June 12th, 2007
Will iPhone's browsing features break BlackBerry's carrier-subservient M.O.?
Om writes about the Safari browser that will be embedded in iPhone:
If the embedded (Safari) browser …performs the way as hyped by Jobs & Co., (it) will give us the choice-control we have on the web. Search engines to web sites – nothing will be determined by the wireless carriers who have thus far done nothing but create barriers between what we want, and giving us what they want to sell.
If this dynamic plays out, I have to wonder what the ramifications are for BlackBerry.
I say this because ever since BlackBerry has been in the marketplace, they’ve always done the carrier’s bidding. Take for example the Wireless Web options on my Nextel BlackBerry 7520 (step off haters, getting a new handset soon).
Right now the menus of available sites are entirely carrier-driven. We’re talking about the type of content alliances that are strictkly between the carriers and the mobile content providers. BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion has little or no say in participating sites, or the navigational trees that are supposed to help you get there.
Of course you can get to other non-featured sites, but doing so involves lots of pointing and pecking. Not only that, but lots of script-infused sites don’t work in the BlackBerry browser.
Most of these sites will, however, work in the Safari build for iPhone. And although there will be some AT&T Wireless site menus, the user will have more choices than on other devices.
Other devices, as in BlackBerry.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
