BlackBerry

[panamaniac]

Wow, that's a perspective I wouldn't have come up with on my own. Certainly hope you are correct - I was thinking more in terms of death spiral.

[waterloo_local]

Even though I would not pay $600 for Apple stock, if you actually compare it to other technology companies, it is trading at a discount. Microsoft, Amazon, Google, for example, trade at a higher P/E ratio.

I'm more curious as to what will happen with RIM's 30 buildings when they fully collapse and are left with about 3 buildings to manage their legacy users.

The keyboard is a neat idea but BuzzFeed ran comparrison tests. Apple, Android, Windows Phone, and traditional physical keyboards type faster than the BB10 keyboard. I think BB10 came in at 16 seconds for the phrase demonstrated with the others coming in at 6-8 seconds.

RIM Strategy: introduce an innovative keyboard that is slower than every other keyboard. Key to success achieved.

[waterloo_local]

I had some respect for RIM until I saw this video:

http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/1/299...e-store-sydney

This is fairly offensive IMO. Nothing wrong with competition but I can't think of another company that sent protesting people to another business to bang on their windows. RIM has no shame.

[zanate]

"True company value" is one way to say it. "Trading at the value of its bones" is more accurate. RIM's earnings are being completely discounted because the market doesn't believe they can be sustained for long. The remaining valuation is on tangible assets and patent portfolio.

But that is just market sentiment, not fate. If you believe in RIM turning it around, consider this the mother of buying opportunities. Though I'd advise RIM employees and even local property owners not to (caution: I Am Not A Financial Advisor) double down on RIM because you are already plenty exposed to their performance as it is.

[markster]

The keyboard is a neat idea but BuzzFeed ran comparrison tests. Apple, Android, Windows Phone, and traditional physical keyboards type faster than the BB10 keyboard. I think BB10 came in at 16 seconds for the phrase demonstrated with the others coming in at 6-8 seconds.

RIM Strategy: introduce an innovative keyboard that is slower than every other keyboard. Key to success achieved.

This comparison doesn't even make sense. Are we comparing people with their own phones to picking up a BB10 for the first time? It's new. Or course it will be "slow". I can guarantee you that I will be slow using a new keyboard interface.

[metropolis]

Wow, that's a perspective I wouldn't have come up with on my own. Certainly hope you are correct - I was thinking more in terms of death spiral.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...rticle2421384/

[panamaniac]

Yes, I saw that article after the exchange above. I use a Blackberry, but what I really want from RIM is a Playbook that does it all (As an old geezer like me defines it -- Internet, e-mail, camera and telephone). And if I could connect it to a Smart TV at home, my life would be complete There is no way in hell I am ever going to own multiple devices.

[UrbanWaterloo]

Wireless Industry Veterans Kristian Tear and Frank Boulben to Join RIM
May 8, 2012 | RIM | Link

Research In Motion (RIM) today announced key additions to its executive leadership team with the hiring of Kristian Tear as Chief Operating Officer and Frank Boulben as Chief Marketing Officer.

With deep experience in the mobile computing industry, Mr. Tear and Mr. Boulben will complement RIM’s existing executive team as the company continues to focus on expanding its global customer base and prepares for the launch of its new BlackBerry 10 platform.

“Kristian and Frank bring extensive knowledge of the rapidly changing wireless global market and will help RIM as we sharpen our focus on delivering long-term value to our stakeholders,” said Thorsten Heins, RIM’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Most importantly, both Kristian and Frank possess a keen understanding of the emerging trends in mobile communications and computing.”

Mr. Tear joins RIM from Sony Mobile Communications, where he served as Executive Vice President. He previously held a variety of operational leadership positions with Ericsson in Europe, Asia and Latin America. At RIM, Mr. Tear will serve as Chief Operating Officer overseeing all operational functions for handhelds and services, including research and development, products, global sales, manufacturing and supply chain.

“RIM is an important player in the mobile industry and I am excited to be a part of its future,” said Mr. Tear. “I look forward to working with the talented RIM employees and harnessing their ingenuity and creativity for the benefit of more than 77 million BlackBerry users around the world. I also look forward to helping RIM attract a brand new generation of BlackBerry users.”

