Tag: rim

New Leaked HD Images Show Off RIM’s BlackBerry 10 L-Series

For those that are still firmly in the RIM camp, a slew of new high-resolution pictures of the BlackBerry L-Series smartphone were leaked this evening. When it comes to new product leaks, we’re used to being hit with the “blurry cam” treatment. But surprisingly, these images of this Blackberry are high resolution and capture the L-Series from nearly every angle.

It certainly isn’t too terrible as far as looks are concerned, and there’s plenty to discern from the pictures alone: microSD card slot, 1800mAh battery, 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, micro USB, HDMI and a teenie-tiny microphone under the BlackBerry logo on the front of the device.

Of course, nothing is confirmed until RIM unveils Blackberry 10 devices on January 30th, 2013. Check out all the pics below.

December 12, 2012
RIM To Start “BlackBerry 10 Ready Program”, To Give Enterprises Free BlackBerry 10 Device

RIM announced their “BlackBerry 10 Ready Program” this morning, an incentive for their enterprise customers to “prepare their environments” for the upcoming BB10 OS. RIM will be rolling out various offerings in a phased approach and will include four components: BlackBerry 10 Ready Offer, BlackBerry 10 Ready Webcast Series, BlackBerry Enterprise Server License Trade Up, and the BlackBerry 10 Readiness Services. The BlackBerry 10 Ready Offer and BlackBerry 10 Ready Webcast Series are both available today, while the other two will go live before RIM fully unveils BB10 on January 30th.

[quote]We remain committed to our enterprise customers and want to provide them with a head start on understanding the power of BlackBerry 10 and preparing their existing environments for the new mobile computing platform,” said Bryan Lee, Senior Director, Enterprise at RIM. “The BlackBerry 10 Ready Program gives customers access to a variety of services, information, tools, and special offers to help ease their transition to BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.”[/quote]

The webcast series is simple, but incredibly important. This will be the educational portion and RIM will hold weekly webcasts to share info and answer questions about the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS, plus demonstrate how enterprise customers can easily integrate BB10 when it launches.

Specifics of the “BlackBerry 10 Ready Offer” reveals that RIM will be giving out a free BB10 smartphone, but is limited to one per company and currently available to those in Canada and the United States. RIM states that more countries will follow.

BlackBerry customers with BlackBerry Technical Support at the Advantage level or higher are eligible to receive a free BlackBerry 10 smartphone. Customers will need to install and run BlackBerry Mobile Fusion (which will be succeeded by BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10), and successfully complete an exclusive online learning course to qualify. Upon the launch of BlackBerry 10, the organization will receive a free BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

RIM has 80 million BlackBerry customers and 60 million BlackBerry Messenger users. The big unveiling of BlackBerry 10 is happening on January 30th, 2013 .

[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Research In Motion (RIM) (RIMM)(RIM.TO) today announced the BlackBerry 10 Ready Program. The program is designed to address the needs of BlackBerry enterprise customers as they prepare their environments for the launch of BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10, RIM”s powerful new multiplatform enterprise mobility management solution. The program will be introduced in a phased approach with four components. Two of the components – The BlackBerry 10 Ready Offer and the BlackBerry 10 Ready Webcast Series – are available today. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server License Trade Up and BlackBerry 10 Readiness Services components will be available ahead of the global BlackBerry 10 launch on January 30, 2013.

“We remain committed to our enterprise customers and want to provide them with a head start on understanding the power of BlackBerry 10 and preparing their existing environments for the new mobile computing platform,” said Bryan Lee, Senior Director, Enterprise at RIM. “The BlackBerry 10 Ready Program gives customers access to a variety of services, information, tools, and special offers to help ease their transition to BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.”

BlackBerry 10 Ready Offer

BlackBerry customers with BlackBerry Technical Support at the Advantage level or higher are eligible to receive a free BlackBerry 10 smartphone.* Customers will need to install and run BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion (which will be succeeded by BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10), and successfully complete an exclusive online learning course to qualify. Upon the launch of BlackBerry 10, the organization will receive a free BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

BlackBerry 10 Webcast Series

The weekly BlackBerry 10 webcast series is designed to share information, answer questions about RIM”s enterprise product portfolio, and prepare enterprise customers with the tools they need ahead of launch. The webcasts will be supported in multiple languages.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server License Trade Up

RIM will be offering customers who purchase BlackBerry 10 smartphones the ability to trade up their existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server licenses on a one for one basis for free, until December 31, 2013.** The license trade up offer will allow customers to secure and manage their BlackBerry 10 smartphones with BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10. Customers will be able to access an online tool for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server License Trade Up in January 2013.

