At the time, I wrote:

The revenue share is 70/30. I really think MS have missed a trick here. It’s an “industry standard” price point because no one wants to get in to a price war. Increasing the share that goes to the developer would be an excellent way to convince wavering developers to adopt the platform.

Back in 2010, BlackBerry charged developers 30% as did Nokia Ovi, and HP's WebOS, app stores from Opera and Samsung charged the same amount, even the Amazon app store charged 30%. None have shifted their pricing in the last decade.

That's curious, isn't it? Surely a new entrant into the market - or one struggling to retain market share - would have picked a different revenue split?

What a coincidence that they all, independently, came to the conclusion that 30% was a fair and reasonable amount to charge developers.

In a healthy, competitive market, I would expect these companies to attempt to undercut each other. Sure, some of them offer incentives to large developers - and others offer promotions to smaller developers. But where's the price war to attract developers?

I doubt anyone has said "My favourite app is £1 cheaper on Android, time to ditch my iPhone and buy a Samsung!" But we know from the game console market that exclusive games drive purchases. Recently, Apple forced the removal of the popular "Dark Sky" app from Android - presumably because they wanted users to switch. Attracting developers and convincing them to concentrate on your platform doesn't rely on increased revenue share - but it sure can't hurt.

Obviously, I don't allege that they have acted as a cartel. I mean, just because Apple and Google colluded to suppress workers' wages, doesn't mean they've done so to suppress developers' income. A wide-ranging conspiracy to overcharge developers and pass those costs on to end-users seems unlikely. But I wonder why, in the last ten years, no one has challenged this seemingly arbitrary percentage.

And I wonder which app store will be the first to break ranks?

Is he serious? It sounds like an insane and bureaucratic solution to BlackBerry's woes - but I'm not so sure that it's necessarily a bad idea.

Yesterday, I was quoted in The Guardian saying:

But web developer Terence Eden argues that Chen is “right, but for the wrong reasons”.

“The web works everywhere,” he says. “Even the worst BlackBerry from years ago can display HTML, CSS, and run JavaScript. The more recent browsers do it just as well as iOS, Android, and Windows.

“We’re fast entering a situation where just about any app can be run as a website. Yet we see large services like WhatsApp balkanising the ecosystem by only blessing certain phones and browsers.

“I believe in network neutrality - and think that governments should mandate it. I don’t think they should mandate open standards for private companies - but I would hope that the economics of a diverse portfolio of devices would encourage companies to develop open standards to let their products flourish.”

Let me clarify my position.

Regular readers will know that I hate the current trend of companies strong-arming their customers into inflexible solutions designed to restrict market choice and promote "ecosystems". See I Don't Want To Be Part of Your Fucking Ecosystem and the imaginatively titled follow-up I Still Don't Want To Be Part of Your Fucking Ecosystem!

NetFlix is under no legal or moral obligation to provide its service to any platform. If it wants to only support Symbian handsets in rural Australia, it can do so as it pleases. But that's not very customer friendly - and it certainly wouldn't be good for their business.

At the moment, I can't watch Amazon Instant Video on my Panasonic Smart TV because.... well, I don't know why. Amazon won't support the platform. Even though Panasonic TVs can play NetFlix, iPlayer, and all other manner of VOD content.

Panasonic can't build an unofficial app to help their customers because Amazon's video service is built on proprietary technology.

If VOD providers used common (web) standards - none of this would be a problem. Any Internet connected device would be able to point at a their servers, enter a username and password, retrieve a page of listings, and then watch streaming video.

Instead, business choose which devices to bless and, when a new device reaches the market, have to spend a fortune developing yet another proprietary app for that platform.

You want to talk crazy? That is crazy!

I accept that not every service can be run in the browser. I also accept that companies may want to "preserve the brand experience" or some-such nonsense. But customers don't care about that. Every TV channel works on every TV - why don't apps work in the same way?

Am I saying that the law should mandate that every developer - from software giant to bedroom hobbyist - should release software on all available platforms? No!

Should companies realise that developing to open standards means more customers? Yes!

Would a stronger BlackBerry and Windows Phone (and Jolla, and Tizen, and ...) push Apple and Android into developing better and cheaper devices and operating systems? Well, that's what the capitalists say, and who am I to argue with them?

Anyone can burn a movie to a DVD. That disc will run on any DVD player. DVD players can talk to any TV using the standard HDMI cable. It's not a perfect analogy, but I truly believe that's where we need to get to with apps and smartphones.

That's what a real ecosystem is.

We spent some time trying to work out the best phone for her before, eventually, settling on.... another BlackBerry Torch!

Why?

My mum has an Android tablet which she likes very much. Her Windows laptop suits her needs fine. She admires her friends' iPhones and iPads. Yet she still chose the classic BlackBerry - not BB10 - over all the other phones on the market.

It comes down to the keyboard. My mum writes. Not just emails, but short stories, scripts, and novels. The BlackBerry keyboard is incredibly accurate - several times moreso than even the best touchscreen equivalent. Even when wearing gloves, the keyboard will clatter and clack away producing word-perfect results.

I love SwiftKey Flow for Android - but even that doesn't compare to the speed and accuracy of a physical keyboard.

Well, ok, what about the BlackBerry Q10? It has a keyboard and touchscreen, why not choose a more modern OS?

From my use of the Q10, it's no faster than BBOS7. The screen is tiny compared to the Torch, and the gesture driven interface is inaccurate and frustrating. Worse still is BlackBerry's decision to remove many of the features and shortcuts of the original BlackBerry. This means there's a steep learning curve - not an issue for a woman as switched on as my mother - but having so many half-familiar / half-broken UI elements is confusing and annoying.

Where Are The QWERTY Androids?

Back in 2011, I reviewed the Motorola Pro+. A phone so unloved by Motorola that they've subsequently thrown it down the memory hole.

The Pro+ had a pretty good form factor and an excellent keyboard. It was hamstrung by buggy software and underpowered hardware. But, boy, I loved that keyboard.