Mr. Boulben is the former Executive Vice President of Strategy, Marketing and Sales for LightSquared. He joined LightSquared after serving as Global Director of Commercial Strategy for Vodafone Group and Executive Vice President of Brand and Consumer Marketing for Orange Group. Mr. Boulben will oversee global marketing efforts at RIM.

“RIM is a pioneer in the mobile world and the BlackBerry brand is a global icon,” said Mr. Boulben. “We all know how fast the mobile arena evolves and with the BlackBerry 10 platform, I believe RIM will once again change the way individuals and enterprises engage with each other and the world around them. I could not resist the opportunity to be part of that transformation.”

About Kristian Tear

Kristian Tear brings almost 25 years of wireless experience in general management, sales and marketing, services and operations within the telecommunications, infrastructure and consumer industries. Most recently, Kristian served as Executive Vice President at Sony Mobile Communications AB, a subsidiary of Sony Corp. Kristian served as a member of the Executive Management Team, as Chairman of the Board of Sony Mobile Inc Americas and Sony Mobile International AB. He was also Chairman of the Product Business Council, Chairman of the Accessories Business Unit, Board member of Sony Mobile Japan and China.

Previously, Mr. Tear also served as the Corporate Vice President of Sony Ericsson Western Europe based in Munich, with responsibility for the region Western Europe and Global Customer Accounts. Prior to that, he served as Corporate Vice President at Sony Ericsson Headquarters in London. From 1999-2005, he served as President and CEO of Ericsson in various regions and markets, including in South East Asia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria and Central America.

Mr. Tear holds a Masters Degree in Science from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and completed the Ericsson Executive MBA program at Columbia University in New York.

About Frank Boulben

Frank Boulben brings to RIM more than 20 years of international experience in the wireless industry with senior marketing and sales roles at global wireless carriers such as Vodafone and Orange. Most recently, he was the Executive Vice President for Strategy, Marketing and Sales for LightSquared. He was recruited as employee number two to create a new 4G-LTE nationwide wireless network in the United States.

Previously, Frank was the Director of Commercial Strategy for Vodafone Group, responsible for strategic marketing, customer insights and segmentation, pricing, customer investment optimization and roaming. Prior to Vodafone, Frank was the Executive Vice President for Brand and Consumer Marketing for Orange Group, responsible for brand and communications, consumer propositions, value-based marketing, which included pricing and customer investment optimization, customer insights and segmentation, CRM, product marketing and devices portfolio management.

Before joining Orange, Frank spent eight years working for Vivendi Universal, occupying several strategy and marketing roles for SFR and then as CEO of Vivendi Universal Internet division with a focus on mobile services. During 2005-2006, Frank served on the Board of the GSM Association (the world’s largest trade association representing more than 800 wireless carriers in 219 countries) and was the Chairman of the Strategy Committee.

He holds diplomas from the École Polytechnique and from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, where he studied mathematics, physics and economics.

[UrbanWaterloo]

RIM Introduces the BlackBerry Curve 9320 – A Stylish, New Smartphone for the Socially-Connected
May 9, 2012 | RIM | Link



Research In Motion (RIM) today announced a stylish new smartphone for socially-connected customers. The new BlackBerry® Curve™ 9320 smartphone features all the core BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features that keep people connected, and it offers global 3G connectivity backed by long battery life to allow users to make the most of their day.

“The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 is designed to make it incredibly easy for users to stay socially-connected,” said Carlo Chiarello, EVP, Smartphone Business at Research In Motion. “The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be especially popular with customers upgrading to a smartphone for the first time and existing Curve customers looking for a step up in speed and functionality.”

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 has everything a customer needs to stay in touch with the people and things that matter most to them. It features a dedicated BBM™ key, bringing the power of RIM’s popular mobile social network up in an instant, as well as the best keyboard in its class for quick and easy typing. It includes a built-in FM radio, allowing users to tune into their favorite local stations, and listening to the FM radio does not require a data plan or use data services. Designed to allow both 3G connectivity and long battery life, customers can get up to 7 hours of talk time or up to 30 hours of FM radio listening or music playback with headphones.

