Weekend Contest ‘What Is RIM Launching Autumn 2006?’

Posted
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Kyle McInnes
on April 7, 2006, at 9:48 AM
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18 Comments

This Weekend’s Contest is entitled ‘What is RIM Launching Autumn 2006?’ The reason for the contest is because in yesterday’s conference call with investors, co-CEO Jim Balsillie said “Oh boy, autumn of 2006 is going to be special,” referring to new products and services that RIM is planning on launching. This is a very strange move for RIM, especially seeing how RIM has historically been tight-lipped when talking about new products.

So what can this new product or service be that is making RIM’s CEO all giddy like a little boy. Leaked pictures of the Cingular 7130c were leaked last week but that can’t be it because it’s not an entirely new device. A preview of BES 5.0 will be presented at RIM’s trade show Wireless Enterprise Symposium 2006 in May, and when a new version of BES comes out then a new handheld OS is always close behind. But can RIM be that excited for a new OS? Probably not, but what if the new OS was bundled with an entirely new device, say the new consumer Blackberry that has been in the works.


Our guess is that we will finally see the consumer Blackberry this autumn. The reason for our guess is the Samsung T719, the new Samsung device with Suretype first revealed a few days ago at CTIA. Just like the automotive industry where collaboration between competing companies is nothing new, collaboration between RIM and Samsung makes sense. Samsung gets the SureType technology and probably some expertise in developing for the enterprise market. Whereas RIM gets technical expertise from Samsung in developing consumer devices.

But our guess is as good as yours. Post your own thoughts on what RIM is planning to drop autumn and you can win 1 of 3 copies of WGarage: Reverse Lookup, the program that allows you to see who called.

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  • Kerry Munch

    I think you guys are right. The Samsung T719 came out of left feild! There’s obvious something there between RIM and Samsung.

  • Kerry Munch

    I think you guys are right. The Samsung T719 came out of left feild! There’s obvious something there between RIM and Samsung.

  • Oscar

    My guess is Blackberry Connect.

  • Oscar

    My guess is Blackberry Connect.

  • acnst

    I think we will see a new category of BB devices with a camera, memory card slot, fullsized or suretype keyboard capable of playing MP3/videos for the non-business users market. Maybe it will be a device with builtin flash memory or hard disk in size of at least 1GB or more – somethin like an iPOD BlackBerry. But I hope it will still be running BB OS and Windows Mobile.

  • acnst

    I think we will see a new category of BB devices with a camera, memory card slot, fullsized or suretype keyboard capable of playing MP3/videos for the non-business users market. Maybe it will be a device with builtin flash memory or hard disk in size of at least 1GB or more – somethin like an iPOD BlackBerry. But I hope it will still be running BB OS and Windows Mobile.

  • mistermix

    In context, he said: “My message is the business is fine and, ooh boy, the autumn of 2006 is going to be special.” I don’t think that’s a hint about a specific device, more that RIM’s strategy will come together by then, which in turn means that RIM will have more traction in the consumer and small business market.

    To get that traction, RIM needs a combination of the right devices and the right functionality.

    The RIM devices are good. The missing link is a consumer device with additonal, removable storage for music and photos. That’s not a huge leap from where the 71XX and 87XX devices are today. Maybe the Samsung partnership will yield a more music- and photo-friendly device.

    But even more important than devices is OTA sync. Consumers need the same functionality that BES users take for granted. RIM’s links with Yahoo (and maybe Google) are critical. If Yahoo mail is as good as Outlook or Notes for the consumer/small-business, RIM will have *the* service to beat, and that will mean a heck of an Autumn for them.

  • mistermix

    In context, he said: “My message is the business is fine and, ooh boy, the autumn of 2006 is going to be special.” I don’t think that’s a hint about a specific device, more that RIM’s strategy will come together by then, which in turn means that RIM will have more traction in the consumer and small business market.

    To get that traction, RIM needs a combination of the right devices and the right functionality.

    The RIM devices are good. The missing link is a consumer device with additonal, removable storage for music and photos. That’s not a huge leap from where the 71XX and 87XX devices are today. Maybe the Samsung partnership will yield a more music- and photo-friendly device.

    But even more important than devices is OTA sync. Consumers need the same functionality that BES users take for granted. RIM’s links with Yahoo (and maybe Google) are critical. If Yahoo mail is as good as Outlook or Notes for the consumer/small-business, RIM will have *the* service to beat, and that will mean a heck of an Autumn for them.

  • acnst

    The last sentence should have been:
    But I hope it will still be running BB OS and NOT Windows Mobile.

  • acnst

    The last sentence should have been:
    But I hope it will still be running BB OS and NOT Windows Mobile.

  • John C.

    Perhaps a WiFi-enabled handset?

  • John C.

    Perhaps a WiFi-enabled handset?

  • Nathan

    RIM will have a device with all the toys, camera, mp3 player, media player, etc.. Possibly a teaming arrangement with Apple to provide an iPod BB.

  • Nathan

    RIM will have a device with all the toys, camera, mp3 player, media player, etc.. Possibly a teaming arrangement with Apple to provide an iPod BB.

  • John C.

    So who won? :-)

  • John C.

    So who won? :-)

  • umer sheikh

    what is about the blackbery that makes it o popular.?

  • umer sheikh

    what is about the blackbery that makes it o popular.?