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Can iPhone siphon BlackBerry users?
MSNBC ^ | 03/07/2008 | By Suzanne Choney

Posted on 03/07/2008 8:56:09 PM PST by Swordmaker

Apple's 2.0 software upgrade aims straight for business users MSNBC

For right now, the “i” in iPhone stands for “incremental” when it comes to change.

That’s because it will be three months before third-party programs are available to those who own the coolest phone in America.

Perhaps Thursday’s news from Apple was a letdown to iPhone aficionados who hoped to be running some of their favorite programs and games before late June.

Demonstrations of “Spore” and “Space Monkey” on the iPhone whetted many a gamer’s appetite. But among other games coming in late June is Apple’s stepped-up competition on the corporate smartphone playing field.

It enters with a definite disadvantage: Reseach In Motion, which makes the BlackBerry, dominates the arena. Still, that has never stopped Apple.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: crackberry
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To: Terpfen

Don’t get me wrong; I think the iPhone is great. I am simply stating facts. There WAS a ton of outcry for Apple to open up the iPhone. The fact that Apple — a company famously (or infamously, depending on your point of view) known for keeping things relatively closed, with a tight lock on software/hardware integration — decided that it would be in its best interest to open the iPhone with a third-party SDK, says a lot about the demand and about the changing criteria for what can be called a “smartphone.” As popular and great as the iPhone is out of the box, the fact remains that if Apple wants to seriously compete with business devices like the Blackberry with its multitude of apps for almost any purpose, then it needs to have an open SDK. Jobs saw that, and it happened.


21 posted on 03/08/2008 8:45:38 AM PST by RepublitarianRoger2
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To: Swordmaker; All
This is probably a little off the topic here, but I have a question. I would love to have an iPhone, but we have Verizon and aren't really inclined to change. Do any of you think there is any hope for any other providers in the near future besides AT&T? I know that is a silly question, but I would love your thoughts.

I am a 45yof who loves gadgets. I am due for an upgrade in May and have been trying to figure out what I want to get. I have been thinking about a BlackBerry, but I am not sure.

Thanks for sharing your opinions!

22 posted on 03/08/2008 10:22:34 AM PST by dmd25 (Praying for the Snow family!)
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Comment #23 Removed by Moderator

To: JerseyHighlander
The iPhone still can’t hold over 599 contacts and doesn’t even have a properly functioning notes synching software.

Where did you hear that piece of FUD? My iPhone syncs to my Mac's Addressbook and currently there are over 900 contacts and climbing.

24 posted on 03/08/2008 11:41:24 AM PST by Swordmaker (There ain't no such thing as a free app...)
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To: Post5203
Verizon has the coolest phone going IMHO. It is the Voyager, and it is my favorite. Check it out.

I'd love to hear why you like it so much. Tell me all about it! I love firsthand reports!

25 posted on 03/08/2008 11:42:37 AM PST by dmd25 (Praying for the Snow family!)
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To: Paradox
I simply love the iPhone, but typing on it sucks..

I find I can type quite rapidly on my iPhone... and find myself missing the smart word completion built into the iPhone when I am typing on my Mac/PC. Once you learn to trust the software, you'll find very few errors and very fast typing.

26 posted on 03/08/2008 11:48:46 AM PST by Swordmaker (There ain't no such thing as a free app...)
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To: JerseyHighlander; RepublitarianRoger; antiRepublicrat; ThomasThomas; Terpfen; Paradox; MediaMole; ..
First, The iPhones I’ve played with are quiet great. Definitely the best outside the Sidekick for web browsing.

What do you like about the Sidekick browser? What makes Sidekick's browser better than the iPhone's Safari browser? Seems to me that the reviews leave a lot to be desired... like full page views, non-mobile web pages, etc.

I don’t ever expect a medical terminology or legal professional dictionary to be available for iPhone for now.