Customers can easily interact with their social network in real time, using preloaded apps for Facebook® and Twitter®. The new Social Feeds 2.0 app is also preloaded, allowing users to post updates to multiple social networks simultaneously and capture updates from news sources (RSS), social apps and instant messaging apps all in one consolidated view. The integrated camera includes a flash and supports video recording, and pictures can be tagged with their location thanks to the smartphone’s built-in GPS.

The BlackBerry Curve 9320 comes with the new BlackBerry® 7.1 OS, which supports features such as Mobile Hotspot and Wi-Fi® calling where available.* Parental Controls is a brand new, on-device feature that provides parents and guardians with simple options to help protect children by restricting access to specific functions, features and applications.

Pricing and availability of the BlackBerry Curve 9320 will be announced in conjunction with RIM’s distribution partners. For more information please visit: http://worldwide.blackberry.com/blac...urve/9220-9320

[Anderson3133]

It's getting increasingly more difficult to defend them these days. I really hope the BB10 devices can change things as they just started production on them recently.

[Brenden]

RIM Layoffs could hit thousands
Multiple sources are saying that RIM will layoff between 2,000 and 6,000 employees over the next 6 months. Rim has about 16,500 employees world wide, and around 9,000 people employed locally.
Side note. The Record has published a news service article one this... Odd to me that they would not write something them selfs... seeing as how RIM is one of the biggest employers in the region.

[markster]

The bulk of the article is interviews with analysts. There's really nothing local to report. Unless The Record had an inside source, there wouldn't be much else to say.

[UrbanWaterloo]

Research In Motion CEO Provides Business Update
May 29, 2012 | RIM | Link

Research In Motion Limited (RIM), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today provided a business update from Thorsten Heins, the Company’s President and CEO.

“During the Q4 2012 and fiscal year-end financial results conference call on March 29, I said that I would provide our shareholders with candid and timely updates when possible on the progress and challenges RIM is experiencing. While we are no longer giving quantitative financial guidance, I wanted to provide a brief business update at this time, and will provide more details when our Q1 financial results for the quarter ended June 2, 2012 are released on June 28.

In terms of challenges, as I mentioned on the March financial results conference call, RIM is going through a significant transformation as we move towards the BlackBerry 10 launch, and our financial performance will continue to be challenging for the next few quarters. The on-going competitive environment is impacting our business in the form of lower volumes and highly competitive pricing dynamics in the marketplace, and we expect our Q1 results to reflect this, and likely result in an operating loss for the quarter. We are continuing to be aggressive as we compete for our customers’ business – both enterprise and consumer – around the world, and our teams are working hard to provide cost-competitive, feature-rich solutions to our global customer base. On the positive side, we expect to further increase our cash position in Q1 from the approximately $2.1 billion we had at the end of fiscal 2012.

Despite the current challenges, we have made significant progress on a number of fronts in the past few months:

• Our annual BlackBerry World conference and BlackBerry 10 Jam took place earlier this month and both were tremendously successful. More than 5,000 developers, partners, carriers and enterprise customers from 115 different countries saw the first glimpses of our next-generation BlackBerry 10 platform and their response was encouraging.
• Our developer partners have been enthusiastic with the BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha prototype unit we distributed at BlackBerry World and many are well underway in developing applications to be ready for the launch of BlackBerry 10 in the latter part of calendar 2012.
• The support and enthusiasm from our developer community is also reflected in our app growth, where we now feature more than 80,000 apps, which represents a 220% increase from one year ago, and more than 15,000 apps for PlayBook compared to less than 2,000 last year. We believe this bodes well for our ecosystem as we get set to launch BlackBerry 10.
• We are making steady progress with the innovation of our next-generation BlackBerry 10 mobile computing platform, which is still on track to launch in the latter part of calendar 2012.
• Our global subscriber base continued to grow this quarter to approximately 78 million, driven primarily by growth in international markets, which is partially offset by high churn in the United States, and our BBM user base has grown to approximately 59 million users globally.
• Our strong brand internationally was recently enhanced with the successful launch of two new BlackBerry 7 phones in India and Latin America.

