[jibi]

Just curious how others felt about this subject. With the recent pictures of the 8707v from Vodafone and its apparent implementation of a 'Today' summary screen (which I will assume will be spread to the other OS 4.1-capable handhelds), along with the release or planned release of IM clients for Yahoo, Google Talk, AOL/AIM, and ICQ, it appears that some of the more popular third party commercial and non-commercial applications (PocketDay, BBToday, VeriChat, IM+, etc.) could possibly be taking a hit in favor of the free/included software and feature functionality of the evolving RIM OS.

I'm not complaining one bit - free is always a good thing - but I do feel somewhat sorry for some of these third-party developers, as that community is still in its infancy and about to take a rather large hit over the next few months, in my opinion.

Opinions?

[Stinsonddog]

Wirelessly posted (8700c: BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I guess I only see it in the I'm space. Feature will be key. One point with these is multiple log ons to various accounts and services in a reliable way.

[KonTiki]

jibi I can understand your point. And to a degree I do feel sorry for the people involved that might suffer somewhat as a result.

However, two points I do have to make are these:

1) Competion tends to drive people to newer heights, maybe these developers now can come back with better and bigger products that will draw back the consumers that might stray. And in the long run we will still benefit with better products (I see that as a win win scenario).

2) The bottom line to me and to all of us in the long run is after all, us. If we benefit with RIM's jumping in and giving us a free product who are we to complain, and if as I pointed above this competition drives the industry as a whole to strive a little harder, reach a little higher, and produce bigger and better products don't you think people will go back to them? After all when RIM came out originaly there was no one out there, the developers came in with things that enticed us and we went, it is a vicious cycle.

All I can say is: If They Build It They Will Come.

[Madleroy]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

As a developer, we tend to fill the void of options that were left out.(Imo) when these options are included from the manufacturer, they tend to be very late and not end up solving the problem that was lined out when the project was drawn up. (Again, imo) too many chiefs involved and it leads to the users needs going by the wayside.
(I make my living writing code, I deal with it everyday)
3rd party apps are not written to make a living. They are written (usualy) to fill a void that the programmer wants for themselves. Then we think, "hey other users might find this cool"
Your not going to make money selling apps for 20 or 30 bucks. That's not what it about.
New features coming with OS upgrades,
Bring them on. Love it. But when I still want to do something that the current OS won't do, I'll sit down and write my own.
It a nice break to write code for fun.

Chuck..
(been coding for 25+ years on everything from IBM mainframes to handheld devices we carry around today)

[coreyg510]

Competition will always be tough, as I am sure anyone who works for a living already knows. That is how business thrives. I view it as "Only the strong or well adapted survive".

I believe that creators of 3rd party apps (at least those who make a living off them) will always be one step ahead of the Manafacturers. Granted, the newer OS's will probably contain apps like Today, but I predict that those 3rd party creators will be modifying their own programs to keep them one step ahead

[crs]

All,

I can promise you that the "Today" screen that RIM has will have plenty of limitations. It won't be configurable like PocketDay, nor will it have any content. In addition, there's no way that RIM can keep up with the pace of development in 3rd party products.

The beauty of PocketDay is not just the device integration, but the mixture of rich internet based content and the continuing improvement of the product.

Wait until you see PocketDay Lists integrated into PocketDay. Forget the native task app...we're going to blow that away!

Competition is awesome, keeps us developers on our toes.

Cross River Systems LLC

[Aldazar]

Just curious, is there actual evidence that RIM is developing a good client for AIM, or is that just speculation based on the fact that they recently did so for gtalk and yahoo?

[MrKyoo]

Originally Posted by crs

Wait until you see PocketDay Lists integrated into PocketDay. Forget the native task app...we're going to blow that away!

Do you have any dates in mind on when this will be operational in PocketDay or how much longer this will remain in beta testing?

-MrKyoo

[billclark]

I too am curious as to when PocketDay Lists will be available. I've been thinking about buying PocketDay, but have been holding off because I don't want to get stuck having purchased it and then find out I have to purchase it all over again just to get the Lists functionality when it's available.

-B

[bbgurl171]

I'm like the next person, ofcourse free is always great But, I feel bad for these small guys. I think the 3rd party vendors are a HUGE reason for RIMs success in the market, they see a void and try to fill it. As a result of the 3rd party app being so popular RIM ends up making it free a few years later. Not really a recipe for keeping your partnerships amicable... any comments?

[ebgreen]

I don't think that the 3rd party vendors are a huge part of RIM's success. I think that Rim's success is primarily due to enterprise use and a lot of enterprises don't use or (in our case) even allow 3rd party apps on their devices.

[bbgurl171]

Thats true to a certain extent. I think RIMs push over the last while to "Go Beyond E-mail" has been its main hope for maintaining market share in the future against its competitors. Don't you think that success of being a complete wireless solution (not just a wireless e-mail device) is due in part to creation of useful apps by their partners and 3rd party vendors?

But in the end... business is business!

[ebgreen]

"Don't you think that success of being a complete wireless solution (not just a wireless e-mail device) is due in part to creation of useful apps by their partners and 3rd party vendors?"

Yes I do, but that is not the same thing IMO as

"think the 3rd party vendors are a HUGE reason for RIMs success in the market..."

[bbgurl171]

That is just semantics
The point remains the same - they are crushing the people that helped them build and validate their business...

[ebgreen]

Look at it this way. All the users that purchased whatever 3rd party software that is being replaced by core functionality were lost customers to those third party vendors (at least as long as there was no subscription cost). Now they are a completely new market for the 3rd party app vendors to write new software for to cover whatever other holes are in the core functionality.

Either way I don't think that RIM "owes" them anything. If anything, they owe RIM for giving them the market in the first place. It would have been easy enough for RIM to lock the device down to the point that only their code would run on it. Instead they recognized the potential synergy in a primary/after merket symbiosis.

[bbgurl171]

Doesn't this site have a live chat area? Its too much to write back and forth in this format... I think if RIM did lock the devices and did not have the partnerships that they have now, they wouldn't necessarily be this successful right now. I think RIM and their 3rd party vendors have a certain level of mutual dependancy on each other..

Imagine WES without the solutions show--- where would RIM be then? hehehehe