想判黑莓死刑？没那么容易！

已将企业名称改为BlackBerry的 Research In Motion (RIM)，在1月底发表采用该公司最新BB10操作系统的Z10与Q10两款智能手机，而现在整个世界都在讨论那两款新产品是如何地无法引起美国华尔街分析师的注意。 BlackBerry 新款手机 Z10 外观与苹果(Apple)的 iPhone 5 或是其它厂牌智能手机十分相似，配备800万像素摄像头以及高分辨率视频功能；Q 10则是具备尺寸相对较小的触控屏幕，下方有实体QWERTY键盘，外观与现有的BlackBerry Bold机型相似。 而最新产品的发表并没有为这家加拿大厂商带来显著的改变──其那斯达克上市股价在产品发表日下跌了12%，来到13.78美元。根据路透社(Reuters)报导，至少有三位财经分析师调降了该公司股 票评等。 因为在这个时代，一家公司(或一种技术)的价值，通常是根据财经世界对它所按的“赞”数量来评断，也许我不该对大众看来是同意将BB10甚至整个BlackBerry品牌判定为“当场死亡(DOA)”感到惊讶。但，不为什么，让我们来想想到底为何最新发表的Blackberry产品会让财经圈如此失望？

BlackBerry 新款手机 Z10
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具体看来，最大的两个问题是价格与延迟上市。在新产品发表会后的第二天，美国电信业者纷纷公布了新机价格方案： Verizon Wireless表示，将以绑约两年、199美元的价格，或是绑约三年、149美元的价格在美国市场销售Z10；而无论是Z10或是Q10，都会使用其4G LTE 网络。但Q10价格尚未公布。 另一家电信业者Sprint只打算推出有键盘的Q10，并无计划立即推出Z10；还有T-Mobile则是只打算卖Z10。而AT&T表示Z10与Q10都会供应。 以上的问题点在于，没有一家电信业者公布有键盘的Q10价格；除了Verizon以外，其它电信业者也都没公布Z10或Q10的价格。所以更让人质疑究竟那两款新机在其它“新兴市场”会卖多少钱？ 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 本文下一页：比苹果三星不足，比中国厂商有余

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{pagination} 而唯一公布的199美元Z10绑约两年价格，对消费者来说显然是太贵；根据路透社报导，财经分析师们表示：“这种价格对多数新兴市场使用者来说可能太高。”他们也质疑，企业用户会在多短的时间内采用那两款新手机？ 财经圈对于BlackBerry在美国发表新手机那天所透露的消息不太满意，而且这两款新产品还得等到3月才会开卖。总而言之，具备触控屏幕的Z10会是两款新机中率先上市的，该款产品也在同一时间于英国首度亮相。

BlackBerry 新款手机 Q10
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但从技术的角度看，我还是对BB10操作系统能执行多个软件核心(kernel)的能力印象深刻；而我坚信企业应用市场会是BlackBerry存活的关键。在我看来，尽管还没发声，但企业使用者应该都会喜欢BB10能将手机内的公事与私人资料分开来的功能。 如 知名博客Radio Free Mobile版主Richard Windsor所言：“来自企业或是私人的资料会集中呈现在使用者面前，但其中企业相关资料是在独立的软件核心内，这种企业安全控管方面的需求被妥善地因应了。”而BlackBerry新操作系统能执行多软件核心的能力，来自于该公司在2010年收购的QNX。 当我造访中国时，发现为数众多的8寸屏幕智能手机到处可见，包括有品牌以及无品牌的；让人对于不断崛起的中国厂商之活力与野心感到讶异。那些厂商满足了中国消费者“想要拥有一支智能手机”的梦想。 在中国有部分手机厂商，特别是知名当地品牌如联想(Lenovo)、华为(Huawei)与中兴(ZTE)，也怀抱着能将品牌推广至美国市场的目标。虽然我佩服他们的雄心，还是忍不住想到，这些中国品牌在技术创新上的能力还是不如BlackBerry。 当Android市场已经成为“Me-too”产品的大型游乐场──三星(Samsung)扮演霸主──若有一个新崛起的竞争对手难道是坏事吗？就让我们给BlackBerry几个月的时间，看看该公司的创新软件产品能在全球市场走多远吧！ 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Judith Cheng 参考英文原文：Yoshida in Madison: Don't declare BlackBerry DOA，by Junko Yoshida