We continue to make strategic changes to RIM’s senior management team with the hiring of two key new members to RIM’s executive leadership team. Kristian Tear, our Chief Operating Officer, whose background also includes extensive experience in international sales in Europe, Asia and Latin America, and Frank Boulben, our Chief Marketing Officer, who will provide our team with deep experience in the mobile computing and communications industry. Both will assist me and the existing executive team as we continue to make the organizational changes necessary to position RIM for the future and prepare for the launch of our new BlackBerry 10 platform.

The CORE (cost optimization and resource efficiency) program we told you about previously is focused on delivering key operational savings through various initiatives. The financial objectives for the CORE program are targeted to drive $1 billion in savings by the end of fiscal 2013, based on our Q4 run rate. We are targeting better efficiency and use of resources in our sales and marketing initiatives to effectively leverage marketing windows and evaluate our country portfolio to determine where it makes sense for us to prioritize our efforts. We will also continue to review RIM's organizational structure and clearly define accountabilities for all key businesses and business processes with a goal of eliminating fragmentation, duplication and inefficiencies. While there will be significant spending reductions and headcount reductions in some areas throughout the remainder of the fiscal year, we will continue to spend and hire in key areas such as those associated with the launch of BlackBerry 10, and those tied to the growth of our application developer community. We will share more details regarding our progress throughout the year as programs are implemented or changes are completed.

To further enhance our commitment to successfully completing our transformation, after the release of our year-end financial results, we engaged J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and RBC Capital Markets to assist the Company and our Board of Directors in reviewing RIM’s business and financial performance. These advisors have been tasked to help us with the strategic review we referenced on our year-end financial results conference call and to evaluate the relative merits and feasibility of various financial strategies, including opportunities to leverage the BlackBerry platform through partnerships, licensing opportunities and strategic business model alternatives.

Although we are facing challenges, we remain excited about BlackBerry 10 and believe that this platform coupled with the results of the strategic review will create long-term value for our stakeholders. We will provide another more detailed business update when we report our first quarter results in June.”

[UrbanWaterloo]

RESEARCH IN MOTION REPORTS FIRST QUARTER FISCAL 2013 RESULTS
June 28, 2012 | RIM | Link

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion Limited (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).

Highlights:

• 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

Q1 Results

Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 was $2.8 billion, down 33% from $4.2 billion in the previous quarter and down 43% from $4.9 billion in the same quarter of fiscal 2012. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 59% for hardware, 36% for service and 5% for software and other revenue. During the quarter, RIM shipped 7.8 million BlackBerry smartphones and approximately 260,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

GAAP net loss for the quarter was $518 million, or $0.99 per share diluted, compared with a GAAP net loss of $125 million, or $0.24 per share diluted, in the prior quarter and GAAP net income of $695 million, or $1.33 per share diluted, in the same quarter last year.

Adjusted net loss for the first quarter was $192 million, or $0.37 per share diluted. Adjusted net loss and adjusted diluted loss per share exclude the impact of pre-tax charges of $335 million ($326 million on an after tax basis), which are predominantly non-cash related to the impairment of goodwill. This charge and its related impact on GAAP net loss and diluted loss per share are summarized in the table below.

“Our first quarter results reflect the market challenges I have outlined since my appointment as CEO at the end of January. I am not satisfied with these results and continue to work aggressively with all areas of the organization and the Board to implement meaningful changes to address the challenges, including a thoughtful realignment of resources and honing focus within the Company on areas that have the greatest opportunities,” said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO. “Our top priority going forward is the successful launch of our first BlackBerry 10 device, which we now anticipate will occur in the first quarter of calendar 2013. In parallel with the roll out of BlackBerry 10, we are aggressively working with our advisors on our strategic review and are actively evaluating ways to better leverage our assets and build on our strengths, including our growing BlackBerry subscriber base of approximately 78 million, our large enterprise installed base, our unique network architecture and our industry leading security capabilities.”

