[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[Waterlooson]

RIM's latest #'s again made worldwide news (CNN, Wall Street Journal, etc..) and even affected European share prices (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/us-results-boost-technology-sector/story.aspx?guid=%7B66CD1FBC%2D7D26%2D482E%2DADFB%2D5ED70E49B25E%7D&siteid=yhoof)

You're being too modest about RIM's impact ;).... today it is lifting stock markets around the world:

"Stocks Rise on RIM, Merrill Reports: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071221/wall_street.html

[MolsonExport]

Some people are addicted to pornography, but WaterlooInvester is totally consumed with RIM reports.

[Cambridgite]

Some people are addicted to pornography, but WaterlooInvester is totally consumed with RIM reports.

"Oh baby...your stock is so big. It's rising...it's gonna...BOOM!"

[kitchener-lrt]

"Oh baby...your stock is so big. It's rising...it's gonna...BOOM!"

LMAO.

[Waterlooson]

Some people are addicted to pornography, but WaterlooInvester is totally consumed with RIM reports.

You seem to make nearly as many comments involving RIM as he does. :D

[vid]

Some people are addicted to pornography, but WaterlooInvester is totally consumed with RIM reports.

I believe he has actually managed to, on more than one occasion, put the two together!

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[vid]

You're a news source now??

Well, that explains everything!

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[vid]

No, I actually prefer watching and reading the news. I don't like posting it to people who don't care. :) I am not a news source.

And I loathe that American media system. The sole reason media should be independent from government is to criticize it.

[dunkalunk]

I do enjoy watching and reading the news. Let me guess, you prefer to spend your time following the latest Britney Spears incident?

That's Jamie Spears, but that's beside the point :P

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[vid]

Now I want one.

[markbarbera]

You missed posting a RIM-related article...

RIM sags in heavy Toronto trading
Analyst downgrades Waterloo darling

Toronto Star
Jan 12, 2008 04:30 AM

Shares in Research In Motion Ltd. pulled back almost 6 per cent yesterday amid deepening concerns about how a slowing American economy and problems in the financial industry will affect the Waterloo-based maker of BlackBerry mobile communications devices.

RIM shares traded down $6.10 to close at $95.70 on the Toronto Stock Exchange in heavy trading of more than 2.5 million shares. The price was well below the 52-week high of more than $126 for Canada's best-known technology company. The 52-week low is $46.83.

RIM had company in the decline. The TSX capped technology index fell 1.7 per cent. In New York, the technology-heavy Nasdaq Stock Market receded 1.4 per cent.

As the credit crisis intensifies, investors are increasingly worried about the prospects for RIM sales.

"We have become decidedly more cautious in our outlook for the first half of the year," Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek wrote in a research note yesterday as he downgraded RIM to "hold" from ``buy."

"Our longer-term 12- to 24-month view on the tech sector remains bullish; however, we must accept the reality that investors with a six- to nine-month time horizon are likely to experience considerable volatility and undersized returns."

Misek also put a "hold" rating on Certicom Corp.

RIM figures at today's closing:
Research in Motion, Ltd. RIM
Exchange TSX , CAN
Trading Currency: CAD Last updated 16 Jan 08


Close Price:91.27
Open Price:88.75
Day Change:-1.08
Change:-1.17%
Daily Volume:2,983,872

Day High:94.00
Day Low:87.17
52-week High:126.34
52-week Low:46.83
Below High:27.76%

[Cambridgite]

You missed posting a RIM-related article...


Blasphemy!! :hell:

;)

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[markbarbera]

Sadly, you are as predictable as ever, WI.

Apparantly, you have some decree that one is only allow to post positively about RIM in this section and punish all others, a practice not seen with such zeal since the heydey of the former Soviet Republic. However, any true investor would know it is just as important to take notice of early signs of contraction so to prepare for downturns, which no company is immune to, including RIM.

Why did you feel the need to personally attack me and my home city simply because I posted a less-than-flattering article about RIM here? It was a relevant and current article and was in no way an attack against you, this company, or any other person or entity.

Your flame-out betrays an obvious lack of maturity on your behalf. By exemplifying it in published forms seriously discounts any credibility you may have on this forum, and veers dangerously towards libellous action. I strongly suggest you re-evaluate your posting habits before you attack me or another forumer in a similar manner, as the next reaction may be more litigously inclined than you'd like.

Am I the only forumer that finds WI's behaviour in this forum a tad inappropriate?

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[MolsonExport]

Sadly, you are as predictable as ever, WI.

Apparantly, you have some decree that one is only allow to post positively about RIM in this section and punish all others, a practice not seen with such zeal since the heydey of the former Soviet Republic. However, any true investor would know it is just as important to take notice of early signs of contraction so to prepare for downturns, which no company is immune to, including RIM.

Why did you feel the need to personally attack me and my home city simply because I posted a less-than-flattering article about RIM here? It was a relevant and current article and was in no way an attack against you, this company, or any other person or entity.

Your flame-out betrays an obvious lack of maturity on your behalf. By exemplifying it in published forms seriously discounts any credibility you may have on this forum, and veers dangerously towards libellous action. I strongly suggest you re-evaluate your posting habits before you attack me or another forumer in a similar manner, as the next reaction may be more litigously inclined than you'd like.

Am I the only forumer that finds WI's behaviour in this forum a tad inappropriate?


I will direct your attention to the first cannon of the rules governing this thread.

1. This thread is about RIM, and only RIM.

1.1. The penultimate authority on RIM is Waterloo Investor (hereafter WI).

1.1.1. No opinions dissenting from that of WI will be tolerated on this forum.

1.1.2. RIM is not capable of mistakes, and market adjustments to the stock price of RIM can only be in the positive zone. Any evidence to the contrary will not be tolerated on this forum.

