Hasta La Gadget!

Windows Phone 7 Office Image via Microsoft.

Traditionally, Microsoft has been a software company, leveraging its office suites and operating systems, but selling applications for any compatible hardware and platform. For smartphones in particular, its strategy has been to supply the software and let other companies worry about developing the phones. So why not go all the way and sell its software for every device on every platform?

That’s what Business Insider’s Dan Frommer proposes the company do: “Microsoft should develop Office apps for the iPad, Android, Chrome OS, BlackBerry tablet, and any other computing platform that is likely to become popular over the next 5-10 years,” adding that “if Microsoft wants to keep people tied into its Office suite, it needs to go where the people are going.”

Office is integrated into the forthcoming Windows Phone 7 OS, but would compete on several fronts in smartphone and tablet platforms, including iWork on Apple’s iPad, Google Docs on the mobile web, and Dataviz’s multi-platform Documents To Go, just acquired by Blackberry maker RIM.

Frommer sees RIM’s purchase of Documents To Go as a defense against the possibility of Microsoft introducing an Office app for Blackberry. Ironically, if RIM stops active development of Documents To Go for other platforms, that could create just the multi-platform opening needed to entice Microsoft to swoop in.

See Also:

• RIM Confirms It Bought Documents To Go
• Microsoft Office Web Apps
• Wired 15.04: Desktop, R.I.P.
• Microsoft's Mobile Strategy Takes Aim at Apple, Google
• Apple: The Microsoft of Mobile?
• Microsoft's Mobile Shakeup: Will It Unleash Windows Phone …
• Microsoft's Challenge With Windows Phone 7 Is Wooing Developers …
• BlackBerry Tablet 'BlackPad' Readies to Take On the iPad
• Documents To Go: Finally, an Office Suite for the iPad
• Microsoft Tells Windows Phone 7's App Story

RIM has yet to officially announce the upcoming Style 9670 flip, but the leakfest continues today with a handful of new videos — professionally-produced ones this time — that show off key features of the UI and how to use them. Unlike the Torch, the Style lacks a touchscreen — it just wouldn’t be prudent in a clamshell form factor — which means we’re seeing just what it’s like to navigate the finer points of BlackBerry 6’s user interface with an optical pad (and secondary display) alone on a larger, portrait-oriented display. We’re hopeful that RIM’s new platform has a certain… well, a certain “something” on non-touchscreen devices that the Torch lacks, but time will tell, we suppose. Follow the break for the full video series.

Continue reading BlackBerry Style 9670’s UI demoed in leaked official videos

BlackBerry Style 9670’s UI demoed in leaked official videos originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype updates Android app for Verizon users, lets you keep the WiFi on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We probably shouldn’t have been too surprised when the Indian government yesterday announced that Research in Motion had offered a proposal–an attempt to work with the government’s request for increased access to the information stored on its citizens’ smartphones for “law enforcement” purposes.

Principled stands are all well and good, but at the end of the day, RIM is a company and companies exist to make money, right? And India, after all, is a huge potential market for any consumer electronics manufacturer. In a statement yesterday, Indian government announced that the BlackBerry manufacturer had, “made certain proposals for lawful access by law enforcement agencies.”

The aforementioned “proposals” come after an ultimatum by the India government, which threated to shut down BlackBerry support if RIM didn’t comply by August 31st.

The question then, ultimately, is whether RIM will be forced to make similar concessions in other countries. The India kerfuffle, after all, came on the heels of similar threats by the United Arab Emirates, which threatened to block services after October 11th. Within a few days, Saudi Arabia was threatening its own block, if RIM didn’t meet its request by August 6th (though the latter did, ultimately, grant the company an extension).

It was facing an August 31st deadline before India banned BlackBerry service in the country, but it looks like RIM has now managed to avoid that scenario — at least for a little while. According to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, “RIM have made certain proposals for lawful access by law enforcement agencies and these would be operationalized immediately,” and that “the feasibility of the solutions offered would be assessed thereafter.” Details are still a bit light beyond that, but India’s assessment will apparently come after 60 days, and there’s still no guarantee that we won’t end up back at square one at that point. Interestingly, India is also still raising complaints about Gmail and Skype, with it now saying that it wants Google and Skype to set up servers in the country that would give it greater monitoring capabilities.

RIM averts BlackBerry ban in India… for now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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