iPhone May Bump BlackBerry at Bank of America and Citigroup

When it comes to checking corporate email, employees at Bank of America and Citigroup have long used RIM BlackBerry devices. But that may soon change, according to Bloomberg.
It seems the two super-banks are actively exploring the prospect of replacing the BlackBerry with iPhones for their team-members. The reason for the switch? The report alludes to both banks currently testing the security of new software that may be helpful in corporate messaging on the popular Apple smartphone.

"The tests are the latest sign that RIM may be losing its tight grip on the corporate smartphone market," the Bloomberg article notes, pointing to Bank of America and Citigroup as just two examples of large companies looking beyond the BlackBerry to meet contemporary business needs. It's a sentiment with which Roger Entner, head of telecom research at Nielsen Co., agrees. “People are delighted with their iPhones and Android phones and they want to use them for work,” Entner says.

While in years past many believed that the BlackBerry would retain its once-significant grasp on the business community because of its corporate-friendliness, it now appears that those in the business world are looking for the same qualities that the rest of us look for in a smartphone - ease of use, convenience, and how much fun we can have. If these three categories continue to grow in popularity within the corporate world, Bank of America and Citigroup may represent the beginning of a tidal wave of major corporations to abandon the BlackBerry for the iPhone.