RIM Gives Up After Losing Initial Battle Over BBX Trademark

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RIM Gives Up After Losing Initial Battle Over BBX Trademark

Posted by Unknown on Wednesday December 7, 2011 @03:57AM from the it-turns-out-apple-owns-ten-too dept.

First time accepted submitter Mastadex writes "RIM's brand new BlackBerry mobile OS, due in early 2012, was expected to be called BBX. But due to a recent court ruling against it, RIM has dropped BBX and opted simply for 'BlackBerry 10.' Software company Basis International said a U.S. federal court in Albuquerque has granted a temporary restraining order against RIM, barring it from using Basis's BBX trademark. The court decision bars RIM from using the trademark at its Asian DevCon conference on Wednesday and Thursday in Singapore."

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Well... by americamatrix · 2011-12-07 03:59 · Score: 1

Can't say I didn't see this coming... RIM's had a terrible year. -th3r3isnospoon
OH NOES by GameboyRMH · 2011-12-07 04:00 · Score: 1, Insightful

Now they'll have to name their minor revision of an OS that nobody cares about slightly differently!

--
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
1. Re:OH NOES by hairyfeet · 2011-12-07 04:53 · Score: 2
  
  I know, isn't it just awful? Maybe they should call MSFT to get tips on mobile OSes nobody cares about. Of course its RIM, stupidity personified so it would be like the ultimate battle of the dumbasses if you put them and Ballmer's Folly against each other.
  Lets all be honest for a moment shall we? RIM is dead, they are disco, they are going on the cart whether they feel happy or not. So the big question is this: Who picks over the corpse for the IP? While Google would be my first bet with Steve "I want to be like Apple damn it!" Ballmer in charge of MSFT they might try to pull another crazy yahoo bid for RIM out of their ass. any other takes you guys think?
  
  --
  ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
2. Re:OH NOES by mkosmo · 2011-12-07 05:02 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I urge you to look around and remember how many Blackberries are still being used everywhere. You may not like them, you may have never used one, and your experience may be limited to these sensationalized news articles, but enough people still use Blackberries that it is actually important.
  I carry two phones, one company Blackberry and my personal Samsung Galaxy S2. Before I got my GalaxyS2, I carried a personal Blackberry. They are good phones and their software is solid. Not many other smartphones can go weeks without having to be rebooted, especially with the battery life they pull.
3. Re:OH NOES by GameboyRMH · 2011-12-07 05:02 · Score: 0
  
  MS would be smart to buy RIM, but they'd probably do something dumb with it (like switching the OS to godawful WP7) rather than just making the Blackberry network more reliable (as in not completely centralized!) and continuing to sell bland, admin-friendly corporate messaging appliances.
  
  --
  "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
4. Re:OH NOES by GameboyRMH · 2011-12-07 05:16 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Oh I know, tons of companies and even a few misguided people use Blackberries. But nobody cares about the OS. It's a boring appliance for messaging and some basic browsing. Upgrades add just a few features, usually bringing the BlackberryOS' capabilities in line with what cheapo phones had 5 years ago (and thus the good battery life). It's the most boring part of the boring tool that is the boring Blackberry.
  The Blackberry is the fleet van of the mobile device world. Nobody raves about the Ford Econoline and most would not like one for a personal vehicle. Same with Blackberries.
  
  --
  "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
5. Re:OH NOES by na1led · 2011-12-07 05:22 · Score: 0
  
  Our company use to have Blackberry phones with BES server. We had so many problems with the BES server, we were out a whole week without email or calendars - even RIM support couldn't help us. That's when we decided to Ditch BlackBerry and go with iPhones and Android, no one in the company has regretted that decision, in fact many have asked why we didn't switch earlier!
  