There are no Android phones currently on the market with a physical keyboard. Even the Chinese purveyors of ultra-niche phones don't supply them any more.

The BlackBerry Torch has a brilliant form factor. A large touchscreen covering a good sized keyboard. A little chunky - but big enough to store a capacious battery. That's one of the other reasons my mum went for it - who wants to recharge every single day?

So where are all the QWERTY Androids? I've heard unsubstantiated rumours that BlackBerry have so many patents on mobile phone keyboards that no one can produce a decent one without paying outrageous fees. That's certainly a possibility.

Or is it just a matter of fashion? Ever since Apple popularised the black slab of glass, all phones have moved towards that as a platonic ideal.

Will we ever see a modern phone with an integrated keyboard - or does my mother have to resign herself to buying increasingly outdated hardware in a bid to stay productive?

Whenever I launch an app on Android, I'm immediately inundated with emails from companies promising me thousands of 5* reviews for only a few hundred dollars. I've never taken up their offer - it's unethical, probably illegal, and usually very obvious when a company has purchased their reviews.

As noted by journalist Matt Baxter-Reynolds, something fishy is going on with BBM's reviews:

Hundreds of nearly identical reviews. Is it a meme? A bizarre coincidence? Something more nefarious?

If we dig through the reviews on Google Play, we find occasional gems like this:

It reminds me of the scandal in China earlier this year where celebrities were told to copy and paste derogatory messages about Apple on social networks.

So, what's going on? It strikes me that there are three possibilities.

1. BlackBerry have paid or encouraged people to leave positive reviews.
2. One of BlackBerry's many partners have done the same, but without the approval of BlackBerry.
3. One of the fake BBM apps has tried to get good reviews for itself, but has mistakenly gotten good reviews for the official app.

I seriously doubt BlackBerry would pay for reviews - my theory is that it's the third option. A spammer has messed up the link in their mailout and have given an artificial boost to the official app.

According to BlackBerry spokesperson Victoria Berry (I so hope that's her real name!)

“We have recently been made aware of a number of potentially fake five-star reviews of BBM for Android on Google Play,”

“We do not approve of or condone such activities and are committed to working with Google to resolve this.”

One of Google's many ideas to combat review fraud was to tie reviews to Google+ profiles. It should be possible to pick out anyone who left one of these fake reviews and remove their rankings from the Play store for all apps.

I can't help but wonder if there is a better way than stars and reviews for measuring an app's worth? Could Google report on how many people have kept the app installed, or how often it's used, or how long it is used for, whether people share the app? All of these, of course, could be gamed - but it would be much harder for a spammer to convince someone to actually regularly use an app.

I hope you found this post to be user-friendly and smooth.

I was paid $50 for my opinion - in Amazon vouchers. I hope this hasn't comprimised the honesty of my answers.

These are just my thoughts - I can't claim that they would solve RIM's problems, but I do think they would be a good way to help reclaim developer mindshare.

What are the main reasons why you are not planning to develop applications for the Blackberry 10 platform?

1. Platform won't be available until 2013!
2. Probably no Linux platform.
3. Tiny marketshare unless majority of phones are upgradeable.
4. Can't get any reference hardware / emulators to test on.
5. Have to learn yet another development language! I know Java, ObjC, JS, C# - I really can't be bothered to learn another. I tried using JavaScript on the PlayBook and it wasn't a great success.
6. Finally, and I hate saying this because I've had BB's since the the black and white days, will BB10 ever come out? Will there even be a BlackBerry.

What specific things could the Research in Motion developer relations team do or communicate that would make you more likely to develop applications for the Blackberry 10 platform?

1. Linux based SDK and toolkit. I'm not buy a Mac or a copy of Windows just for you!
2. Remove the ridiculous signing requirements. I don't want to have to use your signing server - especially with its atrocious uptime.
3. Provide high quality, open source programs which we can build on. I don't want to have to start from scratch.
4. Developer incentives. Microsoft are literally paying some developers to develop. Nokia are giving out hardware. Google already have great mindshare and yet still give out thousands of dollars of goods to devs. Reference hardware would be really useful. Paying me market rate for for several weeks development would be nice. Running competitions is a waste of time.
5. Turn up at hackdays. I attend - and I'm not exaggerating - 100 developer events a year. BlackBerry rarely turn up. When they do, they do a presentation, give hardware out as a prize, and then disappear. They need to stay, teach people, talk through their concerns, offer prizes for software developed specifically for RIM.
6. Don't offer money. (I realise this contradicts the above!) Most developers can afford a phone, a kindle, or most prizes. Offer us things we can't buy. Promotion in the app store, a meeting with your investors, a UI consultation with your best team, business advice from your CEO! The sort of stuff we can't get elsewhere.
7. FIGHT THE FUCK BACK! Seriously - no one wants to go invest in a platform which looks like it's losing. I don't know how you do that - but make it convincing!

Customers don't understand your company's acronyms, processes, or business model.

It's worse than that, though - most users don't even recognise your company's name!

Here's a great example. In Zinio's world, everyone knows who Zinio are. They live in Zinio town, drink Zinio coffee from the Zinio shop. ZINIO! It's the first thing on their minds when they wake up, and what they dream of in their Zinio beds.

They are completely disconnected from the real world. They just don't understand how non-customers see them.

Which leads to this disaster.

Zinio have placed a button on the PlayBook - and, apparently, have never tested it with a non-Zinio aficionado.

The first thing to note is that no one is ever going to click on that icon. Neither the name or the graphic hold any interest to people who don't know what Zinio is.

Most normal people just don't go around clicking random buttons to see what they do. Computers are mysterious and pressing the wrong button could easily break them.

But, let us imagine that a curious user hits the button - what should they see?

A splash screen? An explanation of why Zinio is awesome? A demo? A fully working application which - later - prompts them to create an account?

