Mobile Industry Insider's Opinon of the Smartphone and Mobile Platform Landscape

This opinion written by Abdi  Zadeh, former REGARD VP of Professional Services...and redistributed here with his permission.  So, these are not my opinions, however, Abdi is spot on for the most part here...
Steve Beauregard
For the past 6 weeks, I’ve gone through an array of smartphones and tablets. I thought I’d share my experience:


Smartphone Landscape:

BlackBerry Torch: This is the phone that RIM should had come out with 12 months earlier than they did. Nice display, form-factor, and great battery life. This device won’t win any non-BlackBerry user over, but provides a nice stop-gap for existing BlackBerry users.

iPhone 4: This is great phone. Easy to use, good battery life, and nice form-factor. In fact, the only flaw is the lack of Flash support, which is quickly becoming a non-issue with the adoption of HTML 5

HP Veer: This is a cute phone, but definitely not for power-users. The form-factor is weird and the screen is too small. This runs on WebOS 2.0, which lacks quantity of apps. I’d wait for next generation devices from HP supporting WebOS 3.0

Samsung Galaxy 2 – Epic 4G: I really liked this Android 2.2 phone. Very nice touch display and full qwerty keyboard is nice for those of us that can’t type on screen displays. Battery life is definitely an issue, especially when the 4G, Wi-fi, or or GPS toggles are active. Also – the qwerty keyboard is too wide, making text-entry difficult with 2 thumbs (even for my long fingers). The accelerometer, which monitors device orientation and directional-navigation, seems to have some quirks as well.

Samsung Droid Charge: This is my current phone and I LOVE it. Incredibly fast 4G LTE with surprisingly sufficient battery-life. The Charge runs on Android 2.2, has a large touch display, and is extremely light in weight. The front facing camera is pretty cool too. My only issues with this phone are that main nav keys are hard buttons as opposed to screen-displays, which makes it a weird experience going back/forth from screen to buttons. Also – there’s no toggle between 3G and 4G. You have to use 4G where available.

HTC Thunderbolt: Hate it! Horribly outdated form-factor. It feels like a clunky PDA from Palm-4 days (late 90s). Battery life sucked

Samsung Focus: LOVE IT! I can’t believe Microsoft finally delivered a solid Mobile Platform. Running Windows Mobile 7, which introduces some new interactions with the finger gestures, the Focus provides new intuitive ways of navigating through apps and content. The battery life is on par with iPhone. The only negative is the lack of apps. The question is… can Microsoft win over consumers after so many horrible mobile platforms in the last 10 years?

Tablet Landscape:
iPad: This is still the best tablet out in the market. Best display, weight, form-factor.

BlackBerry Playbook: In my opinion, Playbook is the only device that comes close to iPad. Great hardware and experience. There’s a slight learning curve for new users, but once you get over it – you realize its brilliant design. What I don’t like; at 7”, I wish it were bigger. I also wish they would have launched with Android App support, which is expected in early Q4.

Motorala Xoom: A ridiculously overpriced paper-weight! The display is visibly cheap. When you hold it up to your phone or other tablets, it’s visibly less bright and sharp. It’s extremely heavy in weight and the power button is hidden on the back of the device (stupid). The processor chokes on interactive content, such as AJAX features.

Mobile Platform Landscape:

Apple’s iOS: Still the best, but others are catching up quickly. I believed that lack of Flash support would be their downfall, but with the growing adoption of HTML 5, Apple may have killed Flash. The only negative - for PC users, it sucks to be forced into using iTunes to sync/transfer content.

RIM’s BlackBerry: As a longtime advocate of the BlackBerry platform, all I can say now is that RIM’s days are numbered. RIM is so infused into corporate culture that it will be a slow death (ala Novel). They are trying to retain users with a big push in Latin America and Asia, but are hemorrhaging U.S. market-share. The Torch and Playbook are OK, but too little, too late.

Google’s Android 2.2 and 2.3: I’m a big fan, but they need to figure out their battery-management issues. They have the advantage of having multiple Manufacturers building hardware and interfaces for this platform, creating competition - which is always better for consumers. The funny thing about this is… Google’s Android Apps (e.g., Gmail and Google Docs) are really poorly designed.

Microsoft's Mobile 7: They finally did it! They finally put out an platform that wasn't ridiculously bad. In fact, it's pretty good. They introduce some new gesture interactions that allow for both vertical and horizontal navigation of content. The biggest challenge for this platform is the bad reputation Microsoft has in this space.