1.2. Any such activity as described in section 1.1.1. and/or section 1.1.2. will be met with a blast of insults against the person and hometown of the perpetrator.

Source: https://www.RIMrules@ssp.org

[vid]

"Am I the only forumer that finds WI's behaviour in this forum a tad inappropriate?"

You are not, and a quick call to his boyfriend will make it three. :frog:

I save my PMs! http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/8668/cheesyjp0.gif

[Cambridgite]

I will direct your attention to the first cannon of the rules governing this thread.

1. This thread is about RIM, and only RIM.

1.1. The penultimate authority on RIM is Waterloo Investor (hereafter WI).

1.1.1. No opinions dissenting from that of WI will be tolerated on this forum.

1.1.2. RIM is not capable of mistakes, and market adjustments to the stock price of RIM can only be in the positive zone. Any evidence to the contrary will not be tolerated on this forum.

1.2. Any such activity as described in section 1.1.1. and/or section 1.1.2. will be met with a blast of insults against the person and hometown of the perpetrator.

Source: https://www.RIMrules@ssp.org

http://www.newyorktelephone.net/images/ify.jpg

[Waterlooson]

You missed posting a RIM-related article...



RIM figures at today's closing:
Research in Motion, Ltd. RIM
Exchange TSX , CAN
Trading Currency: CAD Last updated 16 Jan 08


Close Price:91.27
Open Price:88.75
Day Change:-1.08
Change:-1.17%
Daily Volume:2,983,872

Day High:94.00
Day Low:87.17
52-week High:126.34
52-week Low:46.83
Below High:27.76%

You should see Washington Mutual or Country Wide's stock decline... I made some money shorting both of those. :D

Although the stock price has been hit hard lately (news alert for you.... we are in a bear market, so not only RIM's stock has gone down... duh), RIM is doing rather well... they currently have over 1,000 jobs offered on their web site. :tup:

Stock prices are affected by emotion over the short term, but over the long term the stock price is affected more by fundamentals. Over the last 12 months RIM's stock is up about 120 % - you have to admit (but you won't because you're too stupid) that's pretty awesome.

[Waterlooson]

Sadly, you are as predictable as ever, WI.

Apparantly, you have some decree that one is only allow to post positively about RIM in this section and punish all others, a practice not seen with such zeal since the heydey of the former Soviet Republic. However, any true investor would know it is just as important to take notice of early signs of contraction so to prepare for downturns, which no company is immune to, including RIM.

Why did you feel the need to personally attack me and my home city simply because I posted a less-than-flattering article about RIM here? It was a relevant and current article and was in no way an attack against you, this company, or any other person or entity.

Your flame-out betrays an obvious lack of maturity on your behalf. By exemplifying it in published forms seriously discounts any credibility you may have on this forum, and veers dangerously towards libellous action. I strongly suggest you re-evaluate your posting habits before you attack me or another forumer in a similar manner, as the next reaction may be more litigously inclined than you'd like.

Am I the only forumer that finds WI's behaviour in this forum a tad inappropriate?

What a hypocritical idiot and troll.

[Waterlooson]

http://www.newyorktelephone.net/images/ify.jpg

No, it's just penis envy.

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[markbarbera]

Stock prices are affected by emotion over the short term, but over the long term the stock price is affected more by fundamentals..

First off, the article I posted was not about RIM falling, it is about RIM's stock trading recommendation being downgraded from 'buy' to 'hold'. This is a decision made by market analysts and is based on fundamentals and not emotion. If you bothered to actually read the article, you would have noted that the current credit crisis is the main driver behind the downgrade. Let me re-quote that exerpt:

As the credit crisis intensifies, investors are increasingly worried about the prospects for RIM sales.

'We have become decidedly more cautious in our outlook for the first half of the year," Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek wrote in a research note yesterday as he downgraded RIM to "hold" from ``buy."

"Our longer-term 12- to 24-month view on the tech sector remains bullish; however, we must accept the reality that investors with a six- to nine-month time horizon are likely to experience considerable volatility and undersized returns."

A couple more comments on your posts, waterlooson:

Over the last 12 months RIM's stock is up about 120 % - you have to admit (but you won't because you're too stupid)

Actually, your 120% figure is exagerrated.

Current Price of RIM stock: 91.60 (as at 11:45am 18 Jan 07)
52-week low: 46.83
Difference: 45.85, up 96% year-over-year (not 120%).

Don't get me wrong, 96% price increase is an exceptional surge for a one-year period, but keep in mind the stock price was held artificially low for over a year prior to that by the threat of pending lawsuits. Once settled in 2007, the stock shot up to were it would have been without all that copyright infringement lawsuit nastiness.

The point to my posting is to bring a little sobriety to this RIM thread. While it is inarguably one of the most successful Canadian tech firms to date, it remains highly susceptable to changes in overall market conditions. The coming US recession will have a significant impact that should not be ignored.

but you won't because you're too stupid

Ah, name-calling, just like being back in a grade school playground. Almost like Waterlooson is WI posting under another name... surely there can't be two seriously immature posters here that think namecalling is acceptable behaviour in a business and economics discussion- what kind of reflection would that give the entire thread?

[Waterlooson]

First off, the article I posted was not about RIM falling, it is about RIM's stock trading recommendation being downgraded from 'buy' to 'hold'. This is a decision made by market analysts and is based on fundamentals and not emotion. If you bothered to actually read the article, you would have noted that the current credit crisis is the main driver behind the downgrade. Let me re-quote that exerpt:

You need to read the article you posted yourself.... you don't seem to understand the difference between company fundamentals and the emotions of investors.... the article wasn't about RIM's fundamentals.... they (investors and analysts) were simply "worried" and "more cautious" about what the future might hold for RIM's sales ... that's an emotional reaction rather than an analysis of company fundamentals... a month or so ago, the same thing happened, so Balsillie announced that sales were strong, and the stock recovered.