The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $2.2 billion as of June 2, 2012, compared to $2.1 billion at the end of the previous quarter, an increase of approximately $100 million from the prior quarter. Cash flow from operations in Q1 was approximately $710 million. Uses of cash included intangible asset additions of approximately $285 million, capital expenditures of approximately $155 million and a business acquisition of approximately $100 million.

BlackBerry 10 Update

The successful launch of the BlackBerry 10 platform and the delivery of high quality, full-featured BlackBerry 10 smartphones remain the Company’s number one priority. Over the past several weeks, RIM’s software development teams have made major progress in the development of key features for the BlackBerry 10 platform; however, the integration of these features and the associated large volume of code into the platform has proven to be more time consuming than anticipated. As a result, the Company now expects to launch the first BlackBerry 10 smartphones in market in Q1 of calendar 2013.

“RIM’s development teams are relentlessly focussed on ensuring the quality and reliability of the platform and I will not compromise the product by delivering it before it is ready. I am confident that the first BlackBerry 10 smartphones will provide a ground-breaking next generation smartphone user experience,” said Thorsten Heins, President and CEO. “We are encouraged by the traction that the BlackBerry 10 platform is gaining with application developers and content partners following the successful BlackBerry Jam sessions that we have held around the world since the beginning of May. Similarly, the reception of the BlackBerry 10 platform by our key carrier partners has been very positive and they are looking forward to going to market with BlackBerry 10 smartphones in the first quarter of calendar 2013.”

Organizational Update

RIM today also announced the appointment of Steve Zipperstein, former General Counsel of Verizon Wireless, as its Chief Legal Officer. Prior to joining Verizon, Mr. Zipperstein previously served as Deputy General Counsel for GTE Corporation and was employed with the United States Department of Justice as a federal prosecutor. Mr. Zipperstein joins Kristian Tear, Chief Operating Officer and Frank Boulben, Chief Marketing Officer as the latest additions to RIM’s executive management team.

CORE Program

The Company announced its CORE (Cost Optimization and Resource Efficiency) program in March of this year. The program is focused on delivering operational savings through various initiatives, with financial objectives for the program targeted to drive at least $1 billion in savings by the end of fiscal 2013, based on RIM’s Q4 FY2012 run rate. As a result of the shift in BlackBerry 10 launch timeline, the increasingly competitive environment, as well as the identification of additional cost saving and efficiency opportunities, the Company may increase the scope and magnitude of these programs, and considers these original estimates as minimum numbers it will be pursuing.

To date, the Company has started implementing a number of these initiatives including:

• a reduction in the number of layers of management to drive better clarity, efficiency and accountability across the organization;
• the continued streamlining of our supply chain, which includes the consolidation of our manufacturing footprint from 10 external manufacturing sites to three, and working closely with our suppliers and other partners to identify ways to drive further efficiency;
• outsourcing key parts of the Company’s Global Repair operations, including management of device level repairs;
• targeted use of resources in our sales and marketing initiatives to more effectively leverage marketing windows and prioritize our marketing efforts and spend in regions that offer the highest opportunity and return;
• further outsourcing of non-core functions as determined during the implementation of the CORE program; and
• a global workforce reduction of approximately 5,000 employees, which is expected to be completed by the end of fiscal 2013.

The Company expects to incur restructuring related charges of approximately $350 million by the end of fiscal 2013, primarily associated with the global workforce reduction. Other charges and cash costs may occur during this process, and the Company intends to share more details throughout the year regarding its progress as programs are implemented or changes are completed.

Outlook

The Company expects the next several quarters to continue to be very challenging for its business based on the increasing competitive environment, lower handset volumes, potential financial and other impacts from the delay of BlackBerry 10, pressure to reduce RIM’s monthly infrastructure access fees, and the Company’s plans to continue to aggressively drive sales of BlackBerry 7 handheld devices. The Company expects to report an operating loss in the second quarter of fiscal 2013, as RIM continues to invest in marketing programs and continues to work through the transition to BlackBerry 10, as well as the Company’s fixed costs being allocated over a lower volume of shipments. This outlook excludes the impact of charges related to the CORE Program.

