Items tagged with BlackBerry 10
We can’t say that we didn’t see this one coming. BlackBerry has been circling the drain for quite some time, and its Blackberry 10 (BB10) operating system — which was supposed to be its savior in the face of immense pressure from iOS and Android — has proven to be anything but. That became even more clear when BlackBerry announced its flagship Priv smartphone last year, which just so happens to run the Android operating system. In an interview conducted during CES, BlackBerry CEO John Chen confirmed that it will no longer develop smartphones running on its own BB10 operating system. Instead, like the Priv, it will concentrate on using Android with its own security software and enhancements baked...
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It interesting how the tides turn when a company is faced with irrelevancy in the smartphone market. BlackBerry once pitched the BlackBerry 10 operating system as a competent rival to Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, but instead has been “thanked” with sub 1 percent market share in the global smartphone market. BlackBerry was one at the top of the smartphone heap pre-iPhone, but now it has been reduced to an also-ran. So what is BlackBerry to do in order to regain its footing in the smartphone market? The company is embracing the world’s number one mobile operating system: Android. But since everyone and their grandma (with the exception of Apple) produces Android-based smartphones, BlackBerry...
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The company formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM) has some soul searching to do. After all the big talk, new platform and device launches, and even a name change to signify brighter days ahead, the company now known as BlackBerry notched an $84 million loss, or 13 cents per share, according to the firm's first quarter fiscal 2014 financial results. Stating the obvious, BlackBerry noted in its financial report the smartphone market "remains highly competitive," adding that it's therefore "difficult to estimate units, revenue, and levels of profitability." That might be true, or BlackBerry may be trying to mitigate the inevitable fallout from a disappointing quarter. If so, it didn't work....
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BlackBerry surprised Wall Street on Thursday by reporting a profit for its most recent quarter, posting a net gain of $94 million on revenue of $2.7 billion. Compare that to the previous quarter, during which time the company formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM) lost $18 million. Indeed, a name change now seems entirely appropriate. It wasn't a new attitude that ultimately lifted BlackBerry out of the red, at least for a quarter. For its fiscal year, BlackBerry recorded loss of $646 million, so there's still plenty of ground to make up. However, this is no longer RIM we're dealing with, it's BlackBerry, and along with the name change came a new attitude, a new platform, and a new product...
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A mobile platform is only as good as its apps, and on that front, BlackBerry 10 (BB10) is off to a stellar start. According to the company previously known as Research In Motion (now it's simply called "BlackBerry"), the BB10 store has been fleshed out with 30,000 new apps in just the past seven weeks, bringing the total number to more than 100,000, all accessible on the new BlackBerry Z10 handset. "The response to the BlackBerry 10 platform and applications has been outstanding. Customers are thrilled with the applications already available, and the catalog just keeps growing, now with more than 100,000 apps," said Martyn Mallick, Vice President, Global Alliances at BlackBerry. "Top brands and...
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During the BlackBerry 10 launch event today, CEO Thorsten Heins announced plans to change the company's name from Research In Motion to BlackBerry. The company has also changed its tagline to "One brand. One promise." The company's stock ticker will change to BBRY to reflect the new name. "We have reinvented the company, and we want to represent this in our brand….We have transformed ourselves inside and out, and we have defined a revision, a dedication to the boundless opportunities in mobile computing," Heins said. "Our customers use BlackBerry. Our employees work for BlackBerry, and our shareholders are owners of BlackBerry. From today on, we are BlackBerry everywhere in the world,"...
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On many occasions Thorsten Heins, CEO of Research In Motion, has said he is willing to consider several different options for the company moving forward. It's no secret that RIM wants to license its upcoming BlackBerry 10 software. Another option Heins has considered is much bigger, and it involves selling off the production of BlackBerry hardware. For now, Heins indicated the company's focus is on a successful launch of its BlackBerry 10 platform. The launch event is scheduled to take place next week. In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt, Heins said, "The main thing for now is to successfully introduce Blackberry 10. Then we’ll see." Thorsten Heins, CEO of Research In Motion...
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RIM is getting ready to launch its BlackBerry 10 operating system in about two weeks. In an effort to try to boost the new platform's app store, RIM held two Port-A-Thon events last week. One of the events was focused on BlackBerry while the other focused on Android developers. RIM's vice president of develop relations, Alec Saunders, tweeted about the success of the two events, saying, "Well there you have it. 37.5 hours in, we hit 15,000 apps for this portathon. Feel like I've run a marathon. Thanks to all the devs!" The Port-A-Thon events offered developers a number of incentives. For developers who ported one to five apps at the BlackBerry event, $100 was offered. The first ten developers...
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Research In Motion (RIM) is in control of its own fate. If BlackBerry 10 flops, and by extension, the company's next-generation mobile plans, the Canadian company will only have itself to blame, and not any of the major wireless carriers. That's because BlackBerry 10 reportedly has the backing of all four major wireless carriers in the U.S., including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Lining up the big names in wireless is a big deal for the struggling handset maker. Overshadowed by uber popular iOS and Android smartphones, RIM has largely lost its relevance as a major player in the smartphone market, though it's doing a little better internationally. Still, BlackBerry 10 is viewed as...
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It doesn't appear there will be any delaying Research In Motion's plans to launch at least one BlackBerry 10 device at the end of the month, as scheduled. In addition to the numerous leaked photos of RIM's upcoming products, a new BlackBerry device is now listed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC listing identifies the model number as RFH121LW. Unfortunately there aren't any details accompanying the listing, just a bunch of numbers and letters that are otherwise meaningless. Here's a look: An official BlackBerry 10 launch event is scheduled for January 30, 2013 in New York. We've already seen some leaked photos ahead of the event, albeit they're blurry snapshots. Image...
