RIM's (BlackBerry) Secret Weapon Reviving Blackberry: HTML5

erpadmin

RIM's Secret Weapon for Reviving BlackBerry: HTML5 - Yahoo! News

Roguetadhg

RIM needs to do a lot more than HTML5 to revive their business as a business phone. It's hard to say but in the realm of iPhone and Droid, they have a very big hill to climb - especially with Verizon and ATT backing Windows phones now. there's 2 current players, and a third one is coming with deep pockets.

demonfurbie

yea i dont think its gonna cut it

erpadmin

What they ought to do is do some differentiation and find something that can be tied into their old business but gives the public at large something they want and need. That worked for Apple.

Their phone business is d-o-n-e.

veritas_libertas

I'm sad to say that I think RIM is done with. They are going the way of Palm.

tpatt100

veritas_libertas wrote: »

I'm sad to say that I think RIM is done with. They are going the way of Palm.

How fast things become "history" that I had to really think for a minute of when Palm was actually viable. Back when the Palm was big there was a push for Apple to do a PDA but they decided to skip that era which was probably a smart thing to do.

I still have my Palm IIIxe and Tungsten in my old tech stuff bins down in the basement.

Roguetadhg

I think the iPhone works as a PDA. Definitely the Galaxy Note.

veritas_libertas

tpatt100 wrote: »

How fast things become "history" that I had to really think for a minute of when Palm was actually viable. Back when the Palm was big there was a push for Apple to do a PDA but they decided to skip that era which was probably a smart thing to do.

I still have my Palm IIIxe and Tungsten in my old tech stuff bins down in the basement.

I had a Tungsten III and IV. The T4 had a nice USB mode that made it even more useful. I have to say that I think Palm had the best MS Office interface of any handheld device I've ever used. Touch just isn't the same for some things.

the_Grinch

Too little too late I think, Palm tried this and look what happened to them.

tpatt100

veritas_libertas wrote: »

I had a Tungsten III and IV. The T4 had a nice USB mode that made it even more useful. I have to say that I think Palm had the best MS Office interface of any handheld device I've ever used. Touch just isn't the same for some things.

I remember geeking out on news reader apps that I would sync while connected to my PC and then read the stories offline at work.

Now I screw off non stop at work using data plans on my phone....

I guess tech advances are not always to my advantage.

erpadmin

I remember supporting those Palm devices prior to the Blackberry era (we're talking like 2000-2001.) I never saw the appeal of USB syncing my mail to read it later. Even back then I always wanted a device that I have right now; to get email on my device as it comes to me.

These devices have made leaps in bounds compared to 5-12 years ago. What used to be a an MP3 player, a portable video device, a PDA that's Internet and email capable, a phone, a gaming console (for casual games), a storage device, etc., etc., etc. that were separate devices are now combined into ONE device that can above adequately handle all of those functions; to me, that's friggin incredible.

RIM (and Palm) missed the boat on paving the way for this. It took an almost failing computing company to help make all of this a reality. (Without Apple, there would have been no viable competition from Google to help bring prices of these devices down... )

veritas_libertas

@erpadmin: *cough* Apple lover... *cough* JK

demonfurbie

i see nokia right behind them if they dont do some real changes

cyberguypr

I wonder who will implode first, RIM or Best Buy.

tpatt100

cyberguypr wrote: »

I wonder who will implode first, RIM or Best Buy.

I used to love Best Buy but maybe with age I am getting cranky but holy heck when I need assistance ...

One time a few months ago I asked for something that the web site said was in stock. The guy was pricing something DIDN'T EVEN LOOK UP and just said "nope totally out of them".

I wanted to use some reward coupons so IN THE STORE I used the Best Buy app. Bought it for IN STORE PICKUP used my coupons online and bought it. Wandered around for ten minutes GOT THE EMAIL my purchase was ready for pickup.

I was a smart azz at the customer service desk picking it up and told them what happened.

erpadmin

tpatt100 wrote: »

One time a few months ago I asked for something that the web site said was in stock. The guy was pricing something DIDN'T EVEN LOOK UP and just said "nope totally out of them".

