Pentagon to end exclusive deal with RIM's Blackberry - Polidicks

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/vBAjL.jpg[/IMG] The Pentagon will no longer retain an exclusive contract with Blackberry maker Research in Motion and has invited companies such as Apple to offer smart phones to its vast work force. The move, announced Thursday, comes only days after another government agency, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, said it was dropping the Blackberry device altogether in favour of Apple's iPhone. The Defense Department insisted it would still continue to work with Blackberry phones and that "large numbers of RIM devices" would remain in use among thousands of military personnel and civilians working for the Pentagon. "DoD is not moving away from RIM and the use of Blackberry mobile devices," spokesman Lieutenant Damien Pickart said in an email. The Pentagon, however, wants to establish a "multi-vendor environment" while still adhering to "strict security requirements," he added. The US military and intelligence agencies have long preferred the Blackberry due to security concerns and had worried that Apple, Android and other smart phones lacked sufficient safeguards. But the technology has advanced and Pentagon officials said innovative applications available on other smartphones could be useful for different units or offices. "There's a lot more flash and bang with an Apple iPhone or an Android," said one defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Canadian firm RIM has struggled to compete against the iPhone and devices that use Google's Android system. This change at the Pentagon would likely be carried out as a pilot project in a particular unit or organisation, the official said. The news comes to RIM as shrinking sales, falling stock prices and delayed hardware launches plague the company. RIM currently enjoys 4.3 per cent of the global smartphone market [url]http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/world/story/pentagon-end-exclusive-deal-rims-blackberry-20121102[/url]

RIM needs to make an Andriod phone, seriously their proprietary OS is holding them down.

[QUOTE=laserguided;38284447]RIM needs to make an Andriod phone, seriously their proprietary OS is holding them down.[/QUOTE] Considering how secure it is it's perfect for government applications. It's just so unfortunate that these days you simply need to have the latest and greatest phones.

I don't think they should be looking at ios phone. Have they forgotten about it's network security problems?

Lol. Apple doesn't have flash.

[QUOTE=BCell;38284554]I don't think they should be looking at ios phone. Have they forgotten about it's network security problems?[/QUOTE] Agreed for the consumer versions out there at the moment, one would hope that if they're supplying for the Pentagon they'll be making some changes to it.

AFAIK the military is already working on android phones where both hardware and software has been heavily tweaked to security. [URL="edition.cnn.com/2012/02/03/tech/mobile/government-android-phones/index.html"]edition.cnn.com/2012/02/03/tech/mobile/government-android-phones/index.html[/URL]

Those 5-sides son's-a-bitches!

[QUOTE=Amiga OS;38285255]RIM be fucked, they need to get BB OS10 out now, or they are royally screwed.[/QUOTE] They pretty much already are. Even Windows Phone 8 seems to garner bigger interest among people. Catering primarily to businesses doesn't work anymore, even Microsoft has realized this.

Surely I can't be the only person who can't understand why you would want a Blackberry.

[url]http://selinuxproject.org/page/SEAndroid[/url] I'm pretty sure I remember them modifying Nexus phones with this a while ago.

[QUOTE=Nikota;38284562]Lol. Apple doesn't have flash.[/QUOTE] [url]http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/flash[/url] 2. a sudden, brief outburst or display of joy, wit, etc. 5. superficial, meretricious, or vulgar showiness; ostentatious display.

[QUOTE=J!NX;38285290][url]http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/flash[/url] 2. a sudden, brief outburst or display of joy, wit, etc. 5. superficial, meretricious, or vulgar showiness; ostentatious display.[/QUOTE] "ostentatious display." That's definitely a symptom of Mac's disease...

[QUOTE=Bradyns;38285307]"ostentatious display." That's definitely a symptom of Mac's disease...[/QUOTE] [thumb]http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/lsureveille.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/3b/63b106f0-18cf-11e2-b2b2-0019bb30f31a/507f6febbc437.image.jpg[/thumb] well I do find this image quite high in vulgarity. [sp]turn it upside down[/sp]

[QUOTE=Nikota;38284562]Lol. Apple doesn't have flash.[/QUOTE] Unless WP8 does I can't think of a cell phone OS that does have flash.

[QUOTE=Nikota;38284562]Lol. Apple doesn't have flash.[/QUOTE] so doesn't android 4.1

[QUOTE=Ezhik;38285493]so doesn't android 4.1[/QUOTE] *neither does android 4.1

[QUOTE=Ezhik;38285493]so doesn't android 4.1[/QUOTE] It's just a matter of side-loading two .APK's Apple on the other hand...

RIM fucked themselves over when they stopped making business phones and tried to appeal to apple's fanbase.

[QUOTE=Untouch;38286225]RIM fucked themselves over when they stopped making business phones and tried to appeal to apple's fanbase.[/QUOTE] Actually the problem were that they were too late in doing that, and don't have the capital to sustain a "down" period while they rebuild their image and find their place in the market for "mainstream" smartphones.

Thing is they are actually perfect for texting and calling on, and (at least the recent handsets) feel VERY nice in the hand, especially their famous keyboard but that's about they've got, the OS is smooth but freezes often, there are little to no apps, and they cost quite a bit.

I remember when blackberry's were the shit back in the day

And that's only because most phones were just phones. Not PDA's like they are now.

[QUOTE=fruxodaily;38286713]I remember when blackberry's were the shit back in the day[/QUOTE] They used to be some of the best phones you could get.

[QUOTE=Nikota;38284562]Lol. Apple doesn't have flash.[/QUOTE] what does this have to do with the topic at hand sure apple can be a bit cuntish sometimes but what

A lot more "flash and bang" versus network security on a phone used by defense officials... GJ America

[QUOTE=laserguided;38284447]RIM needs to make an Andriod phone, seriously their proprietary OS is holding them down.[/QUOTE] RIM"s downfall is certainly not the OS. The Downfall was their long term pretty much unchanging hardware. [QUOTE=Untouch;38286225]RIM fucked themselves over when they stopped making business phones and tried to appeal to apple's fanbase.[/QUOTE] Actually the fact that they didn't do that move at once fucked them over. And when they did it was half hearthed. In a sense WindowsMObile had the same issue. It was an incredibly powerfull OS, but it was not consumer oriented. And in the technology universe you get a very interesting movement. a) business adopts a technology. Complex not the easiest to use but powerfull b) the technology standard start to move to the consumer level c) gain popularity and begins changing to appeal to consumers d) business begins embracing the technology as changed by consumers. We've seen this in smartphones, computers, computer mice, and countless of other technologies. Who didn't follow the consumer almost always died out.