BlackBerry 10 Readiness Services

This set of services will provide customers with a smooth migration path to BlackBerry 10. Change management and planning migration tools, and application development services will be available in January 2013. For more details customers can email [email protected].

For more information about the BlackBerry 10 Ready Program please visitwww.blackberry.com/blackberry10ready.

To register for the BlackBerry 10 Webcast Series, and to get a complete list of dates and times, please visit www.blackberry.com/blackberry10webcasts.

* Offer available while supplies last. Limit one (1) device per company. Offer currently only available for customers in North America. (Additional countries are expected to follow with similar offers.) Offer deadline: February 28, 2013. For complete details see Terms and Conditions:http://www.blackberry.com/business/blackberry-10-ready/free-blackberry-10-device/terms-and-conditions.html.

** Offer applies to BlackBerry Enterprise Server licenses only; not applicable for BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express licenses. Additional Terms and Conditions apply.

About Research In Motion

Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (RIM.TO). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “intend”, “believe”, and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by RIM in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that RIM believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause RIM”s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of RIM”s Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on RIM”s forward-looking statements. RIM has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

BlackBerry, RIM, Research In Motion and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. All other brands, names and marks are the property of their respective owners. RIM is not responsible for any third party products or services.

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December 6, 2012
Thorsten Heins, RIM CEO, Spotted With His Blackberry 10 Device During an NBA Game

Thorsten Heins, RIM CEO, and Andrew Bocking, RIM SVP of Software Product Management, were recently hanging court side at the LA Lakers/Phoenix Suns game and both were armed with the all-touch BlackBerry 10 device. Heins noted about a month ago that he was using his BB10 on a daily basis, so this could very well be the final hardware. They both look pleasantly happy snapping a few pics and we’re really curious if they’re using the Time Shift feature.

Typically RIM employees can’t bust out pre-production units in public, but I think the CEO might be an exception.

On Bocking’s device, which he’s putting away in a snazzy leather pouch, the bottom row on his homescreen shows the promised Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Foursquare apps. The official unveiling of the RIM BlackBerry 10 OS will be happening on January 30th, 2013.

November 19, 2012
BlackBerry 10 SDK Gold Versions On December 11 : RIM

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has already provided developers with the possibility to start building applications for its upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system, and it is now promising a final flavor of its development tools for early December.

According to the handset vendor, developers will be provided with a new flavor of the BlackBerry 10 SDK on November 29, while the Gold version of the kit will arrive on December 11.

The company is focusing on bringing developers into the fold, offering a wide variety of tools such as HTML5, native C++, and even Java, to fill up the BlackBerry App World with high-quality apps and games.

RIM clearly understands that apps can make or break an ecosystem — just ask webOS — and it’s working hard to woo developers back from Android and Apple.

The company apparently learned from the recent release of Windows Phone 8 as well. With WP8, Microsoft angered legions of would-be developers when it didn’t bother to release a final SDK until the day after the official launch of the mobile operating system.

RIM will officially launch Blackberry 10 on 30th January.

November 16, 2012
RIM Introduces BBM Voice, Free Voice Calling Over Wi-Fi For BBM Users
With RIM’s BlackBerry 10 announcement earlier this week – now officially launching on January 30th, 2013 – there seems to be some much needed enthusiasm running through their veins. Today the company has declared that their popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service will be updated to version 7.0 and brings a bunch of new features.

BBM 7.0 will move away from just text with the addition of BBM Voice — free Wi-Fi calling between all BlackBerry Messenger users. If you’re interested in trying it out, the open beta starts today. Much as BBM initially led the move towards platform-specific messaging as a way to save on text message costs, RIM’s new integrated Wi-Fi calling solution could provide a simple way for users to save on voice minutes — so long as they have Wi-Fi available. It’s a big addition to the BBM real-time chat app, a service that T.A. McCann, RIM’s VP of BBM and Social Communities says “we pioneered and is now being copied by many.”

