BlackBerry To Acquire Good Technology For $425 Million

BlackBerry has agreed to purchase Good Technology for $425 million. Good Technology makes and sells mobile email products as well as mobile device management tools. 

BlackBerry said the acquisition "is aligned with BlackBerry's strategy to offer businesses the most complete, end to end solution that secures the entire mobile enterprise, across all platforms." 

Good Technology was purchased by Visto in 2009. Prior to being owned by Motorola. At one time, Visto successfully sued BlackBerry for patent infringement. BlackBerry said it expects to close the acquisition during its 2016 fiscal their quarter.


Source: Reuters

Former Co-CEO Jim Balsillie Now Owns No Part Of BlackBerry

This morning the media is all over the news that former co-CEO of Research In Motion now owns zero stock in the company we now call BlackBerry.  

Here's the official SEC filing indicating that Balsillie now has no stock.  He cleared out all holdings by December 31, 2012.  

This really shouldn't surprise anyone.  I have known Balsillie for many years.  It's not like we had beers together at the local pub or anything, but people who have been around the technology sector on Bay Street in Canada since around the year 2000 have gotten to know Jim's personality pretty well.  He's very competitive, very involved, and very opinionated.  So when he and Mike Lazaridis stepped down from the co-CEO roles, and Jim then stepped down from the board, it was a clear sign he was not staying involved with the company in any way.

It was widely rumored that he had a strategy disagreement with the board.  Knowing Jim's opinionated personality I'm not at all surprised that he sold every share.

Comment below, is this the end of BlackBerry and Balsillie knows? Is this in retaliation to being booted from his co-CEO role at BlackBerry? Let us know what you think....

Lenovo Could Buy RIM

If you thought the rumors and stories about RIM getting bought were over, think again. New information has come to light that Lenovo is looking into acquisitions and strategic alliances to boost their mobile business, and Research in Motion is one of their options. As one of the largest PC producers, Lenovo now wants in the mobile market and to do so they need to buy or get new partners.
“We are looking at all opportunities RIM and many others,” said Chief Financial Officer Wong Wai Ming “We’ll have no hesitation if the right opportunity comes along that could benefit us and shareholders.”

Lenovo says RIM’s stock have gone up this year, all due to the BlackBerry 10 OS that will be announced this January 30th. Though Lenovo has confirmed they are looking into RIM, BlackBerry maker has declined to comment on this matter.

What do you guys think? Sound off in the comments below!


Source: Bloomberg


+BlackBerry 
+Lenovo 

BlackBerry PlayBook OS v2.1.0.1032 Now Available For Download

BlackBerry PlayBook OS  v2.1 .0.1032 has now finally landed after a very lengthy beta process and is ready to be downloaded. With this release there is plenty of changes to be found:

• Updated BlackBerry Bridge: Now you can view, respond and compose new SMS messages on their BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet when connected to a BlackBerry smartphone over Bluetooth®. You’ll also enjoy increased performance and speed of other BlackBerry Bridge functions as well. So you can do more, more efficiently. Txt away, my friends.

• Email and PIM Enhancements: You’ve asked for it and we’ve delivered portrait support for email, calendar and contacts, giving you the option to use your tablet in either orientation to message. This will definitely come in handy for those of you who enjoy thumb typing in portrait mode like I do.

• Improved Android Application Support: Includes Multi-Window Applications, Camera Support and In-App Payments. We all love a richer app experience, and with the improvements to the Android runtime, that’s just what you’ll get. Running the applications in separate windows allows you to multi-task between Android apps easier, and in-app payments will make it easier for you to enhance your app content. Game on!

Make sure you grab the new BlackBerry Bridge update if you've not already grabbed it. Go ahead and fire up your BlackBerry PlayBook and check for updates. Keep in mind though, this release is only for the WiFi BlackBerry PlayBook and not the 4G LTE versions, as those need carrier approval.