  --
  -- By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
6. Re:OH NOES by quarterbuck · 2011-12-07 05:48 · Score: 1
  
  The Blackberry is the fleet van of the mobile device world. Nobody raves about the Ford Econoline and most would not like one for a personal vehicle.
  YMMV, especially in Top Gear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQJKQjXpGQA
  
  --
  http://slashdot.org/submission/1062723/Cheap-mobile-data-plan?art_pos=2
7. Re:OH NOES by BagOBones · 2011-12-07 05:56 · Score: 2
  
  The blackberries network is almost the only alternative to Microsoft's Activesync so I would imagine getting it out of the way would be a big win for them.
  
  --
  EA David Gardner -"... but the consumers have proven that actually what they want is fun."
8. Re:OH NOES by BagOBones · 2011-12-07 06:01 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  I look around all the time, I take a commuter train into work every morning, the phones have gone from Blackberries to almost 100% iPhones in the last 4 years.
  In the office we have supported BB and Activesync for just as long... in the Windows Mobile days we had a handful of WM users and hundreds of BBs, now we offer a corp BB or opt out and user Activesync program... We now have fewer than 100 BBs and hundreds of attached Activesync devices almost all iPhones and a few Android.
  
  --
  EA David Gardner -"... but the consumers have proven that actually what they want is fun."
9. Re:OH NOES by Beorytis · 2011-12-07 06:10 · Score: 1
  
  The Blackberry is the fleet van of the mobile device world. Nobody raves about the Ford Econoline and most would not like one for a personal vehicle. Same with Blackberries.
  Maybe it's more like the Light Utility Vehicle of the mobile device world... Nobody raves about the Light Utility Vehicle but the US Military buys thousands of them.
10. Re:OH NOES by mkosmo · 2011-12-07 06:40 · Score: 2
  
  I'd like to see that. iPhones don't have that much grab. The market distribution with regards to smartphones seems to be still ~40% iPhone, ~40% Android, ~20% Blackberry. Most of the market research seemed to indicate that last time I saw it, too.
11. Re:OH NOES by mkosmo · 2011-12-07 06:44 · Score: 2
  
  even a few misguided people use Blackberries.
  Please, oh please, tell me why I am misguided. I'd love to hear your reason. A Blackberry is a phone. A phone is a tool. You choose a tool that does the job you need it to do. iPhones don't always make the cut, or any other phone for that matter. I am personally offended now.
  Now, regarding the rest of your post: Yes, and like I said, they just plain work. A lot of people will trade fancy flashlights built in to their phones for stability. I personally would rather have a 100% working phone than flash capabilities. You may not think about the Ford Econoline, Chevy Express, or even the Mack trucks on the road, but without them, the world stops spinning.
12. Re:OH NOES by GameboyRMH · 2011-12-07 06:48 · Score: 0
  
  I'll admit, if you buy a Blackberry because you just wanted a simple phone to call/text and maybe occasionally surf, and the BB turned out to be a better deal financially than a cheapo Nokia for some reason (or because you want the thumb keyboard), that makes sense. But in that case I should probably get off your lawn :-P
  
  --
  "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
13. Re:OH NOES by Pope · 2011-12-07 07:05 · Score: 2
  
  True. They should have called it Research In Motion Blackberry OS for Mobile Phones and Tablets version 10.
  
  --
  It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
14. Re:OH NOES by mkosmo · 2011-12-07 07:11 · Score: 2
  
  Or you want reliable email and communications, you know. iPhone and Android suck at ensuring your email and/or text messages get out. Blackberries just don't give up. Email, too. Many times my Android phone has tried to send an email just to finally send it out the next day. My Blackberries have never not been persistent. If signal goes out, they pick up as soon as they can.
  Don't get me wrong, I love my Android phone, but the Blackberry holds a place in this world. I would love to have a company issued other-phone, but the Blackberry makes sure I stay in touch. It's all for the better that all of the games on it suck.
  PS, have you tried BBOS 6? It's actually pretty slick... especially on the Torch.
15. Re:OH NOES by gnawingonfoot · 2011-12-07 07:29 · Score: 1
  
  This can't be right! My phone still runs PalmOS v5, and I refuse to be statistically insignificant!
16. Re:OH NOES by Just+Some+Guy · 2011-12-07 08:05 · Score: 1
  
  iPhone and Android suck at ensuring your email and/or text messages get out.
  [citation needed]. I have never - not once in 3+ years - ever experienced a delayed email sent from an iOS device. I'm not ever sure under what circumstances that'd be possible.
  
