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‘Appy’ as can BB
The new BlackBerry Curve 9220 provides ‘three apps free’ offer valid till july
Manjula Lal
New Delhi
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Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif (right) with Sunil Dutt, RIM MD, India at the launch of new BlackBerry Curve 9220 smartphone
Photo: Naveesh |
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KATRINA KAIF towered over Sunil Dutt — who’s the Research in Motion (RIM) Managing Director for India — at the global launch of the BlackBerry Curve 9220 smartphone.
Priced at Rs 10,990, it doesn’t seem to have enough new features to make the 65 percent of the country’s population that’s under 35 gasp, but might make them ‘appy’ with the ‘three apps free’ offer valid till July.
The tagline ‘Join the Conversation’ seems a bit ironic when Bollywood’s leading lady mentions that when she meets up at a restaurant with friends, they tend to get busy BBMing other friends, and have nudged into being sociable.
Using the phone to keep in touch with family and friends while traveling also doesn’t sound very new — or very high tech.
“Rumours of our demise are greatly exaggerated,” joked Patrick, Executive Vice-President, Global Sales and Regional Marketing, as BB has 7.7 crore subscribers worldwide. The company has 5,500 retail points in 250 cities. But how will this company — or any other new kid on the block — retain what is called the ‘restless, butterfly generation’?
Perhaps it will have to aim more at the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), for they are the ones with the real need for apps that can make their businesses grow. The 9220 model doesn’t seem to have anything specific to lure this segment, although there are 30,000 apps developers working in India alone for RIM — up from 4,000 a year ago.
The Canada-based company says it has worked hard on inputs from the market, and has come up with features like FM radio and built-in wi-fi. If that and the extended battery life don’t work for BB, given the ‘buzziest’ brand award last year, it will have to paint itself in colours other than fuschia (also, of course, the colour of Katrina’s dress), white, blue and black — the hues in which the new product is supposed to make a splash in the fastest growing telecom market, second only to China.
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