A Little Context
I wouldn't say I'm a "die hard" BlackBerry fan. In the grand scheme of things, I'm a relative "newb" to the BlackBerry brand. My first BlackBerry device was actually a PlayBook tablet! I bought one direct from BlackBerry when they were trying to sell off inventory for cheap. It was no iPad, but I liked it enough to want to get a Curve 8530 just to try out the Bridge feature that allowed you to manage your phone's emails, SMS, contacts, tasks, notes, etc. from your PlayBook, as well as browse the web using the phone's data connection.
I later ditched the Curve and set out to try other platforms. After the Curve I got a Galaxy Nexus Google Play Edition (kept that for a year I liked it so much), then a Lumia 521, then an iPhone, and now a Z30 - with brief stints trying out a Curve 9930 and a Q10 earlier this year. So I've had experience with every major platform and can see the strengths and weakness of each.
What drew me back to BlackBerry was the hardware, BB10 OS, and the security. The fact that it wasn't an iPhone or an Android was also a big selling point for me. After 4 months of owning an iPhone, I knew it just wasn't for me. It was admittedly a great device, but I just didn't want to buy into Apple's ecosystem, and I didn't like their approach to hardware/software (expensive hardware, walled garden, proprietary cables & accessories, etc.). I like Android more than iPhone, but I didn't like the "hodgepodge" nature of Android. It comes across as being a "let's throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks" kind of platform with endless variants, custom OEM interfaces, fragmentation galore. The Galaxy Nexus even today is a decent phone with decent specs, but it's already been orphaned by Google and won't receive Kit Kat. If I still owned a Gnex I'd be upset about that.
I could go on and on about iOS and Android, but suffice it to say, they don't appeal to me.
Why BlackBerry and Windows Phone?
For me, BlackBerry and Windows Phone get right what iOS and Android get wrong. And now, after a relatively brief return to BlackBerry, I'm taking a very serious look at Windows Phone once again.
I used a Lumia 521 as my primary smartphone for about 4 months. I still consider it to be the best smartphone available for the price. In spite of how modest it looks on paper, the Windows Phone 8 OS and apps run brilliantly on it. An Android phone with comparable specs would NOT run anywhere near as smoothly. I was astounded at how that 5 MP rear camera with no flash could take such great pictures. For example:
Though it was a great phone in its own right, the Lumia 521 did have its limitations - no front-facing camera, no LTE, terrible T-Mobile coverage (at least in the areas I needed it). I decided to move on and try other devices, but the memory of my experience has lingered.
And now, after having used BlackBerry's flagship Z30 as my primary smartphone for 7 months, I've had a desire to try a high-end Windows Phone device to see if my fond memories of Windows Phone were well-founded.
Why Windows Phone is Appealing To Me
Let me just say that the Z30 is, by far, the best smartphone I have ever owned. The screen size, the external speakers, the BB10 OS with features like Hub and Active Frames, the ability to run Android apps, the fantastic battery life, and many more features make this phone a sleeper powerhouse and I would recommend it to anyone looking to try something new.
But BlackBerry - as a company - is undergoing some drastic changes right now. I've been paying attention to what's going on, and they are rightly focusing on areas other than smartphones. These areas include Enterprise, The Internet of Things, and Automobile Infotainment Systems. These are all areas where there is still growth to be had and market share to grab. Whereas the smartphone market - at least in North America - is saturated. iOS and Android have asserted their dominance, while BlackBerry fell asleep at the wheel.
I believe it will be many years before BlackBerry will be in a position to make a significant push in the smartphone market. By that time, smartphones may have been supplanted as "the thing" by other technologies like wearables. I just don't see BlackBerry being anything more than a niche player in the smartphone market at this point - a mere shadow of their former greatness. A respectable shadow, but a shadow nonetheless.
Microsoft and Windows Phone, however, are growing - perhaps slowly, but steadily and notably. Windows Phone has clearly overtaken BlackBerry in North America as the 3rd smartphone platform of choice, and for good reason.
