So who leads the geo-social universe?

The Microsoft/Skype deal was a surprise for many of us. The high price, the meaning of it, strategically were not all clear.

Techcrunch recently published an interesting article on the implication of the Skype deal on the balance of power in the social network universe and it turns out it certainly tips the game into Microsoft’s favor.

Skype is leading the number of registered users (663 million), higher than Facebook (629 million), and QZone (480 million). Add to this the 364 million active Hotmail users and the 330 million Windows Live users (not shown in the graphic above) and it's clear that Microsoft now has an aggressive presence. I just hope they will take it to new directions where everything is integrated and working as one piece.

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The Microsoft/Skype deal was a surprise for many of us. The high price, the meaning of it, strategically were not all clear.

Techcrunch recently published an interesting article on the implication of the Skype deal on the balance of power in the social network universe and it turns out it certainly tips the game into Microsoft’s favor.

Skype is leading the number of registered users (663 million), higher than Facebook (629 million), and QZone (480 million). Add to this the 364 million active Hotmail users and the 330 million Windows Live users (not shown in the graphic above) and it's clear that Microsoft now has an aggressive presence. I just hope they will take it to new directions where everything is integrated and working as one piece.

Must See Video of Windows Phone 7 Mango Release

The more I read and watch the new features of Windows Phone's Mango release – the more I'm convinced; Windows Phone is, indeed, the next big thing in mobility. It may not overcome Android eventually in terms of sales numbers, but it is (already!) bringing the message: a new kind of mobile approach, a new kind of user interface and a new kind of synergy between functionalities, features, and apps.

By now I assume most of you saw the new press release by Microsoft about the Mango release of Windows Phone. I won't repeat the details (some of it can be found in here), but I will just say this: It looks solid, it looks like Microsoft has a clear path, and as time moves forward this path isn't changing. It's just getting better…

Joe Belfiore, the man behind Zune and currently Windows Phone, is probably the one to "blame" when it comes to the great UI stuff we've seen so far by Microsoft in Windows Phone 7.

The 'Metro UI' is simply amazing. This simple yet genius typography-based design language, with the special Segoe WP font is simply getting better and better every day. No wonder it is planned to become the main UI experience for the next generations of Windows. No wonder people start copying it in other mobile platforms such as Android (see link) and iPhone (see this metro style twitter app for iPhone, and metro theme for iPhone).

Here's a short video where Joe Belfiore is talking about the main new features of Windows Phone (Mango). I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Technorati Tags: Windows Phone 7,WP7,Mango,Metro UI,User Interface,Microsoft

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The more I read and watch the new features of Windows Phone's Mango release – the more I'm convinced; Windows Phone is, indeed, the next big thing in mobility. It may not overcome Android eventually in terms of sales numbers, but it is (already!) bringing the message: a new kind of mobile approach, a new kind of user interface and a new kind of synergy between functionalities, features, and apps.

By now I assume most of you saw the new press release by Microsoft about the Mango release of Windows Phone. I won't repeat the details (some of it can be found in here), but I will just say this: It looks solid, it looks like Microsoft has a clear path, and as time moves forward this path isn't changing. It's just getting better…

Joe Belfiore, the man behind Zune and currently Windows Phone, is probably the one to "blame" when it comes to the great UI stuff we've seen so far by Microsoft in Windows Phone 7.

The 'Metro UI' is simply amazing. This simple yet genius typography-based design language, with the special Segoe WP font is simply getting better and better every day. No wonder it is planned to become the main UI experience for the next generations of Windows. No wonder people start copying it in other mobile platforms such as Android (see link) and iPhone (see this metro style twitter app for iPhone, and metro theme for iPhone).

Here's a short video where Joe Belfiore is talking about the main new features of Windows Phone (Mango). I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Technorati Tags: Windows Phone 7,WP7,Mango,Metro UI,User Interface,Microsoft

Windows Phone 7 Will Kick Ass! (Soon... Hopefully…)

When people ask me about Windows Phone 7, how good is it, and whether I recommend buying it or not, I find it very hard to give a straight answer.

