On the No Jitter blog, Michael Finneran of dBrn Associates offers a glimpse of optimism for RIM after attending BlackBerry World, the company’s annual conference:

I spent most of last week at BlackBerry World (formerly Wireless Enterprise Symposium), RIM’s annual industry event, and despite what you may have been reading in the trade press, the company is far from dead. They made several important announcements (including one truly surprising one), and focused considerable attention on the recently introduced PlayBook tablet.

But what does “far from dead” really mean? It’s certainly not thriving or growing, as recent earnings and sales data suggest. Is it just “getting by”? Or is it dying then? That’s what most bloggers posit. And there are lots of them who see RIM on a course to implosion (the best analysis I’ve read on this matter from Michael Mace).

Of course, at such a major company event, the executives and marketing folks want attendees to leave with the impression that BlackBerry devices create double rainbows and run on unicorn farts. I can see why Finneran also saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Evidently Steve Jobs isn’t the only CEO who can generate a “reality distortion field”…

But it’s kind of dangerous to link a company’s survival with the number of employees, partners, and traffic from a popular app:

The company is still a powerhouse with 17,500 employees worldwide and selling through 550 carriers in 170 countries; traffic on their BlackBerry Messenger service grew 332% last year. The company has scale and resources, but they can’t seem to shake the market perception that they are “stodgy” now that Apple and Android have burst onto the scene. They are taking steps to address the marketing problems. RIM’s chief marketing officer, Keith Pardy left the company in March after a two-year stay and on the eve of the PlayBook launch; he has not been replaced. Last Friday, Roger Baxter was appointed VP of brand and marketing communications, replacing Paul Kalbfleisch whose title had been VP of brand creativity.

Remember Nortel? Just three years ago Nortel employed over 32,000 workers globally and it had many partners as well as an established customer base. RIM still employs lots of people, but I’m not sure of its “powerhouse” status.

Admittedly, RIM does have a marketing problem, but that’s not the only problem. That’s not even the main problem. Look at the new phones it announced at the show. The Bold 9900 and 9930 to run the new BlackBerry 7 OS. It looks like the BlackBerry from five years ago but slimmer and shinier, and with a comparatively tiny touch screen (yes, it still has a physical keyboard). On the network side, it won’t support LTE but runs 802.11n WiFi on either the 2.4 or 5 GHz channels (iPhone’s 2.4 GHz-only WiFi is “useless for corporate deployments”). It will have NFC, however — RIM may beat Apple in that regard (but then there’s the rumor of OS 7 devices being delayed)…

And the best indicator of any sizable tech company in a struggle for survival? A closer partnership with Microsoft. It happened to Apple many years ago (Apple has since turned itself around), it happened to Nokia recently (results still yet to be seen), and now it’s happening to RIM.

Its flagship tablet, the PlayBook, isn’t basking in the glow of spectacular reviews, either. Plus, search through Craigslist and you’ll find plenty of PlayBooks (even brand new in box) for sale — below its retail price of $499 (16 GB WiFi base model). Even more troubling is seeing quite a few owners willing to trade the PlayBook to get another tablet such as the iPad or Xoom. Worse yet, it looks like RIM indeed rushed things to put the PlayBook on store shelves as BlackBerry Bridge — its centerpiece connectivity software to link to a BlackBerry smartphone — wasn’t even delivered to AT&T until a few days before launch.

RIM definitely needs to improve on its execution to prevent a BlackBerry world collapse. Consumers love choices and options, and a market without BlackBerrys would indeed be a very, very sad place.

It’s well documented on this blog that I’ve had my doubts about RIM’s mobile strategy to fend off Apple and Google’s ever increasing market share gains. The PlayBook was announced in September 2010 to great fanfare, and now nearly six months later not one unit has shown up on store shelves. Then I thought RIM might actually have a chance against its tough competitors with the TAT acquisition.

Then I read this. Jamie Murai, an eager developer looking to write apps for the PlayBook, got so frustrated with the paperwork and unfriendly tools that he finally gave up:

So it was at this point that I decided to surrender. Knowing what a pleasure it is to use Apple and Google’s tools, there was no way I could justify continuing with Playbook development. I thought this story would end there. Unfortunately, there was one more little jab you were still able to get in, RIM. This afternoon, Google Notifier informs me that I’ve received an email from you. Naturally, I assumed that it was just a confirmation that my App World account had been approved, considering I had filled out your forms truthfully and completely, just as you had asked. However, I was surprised to find that it was, in fact, a request for more personal information. You wanted me to print off a notarized statement of identification form, fill it out, take it to notary with government issue ID to have it notarized, and then return it to you so that you could be absolutely sure with 100% accuracy that I was who I said I was. I think it goes without saying at this point, but neither Apple nor Google require you to do anything even close to that.