Unlike BlackBerry, Windows Phone has a respectable app, media, and cloud ecosystem to drive adoption. Windows Phone users lament the lack of apps, but that situation has been steadily improving with Microsoft being in a position to throw cash and resources into attracting experienced developers to make quality and desirable apps.
BlackBerry, on the other hand, has raised the white flag and conceded defeat in trying to create a substantial native app ecosystem. Their resources are limited and they can't offer much to attract developer talent. And since fewer people are buying BlackBerry devices than ever before, developers are looking elsewhere to maximize their reach. BlackBerry has attempted to stop the bleeding by piggy-backing on Android's app ecosystem, focusing on the Android runtime functionality in BB10 and the ability to more easily install and run Android apps with just a few taps. And to their credit, this has been a needed and welcome feature that has likely kept many from leaving. But I can't see this as anything more than a stopgap. The ability to run Android apps has not caused a mass exodus from other platforms to BlackBerry. In reality, most people who even care to look into BlackBerry will learn that it can run Android apps and ask themselves: "then why not just get an Android?"
The 4 Pillars
For me, the 4 pillars of a successful mobile platform are: hardware, operating system, security/privacy, and ecosystem.
While BlackBerry is trying - and failing - to set itself apart on hardware, OS, and security/privacy alone, Windows Phone is succeeding at setting itself apart in all those areas as well as its app, media, and cloud ecosystems.
Hardware
BlackBerry hardware is still of excellent quality and design, but aside from the visual appeal, their only claim to fame is their trademark (and best in the world) physical keyboards. There is an avid, vocal, but relatively small group of physical keyboard fans that will be BlackBerry owners and fans to the bitter end. But physical keyboards on smartphones just do not appeal to the vast majority of smartphone users.
Windows Phone OEM Nokia, however, has made a name for itself when it comes to cameras, display technologies like ClearBlack and Super Sensitive Touch, and its excellent suite of apps. And that's just one Windows Phone OEM! The likes of Samsung and HTC are also making Windows Phones, which puts more hardware options at the feet of consumers and doesn't tie them to one brand. Competition among hardware manufacturers is good for consumers!
Operating System
BB10 is a fantastic OS. If you've never tried it, you're missing out. The BB10 Hub may be the most useful smartphone feature I've ever used on ANY platform. Think of it as a kind of RSS feed aggregator, but instead of aggregating RSS feeds, it aggregates emails, notifications, alerts, text messages, IMs, social media, and a host of other things. No matter what you're doing, you can easily access the Hub, or just take a peek to see what's there if you don't want to leave an app. BB10 Active Frames are also great. They're a lot like Windows Phone live tiles, in that they display information pertinent to the app when it is minimized. The difference is that in BB10, if an app has been minimized to Active Frames, it's still running. BB10 supports real-time multitasking between up to 8 apps via Active Frames. No other mobile OS comes close to that functionality. It's amazing.
But Windows Phone has something BB10 does not: style. In my experience, Windows Phone has the best, most appealing design language across its OS and apps. The design, flow, and functionality of the software are a breath of fresh air and seem so much more unified and integrated with each other than on the other platforms. And Live Tiles - the app icons ARE the widgets! Brilliant!
Another thing I love about Windows Phone is its integration with Microsoft products and services. For someone like me who prefers Microsoft's offerings over Google's or any other's, Windows Phone is brilliant.
And there's something to be said about simplicity. People know I'm a technology geek, so I get a lot of tech related questions. I'm platform agnostic, so I ask questions and recommend the product I think will be the best fit for the person, regardless of brand. If someone were to come to me and say they were considering getting their first smartphone and ask me which one is the easiest to learn and use, without hesitation I would recommend Windows Phone.
