The smartphone market is awash with touch-centric iPhone clones, giving Qwerty lovers relatively few options to get their fix - which is where RIM comes in. QNX - a solid next-gen platform upon which to build RIM needs to write the next chapter in its mobile story, by transitioning its smartphones to a next-generation mobile platform. It's a task that's going to require a big upheaval in the coming months.
And it's a solid foundation, according to analysts. In addition to grabbing QNX, the Canadian company has been on something of a shopping spree in recent years. This is why I say I think they will try and make a solid effort to turn things around.
The PlayBook means a new smartphone OS is that little bit closer Some might criticise RIM's urgency in making a tablet to compete with Apple's iPad, saying the rush to build a slate has distracted the BlackBerry maker from But having done the work designing a tablet with an all-new user interface, RIM is in a better position to design its new smartphone OS.
The existence of the PlayBook also means RIM will eventually have a single OS across multiple device types, and that's a strategic advantage in today's mobile market. The lower end vacuum Competition in the mobile market is extremely fierce these days but the war is not being waged equally on all fronts.
While the high end of the market is largely a squabble between Apple and Android, there are some gaps opening up in the middle to low end of the portfolio. Here, RIM has more to offer with its wide range of lower cost smartphones.
It also has an opportunity to grab a bigger slice of the pie, not least because of the spectacular decline of Nokia's Symbian OS. The mobile operators need BlackBerry - to keep Android from owning them Software companies are a big worry for the mobile operators, since they've come up with clever ways to circumvent operator cash cows such as SMS and voice. And the biggest worry of them all?
Google, of course - creator of the Android mobile platform. Its licensing and other segment, which generated the remaining third of its revenue in the first nine months, mainly charges licensing fees on thousands of patents. It also earns licensing fees for discontinued brands that were licensed to other companies, including its eponymous smartphone division and the BBM BlackBerry Messenger Consumer app. It also generated higher licensing revenue throughout the year.
These partnerships will presumably strengthen BlackBerry's software and services segment, but I have two major concerns. First, BlackBerry didn't disclose any financial details regarding these deals. Second, QNX is already the world's top embedded OS for vehicles, and it's unclear if these technological partnerships will merely help the business tread water as the automotive market evolves or actually boost its revenue per vehicle.
Therefore, BlackBerry's QNX business could certainly expand with the next-gen auto market over the next five years, but investors expecting a big boost in QNX's near-term revenue could be sorely disappointed. Meanwhile, Spark could still struggle in the crowded cybersecurity space against entrenched players like Palo Alto Networks and disruptive cloud-based newcomers like CrowdStrike. BlackBerry is also relying heavily on aggressive lawsuits to boost its patent licensing revenue.
It reached a long-awaited settlement with Facebook over mobile messaging technologies in January, but it didn't disclose any figures from the deal. Its lawsuit against Snap over similar claims remains unresolved. That same month, BlackBerry sold some of its older patents to the Chinese tech giant Huawei. It also recently secured a new smartphone licensing deal with the start-up Onward Mobility, with the help of Foxconn, to continue producing BlackBerry-branded phones after the expiration of a previous partnership with the Chinese phone maker TCL.
Those moves all indicate BlackBerry will continue to streamline and expand its licensing business, but its growing reputation as a "patent troll" could persist as it sues even more companies. I thought they were done for good. By far the best news of for me. I only left when all the apps makers started to pull out. A good phone experience should be complemented by an amazing keyboard, not limited by it. Lara Mingay, founder of LM Communications, had never owned an iPhone as her personal phone until February of this year.
There was something else, though. TCL was the first company to licence the BlackBerry brand, but the company concluded its licensing agreement in Yes, a new BlackBerry phone will launch during the first half of The phone will be released by OnwardMobility and it will, presumably, run Android.
In , a new company took over the BlackBerry license. In , OnwardMobility will release its first BlackBerry phone. BlackBerry no longer makes phones. The company is now focussed more or less exclusively on the development and deployment of QNX-based operating systems to commercial and enterprise users. Richard Goodwin has been working as a tech journalist for over 10 years.
He is the editor and owner of KnowYourMobile. Frequently Asked Questions. Richard Goodwin. Pin It on Pinterest. Share This Share this post with your friends!
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