  --
  Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
17. Re:OH NOES by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 08:19 · Score: 0
  
  [citation needed]. I have never - not once in 3+ years - ever experienced a delayed email sent from an iOS device. I'm not ever sure under what circumstances that'd be possible.
  The plural of anecdote is not data.
18. Re:OH NOES by Just+Some+Guy · 2011-12-07 08:28 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  The plural of anecdote is not data.
  Thank you for agreeing with me that mkosmo has no data to support his ridiculous claims that Androids and iPhones aren't good at sending mail.
  
  --
  Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
19. Re:OH NOES by mkosmo · 2011-12-07 09:05 · Score: 2
  
  You are lucky then. Or rather, perhaps I'm just unlucky. I haven't dicked with any iDevices in a while, so perhaps its a nonissue there, but I continue to see it on my Android device. Once I narrow the reasoning, I'll submit a bug report, but until then, how am I supposed to cite experience?
20. Re:OH NOES by mkosmo · 2011-12-07 09:06 · Score: 1
  
  Palm 5? Wow, I haven't seen that in a while! If you don't mind me asking (and you're not being sarcastic), which phone do you run?
21. Re:OH NOES by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 09:40 · Score: 0
  
  I've never had a problem with iOS sending emails, either. My fuck-buddy has an android phone of some sort and emails are often delayed by hours or days.
22. Re:OH NOES by narcc · 2011-12-07 10:23 · Score: 2
  
  Now they'll have to name their minor revision of an OS that nobody cares about slightly differently!
  Wow. It's like you've gone out of your way to be as uninformed as possible.
  BB10 is a radical departure from the old BBOS -- hell, it's a completely different operating system!
  RIM acquired QNX some time ago and have been getting it ready for the next generation of smartphones. QNX, as you probably already know, is a rock-solid RTOS. It runs nuclear reactors FFS!
  Put simply, QNX (BB10) is the most advanced and capable mobile OS in the world. It is in no way "a minor revision" of their old OS.
  As for "no one cares", if that's true, they should. BB10 is at least a generation ahead of Android and iOS. They've set the new standard for what a mobile OS should be.
  
  --
  Required reading for internet skeptics
23. Re:OH NOES by narcc · 2011-12-07 10:31 · Score: 1
  
  rather than just making the Blackberry network more reliable (as in not completely centralized!)
  That's too funny! RIM has better up-time than most service providers. Hell, RIM has better up-time than the electricity in your house. Of the three outages they've had in the last ten years, the longest was the most recent. Even then, most of their users were completely unaffected. Of those affected, most only experienced slow-downs. Hell, most affected users experienced problems for less than a day.
  Oh, and RIM didn't lose a single message. Everything was delivered.
  Contrast that with Apple, which has an abominable track-record when it comes to service up-time. You many not remember the 18-day outage their MobileMe service suffered in 2008, probably because of the continuous stream of outages that barely reliable $99/year service suffered until it got rolled into iCloud. Hell, iCloud and Siri have already suffered outages. Even Google, known for their up-time, has suffered more outages than RIM has in the last 10 years.
  When it comes to reliability, RIM is unmatched. Why Apples flaky infrastructure gets a pass while RIMs rock-solid infrastructure get's pounded, I'll never know.
  
  --
  Required reading for internet skeptics
24. Re:OH NOES by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 11:48 · Score: 0
  
  Well.. then there are two of us who are lucky.. or you are unlucky. Cause I've never had an email fail to deliver in a timely fashion on my Android. Either of them, actually. I've only had two, and the first was the G1.
25. Re:OH NOES by swalve · 2011-12-07 12:18 · Score: 1
  
  You mention something that went mostly unnoticed: the RIM outage was mostly about catching up with all the cached messages. The initial failure was fixed pretty quickly, and if they had just dumped the data, it would have been over in no time. Instead, out of a concern for people's data and a respect for the trust people put in them, they made life harder on themselves. That bought my loyalty for a long time.
  