Security (and Privacy)
This is one of BlackBerry's strengths, but it can no longer claim exclusivity, here. Microsoft has done an excellent job in designing Windows Phone's security features. In fact, it is actively marketing itself as a direct competitor to BlackBerry in the enterprise and government space - and it is succeeding.
Privacy is also very important to me, and getting emails like the one I got from Microsoft today is very reassuring to me:
To Google, I'm their product. They gather as much information as they can about me and use it to sell targeted advertizing. To Microsoft, I'm a customer and an individual whose privacy is respected and whose information is not a commodity to be bought and sold. Thank you, Microsoft.
Ecosystem
Aside from a relatively small number of good native apps, BlackBerry has no ecosystem to speak of. It has no media or cloud presence. In the current smartphone market, a vibrant ecosystem is essential to its stability and growth.
Microsoft's ecosystem is much more established, and it is growing. It has more quality native apps than BlackBerry, more robust audio/video offerings, and established cloud services like Office Online, Outlook.com, and OneDrive. More than any other platform, Windows Phone has the potential to come within striking distance of Apple and Google, especially in low-end and emerging markets.
Present and Potential
I tell people to always buy a device based on what it can do NOW. If it doesn't do what you want NOW, but you're clinging to the hope that it might possibly be able to do what you want at some point in the near or distant future...you're only setting yourself up for disappointment.
When I look at Windows Phone, I see what it can do NOW - and that's enough for me. I can also see its potential, and if Microsoft plays its cards right, I think it has a very bright future.
When I look at BlackBerry, I also see what it can do NOW - and it's also enough for me. But when I try to assess its potential, BlackBerry's future - at least in the smartphone market - looks pretty bleak for the next couple years at least. I don't see them gaining developer support for native apps. I don't see them building a media or cloud ecosystem. I don't see them focusing on innovations that appeal to the average smartphone user. Rather, I see them focusing on niche and enterprise customers and putting resources into other technology markets outside of smartphones.
Basically, I see BlackBerry going in a direction I don't want to go. And you know what? I'm okay with that. Because there's always Windows Phone.
I wouldn't say I'm a "die hard" BlackBerry fan. In the grand scheme of things, I'm a relative "newb" to the BlackBerry brand. My first BlackBerry device was actually a PlayBook tablet! I bought one direct from BlackBerry when they were trying to sell off inventory for cheap. It was no iPad, but I liked it enough to want to get a Curve 8530 just to try out the Bridge feature that allowed you to manage your phone's emails, SMS, contacts, tasks, notes, etc. from your PlayBook, as well as browse the web using the phone's data connection.
I later ditched the Curve and set out to try other platforms. After the Curve I got a Galaxy Nexus Google Play Edition (kept that for a year I liked it so much), then a Lumia 521, then an iPhone, and now a Z30 - with brief stints trying out a Curve 9930 and a Q10 earlier this year. So I've had experience with every major platform and can see the strengths and weakness of each.
What drew me back to BlackBerry was the hardware, BB10 OS, and the security. The fact that it wasn't an iPhone or an Android was also a big selling point for me. After 4 months of owning an iPhone, I knew it just wasn't for me. It was admittedly a great device, but I just didn't want to buy into Apple's ecosystem, and I didn't like their approach to hardware/software (expensive hardware, walled garden, proprietary cables & accessories, etc.). I like Android more than iPhone, but I didn't like the "hodgepodge" nature of Android. It comes across as being a "let's throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks" kind of platform with endless variants, custom OEM interfaces, fragmentation galore. The Galaxy Nexus even today is a decent phone with decent specs, but it's already been orphaned by Google and won't receive Kit Kat. If I still owned a Gnex I'd be upset about that.
I could go on and on about iOS and Android, but suffice it to say, they don't appeal to me.
Why BlackBerry and Windows Phone?
For me, BlackBerry and Windows Phone get right what iOS and Android get wrong. And now, after a relatively brief return to BlackBerry, I'm taking a very serious look at Windows Phone once again.
