Notes from BlackBerry World 2012

BlackBerry World 2012 is over. In the history of Research In Motion (RIM) to be written later, this event will be known as one point which could be a turning point of the rise of RIM or the point where RIM continues to drop and eventually die. Let’s look at some important notes to be drawn from the event.

BlackBerry 10 Platform

In the BlackBerry World 2012, RIM exhibit BlackBerry 10 platform for the first time. BlackBerry 10, based on operating system made by QNX, the company RIM acquired back in 2010, looks sophisticated. BlackBerry 10 is equipped with several features like adaptive keyboard that is able to predict what you would type in, have a camera that takes a few frames before the actual image, and the process of switching between applications that are convenient and easy.

This BlackBerry 10 system, in addition to be used in the new BlackBerry smartphone that will be out around October, will also be used in the latest operating system for BlackBerry Playbook tablet.

BlackBerry Dev Alpha

For the developers who attended the BlackBerry 10 Jam, RIM handed out a device called BlackBerry Dev Alpha. Developers can build application for BlackBerry 10 using that device. If successful, they can redeem the device with a BlackBerry 10 smartphone, which claimed to be very different from the BlackBerry Dev Alpha that distributed.

In addition to the device, BlackBerry developers worldwide can also get a set of tools to facilitate them in building application for BlackBerry 10. Among them is the BlackBerry Native SDK to use some default BlackBerry apps, Cascade SDK to create applications with C++ and QML, as well as BlackBerry 10 WebWorks SDK to create an application with HTML5. All of these tools can be downloaded on this page http://developer.blackberry.com.

Support of Large Developers

RIM managed to convince several major developers to make applications for BlackBerry 10. Besides Gameloft that promises 11 games for BlackBerry, there’s PixelMags with magazine application and content, Fish Labs with Galaxy on Fire 2 HD game, also Xtreme Labs with Accuweather application. By showing off support from larger developers, RIM is hoping other application developers are also convinced that BlackBerry 10 is promising benefit for developers.

RIM Shares Continue to Go Down

If the support from the developers looks “strong”, the support from the investors looks weak, instead. Within 3 days of BlackBerry World 2012, RIM’s stock price continued to decline until it reached its lowest point in the last 8 years. According to analyst Colin Gillis of BGC Partners, as cited by the Ottawa Citizen, BlackBerry World 2012 was even more making it clear that RIM will continue to face a tough road ahead. One of RIM’s investor, Prem Watsa, even said that an investment on RIM is a long-term investment that can only be seen in the next 3-5 years. Most investors would not onvest such a substantial risk of failure.

The thing expected from RIM now is the launch of BlackBerry 10 smartphone. RIM is definitely racing against time while Blackberry market share continues to fall, crushed by other smartphones based on Android, iOS and Windows Phone. If late in doing something, RIM will find its market share too low to get up again.

Article sources: Press Release, CrackBerry, BerryReview. Image : N4BB