  I guess geeks don't like any downtime they haven't caused themselves.
26. Re:OH NOES by swalve · 2011-12-07 12:23 · Score: 1
  
  I'm sure that had nothing to do with the crap hardware on a crap connection that your BES was running on...
27. Re:OH NOES by na1led · 2011-12-07 14:58 · Score: 0
  
  we had purchased new servers and switches. Had nothing to do with the equipment. BES just wasn't compatible with our exchange 2010 server and RIM couldn't solve the problem. BB is old technology and that's why so many people getting rid of these phones. We donated or trashed about 30 BB phones. You can buy them for pennies on ebay.
  
  --
  -- By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
28. Re:OH NOES by gnawingonfoot · 2011-12-08 15:16 · Score: 1
  
  No sarcasm at all! I'm a poor grad student in the humanities, so fancy tech toys are not something I can afford, but when I find something that I like, I stick with it for a long time. With my last phone upgrade, I went with a Palm Centro because it was cheap, and I needed a new device to put my eReader software on, since my old Palm z22 had finally kicked the bucket a few weeks before. I'll probably continue using the phone until the battery starts to fade, but for now, I'm still getting a comfortable 3 days worth of use before it's even lost half of its charge.
29. Re:OH NOES by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-09 12:33 · Score: 0
  
  You, sir, are mistaken. BB Browser has beaten the competition in speed and html5 compatibility for quite some time.
There work here is done by sgbett · 2011-12-07 04:00 · Score: 4, Funny

Until this case came up a while back, I didn't have the slightest idea that they were releasing a new OS.
I'd say it has been a resounding success!

--
Invaders must die
1. Re:There work here is done by mkosmo · 2011-12-07 05:08 · Score: 1
  Unless you follow RIM closely, you'd probably never know. Most people don't care!
  
  BBOS 6.0 was announced in April of 2010, then released in Q3 of the same year.
  BBOS 7.0 was annouced in May of 2011, then released in August of the same year.
  I'd say that a release a year is about right for what they're doing, and I foresee it being the same.
2. Re:There work here is done by anomaly256 · 2011-12-07 08:37 · Score: 1
  
  Screw RIM. I only know about it because I've been following QNX. Frankly, I'd love to see RIM go under, get taken over, and QNX ending up in the hands of someone who'll reopen the source and let me legally continue my projects I was working on before RIM got their mitts on it. :)
  
  Feels a bit weird cheering for the OS yet hoping the house collapses while everyone else seems to be the other way around; loving the company but eh'ing the OS change
3. Re:There work here is done by Lucky_Norseman · 2011-12-07 11:32 · Score: 1
  
  Screw RIM. I only know about it because I've been following QNX. Frankly, I'd love to see RIM go under, get taken over, and QNX ending up in the hands of someone who'll reopen the source and let me legally continue my projects I was working on before RIM got their mitts on it. :)
  A more likely scenario if RIM should go under is that QNX is sold to Microsoft who will then lock it safely away.
  Be careful what you wish for.
4. Re:There work here is done by anomaly256 · 2011-12-07 11:50 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah I know it's a gambit. But stranger things have happened in the past.
Hope this fixes some of their problems by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 04:07 · Score: 3, Interesting

I sure as hell am not going to use iOS or Android. What is left besides Blackberry? Windows Mobile? Not a chance.
1. Re:Hope this fixes some of their problems by masternerdguy · 2011-12-07 04:12 · Score: 2
  
  You can roll your own.
  
