What You Want Me To Do? I'm Sorry! I'm Back...And The Game Has Changed.

(Photo via antiquesweb.org)

It's been a while since I've dropped science in the form of a post. Shit has changed P&B faithful! Let's kick this off the right way: to all of our readers, thanks for hanging in. If you're anything like me you crave fresh information and the blog has been stale for a minute. We have some exciting things coming down the pipe which we will drop on you when the time is right. Please continue to come back and keep that subscription on lock.

Instant Karma Got Me: Blackberry Playbook Lost and Found

(Photo via prweb.com)

I'm attending the Canadian Music Week conference for work and had a technology heart attack today. I was hanging out with my boy LC on the Mezzanine level of the Royal York Hotel, catching up on today's news. We left the spot and I accidentally left my Playbook on the bench where we were sitting. I NEVER leave anything behind, especially my beloved tablet.

Update - Do Or Die For The Blackberry Playbook: OS 2.0 Features and Release Date

UPDATE: OS 2.0 is available now! Go to settings (cog wheel in top right corner) on your Playbook, select Software Updates and press Check for Updates. The update will appear and should be about 400 MBs.

(Photo via mobilesyrup.com)

Word on the street is that the Blackberry Playbook OS upgrade to 2.0 is coming February 21st at 4:01 a.m. For those of you that own the device (I know I'm not the only one), this is welcome news as a truckload of new features are to be included. This will be newly minted CEO Thorsten Heins first major play and he will need to deliver this new software by the end of February at the latest or face the wrath of every media outlet, Blackberry nation included. As we patiently await its availability, here are the new bells and whistle that will bring the Playbook to the next level (hopefully).

From the RIM press release for OS 2.0:

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss(es)?: RIM Shakes Up Leadership Structure

RIM's newly appointed CEO Thorsten Heins (Photo via rim.com)

After months of speculation and pressure from investors, RIM has shuffled the top of the hill as former COO Thorsten Heins takes over as President and CEO. Gone is the ridiculous co-CEO structure as Balsillie and Lazaridis are now Board members. This is great news for RIM as they now have stability and fresh blood in the driver's seat.

According to what I've gathered, Heins will focus on marketing RIM's line of Blackberry products, OS 7.1, the Playbook and BB 10, and delivering a proper consumer experience with clear communications. RIM's fall from grace is due to their inability to recognise changes in the market (come on y'all, you couldn't create a SWOT analysis and action it??) as Apple and Google swooped in to take their market share with friendlier, stable handsets. Heins will need to be aware of these changes or will not be around long enough for anyone to remember his name.

I wish Heins all the best as he takes the reigns of a company in flux. If he can focus on setting reasonable expectations and delivering on them, RIM will be in a very good position in the market. If he doesn't, it will be more "same old, same old" as consumer confidence will continue to plunge. Heins' first order of business will be to ensure that OS 2.0 for the Playbook is released by the end of February. If he doesn't deliver on this, he will have some rough times ahead.

-Paqman

Nothing But RIM: Blackberry Maker Misses The Mark With Playbook OS 2.0 Launch Delay

(Photos via rim.com)

I'm going to keep this as short and bitter as possible (click here for the original rant post). David J. Smith, SVP, BlackBerry PlayBook, from RIM announced yesterday that the Playbook OS 2.0 is "expected" to be available to the masses by February 2012. Which is fine, even though I was reeeeeeaaaaaaaally looking forward to getting the update this fall. And why would I even expect to get it this fall?

That's the expectation that was set by everybody's favorite hockey franchise hunting co-CEO Jim Balsillie during RIM's 2Q financial conference call. This is the same Balsillie that promised native email on the Playbook 90 days after launch. This is the same Balsillie that sets failed expectations for product and software launches. One of two scenarios are evident here: 1) Balsillie is living in his own world as he is totally disconnected from RIM's (add: the world's) current state and reality OR 2) the folks that feed him information are out to lunch, a literal gang of yes people.

The bottom line is that the biggest retail/consumer holiday is around the corner with no added incentive to buy the Blackberry tablet. The device has not sold well at all and the Kindle Fire will be good to go in November (with forecasted sales to be 5 million before the end of the year). Another opportunity lost as inventory collects dust. The underlying issue for RIM is the decline in confidence from both investors and consumers. Have you seen what happened to Netflix over the last few months as they changed their service, increased their subscription fees and re-branded (then flipped back) the DVD side of their business? They lost close to one million subscribers. Take heed RIM, this can happen to you as well. If I had a dollar for every Blackberry user that told me they were switching to an iPhone over the last two weeks, I would be in position to buy a majority stake in RIM.

-Paqman

In Which I Write a Letter To RIM Which Will Never Be Read (By Anyone At RIM)

(Photo via thesmythgroup.com)

Dear RIM and Board of Directors,

I've held out on writing this letter for quite a long time. Amid speculations of a takeover, the Playbook's poor performance, the disastrous 3rd quarter revenue announcement and parade of broken promises, I didn't post one negative word. Here we are now, as the BES/BIS service is back online where some customers were without service for 3 days...we all witnessed a fall from grace that is not slowing down. Stock value is shaky at best and RIM is becoming even more faceless thanks to a lack of solid customer service and communication. You've found yet another way to embarrass yourself. But, more importantly, you've embarrassed me.

Kindle Tablet Set To Fire Up The Portable PC Game

(Photo via eurodroid.com)

Amazon put on a press conference today announcing their foray into the tablet market. The Kindle Fire will be available to the masses in mid to late November. If you're really excited (you might be after reading this), you can sign up to pre-order the device in the US. The measuring stick for success is gauged by the size of the bite that can be taken out of the Apple. Is this finally the iPad killer?

Enter the Blackberry PlayBook

(Photo via blackberry.com)

After some delay and anticipation, the Blackberry PlayBook is now available for all of the crackberry abusers of the world. RIM's tablet has been received to mix reviews. The most common knocks on the device that I've read are the screen size (7 inches compared to the iPad's 10) and incomplete software options (lack of email support and access to BBM). The PlayBook app store is very bare at the moment. You can expect the software to start rolling out at a rapid pace.