On one hand, I'm in love with the new OS, the UI, the simplicity, the productivity, and the speed. On the other hand, with so many missing features, so many problems with the "so called" automatic updates, and so may occasions where I found myself saying: "they are not yet there, but that's OK, they'll get there eventually", how can I recommend to prefer a WP7 handset over an iPhone or an Android device?

To me, of course, the comparison is not all about features and apps;

• I've been using the iPhone for over 3 years. I'm bored with it. Whenever I need some iOS quality time – I prefer using the iPad. Give me some widgets, Apple! How long will you keep up with those boring shortcuts!?
• I've been playing with different Android handsets for so long. I'm trying, I really am, but so far, the only phone to really make me reconsider using my WP7 phone was the Nexus S. But then I had to give it back… Come on, Google, do something about the look & feel. Make UI freaks like myself feel some romance with the OS and apps. (ever noticed how awful the calendar app is?)
• BlackBerry… you already know what I think of it. I don't see myself going back to it, at least not until the QNX OS is embedded in the smartphones.

So for now I'm sticking with Windows Phone 7, hoping the OS will evolve faster than it currently does. Good signs are coming from Microsoft regarding the Mango update, which some refer to as Windows Phone 7.5. The more we see the upcoming updates the more it looks like WP7.5 is about to become "mature" enough for most people. Add to that the Nokia factor and you end up with such crazy predictions saying Windows Phone 7 will be the number one mobile platform by 2013… (which I think are slightly exaggerated by the way…)

Here's a summary of new features coming to WP7 by the end of this year:

• Third-party Multi-tasking
• Twitter integration in People Hub
• Internet Explorer 9 Mobile with HTML5 support
• Custom ringtones support (finally!)
• Office 365 and SkyDrive support in Office Hub
• Improved application discovery
• Over-the-air Podcasts Download
• Better marketplace navigation
• Multiple Live Tiles per app
• Revamped Games Hub
• Expanded language support
• Configurable background services
• Pinnable email folders and conversation view
• Bing Search "Extras"
• Microsoft Lync Mobile app
• 1500+ New APIs (Motion Sensor, Gyro, Sockets, Database and more)
• Private and Beta Marketplace and Parental Controls
• Exchange Server email search, enhanced security and information rights management, and support for hidden WiFi networks

Other rumored features:

• Bing Vision and Bing Audio
• Turn-by-turn Navigation
• SMS Dictation
• Built-in Messenger and Facebook Chat in Messaging and People Hub
• Automatic Games Sync via Xbox LIVE
• Group Messaging
• Artist Art on Lock Screen
• Smart DJ Mix support
• Camera shutter sound toggle
• Built-in Facebook check-in and video upload support
• Visual Voicemail

       

There is an impressive article with all the new features with images and links right here at LiveSide.net.

(source: WMPowerUser)

Technorati Tags: WP7,Windows Phone 7,Microsoft

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When people ask me about Windows Phone 7, how good is it, and whether I recommend buying it or not, I find it very hard to give a straight answer.

On one hand, I'm in love with the new OS, the UI, the simplicity, the productivity, and the speed. On the other hand, with so many missing features, so many problems with the "so called" automatic updates, and so may occasions where I found myself saying: "they are not yet there, but that's OK, they'll get there eventually", how can I recommend to prefer a WP7 handset over an iPhone or an Android device?

To me, of course, the comparison is not all about features and apps;

• I've been using the iPhone for over 3 years. I'm bored with it. Whenever I need some iOS quality time – I prefer using the iPad. Give me some widgets, Apple! How long will you keep up with those boring shortcuts!?
• I've been playing with different Android handsets for so long. I'm trying, I really am, but so far, the only phone to really make me reconsider using my WP7 phone was the Nexus S. But then I had to give it back… Come on, Google, do something about the look & feel. Make UI freaks like myself feel some romance with the OS and apps. (ever noticed how awful the calendar app is?)
• BlackBerry… you already know what I think of it. I don't see myself going back to it, at least not until the QNX OS is embedded in the smartphones.

