Research In Motion just announced two new BlackBerry 7-powered smartphones: the Bold 9790 and the Curve 9380. The phones both offer RIM's latest innovations in communications, multimedia, productivity and social connectivity.
The Bold 9790 takes a hybrid approach with a high-resolution touchscreen and a tactile keyboard. With the Bold 9790, RIM offers a narrow design that aims to make the smartphone easier to carry and comfortable to hold. The phone has a 1 GHz processor for fast loading of web pages and apps. The device also offers 8 GB of onboard memory and a memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB of additional storage.
The Curve 9380 becomes the first in its family to offer a touch display. The Curve models offer a larger display than other BlackBerry lines. It features a 3.2inch display and a 5-megapixel camera with flash and video recording. Both phones will be available in the coming weeks, but how much of an impact the devices will make on RIM's bottom line is questionable.
OS 7 Not Truly New?
RIM is hoping its BlackBerry 7 operating system will help it regain market share. The new operating system offers improved browsing, voice-activated searches, and support for Augmented Reality and near-field communications (NFC). It also lets users manage personal content separately from corporate content, and comes with a variety of personal and productivity apps out of the box.
"The challenge is that OS 7 really is the same as OS 6 which is really the same as OS 5, which to a large degree is the same as the BlackBerry operating system you had 10 years ago," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. "North American consumers are looking for more than just the ability to have a touchscreen, they are looking for a user interface that was designed from the outset for your finger but also ties into a broad ecosystem of apps and services."
BlackBerry 7 includes pre-installed applications and functions that work to boost productivity, sharing and collaboration. The premium version of Documents To Go is included free. BlackBerry Protect, which lets customers back up personal data in the cloud, also comes preloaded. And the new Social Feeds app has been extended to capture updates from media and favorites in a single view.
BBX Impacts
"RIM also is challenged by the fact that they have publicly stated they are coming out with BBX phones next year that are not compatible with the current phones," Greengart said. BBX is RIM's new operating system. Although BBX could give RIM a fresh start, it could also hurt fourth-quarter sales because consumers may wait on purchasing a new phone until the new and improved BBX debuts on BlackBerry phones.
"RIM is in a very difficult transition," Greengart said. "As much as RIM would like you to believe that OS 7 is a brand new operating system, I don't think from a consumer use perspective it is really all that different from prior BlackBerrys. That is certainly a cause of concern for RIM."
Via: news.yahoo.com
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