In the wake of BlackBerry’s mid-October blackout of service that lasted several days, the company that makes the devices, RIM, has their work cut out for them over the next several months. But it’s not just repairing the public relations damage caused by their network catastrophe; BlackBerry has to prove its right to exist as the premier mobile device of business people. The security strength selling point of the BlackBerry is being undermined by hosted PBX alternatives for communication. The security itself, once state-of-the-art, is facing competition in the form of recent Motorola creations – the new RAZR featuring government-grade encryption sits at the top of the list. Add the difficulties in securing such popularly used offerings such as social media apps and VoIP services, and the BlackBerry brand is certain to be in need of a rinsing.

Another issue getting in BlackBerry’s way is the growing existence of a smartphone operating system dichotomy: Android and iOS are here to stay and are only growing in popularity by the day. Apps are what are driving the smartphone industry, and app developers are going to see less and less of an incentive to create a BlackBerry-capable version of their product in addition to two separately-written incarnations for Android and the iPhone as well. The profitability from the two dominating mobile app markets will be enough for these developers. Only those providing no-nonsense/strictly business apps are going to see a reason to create one for the BlackBerry market. This breed of app developer is indeed a rare one.

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Samsung officially announced two new Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) smartphones, the Focus S and Focus Flash which are set to launch on AT&T later this year. Both will be powered by a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Samsung Focus S will feature a 4.3-inch (800 x 480) Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen, 1GB of RAM, a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, aGPS, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, and an FM radio. Meanwhile, The Samsung Focus Flash has a 3.7-inch Super AMOLED screen, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, a front webcam, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and an FM radio. No info on pricing at the moment.

The Apple iPhone 4S finally available in the US via AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. These three carriers offer the device with different plans, Sprint with its unlimited iPhone 4S data plan, then AT&T with its HSPA+ network for the highest download speeds and Verizon with its best nationwide call coverage. To refresh your memory, the iPhone 4S is the successor of iPhone 4 but with with better hardware such as dual-core A9 processor, 8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD recording and 3.5-inch Retina display. The new Apple iPhone 4S runs iOS 5.0.

The release of the iCloud a few months back had iTunes enthusiasts reeling over the thought that they would be able to access their music library from any device. However, Apple isn’t the first or only company to offer cloud music storage. In fact, Amazon and Google are also vying for a spot as the industry leader.

So which cloud company offers the best in cloud music storage? Take a look at the following specs to find out:

1. iCloud
In spite of iTunes only allowing access through an Apple device or through iTunes, it is still the best cloud music storage software out. Apple has a selection of over 18 million songs, and perhaps one of the best cataloging systems available. The new iCloud feature also lets individuals share music amongst each other more easily – allowing you greater access to music at a more affordable price.

2. Cloud Player
The name may not exactly be exciting, but Amazon’s Cloud Player is a great choice for those who are dedicated to iOS. Apple may have the better music selection, but not by much. Amazon has 16 million different music selections to chose from and the selection is only growing. Unlike Apple’s iCloud, Amazon’s Cloud Player allows you to play music within a browser, and you can play your music across any platform – you don’t need an Amazon specific device or the program downloaded, making it a true cloud service.

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