A couple more comments on your posts, waterlooson:



Actually, your 120% figure is exagerrated.

Current Price of RIM stock: 91.60 (as at 11:45am 18 Jan 07)
52-week low: 46.83
Difference: 45.85, up 96% year-over-year (not 120%).

Well you can play the game of date picking all you want to generate a lower figure.... 120 % was correct based on the chart I saw.... a few days difference can markedly change the percentage gain.

Don't get me wrong, 96% price increase is an exceptional surge for a one-year period, but keep in mind the stock price was held artificially low for over a year prior to that by the threat of pending lawsuits. Once settled in 2007, the stock shot up to were it would have been without all that copyright infringement lawsuit nastiness.

Wrong once again... but that's normal for you... that lawsuit was settled early in 2006.


Ah, name-calling, just like being back in a grade school playground. Almost like Waterlooson is WI posting under another name... surely there can't be two seriously immature posters here that think namecalling is acceptable behaviour in a business and economics discussion- what kind of reflection would that give the entire thread?

You came into this thread as a troll and you seem determined to continue in that style with your hypocritical self-righteous drivel.

[markbarbera]

... that lawsuit was settled early in 2006.


I stand corrected on this point. The lawsuit was indeed settled in 2006, not 2007 as I had previously stated. I had mixed up the year the lawsuit was settled with the year that Basillie resigned as CEO in response to the OSC's investigation of RIM stock option irregularities.

[TripleQ]

I stand corrected on this point. The lawsuit was indeed settled in 2006, not 2007 as I had previously stated. I had mixed up the year the lawsuit was settled with the year that Basillie resigned as CEO in response to the OSC's investigation of RIM stock option irregularities.

Hate to poke my nose into things but I don't think he resigned.. still listed as co-CEO

http://rim.com/newsroom/media/executive/index.shtml

[markbarbera]

My bad- messed up my typing - my posting should have read as '...CEO Balsillie resigned as chairman...', and he still does hold co-CEO position with Lazaridis.

[Waterlooson]

My bad- messed up my typing - my posting should have read as '...CEO Balsillie resigned as chairman...', and he still does hold co-CEO position with Lazaridis.

Your typing is great.... it's your knowledge/thinking that is all messed up.

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[HAMRetrofit]

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/01/14/worst-stock-for-2008-research-in-motion.aspx

Worst Stock for 2008: Research In Motion
By Chuck Saletta January 14, 2008

The BlackBerry, Research In Motion's (Nasdaq: RIMM) flagship product, is so addictive it's earned the nickname CrackBerry. I've seen people texting on their BlackBerries while driving, flying, and even at a funeral, so that nickname certainly seems to fit. With a key product that people simply can't stop using, you have to wonder: What exactly could be wrong enough with the company to have it in the running for the Worst Stock for 2008?

When roses lose their blooms
Unfortunately, there's plenty to worry about when it comes to the company's current state. Three big issues loom in its path, only one of which is anywhere close to being within the company's own sphere of influence. Currently staring Research In Motion in the face are problems related to:

* Changing consumer tastes
* Stretched valuation
* General economic woes.

There are times when the light at the end of the tunnel really is an oncoming train. Considering these challenges, the big question isn't whether or not 2008 will be a tough year for Research In Motion, it's: How tough will 2008 be?

Tastes change
For instance, at one time, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) had some of the hottest phones on the market. That's almost a laughable thought these days. Even more recently, remember when everyone had to have a Palm (Nasdaq: PALM) phone? As the pioneer in smartphones, it was the company to beat.

Now, everyone is taking aim at Research In Motion and its BlackBerry. Last year's salvo by Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) with its iPhone looks more and more like the opening rounds of a long campaign for leadership in the next generation. The new Voyager being touted by Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and LG seems to be the next contender aiming for dominance. It combines a touchscreen similar to the iPhone's with a full keyboard to rival the BlackBerry's. The battle has been joined on yet another front.

Product wars are costly
What are the chances that the current generation of BlackBerries will emerge from this assault unscathed? Frankly, somewhere between slim and none. Even if Research In Motion does successfully fight history and remain on top, it won't be easy or cheap to stay there. "Me, too"-style innovation rarely wins converts, and one-upmanship can get very expensive, very fast.

To raise the stakes even higher, Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) emerging open-source Android platform will only serve to lower the costs of entry into the fray. More competition might be great for consumers, but it makes things tougher for the entrenched leader that everyone is working to overtake.

Even worse, the need for constant spending on R&D just to keep up can turn a great business into a dreadful stock to own. In the face of such strong, technically savvy current and emerging competition, does Research In Motion really deserve a price-to-earnings ratio of around 50? Such a frothy multiple might make sense for a rapidly growing company with nothing but open space ahead of it, but not for the leader in a maturing, highly competitive industry.

As if that weren't bad enough
Finally, there's the fact that the economy seems to be taking a turn for the worse. When technology bellwether Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) reported weakness in its core switching business last November, it was likely the first signal of worse things to come. After all, when companies start feeling the pinch of a tighter economy, among the first things to for managements to postpone are capital-hungry infrastructure upgrades.

If Cisco's woes are harbingers of problems to come, can a slowdown in the market for productivity-enhancement tools like smartphones be far behind?

With these headwinds blowing against it, I can't possibly see how 2008 will be anything less than a disaster for Research In Motion. If you agree, then join us for free at Motley Fool CAPS, and add your underperform rating alongside mine. If enough of us speak with one mind on its stock, CAPS will give Research In Motion the one-star basement rating it so greatly deserves. So join today and get rating!

[HAMRetrofit]

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/11/technology/rimm_blackberry/index.htm

BlackBerry email service goes down
Users of Research In Motion's mobile device experience email failure due to a reported outage in RIM's network.

