Comments on: Rick Constanzo: dual-mode wi-fi “half-baked” http://www.blackberrycool.com/2006/06/05/rick-constanzo-dual-mode-wi-fi-half-baked/ The voice of the BlackBerry community. Wed, 22 May 2013 22:04:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Mike http://www.blackberrycool.com/2006/06/05/rick-constanzo-dual-mode-wi-fi-half-baked/comment-page-1/#comment-34132 Mike Fri, 23 Jun 2006 02:05:35 +0000 http://www.blackberrycool.com/2006/06/05/001836/#comment-34132 I think it’s important to note that Rick isn’t saying dual-mode is “half-baked” but that RIM won’t be releasing a product to market that isn’t ready for prime-time. It’s (realtively) easy to throw an 802.11 radio into a mobile device – but when you consider all the implications of a handheld with WiFi, Cellular and Bluetooth radios, then things get more tricky. making any one of those work by itself is a complex but manageble task – getting two or more to work in harmony with one another, while providing the stability and security that BlackBerry is renown for, is something else (remember who their target audience is – business and gov’t have different standards that you and I).

BT can talk all they want about their infrastructure and how easy to use it is, but at the end of the day they don’t have the same issues to deal with as the handset manufacturers in terms of battery conservation (it’s another radio – of course it will affect battery life) and usability.

RIM is certainly able to produce a handset with WiFi (7270?) so I don’t think it’s a question of technical merit or towing another company’s line – there are carriers in North America who are looking favourably at UMA/GAN as well. I expect when RIM comes out with a dual-mode device it will be vastly superior to their competition, and ridiculously easy to use. And probably BT will be all over it :D

]]> By: Mike http://www.blackberrycool.com/2006/06/05/rick-constanzo-dual-mode-wi-fi-half-baked/comment-page-1/#comment-482954 Mike Fri, 23 Jun 2006 02:05:00 +0000 http://www.blackberrycool.com/2006/06/05/001836/#comment-482954 I think it’s important to note that Rick isn’t saying dual-mode is “half-baked” but that RIM won’t be releasing a product to market that isn’t ready for prime-time. It’s (realtively) easy to throw an 802.11 radio into a mobile device – but when you consider all the implications of a handheld with WiFi, Cellular and Bluetooth radios, then things get more tricky. making any one of those work by itself is a complex but manageble task – getting two or more to work in harmony with one another, while providing the stability and security that BlackBerry is renown for, is something else (remember who their target audience is – business and gov’t have different standards that you and I).

BT can talk all they want about their infrastructure and how easy to use it is, but at the end of the day they don’t have the same issues to deal with as the handset manufacturers in terms of battery conservation (it’s another radio – of course it will affect battery life) and usability.

RIM is certainly able to produce a handset with WiFi (7270?) so I don’t think it’s a question of technical merit or towing another company’s line – there are carriers in North America who are looking favourably at UMA/GAN as well. I expect when RIM comes out with a dual-mode device it will be vastly superior to their competition, and ridiculously easy to use. And probably BT will be all over it :D

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