Research In Motion Limited
Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario
(United States dollars, in millions except share and per share amounts) (unaudited)
Consolidated Statements of Operations
				Three months ended
				June 2,			March 3,			May 28,
				2012			2012			2011
Revenue			$	2,814		$	4,190		$	4,908
Cost of sales				2,026			2,789			2,752
Gross margin				788			1,401			2,156
		Gross margin %		28.0	%		33.4	%		43.9	%
Operating expenses
	Research and development			368			386			423
	Selling, marketing and administration			552			650			704
	Amortization			176			152			132
	Impairment of goodwill			335			355			-
				1,431			1,543			1,259
Income (Loss) from operations				(643	)		(142	)		897
	Investment income, net			3			5			7
Income (Loss) before income taxes				(640	)		(137	)		904
Provision (benefit) for income taxes				(122	)		(12	)		209
Net income (loss)			$	(518	)	$	(125	)	$	695
Earnings (loss) per share
		Basic	$	(0.99	)	$	(0.24	)	$	1.33
		Diluted	$	(0.99	)	$	(0.24	)	$	1.33
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding (000's)
		Basic		524,160			524,160			523,983
		Diluted		524,160			524,160			524,524
Total common shares outstanding (000's)				524,160			524,160			524,112

Reconciliation of GAAP net loss and diluted loss per share to adjusted net loss and adjusted diluted loss per share:
(United States dollars, in millions except per share data)
	Three months ended
		June 2, 2012
		Net Loss		Diluted EPS
	(net of				(net of
	income tax)			income tax)
As reported	$	(518	)	$	(0.99	)
Adjustment:
Impairment of Goodwill(1)		326			0.62
Adjusted	$	(192	)	$	(0.37	)

Research In Motion Limited
Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario
(United States dollars, in millions except per share data) (unaudited)
Consolidated Balance Sheets
				June 2,			March 3,
As at				2012			2012
Assets
	Current
		Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,467		$	1,527
		Short-term investments		471			247
		Accounts receivable, net		2,551			3,062
		Other receivables		255			496
		Inventories		1,018			1,027
		Income taxes receivable		194			135
		Other current assets		512			365
		Deferred income tax asset		196			197
				6,664			7,056
Long-term investments				309			337
Property, plant and equipment, net				2,722			2,748
Goodwill				-			304
Intangible assets, net				3,372			3,286
			$	13,067		$	13,731
Liabilities
	Current
		Accounts payable	$	659		$	744
		Accrued liabilities		2,086			2,382
		Deferred revenue		489			263
				3,234			3,389
Deferred income tax liability				216			232
Income taxes payable				9			10
				3,459			3,631
Shareholders' Equity
Capital stock and additional paid-in capital				2,441			2,446
Treasury stock				(273	)		(299	)
Retained earnings				7,395			7,913
Accumulated other comprehensive income				45			40
				9,608			10,100
			$	13,067		$	13,731

[metropolis]

RIM will ‘empower people like never before:’ Heins
Thorsten Heins, CEO of Research In Motion
The Globe and Mail

Don't count BlackBerry out.

In recent weeks, it's become fashionable for pundits and market watchers to alternately eulogize Research In Motion as a fallen pioneer and demonize management for not chopping up the company to sell for parts.

As President and CEO of RIM, I understand the frustration and impatience of RIM's shareholders and their eagerness to see the company start to surface the underlying value we all know exists at RIM. But we do not believe RIM is a company at the end. Nor do RIM's current challenges hint at a larger Canadian problem of not being able to sustain successful technology companies.

Technology, and particularly mobile computing, is a globally dynamic industry where innovation is as likely to occur in Waterloo as it is in Seoul or Palo Alto or Stockholm.

Rather, we believe RIM is a company at the beginning of a transition that we expect will once again change the way people communicate. In technology, it is not if you have to change, but when you have to change, and we are in the earliest days of truly mobile computing - an era in which people interact with the world around them in ways we could barely imagine just a few years ago. With BlackBerry, RIM created the framework that gave people their first taste of an untethered yet completely connected life.

