Economist: Are Wireless Email Devices Merely Niche Products?
In light of the fact that only 32,000 Blackberry mobile devices were sold in the first quarter of 2002, The Economist asks whether email devices such as the Blackberry are niche products or the proverbial Killer App for wireless Internet access?
Martin O'Donnell quoted the following passage when he pointed out this article: "So far, {Research in Motion} has had most success in specific vertical markets, such as financial services, where the ability to respond quickly to events is worth paying for. For consumers, the {RIM} BlackBerry's main benefit-- integration with a corporate e-mail system-- does not apply." This point is very important because RIM's middleware only works with Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, two email systems that are generally used by very large companies.
This article discusses Good Technologies GoodLink product and G100 wireless device. It also briefly mentions competing products and services from Palm and Handspring.