RIM's iPhone rival rumored for October with Rhapsody tie-in

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Blackberry maker Research In Motion is reported to be readying Thunder, its answer to Apple's iPhone, for an October release alongside a partnership with Real's Rhapsody music service.



Also known as the Blackberry 9500, the new device will reportedly sport a 480x320 touch-screen, 3.2 megapixel camera, and a MicroSD memory expansion slot.



Photos of the device (below) recently published by BlackberrySync show four physical buttons -- Call, BlackBerry menu, Back, and End -- below the screen.



Other user interaction will take place on the phone's touch-screen through an interface that closely resembles the iPhone's embedded version of Mac OS X, complete with a five-icon dock anchored to the base of the home screen.



Also like the iPhone, the Thunder will feature a landscape mode for watching movies and other videos captured through its built in camera. However, it's unlikely to compete directly with the Apple handset from the onset.



A report published Tuesday by Fudzilla has the device launching in the US exclusively with Verizon on October 8th, standing as the CDMA carriers' best shot at retaining subscribers ultimately seeking an iPhone-like experience. There are rumors, however, that the device will also feature GSM technology for roaming in Europe and a possible partnership with Verizon partner Vodafone.



As part of its US launch plans with Verizon, RIM has also reportedly sealed a deal that will allow the Thunder to download music tracks from Real's Rhapsody music service over the air, without the need for a WiFi connection.



Blackberry Thunder | Source: Blackberry Sync





In the weeks leading up to the June 9th iPhone 3G launch, it was reported that Apple was seeking a similar arrangement by which iTunes customers could download tracks over AT&T's 3G network.



The negotiations with labels, which were said to be in the early stages, also included talk of ringback tones and expanding the inventory of iTunes tracks available for conversion into ringtones.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 75
    vinitaboyvinitaboy Posts: 156member
    OK, RIM . . . where is the G**damned physical keyboard you said was so crucial for mobile communication? WHERE IS IT, you f*cktards? You said Apple would never survive without a whole basketful of your little chicklet keys on the iPhone, so which molehill came to which mountain here, huh?



    God, but the hypocrisy is running wild in Canada this time of year.
  • Reply 2 of 75
    icfireballicfireball Posts: 2,594member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by VinitaBoy View Post


    OK, RIM . . . where is the G**damned physical keyboard you said was so crucial for mobile communication? WHERE IS IT, you f*cktards? You said Apple would never survive without a whole basketful of your little chicklet keys on the iPhone, so which molehill came to which mountain here, huh?



    God, but the hypocrisy is running wild in Canada this time of year.



    Got anger?
  • Reply 3 of 75
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by VinitaBoy View Post


    OK, RIM . . . where is the G**damned physical keyboard you said was so crucial for mobile communication? WHERE IS IT, you f*cktards? You said Apple would never survive without a whole basketful of your little chicklet keys on the iPhone, so which molehill came to which mountain here, huh?



    God, but the hypocrisy is running wild in Canada this time of year.



    This is one model out of how many? Surely RiM wants to compete with the the consumer-based iPhone, which is why they have added a music store to the Thunder, but that doesn't mean that they are foregoing keyboards in the rest of their handsets.
  • Reply 4 of 75
    vinitaboyvinitaboy Posts: 156member
    Actually, icfireball, yes . . . lots of it here. Having been at the forefront of innovation and pioneering new technologies for the past 25 years, I have very--VERY--little tolerance for those who will not acknowledge when a new approach or idea flies in their faces. Research in Motion has been more than a little "haughty" (to understate the situation) since Apple introduced the iPhone touch keyboard, denegrating it at every twist and turn of their press releases. NOBODY WILL WANT THAT, they screamed. HOW STUPID, they ejaculated. And yet here they are doing everything in their power to roll out an exact (or almost) copy of the iPhone's best features. What bloated egos Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis have! Steve Ballmer must be so proud of them. Truth is, however, that hubris is always rewarded with a mighty fall. It couldn't happen to two "nicer" guys here.
  • Reply 5 of 75
    slapppyslapppy Posts: 331member
    Wow. No wonder Jobs gets pissed at these guys. For years RIM does practically nothing. Along comes iPhone. Just about everyone copies it. For those who denies that its not copying, please give us a break. Basically this tell you that RIM is basically riding off the R&D work that Apple has done already. Pathetic.
  • Reply 6 of 75
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slapppy View Post


    Wow. No wonder Jobs gets pissed at these guys. For years RIM does practically nothing. Along comes iPhone. Just about everyone copies it. For those who denies that its not copying, please give us a break. Basically this tell you that RIM is basically riding off the R&D work that Apple has done already. Pathetic.



