What does 2012 have in store for Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and iOS?

We read a lot about mobile here at MSC.  When we found this we thought we should share it.  This really is a great summation of the mobile market for 2012.  Will it play out this way or will we take another 90 degree turn?

Research In Motion's decision last month to replace long-time co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis with COO Thorsten Heins crystallized the challenges that remain for the BlackBerry maker. The company must push back against declining market share in the U.S. market, deliver its BlackBerry 10 platform on time and with perfect execution and convince consumers, carriers and developers alike that RIM is a company worth betting on. One of RIM's staunchest U.S. allies, AT&T Mobility thinks RIM has a place at the smartphone table--but CMO David Christopher recently noted that RIM needs to "innovate quickly and execute." 

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BlackBerry Colt to use ActiveSync

RIM have just announced that they are aiming to relase their first smarphone running the QNX operating system by Q1 2012 and it will be called the Colt.  Normally this would be great news as the QNX platform is the future for RIM and they have to move to it due to the current BlackBerry OS not supporting multi core as an example of one of many reasons.  However I am absolutely amazed at the comment that it will not be supported by the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) and will communicate via ActiveSync out of the box. 

So a few things immeditatley spring to mind.

1. The Ubitexx strategy makes some sense now...to manage a BlackBerry via ActiveSync.
2. This makes a BlackBerry no different to any other ActiveSync based smartphone like iPhones, Android or Phone 7.
3. How will a QNX powered Colt sell without an ecosystem of Apps? This may depend on what it comes pre-loaded with.

A BlackBerry without BES control is like a Microsoft phone that does not talk to Exchange.  It's all a bit odd and just does not make sense.  Perhaps we are missing something here, only time will tell.

BlackBerry Playbook becomes Certified by DSD for Government Use in Australia

RIM's BlackBerry Playbook has not been officially certified for use within the Australian Government Landscape.

DSD describes the Playbook tablet in the publication on the Evaluated Products List as per below:

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BlackBerry PlayBook - First Tablet Certified for U.S. Government

BlackBerry PlayBook Wins ‘Best in Show’ Award at FOSE 2011 Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) announced today that it has received FIPS 140-2 certification for the new BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, making the BlackBerry PlayBook the first tablet certified for deployment within U.S. federal government agencies. No other tablet on the market has gained FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is required under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA).

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MSC Mobility Announces BlackBerry Alliance Elite Membership

Australia - MSC Mobility, a leading Managed Services provider for the BlackBerry® solution in Asia Pacific, today announced that it has renewed its membership in the BlackBerry® Alliance Program as a BlackBerry® Elite Alliance Member.

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