I used a Lumia 521 as my primary smartphone for about 4 months. I still consider it to be the best smartphone available for the price. In spite of how modest it looks on paper, the Windows Phone 8 OS and apps run brilliantly on it. An Android phone with comparable specs would NOT run anywhere near as smoothly. I was astounded at how that 5 MP rear camera with no flash could take such great pictures. For example:
Though it was a great phone in its own right, the Lumia 521 did have its limitations - no front-facing camera, no LTE, terrible T-Mobile coverage (at least in the areas I needed it). I decided to move on and try other devices, but the memory of my experience has lingered.
And now, after having used BlackBerry's flagship Z30 as my primary smartphone for 7 months, I've had a desire to try a high-end Windows Phone device to see if my fond memories of Windows Phone were well-founded.
Why Windows Phone is Appealing To Me
Let me just say that the Z30 is, by far, the best smartphone I have ever owned. The screen size, the external speakers, the BB10 OS with features like Hub and Active Frames, the ability to run Android apps, the fantastic battery life, and many more features make this phone a sleeper powerhouse and I would recommend it to anyone looking to try something new.
But BlackBerry - as a company - is undergoing some drastic changes right now. I've been paying attention to what's going on, and they are rightly focusing on areas other than smartphones. These areas include Enterprise, The Internet of Things, and Automobile Infotainment Systems. These are all areas where there is still growth to be had and market share to grab. Whereas the smartphone market - at least in North America - is saturated. iOS and Android have asserted their dominance, while BlackBerry fell asleep at the wheel.
I believe it will be many years before BlackBerry will be in a position to make a significant push in the smartphone market. By that time, smartphones may have been supplanted as "the thing" by other technologies like wearables. I just don't see BlackBerry being anything more than a niche player in the smartphone market at this point - a mere shadow of their former greatness. A respectable shadow, but a shadow nonetheless.
Microsoft and Windows Phone, however, are growing - perhaps slowly, but steadily and notably. Windows Phone has clearly overtaken BlackBerry in North America as the 3rd smartphone platform of choice, and for good reason.
Unlike BlackBerry, Windows Phone has a respectable app, media, and cloud ecosystem to drive adoption. Windows Phone users lament the lack of apps, but that situation has been steadily improving with Microsoft being in a position to throw cash and resources into attracting experienced developers to make quality and desirable apps.
BlackBerry, on the other hand, has raised the white flag and conceded defeat in trying to create a substantial native app ecosystem. Their resources are limited and they can't offer much to attract developer talent. And since fewer people are buying BlackBerry devices than ever before, developers are looking elsewhere to maximize their reach. BlackBerry has attempted to stop the bleeding by piggy-backing on Android's app ecosystem, focusing on the Android runtime functionality in BB10 and the ability to more easily install and run Android apps with just a few taps. And to their credit, this has been a needed and welcome feature that has likely kept many from leaving. But I can't see this as anything more than a stopgap. The ability to run Android apps has not caused a mass exodus from other platforms to BlackBerry. In reality, most people who even care to look into BlackBerry will learn that it can run Android apps and ask themselves: "then why not just get an Android?"
The 4 Pillars
For me, the 4 pillars of a successful mobile platform are: hardware, operating system, security/privacy, and ecosystem.
While BlackBerry is trying - and failing - to set itself apart on hardware, OS, and security/privacy alone, Windows Phone is succeeding at setting itself apart in all those areas as well as its app, media, and cloud ecosystems.
Hardware
BlackBerry hardware is still of excellent quality and design, but aside from the visual appeal, their only claim to fame is their trademark (and best in the world) physical keyboards. There is an avid, vocal, but relatively small group of physical keyboard fans that will be BlackBerry owners and fans to the bitter end. But physical keyboards on smartphones just do not appeal to the vast majority of smartphone users.