From the looks of things, initiating a call through BBM Voice is quite simple and cleanly integrated into the service. Users will see an icon that represents the voice availability of their BBM contacts, and a simple press of the “dial” key (or the dial icon on a touchscreen-equipped BlackBerry) will request that the receiver join a voice call. Once the call is started, users can jump back into chat to send images or other content, will full multitasking available in other apps and full compatibility with speakerphone or Bluetooth headsets.

BBM 7 will also see 16 new emoticons, including a “hang loose” sign, mad, camera icon, lightbulb, sun, rain, thunderstorm, snow, tired and what looks to be dizzy. Also coming in the upgrade is an In App Upgrade Notification that will do just that, notify you when an BBM update is available (works for OS 5, 6, 7 devices). Finally, RIM has also linked your BBM info (display name, picture, contacts, groups) directly to your BBID, thus making it eventually easier to switch/upgrade to BlackBerry 10 without any frustration.

BBM 7 will be available to the masses “before the end of the year,” but if you’re interested to give it a go now you can head on over to the Beta Zone and download BBM version 7 and BBM Voice.

Check out the Press Release below :

[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]

For the times when you want to hear a friend’s laughter instead of reading LOL, BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) is taking the social networking experience to a whole new level with an exciting new feature called BBM Voice. Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced BBM version 7, a free update for the globally popular mobile social network, which will allow customers to make free voice calls to other BBM customers around the world over a Wi-Fi® connection*.

BBM is a fast, convenient and inexpensive service for BlackBerry® customers that gives them the ability to instantly chat with a friend, family member or colleague, and know when their message has been delivered, and read. With the new version of BBM, customers have a new option – they can talk with their BBM contact across the globe for free over a Wi-Fi connection. In an instant, customers can switch between texting and talking, or talk and text at the same time. For consumers, especially in developing markets, the BBM Voice feature offers an attractive way to talk with friends and family near and far, and staying in contact will be easier than ever as the holiday season approaches. For business customers, BBM Voice allows for enriched collaboration.

“BBM is the quick, easy way to stay connected to the people that matter to you, and with today’s announcement we’re expanding the capabilities of the service for deeper social engagement and even greater collaboration, beginning with voice functionality,” said T.A. McCann, Vice President of BBM and Social Communities at RIM. “The new BBM Voice feature is for when you’re travelling and you want to call home without worrying about phone charges. It’s for when you have news you can’t wait to share, for quickly explaining complicated details, and collaborating with colleagues. Whenever your ideas are too big for text, there’s BBM Voice.”

BBM Voice includes a number of convenient features.
- Customers can initiate a BBM Voice call directly, or instantly switch from a BBM text chat to talk, and back again.
- The split-screen feature allows customers to talk and text at the same time, so for example, they can send a picture to their contact while talking with them. They can also check other BBM text chats, check email, or navigate to other apps while engaged on a BBM Voice call.
- BBM provides a visual indicator that shows when contacts are available for a voice call.
- BBM Voice is compatible with any accessories a customer has now for making voice calls on their BlackBerry smartphone, such as a Bluetooth® or wired headset. Customers can also use BBM Voice over their BlackBerry smartphone’s speakerphone.
- If it’s not an ideal time to talk, customers can simply choose to respond by texting back.
Another important feature of BBM version 7 is its integration with a customer’s BlackBerry ID, which is designed to back up their BBM profile, groups and contacts so they can automatically be restored in the event they switch to a new BlackBerry smartphone, including to a BlackBerry® 10 device.

BBM version 7 with the new BBM Voice feature is currently available in Beta for BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry® 6 OS or higher with support planned for smartphones running the BlackBerry 5 OS at a future date. The Beta can be downloaded for free from BlackBerry Beta Zone**. Customers can sign up to BlackBerry Beta Zone for free at www.BlackBerry.com/betazone.

For more information about BBM, please visit www.blackberry.com/bbm.

* BBM requires a BlackBerry service plan. The BBM Voice feature requires a Wi-Fi connection with access to the Internet and may not be available in all markets.

** BlackBerry Beta Zone is not available in all markets.

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November 14, 2012
Blackberry 10 Devices To Be In Stores Soon After Launch

Research In Motion is confident its new BlackBerry 10 devices will be 100 percent ready for the January 30 launch and available in stores “not too long after” that, Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear said on Tuesday.

