Blackberry OS 6 official release for Bold 9700 - my review

Okay okay okay so I've been really excited this past coupla days as I've just installed the official release of OS 6 for Bold 9700. The release was offered and made available automatically on the Blackberry Desktop Software (the OTA version, not the supplied CD version). And so it was two days ago when I nonchalantly hooked up my Onyx into my laptop when the message popped up along the line of "an update to your device software is available. Would you like to upgrade?" And then I read the version: Blackberry OS 6.0.0.461. HELL YEAH??!! I've been waiting for OS 6 upgrade for the Onyx for ages, since it first came out on the Torch!! Some impatient suckers even went as far as buying OS 6 THEME (theme, not actual software) for $6.99 from the App World. Some downloaded the hacked version of OS 6 from sites like Crackberry and found out that maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do, as the hacked version crashed their phones. Duh. Onyx 1 only has 256 MB, while OS 6 is designed for a 512 MB memory.

As for me, a major reason I extremely look forward to getting my paws on OS 6 was for none other than its touted bump in the Blackberry website browser capabilities. I think everyone on the planet agrees that the BB browser is one of the most vile, retarded things anyone has ever invented in modern time. I always felt like an idiot whenever I was trying to open a website or something as simple as google.com and finding myself staring at an improperly rendered website. It's inhumane, and in 2011 no one deserves that.

OS 6 is supposed to fix that, in addition to boasting a couple of other eye candies. And so with glee, I downloaded the software, albeit with a few scares here and there due to the spotty internet connection here in this lovely city.

Now that I've spent a good, intense couple of days playing around with the system, here's my take of this newest Blackberry upgrade for Bold 9700:

1. Home screen "panned view panes" - Similar to "tabbed" browsing in modern web browser, this feature allows you to slide to 5 different panes which are "All", "Favorites", "Media", "Download" and "Frequent" in Home screen. "All" tab is basically the traditional Home screen where everything is grouped together, while "Favorites" is a new feature that allows you to mark any application, contact, website, or anything, as favorites and it will be promptly placed in this "tab", making this basically a shortcut for all your favorite application. "Media" groups all the media application, "Download" groups all the OTA downloads and "Frequent" groups your most frequently used applications.

My take: while the visual is nice and sleek, the very concept of this is cluttered, unnecessary and it is simply trying too hard to become something it's not.
SCORE: C

2. The "Quick Access Area", however, is an entirely different story. This is ingenious and brilliant. There are two "Quick Access Area": one is situated at the very topmost, where if you click it, it'll open several useful frequently-used settings, like connections, alarm and device options; and the second one is situated just below it, where if you click it, it'll open a drop-down menu listing the newest activities: emails, SMS, missed call, calendar or BBM. No longer do I have to open each item separately when I get out from a meeting and seeing multiple notifications.
SCORE: A

3. The best part of OS 6 is its "Universal Search" feature built right into the Home Screen. I can't love it enough. Love it, love it, love it. This feature basically lets you type in anything you want to search in your phone; contact, lost email, a keyword in an email, or even things you want to look up on the internet - right on the home screen as opposed to individually go into each application and conduct your search there. I am telling you - this thing is a dream. Not only will this search feature returns your query, like a contact business card, but it will also include EVERYTHING about the query - even including those on the internet. This is one of the finest examples of seamless device-software integration.
SCORE: A+

4. Visual: AWESOME. Sleek, fluid, elegant and butter-smooth, to me the new OS is a major eye candy upgrade from the previous 5.
SCORE: A

5. Speed: faster, but also noticing several lag that may just be anomalies. Thus far, I have not encountered any major problem like the phone freezing, but I've only been using it for a couple of days. We all know that in the case of a Blackberry, a battery pull a week keeps the doctor away.
SCORE: A (so far)

6. Memory: BOO. All those nice eye candies and universal search and fluid graphics need to come from somewhere, and in this case, it cannibalizes the memory. Consider this: My Bold 9700 has an internal memory of 256MB, of which 188 MB is generally available after subtracting it for the OS. After I installed OS 6, the remaining memory available went down to just 40 MB!!! Holy cow! Say goodbye to downloading more apps.
SCORE: C