So for now I'm sticking with Windows Phone 7, hoping the OS will evolve faster than it currently does. Good signs are coming from Microsoft regarding the Mango update, which some refer to as Windows Phone 7.5. The more we see the upcoming updates the more it looks like WP7.5 is about to become "mature" enough for most people. Add to that the Nokia factor and you end up with such crazy predictions saying Windows Phone 7 will be the number one mobile platform by 2013… (which I think are slightly exaggerated by the way…)

Here's a summary of new features coming to WP7 by the end of this year:

• Third-party Multi-tasking
• Twitter integration in People Hub
• Internet Explorer 9 Mobile with HTML5 support
• Custom ringtones support (finally!)
• Office 365 and SkyDrive support in Office Hub
• Improved application discovery
• Over-the-air Podcasts Download
• Better marketplace navigation
• Multiple Live Tiles per app
• Revamped Games Hub
• Expanded language support
• Configurable background services
• Pinnable email folders and conversation view
• Bing Search "Extras"
• Microsoft Lync Mobile app
• 1500+ New APIs (Motion Sensor, Gyro, Sockets, Database and more)
• Private and Beta Marketplace and Parental Controls
• Exchange Server email search, enhanced security and information rights management, and support for hidden WiFi networks

Other rumored features:

• Bing Vision and Bing Audio
• Turn-by-turn Navigation
• SMS Dictation
• Built-in Messenger and Facebook Chat in Messaging and People Hub
• Automatic Games Sync via Xbox LIVE
• Group Messaging
• Artist Art on Lock Screen
• Smart DJ Mix support
• Camera shutter sound toggle
• Built-in Facebook check-in and video upload support
• Visual Voicemail

       

There is an impressive article with all the new features with images and links right here at LiveSide.net.

(source: WMPowerUser)

Technorati Tags: WP7,Windows Phone 7,Microsoft

Spice things up with some WP7 Tiles tricks

Windows Phone 7 continues to trudge, but somehow the eco-system continues to like it, continue growing with it, and so am I.

The user interface is amazing, although some may find the textual interface, large fonts and flat Metro look a bit weird. The keyboard is the best I've yet to use in a smartphone, the emails experience is perfect, and although many features are still missing – the upcoming Mango update looks better than ever with more features being exposed every day which make me feel that the OS will become consumers worthy by the end of the year (unlike today when it's more suitable to techies or Microsoft fans…).

Meanwhile, reading one of my favorite sites MobilityDigest, I found a cool trick to organize your Tiles in the Windows Phone 7 start screen. It's nice, although I think the wasted space might be too much for my taste… If you are interested, head to their site, click the category you want (and tap on the white or black on depending on your needs) and pin that site to your start screen and you are set.

Here's a possible result:

Another nice trick to add some spice into your tiles is to pin your favorite artists from the artists list (in the Music & Videos hub). Each pinned artists will actually be a wide tile, which is also a great way to make the start screen much more impressive!

Try it out, and let me know how it went!

Technorati Tags: Windows Phone 7,WP7,Tip,Tile

0 comments | Read more...

Windows Phone 7 continues to trudge, but somehow the eco-system continues to like it, continue growing with it, and so am I.

The user interface is amazing, although some may find the textual interface, large fonts and flat Metro look a bit weird. The keyboard is the best I've yet to use in a smartphone, the emails experience is perfect, and although many features are still missing – the upcoming Mango update looks better than ever with more features being exposed every day which make me feel that the OS will become consumers worthy by the end of the year (unlike today when it's more suitable to techies or Microsoft fans…).

Meanwhile, reading one of my favorite sites MobilityDigest, I found a cool trick to organize your Tiles in the Windows Phone 7 start screen. It's nice, although I think the wasted space might be too much for my taste… If you are interested, head to their site, click the category you want (and tap on the white or black on depending on your needs) and pin that site to your start screen and you are set.

Here's a possible result:

Another nice trick to add some spice into your tiles is to pin your favorite artists from the artists list (in the Music & Videos hub). Each pinned artists will actually be a wide tile, which is also a great way to make the start screen much more impressive!

Try it out, and let me know how it went!

Technorati Tags: Windows Phone 7,WP7,Tip,Tile

How to download youtube videos to your WP7 device (for free!)

Once again I came across a cool app that will not only let you view youtube videos in a much nicer format than the original Windows Phone 7 web based app, but also lets you download your videos.

 

EzTube is a free Windows Phone 7 app that can definitely fit our ongoing guide for: How To Download YouTube Videos To Your Smartphones (iPhone, Android, WinMo, iPad)?. We already mentioned SuperTube for WP7, but it costs money. ExTube is free – which makes the fun even bigger.

Here's the developer's description of the app:

"ezTube is a comprehensive and easy-to-use youtube client. With ezTube you can conveniently enjoy almost all youtube’s features including:
1. Download videos to your phone, so that you can watch them later without the internet connection.
2. Speed up downloading by the multi-thread download accelerator.
3. Manage downloading queue: cancel, pause, resume
4. Resume corrupted downloads
5. Organize your downloaded videos in different playlists.
6. Play videos under the locked screen.
7. Automatically play the next video in your current list.
8. Quickly search for videos, browse youtube’s categories, most-viewed videos.
9. View video details: rating, comments, related videos, videos from the same author.
10. Login to your account to:
- Add/remove videos from/to your favourites.
- Add new playlists to your youtube account.
- Add/remove videos from/to your youtube playlists.
- Watch your uploaded videos.
- Follow your subscribed channels, or unsubscribe any channels.
- Rate a video: like, dislike
- Post comments"

Check out EzTube in the MarketPlace.

(Source: the legendary David K)

Technorati Tags: WP7,Windows Phone 7 App,WP7 Free App,YouTube,Videos

0 comments | Read more...

Once again I came across a cool app that will not only let you view youtube videos in a much nicer format than the original Windows Phone 7 web based app, but also lets you download your videos.

 

EzTube is a free Windows Phone 7 app that can definitely fit our ongoing guide for: How To Download YouTube Videos To Your Smartphones (iPhone, Android, WinMo, iPad)?. We already mentioned SuperTube for WP7, but it costs money. ExTube is free – which makes the fun even bigger.

Here's the developer's description of the app:

"ezTube is a comprehensive and easy-to-use youtube client. With ezTube you can conveniently enjoy almost all youtube’s features including:
1. Download videos to your phone, so that you can watch them later without the internet connection.
2. Speed up downloading by the multi-thread download accelerator.
3. Manage downloading queue: cancel, pause, resume
4. Resume corrupted downloads
5. Organize your downloaded videos in different playlists.
6. Play videos under the locked screen.
7. Automatically play the next video in your current list.
8. Quickly search for videos, browse youtube’s categories, most-viewed videos.
9. View video details: rating, comments, related videos, videos from the same author.
10. Login to your account to:
- Add/remove videos from/to your favourites.
- Add new playlists to your youtube account.
- Add/remove videos from/to your youtube playlists.
- Watch your uploaded videos.
- Follow your subscribed channels, or unsubscribe any channels.
- Rate a video: like, dislike
- Post comments"

Check out EzTube in the MarketPlace.

(Source: the legendary David K)

Technorati Tags: WP7,Windows Phone 7 App,WP7 Free App,YouTube,Videos

What is a Webtop? Or: is Modu back in a bigger size?

I never liked Modu's jackets concept nor the tiny phone with the look of the 70's.

To me, one strong, sexy looking smartphone, that will gather all of my stuff without having to carry other things around seems much better than having a bag full of jackets and having to spend time switching between them.

