Excited Over Developments at RIM? Why You Should Be
Research in Motion, the makers of BlackBerry, finished 2011 at a low ebb. Losing ground compared to their competitors in the smartphone market, namely Apple and Samsung, losing customers and profile it left many wondering what the new year would fare for them. Yet it is not all bad at BlackBerry. In fact there are things for consumer to look forward to that could see them bounce back and gain ground in the market.
This year RIM will provide an update for its BlackBerry operating system with 7.1. Being rolled out across American carriers there will be NFC, HotSpots to turn a BlackBerry into a Wi-Fi Router along with Wi-Fi calling and a new traffic app that helps with turn by turn navigation. RIM has also talked about a battery saving option that will help the battery last longer, a big deal for all smartphone users.
In terms of operating system, the 7.1 update provides a bridge for users excited over BlackBerry 10, due to be released later this year or early in 2013. RIM will probably share many details and offer hands-on demos of BlackBerry 10 devices at its BlackBerry World 2012 conference in May.
There will be a new range of devices to coincide with the launch of BlackBerry 10. Until then RIM’s new curve devices will tide users over. The 9220 and the 9320 are not top end devices. Instead, much like other manufacturers such as Motorola and Nokia, this marks an ambition from RIM to provide entry level smartphones for those who may not want a device with the latest software and gadgets.
Other than that little is known about RIM's new OS though it is clear that RIM's future in the mobile space will hinge on the success of BlackBerry 10. Current BlackBerry users can take comfort in the fact that RIM will slowly share details about BlackBerry 10 in the coming months, to tease the first device's planned late 2012 release.
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