Telecom Provider LIME and Digicel to start selling the Blackberry Z10 on Tuesday April 23 2013 - No long lines as the Recession drags us into Oblivion

On Thursday April 18^th 2013 and Friday April 19^th 2013, fans of the Blackberry got a double serving of, well, the company Blackberry, formerly Ontario, Canada-based RIM (Research in Motion)! On those dates respectively, Telecom Provider LIME and Telecom Provider Digicel launched Blackberry and their latest phone, the Blackberry Z10. 

Oddly enough, Telecom Provider LIME Blackberry Z10 Launch Ceremony on Thursday April 18^th 2013 at the Oxford Towers in Kingston  was loud and lavish and well carried by both newspapers as can be seen in “LIME, in spectacular fashion, introduces BlackBerry Z10”, published Sunday, April 21, 2013, The Jamaica Observer and “LIME launches BlackBerry Z10”, Published Sunday April 21, 2013, The Jamaica Gleaner.

It even got press coverage in Geezam blogger Kelroy’s article entitled “LIME Jamaica launches Blackberry Z10 at glitzy event in Kingston”, to which he got invited and will later post pictures from the event, which was basically in the backyard of his workplace, so to speak.

Meanwhile Telecom Provider Digicel, strangely enough, opted for a soft Launch the following day on Friday April 19^th 2013. Telecom Provider Digicel’s only Press Coverage being in The Jamaica Star as per the article “Digicel launches new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone”, published Monday April 15 2013, The Jamaica Star. Oh, and there’s their formal Press Release on their Digicel’s Launch of the Blackberry Z10.

Both companies, coincidentally, plan to make the Blackberry Z10 available in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean on Tuesday April 23^rd 2013, which is tomorrow. Again, more evidence, as far as I’m concerned, of Telecom Provider LIME and Telecom Provider Digicel now realizing they’ll have to work together to nurse the limping Wireless Broadband Data market along. Ditto too as it relates to getting one of the two (2) coveted 700MHz Spectrum Licenses for LTE (Long Term Evolution).

First evidence of this changing mindset was the Tablet donation to the Preparatory and Primary School Students as evidenced in my blog article entitled “LIME and Digicel both make Donations of Tablets to Preparatory and Primary Schools - How Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark started a Love for Computer Programming Languages in Jamaica”.

But why so quiet a launch for the Blackberry Z10 by Telecom Provider Digicel, which was launched in the US of A in spectacular Fashion by RIM as stated in my blog article entitled “RIM rebrands as Blackberry and Launches Blackberry Z10 and Q10 - Alicia Keys' Global Creative Director is a Girl on Fire for these Tallawah yet Beautiful Creatures” and Geezam blogger Kelroy’s article entitled “BlackBerry 10 Officially launches – Z10 and Q10 flagship devices”?

Possibly Telecom Provider Digicel wasn’t so confident about the Blackberry Z10 doing well in Jamaica as opined by Geezam blogger Horace in his article “Blackberry 10: Can It Rescue Blackberry?”. Possibly too, being as it’s Blackberry’s first TRUE smartphone and the older Blackberry handset sales are in a free-fall as many Jamaicans opt to have relative abroad just send them a refurbished Blackberry.

Even worse, smartphone adoption is picking up as per my Geezam Blog article entitled “Apple iPhone boosts Jamaican smartphone usage as BB goes Chapter 11 Bankruptcy” and my blog article entitled “Blackberry popularity wanes as Jamaicans go smartphones - Android and Apple's Smartphone Revolution”. However, the cost of a smartphone seems to be making many Jamaican opt to have relatives abroad just send them a refurbished smartphone…....creating the same problem of lackluster handset sale for Telecom Provider Digicel all over again.

To this end, Telecom Provider Digicel has launched the sub-US$100 smartphone, the Google Android 4.1 aka Jellybean smartphone known as the Digicel DL600. This is really an attempt to shore up lackluster smartphone sales and boost Data Plan adoption with this rebranded Alcatel One Touch S'Pop as opined in my blog article entitled “Digicel to launch the DL600 Smartphone by Mid-May 2013 starting below US$100 - Alcatel One Touch running Firefox OS marketed like The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”.

Telecom Provider LIME and Telecom Provider Digicel need to be as Brave (2012) as Blackberry.

Facing criticism in a Wall Street Journal report by Detwiler Fenton analyst Jeff Johnston claiming that people are returning the Blackberry Z10 in droves, Blackberry stoutly denied this as reported in “BlackBerry denies abnormally high return rate for Z10 phone”, published April 11, 2013 1:23 PM PDT, by Roger Cheng, CNET News, stating the return rates are normal for any new smartphone launch.

Telecom Provider Verizon has now come to their aid, stating sales are moving briskly and stating that quote: “after 14 days, quality performance [of the Blackberry Z10] has been in line with other smartphone launches” as noted in the article “Verizon backs up BlackBerry, says Z10 returns aren’t high at all”, published April 15, 2013 at 11:35 AM By Brad Reed, BGR.

Argument done! Blackberry steady recovery is assured….in the US of A and Canada. Not so confident ‘bout the Developing World, where the Blackberry Z10 is still a pricey smartphone upgrade to your older Blackberry that already does everything you need.

So this higher priced Blackberry Z10 is possibly being viewed with suspicion, as albeit it a smartphone, it very pricey, come Tuesday April 23^rd 2013 at either Telecom Provider LIME and Telecom Provider Digicel. Sales may be worse than in the US of A and Canada; No long lines as the Recession drags us into Oblivion (2013).

One last thing. Since Telecom Provider LIME went all out for the Blackberry Z10, will they do the same for the Blackberry Q10? Stay tuned to this blog and the Geezam Blog…….