While carrying a BlackBerry was once a status symbol, these days it's become a symbol for being behind the (ahem) curve. Still, RIM hopes that with BlackBerry 10, the all-new operating system set to arrive early in 2013, the former smartphone front-runner can return to its former heights (or at least to No. 3). Will BlackBerry 10 help RIM recover? LAPTOP Editor-in-Chief Mark Spoonauer spoke with Fox News' Adam Housley about the company's chances.
"This time around, RIM is focusing more on the user experience, instead of just speeds and feeds, which really hurt the company with the ill-fated BlackBerry Playbook," Spoonauer said on Tech Take. "The company is getting back to the basics and appealing to business users."
In the interview, Spoonauer highlights the Flow interface, which is designed to allow users to seamlessly transition from one app to another without having to navigate through the homescreen or use tiles. During our hands-on, the process of moving between the messages app and the calendar was "smooth and without hiccups" -- an impressive feat for a developer's build.
Nevertheless, Spoonauer argues, the new interface will only take RIM so far. "In the overall picture, it's all about ecosystem and apps," he told Adam Housley. "If the developers don't take to this platform, RIM will be sunk. All of these interface enhancements are important, but they really need to get those developers on board."
BlackBerry devices continues to sell well in certain parts of the world, despite plummeting market share in the U.S. Spoonauer is skeptical about the chances of BlackBerry making a big comeback stateside.
"In the U.S., where people people have a bring-your-own-device-to-work mentality, you have to be sexy and not just practical," Spoonauer said on Tech Take. "RIM hasn't demonstrated that they necessarily get that -- RIM is getting there, but I don't think the company's doing it fast enough."