Windows Phone OEM Nokia, however, has made a name for itself when it comes to cameras, display technologies like ClearBlack and Super Sensitive Touch, and its excellent suite of apps. And that's just one Windows Phone OEM! The likes of Samsung and HTC are also making Windows Phones, which puts more hardware options at the feet of consumers and doesn't tie them to one brand. Competition among hardware manufacturers is good for consumers!
Operating System
BB10 is a fantastic OS. If you've never tried it, you're missing out. The BB10 Hub may be the most useful smartphone feature I've ever used on ANY platform. Think of it as a kind of RSS feed aggregator, but instead of aggregating RSS feeds, it aggregates emails, notifications, alerts, text messages, IMs, social media, and a host of other things. No matter what you're doing, you can easily access the Hub, or just take a peek to see what's there if you don't want to leave an app. BB10 Active Frames are also great. They're a lot like Windows Phone live tiles, in that they display information pertinent to the app when it is minimized. The difference is that in BB10, if an app has been minimized to Active Frames, it's still running. BB10 supports real-time multitasking between up to 8 apps via Active Frames. No other mobile OS comes close to that functionality. It's amazing.
But Windows Phone has something BB10 does not: style. In my experience, Windows Phone has the best, most appealing design language across its OS and apps. The design, flow, and functionality of the software are a breath of fresh air and seem so much more unified and integrated with each other than on the other platforms. And Live Tiles - the app icons ARE the widgets! Brilliant!
Another thing I love about Windows Phone is its integration with Microsoft products and services. For someone like me who prefers Microsoft's offerings over Google's or any other's, Windows Phone is brilliant.
And there's something to be said about simplicity. People know I'm a technology geek, so I get a lot of tech related questions. I'm platform agnostic, so I ask questions and recommend the product I think will be the best fit for the person, regardless of brand. If someone were to come to me and say they were considering getting their first smartphone and ask me which one is the easiest to learn and use, without hesitation I would recommend Windows Phone.
Security (and Privacy)
This is one of BlackBerry's strengths, but it can no longer claim exclusivity, here. Microsoft has done an excellent job in designing Windows Phone's security features. In fact, it is actively marketing itself as a direct competitor to BlackBerry in the enterprise and government space - and it is succeeding.
Privacy is also very important to me, and getting emails like the one I got from Microsoft today is very reassuring to me:
To Google, I'm their product. They gather as much information as they can about me and use it to sell targeted advertizing. To Microsoft, I'm a customer and an individual whose privacy is respected and whose information is not a commodity to be bought and sold. Thank you, Microsoft.
Ecosystem
Aside from a relatively small number of good native apps, BlackBerry has no ecosystem to speak of. It has no media or cloud presence. In the current smartphone market, a vibrant ecosystem is essential to its stability and growth.
Microsoft's ecosystem is much more established, and it is growing. It has more quality native apps than BlackBerry, more robust audio/video offerings, and established cloud services like Office Online, Outlook.com, and OneDrive. More than any other platform, Windows Phone has the potential to come within striking distance of Apple and Google, especially in low-end and emerging markets.
Present and Potential
I tell people to always buy a device based on what it can do NOW. If it doesn't do what you want NOW, but you're clinging to the hope that it might possibly be able to do what you want at some point in the near or distant future...you're only setting yourself up for disappointment.
When I look at Windows Phone, I see what it can do NOW - and that's enough for me. I can also see its potential, and if Microsoft plays its cards right, I think it has a very bright future.
When I look at BlackBerry, I also see what it can do NOW - and it's also enough for me. But when I try to assess its potential, BlackBerry's future - at least in the smartphone market - looks pretty bleak for the next couple years at least. I don't see them gaining developer support for native apps. I don't see them building a media or cloud ecosystem. I don't see them focusing on innovations that appeal to the average smartphone user. Rather, I see them focusing on niche and enterprise customers and putting resources into other technology markets outside of smartphones.
Basically, I see BlackBerry going in a direction I don't want to go. And you know what? I'm okay with that. Because there's always Windows Phone.
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