In short - the elevator pitch. The trailer. The hook. Call it whatever you want - you need to make people give a damn about your product.

There's an excellent talk that Mark Curtis of Flirtomatic gives about the sign-up process. In it, he describes how sign ups to the service rocketed once they minimised the amount of information they asked if a user. Why would a user give over any information without understanding what's on offer?

In the case of Zinio on the PlayBook, there's a complete absence of understanding of a normal user.

• The icon is meaningless.
• The name is unfamiliar.
• There's no way of knowing what the app does if you open it.
• There's no incentive for the user to register.

Would anyone - who didn't already know about Zinio - ever sign up to this?

I wonder who is paying for this deal? Is it RIM paying to have a killer app on its PlayBook? Is it Zinio paying RIM to access all their customers? In either case - it looks like a wasted opportunity.

This is a step-by-step tutorial with screenshots.

On The PlayBook

Plug your PlayBook into your Linux computer using a USB cable. You may see this screen (or similar) you can dismiss it.

In the Settings menu, scroll down to "Storage & Sharing".

Ensure that the "USB Connections" is set to "Connect to Windows".

Scroll down and make sure that "File Sharing" is set to "ON".

Finally, still in settings, scroll up the left panel to "About" and select "Network" Make a note of the USB IPv4 Address (in this image it is 169.254.144.217).

On Ubuntu

Open a terminal and type

sudo ifconfig -a

You may be prompted to enter your password.

Scroll through the results and you should see an entry of "usb0".

To connect to the PlayBook, click on "Places" then "Connect to server".

Select the server type to be "Windows Share". Enter the IP address of the PlayBook (found from the PlayBook's About menu).

If all has gone well, you should see this screen:

Click on "media" and you'll have access to all of your PlayBook's storage space.

That's It!

You should now be able to copy files back and forth. Unlike a normal USB disk, you don't need to eject or unmount the drive once you've finished copying files to the device. Note - when you disconnect the USB cable and reconnect it, the IP address may change. You will need to go to the PlayBook's network settings to find the new IP address. I can't find a way to get a static IP. If you know how - or have any other questions - please leave a comment.

Update

You can set a static IP by turning on Development mode, or follow these instructions from Jarviser on the BlackBerry Support Forums

Forget the IP address, use Tablet Network Name which will always be the same...

In Storage and Sharing, after selecting Connect to Windows, touch Properties button.

You will find

Tablet Network Name - Use that instead of IP Address in Ubuntu. (Mine says PLAYBOOK-24B6) You will then be asked for Username and Password, Mine is "playbook" and the playbook's sharing password. WORKGROUP is left unchanged.

I think I've found it...

My Photoshop skills are legendary!

Here are the things that I want - no one platform covers them all, so I've nicked the best bits from each.

Blackberry

Here's what BlackBerry provides that is missing on other phones.

Physical Keyboard

This is the big one. I've tried all of the touchscreen keyboards out there - nothing comes close to the physical click of keys.

I'm aware of a few Androids which have a keyboard - but they tend to be older models or underpowered and aimed at the teenage text market. The Dell WP7 phone has a keyboard, but appears to have been abandoned by Dell.

Start up speed.

You never really switch a BB off, it just sleeps. That gives it a phenomenal start-up speed. When you shut it down, it also tells you when it's planning to wake up - either due to an alarm, calendar, or because you set an "auto on" timer.

WP7 does have a very fast boot time - much speedier than that of Android. But there's no auto-on / auto-off feature.

Deep Twitter Integration

I can't believe no other phone has this. If I receive an email which contains a hashtag or @name, I can click on it and my Twitter client opens up. Same in calendar, documents, and (ISTR) web pages. Even if the text isn't linked it was clickable.

Spell Cheque & Auto Text

Spell checking is available on WP7 - but not to the same degree as BlackBerry. The auto-text feature on BB is brilliant, I can type a short code and text is automatically filled.

• dt - prints the current time & date, perfect for note taking
• sig - prints my standard contact details
• ht - (one I created) prints the hashtag of the event I'm following

Android

Android is my main device. It's not without its deficiencies - but here are the bits I wish others would copy.

Time of Day Email

Perhaps the best feature of the Samsung Galaxy S - and not something I've seen elsewhere. I can set a peak and off-peak schedule for my work email.

At 1800 during the week I stop getting work email - and it all comes through at 0800 the next morning. During the weekend, I get no work email. This is one of the major features which keeps me on Android.

FLAC and OGG

I've ripped all my CDs to FLAC. I hate the fact that I have to transcode all my music in order to listen to it on a portable device. All the high end Android phones I've tried play FLAC natively.

Open

I like the fact that I'm not tied down by the operating system. If I want to replace the lock screen, the email client, the web browser, I can. And I do.

If the device manufacturer abandons my phone, there's a huge hacker community who can keep it running.

WP7

I've not had the greatest success with a Windows Phone - but there are some elements that I love.

Interface

The Metro Interface is amazing. It's fast and fluid and generally really well laid out.

Camera

I found the camera to be very responsive - both at focussing and snapping. The integrated QR scanner was also a cut above the rest.

iOS

Media hype / Coolness

It's a little depressing that all the media and developer attention is focussed on a minority platform like iPhone. Just for once, I'd like a cool game like Whale Trail to come out first on something other than iOS.

Misc

• Lanyard hook. Ever since smashing my BlackBerry, I've worn a lanyard strap.
• Front facing camera. I'm the only one I know who likes video calling.
• Trackpad. Even the best touch screen can't get the fine grained accuracy of a touch pad.
• Removable storage. I like being able to choose how much I carry with me.
• Mass storage. I'm not always at a computer where I can install "media transfer" software. I just want to be able to plug in a USB lead and copy what I need.
• Call recording. Must admit - never had a phone that can easily do this. Always wanted it though!
• Removable battery. When the going gets tough, I don't want to have to be chained to a wall-wart. The ability to buy higher capacity batteries is also handy.

What Hath Thou Wrought?

