BlackBerry woes carry across globe

BlackBerry, dynamic, Francis Maxwell, Issue 7, Linda Park, News, Rim - By Francis Maxwell on Thursday, October 20, 2011 - 03:31

BlackBerry loyalists where left furious last week due to a network malfunction that had users all over the world launching their phones off the wall. Research in Motion (RIM) a BlackBerry service provider faced a network breakdown on Monday, Oct. 10 that CNN is suggesting could have ruined their reputation as well as infuriate many smart phone users across the globe.

The problem began to spread across several continents and eventually reached the United States on Wednesday, Oct. 12 morning, preventing those using the phone from accessing text messages and surfing the Internet.

Students of Whittier College were among many of the BlackBerry users to fall victim to the issue. “I tried to access my e-mails through my BlackBerry but I had no service, even my BlackBerry messenger was down,” sophomore Joseph Waugh said.

“I use my BlackBerry to access Moodle and I almost blew a fuse when I could not get Internet access,” sophomore Matt Asaro also felt the full effect of this malfunction resulting in his decision to look elsewhere for a reliable phone. “I have had countless issues with my BlackBerry ever since I got it, but this was too far. Hopefully, I can upgrade soon,” Asaro said.

CNN representative Jullianne Pepitone stated that this problem could not have come at a worse time for RIM due to the increasing competition from Apple and Android in their quest to control the market.

Apple has recently released their latest model the iPhone 4S, on Friday and according to sources on CNN, this launch could not have come at a better time. Perhaps this recent issue could be the major factor in persuading those reluctant smart phone buyers to sway towards the iPhone.

According to current iPhone user, sophomore Gregorio Giorgi, this switch was inevitable. “Being an international student, I rely on my phone a lot to keep in touch with my family back in Italy, so it is important to have stability,” Giorgi said. “I knew when purchasing the iPhone that it was reliable and problems like such would never occur.”

Although it is still somewhat unclear what caused the initial problem, RIM’s Managing Director Stephen Bates released a statement on Wednesday reassuring customers that they are “working around the clock” to resolve the issue.

Although it is not guaranteed when all unreceived messages will be delivered, RIM is positive they will reach their designated recipients eventually.

Reports suggest that there has now been over a million noted malfunctions across the globe. RIM Tech Analyst Jeff Kagan stated on CNN that although RIM has wrestled with outages before this BlackBerry breakdown has been the worst to date and perhaps the most fatal.