Rumor has it that PlayBook OS 2.0 will be released within the next few weeks.

In addition to native email support, the big to do in Research in Motion’s second edition QNX powered tablet operating system is Android App support.

Although BlackBerry App World is fairly profitable for BlackBerry developers, BlackBerry application support, when compared to iOS and Android development, is kind of a joke.

Removing the objection “lack of really good apps” is the reason that RIM decided to support Android apps in the first place, but, I wonder if support of Android apps will come at the cost of BlackBerry development lagging even farther behind.

Will Android app support hinder native BlackBerry app development?  I think that it will…  I’d love however, to hear what you think in the comments.

Will Android App Support Hinder Native BlackBerry App Development? is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

If you weren’t able to what the BlackBerry DevCon Europe Keynote live, you can watch the General Session Webcast Replay here.

BlackBerry DevCon Europe General Session Webcast Replay is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

It seems like every time Research in Motion takes half a step forward something comes along to knock them a full step back.  In this week’s edition of What Else Can Go Wrong for RIM, energy services company Halliburton has announced plans to drop support for BlackBerry in favor of the iPhone.

“We are making this transition in order to better support our mobile applications initiatives,” said Beverly Blohm Stafford, director of corporate affairs for Halliburton, in a statement. “Halliburton has engaged with Apple on this transition.”

Of Halliburton’s 70,000 global workers, 4500 of them have been issued BlackBerry devices which will be swapped out for iPhones over the next two years.  Companies, in increasing numbers, are allowing employees to connect their personal iPhones to corporate email systems.  If Halliburton follows suit, the number of iPhone users they support could number in the tens of thousands.

[Via New York Times]

Halliburton Drops BlackBerry for the iPhone is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

At least a couple of times now I have mentioned on the SMRpodcast that Research in Motion should partner with Amazon to bring their ecosystem to the BlackBerry PlayBook and RIM’s next-generation BlackaBerry 10  operating system.

Here is a short list of 5 reasons why…

1.  RIM has no ecosystem and needs one desperately

The biggest issue the BlackBerry PlayBook has, less the embarrassing absence of an email client, is the lack of applications, books, and media that people actually want and use.

There is no Netflix, Hulu, or any other streaming video application of consequence.  There is no Kindle or Nook reader app (Kobo just doesn’t count).  There is no real music purchasing service that people have heard of and the application selection on the PlayBook is abysmal which is why RIM will support Android Apps in BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.

Amazon’s ecosystem addresses all if this immediately…

2.   Amazon doesn’t see the BlackBerry PlayBook as competition to the Kindle Fire

Most analysts agree that Amazon’s margin on the sale of the Kindle Fire is nil at best and more probably is sold at a loss of $3 to$10 per unit.

Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, last September said that even though Amazon’s goal was to make a profit on the Kindle Fire, as a retail company, Amazon was willing to live with a smaller margin than most electronics companies would.

Amazon’s goal with the Kindle Fire is to sell as much music, video, and books as possible.  Amazon would like to see every Kindle Fire owner turn into paying Amazon Prime memberand user their tablet as a virtual showroom for all the goods and services Amazon has to sell.

Amazon’s goal as a company is to do these same things regardless of if you have a Kindle Fire or not and wouldn’t mind at all if BlackBerry users turned to Amazon for all their media needs on the BlackBerry PlayBook and upcoming BlackBerry 10 devices.

3.  The BlackBerry PlayBook could be a proving ground for higher end Kindle Fire tablets

The Kindle Fire  is a very low end piece or hardware.  The hardware in the PlayBook is actually quite good and can act as a model for Amazon on how its ecosystem will play on hire end Kindle Fire tablets.

4.  Android App submissions to BlackBerry App World haven’t taken off as expected

There is no shortage of Android App developers creating good quality Android Apps.  There is, however, a shortage of Android App developers resigning their Apps and submitting them to BlackBerry App World.  The Amazon App Store will get quality Android Apps in front of BlackBerry users more more quickly.

5.  Could facilitate a deal putting BlackBerry services on Amazon hardware

 What if, as part of your Amazon Prime account, you got access to BlackBerry Email, BlackBerry Messenger, and access to other BlackBerry services?

Android isn’t going anywhere but up and will be the biggest player in mobile beyond the foreseeable future.  Amazon will continue to be a player in the Android space, but, will eventually have to offer more than the cheapest hardware that is good enough.