But Modu is history now, and the one of the reasons is Android – an OS so powerful it can manage everything in parallel without having to use jackets.

Yesterday I learned a new term called: Webtop.

What is a webtop you ask? Here's something from EdutechWiki:

A webtop is a kind of rich internet application that runs in a web browser and that integrates various web-based applications, typically lots of different kinds of information feeds (via RSS), some virtual office applications, some social software such as Flickr or YouTube. You may add other RSS feeds and most webtops also let you add web widget code.

Oh, so a webtop is like Chrome OS! Is that it? An OS like environment which is all about internet browsing, and cloud based services - right?

Not exactly;

Motorola recently released a new Android SuperPhone called Atrix 4G. The SuperPhone is unique in the sense that it has some docking stations that changes the experience into a desktop-like environment presented on a wide screen.

Specifically when you connect the Motorola Atrix to a laptop dock or an HD Media Dock – the phone changes into an advanced mode, fully customized by Motorola, with a dual view: one presenting the phone (Android classic look) but hosted inside a MacOS like shell, with some shortcuts in the bottom and a large windows open for browsing and other day to day tasks such as emails, folders, and facebook.

Motorola seems to take their own course on this one as the Atrix is not related to ChromeOS in any way, although it's Android based. In fact, the browser itself is based on… FireFox… something which I'm sure could piss off someone in Google…

Here's a short video preview of the Motorola Atrix 4G and the "jackets" style docking stations that turns it into a webtop:

So now we know what a webtop is, and after seeing it in real demo it doesn't look bad. Is that the return of the Modu, only in different size? Can we call those docking stations or laptop dock – jackets? Will people actually carry a webtop with them when they can have a tablet instead?

I think that like any new technology which doesn't come from Apple, Atrix will probably fail to become trendy, but in two years from now, we may not have a real laptop anymore as everything will be stored and processed by our smartphones…

Terms you may have looked for:

What is a Webtop? Android Webtop, Motorola Atrix 4G, Android vs.ChromeOS, Webtop mobile

Technorati Tags: Webtop,Android,Atrix 4G

3 comments | Read more...

I never liked Modu's jackets concept nor the tiny phone with the look of the 70's.

To me, one strong, sexy looking smartphone, that will gather all of my stuff without having to carry other things around seems much better than having a bag full of jackets and having to spend time switching between them.

But Modu is history now, and the one of the reasons is Android – an OS so powerful it can manage everything in parallel without having to use jackets.

Yesterday I learned a new term called: Webtop.

What is a webtop you ask? Here's something from EdutechWiki:

A webtop is a kind of rich internet application that runs in a web browser and that integrates various web-based applications, typically lots of different kinds of information feeds (via RSS), some virtual office applications, some social software such as Flickr or YouTube. You may add other RSS feeds and most webtops also let you add web widget code.

Oh, so a webtop is like Chrome OS! Is that it? An OS like environment which is all about internet browsing, and cloud based services - right?

Not exactly;

Motorola recently released a new Android SuperPhone called Atrix 4G. The SuperPhone is unique in the sense that it has some docking stations that changes the experience into a desktop-like environment presented on a wide screen.

Specifically when you connect the Motorola Atrix to a laptop dock or an HD Media Dock – the phone changes into an advanced mode, fully customized by Motorola, with a dual view: one presenting the phone (Android classic look) but hosted inside a MacOS like shell, with some shortcuts in the bottom and a large windows open for browsing and other day to day tasks such as emails, folders, and facebook.

Motorola seems to take their own course on this one as the Atrix is not related to ChromeOS in any way, although it's Android based. In fact, the browser itself is based on… FireFox… something which I'm sure could piss off someone in Google…

Here's a short video preview of the Motorola Atrix 4G and the "jackets" style docking stations that turns it into a webtop:

So now we know what a webtop is, and after seeing it in real demo it doesn't look bad. Is that the return of the Modu, only in different size? Can we call those docking stations or laptop dock – jackets? Will people actually carry a webtop with them when they can have a tablet instead?

