Right when the BlackBerry – maker Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) is trying to bounce back with its new devices Z10 and Q10, its customers seem to be moving away from the company. The latest in line is Mall of America, the largest retail and entertainment complex in the United States, which is switching to Nokia Lumia 920.
The Mall of America I.T. Director Janette Smrcka said that they are switching to Lumia because of its tight integration with built-in Office Suite and other Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) services. It will boost productivity and flexibility of Mall of America team members in such a dynamic workplace. Before Mall of America, The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) announced to shift its 10,000 employees to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone devices from BlackBerry.
With Lumia series, Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) allows business users to work on their mobile phone as they work on their PCs. Lumia 920 is based on Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone 8 platform, through which users have access to Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, OneNote, SkyDrive. Janette said these applications integrate with Mall of America’s existing Microsoft services. It will enable key team members to review and edit Microsoft Office documents and Outlook emails on their smartphone wherever they go.
Mall of America witnesses about 400 events every year, from celebrity book signings to music events. With Lumia 920’s PureView camera, the mall members can easily capture, edit and share high quality images on social media and with the mall’s business customers, said Janette Smrcka. She said the People Hub feature in Windows Phone 8 would help Mall of America organize teams, asking staff to set-up groups, stay in touch with co-workers and work together innovatively.
Amid all this, Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB)’s Blackberry sales have not been as strong as expected in the markets where Z10 and Q10 devices have already been launched. Though some of the stores in Canada did report being sold out, they said they hadn’t received large inventory in the first place.