7. Browser. Saving the best for last, I can now breathe a sigh of relief with this new, long overdue web browser and webkit engine. OS 6 browser opens pages a little faster, is nice to look at, has tabbed browsing capability, and, most importantly, renders web pages CORRECTLY. No longer do I have to stare at messed-up Google web screen. I now feel that I'm a part of the 2011 netizen community. I hope RIM keeps working to improve this web browsing engine in the coming years.
SCORE: B


8. Overall system. Much has improved to a very heart-warming level, but on the same token, there are definitely rooms for improvement. I like the fluid, tighter system; how it includes some new, surprising features like the ability to monitor your memory and CPU usage real-time, but on the other hand, some basic "illogicals" remain a thorn in the system, like how I can't add an additional phone number into my existing contact. When someone calls me, and I already have him/her in my phonebook, and he/she is calling me from a new number (like office), I can't simply choose "Add to contact". I will have to copy paste his contact and manually edit his business card. Things like these seem simply illogical for a device designed for business users.
SCORE: B

VERDICT: Download it now, especially it's official and FREE! Despite several weaknesses and old-time irritants, OS 6 is major upgrade and will breathe a new life into your aging Bold 9700.

Blackberry Onyx - still a dud

After an extensive experience with the Blackberry Onyx, I regret to report that a Blackberry, despite all of its bells and whistles and no matter how much makeover and "updates" RIM has placed into the device, the Onyx is still a pretty sad little device. And I'm saying this because I've had two particularly annoying problems with the new OS that Onyx comes equipped with. Three, if I count the hardware aspect of it which is the trackball.

I know diehard BB fans will have my head for writing this, and they have their rights, but I don't care. I'm as much a user and I am NOT satisfied with the way things are going with RIM. First principal problem I have with the new Onyx OS 5.0.0.296 is its totally fail threaded SMS system. Threaded SMS system means that it'll treat the SMS as if it were real-time chat, with every SMS you sent and receive from a person showing up as a "threaded," chat-like flow. Supposedly it'll make tracking your conversation with a particular person easier, but ironically, this stupid system sometimes messes up and won't let me scroll up to see the message. Like, it'll cut off some portion of the message and it won't allow me to scroll up to the beginning of the message. That's just one of them. The other is that sometimes (actually plenty times) it won't let me scroll up to see the rest of my conversation I'm having with that person. I mean, jeebus, come on!! What's a blackberry good for??? Its core strength is supposed to lie in its data capability. What the hell is going on here? This is beyond annoying to me as I'll have to request that person to resend his message again. Note that this happens only with the SMS.

The other super annoyance I have is that for some super annoyingly reason, when I accidentally hit the "delete" key whilst the "alt" key is depressed as I'm composing an SMS text, it'll wipe the ENTIRE text I have been laboriously typing. You can't possibly imagine how aggravating this crap really is. Get this: it will wipe clean your ENTIRE message when you so much as forgot to inactivate the alt key after you hit it to bring up the special symbol, changed your mind and decide to delete that symbol. BAM. Your entire message is gone and you have to start all the way from the beginning. Is this even real? How did RIM manage to mess up so badly?

Maybe you don't have that problem, but I do. I type messily and I type faster than my brain thinks. The blame is not on me, because this never happens with the old OS system, and this doesn't happen at other programs such as email or notepad. It only happens with SMS. RIM, if you're reading this, screw the hell out of you.

I miss the old system where the SMS shows up as individual window, and I can at least still search for it and find it. I miss the old OS where I can type as messily as I want to without the risk of losing everything that I've just typed for the past 3 mins. And most of all, I miss a newcomer to the industry which can combine both the superior webkit based capability of the iPhone with Blackberry's data strengths.