As we prepare to launch our new mobile platform, BlackBerry 10, in the first quarter of next year, we expect to empower people as never before. BlackBerry 10 will connect users not just to each other, but to the embedded systems that run constantly in the background of everyday life - from parking meters and car computers to credit card machines and ticket counters.

Those are big promises, I know; and some doubt whether RIM can pull it off. I am the first to admit that RIM has missed on important trends in the smart-phone industry - especially in the consumer domain, focusing on its core value system for successful products and services. We are working diligently on BlackBerry 10 in order to provide a compelling experience for our loyal enterprise customers and consumers. While we are in a very competitive and constantly changing market, customers benefit from this competition and continued innovation.

As this market grows and includes more people in more countries, there is more room - a true need, really - for alternatives. We see this every week with our developer community, who are attending sold-out BlackBerry 10 developer sessions around the world to leverage our platform and ecosystem in order to create and innovate for their communities. That is why RIM has chosen to pursue a strategy that eschews the homogenized sameness of competing ecosystems. To help with that task, we have reshaped the executive team and recruited telecommunications industry veterans with proven track records of success.
Innovation is never easy and rarely understood - but it is exciting.

To that point, some of what I read and hear is thoughtful and insightful; some, frankly, is just plain wrong. But the facts about RIM's business provide reason to believe that we can succeed, even as we take painful but necessary steps to focus our resources and build a lean, nimble organization focused intently on bringing BlackBerry 10 to market.

As some pundits write RIM's obituary, the company's global subscriber base continues to grow, to more than 78 million people in 175 countries. In many of those countries - some of the fastest growing markets in the world - RIM is the top smart-phone; and in some, RIM devices account for the top three spots. We have relationships with 650 carriers around the globe; RIM's reliability and security make it the first choice for countless government agencies and are part of the reason more than 90 per cent of Fortune 500 companies deploy BlackBerry in their enterprises.

RIM has no debt. The company also has more than $2-billion in cash on its balance sheet, and generated $710-million in operating cash flow in its first quarter.

Simultaneously, RIM is undertaking a corporate overhaul that we expect will reduce annual operating expenses by more than $1-billion by the end of our fiscal year. Unfortunately, that requires us to become a much more focused and smaller organization.

These are just the steps we're ready to announce. As has been reported, RIM has hired outside advisers to help me and the other members of the executive team think about the business in new ways and to explore a range of alternatives that leverage our core strengths and build on the BlackBerry brand.

When I became CEO just over six months ago, I knew this would be a difficult and challenging job. RIM was - and remains - at a crucial juncture in its history. In response to our tough quarterly results last week, our employees received thousands of e-mails from around the world from retail customers, carrier partners, developers, family, friends and neighbours expressing their support and loyalty to BlackBerry. They are - like many of us - BlackBerry people by choice.

It reminded me just how much opportunity and promise there is within RIM, and how much of what makes BlackBerry special stems from our status as a small-town Canadian company.

While some who have never made the drive to Waterloo pontificate about software they have not seen or devices they have not touched, developers around the world are getting increasingly excited about the possibilities BlackBerry 10 offers. They see that innovation remains a core principle stretching back to RIM's earliest days above a bagel shop.

[UrbanWaterloo]

RIM Introduces the New Ultra Powerful, Ultra Portable and Ultra Fast 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet
August 02, 2012 | RIM | Link


Research In Motion (RIM) today launched the new 4G LTE™ BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet with built-in support for cellular networks. The new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook maintains a sleek and ultra-portable form while delivering overall faster performance over the original BlackBerry PlayBook, as well as support for blazing fast 4G LTE networks. Launching in Canada first, the new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook allows customers to work more productively and connect to the Internet, as well as access their email, on-line apps, media and content, from more places than ever.

“We’re excited to bring customers the first BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with support for 4G LTE networks,” said David J. Smith, Executive Vice President, Mobile Computing at Research In Motion. “The new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook offers a broad range of premium features, including a stunning 7 inch display, front and rear facing HD video cameras, HDMI out and stereo speakers, and it also offers premium performance on high speed cellular networks, helping customers to be more productive than ever and to make the most of their time on the go.”