February 11 2008: 7:21 PM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- BlackBerry email service went down Monday afternoon, according to Research in Motion, maker of the smartphone.

In a service notification sent to CNN, RIM said BlackBerry subscribers "may be unable to send or receive messages and may also be unable to "register their device, roam in another location, or use other services such as Internet browsing."

The service outage was causing intermittent delays for subscribers in North America, RIM said in a statement late Monday. The company also said that voice and SMS services were not affected.

Stephanie Walsh, a spokeswoman for Sprint Nextel, said the outage began at 3:20 ET and affected all carriers, but not necessarily all BlackBerry users. Walsh said RIM informed Sprint the outage was resolved and that a backlog of emails would be coming soon.

Mark Siegel, a spokesman for AT&T, another BlackBerry carrier, said his company was informed at 3:30 ET about the outage.

According to Verizon spokesman, Tom Pica, a RIM email server had gone down, which was the source of the problem. "Service has been restored," said Pica, "it will just take a little while [for Verizon's system] to catch up."

Voice service on the Verizon network was not affected, he said.

"A couple of hours is not a huge deal," said Tom Kelly, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase. "It's probably a nuisance. Longer will be a problem. It's amazing how we rely on them."

JPMorgan Chase's (JPM, Fortune 500) employees use the BlackBerry under multiple carriers, including AT&T and T-Mobile, he said.

RIM's BlackBerry network had about 12 million subscribers as of December 20th, when it reported its third quarter earnings.

RIM experienced major network outages in April and September 2007.

Sprint (S, Fortune 500), Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) and AT&T (T, Fortune 500) said the outage was not due to a malfunction within their networks.

RIM (RIMM) apologized to customers for the service interruptions and said it is "currently working towards a resolution and will provide an update as soon as possible."

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[HAMRetrofit]

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/money/story.html?id=02cd2ecf-9c2f-44a1-b2e1-45f9e2d31121

BlackBerry outage shocks RIM stock
More of an issue if 3-hour disruption had lasted longer
Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, February 13, 2008

OTTAWA -- Shares in Research in Motion wound lower yesterday after a massive BlackBerry service outage that hit eight million North American customers for three hours the previous day.

RIM stock closed down $2.98, or 3.15 per cent, to $91.64 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Monday's disruption, the second in 10 months, may have been caused by a system upgrade, according to the maker of the popular communications device.

But Research In Motion's co-chief executive officer said service was "fully and quickly" restored after three hours and no messages were lost.

"At the core virtually all these things tend to happen on service upgrades," James Balsillie said.

Information technology analyst Richard Morochove said, "I think it's viewed as a temporary and unfortunate glitch in their system."

He said it is unlikely to shake the confidence of its high-end corporate and government users, as it was corrected fairly quickly.

"I think if the market felt that RIM would lose thousands of customers as a result of this, there would have been a much stronger reaction," he said.

"If the outage had lasted longer, there would have been more of an issue."

While other analysts speculated RIM could lose customers to other providers, Morochove doubted a relatively brief disruption would be enough to turn their backs on the BlackBerry's advantages.

Monday's disruption occurred at about 3:30 p.m. eastern time and was restored by around 6:30 p.m. "It was pretty focused and isolated and we recovered well," Balsillie said, adding that the Waterloo, Ont.-based RIM was still attempting to the locate the root of the problem.

Voice and text messaging features were not affected, RIM said in a statement late Monday.

"No messages were lost and message queues began to be cleared after normal service levels were restored."

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[HAMRetrofit]

If they knew about this disruption in service they should have notified users. My day was affected by this and I missed out on some important information. I was mighty pissed right about it.

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[HAMRetrofit]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02132008/business/rim_falls_on_outage_97347.htm

RIM FALLS ON OUTAGE
Reuters

February 13, 2008 -- Research In Motion's BlackBerry could lose its iconic status in the eyes of corporate and retail subscribers alike if it doesn't manage to stem service problems such as the ones that led to two major outages in less than a year, analysts say.

A three-hour service problem left subscribers across the Americas with spotty or nonexistent access to wireless e-mail Monday.

RIM's volatile shares fell $2.97, or 3.14 percent, to finish at $91.50 on the Nasdaq market yesterday. They fell C$2.98 to end at C$91.64 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

[markbarbera]

As reported in today`s Toronto Star:


RESEARCH IN MOTION
TheStar.com Business

Users unforgiving after latest BlackBerry crash

Second big disruption in less than a year raises doubts about reliability

Feb 13, 2008 04:30 AM
Chris Sorensen
Business Reporter

If there's a downside to selling a can't-live-without-it product, it's that customers tend to be unforgiving when something goes wrong.

That's a lesson BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. is grappling with again this week after the company's popular wireless email service failed Monday evening for about three hours, leaving so-called "Crackberry addicts" running for their desktop computers to read messages.

Waterloo-based RIM is continuing to investigate the cause of this second large-scale service disruption in less than a year.

Speaking to reporters at a mobile conference in Barcelona, co-chief executive officer Jim Balsillie hinted that the problem could have had something to do with a "service upgrade."

Reports also suggested the outage was related to RIM's efforts to expand capacity as its subscriber base of 12 million continues to balloon at the rate of one million new users every three months.

Whatever the case, RIM is facing a fresh round of questions about the reliability of a network that is used by everyone from Bay Street investment bankers to U.S. presidents.

"We kind of cut them some slack last time," said Ken Dulaney, an analyst with Gartner Research, referring to a 10-hour BlackBerry blackout that occurred last April.

"But now they have to be faulted for not reaching into the depths of what could go wrong."

Dulaney said RIM needs to be much more transparent about the inner workings of its network architecture, including its limitations, so that companies are aware of the inherent risks.