RIM is open to licensing options and Amazon already has a subscription service that people sign up for outside of their mobile carriers.  BIS services on Amazon hardware could be a big deal for both Amazon and RIM…

I can think of a few other reasons why bringing the Amazon ecosystem to the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry 10 would be a good thing for RIM, however, I will leave those for the comments.

Let us know what you think, is this a deal RIM should pursue?

5 Reasons RIM Should Bring Amazon’s Ecosystem to the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry 10 is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

With a such large number of corporate business travelers on the BlackBerry you would expect that they type of application that would drive on the platform would be the travel companion.

This, however, is not the case for KAYAK, a popular travel comparison service, who recently announced that they will no longer support the KAYAK mobile app on the BlackBerry platform.

When we started KAYAK in 2004, we issued BlackBerries to the entire engineering team so we could communicate instantly 24/7. Today we’ve all switched, and it seems our users are doing the same. Our audience of BlackBerry users has been declining precipitously, and we can’t justify the cost any longer.

KAYAK will continue to support the usual suspects like Android and iOS, but, it would appear that decision to drop BlackBerry support was not based on market share alone as KAYAK plans to continue to support Windows Phone which has significantly less share than RIM, and, at the moment, slower growth.

BlackBerry 10, the next version of the BlackBerry operating system, will support Android apps, so one has to wonder if KAYAK will submit their Android App to BlackBerry App World.

Travel Comparison Service KAYAK Dropping BlackBerry App Support is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

Is it just me, or does RIM’s marketing team have a thing for DJs and musicians…

What Do You Think of RIM’s Be Bold Campaign? is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

BlackBerry 7 and 7.1 OS Achieve FIPS 140-2 Certification

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that BlackBerry® smartphones running on the powerful new BlackBerry® 7 and BlackBerry® 7.1 Operating Systems (OS) have been awarded FIPS 140-2 certification by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC). FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140-2 is recognized by the U.S. and Canadian governments and is required under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA).

BlackBerry 7 Smartphones Certified for U.S. and Canadian Governments is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

Check out episode #102 of the SMRpodcast, Number One Somewhere.  We talk a lot about Research in Motion and the BlackBerry this week and I point out that RIM is doing a lot better around the world than most folks in the U.S. give credit for.   Rod also tells us about the problems he was having with his Google Nexus and why he returned back to the iPhone 4S.

Show Details

• Recorded: January 31st, 2012
• Published: February 1st, 2012
• Duration: 01hr 09min 00sec

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SHOW TOPICS

Opening Thoughts

• Rod points out that Robb could have been mistaken about his tablet travel intentions
• Robb defends himself by pointing out Rod may have incorrectly inferred is intentions
• Chris sits back and laughs

We talk about Rod’s reboot issue on his Galaxy Nexus

• Rod switched back to iPhone because his Galaxy Nexus kept rebooting
• Robb says Rod just has bad luck with phones
• Chris is wondering if Google reader reboots too

We get into a conversation about return policies for carriers

• Rod said he was forced to return the phone because there was two days left on the return policy
• Chris says he hates that carriers use that policy
• Robb explains why they use that method for returning devices

Robb points out that RIM should be working on deal with Amazon

• Robb feels that an Amazon deal would help give app credibility to their platform
• Rod says that they should make the deal before Amazon does it without them
• Chris says he has no faith that RIM can right their ship

We discuss Microsoft and Windows Phone news

• Chris brings up another reason why Brandon Watson is great for Windows Phone
• Rod is happy to hear that Barnes and Noble lost their suit against Microsoft

Mentioned Links

Blake Griffin Dunk

Picks of the Week

• Formspring (Android Social App) Robb Dunewood (RIMarkable)
• Snapseed (iPhone Photo App) Rod Simmons (SimpleMobileReview)
• Man Up / Lost Phone Screen (WP7 apps Man up Button / Lost Phone return info) Chris Ashley (SimpleMobileReview)

SMRPodcast #102: Number One Somewhere is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...

We first saw a mock-up of the BlackBerry London, Research in Motion’s first smartphone to run the next-generation BBX based operating system.  This image obtained by CrackBerry.com, however, is the first image of the London complete with BlackBerry10 branding at it looks a lot closer to being production ready

Images of the First BlackBerry10 Superphone Emerge is a post from: RIMarkable, the Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog...