http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/ en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:15:21 GMT vBulletin 30 http://ps-imgs.pinstack.com/images/styles/pinstack/misc/rss.jpg http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/ http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1161.html Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:04:09 GMT 2009 promises to be a milestone year in the realm of wireless mobile communications. Now well into... 2009 promises to be a milestone year in the realm of wireless mobile communications. Now well into Q1, the various manufacturers of smartphones are working in economic conditions that are wildly different than when these same manufacturers made their forecasts and their plans for the first three months of 2009. As a result they now face one of the most difficult periods of time in the last decade of mobile communications. Not only do they face unforeseen economic conditions, but also unprecedented competition. This combination of challenges will certainly provide as interesting result for those of us outside of the business to observe. Just how these economic conditions have impacted current operations has yet to be seen.

That said, the costs involved to design, engineer and build smartphones is at an all time high. This combined with shrinking sales will prove to be the true test of cost control within the inner workings of each manufacturer. Finances aside they also face a rather fickle marketplace as is the nature of the business during the best of times. Now with so may previously employed individuals finding themselves either out of a job, or working for reduces wages, the buying patterns are in the midst of rapid change. The once stable demand for smartphones with certain features is now changing. The market studies from which the manufacturers use to plan future operations are no longer relevant. A very interesting turn of events for the consumer, and in many cases a serious and sobering fact which the manufacturers must not only face but adjust to. All of this coming on the heels of a presidential election cycle in which significant change is upon us.

As we near the close of January, the manufacturers will have but a scant 60 odd days to work with before the end of the quarter. In this tumultuous climate they are faced with what is perhaps the most challenging set of conditions ever. Just how do they plan their budgets for Q2? What do they do with the plans already in place from last year in terms of products & advertising. How will these previously planned products sell, and how fast can they adjust as the results come in from first quarter sales?

It is these aforementioned points that will shape the smartphones offered during this new year. A year which promises to be very interesting indeed. A year in which some very major changes are sure to appear. A year that the avid smartphone enthusiast will not soon forget.

~via Android Powered Agora Pro ~ ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1161.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1159.html Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:12:28 GMT To think that just five days ago I proclaimed my sixth Bold, as the one that would last quite some... To think that just five days ago I proclaimed my sixth Bold, as the one that would last quite some time, as it was performing nicely, and for a few weeks at that!

How quickly I forgot that this is not the RIM we knew and loved a year ago. Nor are these new BlackBerry models delivered in reliable working order, as they were last year.

For those of you that have been following each installment in the saga of "Archers Six BlackBerrys". Yes you read it right, it took six tries, five failed, grossly defective Bolds before getting one that was built as promised and actually functioned. It did not function well mind you, but it did boot up and run for at least 10 minutes before it would begin to act erratically and collapse into a mad circle of continuous resets. Had it not been important to me and a device I relied on, it would be funny to see it act like a cheap toy.

Fast forward to yesterday when I read here on PinStack that RIM's co founder a certain Mr Balsillie said we will just have to "Deal with the glitchy OS". Or in another words, we got flipped off by the big man himself. Being a person of ethics, morals, principals, and a professional businessman, I found this offensive and unacceptable. To think after all the money I have spent with RIM buying every BlackBerry sold in the last three years, that I would hear the big dog himself say "deal with it", referring to the problems present in the new Storm just did not set well with me. But who am I to be critical of the "Mr Perfect of the smartphone world?

After all, all day long today fellow BlackBerry users are defending him and sucking up the degradation he dealt. After all why not, RIM needs the money. Who cares about themselves. It's all about having cool things.

Conversely I took it as a wonderful opportunity to turn adversity around to my advantage. I simply removed the sim from my time wasting, glitchy Bold and chucked it. Kind of fun really. By days end I had tossed the BB and was ready for a new day of smartphone fun with my new Android powered smartphone.

Now 24 hours later I'm ahead of schedule due to the time savings of using a phone that I did not have to repair during the course of the day. What a novel concept... ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1159.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1155.html Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:40:31 GMT There are times when nothing beats the slap of reality. Especially when one attempts to get to the... There are times when nothing beats the slap of reality. Especially when one attempts to get to the bottom of a problem but is prevented from doing so due to lack of cooperation from the source. It is just this type of silence that has finally been broken with RIMs confident and in your face statement "deal with it".

Finally after months of wondering where RIM stood in regards to the many problems revealed in their new crop of smartphones, we now know where they stand. And while it strikes me as rather different than what I would have expected, it is the ultimate form of arrogance which leads them to come out with such a statement. The good news is those who were very loyal to the company now have the complete picture of RIMs position.

At this juncture my choice is to accept the fact that they no longer value their loyal customers. To no longer expect the best from them, but rather embrace change and go with the alternate choices we have as consumers who vote with their wallets. In this writers opinion, one potential platform of the future is Android. Always being one focused on being prepared, I have recently taken delivery of one of the latest Android powered smartphones. As not only an early adopter, but one that believes in speed of implementation I have scrapped my BlackBerry in favor of this new open source smartphone. Today marks the first day of a BlackBerry free mobile communications experience. It is with great excitement and anticipation that I move forward joining so many others that have no time for the narrow minded arrogance of a single company. Much like the very concept of open source software, there is a unique independence that comes with this move, which is an opportunity that this writer is not about to miss.

Cheers
~via Android Powered Agora Pro ~ ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1155.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1153.html Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:05:39 GMT First I read the headline: "RIM's Balsillie says you just have to "DEAL" with the glitchy OS"

Then I read a Stackers response: I can't leave the BlackBerry.

To which I say: I can... faster than one can say "good bye". I do not live or die by a BlackBerry, not even close. I'm more than happy to change my usage patterns and enjoy another smartphone. Not only that, it will take me less than five minutes to dump my BlackBerry. I have only to remove my sim, and chuck the BlackBerry. I have two other brand new smartphones that are already activated on their own lines. Nothing like being prepared I say.

RIM who? ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1153.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1151.html Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:28:32 GMT The headline reads:

RIM's Balsillie says you just have to "DEAL" with the glitchy OS

Ah hah! Finally we have the truth as metered out by the big boss himself. My what a difference that makes. It's all very clear now. You pay your money and take your chances. Finally we know that it's time to lower our expectations and get into acceptance. Or not. Very refreshing indeed, no longer do we have to wait and wonder why RIM has been silent. It's all very clear now.

There is a question that comes to mind, however asking it may cause a violent reaction from the supporters that could care less if they get what they paid for. Nonetheless the question to ask oneself is why did RIM not come out in the beginning and say, we are about to release a new BlackBerry that is going to have, to use their own words a "glitchy OS"?

The obvious guess is that it may have kept people from spending a few hundred dollars to purchase a set of "glitches".....heh!

So an approach available to us here, is to view this as the humorous situation that it is. Pay your money and take your chances.

Just like Las Vegas... without the showgirls. ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1151.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1139.html Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:52:03 GMT Ahh... yes finally I've got Bold number _Six_ running like a finely tuned race car. This has been one of the more challenging smartphone "projects" that I've been involved in since dealing with a very cranky Treo quite some time (yrs) ago. In not so typical fashion for RIM, my favorite manufacturer of smartphones, the first five Bolds that I purchased new in consecutive order were all defective or perhaps I should say duds. While shocking at the time, like most everything else I slowly adapted to the fact that RIM could only keep up it's stellar performance for so long. And while these were pretty big hiccups, it seems that the belching behemoth has settled down and is now producing Bolds that have the typical good quality of last years new BlackBerry's.

Quite a relief if you ask me, as for awhile I was beginning to wonder if my advocacy of their platform and products was misplaced. Alas, they seem to be settling down as even the recent Storm models I've seen are a far cry from the originals, of which I had two and returned them both, as they too were literally inoperative. It takes a lot for me to return a phone, as typically I do not enjoy the process of returning one only to have to go through everything all over again. but I have such a flow of incoming smart phones to test each week that I would much rather be enjoying a phone that works properly out of the box than one that has to be returned. Much less returned five times! Anyway, the latest Bolds to come out of AT&T are all looking good and it appears that RIM may indeed be back on track. At least for their sake I hope they are.

Cheers... ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1139.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1081.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:51:04 GMT The Bold has 3G because the WORLDS largest carrier, Vodafone demanded it, not because RIM embraced... The Bold has 3G because the WORLDS largest carrier, Vodafone demanded it, not because RIM embraced it. RIM fell on its face when launching the Bold with every carrier except Rogers. We are rapidly approaching the one year mark since the Bold was leaked to the public & RIM is still in the desperate position of pushing out beta, after beta, after beta each week to try & get the Bold working, up to RIM's normal standards. Only US customers are willing to put up with this, continue to seek the latest fix for their "crackberry habit" and keep paying big bucks for marginal devices, that they must fix on their own.

RIM has gone from being an innovator to being a reactor. A follower. The Storm is not RIM's creation, but rather it's knee jerk reaction to a serious threat. Not only from Apple but others. RIM has proven once again that out of their desperation to compete, their unwillingness to embrace change, they will push a new device onto the consumer before it is complete & trustworthy. The Storm is an example of that.

Whereas in the UK, Orange for example is not afraid. Orange is a strong force in the market place that refuses to accept mediocre BlackBerrys. They will not except this nonsense & have pulled the Bold once already. That was quite effective as "suddenly" RIM hurried & installed an improved version of the OS in. In the spirit of good business Orange put the phone back on the market. The unfortunate part, was that RIM was unable to install the working OS they had promised, therefore Orange may have to pull it again. If that becomes the case then they will never sell the Bold again. The reason is that Orange, unlike RIM, cares about their customers and their reputation.

But not to worry, much like PinStack has opened up to embrace other smartphones, so has the public. So has the market place. Therefore if it turns out than RIM continues to falter, PinStack & the Carriers do not have all their eggs in one basket. It's the very reason that I remain up to date on what's going on in the industry & the reason I own other many other brands of the latest
smartphones. There is no substitute for knowledge, preparation & action.

If RIM continues to slide and another manufacturer rises to the top, PinStack is prepared. And so am I.

Cheers

sent via BlackBerry (for now) ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1081.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1071.html Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:53:11 GMT It's a new day, a new month, and a new year. A year filled with opportunities if we seek them out. A month ahead in which we may make new choices, take new actions, and achieve our goals. And it all begins with today, the only day we have any control over. A day that provides us with a fresh start, a day to make the choice to do the next right thing. To be fully present to those in our lives that matter. To get out of ourselves, look around, and appreciate the ability we have as individuals to make a difference. An opportunity to steer around the obstacles, avoid reacting to the negative, and create the positive. To focus on what matters to us as we go forward. To create the track record that matters most, the one we create with ourselves.

Have a great day my friends & Happy New Year!

Cheers
Archer

~via BoldBerry (wap.pinstack.com)~ ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1071.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1068.html Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:40:18 GMT It was a great year! I had a wonderful time here on PinStack and met some incredible people. Once... It was a great year! I had a wonderful time here on PinStack and met some incredible people. Once again I would like to thank everyone in this community for your ongoing participation, your positive input and sharing of your valued opinions. I've enjoyed our lively debates about BlackBerry's, emerging technologies, and our individual viewpoints.

Now that our much loved leader Hayden, has opened up the site to all smartphones, the year ahead promises to be even more exciting. There has never been a time more filled with promise than now. PinStack is stronger, larger, and full of opportunity for all of us that enjoy contributing.

So to you Hayden I say Thank You!

To all the Stackers I wish you a happy & prosperous New Year!

Cheers...
Archer ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1068.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1060.html Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:29:37 GMT Living in denial can be a wonderful thing for certain people. The trouble is, I'm not one of them. There are times like this however that I have a nagging feeling that being in denial would be less work than facing the facts about a company that I've enjoyed both doing business with, and using their products. Most of us have heard the saying, timing is everything. Well in my opinion, now is the time. The time for RIM to act, and act fast. Right wrong or otherwise, their reputation is being challenged.

They are taking a hit from the press, the users that have been burned by faithfully spending their hard earned money to buy what was billed as "an exciting new product" only to have many problems, and finally RIM is taking a hit by the competition. Articles in major publications such as the recent article by David Pogue in the New York Times are very damaging. Even if only a small number of people read and believe what is said, it's still discussed amongst their peers.

The well known botched launch of the Storm is just another example of events that all accumulate to take their toll. I'm not being critical here, but rather observing what's happening and feeling some concern about the present state of RIM. While they are a huge robust company and in no danger (yet) of any dramatic negative effect, it is nonetheless a wakeup call. An opportunity for them to do a reality check and get back on track.

I for one hope they do the right thing and put this well behind them and quick. It's time for RIM to regain their focus. It's time for them to get serious about quality control. It's time for them to deliver finished products ready to be used and enjoyed, not fixed by the end user. It's time for them to do what they are capable of doing best. Building World Class Smartphones called BlackBerrys'. ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1060.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1054.html Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:06:28 GMT Day two with the stunning new layout, here at PinStack and I'm really enjoying it. Somewhat of an entirely new experience. The feeling I get is one of a vast space for us to expand, and grow endlessly. A very open ended opportunity to not only continue to enjoy our BlackBerry experience, but also share our experiences with other makes and models.

I'm sure that many other Stackers are like myself and have other brands and types of smartphones that we typically avoided talking about out of respect to the single focus of PinStack as the BlackBerry only site it once was. During the past year, while I had no idea his was coming, I did in fact notice a bit of an opening up of the site. A gradual migration towards something new. As someone who loves new things, embraces change and all that is offered by it, I was very impressed yesterday when I saw the new site for the first time. As I read the name banner across the top and saw BlackBerry removed from the tag line below the name PinStack I knew what I had anticipated had come true.

It was no surprise really, as Hayden has always been a visionary, and aggressively kept this site up to date and fresh. In fact it was this practice he has of continually refining the site, that has held my interest. As someone who gets bored easily, I do no do well, nor do I stick around sites that are stale and stagnant. Ones that never change, but simply go on as is. Hence the changes no matter how large or small are something that I've been keenly aware of during the period of time I've been a "Stacker".

Now going forward, I'm truly excited about the possibilities we have here at PinStack, and plan to continue being a contributor in helping others and participating in the growth of this very compelling site.

Cheers Stackers! ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1054.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1050.html Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:33:36 GMT I've always said that every day is a new day. And today is just one more reminder of that. When I signed into PinStack today I was greeted by the new look of the site, as Hayden once again brings PinStack forward as the cutting edge site for BlackBerrys, and other smartphones. This exciting new look reflects the continual thinking, planning and execution of our founder Hayden James.

Over the last year I have watched as this site has morphed from BlackBerry's only to a full fledged smartphone site. Today marks a very significant milestone in that transformation. The new logo and tag line for the site reads "Smartphone Professionals Alliance". Discussion Forums for Smartphone Professionals, is the heading on the home page where we have tabs for BlackBerry, Apple iPhone, Windows Mobile, Google Android, Nokia, and Palm.

Now with the transformation complete, we now find ourselves with a central place on the web to discuss any smartphones we wish. This is something that I certainly welcome, as while I use a BlackBerry as my primary smartphone, I also have many others from every maker listed on the site. Therefore I now may feel free to discuss any of the models I have as well as my number one favorite BlackBerry.

It's a great day, an exciting day and one that I will certain find myself spending on PinStack...

Cheers & Thanks Hayden! ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1050.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1035.html Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:28:32 GMT As we move forward into 2009, it promises to be a very exciting year in the field of wireless... As we move forward into 2009, it promises to be a very exciting year in the field of wireless mobile communications. Setting aside the specifics of our current BlackBerry models and those of the competing smart phones, there has never been a better, more exciting time to be involved in this field. When I take ten paces back, stop and look around at the big picture globally I see an amazing amount of creativity, invention, and new technologies being embraced.

2009 promises to be the year that RIM finally joins the 3G party fully embracing what that technology has to offer, and incorporating it into the majority of their models. After holding back based on what I perceive to be nothing more than their conservative position, they are finally moving forward with this must have level of connectivity. Beyond the obvious speed increase the even greater advantage is it's ability to handle data and voice concurrently. Then in addition to those advantages is the fact that 3G also lends a greater level of clarity and quality to voice transmission. With rumors of many more new BlackBerry models to look forward to in calendar year 2009, RIM is positioning itself as a very serious competitor in the public sector, an area that they are relatively new to. Then to ad some spice to the ongoing rumor mill is the talk about Microsoft buying Research In Motion. What a massive change that would be. Far more than I want to think about, or write about at this early juncture. Suffice to say that I'm hoping RIM will continue to grow and thrive on it's own.

2008 has proven the power and influence of Apple and it's iPhone, which has had a massive impact to our industry. Their rumored partnering with Wal-Mart promises to be somewhat of a juggernaut for them. The tentacles of Wal-Mart reach far and wide, and will bring Apple to millions of people that would not otherwise walk into an AT&T store. Recent unconfirmed rumor has it that not only will they sell the current 8GB model, but a model designed specifically to fulfill the rumor of a $99 iPhone while not sacrificing their large profit margin. It's likely to be a 4GB model, with a few take aways, that should sell in very large numbers. If this does materialize the user base will skyrocket and market share will reach a new high for the smartphone sector.

Enter Nokia, still the largest selling handset maker in the world, they have been rather stagnant in the US now for some time. All that is about to change as they recommit to this market and begin in earnest to expand the capabilities of Symbian who is now owned by Nokia. After the acquisition Nokia decided to migrate Symbian into the open source space which will truly be a boon to them. Their line of N series smartphones is maturing nicely and speaking from personal experience with a few of the newer models that I've unlocked and have running on the AT&T 3G network, they show a tremendous amount of promise.

AT&T is also making some large waves with their new business plan for 2009. An announcement recently that they plan to focus on, and use just one OS for all of their smart phones, promises to be quite an interesting proposition. The OS that they have chosen is Symbian. With the might of AT&T behind an open source OS, and the strength of Google behind the open source Android project promises to be a very compelling reason to watch closely as they battle in what may very well be a head to head contest. That leads me to the question of what will become of Windows Mobile?

Finally not to overlook the other handset makers such as Sony Ericsson, Samsung, HTC, LG, Pantec and the rest, there will be no shortage of excitement and new developments in the year ahead.

Cheers... ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1035.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1034.html Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:37:40 GMT The very word "hybrid" conjures up images in my mind's eye of the Toyota Prius, and other hybrid cars. Recently I read an article that in the last 60 days, sales of the ever popular Prius are down 50%. What a shocker that was. Especially since I'm a car enthusiast that follows the industry very closely. While I have no desire to own a Prius, I still find that concept and how it's been embraced by the public rather fascinating. Since it's very inception the Prius has continually sold out, Toyota has expanded production, and even built additional plants to increase capacity. At no time until the present has there been any signs of reduced demand. How quickly the public forgets as soon as gasoline prices plummet. However as we all know these low fuel prices will not last long and before we know it OPEC will drive our gasoline costs right back up.

So what does this have to do with a BlackBerry ? Nothing.....other than the word "hybrid". And a BlackBerry hybrid it is, or will be as they say. A new model with both a touch screen and a keyboard. Now _that_ certainly conjures up a completely different image in my mind's eye. One that I cannot wait to see materialize. ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1034.html http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1033.html Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:36:07 GMT 2008 has certainly been a milestone year in so many ways. PinStack has experienced significant... 2008 has certainly been a milestone year in so many ways. PinStack has experienced significant growth as well as a fresh new look, as Hayden continues to develop this world class site. His tireless efforts, brilliant creativity and positive influence on the entire BlackBerry community has been a great benefit to us all. Since joining in 2006, the changes and improvements that I have witnessed here are stunning. PinStack has gone from being "One of the Best BlackBerry Forums" to the top destination site for all things BlackBerry. A transformation that has been a lot of fun to watch and admire. The depth of this site has been increased to amazing proportions. It is no secret the possibilities are endless, and with the energy, creativity and effort that Hayden has put into this site in the last year alone, its obvious to me that 2009 will be even better.
Thanks Hayden! ]]> archer6 http://forums.pinstack.com/blogs/38532/blog1033.html