Why not?. Epocrates just demoed their software for physicians at the Apple iPhone SDK announcement event at Apple that they wrote using the iPhone SDK in under two weeks... and their engineer said they were able to add new functions that their other products don't have. That software includes a medical terminology dictionary, a Physicians desk reference of drugs, drug interaction, drug prices, dosing, disease, ICD9 Codes, Medicare Part D, and CME. I suspect it will be one of the first applications available.

"By putting so much computing power into such an elegant mobile device, Apple has opened up tremendous opportunities for application developers," said Kirk Loevner, chairman and CEO, Epocrates, Inc. "The technology and software in the iPhone OS will allow us to create new and innovative applications that help improve patient safety and provide healthcare professionals with an unsurpassed user experience."
Legal dictionary software is already available for OS X... putting it on an iPhone should be simple. The iPhone 2.0 OS will natively support SQL-lite (although there's no reason someone shouldn't be able to port the complete MySQL to the UNIX underlying OS of the iPhone.)

I never expect a real time futures market push browser on iPhone because the iPhone won’t have secure enough encryption for brokerages to trust it to write apps for it. . . .

Will Apple have true encryption? Hard to say yet.

Again, why not? It's not hard to say at all. OS X already natively supports 256 bit AES encryption. OS X.3 and above are Common Criteria Certified. The iPhone runs OS X... and there is nothing inherently preventing Apple from implementing the encryption on the iPhone.

Will Apple ever acquire DoD encryption certification? Not any time soon.

That's strange. The U.S. Army is installing OS X Macs to "enhance their computer security." Do you suppose it's because they are not secure? I doubt it.

I highly doubt iPhone will have integrated GPS geotracking for farmers on tractors.

Integrated? Not for a while. GPS is a power hog that drains batteries fairly rapidly. However, there's a plug in module that adds 1/2 inch to the bottom of the iPhone that I saw demonstrated at Macworld in January... it is a complete GPS that integrates with the Google Maps. As of the show, it required a jailbroken iPhone to operate. How long do you think it will be before they rewrite the interface to work with non-jailbroken phones?

Major corporations have fully mature salesforce applications suites. Oracle, Peoplesoft, SAP, Salesforce.com and a few other database IT corps have fully mature DBA, administration and sales suites for RIM PDAs.

Salesforce.com was also present at the Apple SDK event and demonstrated their software on the iPhone... also with new functionality and written in less than two weeks.

"The opportunity to use the innovative iPhone OS platform to deliver compelling Software-as-a-Service applications to mobile users is empowering to us, and ultimately, our customers," said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com. "They are asking us for new ways to harness the power of Force.com to access their business information on any device regardless of location."

Looks as if Salesforce.com's app is also an application for the iPhone that will probably be available on the roll out of iPhone 2.0 OS in June.

RIM 8120’s cost $99 per unit if you buy 100+ at wholesale. You can use VOIP over WiFi and 3G today on the Cingular network.

8GB iPhones cost $299ish each for 60+ pieces at wholesale right now. Jobs and Cingular are shafting customers by crippling the WiFi and 3G Voip options.

Cingular no longer exists, it's AT&T Wireless. ;^)>

I do want cut and paste functionality though... It would help posting at FR when I'm not at my computer. I also would like voice dialing but it is not hard to tap a name on my favorites list.

27 posted on 03/08/2008 1:10:23 PM PST by Swordmaker (There ain't no such thing as a free app...)
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To: Swordmaker

The iphone is a great device, but will not replace the BlackBerry as a business tool. As someone who deals with BlackBerry’s everyday, there is no fear in the business sector of the iphone taking any substancial business from RIM. There is a great market in the retail and casual user side that iphone markets well to, but as a business tool, it is still lacking. IMO.


28 posted on 03/08/2008 2:44:06 PM PST by IllumiNaughtyByNature (Senator McCain, what did GWB promise you back in 2000? And you believed him? BWAHAAAAA!)
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To: IllumiNaughtyByNature
There is a great market in the retail and casual user side that iphone markets well to, but as a business tool, it is still lacking. IMO.

Aside from 3G, which has less than 4% coverage in the US, where is the iPhone lacking as a business tool that cannot be answered by third party software? Have you actually used an iPhone?

