Tech bytes for tea?

At last, I see signs of some movement from Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of the  BlackBerry smartphone, in response to the inroads that its rival are making into the smartphone scene.

Is this what a BlackPad will look like?

It is much too early to tell whether this move will help RIM stave off its rivals’ inroads into its market share, but it is at least something. However, I believe RIM needs more than just a new device. Apple is successful because of the entire framework – apps, iTunes, chic branding. RIM is lagging in the Apps arena and does not have any music framework. The only thing it can leverage on is its branding from the success of its BlackBerrys. Even that is fading fast in the face of the popularity of the iPhone. I wonder if people still use BlackBerry as a verb anymore? Assessing company email from the phone is old news. What do people talk about nowadays? Apps – Apple apps and Android Apps.

RIM has acquired the internet rights to blackpad.com, fueling speculation that it is developing a tablet device to challenge Apple’s wildly successful iPad.

According to the Whois database of Internet domain names, the domain name assigned to RIM was created on July 8 and expires Sept. 8, 2011.

Bloomberg reports that there was no record of a trademark application for “blackpad” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as of today.

Apple, the maker of the iPad, claimed in June that it has sold 3 million of the tablet computers within 80 days of launch in the US.

Other device makers are vying to develop tablets following Apple’s success with its iPad, although the concept of tablet computers is not new and had been actively but not as successfully pursued by Microsoft nearly a decade ago.

Hewlett-Packard, which bought smartphone maker Palm earlier this month, applied to the Patent Office on July 9 to register the name Palmpad for computers and computer software. HP said last week it plans to produce a tablet device this year.

BlackBerry smartphone from RIM

Canadian based Research In Motion (RIM) is hoping to woo consumers as BlackBerry loses ground to Apple’s iPhone and smartphones running Google’s Android operating system. RIM currently leads with 41 percent of the market share for smartphones versus 22 percent for Apple, according to Gartner.

BlackBerry’s strengths lie in their strong security features and data capabilities, which is what corporate clients value. RIM had grabbed the lead in market share by enabling wireless email access easy and secure for BlackBerry users.

However, easy email access has become a basic feature in smartphones, with Apple’s iPhone and Android-based smartphones boasting hip handsets and vast librabries of applications that let users customize their phones.

As of July, there are 225,000 iPhone apps and 65,000 Android apps, compared to 7000 for the BlackBerry. RIM needs to persuade software developers to produce more apps for BlackBerrys, in order to attract consumers. Wade Beavers, US-based software developer has built 142 apps for the iPhone, 130 for Android, and “no more than seven” for the Blackberry.

Beavers griped that RIM is difficult to work with because the apps need to be customised for different BlackBerry models. He said that interest in BlackBerry apps among users is so limited that it’s hard to make money from the programs that he does write for it. Beavers added that “developing for RIM is just a waste of time until they can show there’s an appetite for apps on their platform”.

BlackBerry’s weak browser capability is another issue. Although CTOs do not covet or welcome fun features like games and video apps for their employees, more users want their companies to smartphones sexier than the BlackBerry.

Bloomberg reports that “PayPay has gone from all BlackBerrys two years ago to about half iPhones today”. Other companies like OCBC bank in Singapore are also switching from BlackBerry to other platforms.

A friend of mine carries two phones – a BlackBerry issued by the company and her personal smartphone. She uses the BlackBerry only to access the company’s messaging system and the Windows-based Acer smartphone for everything else. She does not enjoy the Acer at all, but at least she does not change the company name – she has nicknamed RIM to RIP and strongly believes it will follow the footsteps of the killed KINs in the not-too-distant future. That’s how much she enjoys her BlackBerry – not to mention the hassle of having to carry two handphones.

RIM is poised to unleash a wave of new technology which Co-Chief Executive Officer Jim Balsillie promises will have consumers “blown away”. Although RIM’s sneak peek of the BlackBerry 6 technology in April did not spark much enthusiasm, Balsille says he is planning a new look for BlackBerry’s devices, enhanced software and a better user experience.

I am looking forward to hearing more specific details of what these features are.