IGX

Is anyone a diehard Blackberry fan? Just wondered what the new operating system was like and if you think they will survive in the smart phone world.

Before anyone even starts...blueberries.

Now that's out of the way...proceed.

I've heard good things, but I don't hold out much hope for them.

It seems Android and iOS have hit a point where their fans aren't about to jump ship. Windows Phone is soaking up the leftovers (still well under 5% of the market, I think), and some of the newer releases have been positively reviewed, but I kind of question whether new smartphone manufacturers can break in. The smartphone market is much different than it was just 5 years ago.

I would guess some business types might go back, but I don't know. With the app development going on for Android and iOS, I kind of question if Blackberry can get enough going in its favor to regain any sort of legitimate foothold.

One thing I think could work in everyone's favor is the fragmentation of the Android OS. I read last year that Google had either lost control of the OS or was on the verge of losing it, but I'm not really sure they care. As long as they can collect data through Chrome, Google Plus and whatever they get from Gmail and Android, they probably don't really care how it happens.

If they survive, it will be w/ Blackberry software running on phones made by someone else. They've admitted they can't produce enough handsets to keep up with others.

This would sort of be a shame. One of the things I miss about Blackberry is how well built (if outdated) their hardware was. I dropped my Torch repeatedly on hard surfaces with no case and suffered no significant damage. A couple of months ago I disabled all of the radios, wiped the data, and gave it to my toddler as a toy. It's still going strong.

Even Blackberry chargers are better. Anyone who has problems with the screen on a Samsung device freezing up during charging should get their hands on a Blackberry charger and micro USB cable.

The CEO is talking about spreading the Blackberry Messaging System.