Essentially, I've created Homer's Car - a monstrosity no one other than me could love.

So, tell me what would be in your perfect phone?

In early March 2010, my beloved BlackBerry Bold took a tumble out of a cab and died. I've been an Android man ever since. Magic, Hero, Nexus, Galaxy - all great phones, but none could hold a candle to the 'berry.

Or so I thought.

A Torch In The Night

A good friend of mine - who updates his phones as frequently as I do - offered me his discarded BlackBerry Torch. How could I refuse a chance to get back to a real phone? The main thing that was bothering me about Android was the lack of a physical keyboard and the general instability of the platform and radio software.

The Torch is a phenomenal BlackBerry. The action on the slider is exquisite. The keyboard is a joy to pound away on. The email and calendaring are rock solid with a powerful and practical UI. The browser has improved immeasurably. The range of apps is much broader than a year ago - and includes the all important trifecta of Foursquare, Dropbox, and Expensify.

And I hate it.

Everything That's Wrong With The BlackBerry

There are some minor niggles - that's fine - you get them with every phone. But the Torch has some fundamental flaws which, in my opinion make it unsuitable for day-to-day use. They are as follows.

The Price

The handset itself isn't particularly pricey compared to other smartphones - but the cost of extra services is extortionate. For the first day, I couldn't work out why I wasn't able to get any email - then I realised, you have to buy a special BlackBerry data plan in order to get email and Twitter. What the...? I just don't get it. Ok, it's only an extra fiver a month but... for what? My Android and Symbian devices don't need a magic data plan. The Sainted iPhone has many precious qualities - but it doesn't care what price plan it is on. Data is data is data! Why is BlackBerry any different?

Then, I realised that I couldn't get my work email through. This hadn't been a problem on Android - I just clicked on "Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync" on the device and my Calendar and Email were all set. Want that on a BlackBerry? That'll be an extra £28 per month. WHAT THE JUDDERING FUCK?

I understand that BlackBerrys use some weird VooDoo to connect to the Interwebs and have mail sent to them faster than a speeding bullet. But is it necessary to spend an extra £336 a year on them? No.

The Restarts

It seems every time I uninstall an app, or add an email account my phone wants me to reboot. The BlackBerry is famed for having a "suspend" function - when you switch it off, it just goes to sleep and can be woken instantly. Something Android would do well to copy. But for cold restarts, it takes a bloody age. What makes it worse, is that official advice after provisioning the service is to pull the battery out, wait a minute and put it back in again. It's not the easiest thing in the world to pull a battery out of a handset on a crowded train. I'm not the biggest fan of Apple - but they've got some things right. If your platform needs constant reboots - you've failed. If your hardware regularly had to be disassembled - you've failed.

Data Connectivity

Network coverage is always variable - that's a given. But BlackBerry adds another complication into the mix. Sometimes I can have perfect data reception and still not get any email! Why? Because the phone has lost connection to the BlackBerry mothership. I don't know if this is the fault of my network provider, the BlackBerry servers, or the handset. I don't much care. It doesn't work.

Again, I don't have this problem with any of my other phones.

This is coupled with the radio's obsession with 2G. I can be in an area of perfect 3G coverage and the radio will still lock on to 2G. Restarting the radio usually wakes it up and it can find 3G - but I'm reliant on speed; I can't spend my life in the radio settings menu.

OS6.0 and Speed

I've been using BlackBerrys since the black and white days. I'm now running the very latest 6.0.0.448.

Despite the marketing hype, there's no practical difference between OS6 and OS5. The kinetic scrolling is adequate - but slow. The browser renders better - but is slow. App world has more functionality - but is slow. The range of apps is great - but they take ages to start up. The camera has more mega-pixels and a bunch of great focus modes - but it's slow to start, slow to focus, and slow to take pictures.

Slow slow slow slow slow slow slow! Both BlackBerry maps and Google Maps wheeze through the motions like they're about to collapse at any moment. That's assuming the (slow) GPS has locked onto anything even vaguely resembling a signal.

I get that this isn't a multi-gigahetrz device. But it crawls along like an old Nokia.

I think the comparison is apt. BBOS is, now, as out-dated as Symbian and just not fit for the modern age. While I hope RIM don't got down the WP7 route - they need to move their next generation of handsets to their QNX platform. The BlackBerry OS is highly practical - unless you want to work with any sort of speed.

Minor Niggles

Those are the big ticket items. The ones which ensure that on Monday I'll be on the search for a new phone. Here are the minor annoyances.

Screen

The screen isn't AMOLED. After spending a few months with an AMOLED screen, there really is no going back. Blacks and blacker, colours are more vivid, they're easier to read in sunlight, and they dim down to a level that's easy to read in the dark.

Key Proximity

The "answer" and "BlackBerry" keys are on the same plastic button. It's one of those design flaws which really grates after a while. A simple dividing line would make unsighted use of the buttons so much easier

On-Screen Keyboard

The letters on the OSK don't change chase when you hit the shift key. That's really annoying. Added to the fact that the OSK just isn't as precise as other keyboards really lets the phone down.

Contact Synchronisation

I'm not sure if this is the fault of Almighty Google - or RIM, but when I sync my contacts, their photos don't come across. I've got a dreadful memory, so I've spend ages making sure each of my contacts has an image associated with them. Compare and contrast...

Pre-Installed Crap

Bloatware has always been a problem on mobiles. The annoying pre-installed software which you can't delete. BlackBerry is better than most, in that it will allow you to delete some of the crap - but not all. Most annoying is the podcast app - mostly because it doesn't work in the UK. Why pre-install something that won't work? More to the point, why is a simple podcast downloader region locked?

A special mention to Vodafone UK for continually pushing out service books for the (discontinuted) Vodafone 360 service, and the non-working Poynt service - even in the face of hostile customer feedback.

The Good

There are a few great points about the BlackBerry that make me sorry to see it go.