HP’s WebOS: I’m a fan, but have never seen any strong push or implementation of this platform. Since HP acquired Palm over a year ago – they’ve gone into hibernation. In Q4 of this year – we can expect new HP phones and tablets using a new WebOS 3.0 (with improved gestures for touch-screens). I’m sure HP will have a marketing blitz for developers and consumers. This is a very enticing platform for developers, as all you need to know is Javascript (even the native device APIs).

Qualcomm’s BrewMP: Stick to your hardware, chipsets, and Snapdragon Qualcomm! Mobile o/s is not your game! For a long time, I have predicted that this platform will die soon. I have inside info that suggests the time has finally come. It looks like Android will be the sole platform for Snapdragon devices.

BlackBerry WES 2010 - The Inside Scoop!

REGARD had a great trip to Orlando for BlackBerry WES 2010 and we are excited to be back in Santa Monica armed with a whole slew of new tips, tricks and tools that we can't wait to implement for you...

RIM's executives shared a number of inspiring announcements with us regarding BlackBerry 6.0 OS, BlackBerry App World 2.0, new device models and the BlackBerry Super App Challenge.  REGARD is very excited about the myriad possibilities to construct "Super Apps" for the our consumer and enterprise customers!

SUPER APPS: THE CHALLENGE
REGARD always loves a good challenge so we were thrilled to learn about RIM's 2010 BlackBerry Super Apps Developer Challenge with over $1.5 million in prizing!

Super Apps must deliver an engaging experiences for BlackBerry users by offering a seamless, integrated, contextualized and efficient UI. For example, Super Apps are always-on running in the background and listening for specific events, waiting for inbound data and triggering notifications. Super Apps are always-connected and should be tightly integrated with native apps. Using BlackBerry's open API to deliver even more customizable options than before, Super Apps can add custom menu items and data to the message list (or inbox), address book and calendar that can be easily accessed with just one click.

RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis astutely explained that the future success of mobile platforms will rest on quality saying, "It's who has the best apps, not the most."

REGARD has always been committed to providing our customers with the best quality solutions. We are eager to apply our knowledge to construct ground-breaking Super Apps that are stickier and intuitive and make users more efficient, socially connected and overall better looking ;-)  Contact REGARD today to find out how you can be part of RIM's 2010 BlackBerry Super Apps Developer Challenge with a variety of prizes valued as high as $85,000.

BlackBerry 6.0 OS
RIM revealed a sneak peek of BlackBerry 6.0 and highlighted a variety of new features that will improve functionality, productivity and user experience. They've revamped the homescreen and enriched the UI with updated native apps, universal search features, pull down notifications and a new media and music organizer. Another key addition is RIM's WebKit rendering engine which speeds up web browsing and incorporates multi-touch, tabbed browsing and a new favorites system. Aesthetic changes like inertial scrolling and elastic menus throughout polish off RIM's menu of new offerings.

BlackBerry App World 2.0
RIM unveiled its plan for the rejuvenated BlackBerry App World 2.0 (BAW) storefront for buying and downloading software applications which promises to optimize its users' ability to purchase and experience BlackBerry apps. BAW 2.0 provides purchasing freedom with host of new payment options including microtransactions and subscription capabilities that enable developers to capitalize on flexible pricing strategies to maximize their revenue. RIM also promised that they are close to offering carrier and credit card billing options in addition to their current PayPal payment system. The more efficient BAW 2.0 will be Wi-Fi capable, adds account management, search improvements and allows for more enterprise apps in the catalog. Best of all, App World will soon come preloaded on the home screen of all BlackBerry models shipping with version 5.0 or above.

With new ways to monetize, promote and optimize your mobile campaign there has never been a better time to extend your business into the BlackBerry mobile space. Now is your chance to launch your mobile apps to build your mobile reputation before the market becomes flooded with your competition. Be sure you find a trusted BlackBerry Alliance Partner that has stood the test of time to create high-quality, profit-producing apps to improve productivity, save time and increase revenue. Rely on longstanding BlackBerry relationships to help you strategically promote your brand and make a huge impact in the mobile ecosystem.

NEW BLACKBERRY DEVICE MODELS
Slimmer,sleeker, updated and upgraded - the newest devices on the BlackBerry block promise more bells and whistles than ever while maintaining BlackBerry's commitment to superior quality and functionality.

