Wireless data revenue jumped 46%, to $372 million. Year-to-date, wireless data revenue has increased 42% to $982 million. Rogers Wireless posted overall revenue of $1.76 billion, a 2% increase from a year ago.
This surge in wireless data usage and revenues is a direct result of selling so many BlackBerry devices. Rogers sold more than 370,000 smartphones, the majority of which were BlackBerry, followed by iPhone with a smattering of Android.
Gartner has released a slightly revised version of their outlook for the 2012 mobile operating system. The latest predictions put Symbian as the top OS, followed by Android, with BlackBerry in third and iPhone in fourth.
The interesting part of this research is the positioning of BlackBerry relative to the iPhone. The advantage of BlackBerry is that it will always have enough devices to cover the entire gamut of potential smartphone users. While you may not love every device that RIM ships, there will always be a device for you.
While Gartner believes that Open Source OS markets are the future, we aren’t seeing much proof of this. Developers aren’t making enough money on either platform for the devices to be of much of use. We have said this countless times on BlackBerry Cool, it’s the software that determines the winner and hardware is fast becoming secondary with regards to the competitiveness of a device.
1. Symbian
2. Android
3. BlackBerry
4. iPhone
5. Windows Mobile
While we may not know the final outcome until 2012, rest assured it’s the developers who will decide the final victor. So if you’re a developer looking to make that killer app, don’t let Gartner become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Go to the brand you trust and ultimately, go to the brand that’s making you money. I guarantee you it’s not Symbian, Android or Windows Mobile.
Our Rogers ninja, RogersDude69, is reporting that Rogers has been giving their employees extra incentives to sell HTC Android devices. Apparently, Rogers is running internal contests where you sell 5 and get 1 free. While this isn’t necessarily news, and Rogers often runs these contests, it comes along with a recent statement from the president of Rogers Communications’ wireless business, Rob Bruce.
Rob Bruce, said he expects that phones with full slideout keyboards, as well as those based on Google’s Android operating system, will chip away at the dominance of RIM’s BlackBerry and Apple’s iPhone.
Speaking at an investor conference, Bruce said the so-called QWERTY slider devices made by manufacturers such as Samsung and LG Electronics “are peeling off the low end of the smartphone market right now and in effect putting pressure on that duopoly.”
He characterized Android-based phones that are making their way to store shelves as the “other major vector” in challenging RIM and Apple for dominance of the lucrative smartphone market.
BlackBerry Cool readers are well educated when it comes to the various operating systems out there. So I put the question to the readers:
Can RIM and BlackBerry learn anything from the Android platform?
The above comparison chart is an interesting way to look at the smartphone market’s most popular devices. The list is missing Nokia, Motorola and LG, but the chosen devices are close competitors and the information is still very well put together.
Before you let the Hatorade out about this list, the author would like you to know a few things:
I used a set of arbitrary criteria to set up this chart, but I’ll tell you what they are. For iPhone 3.0, we’re using only features Apple permits. Yes, it’s possible to jailbreak or unlock your iPhone to add other features or carriers, but Apple will consider you an enemy and try to destroy your phone if you do that, so we don’t approve. For Windows Mobile, we only used features available in the US marketplace right now–though Windows Mobile 6.5 won’t change the landscape much. For Google Android, we used features publicly available on the G1, HTC Magic or Google Developer phones. And for Palm Pre, we guessed as best we could based on Palm’s public statements.
Yes, I left out Symbian. They’re just not a force in the US marketplace right now, and I’m a US writer. Maybe next year, guys.
This chart tries to steer clear of hardware features that may vary by phone model with the more prolific OSes
.
Some things I would note about the list:
BlackBerry applications are probably in a number range close to Windows Mobile. Since both platforms cater to enterprise, when a company develops for Windows Mobile it usually includes a BlackBerry port.
App World is coming soon so that will be added to BlackBerry’s column.
I would have compared BlackBerry on BES because it’s an enterprise device that should be used on said system.
ECruz0102 has posted a free Android theme on the CBForums. The theme supports BlackBerry Storm 95xx devices and OS 4.7. Remember, this is only a theme so don’t expect any OS changes. The theme comes in two versions. The first, gives you the bottom mounted dock on the main screen, giving you quick access to your ten most-used applications. The second, version has a Today-Plus theme with five user apps docked at the bottom.
This is an unofficial theme that may not be totally QA’d so install at your own risk. Battery pull required.
It’s a nice sunny Sunday here in Ottawa, which means I’m on a park bench, sipping a chai latte and reading the New York Times via some Grand Theft Wi-Fi. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the Times has joined the legion of people questioning whether RIM is in danger of hemorrhaging market share to the company that Steve Jobs built.
It’s a fairly well-written piece that addresses many of the issues surrounding RIM today: can Apple lure IT Admins away from the security of BlackBerry? Will RIM ever be able to create a device that puts the iPhone’s OS and applications to shame? What role will Google and Android play? Will RIM’s close ties with carriers be an advantage or their undoing? However, I feel the most important element to the article is the change in tone of RIM honchos regarding the upcoming battle for smartphone supremacy. Consider this quote from Jim Balsillie:
“There’s no question the level of focus and intensity on wireless platforms has gone up an order of magnitude,” says Jim Balsillie, R.I.M.’s wiry, jargon-slinging co-chief executive and strategic brain. “The stakes are so very high, not only in the size of the market and market share, but in who has the important position in the ecosystem.”
That’s a far cry from the platitudes spoken by the Jim-Dog when the iPhone was first announced. We’re glad to hear it. Game on, RIM.
A stock market analyst, Needham’s Charlie Wolf, has set RIMM’s stock to “Hold” due to fears that BlackBerry’s growth will slow markedly once the first iPhone apps start hitting in June. Google’s Android, which is expected to launch some time this year, might also pose a threat to BlackBerry sales. Only consumer sales are mentioned, not enterprise, and Wolf sees only “a nominal probability… of a material slowdown.” Still, it’s quite a turnaround from just a week ago, where another analyst rated RIMM stock as “Outperform” and raised their target price.
It’s a nice sunny Sunday here in Ottawa, which means I’m on a park bench, sipping a chai latte and reading the New York Times via some Grand Theft Wi-Fi. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the 
A stock market analyst, Needham’s Charlie Wolf, has 