Oh yeah that hardware problem I mentioned earlier? How about the trackball? Besides being hard to operate when my finger's sweaty, I found that its also largely harder to control than the ball. But that's not as big of a deal compared to the flawed SMS problems RIM has dropped the ball on. Also, I hate the fact that the speaker is situated flat on the back, on the same flat line as the battery cover, so that when I place it on a table or flat surface, it'll get covered. Affects the sound quality? You bet. How hard would it to design the speaker on the raised side of the bezel? The Onyx ain't the perfect Blackberry - yet. And until then, I'll keep searching for the perfect system. My loyalty is not with you, RIM. I'm disappointed. It seems like there's always something wrong with every edition of so-called "new" blackberry. The Curve 8320 for a totally retarded sytem. The Bold with the battery and generally flawed system. The Gemini for its weird web viewing. And now with the Onyx, touted as the "perfect" Blackberry. Sorry, but it's not.

Smartphone War: What Apple, RIM Should Do

BB Mania!

Following my earlier post on Blackberry's cult-like popularity in Indonesia, I would like to offer my own set of recommendations for RIM, the maker of Blackberry, and Apple, the maker of iPhone. Why? Because these are my wish list for a super smartphone that combines both of their strongest features.

I choose to pit Blackberry vs. iPhone because I see the iPhone as a powerful newcomer (already at third place in global market share) in the smartphone world with an astonishingly fast-learning abilities. Of course, I can't discount Nokia or even Nexia, which may prove to be an even bigger threat to Blackberry in Indonesian market.

But for all purposes, I think iPhone comes closest to the Blackberry in terms of the "It" factor, class and unique selling points. Nokia still holds the largest market share holder in Indonesia, but they are fast becoming irrelevant, and Nexia concentrates on selling introductory, low-end handsets.

For now, Blackberry wins hands down for business use, but I won't be surprised if Apple completely reinvents itself all over again within the next 2 - 3 years. If RIM doesn't play catch up to Apple's strong points - SOON, one day they'll wake up and see their precious Blackberry's market share flood over to the future "Unlocked iPhone 80GB with expandable micro SD and replaceable battery AND native push email 5.5GS." Remember that in Indonesia trends flare up like wildfires and once that fire started, there'll be no turning back, as in the case with Nokia.

Already the iPhone has the fastest processor, biggest onboard memory, the best, most beautiful User Interface of any smartphone in the market right now, and its webkit-based browser is constantly rated as the best in the industry. Tell me what won't stop them from giving their best into taking Blackberry head-on. I think that RIM, which has the world's 2nd largest market share, sits squarely on Apple's cross hairs. Taking out RIM would be their next logical step. Once RIM is out, then Apple can concentrate on tackling any Windows Mobile and Palm pestilence and eventually Nokia, which dominates at a whopping 43.7% and yet saw its market share tumble down from 49.4% vs. 2008.


iPhone took the world by storm and elevated mobile computing to the next level

The real problem with RIM is not about their devices. Well, maybe a little, since it seems like they keep on dishing out new models every 6 months or so - and this makes for Microsoft-esque business model, where people would rather wait for the next, better model to come out - myself included. But what is more significant is that RIM doesn't seem to be able to offer something truly new, something truly revolutionary. They don't seem to get it. RIM's answer to the iPhone was the Storm....with 1 GB of onboard memory and the same tired, restrictive Java script. Yes, Java is secure and can be locked down to a specific company's security level, but that very advantage RIM so loudly whistle blows also doubles as their biggest disadvantage: It cripples the way their operating system can be exploited by third party developers. With so much security and encryptions developers have to put up with, you can forget reaching anywhere near Apple's 50,000 applications on its App Store.

And then there's the issue of memory. It's incomprehensible that RIM still fails to take its cue from the iPhone. 1 GB on the Storm may seem like a lot of memory, but in the face of ever-increasing complex applications, feature-rich interactive games and memory-hogging multimedia applications, 1 GB is really not much at all. That is especially considering that the OS will become unstable and buggy when the memory is low. And then it'll start deleting old emails and call logs automatically, which is just adorable. Then you'd have to perform the battery pull when the device hangs up on you. Yup, that's right. "Perform the battery pull" is actually a time-honored official RIM recommendation for solving about 99% of the problems. Most of the BB forums out there recommends that one do a battery pull at least once a month. Don't believe me? (http://www.bbgeeks.com/quick-tips/how-to-solve-any-blackberry-problem-88906/).