That was exactly what happened to me when I tried getting that $99 HP Tablet. Called a few stores, gave them the SKU and the employee just automatically said they ran out within a second of the last part of the SKU. I just assumed I must've been the umpteenth person to have this person look it up but for all I know, they were in stock and the employees were probably hoarding them.

Best Buy is pretty much done...just like Circuit City. Between Amazon and Newegg (oh, and Walmart) I can't see Best Buy competing anymore.

the_Grinch

Having worked at Best Buy I can tell you this is quite common. I don't want to say it's a bait and switch, but when there's a deal we got about three of them and that was it. I worked in computer sales and I would always explain it like it is (as the customer screamed at me). I went as far as to tell one customer not to buy the laptop, but to look online for a better one that would be around the same price. He continued on about getting that laptop and I said ok see you in six months. Six months later he was back, looking for another laptop. The other thing, especially when calling, is to speak with someone in the department you're looking to purchase your item from. I had a gentlemen who called customer service to see if we had something in stock. She said yes and he said he'd be there in two hours to pick it up. We had one and we will not hold items for customers. Also, customer service can only go by whats on the computer, they don't see how fast items are moving or if the system is in correct.

He arrives, says what he was there for and I told him we were unfortunately out. Well he ripped me a new one for about an hour, calling me every name in the book. I sat there, allowed him to make a fool of himself, and then showed him a better machine at the same price as the one he was yelling at me about. He continued on, yelling he came there for that specific machine and would not allow me to "bait and switch" him. I said ok, I'll let you browse and moved onto other customers. A manager came over and began to speak with him, before he leaves he comes up to me and says "oh I decided to go with that other computer you suggested." I told him I was glad to hear it and have a nice day. It was a soul sucking job to say the least, but I was always honest with people and that equaled return customers who would go with what I suggested. I always told them, it doesn't effect me if you purchase this item or not, I'll still get my 7.42 an hour They'd usually laugh and go with the flow.

erpadmin

More bad news for RIM...

RIM BlackBerry 10 prototype fails to wow investors - Yahoo! Finance

tpatt100

I try and support local business as much as possible but yeah Best Buy is done for. Big stores like that cannot survive/profit compared to the business model of Amazon. Amazon has a fraction of the operating costs due to not having stores.

On the other hand I heard that Wal Mart is taking cash payments online. Sounded stupid at first until I looked into it. Only 15 percent of Wal Mart customers pay with credit cards. They can shop online, go to Wal Mart pay cash and the store automatically authorizes the online purchase to ship.

Of course this only works for online only purchases but Wal Mart probably did the math and figured they can probably compete with Amazon by storing more choices in the online only warehouses and Wal Mart has a customer base that Amazon cannot reach. It reduces shipping costs to Wal Mart stores for items that might not sell at all the stores but opens the online catalog to everybody.

erpadmin

tpatt100 wrote: »

Of course this only works for online only purchases but Wal Mart probably did the math and figured they can probably compete with Amazon by storing more choices in the online only warehouses and Wal Mart has a customer base that Amazon cannot reach. It reduces shipping costs to Wal Mart stores for items that might not sell at all the stores but opens the online catalog to everybody.

Not quite; Walmart's supply chain is pretty sick. (I did a lot of studying on Walmart in my ISP class specifically.)

With their utilization of RFID technology, the supply chain they use will almost automagically get popular inventory they need, have it shipped to them and have it ready for sale to the consumer. Since Walmarts makes their suppliers tag their products with RFID, Walmart will never have inventory just sitting in their warehouses, which means they save on inventory costs. The improvements Walmart has made to supply chain management (SCM) literally made them a textbook case (of which I had to read this past semester. )

Amazon almosts works the same way (because of their size--they can afford to have warehouses all over the country.) The infrastructure Amazon had to build out allows for order fulfillment to be done in a very expedient manner. Not 100% if RFID is also used at Amazon, but their infrastructure has proven to be terribly efficient, which has lead Amazon to huge profitability.

tpatt100

erpadmin wrote: »

Not quite; Walmart's supply chain is pretty sick. (I did a lot of studying on Walmart in my ISP class specifically.)