  --
  To offset political mods, replace Flamebait with Insightful.
2. Re:Hope this fixes some of their problems by ByOhTek · 2011-12-07 04:18 · Score: 0
  
  May I ask what is wrong with Android?
  And Windows Phone 7 is ok, the biggest problem is that their restrictions devs, specifically with network access and restrictions that prevent apps on the same phone from sharing data with each other (i.e. no way to share files on the FS, 127.0.0.1 network access isn't really possible, so you have to have a remote web-file/data sharing service that your phone uploads the data to, from one app, and downloads it from there, in the other app).
  Errr... yeah, the OS is ok, but don't expect many terribly useful apps from it, that weren't made by MS.
  
  --
  Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
3. Re:Hope this fixes some of their problems by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 04:21 · Score: 0, Flamebait
  
  It is designed and controlled by a marketing company, not a tech company. I don't trust Google , I don't use Google and I won't support anything Google does.
4. Re:Hope this fixes some of their problems by TheGratefulNet · 2011-12-07 04:26 · Score: 1
  
  DIY w/arduinos?
  (maybe 1/4 serious. the DIY part, that is.)
  the public phone network is closed for radio systems of your own making; but its not hard to get 'online' with wifi. its not at all the same level of coverage, but that sure seems to be shifting fast, over time.
  personally, I'd like to see cell networks used less and less (directly) and peer based wifi more and more. yes, uplinks still need public networks but not every single mobile person has to be an *endpoint* on a public network. that's the con that they are selling you. but tech wise, its not needed! more wifi coverage and more open hw/sw would benefit us all.
  comms is getting more and more monitored and locked up. lets free it by taking it back to the people via our own smaller nets that link together. at least balance some of the connectivity power (that's my hope). and I don't mean volts and amps kind of power, necessarily.
  
  --
  
  --
  "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
5. Re:Hope this fixes some of their problems by LoudNoiseElitist · 2011-12-07 04:40 · Score: 0
  
  Your loss.
6. Re:Hope this fixes some of their problems by GameboyRMH · 2011-12-07 04:53 · Score: 0
  
  'Sup bonch.
  
  --
  "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
7. Re:Hope this fixes some of their problems by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 05:02 · Score: 0, Informative
  
  I didn't know Richard Stallman was here on Slashdot!
  Seriously, unless you are living in the woods, off the grid, and 100% self sufficient, everything that you do will at some point involve interacting with a big corporation.
  Deal with it, or head off to the woods.
8. Re:Hope this fixes some of their problems by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 05:39 · Score: 1
  
  Dealing with a big corp is not the issue, otherwise I wouldn't use RIM phones. Dealing with Google is the problem.
9. Re:Hope this fixes some of their problems by Buelldozer · 2011-12-07 07:47 · Score: 1
  
  See http://www.republicwireless.com/
10. Re:Hope this fixes some of their problems by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 07:53 · Score: 0
  
  It is designed and controlled by a marketing company, not a tech company.
  I'm impressed and amused at how quickly all the haters jumped on this dogma once someone engineered it into an easily-digestible soundbite. It's almost as funny to read as the "Google did something I mildly disagree wTEHY MUST BE EEEEEEEEVULLLLLLLLLLLLLZ" crowd.
  Remind me again, are we the product or the customer? I keep forgetting, and I need someone to keep drilling that into my head 24/7 in every conceivable discussion, lest I forget due to the fact that they do cool, useful stuff regardless.
Court overreach? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 04:09 · Score: 0

Strange that a US court can tell a company what they can't do in another country.
1. Re:Court overreach? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 04:12 · Score: 0
  
  They didn't. They are free to do what the want in any other country, but they can't market it under that name in the U.S. It's easier to change overall instead of for just one country.
  International companies have to follow the laws of each and every countrie they operate in.
2. Re:Court overreach? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 04:35 · Score: 0
  
  Well, they did. An American court told a Canadian company what they can't do in Singapore.
  It does seem to be a bit of a stretch to claim that this is in any way sane.
Versioning for fun and profit ? by Essef · 2011-12-07 04:11 · Score: 5, Informative

