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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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7

How to Improve the BlackBerry

RIM dominates in sales, but the iPhone has big advantages

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(Newser) – The iPhone has become a cultural phenomenon, but RIM sells way more units than Apple does. Why, then, does the BlackBerry have such obvious flaws? Wired lists five improvements RIM needs to make:

  1. Browser. The web looks much the same on an iPhone or Palm Pre as it does on a PC. But the BlackBerry presents a bare-bones mobile version of most websites—and is slow, to boot.
  2. Touchscreen. The BlackBerry Storm's "clickable" screen was supposed to feel like a real keypad, but it just made typing slower.

  1. Apps. RIM controls 56% of the US smartphone market, but the BlackBerry's application marketplace has 2,322 programs for sale, compared with 70,000 in Apple's App Store. RIM needs to get real about courting developers.
  2. Wi-Fi. The BlackBerry Storm and Tour work with the 3G network but don't have Wi-Fi connectivity. Note to RIM: users don't like arbitrary restrictions.
  3. Desktop software. The interface runs only on PCs, is notoriously buggy, and is difficult to set up. ITunes, meanwhile, seamlessly integrates with the iPhone.

In this photo taken Monday, May 4, 2009, a customer holds up her Apple iPhone, right, which is shown next to a Blackberry Curve, left, at a Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif.
In this photo taken Monday, May 4, 2009, a customer holds up her Apple iPhone, right, which is shown next to a Blackberry Curve, left, at a Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
In this Nov. 21, 2008 file photo, a customer types on a BlackBerry Storm smartphone at Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif., Friday, Nov. 21, 2008.
In this Nov. 21, 2008 file photo, a customer types on a BlackBerry Storm smartphone at Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif., Friday, Nov. 21, 2008.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)
An employee holds the new Blackberry Tour before the Research In Motion (RIM) annual general meeting on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 in Waterloo, Ontario.
An employee holds the new Blackberry Tour before the Research In Motion (RIM) annual general meeting on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 in Waterloo, Ontario.   (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Dave Chidley)
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7 comments
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DaveE
Sep 3, 09 3:19 PM CDT
How can you compare sales between RIM and Apple when the iPhone is limited to AT&T and possibly T-mobile and Blackberry is on every other possible network? Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
+4
IN RESPONSE:
Unaffiliated
Sep 3, 09 3:23 PM CDT
Plus, _the_ Blackberry isn't one model, but numerous different models.
Vote up! Vote down!
+3
IN RESPONSE:
Robert_Dada
Sep 3, 09 3:54 PM CDT
Plus it's heavily embedded in the business world.
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+2
gabo
Sep 3, 09 3:27 PM CDT
How to improve it? shut it off. Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
+1
IN RESPONSE:
nick
Sep 3, 09 3:34 PM CDT
That's just mean. :)
Vote up! Vote down!
+3

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