What’s Next for Blackberry?

· by · Bookmark the permalink. ·
Blackberry Unveils It's New Operation System And Phone

Caption That: Even Blackberry’s “Global Creative Director,” Alicia Keys, doesn’t seem to know what the company should do next. Credit: Blackberry

Good Tuesday morning to you. If your week didn’t get off to the best start, remember that things could always be worse.

You could be Blackberry.

Once the most popular smartphone brand in the world, Blackberry has watched its marketshare erode in recent years as iOS and Android have stolen the spotlight.

And just when we didn’t think things could get much worse, Blackberry suffered another blow yesterday. The executive in charge of Blackberry’s messaging service, BBM, announced he is leaving.

BBM has long been a favorite feature among Blackberry users, and it remained popular even as people left Blackberry for the competition.

Apple’s iMessage was affectionately called “BBM for iPhones” when it debuted in 2011. When Blackberry released official BBM apps for iOS and Android last year, use the service skyrocketed, with more than 10 million downloads in the first day.

Now that the BBM chief is out, the future of the company struggling to turn itself around seems even less certain. Rumors began circulating this week that Blackberry has a super-charged device in the works that would out-perform Apple’s iPhone 5S.

The only problem? It isn’t expected to be ready until 2015. In the fast-paced smartphone business, that could be two years too late.

Here’s what else you should know this morning.

Nokia Set to Release its First Android Phone

  • Microsoft is allowing Nokia to release a smartphone running Google’s Android operating system, despite their upcoming acquisition of the mobile device manufacturer [WSJ].
  • But don’t expect the Nokia phone to look like other Android devices out there. Leaked images show the phone will strip away Google features like Gmail and Google Maps, and replace them with Microsoft software [Venture Beat].
  • The device is expected to be a low-power, low-cost phone targeting emerging markets [Business Insider].

Bill Gates Explained His New Role at Microsoft on Reddit

  • Microsoft founder Bill Gates answered the internet’s questions about his new role at the PC company on Reddit yesterday [Tech Crunch].
  • The billionaire talked candidly about everything from Microsoft’s new CEO to his philanthropy to doing the dishes in an open “Ask Me Anything” chat [Daily Mail].
  • If you’re interested in reading more of Reddit’s Ask Me Anything series, Yohana Desta has rounded up 15 of the most fascinating. Check them out on Mashable.

Also Making Headlines This Morning

  • The creator of “Flappy Bird” says he pulled his hit game from the App Store four our own good, because it was “addictive” [The Verge].
  • If you still don’t fully understand Bitcoin, Bing might be able to help. The search engine announced yesterday it has added Bitcoin to its currency converter, allowing users to see how much the digital currency is worth in over fifty other currencies [CNET].
  • America’s third largest mobile network, Sprint, reported a big financial loss yesterday despite selling 5.6 million smartphones last quarter [Engadget].
  • It’s nice to see you: Virgin Atlantic staff members have begun wearing Google Glass to assist passengers in London’s Heathrow Airport [TNW].

And Finally, Why Isn’t Everyone Buying HTC Phones? 

—–

Thanks starting your day with TechToday, a new morning roundup of the tech stories you’ll want to know each weekday. What would you like to see here tomorrow morning? Let me know by leaving a comment, or by reaching out to me on Twitter @DrewRapp.

You can find TechToday weekdays at today.drewrapp.com.

Leave a comment