The BlackBerry of today could've been a Chinese-controlled company -- if the Canadian government hadn't put its foot down, that is. A report in The Globe and Mail, citing inside sources, claims the government feared a Lenovo takeover would compromise national security given how connected BlackBerry's business is with the country's communications infrastructure. Though Lenovo was apparently very serious about moving forward with acquisition talks, the government's objections were so strong that BlackBerry never bothered to submit a formal proposal for consideration. That and the fact that BlackBerry also desperately needed a speedy solution to stem its downward spiral; something a pending merger would only exacerbate. No matter now though, as BlackBerry's since abandoned takeover talks in favor of financing and ousting failed CEO Thorsten Heins.
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“The last time device shipments and revenues were at current levels (way back in 2007) cost of sales and overall operating expenses were a fraction of what they are now,” Dawson writes. “Even cutting operating expenses by 50% by 2015 won’t be enough at this rate. The company has to find other sources of revenue, and it simply hasn’t shown what those are.”
Dawson thinks that new CEO Chen has no time to waste in articulating his strategy for moving BlackBerry forward and that the company’s scheduled December 20th earnings report is absolutely crucial. At that time, Chen will need to spell out exactly how he plans to either revive the company’s flagging device sales or put it out of its misery while also spelling out just how big or small the company will need to be so it can return to profitability.
“The only way BlackBerry can survive, therefore, is if it can dramatically cut costs to give it enough breathing room to allow these very small, nascent product lines to generate significant revenue,” Dawson concludes. “I believe that’s why Fairfax wanted to take it private — that’s an ugly kind of transition that you really don’t want to be doing in public.”
Via: Yahoo News
BlackBerryBB.T -1.03% is saying goodbye to three top executives Monday and will hand them $6.8 million on the way out the door.
In a release Monday morning, the battered Canadian smartphone maker said Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear, Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben, and Chief Financial Officer Brian Bidulka would be leaving the company.
Mr. Bidulka, who said he will stay on as an adviser for the rest of the year, will receive the largest exit package –$3 million. That includes two years of his salary worth $1.2 million, plus stock options and retirement savings. He joined BlackBerry in 2005.
Mr. Boulben will receive $2.3 million, and Mr. Tear will receive roughly $1.5 million based upon SEC filings and the current value of BlackBerry’s stock.
Messrs. Tear and Boulben worked at BlackBerry for just a year and a half. Both executives joined BlackBerry in May 2012. Mr. Tear joined BlackBerry from Sony Mobile Communications. Mr. Boulben joined from LightSquared, the wireless satellite company that filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2012.
BlackBerry’s board of directors voted on the executive packages during the company’s July meeting and was approved by shareholders. BlackBerry declined to comment beyond the SEC filings.
The latest shake-up in BlackBerry’s executive suite comes after the smartphone maker called off a $4.7 billion tentative deal to sell itself to Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. in early November and instead said it would continue as a public company. At the time, BlackBerry replaced CEO Thorsten Heins with John Chen, former chief executive of enterprise software company Sybase Inc.
The severance packages for all of BlackBerry’s executives were far less than what they would have received if BlackBerry had successfully executed a sale.
Via: CANADA REAL TIME
With the BlackBerry Limited BBM app coming pre-installed, users can directly engage with other BBM users without having to download the app or incurring download charges.
"BBM will soon come preinstalled on a variety of Android-based smartphones from leading OEMs across Africa, India, Indonesia, Latin America and the Middle East," BlackBerry Ltd said in a statement.
Beginning next month, Android smartphones from Be, Brightstar, Celkon, EVERCOSS, IMO, Micromax, Mito, Snexian, Spice, TECNO, TiPhone and Zen will include BBM preinstalled, it added.
BBM will continue to be available as a free download from Android app stores, including Google Play.
"It is clear that smartphone customers see BBM as a must have app for active conversations. The uptake we have seen for BBM since the launch on Android and iPhone is amazing," BlackBerry Executive Vice President (BBM) Andrew Bocking said.
BBM is already available pre-loaded on Micromax's Canvas Turbo and will now be preloaded in the entire forthcoming range of Canvas phones.
