New RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has done a good job trying to communicate with BlackBerry customers. Until RIM comes to market with something that can blow the mind of iOS and Android users, it is the loyal Blackberry owners that Heins is reaching out to by granting an interview with Crackberry. It's a clever strategy. Keep the BlackBerry users you have now to stop the bleeding, which will buy some time until BlackBerry 10 wows other smartphone users.
In that vein, Heins must have figured that with the BlackBerry reputation for building a solid handset, posting some official videos showing a BlackBerry model surviving some brutal tests would be another way to keep current 'Berry users from jumping ship. So RIM uploaded three videos. One shows the flexibility of a BlackBerry model getting pushed out of shape in the lab. This "Bend and Flex" test simulates what a handset goes through when it is in your back pocket and you sit on it. The second test shows a BlackBerry model dropping in slow motion while the third test shows a 'Berry getting dropped in urine some water dyed yellow while a RIM employee shows that the dunking hasn't left any damage to the phone.
The problem with all three videos is that there is no way to determine how much damage the tests caused the actual phones involved. In the "Bend and Flex" test, we did not see the handset's display so we can only take RIM's word that the unit still works after bending like Gumby. The "Drop Test" video had more holes than Swiss Cheese. The screen and possibly the whole phone was turned off when dropped and no attempt was made to turn it on after the impact. And while the third video did show a BlackBerry model working perfectly after a dunking, there is no chain of evidence that proves that the phone that worked is the exact same model that got wet.
We have to applaud Mr. Heins and RIM for opening up a line of communication between the Canadian based firm and its fans, but videos like these three must be bullet-proof or else there will be too many questions about the authenticity of the footage. What could have been a strong first step for the new administration at RIM is reduced to wasted time and effort. And the problem is that the credibility of the company is already shot and time is something that RIM might not have much left of.
BlackBerry Smartphone Durability Testing: Bend and Flex Test:
BlackBerry Smartphone Durability Testing: Drop Test
BlackBerry Smartphone Durability Testing: Water Test
Earlier today we head RIM’s latest financial results, where the company had made made a loss of $125m for their last financial quarter, And RIM’s CEO Thorsten Heins said that they would be concentrating on their core market of business customers.
