In our excitement over the announcement that a BlackBerry with a camera is coming, we completely overlooked what Research in Motion had to say about BlackBerry Connect here in the United States.
In an eWeek.com interview at the C3 Expo in New York, BlackBerry maker co-CEO Jim Balsillie said that RIM will expand it’s BlackBerry Connect service in the United States. “Twenty non-BlackBerry devices can use the BlackBerry service now,” Balsillie said, adding that 20 more would be able to use it this year.
The hold up on BlackBerry Connect enmasse in the US has been that up until now Blackberry Connect only worked on GSM devices. CDMA still dominates the wireless market in the United States and Balsillie said that focus to this point has been on GSM because “providers want to be able to sell their devices to 200 carriers in 100 countries.”
Now we will have BlackBerry Connect on CDMA devices here in the US, specifically those from Palm such as the Treo. The question that I have is what versions of the Treo will support BlackBerry Connect, and, more specifically, will the Windows Mobile powered Treo 700w support BlackBerry Connect? Back in February we heard that it would.
Another question that I have is that if BlackBerry Connect is supported on the Treo 700w offered by Verizon, would BlackBerry Connect also work on the Windows Mobile powered Motorola Q that is offered by Verizon as well? Balsillie did say that BlackBerry Connect is currently available on 20 devices and would be offered on and additional 20 devices by the end of the year.
Well, about time too. But I fear that many Treo users have left BB/Treo Palm camp to WM because Microsoft’s push email is good enough for them (whether it is true push or not).
So your saying with my treo 650 through cingular I will have the same type of email push through real time as on my blackberry 8700c? how much does this service cost?
No Steven, I am not saying that. Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Research in Motion, is saying it, however.
Cingular stated emphatically at BB training I went to they had no interest in BB connect for Palm. Cingular rep stated that the Palm was too fragile and too hard to support. BB connect has been out for a while – its the carriers that are holding it up. I’d love to see cingular do it so I could add my Palm to the BES but I doubt it will happen.