RIM faced criticism for the way it handled its BlackBerry outage last April. The company was virtually silent for nearly two days before it released a jargon-laden statement that pointed a vague finger at a "non-critical" upgrade that was intended to improve the system's cache, or short-term data storage.

While critics generally acknowledge that any complicated technology is bound to encounter periodic glitches, they argue that RIM is more susceptible to major service failures because of its centralized network architecture.


"The way it's set up, it's not surprising that something like this happened," said Michelle Warren, an analyst at Info-Tech Research Group.

For corporate users, RIM designs servers that relay email from a company's own server to a network operating centre, where it is then handed off to a wireless carrier and beamed to a subscriber's device.

Nearly all of RIM's North American email traffic is believed to go through one operating centre near Waterloo, which acts as a central post office for BlackBerry email.

The advantage of such a setup is that it gives RIM more control over the system and its security – even during an interruption such as Monday's. "These messages were delivered. They were just delayed," Warren noted.

The downside, however, is that a major problem at the operating centre threatens to cascade throughout the entire system, turning a localized issue into a continent-wide mess.

Some of RIM's competitors used Monday's service interruption as an opportunity to tout their rival wireless email services.

"Like any solution it has its pros and cons," said Angus Young, a senior technical consultant with Mississauga-based WolfBridge TSS, which works in partnership with rival Microsoft Corp. "The pros for a smaller organization in particular is that you can outsource a part of the infrastructure to RIM. The cons are that you have no control over that part of the infrastructure."

Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform, by contrast, is designed to be an extension of the Microsoft Exchange servers already used and maintained by most corporate clients. But Microsoft has so far failed to make significant inroads into RIM's market share.


It would be interesting to see if RIM has plans to move away from the centralized infrastructure to one without a single-point of failure. Does anyone know if they are indeed moving in this direction?

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[HAMRetrofit]

I am routing for the Blackberry but...

http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/309978

Apple's iPhone gaining ground on RIM's BlackBerry

February 16, 2008
The Canadian Press

MONTREAL

The BlackBerry mobile communications device is hard to beat in the corporate world, where it got its start, but it's expected have a tougher time winning the hearts of consumers who are being wooed by Apple's iPhone and other smartphones.

While there's an opportunity for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion to fill a void in Canada while the iPhone isn't yet available, Apple's phone is a real threat, says tech analyst Jesse Hirsh.

He adds the BlackBerry is still cool but it's no longer "uber-cool."

"Technology fetishists are discarding their BlackBerrys and they all drive to the States and buy an iPhone and look on the Internet for how to hack into them and they are all running iPhones,'' said Hirsh, who runs a tech advice website.

The consumer marketplace is "incredibly competitive'' and if the BlackBerry doesn't live up to its brand's billing, consumers will make the switch to other smart phones, he said.

Hirsh also said the Apple's touch-screen technology is pushing ahead of the BlackBerry's trackwheel and the more innovative trackball on the consumer-oriented Pearl smartphone and some newer models of the BlackBerry, which revolutionized wireless e-mail with features such as a full QWERTY-style keyboard for rapid two-thumbed typing.

"Research In Motion -- they have absolutely been threatened by the iPhone and the design revolution that the iPhone has introduced in both the touchscreen and the way that the device is used,'' Hirsh said.

Alan Sawyer, who runs Two Solitudes Consulting, said consumers may just shrug off the BlackBerry's capacity for providing e-mail security.

That is, however, a key selling point for many business customers and especially for the U.S. defence establishment and police forces that are major users of the Canadian-invented devices.

"You will never see, in my opinion, Research In Motion get the sort of market share in the consumer world that it has traditionally been able to garner in the corporate world,'' said Sawyer, a media strategist in Toronto.

It won't even be close to RIM's corporate dominance, especially if the iPhone becomes available in Canada, Sawyer said.

"That's going to take a big chunk of that share probably,'' he said, but added the BlackBerry Pearl model does put RIM on a competitive footing with the iPhone and other smartphones.

Smartphones are wireless phones that allow users to make calls, send e-mails and surf the Internet, for example. They also have keyboards for inputting text but are generally more limited than the BlackBerrys.

The Pearl, first introduced in September 2006, was the first RIM product to include consumer-friendly features such as a camera and MP3 player. It came out about half a year before Apple's iPhone became available in the United States.

A recent upgrade to the BlackBerry wireless system appears to have been the cause of a three-hour service disruption on Monday that affected millions of users in North America.

Research In Motion, based in Waterloo, has said the routine upgrade was part of its efforts to increase system capacity for increased growth.

"They probably still have one of the most, if not the most secure way of getting e-mail around when it's working,'' Sawyer said.

"On the corporate side, I think there will be slow erosion of the market share, but the market (size) is going to keep growing.''

For consumers, Hirsh said Internet search engine Google has introduced a mobile phone and many cellphone makers including Nokia and Samsung also offer smartphones, and some of them are cheaper.

Japan's HTC offers handsets that look and act like BlackBerrys that use Windows Mobile software, he said.

"Nokia is the world's largest mobile company. They dominate Europe, Asia and the African markets. They have devices that I feel are far superior to BlackBerrys.''

Tech expert Elias Makos believes the BlackBerry is still dominant in the business world because computer technicians are reluctant to abandon them and RIM's system.

"I really don't think that RIM has shown anything that's going to lead me to believe they're going to be a success in the consumer market,'' said Makos, a technical instructor at Concordia University's journalism department.

Makos said RIM will have to make some improvements to win big among consumers.

[kitchener-lrt]

Let's get back on topic :P....so, blackberry's are working fine now...

[HAMRetrofit]

http://www.newsday.com/technology/wire/sns-ap-rim-motorola-lawsuit,0,6159819.story

RIM, Motorola Battle Over Patents

By Associated Press
2:20 PM EST, February 18, 2008


TORONTO - Research In Motion Ltd. is suing Motorola Inc. over several patents used for wireless devices such as RIM's BlackBerry e-mail devices and Motorola's Razr smart phones.

