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Mitchell Ashley
RIM Still Hasn't Recovered From The Blackberry Storm
Written on Wed, 11/04/09 - 8:54am
The Blackberry Bold is getting good attention but the mobile SmartPhone world has become a two horse race between the Apple iPhone and the Motorola/Google Droid. Even with the new Blackberry Storm 2 model, the Storm missed its window to be a serious contender against the iPhone (despite all my ill advised ...
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Verizon and Google Droid Phone Take Run At iPhone
Written on Wed, 10/28/09 - 1:51pm
After the debacle called the Blackberry Storm, you have to wonder if Verizon is really ready to take another run at the iPhone. From one viewpoint the Google Android powered Droid phone must a very capable contender, given how the recent Droid video ads pick at iPhone weak points. Hard to say the Droid...
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Windows Mobile 6.5 - It's A Shame It's So Lame
Written on Tue, 10/06/09 - 12:50pm
Microsoft has announced phone partners for Windows Mobile 6.5 and we now have a bird's-eye view of the mobile OS upgrade. Too bad there's not a whole lot to see. Some UI changes, including dumping the Today screen for something a bit more pleasing to the eye and easier to use, a new app store, and an...
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iPhone, Android and Storm Impact RIM's Subscriber Growth
Written on Fri, 06/19/09 - 10:54am
Blackberry maker, RIM, just reported it's first drop in subscriber growth since 2006 back when they were in patent litigation. RIM likely has the iPhone, and to a lesser degree, Google's Android phones to thank. But while RIM might point the finger at Apple or Google, there's more fingers in that hand...
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Goodbye Blackberry Storm, Hello Apple iPhone
Written on Wed, 05/06/09 - 11:25am
In a major about face, I mean this Apple poo poo blogger is eating some very serious crow here, I'm announcing that I've powered down the Blackberry Storm, ported the number from Verizon to AT&T, and am now using an iPhone 3G as my primary SmartPhone device. The Storm is up on eBay and the...
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Storm Customers Left To Run Unsupported Software
Written on Wed, 04/08/09 - 4:05am
Seems like yesterday's rant about my Blackberry Storm kicked up quite a firestorm (pun intended.) One thing's for sure: taking sides about Smartphones (Blackberry, iPhone or Windows Mobile) and computer operating systems (Windows, OS X or Linux) will get you plenty of comment flames, and...
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Blackberry Storm Needs Bailout And Stimulus Package
Written on Tue, 04/07/09 - 9:19am
Rex, an old buddy of mine, recently asked me, "Hey you have a Blackberry Storm, don't you? What do you think of it?" It was a loaded question because Rex had recently set up a Storm for one of his customers, and said, "... it only took few minutes or so setting up email to figure...
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Blackberry Storm – A Huge Disappointment
Written on Tue, 01/27/09 - 3:01am
Sometimes I just have to fess up and eat crow, and it’s time I do that about all the touting I’ve done declaring the BlackBerry Storm an iPhone killer. The fact of the matter is, the BlackBerry Storm has a long way to go before it equals the iPhone in many respects. I’m not saying the Storm is...
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Best And Worst 2008 Predictions
Written on Fri, 01/02/09 - 11:02am
I'm not necessarily in the business of officially making predictions about the IT industry or market, I'll leave that to the realm of the analysts. But as a technologist, product creator, entrepreneur and IT guy, I'm always casting my net in the direction I think things are headed or will...
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Vendors: The Right Free Software Strategy For 2009
Written on Wed, 12/31/08 - 10:59pm
There are lots of free services and software out on the net, much of it you probably wonder how the company will ever make money with. But I occasionally run into someone who seems to have it figured out. Recently a co-worker turned me onto Virtual CloneDrive, free software that mounts ISO images as...
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Microsoft Experiments On iPhone Users
Written on Tue, 12/16/08 - 5:10pm
Last week we learned about the launching of Microsoft's first iPhone app, Seadragon, created by Microsoft's Live Labs research group. Seadragon is a iPhone and AJAX web plugin that lets you view high density graphic images (we're talking gig's in size here) in a web browser or via your...
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It's not a successful launch unless the order system gets hurt
Written on Sun, 11/23/08 - 3:04am
Well, it looks like the Blackberry Storm's debut on Friday was a hit. The Blackberry cult is still alive and well, with thousands of Crackberry users showing up to upgrade their CBs and new recruits ready to join the throngs of The Berry. But a disturbing trend has emerged; crashing the order system....
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Storm Rumbles Across iPhone Plains
Written on Fri, 11/21/08 - 8:01am
Well, the Blackberry Storm is finally here. I've had a chance to use both and here's my honest assessment of the Blackberry Storm compared with the iPhone. I know, you're probably wondering how I know what an iPhone is like after all the ranting I've done about Apple and it's black...
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Blackberry Storm - Better Late Than Buggy
Written on Sat, 11/08/08 - 3:55am
Looks like plans to get the new Blackberry Storm next week have been dashed until the end of the month. GIZMODO is reporting there's a software glitch and Verizon's holding off until it's fixed. Fine by me.
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Best of Windows Mobile 6: Touch Commander
Written on Thu, 11/06/08 - 6:06am
The Windows Mobile 6 operating system is getting to be a bit long in the tooth. I suspect the Windows Vista OS upgrade was named Windows 7 so it can match up with a new phone OS, Windows Mobile 7, some time in '09 (just a guess.) New phone user interfaces offered by the Apple iPhone and BlackBerry...
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Apple could cut iPhone's Price in Half, Says Report
Written on Mon, 10/27/08 - 6:52pm
Needham Research analyst Charlie Wolf says Apple has room to cut the iPhone price in half and still make a tidy 42.3 percent profit margin. That means iPhones could be the same price as the $100 Blackberry Curve and Pearl SmartPhones. If Apple did that, it would make the introduction of the much desired...
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5 Things Blackberry Storm Got Right The iPhone Didn't
Written on Thu, 10/09/08 - 3:57am
Welcome Blackberry Storm - we've been waiting. It's no secret I think the Apple iPhone is mostly iCandy and benefits more from Apple "cool" rather than real substance as a fully useful SmartPhone. It's an iPod with a bad phone, a bad phone network, and poorly thought out email...
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Blackberry Storm begins raining on iPhone parade
Written on Wed, 10/08/08 - 3:12am
Woot! The BlackBerry Storm (9530) on Verizon's 3G EV-DO network has been announced. Support on Vodafone was also announced.
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About Converging on Microsoft
Mitchell Ashley has a diverse background in software development, network engineering, information security, mobility, collaborative technologies, and IT management and operations. An early adopter of social media in business, he began blogging about security and information technologies in 2006 at theconvergingnetwork.com. Mitchell is VP of Information Technology at CableLabs in Louisville, CO, and previously held positions as CIO, CTO and VP Engineering at prior companies.
 

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