I think that like any new technology which doesn't come from Apple, Atrix will probably fail to become trendy, but in two years from now, we may not have a real laptop anymore as everything will be stored and processed by our smartphones…

Terms you may have looked for:

What is a Webtop? Android Webtop, Motorola Atrix 4G, Android vs.ChromeOS, Webtop mobile

Technorati Tags: Webtop,Android,Atrix 4G

How to completely screw up your chance to make an impression in a 20 minutes presentation session:

Here are: 10 ways to screw up a presentation. Or even better: 10 ways to screw a perfect opportunity to present your company and make an impression to a large audience in a seminar:

1. Be late to arrive to the stand
2. Divide the time you have (20 minutes) between 4 people. 5 minutes each.
3. Waste 4 minutes out if the first 5 to introduce the speakers (in small text bullets), who they are, how did they end up together (even though no one cares or will remember).
4. Talk about the importance of User Interface without showing screenshots
5. Waste 1 minute every time you switch speakers
6. Have one of the speakers forget to pass the presentation remote control to the next speaker…
7. Let him (the one with the remote in his hand) sit back with the audience, talking to his neighbor while everyone are looking for the remote...
8. Have a slide with nothing but the label "demo", but apologize for not bringing the demo with you…
9. Describe a special project you did as a UI expert, but focus only about how great is the product without mentioning (or showing) your work…
10. Finish the presentation with your contact and company details so everyone can write down: "Never hire this company to work for us!"

You might think I took this list from an horror movie, but the fact is that I saw this exact scenario happening today in a mobile event I participated. It was a nice event overall, but one company managed to make such a bad impression on me (and others) I don't think I will ever forget it… (which reminds me that bad publicity is still, publicity, and this is why I shall never reveal the name…).

3 comments | Read more...

Here are: 10 ways to screw up a presentation. Or even better: 10 ways to screw a perfect opportunity to present your company and make an impression to a large audience in a seminar:

1. Be late to arrive to the stand
2. Divide the time you have (20 minutes) between 4 people. 5 minutes each.
3. Waste 4 minutes out if the first 5 to introduce the speakers (in small text bullets), who they are, how did they end up together (even though no one cares or will remember).
4. Talk about the importance of User Interface without showing screenshots
5. Waste 1 minute every time you switch speakers
6. Have one of the speakers forget to pass the presentation remote control to the next speaker…
7. Let him (the one with the remote in his hand) sit back with the audience, talking to his neighbor while everyone are looking for the remote...
8. Have a slide with nothing but the label "demo", but apologize for not bringing the demo with you…
9. Describe a special project you did as a UI expert, but focus only about how great is the product without mentioning (or showing) your work…
10. Finish the presentation with your contact and company details so everyone can write down: "Never hire this company to work for us!"

You might think I took this list from an horror movie, but the fact is that I saw this exact scenario happening today in a mobile event I participated. It was a nice event overall, but one company managed to make such a bad impression on me (and others) I don't think I will ever forget it… (which reminds me that bad publicity is still, publicity, and this is why I shall never reveal the name…).

PalmOne, Windows Mobile, Now BlackBerry OS?

Few years ago, a small unknown company named Palm realized that its' legacy mobile operating system is dead. The company, which was one of the founders of the term PDA was caught off-guard. There was nothing to do with the old PalmOne, no way to bring it back to life. It was the end of the game.

Palm had to reinvent itself and as a last, almost suicidal move, the company decided to invest all of its' remaining fund in a pure engineering work, and develop an amazing new mobile OS with some advanced, innovative elements and great technology.

Did it help? No. Sales did not raise, there was no money left.
The company was acquired by HP for its' stylish webOS and huge number of patents…
The Palm brand was no more. It's HP webOS now. In a few years youngsters will not know there was once a great company called Palm.