RIM announced the launch of the Blackberry Bold 9650 and the Blackberry Pearl 9100 and 9105. The Bold takes the Tour's place and replaces the dated trackball with an optical pad to easily navigate the 2.4 inch, 480 x 360 resolution display. Additionally, the memory has been doubled from 256MB to 512MB, it supports 3G speeds, has WiFi capabilities and is the first BlackBerry to offer OpenGL support for 3D graphics. Wow!

Not to be outdone, both Pearl devices will get 3G and 802.11 N WiFi support, GPS capabilities, 256MB of flash memory and microSDHC support. They will both be powered by a 624MHz processor. The 9100 retains the slim SureType keypad while the 9105 gets a traditional keypad.

Be the first to launch high-quality, user-friendly, integrated apps for the hot new BlackBerry devices that utilize all their updated capabilities.Partner with a company like REGARD Venture Solutions and be among the first to develop Super Apps - completely integrated, seamless and efficient apps that take your brand to a whole new level. We know what it takes to WIN THE CHALLENGE!  REGARD can increase your brand exposure and set you apart from the competition!

Making Sense of BlackBerry T-Support now BlackBerry TSS

The BlackBerry T-Support Program (now known as BlackBerry Technical Support Services (TSS) has changed considerably in recent months. Most notably, the pricing structure has changed. RIM has gone away from the combination of the number of production server and Smartphone calculations in favor of selecting a level of support and the number of deployed handhelds. You still need to provide the SRP key of all production BES servers, however, that is no longer part of the pricing calculation.

RIM has eliminated the T-Support levels of Tx1, Tx2, Tx3, Tx4 & Tx5 and simplified into three categories ("Standard", "Premium" and "Elite".)



In essence, here is the mapping:
* Tx1 & Tx2 = Standard
* Tx3 & Tx4 = Premium
* Tx5 (on steroids) = Elite

It appears to me that the "Standard" level provides a little cost savings to the smaller clients, but drops the quality of to encourage the mid-sized companies to step up to Premium Support. The same seems to have happened at the Premium level, former Tx3 customers are paying a little more, but also getting a straight to the DART team, while the former Tx4 clients are getting essentially the same support at a lower cost. With the cost of the Elite program, I believe there will be VERY few clients to sign up for this program. There are many more affordable options to receive far more for your money. For example, REGARD offers "tech-to-site" support and expert BES remote support at a fraction of the cost of RIM Direct.

The other VERY SIGNIFICANT change, is that BlackBerry customers receiving TSS support and software quotes from RIM Direct will now only receive quotes at full retail price. REGARD believes this is RIM's recognition that value-added resale partners (like REGARD) with locally available BlackBerry savvy technical resources can provide a greater value proposition to their customers in their local geographies by combining BlackBerry TSS along with their own support services.

In addition to REGARD R-Support, REGARD also offers BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0 readiness assessments and training for BES Admin, Help Desk and end users.

Contact sales@regard.com to discuss how REGARD can save you significant amounts on your support renewal and software licenses.

Hot Tips For Navigating Your BlackBerry Calendar

I like to watch people fumble around with their BlackBerry calendar ... It's a hobby of mine. They often hit 5 or more keys or thumb through menus to get to their appointment information.

The problem is they have not been trained!

So here are some of the best kept BlackBerry Calendar secrets to streamline your experience.

The first thing you need to do is disable the "Quick Entry" feature. This will take away your ability in the day view to just start entering an appointment. The is an easy trade off as all you need to do is use the "C" Quick Key described below.

Step 1: Open you calendar, hit the BlackBerry logo button and roll down to "Options." Select "General Options," then roll to "Enable Quick Entry". Hit the Space bar to toggle selection to "No"

Step 2: Hit Escape twice to return to your default calendar view

Step 3: Here are you Quick Key short cuts...you are going to love it!

• D - Day View
• W - Week View
• M - Month View
• A - Agenda View
• S - Scrolls through the above views

With in any of the views, here are more Quick Keys:

• N - Next
• P - Previous
• G - Go to a specific date
• T - Go to Today
• C - Create New Appointment

Hitting the same key twice will toggle you between that view and the previous. When creating an appointment and you want to change the duration of the meeting.

• Hold Alt key and roll up or down.

Hope this helps!
-Steve Beauregard
www.REGARD.com
www.REGARD-Solutions.com
www.REGARDventures.com
www.BlackBerryTraining.net

Count to 10 slowly...call back...say "CELLHELL" and MOVE ON!

Today...I'm on a MISSION to save frustration and time...both of ours!