BlackBerry today also launched its BBM Channels, which will allow brands to engage with people and communities.
Source : Financial Express
Image : Reuters
The Waterloo firm is also replacing Chief Financial Officer Brian Bidulka with the company's Compliance head James Yersh; Bidulka will stay on as an advisor for the rest of the fiscal year to ease the transition. CEO John Chen hasn't provided explanations for the individual departures, but he describes the executive shuffle as necessary for focusing on BlackBerry's "core strength" in mobile device management. Let's just hope that Chen is better at engineering a turnaround than his predecessors.
Source: Marketwired
Believe it or not, it wasn't that long ago that Nokia and BlackBerry were the top two smartphone companies. Indeed, in 2006, in a preemptive move against the NTP patent troll, the Department of Justice asked that BlackBerry's services be kept going even if NTP won their case. Seven years later most of us are just wondering how long the company can stay alive.
BlackBerry hasn't given the ghost up yet. Besides finding a new CEO, BlackBerry is embracing Android apps.
In a technical blog posting, BlackBerry announced that its "Android Runtime team [is] bringing many new improvements to the runtime, such as support for Jelly Bean 4.2.2, hardware acceleration and performance updates."
Specifically, BlackBerry 10.2.1 — the next release of the BlackBerry operating system — will include the following features:
- Android Native Support: Android apps that use shared libraries written in native-code, such as C and C++, will now be supported on BlackBerry 10. Support is limited to the recommendedAndroid NDK toolset system headers and application programming interfaces (APIs). Headers and APIs outside this scope may not function correctly.
- Bluetooth: Android applications using Android Bluetooth APIs will now work on BlackBerry 10. Bluetooth Low Energy for Android is planned to be supported in a future OS release. As a reminder, Bluetooth LE is supported in the BlackBerry 10 Native/Cascades software development kit (SDK).
- MapView v1: Applications that use MapView from Google Maps v1 API are now supported using OpenStreetMaps. Support for MapView v2 API is being planned for a future release.
- Share Framework: Android applications that register with the share framework in Android will now also appear as share targets on the BlackBerry 10 share menu.
- Spellcheck: Android applications that use text input can now leverage support for spell checking and correction, and the ability to add words to the BlackBerry 10 dictionary.
The real news here is support for NDK and 4.2.2. Earlier, BlackBerry couldn't support either oneand this made porting modern Android apps to the platform a major headache.
If all goes well, BlackBerry will be able support most, but not all, modern Android programs. With fewer and fewer developers spending their time programming for thedeclining native Blackberry OS, BlackBerry desperately needs Android apps.In addition, developers will be able to write headless Android apps. These are apps that run in the background and don't require an open Active Frame to function. This, in turn, means that Android apps on BlackBerry will take up less memory and run faster.
At the same time, Alec Saunders, VP of developer relations, told CrackBerry that BlackBerry is not "backing away from native developers." BlackBerry users will also still need to sideload Android apps. The company told CrackBerry that "There is no planned support for Google Play on BlackBerry."
Maybe BlackBerry would have been better off if they had just embraced Android when it became clear that Android was going to be the most popular mobile operating system in the world. It's too late to cry about that now.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. While it's too late to dump BlackBerry OS for Android, maybe a dose of Android apps is what BlackBerry needs to reclaim the number three mobile operating system spot. BlackBerry may never be a giant again, but with some Android it may at least survive for another decade.
Via: ZDNet
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Via: ZDNet
BBM is no more just a messaging service but has become the latest fashion statement for most of the teenagers, especially after the service was extended to Android and iOS. Here is some news to cheer people up; BBM will be available on Wi-Fi-only iOS devices by this week.
Blackberry rolled out its extremely popular messaging app for Android and iOS users, in October. The Waterloo-based company wants to embrace more subscribers to its messaging service by enabling it on iOS devices like iPad and iPod versions that only support Wi-Fi.
The BBM app rolled out in October became the highest downloaded app for the month. The service was available only for the mobile holders. But the recent update will extend the service to second screens like the iPod Touch with Wi-Fi connection.
