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And Now a Blackberry Fund
What used to be the purview of corporate and business development departments is now being replaced by venture capital. A fund to foster Facebook apps, the iFund to jump start the iPhone app revolution or the rumored $150 million fund to give Blackberry apps a boost - the increasing number of platform funds doesn’t ensure success. Remember the Java Fund, or the RSS Fund.
The news of the Blackberry Fund was first reported by Venturebeat, but that post has been taken down, so I am not sure if this is even happening or not. If it is indeed true, then it is clear that iPhone has delivered a swift kick in the pants to the Canadian company, and getting it to innovate faster. I don’t think an investment vehicle is the answer. Many developers I have talked to often complain about the challenges of working with Research In Motion (RIM.)
If Team Blackberry is looking to encourage development for their platform, then they should make it easier for folks to develop for their platform. One hair ball that comes with this so called Blackberry Fund: can a company that takes an investment from Research In Motion develop apps for iPhone or Google’s Android?
Simon Brocklehurst does a great job of deconstructing the Blackberry & iFunds, and I encourage you to read his analysis. “All the opportunities, though, probably need Apple and RIM to deliver significant growth in device sales, from where they are now,” he writes, in what is clearly an understatement. Brocklehurst points out that there is a whole lot of other platforms, and the developer are going to gravitate towards the largest market opportunities.
In comparison to the Blackberry Fund and the iFund, I like the approach taken by Google to foster an apps ecosystem for its Android platform. Instead of taking an equity in exchange of funding, Google is basically giving prize monies to winners of a developer contest. Fifty round one winners get $25,000 and go on to the next level. According to a Google Android blog post, the name of the winners are going to be announced shortly. Of course, I have been talking to other Android developers and will write about them some time soon.
Oh No….Blackberry Ban In India?
Put this in the dumb-things-dumb-government-officials-do category! Apparently India’s Department of Telecommunications has rejected Tata Teleservices’ application to offer RIM’s BlackBerry on their network. DoT’s dumb excuse: “BlackBerry service does not allow for ‘lawful interception’ mandated for all Value Added Services (VAS).” In other words, they are bringing up the national security bogeyman! Current BlackBerry service providers have been contacted by DoT as well. The question is, what will DoT do with overseas visitors who show up with their BlackBerrys?
BlackBerry Java Development Environment 4.3.0
blackberry
The BlackBerry is a wireless handheld device introduced in 1999 which supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services. Developed by the Canadian company Research In Motion , it delivers information over the wireless data networks of mobile phone service companies. BlackBerry first made headway in the marketplace by concentrating on e-mail. RIM currently offers BlackBerry e-mail service to non-BlackBerry devices through the BlackBerry Connect software. The original BlackBerry device had a monochrome display, but all current models have color displays.
While including the usual PDA applications (address book, calendar, to-do lists, etc.) as well as telephone capabilities on newer models, the BlackBerry is primarily known for its ability to send and receive e-mail wherever it can access an atmosphere wireless network of certain cellular phone carriers. It has a built-in keyboard, optimized for “thumbing”, the use of only the thumbs to type. System navigation is primarily accomplished by the trackwheel (or “thumbwheel”), a scrolling wheel with a “click” function, located on the right side of the device. Newer models are now utilizing a trackball in the middle of the device as Research In Motion has moved from the trackwheel to the trackball. These devices can play audio and video content. This content can be converted and transfered to devices using one of Blackberry video converters Some of models of BlackBerry has cameras capable capture high-resolution pictures.
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[from bushwald] The seven rules of RIM engagement
RIM needs a better spin
Have you heard the sound of spinning? If not, all you have to do is read this piece in The Wall Street Journal (sub required) about RIM releasing some new software that will work on non-Blackberry devices (initially only for Microsoft’s Windows Mobile devices), and will be a fully featured release.
At present, RIM offers a Blackberry Connect software for Nokia and Palm devices, that has limited functionality. RIM says that software is going to be available “later this year,” so why talk about it now… unless it is to divert attention away from all the negative press the company is getting as a result of last week’s massive outage. Paint me cynical, but this is just SPIN.
Update: The RIM Press release offers more details, and only this bit is mildly interesting:
Support for BlackBerry® Mobile Data System (BlackBerry MDS) allowing organizations to develop their own BlackBerry applications or deploy third-party BlackBerry applications that can run on Windows Mobile-based devices as well as BlackBerry smartphones.