The Problem Statement:

In mid sentence, your cell call drops...you call back and get their voicemail...then they call you back while you're in their voicemail. You hang-up attempting to pick up the incoming call...and fail...you both hang up and try each other again! Repeat until...

When you FINALLY get reconnected, both parties discuss whose fault it was, whose coverage sucks more, which model of phone you have, and how the last model you had, while heavier and able to fry and egg in seconds, actually had fewer dropped calls. Invariably someone goes on a rant how the carrier claims "fewest dropped calls" and "can you hear me now?" Jokes...we have all heard them...get over it already!

Once you have established whose coverage sucks less at the moment, and who should try the other's phone model...you can now get back to the important question..."At what point in the conversation was the call dropped?"

With collectively four (4) fewer minutes available on your monthly calling plans before those nasty overage charges kick in....you are once again back on track!

The Solution (Soon to be posted on eHow.com):

Step #1 - The person that initiated the call...COUNT SLOWLY TO TEN (10)...this give the carrier network time to figure out that call is no longer connected!

Step #1a: The person that received the call...Press END and sit tight.

Step #2: When the 10 seconds are up, the person that initiated the call, places a new call (hopefully to you).

Step #2a: Person receiving the call answers and simply says "CELLHELL"

Step #3: Calling parting having heard "CELLHELL" repeats "CELLHELL" showing their mutual agreement that (i) your carrier coverage sucks ass, (ii) they should put a repeater in the tunnel you just drove through (iii) you lose your coverage at the same exact spot every day (iv) why won't they fix it, (v) your Smartphone model is inferior to the 80's briefcase cell that was more powerful than your microwave ... and, finally, (xxiv) you'd rather have a root canal than make small talk over such things.

Step #4: The person that WASN'T talking when the call dropped...tell the other party the last thing you heard.

Step #5: MOVE ON with your conversation people!

So next time you hear "CELLHELL", you'll know what to do...if you are on a three party call or bridge...you are on your own!

I hope this was helpful...your milage may vary!

The Enterprise is "All About BlackBerry" ... Still

The "BlackBerry Killers" still come and go. Meanwhile, the BlackBerry has been creeping into the hands of consumers at an eye-opening rate. As Tom Taulli points on in his latest Bloggingstocks article, RIM expect 15% to 20% increase in subscriber growth last quarter over earlier projections.

The increase demand seemed to be due, in large part, to unexpected demand during the Christmas shopping season. I think it is very safe to declare that BlackBerry is NOT just for the Enterprise any longer!

The Curve is the best Enterprise to Consumer crossover product on the market. As one of the first BlackBerry application development companies, REGARD is looking to develop broader consumer centric application to meet the growing demand.

BlackBerry - Not Just for Business Anymore

We are quickly closing in on a decade that RIM's BlackBerry platform has owned the enterprise messaging space. Hands down it has dominated all would be "BlackBerry Killers" with ease. Some newcomers overheated, some overrated, some oversized, and ALL over-promised!

With that, RIM has been late to the game of consumer features such as integration of camera, removable memory, and most notably multi-media functionality. This is all predictable as these features were not in high demand especially among security conscience IT types.

In the September 2007 edition of Entrepreneur Magazine (page 38), I am quoted as saying “the BlackBerry isn’t just for business anymore.”

When REGARD released the RV-Pileup game for Sony Pictures Entertainment, my kids began fighting over who is going to play games on my BlackBerry. It got so bad, that I put together three older units from spare parts in the REGARD BlackBerry graveyard and loaded them with every game I could find.

Everyone was happy until I switched to the BlackBerry 8300…now the new fight is over who is going to use my BlackBerry to take pictures.

Our children are growing up in a vastly different high-tech world! Below is a picture my 4 year old took this morning in my office using the Curve…ironically of Robin Williams on the RV movie poster. Don't expect too much...she is after all just 4!

WES 2007

The annual “BlackBerry Lovefest” (formally known as RIM’s Wireless Enterprise Symposium or “WES”) draws to a close today in Orlando Florida. If the movement in RIMM stock price this week is any indicator, it was a very successful show for RIM.

Having now attended all six WES events, I’d say this year had an especially unique blend of old and new faces with many of the veteran BlackBerry Alliance Partners opting to send smaller teams and, in many cases, not exhibiting on the showcase floor. With overflowing enthusiasm, the new kids on the block sent large teams to explain to the BlackBerry faithful how their new product or service is a little bit better than the competitor across the floor.