Bocking revealed an added advantage of BBM in the report. The cross platform messaging service does not to require any specific phone number to get installed on any device unlike the other instant messaging apps, an exciting feature especially meant for Wi-Fi enabled iPods users who do not use any cellular connection on the music device.
BBM on Android and iOS has nearly 20 million users, reveals a recent post on Gizbot. Blcakberry will soon introduce video calling and voice messaging for these wi-fi enabled devices in the near future. The Wi-Fi addition can be cited as a smart move on Blackberry's end to hype the excitement further and also its consumer base for BBM.
Source : hngn
The BlackBerry saga took an unexpected turn recently when the company announced it is no longer interested in a full or partial sale. Instead, BlackBerry fired Thorsten Heins, it took $1 billion from Fairfax and other investors, it will seek another $1 billion from the Canadian government as it negotiates a huge tax refund, and it will continue making smartphones as it tries to right the ship. New BlackBerry CEO John Chen has quite a difficult task ahead, and he penned a quick letter to BlackBerry fans asking them to get ready for a big BlackBerry rebound in the near future.
“As you know, this is a time of significant change at BlackBerry as we accelerate our efforts to transform our business,” Chen wrote on BlackBerry’s blog. “I know there has been a lot said about BlackBerry, but let me remind you that at BlackBerry, we are not dwelling on the past. We are looking towards the future.”
He continued, “We have begun moving the company to embrace a multi-platform, BYOD world by adopting a new mobility management platform and a new device strategy. We are also leveraging our tremendous assets, including BBM, our network and QNX. While we are proud of these accomplishments, we know there is more work to be done. I know that it’s going to take time, discipline and tough decisions to reclaim BlackBerry’s success and we are ready for that challenge.”
Chen said BlackBerry is excited about the future, and BlackBerry fans should be excited as well. The full letter can be read on BlackBerry’s blog, which is linked below in our source section.
Via: Yahoo News
Facebook locked some users out of their accounts after determining that their log-in credentials were exposed as a result of a security breach at Adobe. The company is asking users who used the same log-in credentials for Adobe’s online services and Facebook to verify their identity and change their password.
When trying to log in, Facebook users who fall into that category will see a security prompt informing them that “there was a security incident on another website unrelated to Facebook” and that their accounts are at risk because they were using the same password in both places.
“To secure your account, you’ll need to answer a few questions and change your password,” the Facebook security message says. “For your protection, no one can see you on Facebook until you finish.”
“We’re proactive about finding sources of compromised passwords on the Internet,” Facebook security engineer Chris Long said in a comment to a blog post about this action by security reporter Brian Krebs. “Through practice, we’ve become more efficient and effective at protecting accounts with credentials that have been leaked, and we use an automated process for securing those accounts.”
A Facebook spokesman in the U.K. confirmed Long’s comment is legitimate, but declined to share additional information like how many Facebook users were affected by this security measure or what questions those users need to answer in order to regain access to their accounts.
Blame Adobe
At the beginning of October Adobe announced that hackers broke into its internal computer network and stole source code for several products, as well as information on 2.9 million customers including their log-in IDs and encrypted passwords for Adobe’s online services.
After a file containing 150 million Adobe user names and encrypted passwords appeared online late last month, the company revised its estimation and said that the breach affected approximately 38 million active users.
Researchers who looked at the leaked file concluded that the encryption used by Adobe combined with various user-supplied hints accompanying the passwords made it possible for attackers to guess many of them.
“We used the plaintext passwords that had already been worked out by researchers,” Long said. “We took those recovered plaintext passwords and ran them through the same code that we use to check your [Facebook] password at login time.”
Facebook might not be the only company taking proactive measures as a result of the Adobe breach.
According to Krebs, some customers of Diapers.com and Soap.com, two websites operated by Amazon-owned online retailer Quidsi, received emails over the weekend informing them that their account passwords have been reset because they matched those on a list of leaked credentials that appeared online, but didn’t originate from the two websites.
Via: TechHive
Here's a short list of things that are more fun than job hunting: Hitting your thumb with a hammer. Taking the dog out for a bathroom break at 2 a.m. in the pouring rain. Buying embarrassing personal items at the store and realizing someone you know is behind you in line. Memorizing the Dewey Decimal System.
