BlackBerry is Number 1 Smartphone in the UK

Posted in Handset News about 21 days ago by Robert - Comments (0)

Research firm GFK from shows that Blackberry devices are the best-selling smartphones for the second time running in 2011. BlackBerry averaged 27.7 per cent market share in 2011 and also accumulated 8.5 million UK subscribers the latest data shows.

The rise in sales is due to young people using BlackBerry devices as there are many different budget handsets available to them which are affordable. Also Blackberry Messenger is a very key feature to younger people as they can all keep in contact through the secure messenger service. The fact that Blackberry messenger compresses the data so it’s easier to send pictures through BBM as it is also known.

Another big factor is the price of the Playbook being reduced due to the struggle in sales. This would have got more people interested in the Playbook which would have increased sales slightly. UK Blackberry Managing Director Stephen Bates said the company had “learn a lot” from the experience of the PlayBook, in an interview in the Daily Telegraph. He also admitted that “if you don't have a BlackBerry then it's not the tablet for you”. He explained that the PlayBook was about extending the Blackberry experience for customers.  The PlayBook's 2.0 software, which has been announced by RIM is reportedly going to launch in February, in an attempt to resolve any mistakes made from the first PlayBook OS and make it a better experience.

This is positive news for Blackberry who has taken a lot of negative flack in 2011. This welcome boost should take Blackberry into 2012 with more confidence.

CEO change at Research In Motion

Posted in Announcements about 21 days ago by Robert - Comments (0)

"We will take this to new heights” - This is a Bold statement from the NEW Research In Motion (RIM) CEO Thorsten Heins. Blackberry Smartphone manufacturers RIM have announced a change in CEO. The shake-up at the Canadian company will mean Mike Lazaridis who was founder of RIM and co-CEO Jim Balsillie will both step down. Now steps up Thorsten Heins, who joined RIM in 2007. He has risen through the ranks from Chief Operating Officer, Product Engineering, overseeing the Blackberry smartphone portfolio world-wide. Heins previously worked for Siemens as the Chief of Technology in 2007 and holds a master’s degree in Science and Physics. Will his vast experience be enough to spearhead Blackberry into a new era?

The change up is due to recent struggle in Blackberry sales and the embarrassing outage. The outage at the end of 2011 that troubled users all over the world, experiencing problems, sending ,receiving, using BBM and also internet and data problems. This outage left a lot of users feeling that this shouldn’t happen with a Billionaire company and a secure system. This then lead to the outage being the number 1 #trendontwitter, which was embarrassing for the company.

Another blow was the flop in sales of the Blackberry Playbook which didn’t hit the heights hoped with consumers. This leaves a huge mountain of pressure on Heins to deliver in 2012 as many loyal Blackberry users feel as though they are falling behind the other major manufacturers. The new CEO stated that the company doesn’t need drastic change. He also mentioned that he won’t split up the company. "I will not in any way split this up or separate this into different businesses," Mr. Heins said. "If there [are] requests coming towards Research In Motion to talk about licensing that platform to other companies, I will entertain those discussions. I will listen." I would agree with Heins to some degree as I think they do need some things tweaked to make Blackberry a front runner. I do believe though that they need to step it up fast or risk falling behind further. Let’s look at the positives and negatives of the Blackberry smartphones:

Negatives

Positives

What will 2012 bring for RIM and Blackberry?

In a recent interview with Thorsten Heins he discussed a new Playbook 2.0 OS update. He mentioned that they need to use powerful marketing to help get back on track.

Blackberry 10 platform is something that is being worked on at the moment. Heins states that it’s unheard of for a company to create a new platform within one and a half years, but he’s very excited to see it. There isn’t anything I’ve seen so far that details what Blackberry 10 will consist of and what features and capabilities it will bring. RIM are expected to release a new Blackberry Bold smartphone running on Blackberry 10. The new handset is expected in December and will have touch-screen and QWERTY keyboard facilities.

2012 will be a huge year for RIM and Blackberry, I hope that Thorsten Heins can pull it off and take Blackberry to new heights.

Micro SIM cards – SIMply smaller

Posted in Tech Support about 1 months ago by Robert - Comments (1)

The micro sim is a smaller version of the standard SIM card.

