Research in Motion has been hit with a lot of criticism for some months now.  There’s  plummeting shares that’ve dropped an embarrassing 90% since their peak back in 2008, and their newer devices aren’t as impressive as Apple’s or Androids.  Not to mention the release of BlackBerry 10 OS and its devices has been pushed back several times to early 2013, and most recently we learn that some of their customers are already thinking of a backup plan in case RIM’s ship continues to sink.

But RIM is not letting all those negative vibes darken their sky.  They still believe that their next wave of devices will be able to trump the competitors’ products.

But for those that are doubting the current RIM state of affairs, the company and its new marketing chief have been doing a bit of boasting lately.  One area of confidence is their app store, BlackBerry App World, which reached the three billion download mark.  What’s impressive about this is that they only have about 90,000 apps available, compared to the massive app portfolio of Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

Steady as she goes

Though it may seem like it took them quite a long time to hit the three billion mark, their progress was consistent.  The App World launched in 2009 and it took two years before they hit their first billion mark, but just after six months, they were able to reach their second billion mark, then less than six months after here we are at the three billion mark.  So that’s definitely a silver lining in their gray sky.  At least their BlackBerry users are loyal and they continue to patron the App World.

As for the release of the BlackBerry 10 devices, there’s a huge chance that the delay is a smart move.  They will be releasing BB10 devices early 2013, by then, Apple would’ve already released their next iPhone, Samsung already released the Galaxy SIII, and other Android ODMs would’ve also released their next devices by then as well.  So that means RIM could have the opportunity to see what their competition has to offer, tweak their own device to offer something better.

A vague future

But so far everything about BB10 and its devices has been vague – RIM keeps saying things like, “it would be better than existing phones,” or “it will have a smoother UI,” – nothing specific like “it will be able to charge wirelessly,” or “it will not have any physical buttons at all.”  It’s like they’re playing a game of poker: they say they have deus aces and even if they don’t, they’ll see how their opponents react.

Frank Boulben, RIM’s new chief marketing officer, is trying to play his cards right.  Though there is reason for concern, as investors are getting weary over RIM’s future, Boulben dismisses that and states that BB10 devices are to die for.

“You’ll be able to flow seamlessly from one application to another,” Boulben said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. “The underlying operating system is truly multitasking.”

Like in a game of poker, even if you’re holding a bad pair, if you can intimidate the hell out of your opponent, there’s a huge chance that he will fold.  We’ll see if it’s a winning strategy for RIM.