The Waterloo, Ontario-based company is asking a court in Dallas to declare Motorola is breaching commitments it made to license essential patents to competitors on a fair and reasonable basis.

Research in Motion also says in a court filing, dated Saturday, that Motorola is violating nine RIM patents and is breaching a 2003 agreement by refusing to negotiate reasonable terms for an extension beyond January 2008.

The Canadian company's filing came one day after Motorola filed a suit against RIM, claiming it violated some of Motorola's patents.

The two companies, each innovators in wireless communications, have both collaborated and competed with each other over the years. However, Motorola was a pioneer in voice communications while RIM has focused on data communications.

The stakes could be huge, since the two companies compete in a multibillion-dollar global industry. The success of the BlackBerry and Pearl smart phones has enabled RIM to become one of Canada's most valuable companies.

RIM's claim, which hasn't been tested in court, says Motorola is trying to subvert an established standards-setting practice "in order to injure RIM, a successful competitor and rival."

The claim was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

"We have not yet reviewed the complaint but based on our understanding of the matter we believe their claims are entirely without merit and Motorola intends to vigorously defend itself," Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Erickson said Monday.

Regarding the 2003 agreement, which RIM says Motorola is obliged to extend under reasonable terms, she said: "Our agreement with them expired and we have been unable to reach a suitable agreement, going forward."

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[markbarbera]

Apple's iPhone now seen as real threat to BlackBerry

Apple Inc.'s move into mobile corporate e-mail with its iPhone is a serious threat to BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd., analysts say.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based maker of Macintosh computers and iPod digital music players on Thursday announced it was adding "push" e-mail to its popular iPhone in June. Push e-mail, where messages are automatically sent to the phone, has become popular with business users and is widely credited as the secret behind Waterloo, Ont.-based RIM's success.

Research In Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie last year said he didn't fear the iPhone and believed it would raise the profile of all smartphones, including the BlackBerry.

Apple is quickly encroaching on RIM's core business, analysts say.

While Apple's move is unlikely to immediately dislodge RIM's tight hold on the business market, which it basically owns, it will limit the BlackBerry's attempts to grow in the consumer market.

"Apple is moving much more aggressively toward RIM's space than RIM is moving toward Apple," said California-based technology consultant Rob Enderle. "It takes away RIM's expansion opportunity, but it doesn't necessarily displace them."

RIM is the device of choice of business users and will likely remain so until Apple can show that the iPhone's push e-mail is as secure as the BlackBerry's.

Apple, however, also on Thursday announced a software development kit for the iPhone that will allow third parties to create applications for the device. A test version of the development kit was made available immediately.

Enderle said e-mail security software is likely to be among the first third-party applications developed for the iPhone, and should be made available by the time the push e-mail feature, which will run over Microsoft Exchange servers, debuts in June.

RIM system problematic: Jobs
Apple chief executive officer Steve Jobs took a shot at RIM's security issues during the announcement on Thursday.

He said RIM's centralized system was problematic, as was apparent during a failure a few weeks ago that caused a continent-wide outage.

"Every e-mail message that's sent to a RIM device or from a RIM device goes through a [network operations centre] up in Canada,'' Jobs said at a press event at the company's headquarters. "That provides a single point of failure, but also provides a very interesting security situation.''

A spokesperson for RIM said it does not comment on other companies' announcements.

RIM co-chief executive officer Jim Balsillie welcomed the iPhone when it launched last year, saying it would boost the profile of all advanced phones, including the BlackBerry.

Shares of RIM dropped more than three per cent to $97 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Thursday following Apple's announcement. Shares of the iPhone maker also fell more than three per cent to $120.93 U.S. on the New York Stock Exchange.

RIM has been moving in the opposite direction in coming up with BlackBerry devices that are more appealing to the general consumer market. The company has been adding music players, cameras and GPS features to its BlackBerry in an effort to expand out of its core business-user market.

The company on Thursday also announced it was adding pop artist Will.i.am's Dipdive social networking community to BlackBerry devices.

'There's room for multiple players'
Other analysts sided with Balsillie's sentiment from last year, and said RIM won't be greatly affected by Apple's move into the business market because there is still lots of room for both to grow.

Only about 15 per cent of the cellphones in the United States are smartphones — or phones with enhanced non-voice features — while Canada has only about 12 per cent, according to figures from consumer electronics tracking firm Solutions Research Group.

"Both numbers are going to double or triple in the next five to seven years, so there's room for multiple players," said president Kaan Yigit. "It's fair to say that both Apple and RIM will be the serious contenders.

"Even still, I wouldn't take it lightly because nothing Apple does should be taken lightly, but at the same time there's no reason for panic."

Apple released the iPhone in the United States last June and has since added the U.K., France and Germany, selling a total of four million units. The company has not yet announced official availability of the device in Canada.

The company also announced that venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins will start a $100-million U.S. fund for companies looking to developing applications for the iPhone. Apple will be the exclusive distributor through an online "App Store," where users will be able to buy the programs developed.

— By Peter Nowak, CBCnews.ca staff, March 6, 2008 (online edition)

[HAMRetrofit]

This thread could use some perspective, so here's a 5 year chart on RIMM:

http://ichart.finance.yahoo.com/z?s=RIMM&t=5y&q=l&l=off&z=l&p=s&a=v&p=s


Also, these are the revenue forecasts from Bear Stearns: http://www.bearstearns.com/bear/bsportal/research/rptlink.do?docId=0gaM0oQ&resAreaCode=yf

Revenue (All values in US$millions)

Q1 Mar Q2 Jun Q3 Sep Q4 Dec Year P/S
2007 613.1 658.5 835.1 930.4 3,037.1 16.6x
2008 1,081.9 1,372.3 1,672.5 1,865.1E 5,991.8E 8.4x
2009 1932 2117 2427 2664 9139 5.5x
2010 2789 3057 3469 3423 12737 4.0x

Bearsterns has folded, better get some new data.

