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BlackBerry 10 Launch Effort Bears Fruit By Barry Levine January 31, 2013 10:34AM     Analyst Ross Rubin said the BlackBerry 10 platform and devices show "a way of working that will likely have a lot of appeal" to users interested in efficiency. The key to this, he said, is a new approach to maximizing screen real estate. BlackBerry 10 users can bring in menus from the side, shift between applications, or peek at messages -- all with one thumb.   Related Topics RIM BlackBerry 10 BlackBerry World BlackBerry Z10 Latest News iPhone Takes a Hit in Satisfaction Dell Kills Its In-House Public Cloud After 360, There Comes the Xbox One A Terabyte's the Limit Now at Flickr Customers Less Satisfied with Win 8 If you were BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins, you might be feeling pretty good today. Initial reaction to the do-or-die launch on Wednesday of the BlackBerry 10 devices has been mostly positive -- but will it be enough to turn the company around? The widely followed personal-technology columnist Walt Mossberg wrote Wednesday night in The Wall Street Journal that he liked the new virtual keyboard in the Z10, one of the two BB 10 models unveiled at the launch, as well as the collection of all messages in the Hub. In fact, he called that keyboard "the best and fastest out-of-the-box virtual keyboard I've used." But, he noted, the 70,000 apps for the new BlackBerry -- which is now also the name of the company formerly known as Research In Motion -- is a fraction of those available for the iPhone or for Android devices. 'Radical Reinvention' Mossberg also pointed to the lack of cloud -based storage, such as Apple's iCloud or Google Drive. Overall, Mossberg said, the Z10, the new Q10 model and BB10 "represent a radical reinvention" of the product line, offering "decent" hardware, a "logical" user interface and a general ease of use. This launch, he said, "has a chance of getting RIM back into the game" if it can attract more apps. However, BlackBerry may be on the way to solving any apps hurdle. The 70,000 apps does not match iOS or Android's library, but it is far more than any consumer or business user can digest quickly. More important, the company has stressed the ease with which developers can convert their Android apps for the BB10 platform, so the stream of apps may soon start flowing. We asked Al Hilwa, program director for Application Development Software Research at IDC, about apps for BB10. He described the batch of 70,000 as "a pretty good number," and said that amount at launch "was somewhat unexpected." He noted that developers will spend their time creating apps for platforms with sufficient numbers of devices, and, right now, "there's a battle for the third platform" that is largely between BB10 and Windows Phone. 'Fresh, Useful Ideas' Hilwa added that, while "most of developers' energy" right now is directed at iOS and Android, the company formerly known as RIM "seems to be rejuvenated." David Pogue at The New York Times apologized on Wednesday for ever having said that the company was doomed, now that the new BB10 devices were out. He described the Z10 as "lovely, fast and efficient, bristling with fresh, useful ideas." (continued...) 1  |  2  |  Next Page >   Tell Us What You Think Comment: Name: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com

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Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

Dell Kills Its Public Cloud Effort, Will Offer Partner Marketplace Putting the kibosh on its efforts to build out a public cloud, Dell has announced a new program to offer a choice of cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service through a central marketplace of partners.   Dell's Dismal Quarter Shows PC Maker's Challenges Dell's financial decay worsened during its latest quarter as the company slashed its personal computer prices in response to the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets in the beleaguered industry.   U.S. Defense Department Gives iOS 6 Security OK In a vote of confidence for Apple's iOS devices, the Defense Department has given the all-clear for employees to use iPads and iPhones for work. But only those running iOS 6, and only if issued by the government.

Mobile Enterprise Spotlight

Consumer Satisfaction for iPhone Drops as Rivals Gain Apple's iPhone has taken a favorability hit in the latest American Consumer Satisfaction Index, an annual survey of 70,000 consumers, while Samsung and Motorola put in strong gains.   Qualcomm CEO Eyes Smartphone Growth With more than 6 billion mobile phones on the planet and population growth jumping in many corners of the world, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs is sharing his thoughts on the future of the devices we love.   Teen Shows Battery-Charge Breakthrough at Intel Fair Imagine being able to recharge your phone's battery in just seconds. If an invention recognized in Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair reaches the mass market, it could soon be possible.

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