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Is there an unwritten rule that all leaked photos of unreleased products have to be shot with what looks like a $25 kiddie camera from Toys R Us? It certainly seems that way sometimes, and it would explain why a new batch of BlackBerry 10 images look like crap. But let's not fuss any further over image quality; the real story here is that we've been given another glimpse of what Research In Motion's (RIM) upcoming BlackBerry 10 devices will look like. A Chinese website posted a pair of photos of a second BlackBerry 10 handset, which shows a taller touchscreen display than previous models that have had both touchscreens and full keyboards. Other than that, there's not a ton you can discern from...
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As we get closer and closer to the launch of BlackBerry 10 on January 30th, more and more details are leaking out about what we might see. We've already had a glimpse at RIM's upcoming touchscreen device. A newly leaked picture suggests the L-Series handset may actually be referred to as the Z10. What's more, the new picture also features the same styling and form as the previously leaked pictures, adding a bit more credibility to both images. RIM's BlackBerry Z10, as seen here, is expected to be offered in both black and white. If this latest picture is to be believed, it appears RIM will move away from its traditional naming conventions that used names such as Torch and Bold along with a four-digit...
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Apps are a key component of any mobile operating system. RIM recognizes this and is working hard to ensure its upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform will have plenty of apps to offer when it launches. In a recent interview with Forbes, RIM's chief marketing officer Frank Boulben said there will be more than 70,000 BlackBerry 10 apps when it launches on January 30th. Although this is an impressive number for a mobile platform at launch, it's still relatively small in comparison to what Google and Apple currently offer in their respective app stores. Both of these mobile platforms have more than ten times the number of apps RIM plans to offer when BlackBerry 10 launches. Even Windows Phone...
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A Vietnamese website has posted what are supposedly the first real images of Research In Motion's (RIM) upcoming BlackBerry 10-based smartphone. If the pictures aren't legitimate, someone deserves kudos for a fine Photoshopping, because they sure look real. Best of all, they're not blurry, as leaked photos have a nasty tendency to be. In full view is RIM's L-Series device. Several shots are provided, which allows us to discern a fair amount of details about the upcoming smartphone, such as a removable back cover giving access to the 1,800mAh battery, micro-SIM card, and microSD card slot. It's a sleek looking device that bears a partial resemblance to the iPhone. There's a power button on top,...
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RIM's upcoming smartphone launches are going to play a huge role in how the company competes in the market moving forward. As a former leader in the smartphone market, RIM has an uphill battle to fight if it wants to be one of the top smartphone manufacturers once again. With Android and iOS currently enjoying great success, it's easy to wonder if there's any room left for the BlackBerry platform. RIM plans to unveil its BlackBerry 10 platform in its finished state on January 30 of next year. RIM's CEO Thorsten Heins has stated the first BlackBerry 10 device will launch in the first quarter. Kristian Tear, COO, has stated new BlackBerry devices will be made available not long after the platform...
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Optimism is running high for Research In Motion's (RIM) upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform, and not just within the company itself. At least one analyst thinks RIM has a shot of shipping 35.5 million BB10 devices next year, up from an earlier estimate of 31.6 million, essentially dragging the company out of a sales slump and finally giving Android and iOS some competition. Investors are, quite literally, buying into the hype. RIM's share price on Turkey Day spiked more than 17 percent. It's now exchanging hands at 11.61 per share in after market trading. Kris Thompson, an analyst with National Bank who sparked the surging stock with his estimation of 35.5 million units shipped, bumped up RIM's target...
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Research In Motion (RIM) can ill afford for its BlackBerry 10 platform to disappoint, not when Android and iOS are the top dogs in mobile, and with Microsoft desperately trying to position its Windows Phone 8 platform as a viable contender (just as BlackBerry used to be). Can RIM reclaim the success it once had in mobile? We're about to find out. Come January 30, 2013, RIM will introduce a new line of BlackBerry 10 smartphones during a scheduled launch event, the handset maker announced today. The event will mark the official launch of BlackBerry 10. "In building BlackBerry 10, we set out to create a truly unique mobile computing experience that constantly adapts to your needs. Our team has been...
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If RIM has any fight left in it, we'll know when the next series of BlackBerry devices comes out. That make-or-break test is still months away, and we're seeing some activity on RIM's part in the run up to the big launch. Rim has shown the new devices to major carriers and is trumpeting what it claims is a positive reaction from them.Don't hold your breath for the BlackBerry launch, though: RIM still hasn't set a firm date for devices to go on sale, and analysts predict the Apple iPhone 5 will launch months before BlackBerry devices with the new BlackBerry 10 operating system hit the market. RIM CEO Thorsten Heins had hoped to get BB10 on the market by the end of the year, but conceded that...
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When RIM fired its previous team of co-CEOs, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, but replaced them with quiet insider Thorsten Heins, there was concern that the latter was too closely wedded to RIM's old guard to be able to deliver the kind of change the company needs. That idea has just been chucked squarely out the window -- for better or worse, Thorsten has shown his commitment to revamping RIM, starting with some major housecleaning. Basillie, who had taken up a post on RIM's board, is altogether gone, as is the company's CTO, David Yach, and its COO, Jim Rowan. Their firings are just the flagship announcement of a horrifically bad quarter. RIM's fiscal Q4 2012 revenue was $4.2B, down 19% from...
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