This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

History of RIM, Part 3

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

History of RIM, Part 3

Of course, it’s just a regular Storm with some extras. This includes an NHL team skin and a preloaded microSD card with videos, including highlights. So there’s really not much to it. Since the price is the same as the normal Storm, it makes sense. There is an additional promotion, though, wherein contestants can win airfare for two to an NHL Stanley Cup team city, two nights accommodations, $500 cash, and two tickets to a game. The entry fee is $8 per month, which covers the subscription to Unlimited NHL.

So it’s a decent promotion, with a few low-level freebies and a premium contest. Here’s what I’d do if this were a baseball promo:

First, in addition to the team skin, I’d make sure both the MLB.com quick-launch and the team quick-launch were included. This shouldn’t pose much of a problem, since stores can stock up on teams from their region. Yeah, I’d hate to walk into a Verizon dealer that only had Mets Storms left in stock, but thems the breaks. Yes, I’d include the multimedia on an SD card, most likely the last year’s team highlights and clips of the World Series.

How else would I sweeten the pot? How about setting up MLB Gameday Audio on the device. Offer the service on the cheap, say $5 per month for BlackBerry subscribers, or at least for the owners of the branded Storm. That’s some incentive there. Then I’d make the MLB.tv package available on the Storm (if that’s even possible, though I think it would be) for a discount. They’re already lowering the price this year, and I don’t think giving a small break to BlackBerry Storm users would be that bit a deal. It would be extra revenue for them in the form of more users.

Maybe it’s a bit outlandish, but I can see a lot more licensing deals like this going down in the future. Companies are always looking for ways to expand their brand, and many are targeting mobile as a means to that end. This is just a different way of integrating both the BlackBerry and the MLB/NHL brand. RIM wins because they might sell a few more Storms, and MLB wins because they might gain more subscribers to their premium services.

Anyone else kinda pumped at this idea?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Where’s my Yankees-branded Storm?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Where’s my Yankees-branded Storm?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The History of RIM, Part 2

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The History of RIM, Part 2

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Digging deep into the history of RIM

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

Digging deep into the history of RIM

Each presentation is just 30 minutes, so there’s little time to get fidgety and unfocused. Many of the general and breakout sessions run 60 to 90 minutes, which means many in the audience will become disinterested about halfway through. This is no slight to the presenters. It’s just the nature of our attention spans. Keeping the presentations to 30 minutes means a focused, clear message that people can easily grasp.

As the name “demo theater” suggest, there’s always something happening. Many presentations, especially the keynotes, are mostly word-based. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m actually a fan of some well-done oration. But in a room full of BlackBerry users, there are plenty of distractions. By keeping a focus on the demonstration itself, presenters are better able to capture the audience’s attention.

We’ll be covering many of these products and services in the coming weeks at BBGeeks. There are some absolutely fascinating items that can revolutionize the way you use your BlackBerry. So stay tuned. There are just some things you’re not going to want to miss.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

WES 2008: I love the demo theater

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

WES 2008: I love the demo theater

The history of GPS

Like many satellite-based civilian services, GPS started as a Defense Department project back in the 60s and 70s. You can imagine the military uses for a global positioning system. And so the project developed along those lines, with really no intention of opening up the service to civilians.

The project really launched in 1978, when we put the first of 24 NAVSTAR satellites into orbit. A second round was launched in 1989, though there was a major development. In 1983, a Korean civilian airliner was shot down over Soviet airspace. President Reagan used this incident to declare that GPS, once fully operational, would be available free of charge to anyone in the world.

GPS became fully operational in 1995, though we didn’t see civilians immediately adopting it en masse. Eventually, we started to see it implemented in cars…for free. Yes, you could sign up for a subscription service to get updated points of interest (gas stations, restaurants, convenience stores, etc.), but for the basic turn-by-turn directions, it didn’t cost you a dime. And if you have a GPS installed by the factory in your car, it still won’t.

However, we’ve seen an increase in GPS units installed in cell phone lately. This is related to the FCC’s mandate that carriers must have location-based technology to assist with 911 calls. Many recent models of BlackBerry have come with a spiffy GPS unit right from the factory.

Which models have GPS?

The first step in this GPS mess is to figure out which BlackBerry models actually have a GPS unit in them. Only then can we begin to have a discussion about the viability of GPS and GPS services.

T-Mobile: No current T-Mobile BlackBerry has an embedded GPS chip.

Sprint: Pearl 8130, 7130e, 8730e, 8830, 7100i

Verizon: Pearl 810, 8830

AT&T: Curve 8310, 8820

But that’s not all. After you find the BlackBerry you want with the carrier of your choice, you have to factor in how carriers offer the GPS service.