[quote]”We’re working hard right now to make sure all the bits and pieces and all the details are in place for the date, when the devices will be available for consumers and enterprises,” Tear told Reuters in an interview.[/quote]

RIM, which virtually invented the concept of mobile email with its first line of BlackBerry devices more than a decade ago, was roundly criticized for the botched 2011 launch of its PlayBook tablet computer, which RIM had hoped would compete with Apple’s blockbuster iPad.

The PlayBook looked pretty and had top-of-the-line hardware. But its software was far from complete at the launch and needed multiple updates. The device also lacked the library of apps available on the iPad and on devices that run on Google Inc’s competing Android operating system.

RIM says its the new Blackberry 10 devices will be faster and smoother than its existing phones and have a large catalog of applications that are crucial to the success of any smartphone.

The company hopes the new devices will allow it to claw back some of the market share it has lost to Android and Apple phones.

Tear said RIM has used input from current BlackBerry users to influence the design of the new devices, The new phones both build on the strengths of RIM’s existing operating system and improve on its weak points, he said.

RIM last month began carrier testing on the new Blackberry 10 devices, with an initial rollout to more than 50 carriers. Tear, who joined RIM a few months ago from Sony Mobile Communications, said RIM was expanding that to a wider group of carriers across the globe.

January 30th is about 2.5 months away. The countdown begins.

[Reuters]

November 14, 2012
BlackBerry 10 Receives FIPS Security Certification Ahead of Launch

Research In Motion (RIM) today announced that the BlackBerry 10 platform is now FIPS 140-2 certified. The certification will enable government agencies to deploy BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, RIM’s new mobile enterprise management solution, from the day of launch. This is the first time BlackBerry products have been FIPS certified ahead of launch.

FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) certification provides confidence to security-conscious organizations, including U.S. and Canadian government agencies, companies in regulated industries and other organizations dealing with sensitive information, that data stored on smartphones running BlackBerry 10 can be properly secured and encrypted.

“Achieving FIPS 140-2 certification means that BlackBerry 10 is ready to meet the strict security requirements of government agencies and enterprises at launch,” said Michael K. Brown, Vice President, Security Product Management and Research at RIM. “What differentiates BlackBerry is that it integrates end-to-end security, and includes certified encryption algorithms for data at rest and data in transit. No other mobile solution has achieved the level of security accreditation that the BlackBerry solution has.”

FIPS 140 is issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to coordinate the requirements and standards for certifying cryptographic modules. The standard was developed through the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP), which certifies products for use by U.S. government agencies and regulated industries that collect, store, transfer, share and disseminate sensitive information. Product certifications under the CMVP are performed in accordance with the requirements of FIPS 140-2. It is supported by the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) for the Canadian government.

“IDC expects the mobile enterprise security market to experience a high rate of growth from 2012 to 2016,” said Stacy Crook, Program Manager for Mobile Enterprise research at IDC. “Maintaining the BlackBerry solution’s reputation for security while introducing an enhanced user experience gives BlackBerry 10 the opportunity to be a highly competitive platform in the government, enterprise and consumer sectors.”

BlackBerry products and solutions are protected by best-in-class AES 256-bit encryption, a highly secure, internationally recognized data protection standard. In addition to FIPS certifications, BlackBerry products have continuously passed rigorous security assessments from a variety of other independent organizations around the world. The BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution is the first mobile platform to achieve Common Criteria Certification, a standard recognized by 26 countries, as well as the first to receive approval through the CESG Assisted Product Scheme (CAPS), the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance in the United Kingdom. BlackBerry® 7 smartphones meet Common Criteria security assurance level EAL 4+. The BlackBerry® PlayBook™ is the first FIPS certified tablet for deployment within U.S. federal government agencies and certified for use by the Defence Signals Directorate of the Australian Government.

“Achieving FIPS certification for an entirely new platform in a very short period of time, and before launch, is quite remarkable and a testament to the dedication of our security team,” said David MacFarlane, Director, Security Certifications at RIM. “BlackBerry 10 will deliver security, a superior user experience, the ability to separately manage corporate and personal data on the same device, and ease of manageability for IT managers in an enterprise or government environment.”