Call it "convenient" or even an "advantage" (to the iPhone) that a battery pull can be performed and it'll fix problems, but to me, it's embarrassing to perform in public, and time consuming. It's.... primitive. Yes, some lucky ducks have never had to pull their batteries, but what about the majority? According to what I read on the forums, a lot of people do it, and many more had to do it on a regular basis to clean the memories. I must be one of those people.

Onboard memory size matters because this is where you put all the applications. You cannot download and run applications from SD cards. Apple's doing it right with putting in 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB of onboard memories. IT IS UTTERLY UNACCEPTABLE that RIM is trying to win over the consumer segment yet they fail to see this. It is unacceptable that some of their customers are still struggling to figure out how to transfer media files to the cards and getting confused why they can't download applications into the cards. It's unacceptable that they have to struggle to manage which applications they can download and can't. It's unacceptable that we have to put up with this. It is true that, thanks to the Java script, applications are relatively small and you can cram a lot of stuff in that scanty memory. But when a 6 MB application like Viigo is considered large by Blackberry standard, I know they have a problem. If RIM hopes to get anywhere on the consumer segment, they need to start working on their offerings of better, bigger, badder applications that are not only fun, but also beautiful and functional. And all this takes memory.

So now I ask, why should I buy Storm 2? The Magnum? The Tour? They'll be the same old shells in new packaging. Storm 2 will still have 1 GB of memory. The Tour will have 256 MB. The OS will still be based on Java, and it still won't be able to display full HTML web pages, and it still won't be able to play beautiful, multimedia rich, sophisticated games that iPhone users are enjoying.


The upcoming Blackberry Magnum, which will combine touchscreen and physical QWERTY full keyboard.

What is the difference between OS 4.5 that I have on my device right now with OS 5.0? New looks, added functionalities here and there, but that's about it. What RIM doesn't seem to get is that consumers want more and more everyday, and companies like Apple's got it. It revolutionized the OS paradigm, and they literally changed the game overnight. THAT'S what I want RIM to do.

What Apple did was they gave people an entirely new offering: A rich webkit-based OS browser designed with the "It" factor and the "Now" factor in mind - while RIM is stuck in the past. They'll still issue the same rigid, miserably limited, antiquated OS that was never designed to do things the year 2009 and beyond allows them to do.

I'm not trying to put RIM down and promote the iPhone. I love my Blackberry just as much as the next guy - it's a true blessing for my job search. But RIM is a company with so much potential and yet, they don't get it - yet. What I'm trying say is, RIM would do well to rethink its entire business model. Stop focusing so much on the hardware; start focusing on the firmware. Play catch up to Apple and Android. And this may prove to be their hardest challenge yet: Its Java dependence is so acute and so deeply ingrained in their entire infrastructure that it may prove very difficult if not nigh impossible to open up their OS to third party developers the way Apple and Android is set up to do.

I'm trying to say that a Blackberry at its core remains essentially a rigid business tool, no matter how much make up and polishes it receives. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but considering that it's trying to capture that all-important mainstream consumer market who WILL care about how web pages are displayed on the screen and how interactive games can be downloaded and played, I'm saying it's not going to work.

So now, I really like to sit back and see how this battle turns out to be. Not necessarily just in Indonesia, but also in the world. Who will be the most responsive and adaptable to consumer demand? For now, the Blackberry is one step ahead, but never underestimate Apple, who's an extremely fast learner. Who will emerge the victor in a country where a product diffusion's trickle-down effect can no more be pronounced than anywhere else?