When the iPhone 4 was introduced to the world, it was the first time we saw a micro SIM card being used in a mobile phone.  Since then, more devices are being released that utilise it.  Whether it was a space saving brainwave or an attempt to cause problems for users swapping between devices, the micro SIM is here to stay (for now at least). Although there have been rumours flying around about a nano SIM being developed by a German company which is 30% smaller than a micro SIM.

Using a micro SIM saves a tiny amount of space but when you consider everything a smartphones does, this could make the difference between a good handset and a great handset. Smartphones are fast becoming thinner, compact and even more powerful. When you look at a Smartphone every inch of space is being utilised due to the amount of new features being crammed in. In the last few months I’ve noticed more devices using micro SIMs including the Motorola Razr (which I reviewed last week) and Nokia 800. I feel it’s just a matter of time before the others follow.

Possible issues

The micro SIM does bring one main issue; when copying numbers you used to be able to copy to the SIM and put the SIM in new handset or put your new SIM in your old handset and copy onto SIM card. If you save your contacts onto your standard SIM then you can’t put this in the Smartphone that only takes micro SIM’s and vice versa. Copying contacts to the SIM was always the easiest way to get contacts across and also was useful for anyone porting onto a different network. This now means that you have to download the Software for your specific handset to then sync with Outlook so that it copies your contacts to your Outlook. Then use the Software for your new phone and sync this with Outlook. This can be a positive thing as well as it means your contacts are now saved on Outlook but this could be seen as a problem if you preferred them being separate. If you think downloading the Software etc. is too much of an inconvenience then you can buy a micro SIM adapter, which is the same size as a standard SIM but has an indent and space for you to put your micro SIM in to make it seem like it’s now a standard SIM. There is also the SIM cutter which allows you to cut a standard SIM to a micro SIM size.
           

Summary

Pros: Smaller, allows phone to be more compact, more features

Cons: Difficulties when changing or moving handsets (although SIM cutters and adapters an option)

The micro SIM can be a good addition to Smartphones but will also cause some issues with contacts moving around. Let’s see if other manufacturers follow the trend, only time will tell. There will be many possibilities in the future; maybe the nano SIM will mean manufacturers will change again.

Motorola Razr – THINking ahead

Posted in Handset News about 1 months ago by Robert - Comments (3)

You may think you have heard of the Motorola Razr before in the past due to the Motorola model by the name of Krzr in the past. Don’t let the name fool you as the Razr is far superior and packed with power.

It’s powered by a Dual Core processor and shows signs of becoming a potential smartphone top contender. It uses Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) operating system. The 8MP camera and HD recording that the Razr has is also becoming a trend with all Smartphone highflyers.  There is also a very impressive feature called Smart Actions. This allows you to set up your phone so that for example your phone goes onto silent when you get to work, it recognises the address and does this for you, great for any embarrassing moments when your phones should be off. This can be very useful and there are more Smart Actions to be utilized.

MotoCast is a great feature which comes in the form of an App and allows you to stream from your computer or access files on your computer, no matter where you are. You need Wi-Fi or a data bolt on to do this, but still a cool feature.

The Motorola Razr isn’t just an incredible smartphone with all the features competing with the others. It also has something to make it stand out, which is the splash guard that protects the phone in every area. When you spill water or other liquids on the handset then your phone is protected by the splash guard on the handset. This also helps the screen stand up to any scratches or scrapes which may accidently happen. I find this impressive as there aren’t many smartphones that can say they have this feature. Phones in the past with any protective splash guard and screen protection usually struggle due to low specs. It’s not the case for the Razr and this gives you some piece of mind of any accidents that may occur. This is something you always worry about due to the value of smartphones today.

I’ve never been a fan of Motorola, but looking at the specs and the look of their new creation then it’s hard not to be impressed and eager to see how people react to this. It’s another Android/Motorola double team which has produced the best Motorola handset to date. It looks very promising and exciting for Motorola and gives users another option. The protection from Splash guard makes it more appealing that the rest.

Pros

Cons

Merry Christmas from everyone at JHL Communications

Posted in Company News about 2 months ago by Nick - Comments (2)

JHL Communications Ltd would like to take this opportunity to wish you
and all of your staff a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2012.

We will be closing for the holidays on Friday the 23rd of December and will reopen on Thursday the 5th of January.  During the holiday period, should you experience any issues or require advice regarding your mobile communications, please contact your network direct on the relevant number detailed below:

Best wishes,

John Livingstone and all the staff at JHL