• The battery is stonkingly good. I got through a whole day of surfing, emailing (on 2G) and the battery was still at 45%. On Android I'm lucky if I get to lunchtime with half my battery intact.
• The keyboard. I had a play with the HTC Desire Z - it has a fine keyboard - but it's nothing compared to the ergonomics of the Torch. In addition, the shortcut keys make using the phone a pleasure. Hitting M on the homescreen to go to messages, hitting T in the browser to go the top of the page, etc. Great for power users.
• Auto on-and-off. Useful if, like me, you don't want your phone waking you up in the night - but do want your emails waiting for you as the alarm goes off. This is tempered by the fact that you can't suspend email delivery. On my Galaxy, I set a peak schedule so I don't get work emails interrupting me at the weekend.
• Multiple sound profiles. Again, beats the pants of Android. I can quickly select different ringtone profiles, set custom alerts for different people - even have an emergency call over-ride my silent settings.
• Tabbed Browsing. My Galaxy seems to top out at 4 browser windows, the BlackBerry doesn't seem to have a limit that I've hit.
• BlackBerry Protect. This is an excellent free service which lets you track your device if it has beeen stolen, back up your data, send it messages, and wipe it if needed. Yes, there are apps available on Android, but nothing as comprehensively good as this. The only problem being that it doesn't work on BES.
  

  BlackBerry Protect

• Finally, a niche example. Hitting ALT+RBVS in the browser brings up the source code of the page. Invaluable for web-nerds like me and not something I've ever seen built in to any other phone.

Now What

Paying an extra £28 per month for a device which is no quicker at receiving email than my Android? No thanks. When RIM rejoins the real world and realises that it doesn't own the push email market any more - and can't charge like it's the only game in town - I'll be back.

For now, it's off to find a phone with a great physical keyboard and good battery life.

The Windows Phone 7 Dell Venue Pro?

The Android Motorola Pro?

I don't know yet - but at the moment, the BlackBerry platform has lost its way - and I'm not making any more compromises when it comes to my phone.

Hello there, AudioBoo. I'm just in the middle of another grand phone experiment. I'm moving back to BlackBerry.

Yes, after about a year, year and a half of being an Android Boy, it's time to go back to BlackBerry. So I've picked up the Torch, which is the slider and I'm having mixed feelings. It's hard to go back.

I wanted to go back to a BlackBerry because it does seem so much better than the Android. The the email is more reliable. The calendaring is better. The the the text messaging, you know, works and the delivery reports happen in the same way which I find with Android are really quite weird. And this new BlackBerry seems to do a lot of things a lot better than the old BlackBerry. So this is OS six. So the browser is really good, but I'm I'm finding it a bit... It's a bit disorienting. Getting back to it.

The keyboard was the main reason that I got this because I love a hard keyboard. I just I just can't type on the on-screen keyboards on iPhones or on Androids or on anything. I make spelling mistakes. I can't get up a good rhythm. But this the keyboard here is I don't know whether it's slightly smaller or the keys aren't quite as firm, but it just doesn't feel right. And, oh, I don't know. It concerns me. The the camera's nice.

So there doesn't seem to be a hole for a for a lanyard for for wrist strap, which is a little disconcerting because that's how I killed my last BlackBerry by not using a lanyard, and it slipped out and went thunk uh onto the cold, hard pavement of Dusseldorf.

One other thing, which I'm finding slightly weird, is the the BlackBerry's insistence that I have a SIM in here. So with Android, I can do everything with on on just Wi-Fi. I can download apps. I can send emails, but here it it doesn't seem to let me do much without a SIM so I can get on the browser. OK, but going into APP World says you do not have sufficient wireless coverage or your connection to the wireless network is turned off, but it's not. I've got WiFi. So seems rather beholden to the SIM.

I'm gonna try it. You know, I'd give it a few a few days, maybe a few weeks. Let's see how I get on with it. It's got a nice nice clunking slide. Listen to that. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Touchscreen is weird. The touchscreen is good on the on the BlackBerry Torch. But what's weird is the buttons below it are clickable. Whereas on Android, Certainly the last two Androids I've used, they've not been. So you have to touch on the screen, but click on the bars below the buttons below, which is is weird, but the track balls nice.

I'm sure I'll get used to it. And hopefully, my next my next audio boo will come from a BlackBerry.

Come on, AudioBoo team, Let's make a BlackBerry client. Well, client, when I say "we" I mean "you". And by "make" I mean "code furiously".

Right, onwards and upwards.

Feel free to use these as templates - but please remember to change the QR Code!

BlackBerry Torch

Windows Phone 7

(I think this is a little too wide - still came out well)

This has been a really tough NaBloPoMo for me. Work has been frantic - meaning that my lunchtime blogging has been restricted to a quick bit of copy editing. I've also had some wonderful new toys to play with - which has distracted my attention.

But the biggest problem? My Android phone. Don't get me wrong, I love Android - but for typing, it's nowhere nearly as good as my BlackBerry was. I spend a lot of my time on trains, so I'm used to being able to bash out a fairly lengthy post or email. That's just not possible on my Nexus One.

There are three major problems with the Android's onscreen keyboard.

• It takes up so much room, you can only see two lines of text. Annoying if you're writing a long document.
• The accuracy is very hit and miss. It's no worse than other onscreen keyboards - but it's just not as good as a physical keyboard.
• The auto-correct feature is pretty good - but I miss the BlackBerry's integrated spell cheque.

The general consensus on Twitter seems to be that the HTC Desire Z is the best Android phone touting a real keyboard. I've yet to try it - but the keys look similar to the awful N97 "dead flesh" keyboard.

The Motorola Milestone has a better looking keyboard and is a similar price.

I could type around 60WPM on a BlackBerry keyboard - so whichever phone I get needs to be at least as good as RIM's offering.

With that in mind, I'm also considering going back to BlackBerry - the new Torch 9800 looks incredible.