I was at the keynote for the devcon in Singapore today. I was surprised to note that the OS version seemed to jump from the up-and-coming 7.1 to 10 next year. Then while queuing up for the free playbook, we had to sign a "license agreement" for the 2.0 beta OS loaded on some of the devices.
On a sidenote the keynote and all other opening prezzies were delivered using a Macbook pro which had the back covered to obscure the apple logo. I would have liked it better, seeing how much they were loving the HTML 5 on stage, if they'd actually eaten their own dogfood and delivered an awesome HTML5 prezzie using the Playbook+HDMI
1. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe they're using octal.
2. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by bill_mcgonigle · 2011-12-07 04:39 · Score: 1
  
  I was surprised to note that the OS version seemed to jump from the up-and-coming 7.1 to 10 next year
  Well, Apple switched to '10' when they went UNIX. Perhaps RIM is just pedantically imitating their successful competition. Oh, right, now I see it: BBX = Black Berry X. So, not just '10', but 'X'.
  Then while queuing up for the free playbook, we had to sign a "license agreement" for the 2.0 beta OS loaded on some of the devices.
  OK, really imitating.
  On a sidenote the keynote and all other opening prezzies were delivered using a Macbook pro which had the back covered to obscure the apple logo
  Game, set match. Wait, are they trying to steal a company's trademark in court too?
  Note to RIM: Apple didn't succeed by imitating Microsoft. Glad to see you're shipping phones on the Unix family tree and all, but that's not itself sufficient to be a major market player.
  
  --
  My God, it's Full of Source!
  OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
3. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by malevolentjelly · 2011-12-07 04:40 · Score: 2
  
  They probably could have given a proper powerpoint presentation in addition to that with a Playbook, given that it has a full office suite on it. They really need to embrace this platform more and not let the bitter tech world scare them.
4. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by Pope · 2011-12-07 04:47 · Score: 1
  
  On a sidenote the keynote and all other opening prezzies were delivered using a Macbook pro which had the back covered to obscure the apple logo.
  That's pretty damn lame. It's not like they're Dell or Sony, actual PC-type hardware makers that would feel the need to hide a competitor's hardware.
  
  --
  It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
5. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 05:01 · Score: 0
  
  I was confused too. "Prezzie" is typically slang for a gift. I figured they all got MacBook Pros with covered logos.
6. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by mkosmo · 2011-12-07 05:10 · Score: 1
  
  Oh, right, now I see it: BBX = Black Berry X. So, not just '10', but 'X'.
  Dude, X is 10. Roman numerals. OSX is OS10, as they were at Mac OS9 previously. Acrobat Reader X was also 10, as the previous version was 9.
7. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by tlhIngan · 2011-12-07 06:41 · Score: 1
  
  I was surprised to note that the OS version seemed to jump from the up-and-coming 7.1 to 10 next year
  Well, Apple switched to '10' when they went UNIX. Perhaps RIM is just pedantically imitating their successful competition. Oh, right, now I see it: BBX = Black Berry X. So, not just '10', but 'X'.
  Not really. The previous MacOS was 9.x (9.2.2 I think). 10.x logically follows from that. Though now they're not even calling it by version anymore, just cat names. (Snow Leopard is 10.6, Lion is 10.7, but the official documentation now just calls it "Snow Leopard" and "Lion").
  Before that was MacOS 8. And before that was the famous System 7 (1990-1991), renamed MacOS 7 sometime around 7.5 or so. And there were Systems 6 through the original in 1984.
  So Mac OS X (pronounced "ten") is following a logical progression of version numbers. At least, until that point.
8. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 06:44 · Score: 0
  
  Anyone who seriously uses the term "prezzie" instead of presentation is a useless, retarded piece of shit who deserves to be run over by a train immediately. GO DIE you fucking faggoty pile of horse shit asshole cunt biting nigger.
  Sounds like someone is coming out of the closet...
  Just sayn'
9. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by bill_mcgonigle · 2011-12-07 09:06 · Score: 1
  
  Dude, X is 10. Roman numerals. OSX is OS10, as they were at Mac OS9 previously. Acrobat Reader X was also 10, as the previous version was 9.
  Obviously, but you don't agree that using the Roman Numeral was an unusual stylistic decision that was subsequently mimicked by Adobe, Microsoft, and RIM?
  