Download Sherlock Holmes On Your BlackBerry PlayBook Compliments Of BlackBerry

How about Sherlock Holmes, compliments of BlackBerry? While some people are reporting seeing this pop up in the Featured Apps in BlackBerry App World, others couldn't get the offer to show. In any case, there is a work around so if you don't see the offer, don't fret! Follow the instructions below, depending on your location. Also worth noting, it states it's a limited time offer, so you might want to take advantage of the download sooner rather than later.

1. Go to BlackBerry.roxionow.com/redeem
2. Enter the code WATSON
3. If you already have a BlackBerry Video Store account, log in. If not, create one.
4. Download the free BlackBerry Video Store app on your PlayBook, if you don't have it already.
5. Log in to the app and go to My Library. You should see Sherlock Holmes under Movies.
6. Click to download.

Let us know if you're seeing the promotion in App World, and if you've been able to download the free movie.

BlackBerry App World 4.0 Now Available In BlackBerry Beta Zone

BlackBerry App World version 4.0 is now available in the BlackBerry Beta Zone. Here’s what’s new:

• Integration with BlackBerry Commerce Payment Services for Credit Card and PayPal Purchases
• NFC Tag Integration
• Ability to Permanently Delete Apps from My World
• Ability to Re-Install All Apps From My World
• Automatic Find in My World
• SMS Authentication
• Removal of Gifting and Ringtones

Download BlackBerry App World 4.0 from the Beta Zone.

Facebook Messenger App Now Available For BlackBerry

Facebook has released the official Facebook Messenger application for BlackBerry smartphones. With this app you can chat with your Facebook friends on the go and receive messages instantly. Here are some of the features:

• Message a friend or start a group conversation
• Reach friends on mobile or web
• Get push notifications
• Know who’s seen your messages
• Attach photos to messages

You can download the app for free from the Blackberry App World.

AT&T BlackBerry Bold 9900 FINALLY Getting Some OS 7.1 Love

AT&T has FINALLY officially released OS 7.1.0.694 for the BlackBerry Bold 9900! While this is an official release, remember to use caution when updating your device. If you do install this OS, hit up the forums thread below for findings, fixes and more discussion.

Download OS 7.1.0.694 for the Bold 9900

Tungle Shutting Down As Of December 3rd

Tungle was acquired by RIM quite some time ago and since then, have maintained their separate services but now that time has come that they too, will be shutting down. They've now sent out emails to folks letting them know the services will be shut down entirely as of December 3rd, 2012 so that they may continue on their work at RIM and BlackBerry 10:

Tungle began in 2006 to make finding times to meet with colleagues, clients and contacts as quick and easy as possible. In April of 2011, we were acquired by Research in Motion (RIM) with the goal of bringing the Tungle vision to millions of BlackBerry customers. After our acquisition we quickly went to work and built the BlackBerry Playbook Calendar app. Now, our team is creating the native Calendar app for the next generation platform, BlackBerry 10, and together with other key RIM employees, we are driving innovation in Messaging (email), Contacts, Notes and Memos apps.

All of our new responsibilities within RIM are very exciting; however, it hasn’t left much time for innovation on the core Tungle product over the past year, as we’re sure you have noticed. To make the most of our new focus, we have sadly decided it is time to shut down the standalone Tungle service.

As of Monday, December 3rd, 2012 we will shut down the standalone Tungle service. You will continue to be able to use your Tungle.me page until then to schedule meetings and share calendars. We know our dedicated members rely on Tungle every day to manage their calendars and we don’t want to leave you out to dry, so we suggest you check out Doodle to replace Tungle in December.

We appreciate all the support you have given us over the years and hope our efforts on BlackBerry 10 will bring the same dedication and excitement.

Yahoo Moves Away From BlackBerry Smartphones

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is instituting a new company policy called Yahoo! Smart Phones, Smart Fun!” according to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider. Under the new policy, full and part time U.S. employees of Yahoo will be receiving their choice of the iPhone 5, Galaxy S III, HTC One X, EVO 4G LTE or Nokia Lumia 920.

In addition to buying the devices, Yahoo will also be covering the monthly plans for data and voice.

