The Revolution of Ticketing

Say you were going on a vacation to Orlando just 10 years ago. You had to go to the airline ticket office, and buy your ticket there. Then just a few years ago, the airlines invented the Quick Ticket Kiosk. First you buy your ticket online, then you show up at the airport, check in, and get your boarding pass from a simple little machine. It was truly the next big thing of the airline industry. But then came the ability to print your boarding pass at home. The lines at the kiosks were greatly reduced. And now, we are at the next stage of evolution for not just the airline industry; but for the movie and transportation industries. This stage of evolution is mobile ticketing. The customer can buy and load up their boarding pass all from their small phone. For example, most major airlines are now rolling out smartphone apps that allow customers to have an electronic boarding pass. And this is also starting to roll out in mass transit. The Boston commuter rail network is running a pilot for electronic tickets on most of its lines. This really shows that focus of ticketing is really heading towards all electronic. This is the main reason for the creation of Apple's Passbook app and Google's Google Wallet; let customers have tickets and cards in a neat mobile app. And that's all that's been happening. Everyone is coming out with electronic ticketing. Fandango, jetBlue, United, American, and the list goes on of all of the big guys who have mobile ticketing in their systems.
And it's not just the fact that the tools are available that makes customers want to come. It's the fact that it's so easy that makes everyone flock to new technology. And hopefully, the interfaces will only become more intuitive and easier to understand as the ticketing industry evolves further. But for now, I enjoy pulling up my Fandango movie ticket on my phone, paying for my Strawberry Frappucino at Starbucks with my Starbucks card in Passbook, having my Starwood Preferred Guest card on my phone, and my jetBlue plane ticket on my phone. What more can I ask for? :)

The Jailbreak has arrived: Evasi0n

Let the great news be heard throughout the kingdom: the jailbreak for iOS 6.1 has arrived! The name is Evasi0n, and it is really pretty cool. It will work on the following devices:

-iPhone 5
-iPhone 4S
-iPhone 4
-iPhone 3Gs
-iPad with A6X chip (4th gen)
-iPad 3
-iPad 2
-iPad mini
-iPod touch 5
-iPod touch 4

Woohoo! You can check it out for yourself here: evasi0n.com 

Blackberry: What Will They Do Next?

BlackBerry used to be the top of the line smartphone. Now, they have been attacked and stepped on by Android and iPhone. The real question for Research in Motion, now known as BlackBerry, will it ever be restored to its formal glory?

The Market

BlackBerry 10 was announced on Wednesday and right now it sounds like BlackBerry is trying to make a come back. The company is trying to enlist itself back in the premium smartphone market. Approximately half of the nation is currently using smartphones, so the market is very large and is still rapidly expanding. It's not that BlackBerry doesn't have a potential market, it's just that fewer than 5% of smartphone users own a BlackBerry device. And don't act like BlackBerry has no competitors; competition is fierce. iOS and Android are taking the lead, and Windows 8 is trailing trying to catch up.

Winning Customers

Another issue, is who's going to buy a BlackBerry? Once the BlackBerry worshippers upgrade, where do sales go? No one really plans on defecting to BB10 unless they have a good reason to. To get defections, BB10 needs apps. Right now, BB10 is releasing LinkedIn, Facebook and OpenTable at release. But, how many developers are actually creating apps for BlackBerry World? Technically, the answer is yes and no. There are over 70,000 apps on BlackBerry World, and I do have to give BlackBerry credit for that. But what makes iOS more appealing is that yes it has more apps, but the App Store is actually making money. Apple has paid over $6.5 billion out to developers, signaling that the App Store is definitely generating money and attention.


The Public Face of the Company

After many years of being in the minority, many are questioning the possible comeback of BlackBerry. It certainly is plausible. But, I don't know if I believe in it. BlackBerry has been sitting with its hands crossed for years. The company is too late into the game, and in my opinion, BlackBerry 10 should have been released years ago. Also, the company has just changed its name from Research in Motion to BlackBerry. I think, however, that this shows the company's determination to keep BlackBerry afloat.