With their utilization of RFID technology, the supply chain they use will almost automagically get popular inventory they need, have it shipped to them and have it ready for sale to the consumer. Since Walmarts makes their suppliers tag their products with RFID, Walmart will never have inventory just sitting there, which means they save on inventory costs. The improvements Walmart has made to supply chain management (SCM) literally made them a textbook case (of which I had to read this past semester. )

Amazon almosts works the same way (because of their size--they can afford to have warehouses all over the country.) The infrastructure Amazon had to build out allows for order fulfillment to be done in a very expedient manner. Not 100% if RFID is also used at Amazon, but their infrastructure has proven to be terribly efficient, which has lead Amazon to huge profitability.

Oh I know about their RFID uses, what I meant was certain items that are not in demand as frequently can be the "online" only rather than sitting in Wal Mart stores that might not sell in store A or B but maybe store C. With the majority of Wal Mart shoppers not using credit cards they can still save on costs by shipping from warehouses product they don't have to keep in all of the stores if any of them. I notice this with Target and Wal Mart. Amazon won't reach the cash only customers at all.

Wal Mart has inventory just "sitting there" in all of the stores. This method allows them to reduce items that have a lower opportunity of sale and focus on high opportunity of sale items. Electronics items usually come to mind, so they can expand their offerings and not have to buy as much but still reach a market they have exclusive access to.

erpadmin

tpatt100 wrote: »

Wal Mart has inventory just "sitting there" in all of the stores.

LOL...I meant their warehouses, not their stores. Seriously, I thought that would have been implied.

Most places will order x amount of inventory, have them sit in their warehouses and then ship them out to their stores. Walmart, through use of their efficient SCM techniques will order just enough.

As for cash-only, well just look at the typical Walmart's demographic compared to Amazon. Most folks have access to some level of credit and those that don't can always use a debit card with a Visa/Mastercard logo. Even the Walmart target-demographic can get one of those gift cards at Walmart to use at Amazon. Though it would almost be unnecessary because the price differential between Walmart and Amazon is almost negligible, then it just comes down to the convenience factor.

SteveLord

I would bet on Steve Jobs being resurrected before RIM.

veritas_libertas

SteveLord wrote: »

I would bet on Steve Jobs being resurrected before RIM.

Careful what you ask for. A zombie Steve can't be good for anyone.

Amazon almosts works the same way (because of their size--they can afford to have warehouses all over the country.) The infrastructure Amazon had to build out allows for order fulfillment to be done in a very expedient manner. Not 100% if RFID is also used at Amazon, but their infrastructure has proven to be terribly efficient, which has lead Amazon to huge profitability.

Interesting. Amazon is building a new factory only about an hour away from me. It's going to be very nice when I buy books in the future

Asif Dasl

veritas_libertas wrote: »

Interesting. Amazon is building a new factory only about an hour away from me. It's going to be very nice when I buy books in the future

I bought a book recently on Amazon.co.uk around 6pm, it arrived the next morning.. Nothing ever arrives that fast from the UK amazing. Maybe that was once off, don't know, I'll time the next one.

erpadmin

veritas_libertas wrote: »

Careful what you ask for. A zombie Steve can't be good for anyone.



Interesting. Amazon is building a new factory only about an hour away from me. It's going to be very nice when I buy books in the future

Be ready to pay SC sales tax when you purchase through Amazon...just like Texas.

FWIW, Newegg has a NJ business prescence, so I have tp pay sales tax when I buy from Newegg. Very often (like a tablet sale) NewEgg might have a deal that is better than Amazon...even with that tax.

veritas_libertas

erpadmin wrote: »

Be ready to pay SC sales tax when you purchase through Amazon...just like Texas.

FWIW, Newegg has a NJ business prescence, so I have tp pay sales tax when I buy from Newegg. Very often (like a tablet sale) NewEgg might have a deal that is better than Amazon...even with that tax.

Yeah, the state made a deal with Amazon where after five-years South Carolinians have to start paying sales taxes. Yuck.

onesaint

To add into the Amazon theme, here is a pretty interesting article on working within the supply chain. I guess Amazon doesn't own a lot of their own warehouse stock.

I Was a Warehouse Wage Slave | Mother Jones

tpatt100

Amazon is running into different issues with some states on paying taxes. I think most of the deals just create low paying jobs but I guess when you need to say you create jobs, doesn't matter if they are low income ones it just looks good to say you created "X" amount of jobs.

Amazon Softens Stance on Taxes - WSJ.com