Bunk and Rambling

A number of months back I announced that I was beginning the search for a new mobile phone. After researching and playing with a number of different phones, I finally decided to go with the Samsung D600. The reviews that I had read for this phone and its predecessor the D500 really set this phone apart from the field. Before this phone even hitting my radar screen, the imate SP5 was the device that I was looking to purchase. This was due to the fact that I really wanted to play with a Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone and hadn’t been able to get my hands on one. I am happy however that the D600 came along just in time before I made a purchase. This is not to say that the imate SP5 is not a good phone, I can’t say either way because I have not even seen it in person. The D600 however is being carried by a large number of mobile resellers and on first impressions, it’s easy to see why.

I will post a more in depth report on the D600 once I have had some more time with it. For the moment, I am having problems with the SIM card that was supplied to me mid-week that I hope to have resolved tomorrow. Then I can really start to use the phone.

I have noticed that there is some interest in when the 8700 series of Blackberry handhelds will be available in Australia. Based upon a recent press release from Vodafone, the answer is “now“. Vodafone have announced availability of their branded 8700 device to be available from March 1st 2006. Having visited a Vodafone store at Broadway shopping centre yesterday, it appears that while the stores are aware of the devices, stock has not yet hit the stores.

No announcements have been made by other providers at this stage.

It has been a long and drawn out case, but it appears that the NTP vs. RIM patent case is now over. In my opinion, this legal battle has caused some significant damage to RIM and their Blackberry solution. Many businesses have been questioning the future of Blackberry for the past twelve months or more, which I believe will now be a point of leverage for other solution providers to suggest that a hardware and software solution such as the Blackberry is a major risk to companies if all components are being supplied by a single entity.

Having seen the new 8700 series of devices, I can say that the Blackberry is still leading the market in the mobile e-mail space. However, the patent battle will be small compared to the technology battle RIM will be subjected to as its competitors start to catch up, or even take the market elsewhere.