Weekend Contest: BlackBerry Year-In-Review

Posted
by
Steve St. Pierre
on December 29, 2006, at 11:14 AM
in Editorials and Spotlight
. Tags: Weekly-Contest.
Comments: 26 responses
26 Comments

huzzahcontest.jpg

The winner this week gets a USGlobalSat’s BT-359 Bluetooth GPS puck. Phew, I just had to get that out right away – I’ve been holding it in all week. Anyway, if you’ve been checking in intermittently all week, you’ll notice that we did our own little year in review of the top 10 BlackBerry stories of the year (lovingly titled the BlackBerry “Cool in ’06″ Awards).

Give that a once over, and this week we’re asking you to tell us what you thought the biggest story of the year in terms of BlackBerry news was, tell us why, and the best response will walk away with a GPS puck. No lies. No bull pucky. You can check out our review of one right here and a how-to here.

You all seemed to have fun last week with our little haiku contest. And we had so much fun reading them that we decided to give out three magmic games to three lucky winners. In no particular order they are…

Jeff Sutton

clicking near the tree
toddler wants my blackberry
is my wife speaking

Sam

Glimmering Pearl,
Early present to myself.
Precious ball and chain.

and

Trancemaasta

scroll, click, escape
the rush through my veins
just one more email my love

Sure, we were a little lenient on the format, but still – you all did really, really great and should all be pleased with your efforts. Pat yourselves on the back. But yeah – did you notice we’re giving away a GPS puck this week? Yeah, we are.

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  • Krad

    wow.. if this was ever the time to hook up a bbcool supporter… a bluetooth puck would really help my cause..

    I don’t believe there was any really great news for rim or blackberry this year. Sure we got a new device that is leaps and bounds over the older ones… but honestly the 8100 really should have been the 7100.

    The big news in 06 was that blackberrycool opened up a store imho. This site and Steve have been a pleasure to read and comment on all year.

    Keep up the great work!

    God bless canadia…lol

  • Krad

    wow.. if this was ever the time to hook up a bbcool supporter… a bluetooth puck would really help my cause..

    I don’t believe there was any really great news for rim or blackberry this year. Sure we got a new device that is leaps and bounds over the older ones… but honestly the 8100 really should have been the 7100.

    The big news in 06 was that blackberrycool opened up a store imho. This site and Steve have been a pleasure to read and comment on all year.

    Keep up the great work!

    God bless canadia…lol

  • Krad

    wow.. if this was ever the time to hook up a bbcool supporter… a bluetooth puck would really help my cause..

    I don’t believe there was any really great news for rim or blackberry this year. Sure we got a new device that is leaps and bounds over the older ones… but honestly the 8100 really should have been the 7100.

    The big news in 06 was that blackberrycool opened up a store imho. This site and Steve have been a pleasure to read and comment on all year.

    Keep up the great work!

    God bless canadia…lol

  • Krad

    wow.. if this was ever the time to hook up a bbcool supporter… a bluetooth puck would really help my cause..

    I don’t believe there was any really great news for rim or blackberry this year. Sure we got a new device that is leaps and bounds over the older ones… but honestly the 8100 really should have been the 7100.

    The big news in 06 was that blackberrycool opened up a store imho. This site and Steve have been a pleasure to read and comment on all year.

    Keep up the great work!

    God bless canadia…lol

  • Krad

    keep in mind that the first haiku by Kyle Simmons was the best imho.

  • Krad

    keep in mind that the first haiku by Kyle Simmons was the best imho.

  • http://beyondthebleedingedge.blogspot.com/ Andrew

    Hands down the biggest news out of RIM this year is the Pearl. Not just because it is a crossover into the consumer market and it is a great phone; but the fact that people are excited about BB as a platform for development and voice communication.

    Acquisitions like that of Ascendant (second biggest story IMHO) illustrate the exploding development work around the BB platform in general. Voice 2.0 isn’t about features, it is about platforms, API’s, and communities. The Blackberry has locked up all 3.

  • http://beyondthebleedingedge.blogspot.com Andrew

    Hands down the biggest news out of RIM this year is the Pearl. Not just because it is a crossover into the consumer market and it is a great phone; but the fact that people are excited about BB as a platform for development and voice communication.

    Acquisitions like that of Ascendant (second biggest story IMHO) illustrate the exploding development work around the BB platform in general. Voice 2.0 isn’t about features, it is about platforms, API’s, and communities. The Blackberry has locked up all 3.

  • Aaron

    http://www.blackberrycool.com/2006/07/04/001969/

    That’s definitely the best post. ever. Although the site has changed to this one:

    http://celebrityblackberrysightings.com/

    I think I see a nipple!

  • Aaron

    http://www.blackberrycool.com/2006/07/04/001969/

    That’s definitely the best post. ever. Although the site has changed to this one:

    http://celebrityblackberrysightings.com/

    I think I see a nipple!

  • Jason

    The biggest news is the Cameraberry! We never thought we would get a camera, but YES RIM has passed into the consumer market too!

  • Jason

    The biggest news is the Cameraberry! We never thought we would get a camera, but YES RIM has passed into the consumer market too!

  • Alex D.

    I am thinking that the biggest Blackberry related story of the year was the settlement of the lawsuit from NTP. That was a huge dark cloud hanging over RIM’s head for a REALLY LONG time. It seemed to impact their production and release of newer products. Once that was cleared up the flood gates opened and they were able to release new server software, some new handhelds, and purchase some other companies and finish with a very good year. The Pearl was a huge step but I think they had to get the nasty legal stuff out of the way to be able to move on with the more innovative and ground breaking products.

  • Alex D.

    I am thinking that the biggest Blackberry related story of the year was the settlement of the lawsuit from NTP. That was a huge dark cloud hanging over RIM’s head for a REALLY LONG time. It seemed to impact their production and release of newer products. Once that was cleared up the flood gates opened and they were able to release new server software, some new handhelds, and purchase some other companies and finish with a very good year. The Pearl was a huge step but I think they had to get the nasty legal stuff out of the way to be able to move on with the more innovative and ground breaking products.

  • http://www.myspace.com/prophylactics Jennesy

    My Choice for best breakout would HAVE to be the pearl.Not only did this wonderful little device make a big splash with a whole new crowd of mobile go-ers but I hold in my left hand (as i type with my right lol),the definitive key to turning me from every day mobile user to BlackBerry disciple.Congratulations to RIM for manufacturing one of the most addictive devices ive ever owned,one of the sexiest pieces of hardware ive ever layed my eyes upon, and by far the answer to storing your life in the palm of your hand..The Blackberry Pearl

    7 days, 3 hours, 22 minutes andn counting, youve recieved a Blackberry Addict.

  • http://www.myspace.com/prophylactics Jennesy

    My Choice for best breakout would HAVE to be the pearl.Not only did this wonderful little device make a big splash with a whole new crowd of mobile go-ers but I hold in my left hand (as i type with my right lol),the definitive key to turning me from every day mobile user to BlackBerry disciple.Congratulations to RIM for manufacturing one of the most addictive devices ive ever owned,one of the sexiest pieces of hardware ive ever layed my eyes upon, and by far the answer to storing your life in the palm of your hand..The Blackberry Pearl

    7 days, 3 hours, 22 minutes andn counting, youve recieved a Blackberry Addict.

  • Kevin

    The biggest news this year for RIM could be the release of the Pearl as their first product for the consumer market. With camera and media functionality, the Pearl appeals to an audiance that RIM hasn’t addressed until now.
    The 8800 though, is what everyone is really waiting for. As successful as the Pearl has been, the 8800 will redfine what the BlackBerry is to the average consumer.

  • Kevin

    The biggest news this year for RIM could be the release of the Pearl as their first product for the consumer market. With camera and media functionality, the Pearl appeals to an audiance that RIM hasn’t addressed until now.
    The 8800 though, is what everyone is really waiting for. As successful as the Pearl has been, the 8800 will redfine what the BlackBerry is to the average consumer.

  • John C.

    I would agree that the NTP litigation and the release of the Pearl and the fun that was had by BoyGenius were all exciting and newsworthy.

    However, as was eluded to in the #10 spot on the Cool in ’06′ awards, the fact that RIM is poised to enter the China market, is absolutely huge / scary.

    As Jim Balsillie said in one of the articles posted here: “[the] Asia-Pacific region will overtake the United States and Europe as Research In Motion’s biggest market.”

    That makes me believe that the Pearl is never coming to Verizon Wireless…

  • John C.

    I would agree that the NTP litigation and the release of the Pearl and the fun that was had by BoyGenius were all exciting and newsworthy.

    However, as was eluded to in the #10 spot on the Cool in ’06′ awards, the fact that RIM is poised to enter the China market, is absolutely huge / scary.

    As Jim Balsillie said in one of the articles posted here: “[the] Asia-Pacific region will overtake the United States and Europe as Research In Motion’s biggest market.”

    That makes me believe that the Pearl is never coming to Verizon Wireless…

  • John C.

    I would agree that the NTP litigation and the release of the Pearl and the fun that was had by BoyGenius were all exciting and newsworthy.

    However, as was eluded to in the #10 spot on the Cool in ’06′ awards, the fact that RIM is poised to enter the China market, is absolutely huge / scary.

    As Jim Balsillie said in one of the articles posted here: “[the] Asia-Pacific region will overtake the United States and Europe as Research In Motion’s biggest market.”

    That makes me believe that the Pearl is never coming to Verizon Wireless…

  • Scott R

    OK, I submitted on Sunday (really, I did) but my submission was eaten by weasels. I’m not sure why the weasels liked what I had to say so much, but they did, so there you go. Please please please keep me in the contest. Weasels say thanks.

    My answer isn’t incredibly original – it’s the development and release of the BlackBerry Pearl – but the reason is important.

    Despite the ham-fisted marketing (“personal BlackBerry”? who has ever uttered that phrase?) and what looks, so far, to be a primarily upgrade- rather than new-customer-acquisition play, the decision to build the Pearl, the industrial design and development process, and the delivery into the market all point to a very new kind of BlackBerry business.

    Look at how much this device gets right: finally, there’s a comfortable, usable BlackBerry for people who want to carry a cell phone, not a bulky device. It’s a slick-looking phone across the board, one you aren’t afraid to show people in public; the trackball is unmistakeable, and is creating a brand of its own inside BlackBerry; and many of the little touches that were wrong with the 7100 (button responsiveness and tactile feel, button locality, friendly-looking default themes) are right with the Pearl.

    At some point in the development process, RIM realized that it was time for a very different view on industrial design. I don’t know if they did it in-house or outside, but it’s clear that someone who knows about building consumer devices – and understood the existing customer (thus the upgrades!) – designed this device, and the compromises are few. It’s very hard for successful companies to realize they need to take a meaningfully different view of the world, and RIM did so. That’s part of the legacy of the Pearl.

    The Pearl and its progeny are RIM’s real entries into the market of business users who don’t want to look like business users. That’s also a tough marketing pitch, but it’s a real one.

    That is all. And as someone who had a 7100, decided to try the Samsung Blackjack, then gave it back screaming and got the Pearl, I know what I like. :)

    Happy New Year!

  • Scott R

    OK, I submitted on Sunday (really, I did) but my submission was eaten by weasels. I’m not sure why the weasels liked what I had to say so much, but they did, so there you go. Please please please keep me in the contest. Weasels say thanks.

    My answer isn’t incredibly original – it’s the development and release of the BlackBerry Pearl – but the reason is important.

    Despite the ham-fisted marketing (“personal BlackBerry”? who has ever uttered that phrase?) and what looks, so far, to be a primarily upgrade- rather than new-customer-acquisition play, the decision to build the Pearl, the industrial design and development process, and the delivery into the market all point to a very new kind of BlackBerry business.

    Look at how much this device gets right: finally, there’s a comfortable, usable BlackBerry for people who want to carry a cell phone, not a bulky device. It’s a slick-looking phone across the board, one you aren’t afraid to show people in public; the trackball is unmistakeable, and is creating a brand of its own inside BlackBerry; and many of the little touches that were wrong with the 7100 (button responsiveness and tactile feel, button locality, friendly-looking default themes) are right with the Pearl.

    At some point in the development process, RIM realized that it was time for a very different view on industrial design. I don’t know if they did it in-house or outside, but it’s clear that someone who knows about building consumer devices – and understood the existing customer (thus the upgrades!) – designed this device, and the compromises are few. It’s very hard for successful companies to realize they need to take a meaningfully different view of the world, and RIM did so. That’s part of the legacy of the Pearl.

    The Pearl and its progeny are RIM’s real entries into the market of business users who don’t want to look like business users. That’s also a tough marketing pitch, but it’s a real one.

    That is all. And as someone who had a 7100, decided to try the Samsung Blackjack, then gave it back screaming and got the Pearl, I know what I like. :)

    Happy New Year!

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