Sprint: Sprint Navigator comes included with your BlackBerry plan. You know, for no additional charge. (This might be different for business accounts.)

Verizon: In order to utilize the GPS capabilities of your BlackBerry, you need to purchase the VZNavigator. This is available for a $9.99 monthly subscription fee, or for $2.99 per 24-hour period.

AT&T: No free GPS here. You’ll have to add on AT&T’s TeleNav program, which costs $5.99 for 10 routes, or $9.99 for unlimited use.

So it’s not free

Despite President Reagan’s mandate, and President Bush’s subsequent reinforcement of the idea of free GPS in 2004, we’re still seeing carriers holding GPS units hostage. Why would they do that?

Simply, because there’s room for profit somewhere in there, and the cell companies don’t want to let that opportunity pass. Yes, GPS is supposed to be free, but no one said anything about GPS units. That’s how companies like Garmin are able to sell you GPS units, starting at over $200. They can’t sell you basic GPS service — it’s mandated to be free. But they can charge you for the unit.

So where does this leave cell carriers? They’re installing these units inside cell phones, so there is no extra hardware to sell you. There’s no lump sum you pay up front for GPS. Hence, subscription services. In essence, they’re not really charging you for the turn-by-turn direction service — they’re charging you to utilize the GPS unit in your phone.

A TiVo analogy

A few years ago, TiVo was all the craze. I remember wanting one pretty badly, even though I don’t watch all that much TV. Because DVR wasn’t in the mainstream yet, TiVo was able to get away with selling you a DVR box, and on top of that selling you their subscription service, which allows you to view schedules and pick your recordings.

Of course, cable companies caught onto this. They already rented their customers cable boxes, so adding a DVR to said box wasn’t a huge deal. They charged a few dollars extra a month to pay for the DVR. And voila! They completely undercut TiVo.

Cell phone companies have the same advantage here. Everyone (figuratively speaking) has a cell phone. If these companies install GPS units on cell phones, well, there’s a far lesser need for expensive units like those of Garmin. It would be like having a TiVo box as well as a DVR box from your cable company. Completely redundant.

So this is why we’re seeing cell companies charge monthly rates for use of the GPS units in their phones. Instead of paying a lump sum up front for the unit, as is the case with Garmin and TiVo, you only pay a monthly subscription rate, like you do with a DVR from your cable company.

Of course, the lump sum might work out for some people, since monthly subscriptions are a perpetual fee. However, Garmin and TiVo also have subscription features. And unless you subscribe to these, you’re not getting the full experience. What you’re seeing cell companies do with GPS and cable companies do with DVR is to only charge the monthly fee while giving you more features than you get with a base TiVo or Garmin unit.

So what CAN you do with GPS on your BlackBerry?

Once you’re subscribed to a GPS service through your cell carrier, the world of GPS is open to you. You can utilize it for turn-by-turn directions, or to give you ideas on where to go in your current area. There are actually a ton of features of GPS that you can use through your cell carrier. So many, in fact, that we’ll cover them, carrier-by-carrier, in a future column.

We’re seeing a real rise in the usage of location-based services. Our cell phones are going to be the main medium in which we’re going to see these developments.

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

GPS units and your BlackBerry

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

GPS units and your BlackBerry

With that out of the way, a few weeks ago, I noticed that Chris Butler had done a post asking if the BlackBerry rules your life via our Twitter feed. I then saw a post this week about how your BlackBerry can’t love you back that was referencing a post we did this summer about heightening BlackBerry addiction. And I think all of us have seen an article or two about how the BlackBerry is becoming commonplace – maybe too commonplace – and for some, at a price in their personal lives.

Some of the below were ones that resonated with me for various reasons:

Blackberry email devices can be so addictive that owners may need to be weaned off them with treatment similar to that given to drug users, experts warned today. They said the palmtop gadgets, which have been nicknamed ‘crackberries’ because users quickly become hooked on them, could be seriously damaging to mental health. [BlackBerry addiction 'similar to drugs']

I’m definitely addicted to my BlackBerry according to “society standards”. I check it many, many times throughout the day. I’ve experienced the phantom ringtone (thought for me, it is more like a phantom vibration) more times than I can count. I never forget it, and the less than a handful amount of times I’ve had, I’ve turned around to go home and retrieve it – even if it meant being late to the place I’m headed.

Ninety percent of individuals at the company studied said they felt some degree of compulsion in their BlackBerry use. They check their messages not only on evenings and weekends, but also at church, at the gym, at the doctor’s office and even at social gatherings. All this despite the fact that their company doesn’t require them to be on call. [BlackBerry addiction starts at the top]

I admit to taking my BlackBerry everywhere at all times. I’ve checked it on the treadmill at the gym. I always have it at social gatherings. I hook the thing to my pajama pants on the weekend mornings. It is the first thing I put on and the last thing I take off on a daily basis. My friends joke that you can spot pictures of me with my face cut off if my “BlackBerry hip” is showing. There is only one time when my BlackBerry is ignored and I’m going to have to let you guess when that is.

