The rumor mill is a-turning now that the release of the 3G iPhone is upon us … everyone is speculating what BlackBerry will create in order to compete with the everything-you-could-ever-want-and-more iPhone.  But BlackBerry might just have something up their sleeve with the talk of the BlackBerry AK (supposedly named AK for Apple Killer).

The Apple Killer

RIM offers great BlackBerry devices for their targeted market:  business and executive level personnel.  According to an article by Phone Magazine, RIM holds 40 percent of the market share for smart phones in the U.S. while the iPhone has 17 percent market share.  But we all have seen what Apple can do …

The idea for a touch screen BlackBerry is that it will have the touch screen for ease of selection but will also offer a QWERTY slide out keyboard.  The big catch is that RIM needs to develop an interface that will essentially transfer the “non-touch phone” into a touch interface … somewhat daunting, yes, but doable.  It has also been speculated that RIM will try to add more media-friendly features in order to engage in a friendly competition with Apple.

 Advice to RIM

This might seem like a small bit of advice (mainly because I’m one blogger shouting out to the corporate world), but I think that BlackBerry needs to continue to do what it has been doing.  Having options for smart phones is perfect because people like choices.  The media options for the iPhone are unprecedented because it is an iPod turned phone.  BlackBerry needs to understand that its well-developed and valued customer base has stuck with their BlackBerry devices because they like them and they work for them.  So my advice to RIM … do what you do best and don’t try to “beat” the iPhone … just keep reinventing the BlackBerry that many have grown to know and love.

Yahoo! News had an interesting article this afternoon that claims that global cell phone sales have soared in the first quarter of 2008 by 14 percent.  Nokia holds the number one spot in global sales, followed by Samsung and then Motorola.

To see more of this article, check out the Yahoo! News article “Report:  Global Cell Phone Sale Up 14 pct in 1Q“

It’s been run through the rumor mill that the 3G BlackBerry for AT&T will delay its release from June to August because of a “technical glitch.”  Fortune magazine reported on Thursday that the delay in the launch of BlackBerry 8900 is because of concerns of call quality.  And since AT&T is the largest wireless carrier in the U.S. and wants to maintain its valued reputation, therefore it is necessary to fix this problem before any 3G BlackBerry is released. 

iPhone vs. BlackBerry

We all know that the release of the 3G version of the iPhone is expected in the early summer months (analyst say June 9!), so some speculate that AT&T wanted to delay the 3G version of the BlackBerry so they wouldn’t have to deal with competing interests.  But just for fun … who would win this competition?

  VERSUS 

The Smartphone Battle

RIM and Apple are the two major smartphone companies in the U.S.  In June, it is expected that Apple will release an SDK which will be enterprise-friendly and give RIM a run for its money as far as a “corporate smartphone” goes.  RIM already has the corporate-user base that Apple will need to establish once the SDK is released, but it makes me wonder how the delay in the release of the 3G version for BlackBerry (BlackBerry 8900) will affect corporate users.  Will corporate beings give the 3G iPhone a shot once it is established with its SDK?  I am guessing so … this summer should be a tell-all summer as far as corporate smartphone’s go … we just get to sit back and watch the battle.  4 … 3 … 2 … BATTLE!