How BB10 Stacks Up to Stalwarts iOS & Android

5 Features of BlackBerry 10: Do Android, iOS Match Them?

BlackBerry 10 brings in some cool new features for its fans which we discussed in the February issue of PCQuest (http://tinyurl.com/bevz8pw). Here we analyze these features vis-a-vis their counterparts in Android and iOS.

1) New BlackBerry Messenger - BB10: Known for the classic BBM to message other BlackBerry users, the messenger now offers video chat as well. This comes along with BBM voice, which was available earlier. A unique feature of the messenger is that you can share your phone screen with a contact, which may be useful for making presentations.

Android: Google Talk is Android's solution for messaging. With recent updates, it also offers video calling as well as voice chat. However, you can't share screens with it.

iOS: The popular FaceTime application allows users to hold video chats with other users that have iPhone 4 or later models. Disadvantage is that FaceTime only works with Apple devices, while video/voice chats on Google Talk can be held with even PCs/Macs.

2) BlackBerry Hub - BB10: This feature is a unified inbox that aggregates all messages, emails, reminders and social media notifications into a single screen. A swipe from any part of the OS brings up the inbox, where both workrelated and personal posts can be seen together.

Android: The notifications bar in Android serves the same purpose, and with JellyBean (4.1) you can respond to tweets and messages from the same screen. However, BlackBerry Hub still retains old notifications but they disappear in Android once you click on them.

iOS: Notifications center in iOS also shows text messages, social media notifications and app updates in a central repository. An advantage is that the notifications for apps are managed in a central location and can be turned off easily if not desired.

3) BlackBerry Balance - BB10: A feature targeted at it's dedicated enterprise community, it allows users to keep separate work and personal accounts on the phone. IT managers can install business apps and data on the work account, and a firewall prevents transmission of data from one profile to the other. They can remotely delete all enterprise data from the device once an employee leaves the organization. However, companies need to purchase BlackBerry Enterprise Server to deploy this feature in their workforce.

Android: Android does not have any baked-in features specifically to support enterprise use. External Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions have to be purchased to secure data.

iOS: Although iOS does not have anything like BlacBerry's Balance, iOS6 does provide certificates that third-party MDM vendors can use to communicate with an iPhone or iPad device. This allows them to control content on the device, and perform remote management.

4) BlackBerry World - BB10: At the launch, BlackBerry said there were approximately 70,000 apps in the new BlackBerry World. Many major apps such as Instagram, Skype or Kindle are still not available. The YouTube app on BB10 just directs users to the mobile website. Also, 40% of apps in BlackBerry World are ported from the Android market, so layouts don't match with lackBerry's interface.

Android: Has over 700,000 apps for download. A variety of quality apps available, including Angry Birds, Skype, Instagram, Facebook. Freemium models of apps give users huge choice.

iOS: More than 800,000 apps with apps designed specifically for the iPad. Boasts more high-quality apps than even Google Play.

5) BlackBerry Flow - BB10: BlackBerry Flow is the user interface that emphasizes moving between functions using only gestures, not emphasizing the home screen. Swiping up from the bottom of the screen shows up to 8 live tiles of recent apps used, swiping from the left opens Hub and swiping from the top opens settings.

Android: This has a more traditional interface, with home buttons to go to the main screen and back button to go up one level. Android does provide widgets with live updates which can be arranged anywhere, unlike BB10. One unique aspect is that settings and notifications can be accessed directly from an app in BB10, but requires exiting the app in Android.

iOS: Apple devices just have a home button to take them back to the main menu, and apps are suspended in the background automatically. Notifications and settings can only be accessed from the home screen, not within an app.

‘Developers, SMEs Should Take Note of BB10', Says BlackBerry India

Being the newest kid on the block isn't easy, but BB is determined to bring more developers onto their new platform. As BYOD gains prominence, enterprises want to know why they should support BB10 over other platforms.

For Developers...

Q: The number of apps in BB World is still behind iOS and Android app stores. How has BB been engaging developers to build apps for BB10?