And while my company doesn’t require me to be on call, I feel the need to be since I am the CEO even though I’m sure the company wouldn’t explode if I didn’t get every single email instantaneously.

There is a new member of the family, and, like all new siblings, this one is getting a disproportionate amount of attention, resulting in jealousy, tantrums, even trips to the therapist. It’s the BlackBerry. BlackBerry oprhans]

This article was the one that definitely made me think about the issue the hardest. I have children. And I will fully admit to my three year old having a fake cell phone clipped to his hip that he called a “BwackBerry” once or twice in his life. I’ve stood outside my daughter’s school emailing on the BlackBerry while waiting for her to be released. I’ve taken it with me to school functions. My kids have grown up in a BlackBerry household and I’d bet they don’t remember a time without it.

Reading these articles, I am this “victim” (and in some opinions, have made my children victims) of all the above BlackBerry harm on my life. But, here’s the thing… I don’t see the BlackBerry as being an “issue” in my life. I’m sure some people will argue, but all I can do is give you my, non researcher, devout BlackBerry user side of things.

The first thing I should point out is that my significant other in life is also a devout BB user. He uses it as frequently as I do and you’d be hard pressed to find either of us in the house at any point in time without the BlackBerry within reaching distance. So, I don’t have a resentful partner seething every time I pick the thing up. In all honesty, we’re both glad to have a partner who understands and allows our attachment to the device. Sure, there are ground rules and some times that are off limits (we wouldn’t start texting on messenger while arguing for instance – we are *sane*) but for the most part, 98% BlackBerry infiltration is accepted. Additionally, we talk on messenger throughout the day – so the BlackBerry actually allows us to have *more* contact with each other than we would without it.

Additionally, I work in the Internet sector as do most of my friends. Almost everyone I know and see on a daily basis is attached to the web remotely – be it via a BlackBerry, Treo or other smartphone. Myself and two friends will go to lunch with all of us checking our BlackBerries randomly throughout the meal. Friends without smartphones are so used to a large percentage of us having them that they see their presence in everyday activities as “normal”.

We all utilize our BlackBerries not only as business tools, but also to speak with each other on BlackBerry messenger, to communicate with each other through Facebook, via SMS for those without smartphones… you get the picture.

That said, I’d be lying if I said there hadn’t been times that the BlackBerry has alienated people. I visited a friend last year and upon arriving home, he informed me that his wife had mentioned I had been quite rude throughout the trip. I was utterly confused and then he told me it was because I was “always on the BlackBerry”. He explained that while he was used to it after years of being friends with me, his wife was not and thought the constant checking of my BlackBerry was rude.

Being surrounded by BB acceptance the way that I am has indeed created a much higher “acceptable use” threshold in my day to day life than the general world will tolerate. As a result, I try to limit my BlackBerry usage when in those “non techie” circles, though it is still with me and still checked. Just not while someone is talking to me or I’m at a dinner table.

As far as my children go, I can’t say for sure what goes on in their minds. What I can say is that a BlackBerry is an appliance that has been present in their lives as far back as they can remember. Like a computer, or television – the BlackBerry has always been in our household. Granted, the BlackBerry is also attached to my hip, but much like a child of a career military soldier adapts to moving around a lot, kids can also adapt to the presence of electronic devices – especially when they’ve been present all their lives.

My children also know that the BlackBerry allows me to do things I otherwise wouldn’t be able to do. I can attend field trips during the day because I can deal with business related issues from the road if they come up. We can go to a movie on the night of an important technical upgrade because if something happens, I can be reached. And the reason my children have what they have in life is because of my dedication to work – which includes being available whenever the need arises. But instead of being at my office until 8 p.m. on hectic nights, I’m at home, on the couch, watching TV with them. Yes, my BlackBerry needs to be within reach… but I can’t help think it is better to have me at home with a BlackBerry then have me at the office without one.

I don’t see a severely detrimental issue with my BlackBerry usage – even though my usage of it is at “addiction levels” based on the opinions in the above articles. It causes no strife in my relationship with my significant other, it has not caused any issue that has been verbalized by my children at home and allows me to have the best of both worlds. And in the end, that is what technology is supposed to make it easier to do, right?

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry, Your Personal Life and The Blurred Line

This post originated at BBGeeks.com - home to all things Blackberry! Also a great source of info about AT&T BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry, Your Personal Life and The Blurred Line