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{pagination} Yoshida in Madison: Don't declare BlackBerry DOA Junko Yoshida As the Android market turns into a giant playground for me-too products could it be such a bad development for BlackBerry to emerge? MADISON, Wis. -- Here we go again. As soon as Research In Motion--which renamed itself BlackBerry--unveiled Wednesday (Jan. 30) its two new devices--Z10 and Q10--running on the company’s new BB10 operating system, the whole world is now talking about how the new devices failed to impress Wall Street analysts. BlackBerry’s Z10 phone looks similar to Apple's iPhone 5, or any other new smartphone model. It features an 8- megapixel camera and high-definition video. BlackBerry’s Q10's touch screen is significantly smaller, so that it allows space for a physical QWERTY keyboard. It looks similar to recent BlackBerry Bold models. The announcement, indeed, did not move the needle for the Canadian company. The company’s Nasdaq-listed shares closed down 12 percent Wednesday at $13.78. Reuters reports that at least three financial analysts have downgraded the company’s stock. In an era when a company’s (and/or a technology’s) worth is often measured by “like” tags from the financial community, I shouldn’t be surprised that the general public already seems to agree that BB10--and by extension the whole BlackBerry brand--is DOA. Maybe so. But, just for the heck of it, let’s consider exactly what in the new Blackberry devices disappointed the financial community. Specifically, the two biggies were pricing and product delay. Here are the facts we know as of Thursday morning: Verizon Wireless said it would sell the Z10 for $199 with a two-year contract, or $149 with a three-year contract in the United States. Verizon will offer both Q10 and Z10 on its 4G LTE network. But the company did not announce pricing for Q10. Sprint is only planning to carry the keyboard-equipped Q10 at this time, with no immediate plans to carry the touch-screen Z10 device. T-Mobile for now is said to be just planning to carry the touch-screen Z10. AT&T said that it will offer the Z10 and the Q10. The point here is that no one has any information as to how much the keyboard-equipped Q10 is going to cost; nor how U.S. carriers other than Verizon are going to price either Z10 or Q10, let alone how much they will eventually cost in the “emerging markets.” But apparently it's already been determined that $199 for Z10 is too expensive. And the financial analysts, according to Reuters, noted that “average sales prices might be too high for many emerging market users." They also raised questions about how quickly businesses would adopt the new devices. Ability to run mutliple kernels The financial community didn’t like what they heard about the launch date for the devices in the U.S., either. They won’t be available until March. But again, seriously, what “material” difference does that make? After all, BlackBerry’s Z10 touchscreen device will be the first of the two models to hit the market, with a rollout that already started in Britain Wednesday. I think it’s time for the tech community--not the financial community--to rise up and give credit where the credit due. I am actually pretty impressed with the fact that BB10’s ability to run multiple kernels. I firmly believe that the enterprise market will be the key to BlackBerry’s survival. That market, in my opinion, hasn’t spoken yet. Who in the enterprise market wouldn’t like BB10’s capability to separate data from enterprise and consumer in a phone? As Richard Windsor at Radio Free Mobile put it, “Data from the enterprise and consumer are presented to the user together in the hub. But with enterprise on a totally separate kernel, the security and control requirements of corporates have been nicely addressed.” As Windsor correctly points out, the whole point of BlackBerry’s acquisition of QNX in 2010 resides in QNX’s feature of running multiple kernels. When I visit China and find a lot of 8-inch screen smartphones popping up everywhere--both branded and non-branded--I’m overwhelmed with the energy and ambition of rising Chinese OEMs. They’re there to satisfy the aspirational goals among Chinese consumers to “own a smartphone.” Some of those OEMs--especially well-known Chinese brands like Lenovo, Huawei and ZTE--also nurture the lofty goal of expanding their presence into the United States. While I admire their ambition, I can’t help thinking that none of those brands is doing anything as technologically “innovative” as BlackBerry. As the Android market turns into a giant playground for me-too products--with Samsung in charge--could it be such a bad development for another competitor to emerge? Couldn’t we give BlackBerry the benefit of a few months’ doubt, just to see how far their innovative software products might go in the global market?