The possible casualty in this fight is that this means Yahoo is moving away from the company supplied BlackBerry devices, and they are not offered amongst the choices. As Mayer states in the memo, “we’d like our employees to have devices similar to our users, so we can think and work as the majority of our users do.” RIM can’t be too happy about such a statement, but considering the declining market share of the BlackBerry line, it makes sense.

No word as to when the new phones will be arriving in employee hands, but seeing as some of the devices have not yet been released, it would appear it will be a staged rollout.

The thought process behind this initiative is:

We have a very exciting update to share with you today – we are announcing Yahoo! Smart Phones, Smart Fun! As of today, Yahoo is moving off of BlackBerries as our corporate phones and on to smartphones in 22 countries. A few weeks ago, we said that we would look into smartphone penetration rates globally and take those rates into account when deciding on corporate phones. Ideally, we’d like our employees to have devices similar to our users, so we can think and work as the majority of our users do.

Moving forward, we’ll offer you a choice of devices as well as provide monthly plans for the data and phone.

The smartphone choices that we are including in the program are:

* Apple iPhone 5

* Android:

- Samsung Galaxy S3

- HTC One X

- HTC EVO 4G LTE

* Windows Phone 8:

- Nokia Lumia 920

We’re getting started right away and taking orders starting now.

HTC Considering Licensing BlackBerry 10

While RIM is working hard to execute a major transition to a new QNX-based platform for its mobile devices, rumors  of potential BlackBerry 10 licensing deals with other manufacturers have sprung up.  When asked about a deal with RIM, director of product management for EMEA at HTC, Graham Wheeler, stated:

“I don’t have any knowledge but that is not to say we are not looking at it. But from my point of view we are not saying we are closed to a new operating system. We will review each one to make sure it’s the best for our customers.”

While this is far from a concrete statement and is most likely just a diplomatic answer, the chance that HTC licenses BlackBerry 10 isn't zero.  While most manufacturers faced with the question would likely reiterate their commitment to the Android platform, HTC has clearly expressed their openness to other platforms if they are in the company’s and their customers’ best interests.  If HTC does indeed license BlackBerry 10, the chance of success for the new platform should increase.

HTC and RIM are both known for their build quality, however HTC uses the free Android operating system provided by Google.  HTC has also released Windows 7-powered devices in an effort to reduce their dependency on Android amid decreasing sales.

Would you use an HTC BlackBerry 10 smartphone?  What if it relied on RIM leaving the hardware game?  What if it was the only way for the platform to survive?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

RIM's Heins Says BlackBerry 10 Soon Ready To Be Licensed

Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins said the company's BlackBerry 10 platform will soon be ready for licensing by other manufacturers, and he touted machine-to-machine applications as another avenue where the software could be used.

Heins said the software is going through the final stages of testing and RIM is now thinking of which companies might license it. RIM plans to release its first BlackBerry 10 smartphones in the first quarter of next year. However, Heins has been more open recently about licensing the software as a way to lift RIM's prospects.
BlackBerry 10 is based on QNX architecture, which RIM bought in 2010 for $200 million. The QNX system, which also powers nuclear power plants and cars, also is the software behind RIM's PlayBook tablet.


"QNX is already licensed across the automotive sector--we could do that with BB10 if we chose to," Heins, who has begun to carry a BlackBerry 10 phone for his own use, said in an interview with Bloomberg. "The platform can be licensed."

Samsung Electronics has openly denied any interest in licensing the software, despite persistent rumors that it will do so. While Samsung, the world's largest handset vendor, has found plenty of favor in the market with its Google Android smartphones, it also uses Microsoft's Windows Phone and its own bada platform.

"Smartphones are a part of our business, but we're looking way beyond this," Heins said. In a separate interview with CNET, Heins said that companies in the healthcare and smart grid markets have already expressed interest in BlackBerry 10, though he did not name any specific firms.

The RIM chief also told CNET that one of the "strategic options" the company is considering is opening its proprietary BlackBerry network to other industries. Currently, the network is used to ferry BlackBerry data traffic and secure communications.