I could go on (and on, and on) but chances are I'm preaching to the choir. If you're reading this, you surely know all about the difficulties that arise in seeking employment. Might as well make it easier on yourself by checking out a few helpful mobile apps designed to help you achieve your goal, whether that's working in a corner office or a coroner's office.
LinkedIn—iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone(free)
The site and its companion mobile apps (all free) let you connect with other members on the basis that you have worked with or otherwise know that person, which is extremely handy given that referrals are often the most effective ways to secure interviews.
Additionally, you can build out a full profile that includes your education, work history, accomplishments, mission statement, and specific skills. Your connections can then endorse these skills, such as Digital Marketing or Customer Service.
Just having a complete profile may result in organic job offers, but of course LinkedIn also includes a comprehensive job board, with either the option to apply directly through the site or to company job pages. On the mobile apps, you can activate push notifications to keep track of new jobs in your field and alert you to incoming messages from potential employers.
Here's a short list of things that are more fun than job hunting: Hitting your thumb with a hammer. Taking the dog out for a bathroom break at 2 a.m. in the pouring rain. Buying embarrassing personal items at the store and realizing someone you know is behind you in line. Memorizing the Dewey Decimal System.
I could go on (and on, and on) but chances are I'm preaching to the choir. If you're reading this, you surely know all about the difficulties that arise in seeking employment. Might as well make it easier on yourself by checking out a few helpful mobile apps designed to help you achieve your goal, whether that's working in a corner office or a coroner's office.
LinkedIn—iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone(free)
If you’ve ever searched for a job or worked for a corporate entity, chances are you’ve used LinkedIn. And the fact that it’s so pervasive is also what makes it incredibly useful. For those who aren’t familiar, LinkedIn is the premier social networking service for business.
The site and its companion mobile apps (all free) let you connect with other members on the basis that you have worked with or otherwise know that person, which is extremely handy given that referrals are often the most effective ways to secure interviews.
Additionally, you can build out a full profile that includes your education, work history, accomplishments, mission statement, and specific skills. Your connections can then endorse these skills, such as Digital Marketing or Customer Service.
Just having a complete profile may result in organic job offers, but of course LinkedIn also includes a comprehensive job board, with either the option to apply directly through the site or to company job pages. On the mobile apps, you can activate push notifications to keep track of new jobs in your field and alert you to incoming messages from potential employers.ia
Via: TechHive
BlackBerry will change its CEO and accept a US$1 billion loan from a consortium involving shareholder Fairfax Financial Holdings as it struggles with inventory and strategy problems. The company has abandoned plans to sell itself.
CEO Thorsten Heins will resign when the deal is complete, with former Sybase CEO John S. Chen joining the company as chairman and interim CEO, BlackBerry announced Monday.
The $1 billion loan takes the form of convertible debentures, exchangeable for shares at a price of $10, a 28.7 percent premium over Friday's closing price, the company said. Fairfax has agreed to acquire $250 million of the debentures, with other institutional investors agreeing to take the rest. If all the debentures were converted, they would amount to around 16 percent of outstanding shares, BlackBerry said. In addition, the investors could purchase another $250 million of debentures, potentially raising their combined stake to 19.2 percent.
In September, Fairfax made a conditional offer of around $9 per share, valuing BlackBerry at around $4.7 billion, although it had not obtained financing for the deal at that time. The new arrangement puts a higher value on the company, but means Fairfax has to find less money to finance the deal.
BlackBerry thanked Heins for establishing a more efficient cost structure and overseeing delivery and adoption of the BlackBerry 10 platform and BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) 10.
Via: PCWorld
The good: The BlackBerry Z30 is equipped with a big screen, long battery life, and excellent messaging capabilities. It also boasts great call quality plus a microSD card slot for extra storage.
The bad: The Z30’s BlackBerry 10.2 software is bogged down with unnecessary eye candy. The Blackberry platform still lags behind iOS and Android in both app number and quality. The Z30’s camera takes unimpressive pictures. The phone is only sold by Verizon.
