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back to article BlackBerry knocks Google's KNOX LOCK PICK for Android

John Chen, CEO of BlackBerry, has hit out at Google’s decision to adopt Sammy’s KNOX security platform across the whole Android ecosystem. In a blog post on the official BlackBerry website Chen is quoted saying: While we applaud Google and Samsung for their plans, we don’t think it’s enough for security-minded enterprises. …

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  1. Alex McDonald 1
    Mushroom

    Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps

    Yes, I want to use Blackberry. I've been moved to an iPhone, and as a biz tool, it's a complete dud.

    I reckon IT departments the world over are run by six year olds that don't have to use what they choose for work either, and they pick the iPhone because it's cool and great at Facetime with the g/b friend or for Facebooking food they just ordered. Mail you say? Didn't try it, and anyhow, who uses that? Yo!

    My personal Galaxy has the same issues of usability, but I'm not trying to do anything serious with it, and I wouldn't pick it as a business tool either.

    Yes, Blackberry has its issues, and Gawd knows it has singularly failed to stop the bleeding to rival devices, but it's far far better business tool than the polished turd I've been forced to use.

    Gimme my Blackberry back.

    11 11 Reply
    1. SuccessCase
      Reply Icon

      Re: Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps

      What do you find your iPhone doesn't do well that your Blackberry does? My business is app development and I would be interested to understand where there are weaknesses/opportunities etc.

      3 2 Reply
      1. RaidOne
        Reply Icon

        Re: Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps @SuccessCase

        I cannot tell you what BB does better than iPhone, but I can talk about what it does better than Android: email.

        Five years ago I had a Blackberry and email was great. Then I wanted to see what it all about the new touchscreen phones and got an Android, a TMobile G2, then I replaced it with an HTC Amaze 4G, and now I am on a Nexus 4.

        None of the Android phones had a good email client out of the box, the major issue being search. I bought the Enhanced Email app, which gives me email, but it's far from perfect and only can store a few weeks of emails before becoming too slow/unstable.

        My next phone is going to be the Blackberry Z30. I use my phone for 3 things (besides talking), in this order:

        - email

        - browsing

        - navigation

        Z30 has all of them.

        2 2 Reply
        1. rapidwiz
          Reply Icon

          Re: Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps @SuccessCase

          So does the iPhone and so does Samsung, so I am not sure what your point is ...

          We all love Blackberry but it is time to move on ..

          0 0 Reply
      2. Alex McDonald 1
        Reply Icon
        FAIL

        Re: Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps

        1. An integrated inbox. All your notification stuff -- calls, tweets, emails, notifications -- in one place. Every time I get a ping on the iPhone I have to go hunting for what caused it. The notification center thing is useless for more than one notification, and I shouldn't have to do this clicking on icons searching stuff out. The BB does this.

        2. When I'm on a call, don't make me have to unlock the phone to go on and off mute, which takes at least 6 screentaps, is distracting and takes too long. The BB has an external mute/unmute button.

        3. The signal strength is way down on my blackberry. I work from home, and there are now places in my home office where there's no signal.

        There's more, particularly to do with the standard email app, but I don't want to drone on and on. I've asked my IT department to take it back as it's affecting my productivity. I'm spending too much time trying to work around these issues.

        2 0 Reply
        1. Mike Bell
          Reply Icon

          Re: Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps

          1. Funny how world + dog seem to struggle by. Try answering the phone when someone calls you, might do wonders for your business. The little numbers that appear on app icons are also there for a reason. Don't Tweet, it will turn you into an idiot.

          2. Briefly hold your finger on the TouchID sensor. Then you can do all kinds of things as well as muting/un muting. Can your BB do that? If it had a thumping great button taking up real estate to do other specific functions like, say, opening your garage door, would you regard that as a virtue or a design flaw?

          A Smartphone isn't just a yapping device, and there are countless businesses that rely on custom apps that have been built for them. Perhaps, you know, they don't share your oracle-like assessment that they are perhaps not serious biz users.

          2 0 Reply
          1. Anonymous Coward
            Reply Icon
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps

            I am trying to work out which post you are responding to.

            Phones are intended to make phone calls, that's how they are different from tablets. So it sort of makes sense to have volume and mute buttons. Garage door openers not so much. I think you're stretching.

            2 1 Reply
          2. Alex McDonald 1
            Reply Icon

            Re: Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps

            That's useful info, but you'll have to permit me to correct you on a few mistakes you've made here.

            Try answering the phone when someone calls you, might do wonders for your business.

            I can't see where I said I didn't answer calls (assuming I have a signal on this wonderful phone).

            The little numbers that appear on app icons are also there for a reason.

            If you have multiple folders (say in Outlook) then the little number only reflects your unread emails in the inbox. Everything else doesn't count. You don't do that? That's probably because you don't get 200+ emails a day.

            Briefly hold your finger on the TouchID sensor.

            That's useful info, and I've just tried it. But on my BB I can either press the physical mute button (it's neatly placed on the side of the phone, iPhone doesn't have one), press the mute on the mic on the headset I use (iPhone doesn't support this) or press the mute screen button (like the iPhone, but I don't need to unlock it first).

            oracle-like assessment

            Thanks. Glad to be of service.

