I don’t imagine that Research in Motion or Verizon are too happy that news about the upcoming touchscreen only BlackBerry Thunder has been leaked out.
Verizon has just released the BlackBerry Curve 8330, one of the most highly anticipated BlackBerrys ever, and less than a week week later very credible leaks about arguably the most consumer oriented BlackBerry device to date, intended, in my opinion, to compete directly against the iPhone, come out stating that the BlackBerry Thunder may be just a few months away.
How will the leaked news about the BlackBerry Thunder affect sales of the Verizon BlackBerry Curve?
Don’t get me wrong… I think that the sales of the Verizon BlackBerry Curve will do incredibly well. I can’t help but wonder, however, if there there will be a noticeable percentage of BlackBerry toting Verizon subscribers that will wait until the BlackBerry Thunder comes out instead of moving to a BlackBerry Curve now.
Verizon subscribers have waited for over a year to get the BlackBerry Curve. I’d be willing to bet that quite a few would be willing to wait a few more months for the BlackBerry Thunder.
Which one do you want?
I switched to AT&T to get the BlackBerry Curve right before Christmas. I would swicth back to Verizon in a heartbeat to get this.
Are there any real pictures of this floating around?
RIM has to know that a lot of BlackBerry users don’t like the iPhone because of the lack of a keyboard. Why wouldn’t they make this a slider?
I think users who plan to do a lot of typing on their Blackberry would still prefer the Curve over the touchscreen. I love my iPod Touch but can’t imagine using it to type long emails on a frequent basis.
I think we also have to remember that the vast majority of consumers do not necessarily even get exposed to these rumors, and so this may have very little impact on sales trends.
I also believe that many BB customers will still want the physical keyboard.
In fact, the new BB Thunder may be aimed at an entirely different demographic of customers: not necessarily BB diehards, but those who will not leave VZW but want something approaching the iPhone. There has to be a significant number of people out there in that category…people who desparately want an iPhone, but will not abandon VZW to have it…for these people the BB Thunder may be a viable option if it is done well.
One more thought: for me one of the best parts of the iPhone experience is the web browser. If the BB Thunder can at least manage to do a good job with their web browser that alone may be sufficient for a lot of users. It still won’t be an iPhone, but again, for many users, the web browsing on a portable device is a very important part of the puzzle.
You Sir, are the definition of stupid.
I personally worked on a touchscreen interface for a company that shall remain nameless from feb. of last year until about 3 weeks ago. If you are able to use any of the SureType BlackBerrys the touch screen on whatever RIM calls this thing (not the Thunder) will be an improvement.
You will be able to type in landscape mode and comfortably use your thumbs. Granted, the tactile feel of a button press is gone but keystrokes have an animated down motion when selected and your mind will begin to percieve that you are actually pressing a button down once you get used to it.
They virtual keyboard interface is actually quite good.
In another post, someone made the very good point that there are a lot of die-hard BB lovers who use their BBs mostly for reading e-mail, not composing it. I, for one, fall into this category.
It’s not that I never type long e-mails on my Curve. But I’d say 75% of my outgoing e-mails are short. Rarely more than a paragraph or two. As such, I think I could handle the virtual keyboard for short stuff like that.
If the Thunder winds up being a good convergence device, allowing me to have my phone, my BB and my music/videos all in one unit, I’d readily ditch my Curve. But they really need an OS overhaul to do that.
I just got my curve so…
Re: RIM being unhappy about the Thunder “leak”
I have to wonder if that wasn’t deliberately leaked by RIM. I mean, the WWDC is coming up soon and will in all likelihood officially announce the new iPhone with Exchange support. Wouldn’t it be in RIM’s best interests to “leak” news about the Thunder before that happens?
In other words, if there were BB users who wanted an iPhone but held off because there was no corporate e-mail support, the WWDC would give them the all-clear to jump ship on RIM.
If I were RIM, I’d want to let folks know “Hey, guys, you don’t need to ditch your BB for the new iPhone. We have this great new phone coming out that will give you the iPhone’s ease of use, large screen and multimedia capabilities, but still retain the secure and rock-solid BB e-mail you know and love and your company already supports. So don’t jump ship for iPhone 2.0 w/Exchange.”