Featuring the latest BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2 software, the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet gives customers access to high speed mobile networks around the world (LTE and HSPA+) and offers an exceptional, high-fidelity, fast web experience that supports more HTML5 functionality than any other native tablet browser on the market. The powerful unified inbox allows users to easily manage multiple personal and work email accounts, as well as messages from Twitter®, Facebook® and LinkedIn, all in one place. The built-in Calendar and Contacts apps offer features to help customers better manage schedules and prepare for more effective meetings. Plus, the apps’ unique integration with social networks can provide customers with a wealth of information about their contacts at their fingertips.

The 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is also enterprise ready. It can be easily managed with BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion and includes BlackBerry® Balance™ technology, which allows a user to use a BlackBerry PlayBook for both work and personal purposes by keeping business information highly secure and separate from personal information.

Out of the box, the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet comes preloaded with the tools customers need to be productive as well as to have fun, whether in the office, at home or on the road. Thousands of apps for work and play are also available on the BlackBerry App World™ storefront, such as the recently launched BlackBerry® Video Store for all PlayBook customers in Canada, bringing additional functionality and value to customers. The BlackBerry Video Store offers a catalog of thousands of movies and TV shows. Customers can begin watching media as soon as they start to download a file, so they won’t have to wait for the entire file to transfer before they can begin enjoying great entertainment on the tablet’s high resolution display or on an HDTV using the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s HDMI output. Canadians can download the free Video Store app on BlackBerry App World.

The 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will come with 32GB of memory storage and will be available from Bell, Rogers and TELUS in Canada on August 9, 2012. Additional variants of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet supporting various high speed cellular networks are expected to be available in the coming months from carriers in the US, Europe, South Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

For more information about the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, please visit: http://ca.blackberry.com/playbook-tablet.html.

[panamaniac]

So no more need to tether the thing to a Blackberry to do anything useful?

[markster]

So no more need to tether the thing to a Blackberry to do anything useful?

That hasn't been the case for many moons now.

[panamaniac]

That hasn't been the case for many moons now.

Didn't know - as usual I am completely out of the loop on things technological. At the moment I can't even decide what kind of television to buy!

[UrbanWaterloo]

Helping Laid-off Technology Workers In Waterloo
McGuinty Government Working To Keep Leading Talent In Ontario
August 13, 2012 | Government of Ontario | Link

Ontario is helping laid-off technology workers in Waterloo get the advice, training and support they need to continue their careers in the province.

Partnering with Communitech, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and Research In Motion, Ontario's three-point plan to help laid-off workers includes:

• Working with Communitech -- through Employment Ontario -- to help workers find new jobs in the technology sector in the Region.
• Adding spaces in entrepreneurship and business programs at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University to help laid-off workers develop skills to start their own businesses, especially in technology.
• Creating an action centre to help the laid-off workers find a new job, get employment counselling or go back to school through Second Career.

Also the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation will continue to work with businesses to promote economic growth in the Waterloo region.

This is part of the McGuinty government's plan to help all Ontarians turn the corner and get the education and training they need for the jobs of the future.

Quick Facts

• The Ontario government's Rapid Re-employment and Training Service was created to respond within one hour to provide immediate assistance to workers hit by layoffs and plant closures, so they can quickly access existing Employment Ontario programs and services.
• Ontario is first in Canada and third in North America in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector for a number of businesses - employing about 270,000 people, representing about 50 per cent of total Canadian ICT employment.
• Waterloo Region's technology sector generates over $30 billion in revenues annually in a community of just 550,000 people.

Quotes

"Our government is committed to helping affected workers receive the immediate support they need to get back on their feet and continue building Waterloo's innovative, high-tech sector. "
– Glen Murray, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

"Taking action now to invest in the skills and vision of these talented and experienced people will help Ontario maintain its leadership in information and communications technology."
– Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development and Innovation

"Working together, we can maintain and strengthen our lead as a centre for technology and innovation, and help these talented people find new opportunities here in Waterloo Region."
– John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre