Posted on July 4, 2011, at 12:59 PM .
This was sort of sketchy wasn’t it? RIM made the announcement that BlackBerry Bridge is available to AT&T customers but put a note about the requirement of a tethering plan in tiny letters at the bottom of their post. The note says:
**Note: AT&T users must have a tethering plan included with their wireless service plan to take advantage of the Bridge Browser. To enable tethering on your BlackBerry smartphone, go to att.com/mywireless or dial 611.
It’s this kind of behavior that makes your customers think you’re trying to pull a fast one on them. Sure, customers will figure it out anyways, but to write it in a note at the bottom in your post in tiny print is misleading and it insults your customers’ intelligence. The tethering plan costs an additional $20 per month and it would have been nice for RIM to come clean about this fairly huge issue and not try and treat it like it’s unimportant or try and hide it. Many are commenting on the announcement post, angry about the addition of a tethering plan, and RIM could have avoided this by simply addressing the issue and perhaps offering some form of compensation. It also speaks to the fact that perhaps RIM having its own blog isn’t such a good idea. RIM should also be more upfront about the tether issue because it apparently conflicts with what the CEO told cNET which is that the PlayBook will offer tethering for free.
Posted on May 3, 2011, at 8:29 AM .
Iconorific is a suite of apps that gives you the data you want to see on your homescreen at a glance. There is no setup for these apps and they display relevant information on the icon itself. Examples of some Iconorific apps include Data Meter, Monthly Data Icon, Monthly Minutes Icon and Talk Meter Icon. Whether you travel a lot or just want to keep a close eye on your device, these apps can help you out.
Check out the suite of Iconorific apps in App World at this link.
Posted on January 19, 2011, at 12:59 PM .
RIM has been touting the fact that BlackBerrys are efficient with data for years and it looks like they’ve finally given it a name: DataSmart Technology. The fact that BlackBerrys compress your data, means that for a fixed data plan, you can get more bang for your buck. According to a new study by Rysavy Research, a BlackBerry will get you 2x more web browsing, 4x more email and 2x more social networking.
But there are drawbacks to RIM’s obsession with data compression as well. The Facebook app is extremely limited in what it can do and is nearly useless. Granted, many of its problems are not RIM’s fault, and many of its limitations can be blamed on Facebook, but it seems data usage is sometimes a greater priority than user experience. Also, it has taken RIM ages to come up with a decent VoIP solution over 3G. Only Verizon provides its BlackBerry users VoIP and many 3rd party solutions aren’t true VoIP. Only recently RIM came out with a YouTube app for BlackBerry, and it’s also very limited. Sometimes this obsessions with DataSmart Technology and their relationship with the carrier seems more important than RIM’s relationship with the end user.
Posted on November 25, 2010, at 12:07 PM .
Yesterday, RIM and China Mobile launched BlackBerry Internet Service for individual BlackBerry users. Starting this month, users can sign up at a China Mobile service center but will have to provide their own BlackBerry devices. Plans will cost from RMB 98 to 108 per month, offering 30MB and 50MB of data. Overage costs will be RMB 1/MB.
Any Chinese users/readers out there taking advantage of this?
Posted on August 3, 2010, at 3:32 PM .
The ban on BlackBerry in the UAE has been a hot topic lately and RIM has a few statements on the topic that are interesting. RIM hasn’t directly discussed the ban in the UAE due to the confidential nature of talks with governments, but reiterated some key points about the platform that indirectly address the issue.
RIM has come out saying the BlackBerry network was set up so that “no one, including RIM, could access” customer data, which is encrypted from the time it leaves the device. It added RIM would “simply be unable to accommodate any request” for a key to decrypt the data, since the company doesn’t have the key.
The BlackBerry network is designed “to exclude the capability for RIM or any third party to read encrypted information under any circumstances,” RIM’s statement said.
The location of BlackBerry’s servers doesn’t matter, the company said, because the data on them can’t be deciphered without a decryption key.
“RIM assures customers that it will not compromise the integrity and security of the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution,” the statement said.
So it looks like RIM will not budge on compromising their security and any government looking to get access is simply out of luck.
Posted on June 2, 2010, at 12:07 PM .
AT&T has announced two new pricing plans for smartphone customers based on wireless data usage. The new plans include $15/month for 200MB and $25/month for 2GB. Previously, AT&T BlackBerry users would pay $30 for unlimited* data and this new plan segments users based on how much data they use and offers a sensible rate.
According to Consumer Reports, BlackBerry users consume about 54MB of data per month on average. This average is probably skewed by the users who don’t use any data at all and the small group of users who consume incredible amounts of data. Overall, it’s probably best that AT&T sets these new prices at 200MB and 2GB, but the power user may tend to go over the limit.
How much data do you use in a month?
