking about BES, do you?
@jan, with any other smartphone, as soon as I'm outside my home country, I get hit with punitive Data Roaming charges. For about the equivalent of 45€ a month, BB gives me unlimited global data roaming. And that is a killer argument as far as I'm concerned. I guess if I was not travelling I would probably go for a Droid or an iPhone, but these devices are basically useless as soon as I leave my home country.
@Joel:
Understood. Thanks for exemplify.
Even I'm travelling a lot. But I have had network access at any site I was working so far. Outside customer sites hotels charge you between nothing and a $ 9.99 rate flat/24 h which also belongs to the travel expenses. This is, why the cost side bothers me less ...
But, the RIM-solution is superior considering the comfort not asking for web-logins, right.
On the other hand: Years ago I gave these BB-devices a chance. Everyone at IBMs Partner World got one. After a week I found out it had to many drawbacks for me - including loss of data ... I still shiver when I see one. ;-)
Different scenarios, different experiences. Freedom of choice. Still.
Hm, Joel, I think that is not a feature of your device, this is a feature of your mobile contract.
Yes, it's a feature of the contracts, but it's made possible by a platform feature. BlackBerrys are designed to use very little bandwidth. It has been common that a BlackBerry used less than 10 MB (yes, mega) a month. Has been. Because suddenly, the browser became useful. You can stream videos. You download apps and update them. And so forth. Data goes up, tariffs get re-evaluated. Enjoy it while it lasts. If you use a BlackBerry like others use their iPhones and Androids, your privilige will go away. Enter the PlayBook ...
But €45 for 10MB globally is not a great deal at all, isn't it. We pay €63 with unlimited bandwith everywhere I go or €101 globally.
@Sven I live in Dubai, Gas is cheap, so are Pakistani, and Indian Restaurants, (and a bunch of other things) Data Service is not, but so far the deal our providers can offer with RIM makes it the ONLY viable option given my lifestyle.