This is perilous for RIM and an obstacle to PlayBook’s potential success. RIM can show off a dozen PlayBooks at CES, dangle the tablet on stage in front of an audience at MWC, or demo a fantastic user interface — but without developers creating useful and fun apps, the PlayBook risks becoming an expensive paperweight.

Is this why there’s a rumor about the PlayBook being able to run Android apps? Because RIM isn’t seeing a lot of developers sign up for the PlayBook?

And the scary thing is that both Apple iOS and Google Android are way, way, way ahead of RIM in terms of number of apps. RIM has to face the reality that it needs to attract developers at a fast and furious pace, cheaply. If the frustration from Murai and his developer peers is not addressed quickly, then it won’t surprise me to see the PlayBook go down in flames in a hurry.

Although most of time this blog covers enterprise communications, there were some interesting stuff out of CES 2011 that may be of interest to readers.

One of the biggest and surprising news came from Skype, and CEO Tony Bates was in the Las Vegas Convention Center to deliver it live: the acquisition of Qik. Mobile video, group video calling, and the new SkypeKit SDK were also highlighted by Bates on stage. All part of the company’s ramp-up to an IPO this year.

On the other hand, VOIP provider Ooma chose to focus solely on consumer voice telephony. It has a good-looking and robust product, but there are no plans to target the video business at all.

And how about that sexy tablet called the BlackBerry PlayBook? RIM booked a pavilion at CES to show the world that it’s serious about the tablet — and it’s not an Android.

More CES 2011 coverage is available on gagagadget — don’t forget to check out the YouTube channel and Flickr group!

The Astonishing Tribe (TAT) is, well, astonishing. In that it’s a global company with teams of visual designers and UI experts. Never heard of them? You should if you’re an Android user.

It’s no secret that I’m a BlackBerry skeptic with its much-hyped PlayBook tablet and yawn-inducing smartphone designs. However, with the acquisition of QNX and now TAT, perhaps RIM is on its way to recovery after admitting it has a real problem and will now address it.

A very bold and good move, in my opinion. The PlayBook doesn’t do much for me, but knowing that TAT will now be involved in the process actually makes it a product to look forward to.

Just when I thought I’d written enough about BlackBerry being out of touch, I received this guest post from John Stepp, president of Free Tech Consultants, about the latest leaked BlackBerry 8980. Looks like another winner, RIM! (If we were still living in the 90s…)

I used to really like my BlackBerry in the early 2000’s.  I’ll never forget the day I was racing to Bush Airport in Houston, raining like crazy, driving with my knees, reading emails and highlighting the phone numbers at the end of the email to call back the ones I felt were important.  Those were the days.  Can’t do that anymore — it’s illegal.  Well, at least if you want to have the same form factor BlackBerry as back then with sort of updated technology under the hood, the FCC has leaked the BlackBerry 8980.

All the details of the phone are unknown since the phone is not announced.  Here is what we know:

1. Blackberry OS5
2. LED flash camera with 3.2 megapixel
3. Quad-band GSM
4. 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
5. Edge technology

Not exactly feature rich, is it?  Since the FCC has the phone, is it going to be released in the US as an ultra low cost device for budget minded enterprises or simply go to the Asian market which has been rumored?  Either way it seems to cement RIM as a blast from the past.  When unannounced future wireless devices are outed, they usually create a stir in the marketplace, but from what I see RIM is being questioned for having a device like this at the FCC in the first place.

But, who knows, RIM may have the last laugh here.  They could offer this device at an extremely low cost of ownership.  Employees could use the Wi-Fi for calls, be shut off from web surfing (no 3G), but have e-mail and even take a picture or two.  It could be a hit in certain enterprises that want to contain their expenses and maintain strict wireless device guidelines.  Or it could be offered to those in the enterprise that do not have wireless capabilities today.  Whatever the case, it will be interesting to see what happens to the 8980 and if the next leaked BlackBerry phone is some super smartphone that can transform its image.

Okay, be honest: How many of you BlackBerry users have iPhone or Android (or even Palm) envy?

