Blackberrys were the smartphones to have in 2002. They had push email, internet faxing, and a good mobile web-browser for the time. They were the best smartphones up until the iPhone came out in 2007. They were still popular after the iPhone came out; then came Android. Android became huge after the Motorola Droid came out for Verizon in November, 2009. Both iOS and Android have been growing every year; Blackberry OS has not grown nearly as much. Blackberry phones have not changed very much since Blackberry OS 5. The hardware as well as the OS are pretty much the same and have not been able to keep up with the times.

 

The iPhone OS has not changed much since it came out in 2007, but it doesn’t need to change; iOS is simple, fast, functional, and modern. It does everything a smartphone should do, does it well, and looks great doing it. The same can be said for Android, though it is the opposite in the sense that it is constantly changing. Both operating systems never feel dated and always compete to give users the best possible user experience and performance. This is where RIM, who owns Blackberry, is considerably behind. Android and iOS can do everything a Blackberry can do, and then a lot more. A very important aspect in which Blackberry OS is considerably  weaker is the app market. The app market is a key element of what makes Android and iOS so much more functional in so many ways. The lack of apps limits the functionality and versatility that it provides the other to OS’s with. The only things that Blackberrys excel in is encrypted corporate email, Blackberry messenger, and their great keyboards. Android and iPhones are even offering safety measures for businesses and there are Android phones that have the same form factor and similar keyboards to those of Blackberrys.

 

After having these options with the two superior operating systems, why choose Blackberrys? I still have not been able to come up with a good answer. A lot of people are starting to see the same things and leaving the operating system for something better. RIM has also seen this and has tried different things to keep up. One thing they tried was coming out with an all touchscreen phone with four buttons on the bottom. These two phones were the Storm 1 and 2. These phones were plagued with bugs and were not a big hit. Nothing RIM tries to do seems to work. Blackberry OS 5, 6, 6.5, and 7 are pretty much the same thing. There are very little differences between them in functionality and appearance. RIM’s next effort to try to regain some ground in the mobile OS war was the Blackberry Torch; it was a good try, but it was too little too late. RIM always seems to be a few steps behind and has never been able to catch up.

 

Their latest phones look very nice, but they are not different enough or exceptional enough to draw users in. There is nothing appealing enough to draw people away from other phones to try a Blackberry. RIM’s saving grace is Blackberry Messenger. When I talk to people who love Blackberrys, they say that the main reason they use it is BBM. Without BBM, a lot of people change over to another OS. Now with iMessenger running on iOS, RIM is starting to lose ground there too. Soon RIM will have nothing novel to offer with their Blackberry OS, or even anything it does exceptionally better than the other leading operating systems. Their lack of innovation in the last 4 years is the reason that they can no longer compete and will someday die out.

 

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http://crackberry.com/blackberry-javelin-8900-smartphone-review