BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry Torch beat BlackBerry Z10 on Amazon

This is not turning out to be the U.S.launch of the BlackBerry Z10 that CEO Thorsten Heins had been dreaming about. Consider the response at Amazon, which has the BlackBerry Z10 in stock and ready to to be shipped for $199.99 with a signed two-year pact. How embarrassing would it be for BlackBerry if we told you that the Z10 did not even make the AT&T Top 100 smartphones on Amazon's list? And suppose we told you that beating out the first BlackBerry 10 handset is the Sony Ericsson W580i, made by a company that is no longer around.

Even worse is the news that the BlackBerry Curve 8520 is number 67 and the  flagship 'Berry before the Z10, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is number 38. The highest ranking 'Berry is the BlackBerry Torch 9810 at number 21 on a list dominated by Android models like the Samsung Galaxy S III and the Samsung GALAXY Note II.

Perhaps BlackBerry misjudged the market and should have released the QWERTY equipped BlackBerry Q10 first. That is the model that BlackBerry could have pointed to as having something that even the Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung GALAXY Note II didn't have. CEO Thorsten Heins had best have a Plan B ready because at this point, no amount of spin is going to turn the BlackBerry Z10 into lemonade.

Blackberry Z10 and BB10 First Update

BlackBerry has now started staging and rolling out the first major update for the Z10 following the launch of the smartphone last month in Europe and Canada. The update pushes the software version on the phone to 10.0.10.85 and features the following fixes, improvements and changes:

• 3rd Party App Performance
  We’ve improved performance for 3rd party applications, so developers can build apps that run fast and smooth for you. With this update, you might want to keep an eye out for some fresh new app launches in March, like WhatsApp.

• Phone, Calendar, and Contacts
  Among the top improvements and features are fixes for Gmail calendars on BlackBerry 10. You’ll also find improvements in the BlackBerry Hub for logging calls log and how conversations are handled. We’ve also made general improvements to importing contacts from online sources.

• Camera
  We’ve optimized the camera for better photos in low-light situations. You’ll love the difference this makes for photos where you don’t use a flash – like the Time Shift Camera feature.

• Browser and Media
  With more and more of you using the gorgeous screen on the BlackBerry Z10 to consume online videos and media, we’ve made a number of improvements to the software in the way the browser handles video playback to provide a fantastic experience. 

• Battery Life
  The software team has included a number of battery life optimizations with over 60 battery saving improvements since launch to keep you moving. These combined improvements are designed so that you see improvements in battery life and heavy users especially should see a longer average usage per charge cycle.

The list of improvements and changes follows the amount of critical judgment placed upon the platform and the Z10 itself, as the phone was met with mixed reviews, owing to its highly praised hardware and software touches, though the camera performance in particular was judged rather harshly compared to current Android and iPhone flagships. The rest of the changes also reflect the amount of criticism for the initial release of BB10, something that will no doubt be improved as the platform is given more time to mature and grow as the userbase expands.

Currently, the US launch of BB10 and the Z10 is slated for later this month across multiple carriers, with T-Mobile USA expected to be the first to launch its version of the Z10 after internal testing revealed that the software and hardware was more stable than expected after initial testing. Further carrier releases are expected well into April and May.

Business Phone from Blackberry after Blackberry 10?

Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins has openly flirted with the idea of licensing the company's software in the run-up to launch of BlackBerry 10. Heins today revealed that he's also open to getting out of the manufacturing business entirely and sell RIM's handset operations. 

In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt, Heins said that RIM would consider selling its smartphone operations or licensing its software to other companies. Heins had previously stated that all options were on the table related to the licensing of BB10, but he now says that a sale is on the table as well. Of course, any potential change in RIM's business model is contingent on the successful launch of BlackBerry 10, which is set to debut January 30. If BB10 manages to regain some of RIM's lost market share or at least stop the trend of customers abandoning the platform for Android or Apple iOS, it would make BlackBerry a more attractive product.

Heins told Die Welt (translated by Google):

Before you licensed the software, you must show that the platform has a large potential. First we have to fulfill our promises. If such proof, a licensing is conceivable.

Should RIM decide to sell its handset manufacturing business, it would follow the path of Google and Microsoft and focus on licensing software rather than controlling both the hardware and software portions of the business. It could also decide to continue manufacturing phones and license to other companies, like Samsung or LG. Heins says the company will conduct a strategic review after it launches BlackBerry 10 and then assesses its options

Blackberry 10 on January?

After weeks of carrier testing and preparation in the run up to its long-awaited debut, embattled and beleaguered platform developer and manufacturer Research in Motion has announced two launch dates for its new look BB10 operating system.
The first launch date, set for January 13th is the official worldwide launch of BB10 with carriers rolling out support for the new platform and RIM rolling out the latest updates to its platform for BB10 suport on that date. The second launch date of January 30th is the official consumer launch party for the platform, whereby consumers will be able to test and use the first wave of BB10 devices at specially planned launch parties around the world.

With RIM setting these two dates for future availability of the platform, the company looks to calm investor concerns about availability of the platform after facing considerable delays, delays which have relegated the company to a fourth place position in the market with Windows Phone 8 looking to become the third alternative to the dominance of iOS and Android.
Whether the new dates will make an impact remains to be seen, as both dates are well outside of the International CES tradeshow window and many industry watchers expected RIM to debut BB10 during CES. With RIM deciding to launch outside of the International CES window, it may mean that the company does not want to risk being overshadowed by other technology announcements made during the show and would rather host its own events in order to shore up media coverage.