The bottom line: The BlackBerry Z30 lives up the promise of a flagship phone, but it's too little, too late for all but the most committed BlackBerry users.Everyone knows BlackBerry is in dire straits, but that hasn't stopped the company from taking one more stab at a flagship smartphone. In many ways BlackBerry's latest creation, the BlackBerry Z30, is what the BlackBerry 10 launch device should have been. Unlike the actual BB10 debut product, the smaller Z10, the Z30 is without a doubt the company's biggest, boldest, most advanced gadget yet. Unfortunately though this fresh effort from the Canadian handset maker comes way too late. Arriving at just one US carrier, Verizon, this November for $199.99, I fear all those who would have considered the Z30 over iPhones and Android handsets have long since moved to greener pastures.
Sure, the Z30 is compelling. Despite boasting a large 5-inch touch screen, handsome styling, and a high-capacity battery, the device falls short compared with the competition. Specifically the $199.99 Motorola Droid Maxx and $199.99 Samsung Galaxy S4, which, thanks to the growing strength of the Android ecosystem and BlackBerry's uncertain future as a viable company, add up to much better deals on Verizon
Via : CENT
Via : Engadget.com
For anyone who has followed Apple's history, John Sculley is a familiar figure. He was the CEO who famously ousted Steve Jobs from the company he co-founded in 1985; he championed the ill-fated Newton; and he eventually left Apple as its profits turned to losses in 1993.
Yesterday afternoon, The Globe and Mail published a report that has the potential to change that legacy. According to the piece by Steven Chase and Iain Marlow, the man who fired Steve Jobs is considering a bid for BlackBerry.
With the company's market share reaching laughable levels, losses nearing the billions and job cuts becoming the norm, speculation about who will take on the seemingly impossible task of saving BlackBerry has reached fever pitch. Fairfax Financial has put in a preliminary offer for $4.7 billion; RIM co-founder Mike Lazaridis is apparently exploring a bid; and there's even talk of early negotiations with the likes of Google, Intel and Samsung, among others. While Sculley has yet to comment on the news of his potential interest, he did tell The Globe and Mail that whoever takes on BlackBerry will need serious management experience to bring it back from the brink. The question is: Does Sculley have the chops?
Sculley's journey to Apple started with soda pop. As president of PepsiCo, he was credited with turning the beverage maker's reputation around and giving Coca-Cola a run for its money. It was this marketing expertise that enticed Apple's board, despite his lack of experience in the computer industry, but as he told The New York Times, "IBM is a formidable competitor. But so is Coca-Cola."
When he joined Apple in 1983, the computer maker was looking to take its business to new heights and Sculley seemed like the right man for the job. During his time there, sales reached record levels, and he became a champion of personal computing. In the late 80s and early 90s, Apple was on top of its game, releasing successful products like the Powerbook. But as competition heated up and Microsoft became more of a threat, it seemed Apple and its leader were losing focus. Newton in hand, Sculley foretold a future where a hand-held computer would become the norm. However, the Newton proved to be the wrong device at the wrong time, and competition in the PC market led to losses at Apple. In June 1993, just before the company announced a $188 million loss, Sculley stepped down as president and soon resigned as chairman of the board.
Soon after leaving Apple, in 1994, Sculley joined Spectrum Information Technologies, a wireless communications company that the SEC was investigating for fraud. That job ended four months later in a storm of lawsuits, when Sculley became aware of the investigation, and later that year he took on a part-time consulting gig at Eastman Kodak. Sculley's reputation as the marketing man with a golden touch was still intact and Kodak believed he could apply the skills he'd displayed at both Apple and PepsiCo to its business. In an interview with The New York Times, Kodak chairman George M. C. Fisher said, "I am confident that John can help Kodak develop a more aggressive marketing approach."
Source : Engadget
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BlackBerry is in trouble, and the company knows it. However, with talks of a sale looming over the Canadian firm, the smartphone maker has chosen to switch its focus to focusing more on the enterprise side of things, as well as a segment BlackBerry executives I spoke to called "prosumers".
The word certainly isn't new, it's used mostly for a certain category of cameras, but BlackBerry defines it as devices meant for professionals who want BlackBerry services in a business environment with a "bring your own device" policy.
