With all the talk about a Blackberry shutdown in the US, we wanted to look at the possible alternatives that a company can pursue. Although we really think that the shutdown is highly unlikely, it will be a good exercise to see RIM’s competition and which one poses the biggest threats now and for the future.
The jury may still be out on the new Treo 700w running Windows Mobile, but no one can deny that the Palm 650 is a great device. The advantage of running Palm OS is that it is a mature OS with thousands of 3rd party software available with multimedia and memory expansion capabilities. The device is also very powerful, running the same Intel chip as in the Blackberry 8700 and actually having programs that take advantage of the extra power. The problem with the Treo 650 is that it’s not an Enterprise device, which may be the reason why they are now adopting the Windows Mobile OS. Also out of the box, email is not pushed to the device unless you were to subscribe to a 3rd party service which drives the cost of ownership.
Pros:
- Mature OS with tons of 3rd party software.
- Powerful device with many features, camera, memory expansion, etc.
- Big community base.
Cons:
- Not an enterprise device.
- OS limbo, will Palm stick with Palm OS or go Windows mobile.
- Need extra service for true push email.
No doubt that Good has benefited the most from RIM’s litigation problems. They have the most mature push email technology which pretty much acts identical to Blackberry’s technology. Their Goodlink technology not just pushes email but syncs calendar, contacts, meetings, and can be used to push applications to devices. The big problem is that Good’s technology is not embedded in the OS, so it becomes very resource intensive and easily crashes. Also they don’t have as many carrier relationships, so the service is very limited to individuals.
Pros:
- Technology most comparable to the Blackberry.
- Runs on many devices, not limited just to the Blackberry.
- Could be cheaper for enterprises.
Cons:
- Not embedded into own OS, so is resource hungry and crashes.
- Limited carrier relationships.
- Can’t just walk into store and purchase a device with Good.
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