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[Oppo]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/technology/blackberry-becomes-a-source-of-shame-for-users.html?_r=3

BlackBerry outcasts say that, increasingly, they suffer from shame and public humiliation as they watch their counterparts mingle on social networking apps that are not available to them, take higher-resolution photos, and effortlessly navigate streets — and the Internet — with better GPS and faster browsing. More indignity comes in having to outsource tasks like getting directions, booking travel, making restaurant reservations and looking up sports scores to their exasperated iPhone and Android-carting partners, friends and colleagues.

“I feel absolutely helpless,” said Ms. Gossage. “You’re constantly watching people do all these things on their phones and all I have going for me is my family’s group BBM chats.”

Not that BlackBerry circling the drain is anything new, but the idea of social stigma attached to what's still technically a smartphone, is kind of interesting. They make it seem actually worse (socially) than even having (gasp) a feature phone.

Any stalwart BB users on here? My wife just switched away successfully from years of BB to an iPhone and honestly doesn't seem to miss it at all, although she does say she can't quite hit the typing speed as the other. She has often mirrored another quote from the article, the "big lie" about apps. Also we had a Playbook in the house for a couple of nights; it looked pretty but was a complete joke to use.

Is RIM just completely doomed now, in public image if nothing else? Is it even possible to recover from such an image? Apple sort of did it in the late 90s but that was basically a miracle.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

Feature phones are baller, so that much is true.

I was playing Yakuza 3 last night, and Kazzy was posting to his blog from a flip phone.

 

[sky]

In meetings, she says she hides her BlackBerry beneath her iPad for fear clients will see it and judge her.

Hahaha...

 

[grimshawish]

It is odd how there are 'Blackberry families'; Blackberry should really take advantage of this and you know...adapt...

Some of thats ridiculous though.

 

[Zee_truly evil]

Most of my friends and family use a bb phone and they don't look like they're ashamed of it, as for me I've never owned one.

 

[Aguirre]

iphone is a toy, blackberry is a phone, no?

atleast, that is what people used to say.

 

[Cheebo]

iphone is a toy, blackberry is a phone, no?

atleast, that is what people used to say.

iPhone is taking over Enterprise from blackberry for the most part so no.

 

[Peru]

This goes in the 'real articles that read like Onion articles' folder.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

You could have told me this was an Onion article, and I would have believed you.

This goes in the 'real articles that read like Onion articles' folder.

Yup.

 

[Jimothy]

I have to hide my Blackberry under my iPad so people won't judge me.

 

[Darklord]

They should relaunch with new phones and call them self just Berry.

 

[DECK'ARD]

Poor RIM.

If even Rachel can't pull it out at cocktail parties anymore the end is near

 

[Omegasquash]

I really liked my BB a few years ago, and then I traded up to a droid. I find that I can do more with my current phone (Droid2, I'll likely be bumping up to an iPhone 5 in a month), but I still feel like BB was more of a functional device than a fun device. Sad to see it get destroyed, but BB was the king for a long time.

 

[Oppo]

Thing is, I think a "keyboard variant" Android phone could still be a pretty successful niche. When people talk about BBs it's all about that keyboard, not the OS or ecosystem.

 

[Huw_Dawson]

#firstworldproblems

Although I kinda feel that if you go in for a decent tablet, it's not too bad to have a Blackberry. I have a 9300 and I'm eyeing up a Nexus 7. I'd have a phone with £5p/m unlimited internet and a tablet for actually doing stuff with that wasn't phone stuff. That way if I drain the battery on one I still have the other.

And plus even a 4.8" screen or whatever the SIII has is too small for watching videos and gaming.

 

[DECK'ARD]

Victoria Gossage, a 28-year-old hedge fund marketer, said she recently attended a work retreat at Piping Rock Club, an upscale country club in Locust Valley, N.Y., and asked the concierge for a phone charger. “First he said, ‘Sure.’ Then he saw my phone and — in this disgusted tone — said, ‘Oh no, no, not for that.’ ”

“You get used to that kind of rejection,” she said.

Poor Victoria

 

[frankie_baby]

Seriously how the fuck are blackberry doing so bad? They're like crazy crazy popular with teenagers and students over here (UK)

 

[Steelrain]

I don't understand....how can you be that out of touch?

 

[HamPster PamPster]

My name is hampster, and I use webos

Hi hampster

 

[kaioshade]

Poor Victoria

That is just stupid as hell. Blackberry uses the same bloody micro usb charger as most android phones. Guy was prob just being an ass.

 

[samus i am]

That is just stupid as hell. Blackberry uses the same bloody micro usb charger as most android phones. Guy was prob just being an ass.

Maybe they only had iphone chargers?

 

[Dabanton]

They surely can't be doing that badly I know a hell of a lot of people who have Blackberrys for work the whole company usually have them.

And Young people still have them BBM is a massive draw.

 

[frankie_baby]

That is just stupid as hell. Blackberry uses the same bloody micro usb charger as most android phones. Guy was prob just being an ass.

It probably didn't happen

 

[PS3GamerKyle]

what the fuck....what a pathetic article.

 

[BrokenEchelon]

I don't get it. Why do people choose to willingly live in 2004 and then complain about it? Upgrade to a phone/OS used by the modern world and let that company die already.

 

[Tobor]

They surely can't be doing that badly I know a hell of a lot of people who have Blackberrys for work the whole company usually have them.

And Young people still have them BBM is a massive draw.

They are absolutely doing that badly. One or two more years, and they'll be sold or folded.

 

[FLEABttn]

And Young people still have them BBM is a massive draw.

Not in the USA. Young people don't use them here.