Mathew: We have been engaging the developer community for the past 7-8 months, equipping them with knowledge on BB10 and providing the SDKs for them to start developing for BB10. We hosted BB Jams all over the world, and gave out close to 800 BB10 devices to developers to build and test apps.While BB10 devices have not been launched in India yet, developers already

have access to BB10's gold build version, which is usually not provided by other vendors prior to an official release.

We also conducted ‘Hangout India' at the startup village in Kochi, where we invited 75-80 students to attend a camp organized by BB. Many of them had not even built a mobile app before. Over a 20 day period, they made over 144 apps for the BB10 platform.

Q: There are reports that many Android apps ported over to BB10 are of inferior quality!

Mathew: BB World, like the Android app store, is an open market. The quality of the app is up to the vendor, but we provide something called ‘Built for BB' certification, which consists of a set of rigorous tests that BB puts an app through. From UI, user experience, security to optimization, all aspects of an app are tested. Soon, consumers will look for that stamp on apps before purchase to know that the apps certified are high-quality. However, it is up to the vendor to design the app in such a way as to pass the certification.

Q: Why would an Android, iOS developer want to switch to the BB10 platform?

Mathew: iOS and Android developers can easily port their apps to the BB10 platform using the BB10 SDK. Within a matter of 20 minutes, developers can port their Android app to BB10. We are not trying to ‘push' developers onto our platform, but create a ‘pull' that will encourage them to invest in the BB10 platform. BB devices are highly aspirational, and our users are

willing to pay more for a quality app than compared to the Android platform. Additionally, BB apps with BB Messenger integration have seen 50% higher number of downloads in the past year. While social media integration is available on all platforms, only we offer the unique BBM integration into apps, which is a USP for developers to boast of.

Q: Why would it offer a better revenue model for developers, given paid apps have the standard 70:30 distribution?

Mathew: When Angry Birds was launched on the BB PlayBook, it was priced higher than other platforms such as iOS. As BB devices are highly aspirational, users don't mind shelling out more for paid apps, especially compared to Android, where free apps are preferred by users. Since porting an app takes little time, it just offers developers an additional venue of evenue.

For Enterprises...

Q: Consumers are aware of BB Balance on the BB10. How does it keep work data and personal data separate?

Lalvani: BB Enterprise Service 10 (BES 10) is BB's new enterprise mobility management solution. BB Enterprise Service 10 securely manages BB smartphones, PlayBook and 3rd party devices (iOS and Android) all through one unified console. BB Balance technology is designed to separate and secure work and personal information on BB devices. BB Balance enables users to manage their personal and corporate information by creating a logical partition to ensure data privacy. With BES10, we have an upgraded version of BB Balance that divides the data into two spaces, personal and work. Personal apps like games access personal data and connect directly to the Internet while work apps such as expense reporting access work data and connect through the corporate network behind the organization's firewall. On BB 10, users can install apps, use social networks, manage photos and create videos while the IT department helps by seamlessly managing the workspace and securing the corporate data. Moreover, BB Balance starts up by default once the user connects BB 10 smartphone to the BB Device Service in BB Enterprise Service 10 by creating a work password.

Q: Do organizations have to purchase BES 10 in order to utilize BB Balance?

Lalvani: BES 10 is a consolidation of the enterprise mobility management (EMM) product portfolio and BB Balance is an integral part of BES 10. Therefore, organizations will have to purchase the BES server to use Balance.

Q: Is BES10 affordable for SMEs to purchase?

Lalvani: The BES 10 product portfolio for the SME segment includes BESX and Hosted BES. Until recently, companies could only secure a fully-loaded BB Enterprise Server (BES), which comes with a customizable menu of 450 IT policy options. With BES Express or BESX, companies that fall under the SMB/SME segment can now have 90 Key IT policy options out of the 450 in the full service cycle, where users can access BES Express for a monthly fee as low as Rs 399 offered by some leading carriers against the usual Rs 899 that most carrier partners charge for full-service BES. Also, our Hosted BES service is targeted at the growing SMB market of 30 million SMBs in the country and will enable companies in this segment leverage the hosted services on a pay per use model. This hosted service would help in eliminating the need for hardware (server), software, maintenance or other support costs for organizations with the same levels of security, uptime, and reliability.