I've been playing on the most recent BlackBerry emulator (something more companies should provide) and it really could be the phone for me. Touchscreen for quick use, keyboard for long messages, I know the email and calendaring options are better than Android. But will I find OS6 too restrictive after the freedom of Android?

There's also Windows Phone 7 to consider. I really like what I've seen of WP7 - but there aren't any phone with keyboards available in the UK. Both the Dell Venue Pro and the LG Optimus 7Q may make it over here - but there are no timelines.

Finally, there's the BlueTooth keyboard accessory. Amazon have Mini Bluetooth Keyboards from £15 - although some of the high end ones go for ten times that.

It would mean carrying yet another gadget - to go with the phone, solar charger, video glasses, Kindle and whatever else I have on my person - but could it bridge the gap? I find that I can't type for very long on a laptop keyboard. The only device I'm comfortable typing on with all 10 fingers is a Microsoft 4000 Ergonomic (although I'd love to give a Maltron a try even if they are a bit pricey though). Would a BlueTooth keyboard be as easy to type on?

So, which phone would you go for if you needed to do extended bouts of typing or blogging?

Orange

Take a look at the latest offering from Orange - a large UK mobile network operator.

Orange Advert on Guardian

Spot it? It's the microscopic banner hidden away on the mobile site of the Guardian newspaper.

The advertiser has little choice in the poor placement. And it's not their fault if the Guardian has resized it. Let's take a look at the full size animated GIF.

Orange Advert

Ah.

Still, I'm sure the rewards for the eager-eyed viewer are magnificent....

Orange Badvert - click to embiggen

Not so much.

The potential customer is presented with a poorly resized image. The only link at the bottom takes them to a seemingly identical page.

Orange Badvert 2 - Click to embiggen

What Else Does It Do?

So, let's look at the purchase experience.

Oh, there isn't one. No nearest store finder. No mobile YouTube video showing off the phones. No click to call so you can buy one right now.

Nothing.

To recap, a tiny banner takes you to a poster. That's it. No though has been given to the unique opportunities that mobile affords. There's no way to convert an interested browser into a paying customer. If we're being honest, there's not really enough information in this microsite to justify an advert.

It is small, feeble and pointless.

Lessons To Learn

Ensure that your advertising assets are available n a variety of screen sizes. Small adverts are hard to click on. Worse still, they may be completely ignored.

If you can't resize your images, unplug your computer and go home.

Think about what you want to achieve from the advert. Are you trying to increase sales? Give the potential customer a direct route to purchase from you. Are you trying to excite or interest potential customers? Provide enough interesting information. This isn't print. You're not limited by page size - only by your imagination.

Take advantage of the medium.  Mobile is so much more useful than print.  Orange seem stuck in the mindset that a single image is all an advert needs to be.

Message To Orange

You're a mobile company.  Make your adverts reflect that.  You should be promoting excellence - not mediocrity.

Getting my contacts from BlackBerry to Google was simple. I exported a VCF of all my contacts from Outlook and imported them to Google. Simplicity. Everything worked. Syncing back to Android was easy - input Google account and password and hey-presto. But that's where it all broke down.

The address seems to be stored correctly. Right?

Wrong!

When we go in to edit, rather than "Address", "City", "Postcode" fields - Google just gives us a plain text field. What Happens In Android? At first glance, everything looks correctly formatted. But let's go in and see how the data is represented within the address book. As you can see - everything is represented on just one line.

We can edit it correctly on the phone to look like this. Well, that's a bit off effort (especially with over 500 contacts).

How does it look back at Google Contacts on the web?

Recap

It's the year 2010. We can't even synchronise addresses correctly without mangling them along the way. I sometimes think it would be easier to outsource my address book to Indian and have minimum wage labour ensure all entries are correct and up-to-date.

Dead BlackBerry

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Due to a crazy taxi driver (are there any other kind) and a violent swerve, my BlackBerry Bold 9000 is no more. Bereft of life, it rusts in pieces, and other such Pythonesque metaphors.

Arse. I truly feel like I'm missing an extension to my body. There's a symbiotic relationship which develops between a geek and his phone. It entertains me, informs me, keeps me on time and allows me to rapidly communicate with a variety of methods. In return, I feed it electricity, load it up with useful programs, decorate its skin and snuggle up to it.

I miss it so much.

Every Cloud...

Now's a prime time to choose a new smartphone. So many new models on the market. Which to go for?

What I look for in a mobile

I've had many many phones. Some wonderful (Treo 180) some dire (Apple iPhone). I know exactly what I want and what I need.  For a device that I use several times an hour every single day, I don't want to compromise on any aspect.  Perfection is what I demand.  So, what was it that made the BlackBerry Bold the perfect phone for me?

• Physical keyboard.  I do a lot of typing on the device.  I've used soft keyboards (Android, iPhone, Storm) and they just don't do it for me.  Even with the haptic feedback, it's just not the same for speedy typing.  I liked handwriting recognition on the Treo 180 and the Nokia N97 - but in terms of speed & accuracy a physical keyboard is a must.  More than that, it needs to be a good keyboard.  The keyboard on the N97 is dreadful - it feels like a cheap calculator.  The N810 has an awful layout and virtually no travel on the button push. I need raised keys and to feel a click so I can touch-type.
• Exchange integration.  I use my device for work.  Things which I regularly use my 'berry for are were: email and calendar sync'd over the air.  Address lookup - if I meet Jo Blogs at work, I can type her name in to the address book and look up her email, phone number, address etc (if she's in the corporate address book).
• The BlackBerry Enterprise messenger is also really useful.  I don't use IM for personal use much any more - but work runs on it.  Sadly it's basaed on Microsoft Office Communicator rather than anything open or useful.
• Quick start-up.  When you shut down a BlackBerry, it effectively goes into "suspend" mode.  I switch it on first thing in the morning and it's on and receiving email instantly.
• Auto on-off.  At 2300 every weekday, my phone shuts down. So if I've forgotten to switch it off, I don't get disturbed during the night.  At 0700 it wakes up and gets to work.
• Multiple email accounts.  I want to reply from 1 enterprise and 2 personal accounts.
• USB interface for charging.  Batter life isn't massivly important and I'm never away from a power socket for a few hours.
• Compatible with Linux for charging, reading files, tethering.
• Speed dial, form factor, excellent hierarchical bookmarks structure.
• GPS & Mapping.
• Good browser.  I like the modern RIM browser - I know they're moving to Webkit, but I don't find the current one so bad.

