Tides_Feat

Written by @DallinCrump

The water is relentless.
The rocks are stubborn and strong. They will not be moved. The water must flow around or over them but never through them. What can water do?

But the water is determined. Persistent. Unfaltering. And cunning. It caresses the rocks and gives the appearance of deference. Yet it wears at them imperceptibly. Gnaws at them. Claws at them.
Eventually, the water has its way. The rocks are broken up. They become smooth. They become sand. They are no more.
But the water wins only when it is moving.

The seas at BlackBerry have been stormy – violently so – for years. Probably longer than most of us on the outside realize. The rocks and mountains seemingly closed in all around them, attempting to stem the flow of innovation and progress. Resources and talent evaporated. There were few outlets for productivity or efficiency. Stagnation set in.
But now old channels, proven channels have been reopened, obstructions removed. New channels have been found, and others are being sought out and explored.
The tides are shifting.

Discovery and innovation never truly ceased, they were just obscured by large, stormy waves. But the storm is passing. The seas are calming. The water is resuming its natural rhythm.

New horizons, once obscured by mist, are now visible and beckoning through clearing skies.
BlackBerry cannot remain still. It must explore unfamiliar shores – Venice and beyond. It must find ways to keep moving. Difficult, even strange ways. But flow it must. Over and around the unbending rocks if need be, but always moving.
The tides are shifting.

BlackBerry is moving. Will you be left behind? Stagnant, unmoving, shallow? Or will you follow the current? Follow it, no matter where it leads. Help it defy the unyielding stone, the mountains of ignorance.
The tides are shifting.
Though the rocks taunt and jeer, the water is not deterred. It knows that if it is steadfast, constant, and always moving, it will have its way.
In time.

Featured Image by Otakumma, Venice Image by Pinjachi

  • Water

  • Blackberry released a young Amazing OS, Similar to Meego Hartmen. Now from speculation it’s releasing a device based on a old OS. BlackBerry is trying to stay in hardware any Business has to make money and if the new device makes money then Blackberry has to go that route we all change our jobs if we loose our current one to survive and that is what Blackberry needs to do, If they release a Android Device that does not mean the end of BB10 it is not sticking one finger at the fans. Wait and see what Blackberry come out with Just one warning Blackberry has one good reputation left in the Smartphone world and that’s security let’s hope they can secure a dirty OS or otherwise it is the end of a Blackberry Handset in the eyes of the so called security

  • Anthon

    Great article, I rolling with the BlackBerry tides for sure. It’s the one I see flowing to where I need and want to go and be!

    • Dallin Crump

      Glad you enjoyed it!

  • Ian

    Nicely written Dallin.

    • Dallin Crump

      Thank you!

  • Baratheon

    Wow all the positivity in the comments. Cynicism is a self fulfilling prophecy.

  • david

    Another vague and diffusive article. We are all tired of being jerked around by blackberry as they once again give the middle finger to end users and they ride into the uncertain Android future. Give me one good reason I should buy anything with the name blackberry on it when they are the first to throw you under the bus.

    I have no doubt that blackberry with once again disappoint users with the Venice. I’m not talking about hardware, nor software. It centers on a complete lack of a visionary action plan. We will be filled with vague euphemisms that lead nowhere and say nothing.

    If blackberry was serious (which I doubt as I have been burnt too many times), the Venice would be the thin edge of a wider realignment that would be forcefully articulated and implemented DAY ONE. Not soon or in the future but NOW. They would provide a clear path and set of options for current users. But of course this won’t happen and we will once again be thrown to the rocks and told about tomorrow. Yeah right, been there done that. And Berry Flow will continue to act as chief water boy.

    Sorry if this angers you but we, the loyal, have had it with the half truths, deceitful lies, and general level of bullshit that comes from Waterloo these days. Does anyone at Berry Flow understand the concept of Trust and how management has consistently pissed this precious resource away. Why should I or anybody else believe a single thing that Chen says.

    So ponder that simple idea and then perhaps instead of writing vague blogs that infuriate loyalists, you write something about how BlackBerry management needs to rebuild trust. That is vastly more important than a little bit of silly hardware.

    • vince

      David, please elaborate? You’re as vague this article and as cynical as it’s hopeful

    • Dallin Crump

      I’m not sure where you come up with all of this. “Chief water boy,” and the like. This piece obviously wasn’t intended to be an exhaustive treatise on the state of BlackBerry and what its management needs to do. It wasn’t even posted in the regular blog section of the site. And you know what? I didn’t write this piece for the BlackBerry “loyalists”.

      It sounds like you’re passionate about things. I suggest you write your thoughts down and publish them in blog post somewhere for people to read. Then they can post rants in the comments about all the things they think you should have written about but didn’t.

      One last thing. If a BlackBerry “loyalist” is someone who feels the need to call out, troll, and bash other BlackBerry fans for not living up to their definition of what it means to be a BlackBerry fan, if it means incessantly bashing and putting down other mobile platforms and the people who prefer them, then a BlackBerry “loyalist” is the last thing I want to be. That’s entirely the wrong approach, entirely the wrong vibe we should be sending out into the universe.

      Here’s a thought. Technology is awesome. Use the technology that works best for you and be happy. Be a fan of the technology you like and be happy. And it’s okay to let others do the same, even if they don’t make the same choices you do.

    • david

      Dallin,
      It is not about using the technology that best suits you, it’s about believing in your product. Name me one instance in the last few years where waterloo has come out on the offensive highlighting it’s strengths. It is always, and I mean always, some defensive rear guard action. This reflective reaction creates pessimism and the view that blackberry will eventually fail. So as a small to medium size business owner, why would I spend money on blackberry devices and services? Crickets, that all I’m getting from Waterloo.
      It is long overdue for BlackBerry to articulate a clear vision of where it is going. Believe it or not, their devices are great (and I have worked with them all) but you wouldn’t know it. Where the hell is management, marketing and sales. Missing in action. Dallin, people don’t even know that blackberry is alive. You can slice that anyway you want, but that is a dismal failure by management.
      It is long past due for us to be holding Chen’s feet to the fire. He is getting paid 100 million dollars and I expect better than this as a shareholder. Cut the crap and get the job done. Saying everything is sunshine and lollipops doesn’t help.

    • Your second response, David, I agree with. Although I don’t think Dallin’s write-up is the appropriate place for it, I do understand there isn’t a forum on this site in which to express such things whenever prompted. Personally I’ve been equally frustrated with the lack of communication and marketing BlackBerry continues to stumble with but I am indeed encouraged by the strategic moves they have been making under Chen. They are working on a new paradigm that may disrupt conventional evolution and this is a good thing. The price suffered is that marketing and communication cannot move forward until this “big move” is fully realized and complete… as to protect it from the competition. However, despite this, I still believe they can do an incredibly better job at creating a positive mystique about where they are headed and establishing cool confidence within the industry that the future of BlackBerry is exciting.

  • Art Covey

    If your water is Android then my last BB is this 9810. Hope that’s NOT so.

    • xBURK

      9810? Doesn’t matter where the water takes you. You’re going to be happy once you peel yourself of that dry river bed.