Ok, I think I’m a little bit of a different case than most of you, and I’m not the target audience for this device – yet I want one anyway. Here’s why.
I have Verizon now. I’m not going to change, since everyone I know has Verizon and my wife has us locked into a contract until next year. Right now, my line costs $9.99/month.
I have a VX6700 (Apache) with Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM (upgraded – not difficult). I am a geek, but refuse to pay $44.99/month for a Verizon data plan. Instead, I use WiFi (when available) or go without. The main reason I have a PDA phone is for Outlook syncing (calendar/contacts are key), 3rd party apps (e-book readers – iSilo), and a full QWERTY for texting (or email over WiFi).
I was planning on getting an iPod Touch once it had over 32GB, and I could do WiFi data, same as I have now – maybe even just get a consumer phone, and put my calendar/contacts via Outlook/iTunes syncing on the iPod Touch – essentially making it a PDA.
But now – with the Thunder – maybe this device could do that? I could get an iPod classic just for my music, and the Thunder for everything else. Especially since programs like iSilo already have Blackberry versions, and if this device bundles WiFi, I still won’t need a data plan.
….maybe?
Industry Insider,
Don’t you make it a little easier for your employer to figure out who you are by stating that you just stopped working there three weeks ago? 🙂
If you actually wanted the Thunder why wouldn’t you just get the iPhone? The Curve will be and is a superior phone for a wide range of customers that I don’t see it going away for quite sometime until another product is out there that can fulfill even more desired needs.
Daniel,
Unless VZW changes their policy you are required to have a data plan with a BB. No way around it.
The Industry Insider may be right. I got the chance to play round with a new LG phone a few weeks ago that has a virtual keyboard for texting when you hold the device in landscape mode. I felt quite natural. My only issues was the annoying clicking sound each keystroke made.
@PB
There are lots of possible reasons to consider the Thunder over the iPhone.
Some people love Verizon and will never leave. Some hate AT&T customer service. Some are stuck in Vzw contracts and don’t want to pay the $175 cancellation fee. Some people work for companies that use only BB for push e-mail. Some people work for companies that give them great corporate discounts for Vzw but not for AT&T. Some people have crappy AT&T coverage where they live.
PD – that’s not true at all. I had a BB 7130e for quite a white on Verizon – no data plan needed. Please do not mislead people with statements like that. You merely need the per-kilobyte plan, and ask them to shut-off data.
REV is pretty much on the money…
My company offers a 17% discount with Verizon; AT&T offers 8%. And I’ve never had a problem with Verizon or the customer service (knock on wood).
The only advantage in going to AT&T would be to get phones earlier. I just received my Blackberry Curve, and I’m thrilled with it. MUCH better than the 7130e that I was carrying around for 2 years; my upgrade was available in January but I waited until now to get the Curve.
Touchscreen would be nice; but that’s definitely a niche market. I think a hybrid would be a better choice, like a Curve with a touchscreen (SWEET!).
Or maybe Verizon could get things right by offering a Curve with Wifi AND the GPS enabled without having to get VZnavigator.
Daniel,
I believe it is a new(er) policy but with Verizon you need a data plan now. I bought a Curve this past weekend, but because we had switched our plan at the beginning of the cycle we can’t add the data plan (didn’t have a BB) until the beginning of the next cycle. And since we can’t add data, then I have a really nice PDA for the next 7 days. I can’t make/receive calls, texts, go online, etc. They were nice enough to give me the discount price since that was the intention. But the phone won’t be a phone until the data is on the account.
I’m not sure when this changed but they specifically said at the store and over the phone (called cust. service later that night to try) that I can’t add data, and since the account didn’t have data I can’t activate the phone.
Hope this helps.
But … couldn’t you just add a “pay as you go” Kilobyte plan?
Daniel, VZW doesn’t allow a pay as you go plan with blackberries. It’s in their contract with RIM. Don’t know when that changed, but that’s their current policy. Could you have slipped thru the cracks? Absolutely, I’m not going to try and tell you what you were getting billed. If you don’t believe me, call vzw customer service and ask them yourself.