November 9, 2012
RIM Invites Key Government Officials for BlackBerry 10 Sneak Peek

Some of Ottawa’s key government officials will be among the first to get a sneak peek of the new BlackBerry 10 operating system.

Over the past number of months RIM has been consistently traveling the world promoting the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS. Execs have mainly communicated their enthusiasm to the developer community and respected carrier partners, but for those loyal customers, now 80 million strong, rely on leaked information or various hands-on reviews.

One of RIM’s backbone customers are those in the government. Many high-ranking officials, like President Barack Obama, rely on the encryption technology to secure their info.

Apparently invitations have been sent out to Members of Parliament, their assistants, members of Industry Canada, and regional caucus members encouraging them to “get a sneak peek of the next generation mobile platform that will change everything.”

Big test for Blackberry!

October 20, 2012
7digital to provide music services to RIM’s Blackberry 10 smartphones

BlackBerry 10 is still months away from being released, but that hasn’t stopped partnering companies from sending press releases that will help power the platform. Apparently TomTom will be partnering up for the maps application, plus Scalado will assist with the camera features. As for the music capabilities it’s 7digital.

This really comes as no real surprise as the music service has been working with RIM since 2009 – currently have an music store app for various smartphones and the PlayBook. In a press release we received it notes that “7digital and RIM are working closely together to leverage both 7digital’s open music platform technology and BlackBerry platform abilities, such as the social integration and recommendation engines. 7digital’s platform allows BlackBerry App World to build digital music services into the core of the product.”

Along with the RIM partnership announcement, 7digital also revealed on Thursday its decision to expand beyond music downloads, introducing new digital music services to the firm’s application programming interface (API).

Following what it claims was “a successful year of growth”, the API update will include a scan-and-match feature similar to Apple’s Itunes Match, as well as a streaming functionality akin to Spotify, which won’t be locked to any particular hardware or OS. 7digital said these features will be introduced to the service across Europe, North and South America and Australasia “in the coming months”.

It’ll be interesting to see how the social integration and recommendations happen, possibly even deeper tie in with BBM Music app. 7digital also stood by what RIM has declared, “BlackBerry 10 smartphones are expected to become available in calendar Q1 of 2013.”

October 19, 2012
No plans To Release Instagram for Blackberry 10, Says Facebook

In what could turn out to be a considerable blow to RIM’s upcoming operating system, Venturebeat has learned that Facebook has no intention of bringing its popular Instagram app to BlackBerry 10. While RIM has promised native apps from social network leaders such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare and, of course, Facebook, a company insider has shared that at least for the time being there are no plans to do the same for Instagram.

As much as non-users tend to dismiss Instagram as a silly little photo app, the fact is that there are over 100 million users posting thousands of photos per hour, all from just two platforms. While the iPhone provided the amniotic fluid in which Instagram gestated, its expansion to Android has been the true catalyst for growth, adding nearly 70 million users since April.

But for RIM, getting application makers to build for the platform is arguably the single most important factor to determining whether consumers go back to (or discover) BlackBerry, especially if task management flow is all the platform has to set it apart from iOS and Android. RIM has been providing thousands of developers with beta devices, dubbed Dev Alpha, on which they’ve been tasked to build the very apps that users will have access to at launch. They’re already accepting apps, despite the fact that the first devices will launch in Q1 2013.

However, Kevin Michaluk from CrackBerry on Monday disputed the report. Michaeluk has a well established track record reporting on RIM, and said that his sources have confirmed that RIM’s relationship with Facebook is still solid. He added that we “will see Instagram come to Blackberry 10.” He said he’s so confident that, if he’s wrong, he’s willing to buy somebody a car!

More on this to come!

October 16, 2012
RIM’s New CEO plans massive comeback for Blackberry with new UI and feature rich Ecosystem

Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins is promising to restore the BlackBerry phone’s stature as a trailblazing device even as many investors fret about its potential demise. Heins took the stage Tuesday at a conference for mobile applications developers to rally support for the upcoming release of BlackBerry 10, a new operating system that Research In Motion Ltd. is touting as its salvation after years of blundering wiped out some $80 billion in shareholder wealth.

Blackberry held almost 50% of the market share prior to the Android and iPhone era. With new UI that is more user centric blackberry plans to make a comeback not only in the consumer segment, but its primary source the business/enterprise segment.