    Ain't it the truth. But then we knew it would happen. RIM stands most to loose in the short term and to be quite honest I am impressed at how fast they have responded. I have no idea about comparisons. I suppose they don't have, and will struggle to re-create, the iPhone ecosystem, but these guys are fighting for their lives. They may still be strong, but unless they take up the fight they will go the way of Palm. The strategy is: Make something that looks and feels like the iPhone - maybe not in depth but on the surface at least. Now all the IT managers that already have a vested interest in RIM can tell their iPhone craving corporates that no, we can't do iPhone but this is just as good (they may actually say "even better"). If you aren't a diehard Apple person you may look at the Thunder and think yeah, this is pretty good. RIM has not only stemmed the tide but possibly increased their sales dramatically.



    RIM should be paying Apple a development and marketing license.
  • Reply 7 of 75
    um...Rhapsody sucks. I hate all products by Real Player...they're intrusive, badly designed, and they cater more to advertisements than to end users.
  • Reply 8 of 75
    me2me2 Posts: 3member
    I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me that Apple will be ready to hit RIM with Patent infringement lawsuits. Honestly, how much more obvious can they be with their copy of the iphone?
  • Reply 9 of 75
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    Again these companies think by copying the share look and feel is enough, they are mission the bigger picture,



    How many product will this, along with the Samsung, and LG products will plug and play with the thousands of product expanders that exist for the iPod/iPhone. The number is small, a few allow for aux audio in but they will not allow all the control or charging the iPod/iPhone products offer.



    So these people will buy these go to the store and see all these other products that support the iPod/iPhone eco-system and realize the dumb mistake they made
  • Reply 10 of 75
    I own and love my iPhone and think that the competition is great.



    The fact that every other phone maker out there has slammed the no keyboard approach and has eventually put out a version with no keyboard is nothing but a compliment to Apple. Their negative marketing SHOULD be expected to protect their own sales.



    Competition will only make the iPhone a better product and maybe we'll even get copy & paste, turn by turn navigation with GPS and voice calling all of which RIM and many other phone manufacturers have had for years built in without having to buy a application from iTunes to make it happen.



    Time to kick it up a notch Apple the competition is catching up!
  • Reply 11 of 75
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by paxman View Post


    RIM should be paying Apple a development and marketing license.



    Actually, Apple should sue RIM, and anyone else who markets an iPhone copy. Apple should aggressively protect all patents on functionality developed for the iPhone. They should use all legal means to prevent the kind of theft Microsoft got away with when MS first copied the Mac OS for Windows.



    That said, I think Apple has wised up since the early days, and doesn't rely on patents or legal protection to keep their competitive edge. Now, they're focused on staying two steps ahead. So, even if RIM copies the iPhone, and Apple is unable to prevent blatant copying or protect its patents, Apple will still be ahead of RIM and the others because they are already at work on the next generation product. Kind of like the iPod-vs.-Zune battle. By the time MS copies iPod features and gets them into the Zune, Apple has already released new iPods with new features and MS is behind again.
  • Reply 12 of 75
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slapppy View Post


    Wow. No wonder Jobs gets pissed at these guys. For years RIM does practically nothing. Along comes iPhone. Just about everyone copies it. For those who denies that its not copying, please give us a break. Basically this tell you that RIM is basically riding off the R&D work that Apple has done already. Pathetic.



    Since when is copying not a part of a competive business model? If they didn't copy it - they would be fools. How many cell phone makers previously copied Motorola's Razr? Apple needs more than one iPhone anyway.

    Finally- as if Apple's never copied anything from anybody- give me a break.
  • Reply 13 of 75
    penchantedpenchanted Posts: 1,070member
    Interesting that none of the photos show the device in profile. I wonder if this thing is a brick.
  • Reply 14 of 75
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Since when is copying not a part of a competive business model? If they didn't copy it - they would be fools. How many cell phone makers previously copied Motorola's Razr? Apple needs more than one iPhone anyway.

    Finally- as if Apple's never copied anything from anybody- give me a break.



    'Copying' is very different from IP-theft. I have no idea which it is here, but I do have to say that it is an awfully similar-looking product with highly similar functionality.