29 posted on 03/08/2008 3:48:27 PM PST by Swordmaker (There ain't no such thing as a free app...)
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To: Swordmaker

Yes, i have demo’d the iphone and just about every other PDA/smartphone available. It lacks in function in that it’s three primary objectives of a business pda are email, calendar, web browser are not as easily accessable as that of most full keyboard Blackberry (as far as BB’s go I am NOT a fan of the Pearl, I do not like the Sure-Type keypads) again, IMO.


30 posted on 03/08/2008 4:05:55 PM PST by IllumiNaughtyByNature (Senator McCain, what did GWB promise you back in 2000? And you believed him? BWAHAAAAA!)
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To: IllumiNaughtyByNature
Yes, i have demo’d the iphone and just about every other PDA/smartphone available. It lacks in function in that it’s three primary objectives of a business pda are email, calendar, web browser are not as easily accessable as that of most full keyboard Blackberry (as far as BB’s go I am NOT a fan of the Pearl, I do not like the Sure-Type keypads) again, IMO.

Demo'd is not used.

What's not accessible about one tap on a screen icon? The email, while currently not push compatible is quite full featured. The calendar works great for me... syncs with my Calendar app on my computer and allows me to add events, ties to my address book. As for the browser, you are joking aren't you? Safari is a full fledged browser, not a mobile phone lite browser like you get on Blackberries. I have yet to find a webpage I could not see in its entirety (minus Flash content) with my iPhone. When some webpages started re-directing iPhones to their mobile webpages, iPhone users filed complaints with their owners... because we don't want a crippled internet experience.

Despite being outnumbered by Blackberries, the iPhone far surpassed Net Applications' browser usage in less than six months of being on the market... it is much easier to use the internet on an iPhone than on any other mobile browsing device.

You seem to have decided the keyboard on the iPhone is not as useable as the Blackberries' keyboards... IMO, nothing could be further from the truth. I can actually type faster on an iPhone than I could on a previous BB I had... and more accurately. The keyboard on the iPhone is contextual... it can change according to what you need to do. The auto-correcting feature takes about a week to get used to but once you have become accustomed to it, you miss it on every other typing experience.

31 posted on 03/08/2008 4:26:22 PM PST by Swordmaker (There ain't no such thing as a free app...)
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To: Swordmaker

i wish the email client had a “reply to” feature. I would like my email to not look like it came from my gmail but rather my business email. But not a huge deal.


32 posted on 03/08/2008 5:48:22 PM PST by smith288 (Obama: "Hope and change is change and hope. If you hope, we can change or something like that")
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To: Swordmaker

If Apple had a CDMA version of the iPhone, I’d get one in a nanosecond.


33 posted on 03/08/2008 5:50:03 PM PST by Keith in Iowa ( <<<Dyslexics Untie!!!>>>*<<<Life's a bitch, don't elect one President.>>>)
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To: Swordmaker
You are right about demo, not used. Since I have the ability to switch, use, test, demo, try, etc. at any given moment or just about any day I go with the one(s) that I like and prefer. Since I consult companies all week on wireless technology and over-wireless technology and how it can help their employees, etc. be more efficient, reduce sales cycles, stay in communication, etc. I have to say that I don't see a huge deal of iphones taking business from RIM,or Treo or any of the other smartphones all that often. I see one of two corporate persons who would rather remain with the iphone rather then transition to a corporate supplied device but it is an extreme minority.

The ability to implement and use the device with the shortest learning curve is a major consideration for corporate execs in charge of rolling out new technology. Just because the IT Director or VP of Ops. can use an iphone, most of them realize that the simplicity of a Blackberry is far more beneficial to the desired employee base because of the learning curve. Companies as a whole are fearful of technology and the ability of it to "bog down" rather than make an immediate impact on performance.

Outside the office, i will always admit that the iphone is a great phone for the people who use it. They love it is what i hear all the time and take nothing away from it.

That being said, I still have my opinion about the BlackBerry performance over the iphone as a better business performing tool on a day to day basis.