RIM is also planning Native apps for Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and LinkedIN, which are quite identical to their iOS/Android counterparts.

In addition to sharing new details about its forthcoming BlackBerry 10 OS, RIM used the BlackBerry Jam keynote to make an announcement about App World. The company just revealed that in addition to applications and games, the store will sell music, movies and TV shows. There are currently 105,000 apps in the store, with 3 billion downloads logged since the store’s opening.

RIM says, BB 10 applications will join the herd soon: the company will begin accepting submissions on October 10th.

September 26, 2012
RIM looks to sell NewBay, other assets

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is looking to sell cloud services provider NewBay and some of the other minor assets it recently acquired, as part of a strategic review process, according to a source familiar with the matter.

RIM acquired NewBay, a provider of photo, video, and social-networking tools for smartphones and computers, in October 2011 for reportedly around $100 million, as it sought to roll out a new strategy to stem its steady decline.

RIM declined to comment on the sale report.

RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is a pioneer in the smartphone industry, but has struggled over the last couple of years, as its aging line-up of BlackBerry smartphones have not been able to compete against more-advanced devices like Apple Inc’s iPhone and a slew of other devices based on Google Inc’s Android software.

The acquisition of NewBay in Dublin, Ireland, was a huge part of the former RIM leadership’s plan to alter its course and boost service revenue by having carriers use its services for messaging, content delivery and analytics on all smartphones.

When RIM bought it in late 2011, NewBay had over 80 million subscribers. NewBay stores media on its own servers and delivers it to any Internet-connected device, including mobile phones, personal computers and tablets.

But in the face of mounting pressure RIM’s Co-Chief Executives Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie resigned early this year. RIM’s new CEO Thorsten Heins has begun a strategic review process within the company and is focused on delivering a new line-up of devices that run on RIM’s new BB10 operating system, in the first-quarter of 2013.

Since taking the reins early in 2012, Heins has retained RBC Capital Markets and JPMorgan to explore options for RIM.

Its share price has fallen more than 60 percent over the course of the last year, as RIM has continued to hemorrhage market share to the likes of nimbler competitors like Apple and Samsung Electronics Co.

RIM’s shares closed more than 6 percent higher at $8.29 on Friday on the Nasdaq, after Bloomberg reported that tech giant International Business Machines Corp had at one point considered buying RIM’s enterprise division.

Source : Reuters

August 11, 2012
10 inch Blackberry playbook found in Vietnam

With RIM ready to push focus on BB10 devices coming next year, more news and leaks of Blackberry Playbook 10 inch could indicate only a possible launch soon. Specs include a 7,250 mAh battery, 10-inch frame, the tablet also includes a SIM holder and cellular radio, possible 4G or 3G (HSPA+) radio waves.

No actual information on hardware on the inside or outside. But there appear to be bigger cameras and a beefier processor.

[Tinhte]

July 31, 2012
RIM hit with $147.2 million verdict in wireless patent lawsuit

Research in Motion Ltd has been directed by a northern California jury directed to pay $147.2 million in patent litigation over a remote management system for wireless devices.

Mformation, a maker of mobile-device management software, sued RIM in 2008, alleging infringement of two patents. The company claimed it disclosed details of the technology to RIM during licensing discussions. After refusing to take a license, the BlackBerry maker modified its software to include the patented systems, Mformation said in its complaint.

Amar Thakur, an attorney for Mformation, said the jury directed RIM to pay an $8 royalty for every BlackBerry device connected to RIM’s enterprise server software, which brings the total award to $147.2 million. The verdict only covers U.S. sales through trial, Thakur said, and not future or foreign damages.

RIM’s stock has tumbled more than 70 percent in the past year as its customers abandoned the BlackBerry following the increasing popularity of its rivals Apple’s iPhone and other devices using Google Inc’s Android software. RIM last month posted its first and unexpected operating loss in eight years.

July 14, 2012
RIM’s Blackberry App World marks 3 billion App Downloads

Everything may seem horribly wrong at Rim but all is not lost , when the company shows up with good numbers in at least one sector. The Blackberry App World just registered 3 billion app downloads it’s seen since the launch. According to RIM, that number amounts to 2.5 million downloads a day. At present, there are 90,000 apps available through the mobile app market.

[Inside BlackBerry]

July 9, 2012