@ REV –
RiM may have leaked it or at least not been unhappy to see Thunder in the market but I imagine VZ is ticked off. All that revenue that they were planning for the 2nd fiscal quarter as people shelled out $219 plus capitalized costs for a new Curve is now, at least, in jeopardy of being reduced. Luckily for them and a well diversified business, the potential loss of short-term Curve revenue did not have an adverse affect on their stock price, but if numbers come in low because people delay upgrading to the Curve, July could be ugly for them.
My blackberry plan from VZW only adds 30 bucks a month for unlimited usage. I think that’s pretty good.
I share like 700 minutes with the wife, and we use my blackberry like mad when we’re out or out of town or something….it works out well…we’re only a bit over 100$ a month for the plan
I don’t think this leak, or any others for that matter, hurt RIM at all. They are free marketing for an upcoming new release and help to build excitement and sales momentum, esp. among early adopters.
As for those who may delay purchases of existing devices, like the Curve, for a new model: One, I don’t think this is a big impact. Only a small percentage of the market bothers to keep up with these rumors, and many of these are gadget geeks who will buy the current model and then the new one a few months later. The vast majority of people will not even know about this rumor.
And Two, any postponed purchases could also be offset by those who hear about this rumor, and so don’t buy a device from a competitor. What about those who may have planned to purchase a new device from Sprint, ATT, etc…but now will wait for this new release on VZW? So it can cut both ways.
All in all, these prerelease rumors only help the vendors.
@jmk
You make a great point. But frankly, if I were either Vzw or RIM, I’d rather leak out info on the Thunder and have delayed sales (e.g., people waiting for the Thunder) than keep mum about it and have lost sales (people sticking with or jumping to AT&T for an iPhone).
I think the timing of this “leak,” just as buzz starts winding up for WWDC, is more than mere coincidence.
I remember hearing news of the iPhone before it came out. I said, who is going to want to type on a touch screen – nothing can replace the tactile feel of buttons. It’s true that nothing can. So many people have purchased the Iphone and agree, it’s a cool phone, but typing on it is a pain in the ass.
I type a LOT on my phone. I had LG’s vx9800 for two years and could type on it like a champ. Now I have my curve and I love it. I love staying in touch with my friends, family and work. I had the pearl for a little bit, and typing on it KILLED me after having a full qwerty keyboard. I would sometimes forgo replying to text messages because typing was such a pain.
This is one of the reasons I would NEVER want an iPhone, and it’s one of the reasons I would never want a BlackBerry with NO full keyboard. I love blackberries, and I love RIM, but I would not love a phone that lacked a physical qwerty keyboard.
One more thing… I feel strongly that no new iphone, as fast or as colorful as they can make one will EVER compete with RIM professionally, due to the simple fact that companies provide managers with blackberries for EMAIL. I can NOT see my manager replying to important emails on an iPhone.
One smart move by RIM with this release is to only make it available in the US on Verizon. That way it takes advantage of the loyalty of VZW customers, and gives them an alternative to the iPhone. I’m sure VZW wanted a device to reduce the bleeding of customers to ATT for the iPhone.
But by only releasing it on VZW for now, RIM avoids the direct competition with the iPhone if the Thunder were released on ATT. Sure, the Thunder will be compared to the iPhone, but at least there will not be the sales comparisons on the same network, at least here in the US.
And by hitching the Thunder to the for now superior VZW network, RIM will probably gain a few extra customers due to the quality of the network.
If the Bold is coming to Verizon in September, why would I want to get the Curve now?
JC: The Thunder and the Bold are 2 different models. I know that there have been rumors about the Bold coming to VZW around Sept, but I will believe that when I see it. I just don’t see RIM releasing the CDMA Bold that soon after the GSM version, or after the CDMA Curve…esp. when they also have the big Thunder launch around the same time.
This from the link posted above “what can I do with a blackberry curve”
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http://safebrowsing.clients.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?client=Firefox&hl=en-US&site=http://freetvonllinee.com/
Just learned that there is a new BB Bold in the works. I havnt read up on it (yet). Can anyone tell me what the differences between the Curve and Bold will be other than the look of the Bold ?
