Orbis Blog » Updates

Does Blackberry still have Juice?

Kellie Rose — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 16:08:42 +0000

In 2003, BlackBerry introduced the first modern smart phone. This was a breakthrough device in the market that not only functioned as a telephone, but also allowed users to send and receive email and text messages. The need for mobile email access was clear, as email was a popular and vital means of communication in the business realm. People who frequently traveled needed a more efficient way to access their email without having to find a computer. Due to its early success, BlackBerry was widely referred to as “CrackBerry” in the United States, which alluded to its excessive use and obsession by its owners. Use of the term CrackBerry became so widespread, that in November 2006 Urban Dictionary, named “crackberry” the “Urban Word of the Day.” Although BlackBerry was the pioneer for the Smartphone industry, their future today is in jeopardy due to the recent success over the past few years of the iPhone, Windows and Android phones.

Blackberry is set to launch their new Blackberry Q5 handset on August 13th. The new device targets a more affordable audience than the high-end Z10 and Q10, and targets the legions of BlackBerry Curve owners who are approaching the end of their respective contracts. Blackberry plans to heavily target these consumers during the all-important back-to-school season.

Despite the emphasis on hardware, Blackberry’s future does not rely solely on the success of their new devices. Blackberry’s business model is changing with the launch of the Blackberry 10 platform. They are trying to be portrayed as a software company, and not just a device manufacturer. The company is focused on expanding the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 deployments — including support for iOS and Android devices. In addition, Blackberry plans to extend its BBM social messaging service across multiple platforms and leverage its secure BlackBerry Global Data Network. The goal is allow Blackberry to be successful in the enterprise world regardless of which device a consumer has.

As of August 6, Samsung has announced their partnership with BlackBerry Messenger, BBM and is spreading the word quickly. They announced that BBM for Android will be available in Google Play and Samsung app store free of charge.

It has been 10 years since the BlackBerry Boom from the first Smartphones. In the beginning, BlackBerry was the hot commodity that everyone wanted to get their hands on. Now, 10 years later, BlackBerry is finding itself trying to reinvent their brand image as more than just a device maker by signing Blackberry 10 deals with the other device manufacturers.

Blackberry should continue to maintain some market share in the smartphone device segment, but they have lost a large portion of their users to other major platforms. Thus, Blackberry will need to continue to evolve as a software solution to stay relevant.

Last week, BGR shared the first picture of BBM for Android running on a handset and the app has reportedly been made available to early beta testers ahead of its public release. With group chat applications such as GroupMe and WhatsApp dominating the cross-platform group chat market, Blackberry is in desperate need for a successful launch of BBM. Time will tell what the future holds for Blackberry.

Top 5 Benefits of Windows 7

Anthony — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:05:05 +0000

New Taskbar
This is one of the most visible changes in Windows 7. The Quick Launch toolbar is gone. A user can now ‘pin’ applications to the toolbar (Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer are here by default). Applications are now launched and managed from the toolbar. All open windows of a given application will be grouped together under a single icon. A user can simply hover over this icon to get a thumbnail sized live look-in to each window, a feature known as “Aero Peek”. While this may take some getting used to, we really like that it organizes windows better and allows a user to change applications more quickly and easily.
Device Recognition
One of the biggest knocks on Windows Vista pertained to hardware compatibility issues. Simply put, often times if you plugged something in (a printer, external hard drive, cell phone) the computer could not communicate with these devices without installing additional software. Windows 7 comes preinstalled with a large number of drivers and can automatically search for new ones via Windows Update.
Less Restrictive
Thanks to new customizable and controllable settings, Windows 7 features fewer pop-up notifications and permissions windows. Windows 7 also utilizes the “Action Center” to centralize messages pertaining to security status, Windows Update, and User Access Control.
Problem Steps Recorder
Have you ever experienced a problem on your computer and when you call Orbis for assistance, the problem seems to have gone away? With the new “Problem Steps Recorder” this will be a thing of the past. Simply open up this program and click record and try to perform the troublesome task again. Everything you do can be tracked with screenshots to assist a technical support representative in troubleshooting your issue.
Aero Snap & Aero Shake
These are a couple of the cooler new features of Windows 7. “Aero Snap” allows a user to take an open window and drag it to one side of the screen and ‘snap’ it to take up half of the screen. Doing this with multiple Microsoft Word documents for example would allow you to view two open documents side-by-side.

“Aero Shake” allows a user to grab an open window and ‘shake’ the mouse back and forth, doing so hides all other opened windows except the one selected. Shaking the mouse again restores all hidden windows. As monitors continue to grow in size and users transition into having multiple windows open at one time, we see these features being a convenient way to organize your work.

Internet Explorer Critical Update

Jessica — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:18:51 +0000

Microsoft has released an official security update to Internet Explorer which fixes an exploit announced yesterday. The update fixes the hack which could grab passwords and other sensitive information, so you will want to download it.

Click here for a handy table which will direct you to which update is best for you, as they differ depending on which version of IE and operating system you currently use.

New Critical Microsoft Update

Jessica — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:30:13 +0000

Microsoft has released a new critical patch for Windows XP and Windows Server 2000 and 2003 operating systems. This patch fixes a servere bug that would allow a hacker to gain control of your computer system remotely. Be sure to run Windows Update today to ensure you get this important update. Windows Vista is not affected by this problem.

Microsoft Security Bulletin

Microsoft Outlook keyboard shortcuts

Jessica — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:34:13 +0000

For those who use email regularly, click here to check out a listing of some useful keyboard shortcuts in Microsoft Outlook 2007. If you are interested in upgrading to Microsoft Office, or Microsoft Outlook 2007, contact us today.

Convert old Office files to the 2007 version

Jessica — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:36:45 +0000

If you’ve recently upgraded to Microsoft Office 2007 and want to quickly convert your old Office documents to the Office 2007 format, click here for step-by-step instructions. This is a great way to avoid manually updating every file separately.

Office 2007 incompatibility with older versions

Jessica — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:38:25 +0000

If you’ve ever sent a document created in a Microsoft Office 2007 program (Word 2007, for example) to someone who had an older version of the program and they got back to you saying they couldn’t open it, here are two quick and helpful tips:

You could pass along this link so the recipient could download a compatibility pack, that way they can view the file without upgrading their software.

Or, you can always take it upon yourself to save the file so it is compatible with all versions of Office software. Get those quick directions here.

Window’s Vista Service Pack 1 Now Available

Jessica — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:00:47 +0000

Windows’ Vista Service Pack 1 is available for free download from Windows Update or Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft says SP1 will bring “improvements that address many key pieces of customer feedback, especially in the areas of performance and reliability.” Download it now from Windows Update or you can get it here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/bb738089.aspx

Vista Service Pack Expected In January

Chris — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:17:56 +0000

The first service pack for Windows Vista is on its way — PC Magazine has reviewed a beta version of the update. Reviewer Neil Randall found the service pack to be a solid update of the current version of Vista, with noticeable improvements in speed. Once the service pack is released, it will become available through the Microsoft Update site.

We don’t recommend using Vista in a work environment just yet — there are still too many issues for it to be a suitable replacement for Windows XP. However, this service pack is a sign that Vista will soon be ready for your office.