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1.0.840 Beta Released

Research In Motion has pushed out a new beta for BlackBerry PlayBook developers. PlayBook OS 2.1.0.840 is now available for download. To install the 2.1.0.840 Beta on your BlackBerry PlayBook, you must register your PIN and install the update within 24 hours. This version of software contains support for developers to test their applications against the following runtimes:

• Runtime for Android apps
• Adobe AIR 2.x
• WebWorks
• Native API 2.x

If you haven’t registered your PlayBook, you can register your PIN here.

RIM May Need To Look At Licensing BB10

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins hasn't been shying from the media lately. He's given numerousinterviews with us as well as other publications, the latest of which comes from The Telegraph. Among the standard banter around BlackBerry 10 that we're all getting used to, Thorsten drops an interesting line that hovers around the licensing of the BlackBerry 10 software. Speaking on the fact that RIM will release only two BlackBerry 10 handsets from the start, Thorsten said:

"We don't have the economy of scale to compete against the guys who crank out 60 handsets a year. We have to differentiate and have a focused platform. To deliver BB10 we may need to look at licensing it to someone who can do this at a way better cost proposition than I can do it. There's different options we could do that we're currently investigating."  

So it looks like the option is still out there for RIM to find someone who would want to take on BB10 on a larger scale. There are still a few big names like Samsung that would likely fit that bill. Thorsten isn't saying that RIM won't launch two BlackBerry 10 phones in early 2013 (and more beyond), he's just noting that to crank out 60+ handsets a year they would need to license/work with other partners.

"You could think about us building a reference system, and then basically licensing that reference design, have others build the hardware around it - either it's a BlackBerry or it's something else being built on the BlackBerry platform ... "

Thorsten also says that it's too early to make any big decisions on licensing just yet and that RIM's financial advisors will have to weigh the benefits of doing so. 

What do you think? Would licensing BB10 at this point be a good move for RIM? Sound off in the comments section below.

Video Chat Coming To BlackBerry 10

CEO Thorsten Heins confirmed what many have been hoping. BlackBerry Messenger will utilize the Video Chat feature. We caught an earlier glimpse of this in BlackBerry 10 demo video showing the Video Chat feature available while in call with another BlackBerry user or while viewing their contact information.

It will be really interesting to see how the video chat feature works. Perhaps RIM will allow for multiple video chats to occur while in a group? If you’re an owner of the PlayBook, you’ve likely already witnessed how the Video Chat feature will work.

RIM Could Open Up BlackBerry Network To Others

The Q1 earnings news from RIM of layoffs and a delay in its next generation of handsets has unsurprisingly led to some rumors from the usual "people familiar with the situation," according to Reuters. The options reportedly being considered by the board probably also won't shock you, like the possibility of following former co-CEO Jim Balsillie's plan to open up its network to others and / or sell it outright. 


An alternative path comes from Microsoft and Steve Ballmer, who has reportedly been putting a full court press on the folks in Waterloo to pull a Nokia and bring their arms to the Windows OS camp. That choice is reportedly less attractive because it would mean giving up technology independence, but we'll see how long that feeling lasts if future earnings projections remain similarly dismal.

Research In Motion Reports Q1 Results

Research In Motion has just reported their results for the first quarter of the 2013 fiscal year. We kind of knew what to expect after a business update was issued only a month ago, but it will be interesting to hear what RIM CEO Thorstein Heins has to say during the conference call. The CORE (cost optimization and resource efficiency) program still aims to save $1 billion by the end of fiscal 2013. RIM has faced a few challenges over the last few months but we're hoping that things pick up speed as we head toward the releae of BlackBerry 10. It's noted here that it's still "our number one priority" however the updated release date for BB10 devices is now Q1 of 2013.

You can check out our full coverage and follow along with our live podcast and webcastduring the call. Be sure to stick around after to hear our thoughts on it all. We'll be following up shortly with a breakdown of just what it all means, so be sure to check back later.

Press Release:

Research In Motion Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2013 Results

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 28, 2012) - Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today reported first quarter results for the three months ended June 2, 2012 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated).

• Cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments increased to $2.2 billion at the end of the first quarter
• Cash flow from operations was approximately $710 million in the first quarter
• Revenue of $2.8 billion in Q1, down 33% from $4.2 billion in the prior quarter
• GAAP net loss in Q1 of $518 million or $0.99 per share diluted; adjusted net loss of $192 million or $0.37 per share diluted
• Shipments of BlackBerry smartphones were 7.8 million and shipments of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets were approximately 260,000
• BlackBerry 10 smartphone launch now scheduled for Q1 of calendar 2013
• Restructuring efforts underway that will include a workforce reduction of approximately 5,000 employees as part of RIM's efforts to realize over $1 billion in cost savings, based on RIM's Q4 FY2012 run rate
• Launched World Tour BlackBerry Jam developer sessions in 23 countries resulting in strong adoption and support by application and developer partners for BlackBerry 10 platform
• BlackBerry App World continues to grow with over 89,000 applications available
• The overall BlackBerry subscriber base continued to grow, and the subscriber base grew in all regions except for North America
• RIM names Steve Zipperstein, former General Counsel of Verizon Wireless, as Chief Legal Officer

RIM Considering Splitting Business

According to a new report, RIM may be planning to split its handset and messaging divisions up. This rumor originated from U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times. The publication claims that RIM is considering breaking off its device business into a separate company or straight up selling it, with both Amazon and Facebook named as possible buyers. As for the messaging side of things, RIM could decide to open its platform up to competitors like Apple and Google to help raise some income. It's also said that another option for RIM could be to keep the company together but to sell a stake of it to a larger firm, like Microsoft.

This certainly isn't the first time that we've heard that a big change for RIM may be in the works, and there's even been rumors claiming that the company may open up BlackBerry Messenger to iOS and Android, although that's something that we recently heard won't be happening. We do know that the BlackBerry-manufacturer has hired JP Morgan and RBC Capital Markets to help explore its strategic options, but so far RIM hasn't shed any light on what it may end up doing. I'm sure that RIM is weighing all of its options, though, and it'll be interesting to see what route it ends up taking. What do you all think RIM should do? Should it sell off its handset business or open up BBM to other platforms? Or should it just keep doing what it's been doing?

RIM's Manufacturing Partner Ends BlackBerry Production

Research In Motion accounted for 19 percent of contract manufacturing partner Celestica’s revenue in its last quarter. By the end of this year, it will account for none at all.

Over the next three to six months, Celestica will cease production of the handsets it has been making for RIM, as the struggling BlackBerry maker streamlines its supply chain. A tough break for Celestica, whose long-running contract with RIM and nearly one-fifth of its revenue is now just another casualty of RIM’s plan to trim roughly $1 billion from its operating costs by the end of fiscal 2013.

And for RIM? A necessity. And an inevitability. Celestica mostly produced BlackBerry components for the North American market, a region where BlackBerry sales have declined dramatically. It doesn’t take an Etruscan haruspex to see that cuts were coming, as RIM’S mound of inventory grew and demand for its handsets fell. Supplier consolidation typically follows declines in volume, and that’s precisely what’s going on here.

“We are making changes to our supply chain as part of wider efforts to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of RIM’s operations to help meet our strategic objectives and to deliver long-term value to our stakeholders,” RIM said in a statement.

Nokia Acquires Imaging Firm Scalado

This morning, Nokia has announced that it has acquired imaging firm Scalado for an undisclosed price. Nokia will be picking up everything including their specialists, intellectual property and technology from the company and will be incorporating them into the company sometime in Q3 2012.

Scalado has been working with Nokia for the last 10 years but they've also done work with HTC and most recently RIM on their upcoming BlackBerry 10 and it's new camera functions. That is certainly interesting because RIM itself is in dire straits and they just lost what many considered to be a key partner for re-igniting their brand. Of course what RIM already had in motion with Scalado will probably remain but the Waterloo company should start looking elsewhere for future camera development.

The good news here of course is that Nokia is clearly aiming to get some of the best camera functions on Windows Phone. Currently, HTC is in a bit of a renaissance with their ONE series which focuses heavily on cameras and media capabilities, giving Nokia and others a run for their money.

Needless to say, it will be interesting to see how Scalado's know-how pays off on future Windows Phone 8 devices.