Yes, this is exactly what it looks like - an HTC Touch Pro running a virtual BlackBerry OS. According to RIM, this OS virtualization application is called the BlackBerry Application Suite which boasts BlackBerry OS 4.2 functionality with OS 4.6 style.
Personally, I’d like to try it out — mostly just for the wow factor of being able to load up another OS on my device. But unless you’re new to Windows Mobile, you must already know that loading up new ROMs (cooked or otherwise) or even a new OS (Linux) on your WinMo phone is easy as pie. No offense, BlackBerry enthusiasts (I do love the sex appeal and work functionality of many BlackBerrys) but this is really nothing new for us. I am, however, glad to hear that BlackBerry is finally getting a long-awaited update to BlackBerry Connect.
Surprise, surprise! CNET’s Bonnia Cha has recommended the Samsung Omnia (on Verizon Wireless) over the new and much anticipated BlackBerry Storm. Cha says she prefers the Omnia because its operating system is a bit quicker to respond:
Though slightly more expensive, Verizon customers looking for a touch-screen smartphone will get a better user experience and faster performance from the Samsung Omnia than the RIM BlackBerry Storm.
Bell today announced new Smartphone Combo Plans that provide Bell Mobility clients across Canada with 25% more minutes than competitor smartphone plans!
PCPro wrote an interesting post regarding the potential for Microsoft to buyout RIM. Microsoft has a substantial amount of cash on its balance sheet ($23 billion) and with RIM valued at $34 billion, the acquisition would be financially viable. Not only is the takeover financially plausible, it would be a synergistic move by Microsoft to acquire such a powerful smartphone manufacturer. Although I don’t like the idea of Windows Mobile appearing on a BlackBerry, I see the value in owning this space.
As prominent as BlackBerry may seem to be in the world market, apparently this is not actually the case. Well, at the very least not the case in Asia. In fact, BlackBerry is really only established in the US market. Springboard Research has put out some statistics that claim, in fact, that Windows Mobile outsells RIM in Asia-Pacific 6 to 1. RIM only managed to ship 1 million of their devices versus to Asia versus the 6 million that our hero Windows Mobile was able to ship.
So, what are the reasons behind RIM’s inability to woo on the worldwide market? Well, for starters Windows Mobile is cheaper to own. There’s no real need for an expensive data plan and the Blackberry Enterprise Server can be very expensive, indeed.
Yet another item from the fanciful land of patent filings: the “Hybrid Portrait-Landscape Handheld Device With Trackball Navigation and Qwerty Hideaway Keyboard”. It might be thought that the whole hideaway keypad and orientation detection thing has been done, but obviously not with a trackball, otherwise this filing wouldn’t have gone through. Considering another patent of this variety has been released recently, it’s easy to get enthusiastic about the idea of a BlackBerry with significant form factor changes. For the bookish, you can check out the whole patent filing here.
Our friends at BlackBerry Cool have posted some information on a escalating war of lawyers between Motorola and RIM.
Motorola sued RIM, claiming that RIM is using 7 Motorola patents without permission. RIM sued right back with 9 claims of patent infringement, and accused Motorola of refusing to license some of their patents in a “fair and reasonable” manner.
Neither company appears to be winning so far, so we’ll just have to wait and see where this one goes.
Our friends at BlackBerry Cool noted that Palm has modified their home page and saturated newspaper everywhere with a new ad campaign that make fun of RIM for the recent outages on the BlackBerry network.
The new ads say:
Palm smartphones include voice, email, text, web, calendar and contacts.
And more importantly, uptime.
Connect to your Microsoft Exchange Server.
No third-party servers and no nationwide blackouts.
Considering their customer satisfaction levels, amongst other things, I’m not sure they’re in a position to take cheap shops.
Our friends at BlackBerry Cool got the scoop on another report that looks at the present and future of smartphones.
The report from ChangeWave shows Apple’s large lead, with 17% of mobile phone users polled saying they plan to buy an iPhone in the next six months and 16% planning on buying a BlackBerry. Motorola has continued their downward plunge, with 11% of users planning on buying one of them in the next six months compared to over 30% in July of ‘06.
Apple again topped the charts with 72% customer satisfaction, followed by RIM with 55%. Most other manufacturers hovered in the mid-30s, and Palm sat dead last with only 30% satisfaction.
Our friends over at BlackBerry Cool posted about RIM publishing a new patent for a touchscreen LTD.
The patent is called System and Method for Integrating A Touchscreen Within an LCD. It works by detecting displacement within the liquid crystal display and routing that data to software within the device. The patent was published 4 months after it was filed, in contrast to the usual 18 month gap, which could indicate that the technology will be used sooner rather than later.
RayLuebbert on the post Which phone has the sharpest display?: I've seen a big difference in the high pixel density of the Fuze when I have web pages loaded through Opera at a lower zoom level. The fine print that might otherwise be unreadable is sharp.
RayLuebbert on the post T-Mobile Shadow 2009 coming soon: My T-Mobile buddy that is a devoted HTC fan and sold on WinMo wouldn't touch that thing with a 10 foot pole. I guess he has Shadow bitterness issues.
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Latest Comments
RSSI've seen a big difference in the high pixel density of the Fuze when I have web pages loaded through Opera at a lower zoom level. The fine print that might otherwise be unreadable is sharp.
When's the planned date for this? I have to say, I'll believe it when I see it.
My T-Mobile buddy that is a devoted HTC fan and sold on WinMo wouldn't touch that thing with a 10 foot pole. I guess he has Shadow bitterness issues.
Is is possible to do the opposite? I want my WinMo to use internet connection from my PC via USB. Is it possible?
Have you played with a Touch Pro or a Diamond, Dave? Any big differences between yours and those? I'm very curious!