As a matter of fact, I'll be watching closely for Nexian, the Indonesian handset newcomer. Positioned as a low-end, low-priced product, the Nexian Berry as it's called, possesses the same features of a Blackberry: Facebook, chatting and email. Priced at around Rp. 1 mil with one year warranty and bundled local cellular service, Nexian has sold over 2 million units since its launch in 2006, and is targeting another 4 million in 2009. Incredible growth, and certainly one heading toward critical mass success.


Nexian NX-G900, dubbed Nexian Berry. The hottest newcomer in Indonesian smartphone market.


With RIM, its biggest challenges would be to work on its existing infrastructure and roll out a completely different, off the hook, never-before-seen-on-Blackberry webkit-based OS that is not only web friendly but also developer friendly. It also needs to work on offering a better package that is much more consumer-centric while retaining all of its wonderful business functionalities. And please, no more battery pull outs. Just make the darn system more stable.

With Apple, its biggest challenge yet is learning to lighten up. If Apple's business objective is truly profit and its objective is to gain market share by selling as many iPhones as possible, then it would be wise to ditch its exclusivity aura and follow RIM's current model: Do whatever it takes to get as many people as possible adopt the device. Don't fight the people trying to unlock the device (a.k.a hackers) - they're trying to get YOUR product to the hands of consumers. Besides, you can't win against hackers - haven't you learned this already?? Instead, focus the resources on developing push emails and better office synchronizations.

One thing is for certain: At this point, no one makes the perfect device. Given the choices, I'll choose Blackberry just because it's more functional for my job search. But I drool over the iPhone's large memories and multimedia capabilities and its super clean OS. Whoever comes ahead in this battle, that's who I'll pledge my loyalty to...... and my money.

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Blackberry's Ubiquitous Presence In Indonesia

In the past month, I’ve increasingly been baffled by RIM’s Blackberry popularity in Indonesia, or at least in Jakarta. No matter where I go in this town, I can always spot the ubiquitous device at all times, anywhere, anytime.

What prompts Blackberry’s super popularity in Indonesia? As a marketing person, I can’t help but be genuinely interested in Blackberry’s diffusion within the population. What escalated its rate of diffusion and why? Why didn’t a new, innovative concept like the iPhone catches on with the population and replaces the pioneer? And how was it able to catch up to the previous market leader, Nokia?

All of these bring great interest to me, because if I were a company, I could really learn from RIM (Research In Motion, the maker of Blackberry) and use its business model to market my new product to the masses – to a dizzying success I might add.

To be sure, I can be certain of one thing. Blackberry was first adopted by business people and busy professionals, who can really benefit from its as-of-yet-unbeatable, superior push mail technology. If you haven’t had the chance to experience the ecstasy of having emails pushed to that little device, you won’t understand the kind of love I’m talking about.

Put it this way – if your income or life depends on emails and instant communication, and you’re out there without access to a computer or internet, a Blackberry is your best friend in the whole world, and you will surely fight tooth and nails if someone were to try to pry it off your hands. That’s what colloquially known as “Blackberry Addiction.”

But what about the rest of the population? What triggers this mass adoption of Blackberry to the moms, socialites, teenagers, school kids, college kids, and everyone else in between – what I would refer to as the non-business, “recreational” smartphone users. Why would they prefer this business tool instead of the more consumer-centric, multimedia rich and capable webkit-based OS iPhone? Let’s analyze.

A Blackberry is a great device. Moreover, it’s a great business tool. But upon my usage and subsequent addiction to it, I can thoroughly conclude that this is a great business tool – and that’s about it. How many agree with me that it’s not a device as consumer centric (and as nice) as an iPhone if you’re NOT a business person and only need the device to check your Facebook status, Twitter, or Blog?

Although you can do all that with a regular data capable phone, let’s just assume that you like your Blackberry because, say, it’s easier to do it on a Blackberry, and that one way or the other, you already got it anyways so... why not. But I would assume that once I get a taste of what the Blackberry can do, I want more. I’m always constantly on the search for the bigger, the better, and the best. Why? Because I’m a consumer, and I can. This is what I do. I always want more. If I know of another device which gives me better browsing experience, better usage experience, better prestige and better experience overall, I would switch in a heartbeat, unless there’s obvious barrier to it, like an annual contract or cost. In fact, my rate of conversion should be so much faster considering I’ve gotten the experience in this specific genre, which is smartphone.