Well, so far it looks like I'm going for a BlackBerry. Right.  Not quite.

What I hate about BlackBerry

• No front-facing-camera.  I like video calling. I'm the only one in the UK who does, apparently.  But with more 3G phones coming on to the market, I'm hopeful that more people will come round to it.
• Lack of updates.  It seems to take ages for any new developments to come out of RIM.  I understand why - you can't fiddle around too much with business critical devices - but I like shiny new features.
• Speed. Perhaps it's running OS 5.0 on the 9000, but everything seems a little sluggish.  I'm very quick with my fingers yet I often feel like the 'berry isn't working as fast as I am.  Once you're running IM, SocialScope, Facebook and Weather at the same time and everything slows to a crawl.
• Camera. I like the flash and the geo-tagging, but the quality of images isn't wonderful.  No focusing also impacts scanning QR codes.
• Video recording - low quality and sound is often out of sync.
• Calendar - only shows a single calendar. I don't want my personal appointments on my work calendar.
• Media player. While it plays some .avi files better than Android, it won't do .ogg or .flac, the interface is sub par.

The Android Intervention

With my dearly departed long gone, I'm reliant on my Android device. An HTC Hero.  It is a stunning device.

• Gorgeous screen, very responsive.
• Browser is good.
• The camera is great although sorely lacking a flash.
• It integrates with Microsoft Exchange reasonably well - although I haven't got it fully working yet.

But - and there's always a but...

• HTC. They are very unresponsive to customer queries. No software updates for the Hero, even though they've been announced.  Again, I understand the reasoning, but I don't want to be stuck on Android 2.1 when 3.9 is out.
• Slow start up.  I don't want to wait 60 seconds for my phone to wake up.
• Lacking in functionality - although it has plenty of add on software, some at cost.
• Lack of keyboard shortcuts.  I rely on these heavily - as described in my comment to The Really Mobile Project.
• Such tie in to the Google Eco-System.  If I ever want to leave Google, I'm not sure how the phone would cope.

Others

I'm big on Linux. Despite the slight disappointment with Nokia's recent efforts, I'm intrigued by the N900.  I think I'd like to play with it for a day - especially the keyboard given the disaster of the N810 - before comitting.

I've tried a 3G iPhone running OS3.0.  It's a toy and really not suitable for me.

Windows Mobile is... lackluster.  I can't wait for Windows Phone OS 7.0 Mobile (or whatever they're calling it today).  Besides, I don't run Windows on my PCs - I can't think of a reason to run it on my phones.

What else is out there?  Bada? Doubt Samsung call pull it off.  Pre? I want to like Palm, but it's restricted to a single device and only on one network. Symbian? Hopefully it will be resurrected but after the disasterous N97 and the abandoned N95, it's dead to me.

Choices

I think it boils down to three phones.

BlackBerry 9700

Bold 9700

This is the "safe" choice.  It's the next model up from my smashed 9000.  I know it does everything I want.  I like the idea of replacing the trackball with a touchpad.  Good that it's got the new standard USB charger, even if I'll need to buy some new cables.

On the down side, it's a bit boring.

SonyEricson Experia X10 mini pro / Motorola Milestone / Droid

My Android choice.  Has a keyboard and avoids HTC.  I don't know how hackable it will be.  Given it's one of SE's & Moto's first forays into Android, I'm concerned about how committed they'll be to the device.

Would really like an Android with a decent keyboard - there are just so few of them about.

Nokia N900

Nokia N900

The outside choice. I generally love Nokia hardware - but their software sucks.  As innovative as the N810 was, they really dropped the ball in providing updates to their original Maemo software.  I'm slightly wary about how well this will be supported.

The keyboard looks ok, but the oddly placed space bar puts me off, as does the lack of ergonomic consideration.

Your Opinions

I'd love to know what you think.  Which phones rock your world?

This blog is a personal comment and does not represent my employers, Vodafone Group.  Nothing in this blog should be considered an official position on any phone, platform or manufacturer.

NB1: I primarily use SocialScope on my BlackBerry. SocialScope's terms of use prohibit me from showing screenshots of their beta. Hey, guys, I want to show everyone how great you are!

NB2: Screenshots taken on a BlackBerry 9000 running OS 5.0

First Impressions

I've never understood the need for a EULA. They're long, confusing, boring and a terrible way to make a first impression on your customers.  Twitter for Blackberry has a 30 page monstrosity.

EULA Hell

No one reads them, no one cares, find a better way.

Good

This app really shows off the power of the BlackBerry SDK. It's a pity that more developers don't make full use of it.

Tweets show up in your message list....

Message Integration

...and can be opened from there.

Open From Message

Images can be sent directly to TwitPic.

Send To Twitter

Apps like SocialScope and UberTwitter also hook in to the OS so that you can click on any #hastag and @name and be taken directly to that page within the app. I wasn't able to ascertain whether this functionality was available in this app.

Bad

Limited view space.  At best, you can view 2 tweets at a time before scrolling. That's not a very efficient use of space.

The Tweets Went In Two By Two

Poor navigation.  You can't simply scroll left or right to move between pages, you need to scroll all the way to the top, or open the menu.

Navigation

The software also doesn't remember which tweet you were on before you left.  It always refreshes the timeline and jumps to the top.  This is really annoying and it's a problem solved in both UberTwitter and SocialScope.

Ugly

Missing loads of features that many users have become accostomed to.