  --
  My God, it's Full of Source!
  OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
10. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by bill_mcgonigle · 2011-12-07 09:11 · Score: 1
  
  So Mac OS X (pronounced "ten") is following a logical progression of version numbers. At least, until that point.
  Right, Apple made a style decision, but RIM is just engaging in mimicry.
  
  --
  My God, it's Full of Source!
  OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
11. Re:Versioning for fun and profit ? by mkosmo · 2011-12-07 10:11 · Score: 1
  
  I'd be willing to bet that if we looked, there'd be prior art before Apple's OSX. I just spent a few minutes Googling, but as you may imagine, trying to find that is rather difficult.
Should have called it BBQ by denis-The-menace · 2011-12-07 04:18 · Score: 3, Funny

BBQ = BlackBerry QNX
QNX (cue-nix) is the OS they are putting on the BlackBerry.
It would stick in people's mind like BBQ sauce to your shirt.

--
Obama's legacy: (N)othing (S)ecure (A)nywhere and (T)error (S)imulation (A)dministration
1. Re:Should have called it BBQ by x1n933k · 2011-12-07 04:51 · Score: 1
  
  I'm pretty sure that was part of their initial brainstorming of names, but business people respond better to edgy sounding names like 'X', and 'RR' when it comes to products. Scientific fact.
  
  BBQ would have just made them more of a laughing stock,"Hey did you try Black Berry's new OS BBQ? No? Well I hear it's 'well-done!'"
  
  Can you imagine?
2. Re:Should have called it BBQ by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 08:26 · Score: 0
  
  or BBD = Black Berry DOS.
It just goes to prove... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 04:22 · Score: 1

...Apple's penis is bigger. When they want to steal an existing name, they either buy it or intimidate your ass with lawyers until you cave. Blackberry is such a wimp in comparison.
RIM by AdamJS · 2011-12-07 04:32 · Score: 0

A case study in how to be just incompetent enough that you don't end up like Nokia, yet don't make any progress either.
RIM gives up by larry+bagina · 2011-12-07 04:34 · Score: 0

I stopped reading after the first three words. Just like they should have given up three years ago.

--
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
1. Re:RIM gives up by dwm · 2011-12-07 05:01 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I stopped reading after the first three words. Just like they should have given up three years ago.
  Just remember -- they were saying the same thing about Apple 15 years ago.
  Things can turn quickly.
2. Re:RIM gives up by Lucky_Norseman · 2011-12-07 11:50 · Score: 1
  
  Why on Earth should they give up when they are still growing and still making a profit?
  GM doesn't close shop just because Toyota sells more cars.
I couldn't resist by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 04:37 · Score: 0

from the it-turns-out-apple-owns-ten-too dept.
Actually Square-Enix owns X-2... and nobody wants it.
That's a huge favor... by sampson7 · 2011-12-07 04:59 · Score: 1

Blackberry 10 is so much a better name than BBX. I mean, really - what the ****! That's a terrible name! Why would you engage in litigation over it? Maybe if they start losing more cases, they'll start doing better....
Who is RIM? by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 04:59 · Score: 0

and why do we care?
hands up ... by nblender · 2011-12-07 05:13 · Score: 1

...everyone who was forced to program in BBX's Business Basic when they were fresh out of school....
To be honest, when I heard that RIM was using 'BBX' as the name of its new OS, I immediately thought of Basis's BBX.
1. Re:hands up ... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 08:01 · Score: 0
  
  One of our main systems that we still use is written in BBX. Until last month, it was also hosted on a SCO Unix box. Just last year, we got rid of our OS/2 Warp machine. What have I done with my life...
2. Re:hands up ... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 08:58 · Score: 0
  