I read all the research on the devices and have ears within the industry, and far and away RIM and co. are a long way from seeing the iphone take anything other than a miniscule amount of business and when i see it, it is usually a small business (less than 25 employees) where they are still working off "family share" plans.

When you talk about companies that spend $3000 to $25000 a month on a wireless bill, far and away RIM products (also some Treo/smartphones) as well, are the hands down leader and will be for a long time.

I have read both your posts and see that you are a happy iphone user. That is not the point i am addressing and encourage you to continue to use the product that works best for you. Everyone should, but when I am asked to provide the best solution at the best value, it will never be an iphone. And don't even get me started on the price per device. :o)

Happy FReeping

34 posted on 03/08/2008 5:59:19 PM PST by IllumiNaughtyByNature (Senator McCain, what did GWB promise you back in 2000? And you believed him? BWAHAAAAA!)
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To: Swordmaker

The iPhone is a POS. My wife carries one only becuase her boss gave it to her. You cannot make the ringer loud enough for an admittedly middle-aged ear to hear, typing is clumsy at best, and until it will support Domino mail servers, the anwser to the title question is No F’n Way.


35 posted on 03/08/2008 6:07:00 PM PST by j_tull (Massachusetts, the Gay State. Once leader of the American Revolution, now leading its demise.)
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To: Keith in Iowa

Apple approached Verizon about the iPhone, but Verizon laughed them out of the building over Visual Voicemail. Then Apple went to AT&T.


36 posted on 03/08/2008 9:44:34 PM PST by Terpfen (Romney's loss in Florida is STILL a catastrophe. Hello, McCandidate!)
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To: smith288
i wish the email client had a “reply to” feature

I'm not certain what you are looking for. My iPhone has a "reply to" feature. It quotes the received message and allows you to answer. You also can add another recipient. What are you needing beyond that?

37 posted on 03/08/2008 10:57:29 PM PST by Swordmaker (There ain't no such thing as a free app...)
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To: j_tull
The iPhone is a POS. My wife carries one only becuase her boss gave it to her. You cannot make the ringer loud enough for an admittedly middle-aged ear to hear, typing is clumsy at best, and until it will support Domino mail servers, the anwser to the title question is No F’n Way.

At 59, I'm at the upper end of the middle-aged population... and my hearing is not as good as it used to be. I have no problem hearing my iPhone's ringer. It's louder than the Motorola I retired when I got the iPhone.

38 posted on 03/08/2008 11:09:50 PM PST by Swordmaker (There ain't no such thing as a free app...)
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To: IllumiNaughtyByNature
The ability to implement and use the device with the shortest learning curve is a major consideration for corporate execs in charge of rolling out new technology. Just because the IT Director or VP of Ops. can use an iphone, most of them realize that the simplicity of a Blackberry is far more beneficial to the desired employee base because of the learning curve.

That's really funny... the Blackberry easier to learn to use than the iPhone.

In what way is the iPhone more difficult to learn to use than a Blackberry? The iPhone has been shown to have the easiest learning curve of ANY phone on the market.

The iPhone user manual is 123 pages... the Blackberry 7100 is 146. But most people I know with an iPhone have never even seen the manual. You have to download it if you want it... or need it. Most don't.

39 posted on 03/08/2008 11:29:37 PM PST by Swordmaker (There ain't no such thing as a free app...)
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To: Swordmaker
I do not believe that either of us are going to switch from our selected brand anytime soon, although i will be taking away a great piece of information in case someone is asking me the benefits of the iphone.

The iPhone user manual is 123 pages... the Blackberry 7100 is 146.

:oP

FWIW check out the supposed leaks of the Blackberry 9000 series. If iphone thought they were stealing BlackBerry users, they are in for a rude awakening if the 9000 leaks are accurate.

FReepgards,

40 posted on 03/09/2008 6:21:47 AM PDT by IllumiNaughtyByNature (Senator McCain, what did GWB promise you back in 2000? And you believed him? BWAHAAAAA!)
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