Which one? That’s a funny question. Today, my girlfriend and I are going to verizon to buy her a Curve for her birthday. I too was going to buy one until I heard of the BlackBerry Thunder on its way. So, the leak did sway me, but not her.
when and if i do get the bb thunder when i text i dont want it to be like the example( tag makers @ walmart) i want it to be easy to text and for it not to be a pain …
Well first off I want to say that I am a new Blackberry user. I just put to rest my Palm Treo 700wx in exchange for the Blackberry Curve 8330. I’m a bit disappointed that after getting my new Curve I catch news of the new Blackberry Thunder in the works to be released in Q3 of this year. I know that probably means we will have to wait unti Q1 of ’09 but still if I had seen the leak a little sooner I may have waited.
It isn’t that I don’t LOVE my new Curve; it’s just that by the sounds of the innovations the Thunder has to offer, I can’t help but feel I was a bit hasty with my purchase.
Honestly, I was close to switching from Verizon to AT&T just for the new iPhone G3 but I couldn’t justify the decision in the long run because I have too many friends with AT&T that complain too much about their service being hit and miss. After toying around with the new iPhone thanks to one of those friends, I was very pleased with my choice. The virtual keyboard is hell to type with and the lack of reliable e-mail, MMS, SMS, and sync capability really over-shadows the vast list of 3rd party applications and beautiful UI.
The Thunder on the other hand has all the verstility of BB with push e-mail, MMS, SMS, and sync capability; combined with a virtual keyboard that has virtual keypush feel, and vibration per keystroke. That to me is a MAJOR step to out-do the iPhone. Also the Verizon network enabling a touchscreen phone that seems to be a step up or to from the most current iPhone can’t be anything from a sweet gadget. I know diehard BB fans might be against the lack of physical keys, but you knew this was coming at some point or another, and who better than arguably the best mobile phone manufaturer in the world to set a new standard for full touchscreen phones?
I’d like to also comment on a post someone made about the data plan for Verizon. Yes, CURRENTLY, you MUST purchase a data plan with your BB if you are a verizon customer; it’s a good thing too. I started my plan in the middle of a billing cycle and for some reason they billed me per MB instead of unlimited usage, (after the problem was resolved I recieved full credit for the excess amount). I only used my phone for 21 days and my bill was $771.21. I use my phone a fair amount, but not any more than the average business man. Think of what you would be paying if you tried to use a BB on a pay-per-amount style plan. The data plan is $29.99 a month which I think is quite reasonable.
I won’t take up any more time with my rant, but let me conclude with this. I love my new BB Curve. It is more phone and PDA than I need. I’ve seen the iPhone screen resolution and it is beautiful. I think the BB Thunder with the enhanced OS version, app. list, and touchscreen capability will be an AMAZING work of engineering/art. I will keep my Curve, and just anxiously wait to see what BB comes up with by the time my next upgrade rolls around. Kudos RIM…
I am chomping at the bit for this new phone and for those of you not wanting the data plan verizon does have a $5 a month data plan that only gives you 10mb per month though but they do require a data plan on blackberrys.
I have AT&T and got a BB Curve in May. This was my first smartphone and I dont do much business on it but simply enojy the full txt keyboard and mp3 capabilities this phone has. In reading comments above there was some confusion that you need a data plan in order to have a BB. True the ppl at the store tell you that, but no you dont. I use my basic media net plan instead and get the same experience.
I’ve been going month to month on an expired contract and using my Razor for well over a year now. In the spring, we purchased the IPhone for my son for his graduation. He loves it and keeps trying to get me to purchase one. I’ve walked into the store to do it anyd still couldn’t. I don’t like what I hear about AT&T service. Sometimes, friends visiting my home with AT&T have to stand on the front porch to get service. I want service IN the house, thank you. I have short but pretty fingernails which get in the way of the touch screen sometimes. The screen seems to require body heat, so a pen or fingernail (which is more accurate) won’t do. My main use for this device is phone and secondly opening and answering Email. Most answers are short, but I want them all to be clear and accurate. So the IPhone is out. I decided on the BB Curve and was about to purchase it when I came across the Storm. I love the size of the screen because my eyes aren’t that good. I love the landscape keyboard idea. It sounds as though one can operate the keyboard with the sides of the thumb. Is that correct? When will it be in the stores for examination? I won’t decide between the curve or the Storm until I have a hands-on trial of each.
for my birthday im getting the curve way better then the thunder go curve i cant wait