RIM Offers BlackBerry Service Without the BlackBerry

TheCybernator writes "RIM has announced that they're essentially planning to offer BlackBerry service ... without the BlackBerry. The company plans an app suite that will turn its push e-mail technology into a platform for Windows Mobile 6 devices. Less than a week after a network outage crippled BlackBerry users across North America, Research In Motion announced an application pack for Windows Mobile 6 devices that Canadian software developers said will intensify the competition for push e-mail. The firm has said that the BlackBerry Application suite will appear as an icon on the screen of the Mobile Windows device and load BlackBerry applications such as e-mail, phone, calendar, address book, tasks, memos, browser, and instant messaging. RIM said users will easily be able toggle between the two platforms, one of which would have a BlackBerry-style interface."

Comments

Hmmm

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

I suspect RIM is falling into the trap of believing that they can reduce winCE to a "poorly debugged set of device drivers". However, others have tried that path and failed.

For gods sake RIM, don't do a palm/netscape

Re:Hmmm

[afidel]

More like they think that they can get enterprise customers to pay them for simplifying push email to one application rather than having to setup Exchange or Notes or whatever setup to support Windows Mobile devices, and they are right. There are plenty of IT departments out there that are tasked with supporting whatever technology the business decides to use and if they can reduce their own workload for the fairly minimal cost of a BES license they WILL pay.

Re:Hmmm

[D'Arque Bishop]

More like they think that they can get enterprise customers to pay them for simplifying push email to one application rather than having to setup Exchange or Notes or whatever setup to support Windows Mobile devices, and they are right. There are plenty of IT departments out there that are tasked with supporting whatever technology the business decides to use and if they can reduce their own workload for the fairly minimal cost of a BES license they WILL pay.

Uh, I don't know about you guys, but we actually didn't have too much trouble getting our Exchange server to work with the Windows Mobile clients. In fact, right now, we're having more trouble doing a migration/upgrade of our BES than we are working with Exchange 2K3 and Windows Mobile 5.

Pretty much, as long as your Exchange server is up to date (as in, 2003 with latest service pack or 2007) and has Outlook Web Access enabled, plus your WM5 device has the Messaging and Security Feature Pack (which is default with most devices nowadays, I do believe), you should be able to sync with no issues. Getting the free ActiveSync Web Administration add-on for Exchange helps greatly, too.

In all, for the cost of an SSL cert for the OWA, we got just about the same security as the Blackberry and removed a point of failure. (Our WM5 devices still kept working while RIM had their outage.) We didn't have any real trouble setting it up, either, and easy directions are available on the net. I could be mistaken, of course, but all in all, I find it a bit difficult to believe that the cost of a BES plus individual licenses is less than the cost of setting up Exchange 2003 for Windows Mobile access.

Just my $.02...

What is "push email"?

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

What is "push email"? (Seriously.)

Re:What is "push email"?

[Intron]

Seems like that ought to also reduce the server load considerably. It means there is at most one conversation per email, instead of all clients connecting and checking for new mail every X minutes like in normal pop and imap.

Re:Only MS?

[dave420]

Because the Microsoft "junk" is hardly limiting them, considering how popular it is. Trying for any other platform other than MS would be limiting them.

Re:Hey!

[FlyingSquidStudios]

Well, when THEY call the meeting and it's just the two of you and they have to stop every 10 minutes to check their blackberry because they're bored, then maybe they shouldn't be calling the meeting in the first place.

Re:iPhone Connection?

[JacksBrokenCode]

PDAs and phone functionality were blending fast before the iPhone was announced. Although it's still vaporware by definition, the iPhone's introduction is changing the competitive landscape.

I agree that the traditional definitions of PDAs and Phones are homogenizing for many consumers, but can you please explain how this process is being accelerated in any way by the iPhone? From the specs that have been announced so far, there is nothing incredibly novel or revolutionary about the iPhone from the perspective of people currently using smartphones having features that iPhone may (email) or may-not (3rd party apps) have.

The 2 key features that aren't found on currently existing phones are the Visual Voicemail feature and the Multitouch screen. As somebody who hates clearing voicemails, I very much like the Visual Voicemail idea concept but it's not exactly revolutionary. In other words, it's certainly cool but its absence doesn't obsolesce other units. Same thing goes for the Multitouch which, until I personally experience otherwise, is just a gimmick.

iPhone will let you play music (like Verizon's Chocolate), watch video (like Motorola's Q), use email/internet (like any BlackBerry/Treo), view pictures (everybody can already do this and nobody does), install custom apps (wait, iPhone can't). iPhone isn't even the first unit to wrap all those features in 1 package, I'm just listing separate models to illustrate the diversity in the marketplace. Bottom line: iPhone isn't changing any landscape, it's simply bringing Apple's style and flair to the current landscape that was established by Palm and RIM.

RIM opening BES connectivity to other hardware is certainly a good thing, but comparing the currently promised iPhone to BlackBerries/Treos/any-other-true-smartphones is simply naive.