A couple of take-aways from BlackBerry Devcon Americas
by Volker Weber
Photo: RIM
In no particular order:
- I have seen some really great demos of cutting edge software at the conference. Games, but also business apps that are not boring. We need new skills: design, story telling, and development. All working together. You cannot expect a developer to write exciting apps.
- PlayBook gives you a glimpse at the future of BlackBerry handhelds. It may not sell well, for multiple reasons. That's partly an execution problem, and partly due to the fact that the software isn't nearly done. But you do need to watch this space. If you have a PlayBook, start developing for it.
- When RIM joins BB and QNX to form BBX, Java ME goes away. It's being replaced by C/C++ native apps. RIM has a great framework from the TAT (The Astonishing Tribe) acquisition. Game engines like Marmalade have been ported. That means, lots of popular games from the likes of EA will run on the platform.
- RIM is embracing HTML5 and Open Source. This transforms them from a closed Java shop to a kick-ass development platform.
- The Bold 9900 is one fantastic device. It does not lie anymore. Metal is metal, glass is glass. Great camera, best keyboard ever, crispy clean display. I was disappointed by the Torch 9800, but this is a killer update for existing Bold users. It won't convince iPhone users to switch, but you definitely need to stay on BlackBerry.
- RIM did not deliver a roadmap. PlayBook 2.0 was neither announced nor put on a schedule. RIM is working on it, but they are not saying when it will ship. No roadmap for BBX either. Disappointing.
- Android Runtime on PlayBook reminds me of WinOS2.
Comments
That Android thingy is to give all those JavaME guys a home.
Certainly not.
Forgot the smiley in my previous comment.
Nevertheless, ditching Java in favour of C++ is a big move and I wonder how many Java devs will switch over to Android.
Great camera, yes. But I do not understand why they have left out the autofocus. This is a step backwards compared to the Bold 9700...
Ralph, my 9900 photos look better than those from the 9700. Is that any different for you?
i agree with you, Volker. But i often take pictures of documents with the cam, that went better with the 9700 and its autofocus... :-(
Yes, that is true. It does not work well as a scanner replacement. But for normal photography, it works really well. I have seen other manufacturers making the same decision for business phones, like Nokia for the E6 and E7.
The non-autofocus cameras require less space than the ones with autofocus, maybe that´s a reason...
By the way, are there any news from Devcon to the Sharepoint-Client release in germany?
Ralph, the SharePoint client is available in Germany. You should be able to buy licenses for it e.g. through Ingram Micro.
You are right, thank you for the information! It seems like i got wrong informations from our account manager at rim...
I see the camera a little bit behind the camera in my older 9780 especially for documents. But that's not the whole problem.
the biggest problem is the bad battery. When I use the bold 9900 similar to my iPhone 4 (Twitter, Mail, Maps a little bit, telephone), it does not survive the day. About 6.00 in the late afternoon the battery is empty and I have to charge the device. And I tried all three different available firmwares, nothing helped.
And the conclusion: I sold it yesterday. Finish. The end of Bold 9900. And I know a few people who did the same.
I am on bundle 1672 and I have no issues surviving the day. I don't even charge it every single day.
I can run mine for over a day with no issue, but generally charge it at night when I sleep so the next day is no issue. Verizon just released their official OS version which I need to upgrade to.
The camera is much better than before and is getting to the point to remove point and shoot cameras that most people used to carry.