  I didn't write *in* BBx so much as write it - I did most of the file and device I/O side while Scott did the language side (I think we kind of split the math). I moved on from that some time ago but still hear from some of the folks using it still. There's quite a bit of stuff out there in BBx mostly as a result of being able to swap the platform it's running on out from under it without any recompilation.
Insert here by Kamiza+Ikioi · 2011-12-07 05:35 · Score: 4, Funny

I sure as hell am not going to use W or X. What is left besides Y? Z? Not a chance.
Brilliant system! It works great on all sorts of things!
Windows, OSX, Ubutnu, BeOS
Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Guacamole
Engadget, Mashable, Slashdot, PCWorld

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I8-D
Re:It's about time someone slapped them. by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 06:18 · Score: 0

But wait! Terrible place to work?? RIM just won some ranking BS lately claiming they were the BESTEST place to work on the whole planet! You know, like a high tech Disneyland! Wait, you mean RIM payed for that PR?
Former RIM employee here. VERY former. RIM was beyond toxic when I worked there and years later nothing has changed. The same incompetent back-stabbers that were running rampant in my day are now VPs (see the recent arrest of the two drunken idiots on that plane). I am not surprised RIM is choking on it's own vomit. I AM surprised it didn't happen YEARS ago.
The real question is... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-07 06:57 · Score: 0

Why doesn't Blackberry just give up all-together?
1. Re:The real question is... by kenboldt · 2011-12-07 07:23 · Score: 2
  
  I'd say that the $8,825,000,000 in gross profit last year is what keeps them in business. In case you couldn't understand all those zeros, that's $8.825 BILLION.
2. Re:The real question is... by symbolset · 2011-12-07 12:15 · Score: 1
  
  Wow. I just noticed the P/E on RIMM is 3. That's amazing. The world must really believe in their doom. And then I look at their balance sheet and they're carrying half the cash and twice the inventory as usual in August. Almost like people stopped buying their stuff, but they kept making it anyway.
  
  --
  Help stamp out iliturcy.
3. Re:The real question is... by Sean · 2011-12-07 21:42 · Score: 1
  
  Haven't you heard? Trillions are the new Billions.
Minor yet major issue by Alomex · 2011-12-07 07:31 · Score: 1

Changing the name of your OS after trademark infringement is a minor issue, Failinc to check if your chosen name is available is rather troubling as this is routine for large, well-run corporations.
1. Re:Minor yet major issue by narcc · 2011-12-07 15:20 · Score: 1
  
  I seriously doubt the the decision makers were unaware of Basis's BBx claim. It's much more likely that RIM thought that their industries were different enough that their use wouldn't constitute infringement.
  
  --
  Required reading for internet skeptics
2. Re:Minor yet major issue by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-08 01:56 · Score: 0
  
  I seriously doubt the the decision makers were unaware of Basis's BBx claim. It's much more likely that RIM thought that their industries were different enough that their use wouldn't constitute infringement.
  Or maybe this has just been a rather nifty way to get lots of publicity for the new OS. Oh, those crafty Canadians!
Neutrino by Kupfernigk · 2011-12-07 09:40 · Score: 1

Actually they missed a trick; it's QNX neutrino (and it is a very nice, solid OS for a phone...) but at the time nobody knew that neutrinos would suddenly become exciting.
BB Neutrino - slightly faster than light if you believe some Italians. Yes, that's a Canadian style marketing campaign.

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From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
What do you mean? by LostMyBeaver · 2011-12-07 19:43 · Score: 1

I don't want to sound like a noob... but last I checked, ActiveSync is really just a device syncing protocol with an support through a desktop application and support through Microsoft Exchange to do it. I thought that the blackberry network was pretty much just a mail and messaging service.

It seems to me that these are pretty much features that are pretty common on mobile devices these days... Android and iOS sync pretty well with Google calendars/mail etc... and iOS syncs pretty well with exchange... and then you can choose to use iCloud on iOS as well if you really want to.

There are also open source servers which support the exchange active sync protocol so far as I know.

Does Blackberry network or ActiveSync do anything special that isn't pretty much available everywhere else.. and I mean other than try to lock you into a specific vendor?