RIM filled up any idle booth space advertising their new “Top Shelf” professional services, training and accessory offerings. These offerings have been years in the coming and will effectively serve the largest customers in North America. These teams are intentionally lean to keep overhead down with the tradeoff being scalability.

The prevailing theme at WES was “BlackBerry is not just for business anymore…it is an integral part of your personal life.” Based on the number of people walking around the show at all hours of the day and night frozen in the "BlackBerry Prayer" stance, I would have to agree.

I was very encouraged that the other prevalent theme was “wireless applications.” This was true among RIM, the carriers and customers alike. Even Jim Belushi at the evening party used the term 2 or 3 times during his performance as did the Robin Wilson (lead singer of the Gin Blossoms) during the AT&T Wireless Party at the House of Blues.

New BlackBerry Smartphones

This consumer focused impression perfectly introduced the BlackBerry 8300 or “Curve”. This sexy little number morphs the QWERTY keyboard with many of the features that made the Pearl such a winner. The Curve gets an upgraded 2 Megapixel camera, a stereo headset jack, stereo Bluetooth A2DP capability and spell checker. To round out the multimedia offering, more formats will be supported (i.e. WMA files) and Roxio for BlackBerry will be provided on the desktop to manage all the pix, movies & music files.

The other exciting smartphone announcement was the BlackBerry 8830 for US based Verizon Wireless and Sprint. This little beauty will be the first of its kind offering seamless international roaming on GSM/GPRS while connecting via the CDMA/1x/EVDO antenna when in the US.

BlackBerry Software Roadmap

As a natural evolution, RIM continues to enhance the handheld and server side software marginalizing the ISV Alliance Partner offerings. Many thrifty ISVs were whispering among their colleagues as RIM announce their future intension to bake-in monitoring, roles based security, .Net and Eclipse snap-in for developers and a number of other features under partner NDA.

After years of trying to downplay the need for the Desktop Manager, it is BACK! It will become the mechanism to manage multimedia files on the BlackBerry family of smartphones.

ISV Partner Products and Services

There were few products and services that I would categorize as new or revolutionary. Many things that one would naturally expect to be built were now being demoed. There were RSS readers, geo positioning & emergency contacts and the like. Most were varying twists on one of the following themes: CRM, Dispatch, Geo-tracking / mapping / directions, business process improvement, content / document management, voice recognition, IT admin tools (monitoring / remote control / security / failover), software "middleware" platforms and 31 flavors of professional and hosted services.

I saw many strong and valuable products for customers to solve unique problems. Of the products that I reviewed, I found the following to be most memorable.

GPS Snitch offers BlackBerry client for 8800 (or GPS puck) that reports back via the cellular data network the precise location of the device. Projecting forward, the service could be used not only for monitoring, but also for social networking purposes. eTrace is an on-demand enterprise dispatch service based on the same technology. Both products can monitor and alert users if a driver is speeding or not where they should be.

Chalk Mobile’s Content Management Solution showed very well. From a BlackBerry 8800, Chalk showed a technician’s training demo complete with audio and video (stored on MicroSD not streaming) with step by step instructions and a test at the end of each section. The results were tracked back at the server. The Chalk demo was the best produced at the show.

REGARD’s R-Approval v3.0 product which enables traveling managers to receive approval requests for timecards, expense reports, purchase requisition and the like into a unique approval inbox received a lot of interests from tier 2 US carriers and tier 1 international carriers. The goal of this carrier class is to find sticky solutions that are easy to install, support and deliver high utility out-of-the-box.

WES Summary

Year after year RIM continues to produce a high quality show that continues to grow among the customers, partners and carriers internationally. The momentum of the Eco-System they have built is very compelling and should be for some time to come.

I remember the first meeting I took with RIM in 1998 they told me they felt they had an 18 month lead on their nearest competition. I believe they continue to extend that lead as they push into more international markets.

Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth Headset w/ BlackBerry

Four years ago, I was speaking with a VC friend that told me about one of his portfolio companies that had utilized military technology to create a Bluetooth headset that would virtually eliminate background (or ambient) noise from a wireless call.

Naturally, this sounded rather futuristic and far fetched.

About 3 months ago, I received a Jawbone Headset in the mail. After pairing it with my BlackBerry, I jumped right into my M3 Convertable ... top down, stereo cranked, I accelerated to 60 MPH on PCH and was ready to road test the Jawbone.

When I told the other parties of the hostle "noisy" environment from which I was calling, they were astonished! Initially, I was not able to hear conversation very well until I traded out earbuds and the ear loop to adjust the fit (4 earbud and 4 earloops are included).

