An informal online poll being conducted by Android Central asks the question, “What platform are you leaving to join Android and the Evo 4G?” The majority of defectors were from the BlackBerry camp. Fully 38 percent of just over 13,000 respondents were coming to the Evo from a Research In Motion (RIM) device. Fourteen percent were iPhone users and 11 percent said this was their first smartphone.
The results of the poll, however informal, seem to back yesterday’s numbers from Nielsen that show a 2 percent loss in market share for BlackBerry from the fourth quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2010. Android and Apple both enjoyed 2 percent gains in market share during the same period.
RIM has taken criticism lately that it has lagged in the innovation department. While companies like HTC, Motorola and Apple are appealing to consumers with media-centric smartphones that can handle everything from two-way video conferencing to 1080p video output, RIM has plodded along with its emphasis on email.
RIM’s last update to its handset portfolio fell flat with reviewers. The Ottowa, Canada-based OEM recently unveiled the BlackBerry Bold in white, which many said fell well short of where RIM needed to go to match the excitement created by recent Android releases.
In just over two years, Android has managed to oust Windows Mobile from the No. 4 spot in market share across smartphone platforms, and analysts have been wondering when RIM would start feeling the heat. Yesterday’s launch of a new iPhone, which includes extensive upgrades to enterprise services, might be yet another reason for BlackBerry users to consider another platform.
Sprint Nextel has confirmed that the HTC Evo 4G, which runs Android 2.1, is the carrier’s best-selling device ever. The Evo broke first-day sales records, with analysts postulating that Sprint sold somewhere around 250,000 Evos in the first 24 hours.