• URL expansion.  bit.ly/fjhgkdfhg means nothing - use their API to expand the URL
• Embed images and media. Show a preview of flickr images, YouTube videos etc.  At the moment, it only appears to do TwitPic.
• No OAuth!  This is partly due to Twitter's broken mobile OAuth support.
• No autocomplete. SocialScope will show a list of your friends when you type @ to allow you to quickly select them.

Conclusion

This app is amazing... if you've never used UberTwitter or SocialScope.  I also found it to be marginally slower than the other apps.

Based on the evidence I've accumulated, mobile advertising is subject to a lot of hype and not a lot of professionalism.

Take this example as seen on my BlackBerry 9000.

Flickr iPhone Advert

First off the bat, it gets my phone wrong. It should be using the User Agent to determine which advert to serve.

Well, let's be a good consumer and click on it any way...

What the deuce?!

It has taken me to the Desktop version of the iTunes installation page - despite knowing I'm on a mobile!

What Should Have Happened?

• My phone requests the advert.
• Advertising agency serves up a device specific ad.
• I click on the ad.
• The ad server sees my User Agent
• For iPhone, it should automatically redirect me to the App Store
• For BlackBerry / Android / S60  etc, it should automatically redirect me to the native app store
• For everything else, it should automatically redirect me to http://m.flickr.com/

How Can It Go So Wrong?!

I'm making the assumption that this is an advert by flickr.  It may well be an advert by a third-party who have a (chargeable) app for iPhone.

Even if it is the latter - why are they advertising on BlackBerry?  Or, rather, why is their advertising agency wasting their marketing budget by showing an advert on a device which can't support the content?

Make Sure Your Advert Works

It's not rocket science.  If people can't get to your product, they won't spend money with you.  They'll also get a negative impression of your brand.

Getting the client was fairly simple, but could be better. Simply visiting http://seesmic.com was enough to bring up a mobile friendly page with download instructions. However, scrolling down presented this mess. You simply can't rely on users to know what make, model or firmware version they have. Use the user-agent string to do as much of the hard work as possible. If a user tries to install an incompatible version, it won't work and they'll blame you.

The download itself is a sprightly 172KB and installs very quickly - it also doesn't require a reboot. Once you've signed in, the main interface is very simple. UberTwitter, for example, presents the user with complex set-up options on the first run. Seesmic gets straight to the action. Seesmic is entirely menu driven - there are no shortcut keys. UberTwitter allows me to hit R for reply - on Seesmic, I have to delve into the menus. Luckily, they're short and have obvious names. Reading a tweet gives the usual option, hashtags and @s are hyperlinked - as are web addresses. On usability flaw, the cursor is at the top of the screen. A user has to scroll through the "Web" hyperlink before getting to the links within the tweet.

Again, because there are no keyboard shortcuts, everything has to go through the menu. Searching is problematic. Pressing enter doesn't start a search, it inserts a new line. The search button isn't the first thing you get to when you scroll down. While the results are standard, this odd error message kept popping up. I encountered this error several times.

Writing new tweet has some great usability touches - and some real clunkers. The closer a user gets to filling the 140 characters, the more red the screen turns. URLs can be automatically shortened and images can be added. This shows one of the great usability failures of Seesmic. Rather than use the BlackBerry's file select utility, it uses its own - and it's dreadful. Ugly looking, no ability to search, slow, no preview. Overall, a real let-down.

I don't know why companies often insist on creating their own versions of well established system functions. Especially when they add nothing and remove plenty.

Sending a tweet was continually problematic for me. Although it eventually relented. Seesmic also makes great use of notifies, showing you on your home screen how many unread tweets you have. Overall, Seesmic isn't a bad client. There are a few rough-around-the-edges bugs and the file selection is atrocious but other than that, it works. Power users like me will miss the shortcut keys of UberTwitter, and UT's system-wide integration (uploading photos, capturing hashtags in emails etc.).  It lacks other features such as in-line photos, ability to see followers and friends, it also has no way of marking a tweet as a favourite or seeing favourites.

One feature it does have - a first in mobile twitter clients - is the ability to view lists.  You can't add, edit or create - but you can see the lists you have created or are following.

Conclusion

Seesmic works well enough as a basic twitter client for BlackBerry - but there's nothing exciting about it.

What's really annoying is that there's no automatic propt to tell you there's new firmware. I wonder how many people out there are cursing their BlackBerry without realising that a simple firmware update will give it a new lease of life.

The process worked more-or-less flawlessly. Just make sure you're fully charged and prepared to wait an hour.

When it goes wrong, you can come a cropper - take a look at this advert for the BlackBerry.  Somehow a character has crept in to the text which can't be rendered by the browser.

BlackBerry? Advert?

Immediately, one gets the sense of a poorly tested advert - one which probably goes to a dodgy site. Right? Wrong! Take a look at the page source - it clearly points to the official BlackBerry site.

HTML Source Code

Test, Test and Test Again

I've no idea what character is meant to be represented in that advert. But I know that the error should have been caught in testing.

• Test your advert to see if it works.
• Test your advert to see if it displays properly.
• Test your advert on multiple handsets.
• Test your advert in multiple browsers.
• Test your advert on devices which use a different language or character set.
• Test your advert before and after setting it live.
• Test your advert to make sure the ad-network isn't mangling it.

Like Bronzey or Silvery - But Made of Iron

The handset I used to test this was a BlackBerry.  Do you want to see what happens when you click on the link? Do you?

What A Mess

Yes, the site is the BlackBerry Pearl product page. The desktop version.  The version that the BlackBerry can't render properly.

Just in case it's not obvious, I'll spell it out for you.

• A mobile advert should point to a mobile-friendly site.
• If you're a huge, multi-national company who manufactures mobile phones, make sure your website has a mobile friendly version.
• Test your adverts on your product.

These mistakes aren't acceptable. For a company of RIM's size, it beggars beleif that this advert was approved without any apparent testing.