That's where the new 5-inch BlackBerry Z30 comes in. It sports a similar design to the Z10, but with a silver bottom. It also runs the latest version of BB10 OS, 10.2 with updated features to make the user experience even better.
Design
The Z30, like the Z10, is very well-made handset. The first thing that strikes you when you pick up the handset is the weight. At 170g, the Z30 isn't the lightest in the market, but it has a solid heft and when combined with the glass-weave rear cover makes for a good grip.
Sporting a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1,280x720-pixel resolution, the Z30 may seem to be a little behind the curve, but I couldn't really tell the difference compared with a 1080p screen. Text appeared sharp, and the AMOLED display helped in making videos pop.
The Z30 comes with two stereo speakers, a feature we've previously seen on the HTC One, and both speakers are located at the rear (instead of the front, like the One). BlackBerry's says that this is to facilitate using the surface it's resting on as an amplifier. I found audio played to be loud with good clarity.
(Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET)
To squeeze in the large 2,880mAh battery, BlackBerry has chosen to make it non-removable. However, the phone promises to have up to 25 hours of "mixed use", which means you really only need to charge it at the end of the day (if it holds up to this claim).
Features
The new Z30 features an updated BB10 OS, and comes with a bunch of tweaks. These tweaks are designed to make the OS even easier to use, and include a new notification window for messages that you can tap to reply instantly without leaving your current app.
An improvement I particularly liked, found on the calendar app, was how you could now email those in your meeting how late you would be by various degrees. There's a slider that lets you set how late you will be to even telling them you will not be there. Handy, for sure.
The BlackBerry Hub, accessed by swiping to the left, also gets are improvements in the form of the new Priority Hub. It is able to learn what the important messages from your email and social networks and then groups them up for easy access. Items that are prioritized have a little red mark on the right side.
BBM also gets enhanced with BlackBerry Natural Sound, it makes voice and video chats sound more realistic by sampling a larger frequency range via the four microphones on the Z30. While I got to hear a sample clip, I didn't actually hear an actual demo as the Wi-Fi didn't seem to have enough bandwidth for Natural Sound to activate. I'll reserve judgement on this until I get a handset for review.
(Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET)
Performance
The Z30 is powered by a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. It's certainly not the latest and greatest (i.e. the Snapdragon 800) in the market, but the handset was smooth and animations were fluid when I was trying it out.
Connectivity wise, the Z30 comes packing everything you'll find in a modern smartphone, with LTE, dual band Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 as well as GPS. The micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports sit on the lef, and the smartphone comes with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage and a microSD card slot.
(Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET)
Outlook
Retailing at S$828 on October 10 in Singapore without an operator contract, the BlackBerry Z30 seems like an impressive handset, though you may be right in thinking that the specs feel very last generation. However, hardware specifications don't really tell the full story, as the Z30 seems to be a great smartphone in its own right. In Asia, the Z30 is also available in Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Source : CNET Asia
Blackberry (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) reversed sharp losses on Wednesday after a Wall Street Journal report said private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management was interested in buying the Canadian smartphone maker, and was planning to sign a confidentiality agreement to assess its books.
The Waterloo, Ontario based company signed a non-binding letter of intent with a consortium led by Fairfax Financial Holdings (TSE:FFH) last month, in a deal worth $9 a share, or $4.7 billion.
Shares of Blackberry bounced back, rising more than 1.3 percent in late afternoon deals, to $8.3 in Toronto, after sinking to a day low of $7.75 after saying the cost of reworking its operations might be four times as much as it estimated earlier this year and may become even higher than that.
Blackberry said it expects to incur charges of $400 million through the rest of the fiscal year ending in May, up from $100 million, as part of a broad cost-cutting initiative that includes slashing 40 percent of its workforce and a nearly $1 billion writedown in unsold phone inventory, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission published yesterday. Those charges could increase as the company looks to trim even more costs this year and next, it acknowledged in the filing.
The company also painted a stark picture of its core business: selling phones and services to other companies.
It said monthly service revenues are expected to decline further in the fiscal third quarter, though not at the escalated rate experienced in the fiscal second quarter. The company said service revenue dropped about 27 per cent to $724 million in the three months ended Aug. 31. It expects service revenues to fall another 12 per cent in the third quarter.