Yes, you can load apps into the Blackberry. Yes, you can play games on it. Yes, you can surf the web with it, and listen to music, and take pictures, and read news, and read blogs. But compared to the iPhone, it pales in comparison. To start with, Blackberry OS isn’t optimized for web browsing, unlike the iPhone, which to this day remains the only OS capable of delivering rich, true HTML web pages closest to those viewed from a desktop. I would imagine for “recreational” smartphone users, this feature would be one of the most important to them. And Blackberry isn’t widely known for its multimedia capabilities, neither. That’s the second factor for these consumers.

And don’t tell me that people can’t afford the iPhone. A Blackberry may be cheaper than an iPhone, but it’s not THAT much cheaper especially comparing the Bold model which is pretty much on par with it. Plus, Telkomsel, one of Indonesia’s largest cellular providers, offers the iPhone at around $600 (albeit having the device locked to the carrier, but so what? That’s how things work in the US and Europe too), about $200 more than basic Blackberry model and on par with some of its higher models. And besides, in this town of over indulgence and over excesses, I thought a brand as prestigious and expensive as Apple would actually be preferred by the elitists. And as in the proven case of the Blackberry, in the beginning the elitists influence the followers, which then adopted the device at a much higher rate.

So in terms of form factors and price, the iPhone would seem to meet and even surpass Blackberry’s unique point of sales.

I can think of a couple of more advantages the Blackberry has that the iPhone can easily make up for, like BB Messenger or the physical keyboard. Yes, BB Messenger is nice and always on, making for a truly connected experience for its users, but there’s a plethora of instant chat engines available besides it. My favorite is Google Talk. I’m sure there’s a third-party applications out there for every user’s need. With Apple’s 50,000 choice of apps in its stores, it’s impossible you can’t find the one that suits your need. And while BB’s physical keyboard is nice, I’ve seen countless iPhone users type just as fast and just as proficient on iPhone’s smart keyboard. It’s all about adaptation.

Don’t get me wrong, I like my Blackberry just as much as the next guy - having realized its full potential during my job search - and I’m not trying to promote the iPhone, but as a marketing person I’m captivated by this strange phenomena. Where did RIM succeed where Apple fails? Researching the heart of the topic, I can draw several conclusions.

First, ease of access. RIM has been very smart in taking the “Free-for-all” approach where they allow their devices to be unlocked with relative ease, thus allowing the mass to freely choose whatever carriers they choose to go with; unlike Apple’s snobbish approach.

That leads to number two, where the general population mass-adopted this business device, influenced first by the early adopters (business people) in a “trickle-down” effect. The general population accepted Blackberry’s perceived advantages or benefits, and coupled with the device’s ease of access, further enhanced its rate of diffusion.

Ease of access not only refers to the actual ease of access in USING the device, but also in adopting the device, i.e. unlocking it and registering it with the carrier of their choices. The majority of Indonesians prefer prepaid services as opposed to subscription (contract) basis, something that RIM had learned to accept and adapted to very well. In contrast, Apple’s official policy is to “lock” in their devices to a specific telecom carrier on each country, and put in serious efforts to keep the devices locked, including frequent rewrites of the software containing locking codes on its software updates (and most certainly on all new iPhone models coming out) and frequent security updates on the firmwares. If one is not careful where you plug in your iPhone, that expensive piece of technology can suddenly go dead. As in forever. This is not even mentioning the fact that they don’t even allow people with “unlocked” and “jailbroken” iPhones to buy apps via their official channel, which is iTunes. That pretty much defeats the purpose of having it.

In short, they make life hard for people who want to adopt their devices. That was why it didn’t work in Indonesia. It may be nice and all, but if it’s worth more trouble than it’s worth, remember that people here have got the alternative choice: Blackberry.

Tomorrow: Smartphone War: The Battle for Indonesia. What Apple and RIM should do.

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