            2 1 Reply
        2. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps

          On droid:

          1) notification bar shows what pinged. Many, many ways to set up notification counts per app

          2) one button press (on even on my s3)

          3) change network provider or get a dual sim device

          next......

          3 0 Reply
    2. Nick 6
      Reply Icon

      Re: Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps

      Serious biz users get serious representation in the serious requirements phases of serious mobile device management projects. IT advise on the solution integrity and through-life cost of the options to meet the requirements. Business chooses and pays.

      Unfortunately few businesses work like this....

      0 0 Reply
    3. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Serious biz users don't want Samdung Fandroid or iDrone Crapps

      Pretty much no one here wants a Blackberry any more even though we still offer them. The vast majority chose Nokia / Windows Phone handsets.

      2 3 Reply
  2. James 51

    I have a BB, migth be tempted by a 1020 but only for the camera. None of the firms I have worked for have devices much less bring your own.

    1 1 Reply
  3. Chad H.

    Meanwhile

    In a return statement, the CEO of Samsung said "While we applaud Blackberry and RIM for their plans, we don’t think it’s enough to cover their costs. Instead look to just about any other business where they actually make money."

    5 0 Reply
  4. Frank N. Stein

    Chen should know that this technique (dumping on the technology that's outselling yours) won't work. Microsoft tried it with their Surface tablets and it didn't cause an increase in sales of the Surface or Surface Pro. What would help Blackberry more than trying to talk Enterprise customers into buying BES is for them to partner with Airwatch to make the Blackberry a more compelling choice from an MDM standpoint with tech that Enterprise customers already use to manage their mobile devices (Airwatch).

    6 0 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      @Frank N. Stein

      While true, the problem for Microsoft was that the Surface doesn't really do anything special. The people who might possibly want one to replace their iPads already have a thin and light notebook which is much more convenient. So why bother?

      BlackBerry will not partner with Airwatch or any other MDM because, security. That's their sole USP, they cannot afford to compromise it.

      1 0 Reply
  5. John Tserkezis

    "KNOX users often report that it can be overly nannying, with false and irrelevant warnings of security breaches"

    I have a Note 3 that has Knox whining and carrying on in its virgin state. I keep getting told that it's the existing software that's triggering it. Ask me how much I care - especially when the ONLY fix is to root the phone and go out of my way to take knox out.

    I hope that knox dies the slow and painful death it deserves. It probably won't though.

    1 1 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      KNOX is a bolt on cludge that tries and fails to match the level of security the Windows Phone and Blackberry have built in from the ground up.

      0 2 Reply
  6. Mikel

    John J. Legere's influence

    Trash talking CEOs might become the new "thing". I'm all for it. IT could use more sauce.

    2 0 Reply
  7. lotus49

    Knox sucks, BB is worse

    I hate Knox and it is the sole reason why I shan't be buying another Samsung device but BlackBerry?

    My BB was replaced about a year ago by an iPhone and, while I much prefer my S4 to my work iPhone, it's a huge improvement over my BB.

    BB is an object lesson in how complacency can kill a business that is dominant in its sector within a few years. Bye bye BB.

    2 0 Reply
    1. James 100
      Reply Icon

      Re: Knox sucks, BB is worse

      I've used all three, for a mix of personal use and supporting business use. I knew the writing was on the wall when I saw staff being offered "BB on expenses, or buy your own iPhone" - and they were paying the full handset cost themselves rather than use a BB. Later, we got official support for other platforms; I remember the e-mail service manager (a die-hard BB fan IIRC) giving the rest of the computing people an internal presentation on the new architecture, which amounted to "BB email goes through the BES on the left; other devices go through the box on the right. They do the same job, but the one on the left costs us more."

      Personally, I hated the keyboard and UI on the BB; clicking up and down through menus felt very much like being thrust back into DOS when a Windows 9x machine went wonky (and this, for an ex-Solaris admin who prefers LaTeX to Word!) There are things that grate on me in Android and iOS too, of course, but I'd take either of them in a heartbeat over a BB.

      I haven't seen Knox yet, though (I'm tempted by a Galaxy S5 next, at least on paper): I've heard a few horror stories about it bombarding the user with false alarms, but I hope there's a way to deal with that!

      0 0 Reply
  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Blackberry???

    Nope, doesn't ring a bell.

    0 0 Reply
  9. Gene Cash Silver badge

    Toxic hellstew

    C'mon El Reg! Get it right... best phrase I've heard all year.

    0 0 Reply
  10. CaptainBanjax

    Blackberry

    Wont be back on any networks I look after. BES was shambolic and cumbersome at best. I dont care how good the handsets were the backend was shit and the licensing cost was insane. Anyone remember doing enterprise activations over the air? Me too...there are probably some still syncing.

    Plus BIS was pants as well.

    0 0 Reply
  11. Oh Matron!

    Not quite...

    Google DIDN'T implement KNOX: They thanked Samsung for their contribution. What Google did was to buy Divide and shoe horn this into Android L.

    However, Chen is completely correct: It's a step in the right direction, but until you design the OS with security in mind, it's just messing about at the periphery.

    What Chen seems to have forgotten is that within 6 months of Android launching, then could have owned the Enterprise container market by leveraging their "3 decades" of experience. Arrogance often, as Blackberry still don't yet to admit, bites you in the ass.

    0 0 Reply

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