Filling the void of Blackberry

By now, I think more people are aware of what's going on with RIM/Blackberry.  For most people, it was a matter of who they would be bought out by and when.

When RIM rolled out the Blackberry many years back, its focus was on the business user.  This user needed something relayable and SECURE.  But when the iPhone hit (and later Android), even tho these devices were less secure than Blackberry, they had features that Blackberry lacked and was hard to catch up: the array of applications.

Now, some tried to bring iPhones and Androids up to the level of Blackberry, to be able to compete for the business user.  For a period of time, Motorola Mobility had an array of products that made their phones more acceptable to the business user.  They had bought out 3LM (mentioned in a prior posting) to make Android more secure.  Their "webtop" on their high end phones was another addition aimed at the business user.  This was a stripped down Linux OS with added features that would turn the phone into a "laptop" if connected to an HDMI device and keyboard (say thru one of their docking stations) or plugged into one of their "lapdocks" which gave a netbook-sized screen and keyboard.  Sadly, when Google bought Motorola Mobility, all that would be dropped as Google wanted the new division to instead focus on the larger consumer market.

Thus, it was left to others to step into the field.  Samsung has already done so to a degree with their Knox security add-on to Android (again, see my prior posting).  Now they seem to have extended this with their SAFE (Samsung for Enterprise) effort.  As higher security for such devices is important, this bearing watching.

See article HERE.

Smartphones approved by DOD

Some recent news items indicate what smartphones the DOD has approved for use.  (read THIS and THIS)

For those not aware, the DOD bases this decision on their Commercial Mobile Device Implementation Plan.

From the news items, they have approved:

• iPhone iOS 6
• Blackberry 10
• Samsung Galaxy devices with Samsung's Knox

That's it.

No other Android devices (which is interesting, as Motorola Solutions came out with a highly secure Android phone recently).  No Windows Phones.  Will they approve more in the future?  Not clear.

For those not aware, Knox is a security add-on to Android created by Samsung.  You can read more about it HERE.

I need to look further into Knox.

Tablets are doomed. Whine, whine, whine.

Ok, this posting is a little off the topic of security, but just wanted to comment on it.

First, we get THIS announcement by Blackberry CEO that tablets are doomed, they have no future.  I guess since RIM/Blackberry failed with there take on a tablet, that makes them an expert on this.

Then we get THIS from Microsoft Chair Bill Gates that iPad users REALLY want is a MS Surface, cause you need a keyboard and office suite to do 'real' stuff.  I guess since sales of MS Surface are super great, he's right.


Frankly, I think both are wrong.

There is no way of knowing the future of tablets.  You can't predict these things.  I'm still waiting for my jetpack I was promised for the 21st Century.  And my flying car.

And Gates is off.  Many people who use tables don't care about the lack of a keyboard or an office suite (which here means MS Office, forgetting that tablets can easily access suites like Google Apps, etc.).  And if you need a keyboard with a tablet, that can be done via a bluetooth keyboard.  Motorola Mobility offers one that can used with their tablet and I'm sure others.  But most tablet users (myself included) would rather use a REAL PC with a REAL keyboard when they want to do work that requires extensive typing and such.

Now back to security.