[DHLawrence]

Looks pretty much the same on Google Finance. Data's data, no matter who's providing it. Mind you, the chart above shows RIMM on the Nasdaq instead of on the TSX.

[HAMRetrofit]

Looks like JPMorgan will be picking up Bearsterns for about $2 share. Although the data may look similar, their are subtle differences. I prefer audits from companies that have not collapsed over the last couple of days. Plus, it brings into question what other problems they may have made with their process.

[markbarbera]

Article in todday's Financial Post:

RIM bosses make list of world's 30 best CEOs

The battle for smartphone supremacy just got a little hotter, with Research In Motion Ltd. co-founders James Balsillie and Michael Lazaridis named on Barron's list of the world's 30 best chief executives.

The accolade places the pair among the likes of their rival, Apple Inc.'s Steven Jobs, as well as Berkshire Hathaway's renowned Warren Buffett and BlackRock's Larry Fink.

The weekly influential newspaper said the RIM chief executives, who took the smartphone market by storm with the popular BlackBerry, made the list for successfully guiding the company through encounters with "patent trolls, bearish investors and pesky regulators."

The statement refers to the Ontario-based firm's entanglement in a wireless email device patent dispute with Virginia-based patent licenser NTP Inc., as well as a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into alleged backdating of executive options.

RIM reached a US$612.5-million out of court settlement with NTP in 2006.

Last November, RIM reached a settlement with the trustees of the Ironworkers Ontario Pension Fund after it was found the company had routinely backdated its executive stock options. The revelation caused Mr. Balsillie to step down as the company's chairman, adopt additional corporate-governance measures, and take a US$250-million charge.

Despite these sebacks, RIM was able to fight off bearish investors with the success of its BlackBerry, an integrated mobile phone and e-mail device, helping its shares rise more than 120% in each of the past five years.

Barron's puts the pair alongside list regular, Steven Jobs, whom the magazine said is arguably the world's most valuable chief executive.

"[His] unexpected departure could cut 30 to 40 points from the price of Apple shares, now around US$130. That makes him a US$25-billion man," said the article, printed in this week's issue of Barron's.

While RIM's Blackberry dominates the smartphone market for business users, the much larger and diversified Apple has been encroaching on RIM's market niche through the introduction of its iPhone touch that has been a hot seller with the much larger consumer market. Both companies are now wooing each other's traditional customer bases, and both are moving up the ranks of global wireless-device makers.

Also making the list for the first time are Cisco's John Chambers, Hewlett-Packard's Mark Hurd, IBM's Samuel Palmisano and Canon's Fujio Mitarai.

Notably absent from the 2008 list was Rupert Murdoch, who was knocked off after his acquisition of Barron's publisher Dow Jones & Co. opened up a "conflict of interest."

Also gone were Lehman Brothers' Dick Fuld, who lost his place due to the investment bank's weak stock performance, and Countrywide Financial's Angelo Mozilo, whom Barron's described as "the biggest embarrassment to us" after the mortgage lender's liquidity collapsed.

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[jcollins]

Local: Research In Motion to open research office in Germany

April 23, 2008
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted 10:54 a.m.


WATERLOO - Research In Motion Ltd. said today that it will locate its European research and development centre in the German city of Bochum.


The decision should soften somewhat the blow to the western German city from Nokia Corp.’s decision to shut its plant there in June, with the likely loss of 2,300 jobs.


RIM vice-president Thorsten Heins said that the Waterloo company’s centre should start work in July, initially with 140 to180 employees. That could quickly be increased to 500 if the business performs well.


The maker of the BlackBerry plans to invest some $72 million US over the first year, although it has no plans to produce the handheld communications device in Germany. The facility will be located at the University of Bochum’s technology park.

[kwoldtimer]

Local: Research In Motion to open research office in Germany

April 23, 2008
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted 10:54 a.m.


WATERLOO - Research In Motion Ltd. said today that it will locate its European research and development centre in the German city of Bochum.


The decision should soften somewhat the blow to the western German city from Nokia Corp.’s decision to shut its plant there in June, with the likely loss of 2,300 jobs.


RIM vice-president Thorsten Heins said that the Waterloo company’s centre should start work in July, initially with 140 to180 employees. That could quickly be increased to 500 if the business performs well.


The maker of the BlackBerry plans to invest some $72 million US over the first year, although it has no plans to produce the handheld communications device in Germany. The facility will be located at the University of Bochum’s technology park.


Interesting news, but the real story is that you beat WaterlooInvestor to the punch!:haha:

[jcollins]

Interesting news, but the real story is that you beat WaterlooInvestor to the punch!:haha:

I didnt even think of that!
Im going to have to cherish this one, I dont expect it'll happen again soon.:haha:

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[jcollins]

RIM to make more BlackBerrys abroad

May 01, 2008
Matt Walcoff
RECORD STAFF

WATERLOO

Research In Motion Ltd. is having more BlackBerrys made overseas, but there is no evidence the company will abandon its commitment to manufacturing in Waterloo.

In the company's recently released annual report, co-chief executive officers Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis write that RIM is expanding outsourced manufacturing to keep up with the surging global demand for the company's smartphones.

"As we continue to scale production, we are working with our outsourcing partners on an increasing percentage of our overall production and we expect to further leverage and expand our outsourcing relationships in fiscal 2009 in order to meet global demand," Balsillie and Lazaridis write.

For the first time since RIM began contracting with Elcoteq SE to build BlackBerrys abroad in 2005, Balsillie and Lazaridis included increasing outsourcing volumes among their priorities for the new fiscal year.