---

Same time, different place, stood Palm's sworn enemy for years, Microsoft, facing a similar situation: the company's legacy mobile OS called Windows Mobile was dying.
The enterprise already replaced WinMo in favor of BlackBerry, and consumers realized that nice shell wrappers cannot hide the painful fact that Windows Mobile will never be iPhone.

Microsoft knew something needs to be made but they blinked… they blinked for too long.

They released Windows Mobile 6.5, with some pathetic UI improvements, decided to develop a completely new OS (Windows Mobile 7), stopped the project in the middle, replaced their teams, changed the entire strategy, while doing so – released another minor version of Windows Mobile (6.5.3 – which is a fantastic marketing name as well!), and in order to confuse the audience even more: announced that Windows Mobile is now Windows Embedded Handheld, and at the same time announced they are about to release a new generation of smartphones OS called Windows Phone 7.

This entire process took 2 years, in which Apple's iPhone became dominant, Android gathered strength, and Microsoft lost most of the market share of Windows Mobile.
Now Microsoft needs to start from scratch. Windows Phone 7 is promising, but the software giant is working really hard to find partners (such as Nokia) and build a decent market share.

---

Enjoying the read? Check out our "History of Smartphones" series:

- History of PDAs - Part #1
- History of PDAs - Part #2
- History of PDAs - Part #3

---

Fast forward to 2010.

Another sleeping beauty, a company that could be considered as the one who invented the modern smartphone, Research In Motion, is slowly waking up to realize that the BlackBerry OS is dying just like Palm and Windows Mobile did few years ago.

The truth is that this observation is inaccurate: BlackBerry OS is already dead for a quite a while. It's just that RIM failed to see it sooner. During 2009, while the company was busy winning multiple technology awards – the market has changed, and started to move towards iPhone and a year later – Android.
RIM had to make a move back in 2009, but just like Microsoft, instead of throwing away the 10 years legacy system which could never compete with iOS and Android and make a clear cut – the company started tweaking it apart: making it kind of touch friendly, do some minor (and useless) facelifts here and there.

In the hardware side, the company completely lost its' way replacing the quality keyboards and efficient trackball in favor of better looking phones yet much less efficient for productivity.

Fast forward to May, 2011.

RIM is now doing exactly what Microsoft did not too long ago:

• Building a long term strategy with the purchased QNX operating system (the real-time OS which is installed on the BlackBerry PlayBook and is targeted to become RIM's main OS for smartphones as well around 2012) – a bit too late.
• Messing around with some useless short term improvements in the current BlackBerry OS, improvements that for now seems to be minor, but will not be available as an upgrade to all existing models – only in some new upcoming models.
• Confusing the audience: 6.1 is now 7, QNX is BlackBerry Tablet OS, in the future it will be an OS for smartphones… oh well…

Consumers are looking for clean, short, well phrased statements. In other words, messages like Apple is making. I doubt if the latest announcements from RIM will convince more people to purchase current BlackBerry phones. The missing upgrade path will probably do the opposite (why did they bother saying that at this stage anyway? to scare buyers away?).

By 2012, when the new generation BlackBerry smartphones will arrive, RIM's market share will shrink significantly, just like it happened with Microsoft's Windows Mobile.

---

So RIM seems to be very much like Microsoft, but it's not… Microsoft is a giant, it made agreements with Nokia, Samsung, HTC, LG, it will find ways to promote and strengthen Windows Phone 7.
RIM, to me seems more like Palm, RIP. Hopefully with a better end…

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Technorati Tags: BlackBerry,Windows Phone 7,Windows Mobile,Palm,HP,Microsoft,RIM

9 comments | Read more...

Few years ago, a small unknown company named Palm realized that its' legacy mobile operating system is dead. The company, which was one of the founders of the term PDA was caught off-guard. There was nothing to do with the old PalmOne, no way to bring it back to life. It was the end of the game.

