Remember BlackBerry? Or better yet, “CrackBerry?” What happened to them? Oh, they’re still around, and they plan on making a comeback with BlackBerry 10. Will Research In Motion (RIM) successfully reenter the world of smartphones with BlackBerry 10 and gain back what was once theirs? Will it offer something unique that the other mobile platforms can’t? Here are the top 10 facts you need to know about BlackBerry 10.
1. BlackBerry is Counting on BB10 on Being a Third Major Mobile Platform
Or more like the fourth. Microsoft recently released its version of a phone operating system with Windows Phone 8, so the competition is growing. Apple iOS and Android are the other two leading platforms. A lot is riding on the release of BlackBerry 10 as its last shot at redemption. If it tanks, the future will look grim for BlackBerry.
2. Since 2011, BlackBerry Dropped in U.S. Market Share From 50% to 1%
Not too long ago, BlackBerry reigned over smartphones. Users would brag about how superior their BlackBerry was, BBMing was all the rage (which always sounded a bit inappropriate to me) and it even got nicknamed “CrackBerry” because of how addicting it was. The BlackBerry frenzy seemed to end just as fast as it started when Apple and Android came along and took the spotlight. From 2011 to now, BlackBerry experienced a market drop in US market share from nearly 50% to 1%. Yikes. In fact, the company’s only market now is in India and Indonesia.
3. BlackBerry 10 Doesn’t Seem to Offer Much More
With the amount of phone operating systems growing in number, how unique can they all be from one another? A phone’s a phone, right? Pretty much. BlackBerry 10 doesn’t seem to be anything spectacular when compared to the other operating systems. Some features it’s boasting is the “BlackBerry Flow and BlackBerry Hub” and the “BlackBerry Keyboard.” The Blackberry Flow and Hub sends all messages, notifications, feeds and calendar events to one screen and with a gesture can be opened at any time. Basically it’s the same as the drop-down menu Apple and Android already offer. The BlackBerry Keyboard learns how you write and adapts to how you type. Once again, I think the other phones mastered this already. Good try though BlackBerry!
4. Offers a Feature that Provides Work/Life Balance
Although, there is one new feature that the other operating systems don’t have: BlackBerry Balance. BlackBerry is famous for being the corporate phone while Apple and Android for personal use. Many businessmen and businesswomen actually even have separate phones; their BlackBerry for work and whatever other phone they have for everything else. BlackBerry Balance is a way to bridge the gap between work phones and personal phones by separating professional tasks from personal tasks completely.
5. It Will Have 100,000 Apps on Launch
The BlackBerry market will have about 100,000 apps when it launches, a record for any new platform at launch. Though it’s a record, it’s meager in comparison to what Apple and Android already have.
6. It’s Now Being Tested by Over 50 Carriers
More than 50 carriers around the world are already testing BlackBerry 10 and its smartphones, but it is unsure how many U.S. carriers will support the phone.
7. The BlackBerry 10 Looks Bigger Than the iPhone
This is a leaked photo of one of the BlackBerry 10 devices next to an iPhone 5. From the looks of it, it looks a bit taller and a bit wider than the Apple competitor. This is only one of a few BlackBerry 10 models.
8. It’s Being Released on January 30
9. RIM CEO is Confident BB10 Will be Successful
RIM CEO Thorsten Heins says he thinks BlackBerry 10 will be a success. He says that he can’t “expect things to get much worse” for the company and that BlackBerry 10 will have features that customers will enjoy right away. Well, I’m glad Heins is so confident because he will need all the confidence he can muster up. Good luck BlackBerry.
10. Can’t Wait? Download the BlackBerry 10 Countdown App
Count down the days until BlackBerry 10 arrives with the BB10 Countdown app.