    Time will tell if Apple sues by alleging the latter, and what the outcome of such a suit will be. That said, Apple does not seem to have had much luck with such suits in the past.
  • Reply 15 of 75
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slicedbread View Post


    That said, I think Apple has wised up since the early days, and doesn't rely on patents or legal protection to keep their competitive edge. Now, they're focused on staying two steps ahead. So, even if RIM copies the iPhone, and Apple is unable to prevent blatant copying or protect its patents, Apple will still be ahead of RIM and the others because they are already at work on the next generation product. Kind of like the iPod-vs.-Zune battle. By the time MS copies iPod features and gets them into the Zune, Apple has already released new iPods with new features and MS is behind again.



    I agree, Apple is a much wiser Apple than years ago. BUT... the phone market is totally different from the music player market. Apple doesn't really have the advantage here. Sure, they have a cool phone, but RIM and Nokia et al will protect their ground to the end. As would Apple. Phone designs change and I don't think Apple can prevent anybody from using a flat rectangular shape with a touch screen. The depth of the OS, mixed with the user experience, and the eco system will be the differentiating factors (for now). It will be interesting to see what the opposition does. But the general look and style is up for grabs, much like the flip phone was, or the 'slider phone', or the camera phone. etc.

    More than anything Apple really have to get the mobileMe experience to work beautifully. I think that is huge. The smart phone is breaking out from the corporate world and in this area Apple has the potential to leap ahead.
  • Reply 16 of 75
    msanttimsantti Posts: 1,377member
    Where is the physical keyboard RIM???



    WHERE IS IT?????????????



    BUSINESS PEOPLE REQUIRE A KEYBOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



    Oh RIM.............................
  • Reply 17 of 75
    slapppyslapppy Posts: 331member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    Since when is copying not a part of a competive business model? If they didn't copy it - they would be fools. How many cell phone makers previously copied Motorola's Razr? Apple needs more than one iPhone anyway.

    Finally- as if Apple's never copied anything from anybody- give me a break.



    Not at the same level as RIM and MS are doing. Big difference there. Arguing that Apple does not innovate and produces products with similar MO as these guys is just plain silly.
  • Reply 18 of 75
    ivladivlad Posts: 742member
    Everyone copies each other, it just happened to be that Apple is on the top of the pyramid.



    I am sure Apple have made a space capsule that travels to Alien worlds. That's how they get their ideas because they are like no one else.



    =)

    I am very happy that the whole Mobile Market is following iPhone. People will just realize even more that iPhone is the original piece of art.
  • Reply 19 of 75
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slicedbread View Post


    Kind of like the iPod-vs.-Zune battle.



    Battle? There was a battle? When did this happen?

    Didn't Apple sell more iPods yesterday than MS has sold Zunes since day one?
  • Reply 20 of 75
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by slicedbread View Post


    Actually, Apple should sue RIM, and anyone else who markets an iPhone copy. Apple should aggressively protect all patents on functionality developed for the iPhone. They should use all legal means to prevent the kind of theft Microsoft got away with when MS first copied the Mac OS for Windows.



    There's only so much a design can be protected. There's quite a few changes here and there, to me it looks like only someone that doesn't pay the slightest bit of attention would confuse the two products.



    The way I heard Woz say it, MS did have license from Apple for their Windows products.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Maestro64 View Post


    Again these companies think by copying the share look and feel is enough, they are mission the bigger picture,



    How many product will this, along with the Samsung, and LG products will plug and play with the thousands of product expanders that exist for the iPod/iPhone. The number is small, a few allow for aux audio in but they will not allow all the control or charging the iPod/iPhone products offer.



    So these people will buy these go to the store and see all these other products that support the iPod/iPhone eco-system and realize the dumb mistake they made



    The problem is that Apple tends to obsolete iPod accessories within two or three years anyway. I would not get an iPod / iPhone adapter for a car as the compatible iPods would be obsolete even midway through the car's life cycle.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by msantti View Post


    Where is the physical keyboard RIM???



    WHERE IS IT?????????????



    BUSINESS PEOPLE REQUIRE A KEYBOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



    Oh RIM.............................



    Is it a product marketed for business use? Unlike Apple, other companies do have different products for business and consumer markets. RIM is rightfully chasing the consumer market here, how well it works is up to the market. You also have to keep in mind that even Apple says things which get contradicted later when they release a product. If Steve Jobs disses an idea, some people take it as a clue and suggest maybe it's in the works somewhere at Apple.
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