--//--

I have a Blackberry and pulling it out to use does elicit questions out of people. "A Blackberry, why?" "Why do you still have that?" "Does it do anything outside of text, e-mail, and make calls?"

No, no it doesn't =/

Contract is up on Dec 1, I'll get an iPhone 5 then.

 

[BrokenEchelon]

They surely can't be doing that badly I know a hell of a lot of people who have Blackberrys for work the whole company usually have them.

And Young people still have them BBM is a massive draw.

Do you live in the US? In my four years at college I saw ONE Blackberry phone. ONE. The company's products are only still used by businesses who got cheap deals on them or idiot adults who are so incapable of learning/coping with change that they're still hammering away at the QWERTY keyboards to tell their kids about this newfangled thing called Netflix or Amazon.

 

[derder]

When I see BB, I see the era of the original mobile Windows OS.

 

[Stumpokapow]

They surely can't be doing that badly I know a hell of a lot of people who have Blackberrys for work the whole company usually have them.

And Young people still have them BBM is a massive draw.

Sounds like you should buy RIM shares, they seem like they have a really solid future ahead of them. Lots of companies have BBs, and young people love BBM!

 

[Avixph]

Do you live in the US? In my four years at college I saw ONE Blackberry phone. ONE. The company's products are only still used by businesses who got cheap deals on them or idiot adults who are so incapable of learning/coping with change that they're still hammering away at the QWERTY keyboards to tell their kids about this newfangled thing called Netflix or Amazon.

What about the people that are too poor to afford an iPhone or and Android phone?

 

[DECK'ARD]

It could be a clever hipster rebranding strategy.

BlackBerry becoming uncool means it then becomes cool = RIM saved!

 

[BrokenEchelon]

What about the people that are too poor to afford an iPhone or and Android phone?

There's plenty of dumbphone options that run Android 2.X at this point, and even more prepaid phones.

Sprint for example doesn't carry a single Blackberry "Basic Phone", but they've got like two dozen Kyocera, Samsung, et al. dumbphones.

 

[-COOLIO-]

Do you live in the US? In my four years at college I saw ONE Blackberry phone. ONE. The company's products are only still used by businesses who got cheap deals on them or idiot adults who are so incapable of learning/coping with change that they're still hammering away at the QWERTY keyboards to tell their kids about this newfangled thing called Netflix or Amazon.

theyre still popular with girls in canada. hope bb10 is good, pro competition and all.

 

[Stumpokapow]

What about the people that are too poor to afford an iPhone or and Android phone?

Your assertion here is that Android phones are not or can not be cheaper than BB.

 

[freenudemacusers]

What about the people that are too poor to afford an iPhone or and Android phone?

Telegrams

 

[Pagusas]

They surely can't be doing that badly I know a hell of a lot of people who have Blackberrys for work the whole company usually have them.

And Young people still have them BBM is a massive draw.

LMAO, they are doing horrible right now. The company is in a tail spin, has had a massive brain drain, and cant figure out what it can do to survive. RIM will not exist in the next 10 years, maybe a part of it will continue, but the hardware side of RIM will eventually die, and soon. I fully expect RIM will take what it does have working for it, its secure networks/messaging, and start making deals with apple, microsoft or google (or all of them) and become a strait up business software company.

 

[Lothars]

I like my Blackberry and think it's a very good phone but I am not under any impression that RIM is doing well especially with how they keep delaying BB10, I don't know what my next phone will be though It will be either an Iphone or Android.

Though I still prefer BB for Enterprise stuff compared to anyone else.

 

[Azih]

But.. I need tools not toys.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

I don't run servers or anything, but it seems like having blackberries access our mail servers requires special attention that iphones and android phones do not. If I want to sync my android to my work email I just plug in the info from the instructions provided by the company, its not that easy with a blackberry. I was always under the impression that our company has a separate bb server. Also my company is finally phasing out blackberries, thank god. The people I talk to that still have them like them for the keyboard. Make a high end android with a good keyboard and you'll get every last bb customer there is.

 

[Futureman]

Your assertion here is that Android phones are not or can not be cheaper than BB.

(arguably) the best all around Android phone is only $50 on Verizon contract right now (GNex).

and you can get a i4 for free. BB is boned.

 

[BobTheFork]

I just got my BB less than I year ago I'm not switching now.

Calls, email, text
I really don't need it to do anything else

 

[Azih]

So I wandered by crackberry to see how they're reacting to this and it's... not good. They're entering Sega fan territory when the Dreamcast died.

 

[darkwing]

so is it time to buy RIM shares?

 

[freenudemacusers]

http://youtu.be/DYfBrkmWQE8

http://youtu.be/__2jyxxPeU4

i have nothing more to say

 

[Wiz]

I just got my BB less than I year ago I'm not switching now.

Calls, email, text
I really don't need it to do anything else

This was how I felt last year when I got a Blackberry. Now I have an iPhone to do all three of those things & so much more if needed.

 

[qizah]

Three years ago I really wanted a BlackBerry but I got an Android instead.

Glad I did - BlackBerry feels archaic in comparison to iOS/Android.

It sucks because us Canadians had a great company, but they aren't adapting well to the market changes.

 

[DECK'ARD]

http://youtu.be/DYfBrkmWQE8

http://youtu.be/__2jyxxPeU4

i have nothing more to say

Good lord.

 

[BrokenEchelon]

http://youtu.be/DYfBrkmWQE8

http://youtu.be/__2jyxxPeU4

i have nothing more to say

 

[-COOLIO-]

Three years ago I really wanted a BlackBerry but I got an Android instead.

Glad I did - BlackBerry feels archaic in comparison to iOS/Android.

It sucks because us Canadians had a great company, but they aren't adapting well to the market changes.

true, RIM is our only huge international sfotware/hardware company as far as i know.