Can BlackBerry Survive

In a world seemingly awash iPhone and Android smartphones, there is still room for a relatively sober BlackBerry, which pioneered mobile messaging has created a generation of BlackBerry addicts on Bay Street and elsewhere?

In short, yes. But there is always, but.

First, disclosure: I used a BlackBerry years. I use it for work, completing countless e-mails with my fingers well trained. I tried to iPhones, but I can not go on writing-glass experience that results in a barely legible text, and high blood pressure.

I know that I could choose from more than 250,000 programs - better known as the "APPS" - when I bought my iPhone, or more than 100,000, if I bought a machine to run faster, improve Google's Android mobile operating system. But my BlackBerry 9000 with its relatively small applications, the productivity of the equipment. IPhone will be more fun, but I would not do any work.

If everyone were like me, with a focus on the application site and a little off, "BlackBerry maker Research In Motion continues to own the market indefinitely, essentially invented a decade ago. But I do not represent the typical smartphone buyer and messaging not drive wireless adoption.

Apps and pay on-line shops to facilitate purchases, download and install the new Ground Zero for smartphones. Flock software developers to create new titles for the most popular mobile phones and operating systems.

Consumers hanging on every word, Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, the first in the queue as a block to take home the latest touchscreen-based devices with industrial design and drool worthy. Nobody I know ever built for the BlackBerry.

More ominously, the company is under increasing pressure from several governments, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and India to allow greater access to its proprietary technology security. Government officials argue that they allow to monitor terrorists and other criminal activities, but critics argue that such an approach can easily be used to spy on citizens. While negotiations continue, investors are nervous, aggressive fear it might affect RIM's growth plans around the world have logged more than 10 percent of its stock value.

To be fair, RIM is about to pass his tent and go home. The company sells almost every second of all smart phones sold in North America and 20 percent globally (for Nokia, the global giant and its mobile operating system Symbian) and its technology is a key economic tool of the world. Despite his bravado, are pushing governments to Rome for the later approach would do more harm to their own economy by banning the BlackBerry service.

In commercial premises, where a real smartphone war is taking place every day, Rome is still a formidable force as well.

Unlike Apple, which usually provides the only high-end model - iPhone 4 - and last year's model (3G), there are dozens of Blackberry for sale at any given time. This gives RIM a key advantage in stores, where consumers are looking for an agreement often have more than one BlackBerry to choose from.

Google's strategy, which gives it its mobile operating system Android free to notebook manufacturers like Motorola, HTC and LG, the future promises even more diverse and competitive, and largely explains the comScore data that shows your smartphone, the United States, increasing market share 2 5 percent in September 2009 to 13 percent in May. RIM, in comparison, fell from 42.6 percent at 41.7 percent during the same period.

Ramon llamas, senior research analyst for IDC's mobile devices technology and trends, "says this trend is likely to be a stepping stone in the past, RIM Android and Apple in global market share for smartphones 2014th

But the cake overall smartphone market is growing fast enough to make everyone happy. Canalys figures show 47.2 million smartphone shipments in North America in 2009, up 27 percent in 2008. Growth in research projects, the company even faster - 38 percent - in 2010, to 65.1 million units by year end.

This reflects a rapid transition from a typical phone call industry that support voice, text-based, online presence of light and little else, and smartphones, which in some cases full-fledged outpower desktop or laptop. Five years from now, most of us will carry smartphones.

Unfortunately for RIM, its latest attempt to regain consumers' attention and inject a bit of sensuality in his iconic brand was a bit short. Torch BlackBerry 9800 was the flagship of the new company. The new operating system, BlackBerry 6, also leaned over the new device, which has sold 150,000 units during its first weekend.

By contrast, Apple sold 1.6 million iPhone 4 in the first days after launch. Torch While sales are certainly impressive, reflecting the continued RIM brand slowly but steadily, and not increase the RMI for Apple or league owners to attract Google.

In a sense, marketing, RIM continues to turtle rabbit on Apple and Google. Tomorrow's consumers will not be long for BlackBerry devices, as well as their competitors, and RIM's global leadership aspirations now seem distant at best.

Lamy, IDC says it can not be that bad. Perception of security remains the key bullet BlackBerry sales role, especially buyers of long-time strategy based on all RIM devices and mobile services. It is even more critical to RIM will not give away the farm in Saudi Arabia and India, because if RIM will successfully navigate the international rope, which could harm its brand-centric security.

Whatever happens in the Middle East, although the Blackberry is not fashion forward consumer most likely continue to grow profits and business-oriented buyers.

"It's harder to move from consumer to consumer sales business," says Llamas. "You give a lot of security and encryption, and RIM has been in this game more than a decade. That tells me that they have something going on that you can not play at night."

Carmi Levy is a London-based independent technology analyst in Ont. and journalist.