Comments on: Should RIM Be Developing First Party Applications?

By: URL

URL — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 05:16:24 +0000

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[...] Read More: blackberrycool.com/2010/03/22/should-rim-be-developing-first-party-applications/ [...]…

By: Feature Details Leaked for Upcoming Official Twitter App | Good Stuff

Feature Details Leaked for Upcoming Official Twitter App | Good Stuff — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 11:38:49 +0000

[...] The Official BlackBerry Twitter app isn’t too far away and the beta reviews weren’t great. Many of the complaints about the app were focused on the fact that it provided very little that other Twitter clients didn’t provide. The ability to Tweet from the messages folder, at first seems innovative, but we get the same functionality from SocialScope. Should RIM be developing first party applications at all? [...]

By: Guest

Guest — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:51:33 +0000

I worked at a company (medium/large HW/SW engineering firm) that partnered with RIM to develop something. Spent months working on it and then boom ... RIM just up and left taking all of the joint information developed together. What appeared was going to be a prosperous long term relationship ended abruptly, coldly, without warning, and with no apparent reason. The situation felt slimy/shady and left my company with a bad taste for RIM. I love my BB but I hope this isn't the RIM business model. However, more examples seem to be leaking out about this kind of stuff.

As a side note. My company went on to develop some really cool stuff with Apple for the iPhone. Robotic automated controls and such but won't even touch RIM.

By: Guest

Guest — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:51:33 +0000

By: Data Recovery

Data Recovery — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 09:05:35 +0000

Not much about providing any really useful or compelling features or applications creating adaptation. Just excellent research driven marketing. Ultimately people will figure out there is little there, there and will move on to the next marketing driven bright flash.

By: Comparing Smartphone App Launches Between iPhone and BlackBerry | NationLink Wireless

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:02:52 +0000

[...] discussing the developer ecosystem internally, as well as with some industry players, the conversation naturally progressed to app launches for [...]

By: Share comparing Smartphone App Launches Between iPhone and BlackBerry with you - Video to Phone

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:23:39 +0000

[...] discussing the developer ecosystem internally, as well as with some industry players, the conversation naturally progressed to app launches for [...]

By: Comparing Smartphone App Launches Between iPhone and BlackBerry | BlackBerry Cool

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:56:03 +0000

[...] discussing the developer ecosystem internally, as well as with some industry players, the conversation naturally progressed to app launches for [...]

By: Shaun Collins

Shaun Collins — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:07:30 +0000

Looks like RIM did exactly what you suggested, Kyle, and when out a brought Viigo into the fold. I hope the development cycle doesn't see a RIM type impact.

By: RIM ???????????? | iFanr ??? ?????????????

RIM ???????????? | iFanr ??? ????????????? — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:25:59 +0000

[...] Kyle McInnes from BlackberryCool | Merlin ??????? ifanr.com [...]

By: What’s Cool in BlackBerry with BlackBerryCool and Untether.TV | BlackBerry Cool

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:22:59 +0000

[...] Okay, so the name isn’t great, I know. Rob and I came up with it 2 seconds before the Skype call, but it’s the content that’s important. Here at BlackBerryCool we come across a lot of apps and we thought it would be fun to do a weekly “what’s cool” in BlackBerry. This week, a lot of the app news came from RIM, and what better time to elaborate on the editorial “Should RIM Be Developing First Party Applications?“. [...]

By: BlackBerry Cool Roundup for the Week of March 22nd | BlackBerry Cool

BlackBerry Cool Roundup for the Week of March 22nd | BlackBerry Cool — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:28:42 +0000

[...] a official BlackBerry apps such as Twitter, Facebook and the yet to be announced BlackBerry Shield. My personal thoughts on RIM’s approach to developing software was outlined in an editorial I w…, and if you’re a developer I’d love to hear your [...]

By: Fabian

Fabian — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:37:20 +0000

The current first party Apps that RIM has developed are not bad I would say. But too many first party apps from them would definitely destroy the developer relationship they currently have.
Well written article! Nice read!!

By: Anthony Rizk

Anthony Rizk — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:08:05 +0000

I couldn't refrain from commenting on this one.

Why should either RIM -or- the ISV community have to contemplate developing something like Facebook for BlackBerry? On iPhone the 'first party' Facebook app was made by... Facebook! Why not for BlackBerry? They had time: the BlackBerry API has been available for longer than Twitter and Facebook and iPhone have been in existence. How did BlackBerry fall behind in developer mindshare so fast? And the real way that RIM developing first party apps hurts the 3rd party software market is the optics: it gives the impression to a casual observer that even the top website in the US couldn't be bothered to develop their own BlackBerry app. If you want to be cool, rule # 1 is don't go around telling people that you're cool!

And shame on any ISV if you feel threatened by the actually very straightforward stuff (like the official Twitter client) that RIM is putting out. Differentiate, innovate, add value - if you were making a simple Facebook/Twitter app on iPhone you'd have to compete against Facebook's own app, or the 1000 other basic free Twitter clients, competing against the RIM apps really isn't any worse. And it's not about the internal APIs, most apps don't really even leverage what's there. Do something cool. There -are- some really great 3rd party BlackBerry apps. If you really want to make a Twitter client, do something like HootSuite or TweetDeck for BlackBerry (really, please, I'd pay for either of those!)

I love BlackBerry, but the software scene is dysfunctional in a lot of ways - both sides - RIM and the ISVs - really have to step it up.

By: Kyle McInnes

Kyle McInnes — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:43:22 +0000

Something I should add to this article: "Why does RIM develop first party apps?" The reason is so that they can go to the carrier, and tell them that an Official Twitter App is preloaded with the device, and the carrier can use this feature to sell more devices.There is a lot going on behind the scenes with RIM and the carriers and it's hard to speculate on how these deals happen.

There's a lot of research that tells RIM's sales team that content helps sell devices, and the more preloaded content the better for the carrier and RIM.

I think RIM could take the money they spend on developing applications themselves, and use it to make deals with developers. Buy UberTwitter, or SocialScope, and bring that to the carrier. It would have the same net effect, and send a message to developers that if you invest money and sweat into a great app, RIM will help you get a huge carrier deal.

That would do wonders for the app economy.

By: Feature Details Leaked for Upcoming Official Twitter App | BlackBerry Cool

Feature Details Leaked for Upcoming Official Twitter App | BlackBerry Cool — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:02:48 +0000

[...] the messages folder, at first seems innovative, but we get the same functionality from SocialScope. Should RIM be developing first party applications at all? In any case, there is some buzz about upcoming features in the Official BlackBerry Twitter client [...]

By: Eric at Ebscer

Eric at Ebscer — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:09:44 +0000

Facebook is the obvious example of why RIM should not do this. The fact that their is a first party application is the only reason that somebody else has not done this better.

On the other hand apps like Forward and Edit, and the ones that allow you to change the LED blink colours are functionality that should probably have been included in the operating system to begin with.

In some situations by relying on third party developers it can give the appearance that BlackBerry is falling behind, as many users are unaware of most of these applications.

I think that twitter will be an interesting case study on this, as there are already plenty of good twitter clients for BB already around. There are lots of ways that may play out...

By: Alberto Plantilla

Alberto Plantilla — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:54:09 +0000

I agree, RIM needs to continue to foster developer ecosystem rather than kill innovation. I think that's the same problem Mac has with their developer ecosystem