Android sweeps Apple, BlackBerry in US market

There is more bad news for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) as its smartphone sales have slipped to the third position in the US market.

According to the latest data by the NPD Group, the US-based smartphone market tracking company, the BlackBerry's share of the US market in the third quarter fell to 22 percent from 28 percent in the second quarter.

On the other hand, the sales of Apple's devices rose marginally to 23 percent from 22 percent in the second quarter, pushing the BlackBerry maker to the third spot in the US smartphone market.

The steep fall in sales of the BlackBerry maker, which until recently dominated the US market, came despite the high-profile launch of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 in August.

But it was not Apple, but the surge in the popularity of Google's Android operating system (OS) which did the most damage to RIM in the US market.

The sales of Google Android devices jumped as much as 11 percent from the second quarter to account for 44 percent of all smartphones purchased in the third quarter.

"Much of Android's quarterly share growth came at the expense of RIM, rather than Apple,'' Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at the NPD Group, said.

"The HTC EVO 4G, Motorola Droid X, and other new high-end Android devices have been gaining momentum at carriers that traditionally have been strong RIM distributors, and the recent introduction of the BlackBerry Torch has done little to stem the tide,'' he said.

According to the data, Android's operating system has made such an impact on the market that the share of RIM OS has declined by 53 percent, and that of Apple iOS has fallen by 21 percent since 2009.

Because of this onslaught from Android OS, "Apple faces challenges in further expanding its domestic market share, while still retaining exclusivity," said Rubin.

Just two weeks ago, Apple CEO Steve JObs had taunted RIM, saying,"we have now passed RIM, and I don't see them catching up with us in the foreseeable feature."

But it is Android OS that is becoming the major worry for him and BlackBerry bosses.

Smart shortcuts to improve your BlackBerry experience

One of the greatest joys of using a BlackBerry is the number of shortcuts that a power user can use to get tasks accomplished in double-quick time. Want a one-click shortcut to lock your BlackBerry or toggle between vibrate and normal profiles? Or want to go to the bottom of a long e-mail in a single click - it's all possible with your trusted BlackBerry.

Smarter BlackBerry Use Shortcuts

Quick reboot: One solution during the rare occasion when my BlackBerry starts behaving as if it's under the weather (hanging, performing slowly, low on memory, etc), is to remove the battery and SIM card, wait a few seconds and reinsert. But that's not always easy, especially in a moving vehicle or when commuting. At such times, I prefer a software reset, much like a PC reboot. All you need to do is press your BlackBerry's 'Alt', 'Right Shift' and 'Delete' keys together. Not for folks with thick fingers though; they might prefer the harder option of removing the battery. Also, though I mentioned commutes, let me indemnify myself by mentioning that rush hour Bombay local trains are exempt from any such claims.

'Help Me!' Screen: Need a dashboard on everything related to your BlackBerry, ranging from memory to radio signal strength, uptime as well as identification information such as MAC ID, IMEI, OS version and more? The 'Help Me!' screen is the answer to your prayers. Simply press your BlackBerry's 'Alt', 'Left Shift' and 'H' keys simultaneously.

One-key lock: Some newer BlackBerry smartphone have a dedicated lock key on the top, but for older devices (and even newer ones if you want to use it), the one-key option to lock your BlackBerry is to press the 'A' letter key for a couple of seconds.

One-key vibrate mode: Need to quickly move to vibrate mode in the middle of an important meeting? Simply press the 'Q' key for a few seconds when you are in any alert profile other than 'Vibrate Only.' When you need to switch back, do the same and your BlackBerry reverts to the alert profile you were using earlier.

If you find it cumbersome to type in a long name for a contact you can easily find contacts from your BlackBerry's home screen by typing in the first and last initials, with a space in between. Of course, if you have multiple contacts with the same initials you'll get a list of such contacts.

Would you like to use a special or an accented character? Perhaps to personalise your BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) profile? You can get these by holding the character key and scrolling with the trackball or trackpad.

Messaging and mailbox Shortcuts

• To compose a new message press 'C' when viewing the 'Messages' screen.
• To go to the top of a message press 'T' when viewing the message.
• To go to the bottom of a message press 'B' when viewing the message.
• To reply to a message press 'R' when viewing the message.
• To reply to all in a message press 'L' when viewing the message.
• To forward a message Press 'F' when viewing the message.
• To go to the next unopened item press 'U' when viewing the 'Messages' screen.
• Press the 'S' key to search for a sender or a word within a subject line, and any mail folder when viewing the 'Messages' screen. When you press 'S' when viewing a message, you can search within that message.
• To view your inbox press 'Alt + I' when viewing the 'Messages' screen.
• To view your outbox press 'Alt + O' when viewing the 'Messages' screen.
• To mark a message as opened/unopened press 'Alt + U' when a message is highlighted or when reading the message.
• To go to the top of mailbox press 'T' when viewing the 'Messages' screen.
• To go to the bottom of your mailbox press 'B' when viewing the 'Messages' screen.
• To go to the next date press 'N' when viewing the 'Messages' screen.
• To go to the previous date press 'P' when viewing the 'Messages' screen.

Dell switching off BlackBerry, onto own smartphone

Dell Inc will shift thousands of its employees off Research in Motion Ltd's BlackBerry and over to Dell's smartphones, the company said on Thursday.

The money-saving switch affects the roughly 25,000 Dell employees who carry a company-issued BlackBerry. Dell employs around 100,000 people worldwide.

Dell is also launching an effort to convince its business customers to switch to the company's smartphone.

News of the company's plans was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, and confirmed by Dell spokesman David Frink.

Frink said the switch will begin soon, but said it will take some time to complete.

RIM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dell's BlackBerry users will be shifted over to use the new Dell Venue Pro, which runs on Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 software and operates on the network of T-Mobile USA, the US arm of Deutsche Telekom AG.

Dell's decision to move its employees off BlackBerry may come as little surprise, given its aspirations in the mobile device market. The company has frequently talked about using handheld devices as a gateway to sell and promote a broader suite of services.

Dell formally entered the smartphone market only late last year, and launched its first device in the US, the Aero, earlier this year. The Aero runs on Google's Android software, as does Dell's new 5-inch tablet, the Streak.

RIM has long been the dominant player in the corporate smartphone market, but has seen its market share erode as companies such as Apple make gains.

In the third quarter, RIM's global smartphone market share slipped more than 4 percentage points from a year-ago, according to industry tracker IDC