The BlackBerry was oh-so-cool, what? Ten years ago? It made you a lean, mean email machine. That was great when businesses get done via emails. But these days, businesses get done via applications. And the truth is, BlackBerry apps suck.

Not only that, but the BB hardware and design haven’t changed much in ages. Same ol’ keypad, same ol’ screen, same ol’ form factor. Where’s the innovation, RIM?

In a move to reinvent itself, RIM scooped up QNX Software Systems. The plan is to replace the BlackBerry OS with QNX. To generate some excitement and buzz about RIM’s future, the PlayBook tablet was announced and slated to arrive in 2011. My opinion about PlayBook fits Jon Evans’ guest blog on TechCrunch, with this intro:

Oh, Research In Motion. You never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

Diehard BlackBerry fans can’t wait for the arrival of PlayBook. Finally, a tablet made by a business-oriented vendor. Who’d want an Apple iPad or Dell Streak (Android)?

All the while the iPad and Android tablets continue to sell like hotcakes. Enough to put a dent in netbook sales figures.

But the PlayBook will have cameras, tethering (only to a BB, silly!), and Flash support! For some reason fans argue the PlayBook’s superiority by touting its Flash capability. Even though this is marketed as a business-oriented machine? How does Flash support help a business user on a tablet device? And limiting tethering to BlackBerry? Makes no sense, except that RIM is too proud to free the PlayBook.

There’s also a video demonstrating the PlayBook’s impressive browser speed against the iPad. Just keep in mind that this video was produced by RIM. Nobody has played with a PlayBook yet.

RIM is marketing the PlayBook as the most powerful tablet device. Unfortunately, when it is sold in 2011 it will have a long way to go to become the most popular tablet device.

(And if the future of RIM is something like this BlackBerry Empathy mockup, somebody please just hand the CEO a non-BlackBerry phone so he can call somebody who cares.)

This guest post is by John Stepp, President of Free Tech Consultants. It’s typed entirely on his Nexus One. Just kidding (but he could’ve).

I know that many are saying that the phone is dead, at least the desktop and landline phone.  If that is the case then why is the mobile world so utterly controlled by the phone?  First people were going crazy to get their hands on the iPhone 4, now many are incensed to find that it has a flaw.  Nobody seems to care much about the revelation that every single iPhone ever shipped has been exaggerating the signal strength of the carrier, AT&T.  No, it is all about the phone.  It is all about the user interface and the user experience.  I understand.  I feel the same way.

When my Nexus One was not perfect and needed to be repaired because of a hardware issue, I had the option of returning it.  Although having calls dropped and having slow data speed was frustrating, I finally decided to just get it fixed.  Just like the Apple iPhone users, I was too enamored with the phone to give it up.  Now that it has the Android 2.2 software on it, the phone is better.  Sure, there is still a dropped call from time to time, but the user interface is great and the data speeds are fast.  Even as the Nexus One is discontinued, CNET tests show that the Nexus One on T-Mobile has data speeds equal or superior to the newer phones.  Whoopi Goldberg was so disgusted with her iPhone 4, she ran over it with her car, but then she went and bought an Apple 3G instead of going to a competitor. The similarity between the Android and Apple infatuation is the great application suites that come with these phones.  From the stunning displays, to the audio/optical communications tools to the immediate access to information, there is much to like.

Gartner recently said that smartphone sales were up almost 50% year over year. And the latest information from ChangeWave Research shows that the next ninety days will have the most explosive growth in smart phones ever with Apple and HTC (Android) leading the way.  However, Research in Motion, the BlackBerry maker favored by most businesses will see its’ market share erode further.  Why are phones that businesses favor in a funk while consumer phones are in such demand that there are now four week backlogs for all the favorites?  The user interface, the phone itself is driving demand and driving change.  E-mail delivery and simple conversations are not enough anymore.  We want pictures, video, social media and immediate access to information.

Businesses will be adapting to this changing landscape on mobility and on the desktop.  Productivity in the workplace will accelerate when the devices employees use in business match that of the devices used in people’s personal lives.  The business telephone and video manufacturers are providing easy to use high value applications for their user interfaces be they computers, netbooks, display phones or video portals.  The future is bright for the companies that decide that the phone (user interface) is everything.  The businesses involved in bringing these “smart” business communications devices to market will grow quickly and sooner than many predict.  And the improved productivity will help businesses grow faster as well, just like the digital revolution did in the nineties.  The phone may morph into many different types of devices, but the future of the phone is as bright as the new displays on the smartphones.