BlackBerry Z10 Fire Sale Amid Lumia 1020, Moto X Buzz

Written by The VAR Guy 1
July 13, 2013

Best Buy is putting BlackBerry Z10 in the discount rack bin, while Nokia's Lumia 1020 Windows Phone and Google's Android Moto X smartphone generate buzz. Can partners manage it all?

If you’re offering mobile device management (MDM) for smart phones, you better keep hedging your support bets. Best Buy is cutting BlackBerry Z10 prices; Google will spend up to $500 million promoting the Moto X; and Nokia’s Lumia 1020 smartphone is generating huge buzz among camera fans. Why should channel partners care?

The simple answer involves holistic IT services. The smartphone waves are becoming bigger (huge launches) and shorter (the waves crash faster). Instead of going narrow and deep on each device, VARs need to cast a wide, vendor-neutral net. Indeed, they most offer MDM and mobile applications management (MAM) support across Apple iOS, Google Android, BlackBerry (fading) and now maybe even Windows Phone 8 support.

The support requirements won’t end there. Over the longer haul, there’s even a chance that Ubuntu smartphones will catch on with Verizon and other US carriers.

In the meantime this week’s loudest buzz includes:

BestBuy slashing BlackBerry Z10 prices. According to The Washington Post, versions of the phone running on Verizon and AT&T are being offered for $49 with a two-year contract, down dramatically from its launch price of $199.99. On AT&T and Verizon’s Web sites, the phone is being offered for $99.99 with a two-year contract, The Post reported.
Google preparing to spend $500 million promoting the forthcoming Moto X smartphone, which Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has already been spotted carrying.
And Nokia’s new Lumia 1020 boasts a 41 megapixal camera. Geek bloggers are falling all over to write about the new smartphone, and some are suggesting it’s good enough to get Nokia back in the race vs. Apple and Android.

Whatever the case, it seems like each week there’s a new “device” that thousands of employees will be bringing into work. With holistic best practices in place, MSPs and VARs can continue to manage that growing device diversity.