With California poised to join the states that require hands-free calling when driving, I must say I am thrilled the Jawbone has been released in time!

The Virtual BlackBerry on Windows Mobile 6

Yesterday, Research in Motion announced a BlackBerry® vitural machine that will run on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6® smartphones.

Tom Taulli quotes me in his Motley Fool article today stating that this is a smart move by RIM.

"This opens up RIM's wireless push network to an entirely new class of smartphone devices," said Steve Beauregard, president of REGARD, which has developed applications for BlackBerry smartphones for the past 10 years. "Not only does RIM win by selling additional software licenses and support fees to enterprise customers, but the company receives a small recurring fee from the carrier for each user sending traffic over the BlackBerry network."

Hopefully this will not be a long wait in vain as the BlackBerry Connect® and BlackBerry Built-in® RIM initiatives were. That is, hopefully, the Windows Mobile platform and the supporting hardware have now matured to offer a pervasive platform alternative to customers that want the rich features of Windows (i.e. MS Office, Media Players, etc) that hamstring the BlackBerry offering.

Coupling the speed, security and reliability of the BlackBerry service with a Windows Mobile user experience should truly serve well a user base that RIM has thus far been unable to tap.

******************************************************

-Steve Beauregard

REGARD – “R-Solutions Liberate People From Their Desks”

310.883.2205 (direct dial)

310.450.2400 (main line)

http://www.regard.com (Corp Website)

Opportunities for Resellers & VARs

In a recent Computer Reseller News "CRN" article by Jennifer Lawinski, I wanted to clarify my quote below.

"The device business was a very booming business for a number of years and we did quite well with that, but pretty much anything meaningful they've taken direct"

By "anything meaningful they've taken direct" , I am referring to the wireless carriers (Cingular, T-Mobile, NEXTEL / Sprint & Verizon). That is to say the largest customers and activation deals are being sold by the carrier sales reps directly to the customers. This is simply the natural evolution of any technology business. Now that the carriers have come up to speed on BlackBerry® and other Smartphone devices (as much as they feasibly can), their sales reps don't need to rely (as much) on the expertise of companies like REGARD to help close these deals.

As for the second part of that quote...

"...The most opportunity is in emerging software development companies, getting in early with them before their products start to go with distribution," Beauregard said. "A lot of those guys you can get margins of up to 40 [percent] or 50 percent because they're anxious to get their products out there."

Small technology companies must evolve with the changing dynamics. The big opportunities in wireless for resellers and VARs has now migrated to off-the-shelf wireless products like R-Approval®. In addition to making money on the sale of the software, VARs can also provide professional services to document and streamline approval workflow processes. Designing R-Approval templates based on existing paper approval forms can also be quite lucrative.

Other products are available for Flowfinity, Antenna Software and Wallace Wireless that offer similar opportunities for VARs on BlackBerry® and other wireless Smartphones.

******************************************************

-Steve Beauregard

REGARD – “R-Solutions Liberate People From Their Desks”

310.883.2205 (direct dial)

310.450.2400 (main line)

http://www.regard.com (Corp Website)

In the News

A number of customers and colleagues recently asked me what I thought of Jim Balsillie's resignation as chairman of Research in Motion (RIMM).

From the time I saw my first BlackBerry in 1998, I knew a revolution on par with the introduction of the laptop computer was coming for mobile professionals.

I first had the pleasure of meeting Jim Balsillie in 2000. What was immediately evident was Jim's deep passion for driving this revolution according to his vision. He was already speaking like an evangelist of applications beyond email and PIM data before those "mobile killer apps" had been adopted in mainstream corporate culture.

It was Jim's leadership and passion that encouraged partners like REGARD to adopt the slogan "Liberating People From Their Desks" and to develop products like R-Approval & R-Charter. Mobilizing critical business application to BlackBerry Smartphones today is the realization of Jim's late 1990's vision.

I feel regardless of Jim's decision to step down as chairman, he will continue to pour much of his heart and soul into RIM products as ever. After all, Jim has not stepped down as co-CEO.

That said, Jim's recent highly publicized purchase of the Pittsburgh Penguins leads one to believe he may begin to pursue other interests as well. Clearly, he has earned it!

Perhaps we will see the Waterloo Penguins before long?

Below is a link to my comments in Computer Reseller News (CRN).

http://crncanada.ca/content/networking/balsillie-steps-down-as-r.shtml