Earlier this year, Blackberry said it would likely book $100-million in charges through its fiscal 2014 year, as it cut back staff and reduced other costs. Since then, the company’s financial results have weakened, mostly on poor sales of its Blackberry Z10 touchscreen phones.
On Sept. 27, the company booked a $965-million loss for its fiscal second quarter and announced the massive layoff that will extend into next year.
“Other charges and cash costs may occur as programs are implemented or changes completed,” the company said in the financial documents.
Source : Proactiveinvestors
Still it is a further blow to BlackBerry's revival hopes following its announcement last week it would be laying off 40 percent of its global workforce--around 4,500 positions, and reporting losses of nearly US$1 billion in the three months to August.
Naturally, the question arises is how can an unreleased app be available and why didn't BlackBerry take more precautions in launching BBM this past weekend, as there has been so much hype around it? Perhaps everyone at BlackBerry is still reeling in over the news released last week.
Still, that's not a valid reason for such an important release for non-BlackBerry users to fail. While the unreleased Android app will be disabled, users who have already downloaded the BBM app for the iPhone will still be able to use it.
BlackBerry says its teams are working non-stop to fix the technical issues, but in light of last week's announcements, perhaps the damage has already been done. Even if the launch went off without any glitches, as planned, users are going to be wary about using BBM for the simple reason of not knowing how long the service will be available for. Again, this goes back to BlackBerry’s survival in the smartphone business.
Clearly, in order to compete and remain competitive against companies such as Apple and Samsung, BBM was made available for different platforms. But from a consumer perspective, the failure of the launch doesn't set the right tone and if anything, will unfortunately drive down consumer confidence.
In my opinion, one the technical issues are resolved, I'm sure people will download BBM, no doubt about it. However, I also feel there might be another group who now simply won’t bother downloading BBM. All in all, it's been a bad week for BlackBerry and things will get even worse this week once official financial reports are released on Friday.
Source : ZDNet
BlackBerry's latest move comes in the wake of severe losses it suffered in recent months. T-Mobileannounced Wednesday that it will not stock BlackBerry smartphones in its company-owned retail outlets due to a massive decrease in customer demands. However, the carrier will continue to ship the device to the customers on request. Hence, BlackBerry's move comes as no surprise and it suggests that the phone maker will not rely on the carriers to push the sales of its devices.
Online sales might prove beneficial for the company, but it is unlikely to fix all the problems. BlackBerry is selling the unlocked versions of its flagship smartphones, which means the devices will work with any GSM network in the U.S. and other countries around the world. The smartphones will only be shipped to U.S. addresses at the moment and there has been no word on expanding its online sales to other markets.
BlackBerry suffered a huge write down of about $934 million for its unsold Z10 smartphone, a full-touch smartphone with BB 10 OS that the company hoped would turn the company's sales. Latin America, BlackBerry's strongest market, has also shown losses. The sales dried up after $196 million in the last quarter, which always ranked around half a billion dollars in that region.
BlackBerry has listed the unlocked version of Z10 smartphone for $449, which comes in both white and black colors. The Q10 smartphone is placed slightly higher at $549, available in both white and black colors for the same price.
Source : HEADLINES & GLOBAL NEWS
The news for BlackBerry is just going from bad to worse these days. The latest development comes from its manufacturing partner Jabil Circuit, which has apparently had enough of the company's troubles and is looking for a way out. Speaking on the company's quarterly earnings call yesterday, Jabil CEO Mark Mondello said that "we are faced with a strong possibility of disengaging with BlackBerry," adding, "our team has worked diligently over the past few days to comprehend the recently announced changes," and that "we're in discussions right now on how we're going to wind down the relationship."
As All Things D notes, BlackBerry is Jabil's second-biggest customer (behind Apple), so this is no doubt not a decision it's taking lightly, but it looks like it's one it intends to move quickly on. Mondello went on to say that while the company is looking for a path that's in the best interest of its shareholders and also "supports the needs of BlackBerry," it plans to "take a restructuring charge, move swiftly and decisively and mitigate the impact to FY '14 as best we can."
SOURCE: All Things D
Via : Engadget
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