BlackBerry OS

BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry phones are actually among the oldest veterans of the smartphone world. In fact, BlackBerry smart phones were some of the first smart phones that Verizon Wireless offered. However, Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android mobile platforms have provided some tough competition for BlackBerry over the past couple of years.
So, why is it that BlackBerry isn’t as hyped as the iPhone or Droid? Why don’t you ever read front page stories about RIM moving millions of BlackBerries in a day? Mainly, because BlackBerry mobile phones are not as consumer marketed as the Droid and iPhone.
Rather, BlackBerry goes the business route, being the main mobile phone supplier to thousands of businesses world wide. Many major corporations give their employees BlackBerrys, which are purchased in bulk. By no means are BlackBerry phones unpopular.
In fact, there’s a good chance that there are more BlackBerry owners than iPhone owners or Droid owners. Even with all of this popularity, BlackBerry phones do have some known “cons” that you may want to consider, if you are contemplating purchasing a BlackBerry.

• Lack of selection (maybe not a con to some). Many smartphone gurus and reviewers make the claim that BlackBerry does not produce enough differing variations of their mobile phones. Basically meaning, most BlackBerry phones look alike.
• BlackBerry browser is far from the best. Page rendering, overall speed, and browser innovation are not the best with BlackBerry phones.
• App World, or BlackBerry’s version of the appstore, is a bit behind. For the most part, they have a decent selection of applications. However, BB App World comes nowhere close to the Apple appstore, and Android may quickly pull ahead as well.
• More of a closed app development environment and not open source, unlike Android. BlackBerry phones are much like iPhones in the fact that you can only use BlackBerry OS with an official phone by BlackBerry. Android on the other hand, is a mobile platform that you can get in several different variations, including LG, HTC, Motorola, etc…

Although BlackBerry does seem to be falling behind to the iPhone OS and Android OS in the eyes of many consumers, look for an all new, renovated BlackBerry OS6 which will round out the BlackBerry and make it more of a consumer “fun phone” while keeping all of the benefits of business that it currently holds.
BlackBerry phones are currently tops when it comes to email and messaging. If you are not a fan of the latest wave of touch screen smartphones, you may want to consider a phone like the BlackBerry Bold, which features an oversized, full keyboard with physical keys.

If you are in the market for a new smartphone and considering BlackBerry, you may be making a great choice. As mentioned above, BlackBerrys are tops for business professionals, smartphone users who need top of the line and reliable email support, and easy to use messaging.
However, if you are looking for a “fun phone” you may want to consider going with a Moto Droid or iPhone, or holding off to see what RIM does with BlackBerry OS6.
That’s it for part two in our series. Part three will cover the last mobile smartphone OS Palm, and provide some further buying advice.