Palm had to reinvent itself and as a last, almost suicidal move, the company decided to invest all of its' remaining fund in a pure engineering work, and develop an amazing new mobile OS with some advanced, innovative elements and great technology.

Did it help? No. Sales did not raise, there was no money left.
The company was acquired by HP for its' stylish webOS and huge number of patents…
The Palm brand was no more. It's HP webOS now. In a few years youngsters will not know there was once a great company called Palm.

---

Same time, different place, stood Palm's sworn enemy for years, Microsoft, facing a similar situation: the company's legacy mobile OS called Windows Mobile was dying.
The enterprise already replaced WinMo in favor of BlackBerry, and consumers realized that nice shell wrappers cannot hide the painful fact that Windows Mobile will never be iPhone.

Microsoft knew something needs to be made but they blinked… they blinked for too long.

They released Windows Mobile 6.5, with some pathetic UI improvements, decided to develop a completely new OS (Windows Mobile 7), stopped the project in the middle, replaced their teams, changed the entire strategy, while doing so – released another minor version of Windows Mobile (6.5.3 – which is a fantastic marketing name as well!), and in order to confuse the audience even more: announced that Windows Mobile is now Windows Embedded Handheld, and at the same time announced they are about to release a new generation of smartphones OS called Windows Phone 7.

This entire process took 2 years, in which Apple's iPhone became dominant, Android gathered strength, and Microsoft lost most of the market share of Windows Mobile.
Now Microsoft needs to start from scratch. Windows Phone 7 is promising, but the software giant is working really hard to find partners (such as Nokia) and build a decent market share.

---

Enjoying the read? Check out our "History of Smartphones" series:

- History of PDAs - Part #1
- History of PDAs - Part #2
- History of PDAs - Part #3

---

Fast forward to 2010.

Another sleeping beauty, a company that could be considered as the one who invented the modern smartphone, Research In Motion, is slowly waking up to realize that the BlackBerry OS is dying just like Palm and Windows Mobile did few years ago.

The truth is that this observation is inaccurate: BlackBerry OS is already dead for a quite a while. It's just that RIM failed to see it sooner. During 2009, while the company was busy winning multiple technology awards – the market has changed, and started to move towards iPhone and a year later – Android.
RIM had to make a move back in 2009, but just like Microsoft, instead of throwing away the 10 years legacy system which could never compete with iOS and Android and make a clear cut – the company started tweaking it apart: making it kind of touch friendly, do some minor (and useless) facelifts here and there.

In the hardware side, the company completely lost its' way replacing the quality keyboards and efficient trackball in favor of better looking phones yet much less efficient for productivity.

Fast forward to May, 2011.

RIM is now doing exactly what Microsoft did not too long ago:

• Building a long term strategy with the purchased QNX operating system (the real-time OS which is installed on the BlackBerry PlayBook and is targeted to become RIM's main OS for smartphones as well around 2012) – a bit too late.
• Messing around with some useless short term improvements in the current BlackBerry OS, improvements that for now seems to be minor, but will not be available as an upgrade to all existing models – only in some new upcoming models.
• Confusing the audience: 6.1 is now 7, QNX is BlackBerry Tablet OS, in the future it will be an OS for smartphones… oh well…

Consumers are looking for clean, short, well phrased statements. In other words, messages like Apple is making. I doubt if the latest announcements from RIM will convince more people to purchase current BlackBerry phones. The missing upgrade path will probably do the opposite (why did they bother saying that at this stage anyway? to scare buyers away?).

By 2012, when the new generation BlackBerry smartphones will arrive, RIM's market share will shrink significantly, just like it happened with Microsoft's Windows Mobile.

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So RIM seems to be very much like Microsoft, but it's not… Microsoft is a giant, it made agreements with Nokia, Samsung, HTC, LG, it will find ways to promote and strengthen Windows Phone 7.
RIM, to me seems more like Palm, RIP. Hopefully with a better end…

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