Have you noticed that we really haven’t heard much about the BlackBerry KickStart, the first BlackBerry Flip Phone from Research in Motion, pretty much since it was first leaked back at the beginning of the month.
Joe from BBGeeks made a good point about RIM employees not being able to talk about it at WES and actual news about the BlackBerry Bold trumped rumors about other devices, however, we’ve actually seen pictures of the BlackBerry KickStart and have heard that its launch may be just a couple of months away, yet it hasn’t gotten nearly the run that the BlackBerry Thunder has.
We know that most BlackBerry users probably don’t follow the BlackBerry space as closely as readers of this blog do, but, even the crackberry addicts the live for BlackBerry rumors have been unusually quiet on a completely new form factor that could be released in the as early as August.
Will the BlackBerry flip phone flop or will buzz pick up over the coming months?
Well, a flip phone isn’t anything to get all that excited about, I guess. It’s a brand-new form factor for a RIM, but rather old hat for the mobile phone market as a whole.
I applaud RIM for offering more variety in its handsets, but does offering a clamshell BB make RIM that much more competitive? Does it make them stand out or grab attention like 3G and/or a 3.5″ touch screen will?
My wife is already drooling over the Kickstart. She’s inline to finally get a BlackBerry and is super excited about flip phones.
We are also looking forward to taking advantage of TMobile’s UMA features. I’ll be picking up an 8120 as well.
The point is there are a lot of rumors. Anytime you put ‘iPhone Killer’ you get a lot of press. Until someone uses it its hard to say one way or the other. It looks like its the same form factor as Pearl which did very well. We don’t know anything about the specs of this phone. If it has the same features as the bold and if the pricing is right I would think it would see the same kind of success as the Pearl.
Another form factor can’t hurt RIM as there are many folks who want a flip. I’m not sure it will resonate well with current BB users but if this helps them broaden their appeal and get more users on the platform, then I’m all for it. Also, some people may buy this flip, love the email service, and upgrade n the future.
I love the idea of the flip phone b/c, in theory, you get more real estate in a smaller package. It should mean a bigger screen and more space for the key board.
Of course, I want to see it, hold it, pet it before I jump for joy. And I want it to show up on VZ.
I predict flop.
I think it’ll flop only in comparision to their usual hype and excitment seen in their other lines of BB products. However I think its a good idea for them to basically have a training wheel phone for those not ready to jump fully into a blackberry but are wanting to make the move. So with that this phone will pretty much be a stepping stone for those consumers that actually buy it to segway into a true blackberry in the future.
With all of the offerings out there from RIM (Kickstart, Curve, Pearl, Bold, Thunder, etc.), I can’t see it flopping or hitting it big. I’m interested in it, but with all the talk of new phones coming out, I think I’m holding off on getting the Curve on VZW now (exchanging my Pearl on VZW for it). Maybe the Thunder or Bold until the Kickstart hits VZW, who knows. But I don’t think it’s going to flop or exceed all the others.
The flip just doesn’t appeal to the diehard BB fans who read enthusiast blogs like this. It indeed will be aimed at a more casual consumer, who doesn’t immerse themselves in the world of gadget rumor.
I do think it will succeed, but as bhs (bluehorseshoe) notes, it will be neither flop nor huge hit. I also like the training wheels or stepping stone analogy.
Recently a new report confirmed that in United States BlackBerry is in top five best selling devices list. BlackBerry KickStart was the latest release at the start of WES 2008 but RIM employees doest bring KickStart in Spot light.
This new device and its design is going to be a break through for BlackBerry. Short and flop top is something very unusual in devices of RIM .
I am trying the curve out and I like it but am having a tough time getting the desktop software to install and function. I want to tether the curve to use as a modem but it seems the software will not install fo rsome reason. I will try again but I am growing weary and dont want to blame the phone. I would LOVE a clamshell to protect the face of this and also may be simpler to use with a visible keypad. If they improve the tethering process I may wait for that to come out. Its almost August……
I think it will do really well for students, and general people not necessarily in the “business world”. I’m seeing more and more younger kids walking around with blackberries and can see this phone being a big hit with that market. Also this is a nice solution to the pocket dialing that is has been a serious issue with the 3 blackberries i have gone through thus far, when they are out of their case.