Most BlackBerrys come from Elcoteq factories in Hungary and Mexico, analysts say.

A significant minority are made at RIM's building No. 8 on Phillip Street.

RIM did not respond to requests for comment on its outsourcing plans.

Most analysts did not want to touch the issue either.

But Peter Misek of Canaccord Adams Inc. said he believes a Chinese BlackBerry factory that will potentially produce "more than just millions" of smartphones a year is likely under preparation. As other continents account for more of RIM's revenue -- 34 per cent in the year ending March 1 -- RIM needs plants around the world to serve other markets, such as Asia.

"North America and Latin America require significant transportation issues, logistical issues and may not be able to respond quickly," Misek said. "What happens if they get a surge in demand in a remote part of the world and they don't have capacity close by?"

Burgeoning global demand for BlackBerrys far surpasses RIM's ability to produce them in Waterloo, said Nick Agostino of Research Capital Corp. The Waterloo plant's current capacity is five million to eight million units a year. RIM hopes to sell 50 million to 100 million BlackBerrys annually within three years.

Agostino said he doesn't believe expanding production capacity in Waterloo by 10 to 20 times is feasible. "As much as these are Canadian global champions and Canadian entrepreneurs and investors in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, I don't think there are enough people (employees) in Canada to satisfy their growth."

RIM probably won't stop at expanding manufacturing overseas, Misek said. As the company grows, it will spread around its capabilities in other areas, such as design and research and development.

"Not all great ideas going forward are going to come from here," he said. "You might want to expose people to tremendous new European designs. We know they're already expanding in Germany. They're going to have design and research and development facilities in Asia, I'm sure of it."

RIM announced last week it will open a research and development centre in Bochum, Germany, where rival Nokia is closing a plant.

In addition to Waterloo, where more than 5,000 of its 8,400 employees work, RIM has a research and development and engineering office in Ottawa; a similar office in Mississauga; customer service offices in Halifax and Singapore; regional headquarters in Dallas and Slough, England; and sales offices around the world.

Neither Misek nor Agostino said they thought RIM would reduce its manufacturing footprint in Waterloo.

The company's plant, expanded to 242,000 square feet last year, employs about 1,500 people.

RIM has honed its products well enough that despite paying Canadian wages, it can still produce smartphones more cost efficiently than its competitors, Misek said.

"They enjoy a cost advantage even with this potential labour disparity," he said. "I would not expect to see them ever slow down or change hiring."

Several years ago, an electronics manufacturer approached RIM about taking over the production now done in Waterloo, Agostino said. But when it ran the numbers, the contract manufacturer was unable to find a way to make BlackBerrys more cost effectively than RIM was already doing.

"RIM's done a good job of building a nice, robust, efficient manufacturing plant in Waterloo, so it only makes sense to keep doing what they're doing in North America," he said.

mwalcoff@therecord.com

[jcollins]

This is the SECOND RIM article Im posting that I beat WaterlooInvestor to.
I hate to say it, but maybe he's slipping....:haha:


New BlackBerry may be flip phone if blog report accurate

May 02, 2008
Michael Hammond
RECORD STAFF

WATERLOO

Research In Motion Ltd. appears to be making another big charge into the consumer market.

The Waterloo company is working on a flip-phone style BlackBerry that is expected to be ready by the end of the year, a number of blogs said yesterday.

A picture of the new BlackBerry, dubbed KickStart, surfaced on the Boy Genius Report blog, sparking buzz among technophiles and stock analysts. The reports sent RIM's shares (TSX:RIM) higher. They climbed $8.05 yesterday, closing at $130.64.

Carmi Levy, a strategic consultant with AR Communications, said introducing a flip phone is a "master stroke" for RIM.

"There are a lot of people out there who, frankly, could never see themselves going to a full-blown smartphone," Levy said. "This will further expand (RIM's) consumer franchise."

Levy said of all the cellphones in use around the world, less than 10 per cent are smartphones, which means companies like RIM need compelling new products if they want to reach out to the rest of the wireless market.

Consumers who use flip phones like the fact that they're portable, durable and easy to use.

The KickStart, Levy said, will fill a transitional niche in the wireless market that is seeing consumers migrate from basic cellphones to smartphones.

Analyst Mike Abramsky of RBC Capital Markets said the new product shows that RIM is "unafraid of reinventing itself."

"In our view, RIM is positioning itself for significantly larger market opportunities beyond its traditional base," he wrote in a research note.

RIM has already introduced the consumer-focused BlackBerry Curve and Pearl, both of which fuelled strong Christmas sales last year.

The Boy Genius Report blog said the new KickStart will feature a trackball, camera and sure-type keyboard, which blends a traditional phone number pad with a standard qwerty keyboard.

The leaked information comes just days after Apple Inc. and Rogers Wireless announced plans to bring the touch-screen iPhone smartphone to Canada.

There has been speculation RIM is working on a touch-screen BlackBerry to go head-to-head with the iPhone.

"We continue to expect a second generation touch-screen consumer BlackBerry iPhone killer," Abramsky said in his note.

RIM's iPhone challenger is also expected to hit the shelves by this fall, Abramsky added.

No one from RIM was available for comment on the flip phone yesterday.

The company did announce yesterday that it has reached a global distribution agreement with Brightpoint Inc., a distributor of wireless devices that says it has more than 25,000 business-to-business sales channels.

mhammond@therecord.com

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[jcollins]

BlackBerry to offer better mobile software

May 03, 2008
LuAnn LaSalle
The Canadian Press

MONTREAL

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. and software giant SAP want to change the way that people work, allowing them to be tied even less to their offices and desktop computers.

Research In Motion and German-based SAP announced yesterday that a new, mobile version of SAP business software will be available on BlackBerry smartphones in the coming months.

The announcement pushed shares in Waterloo, Ont.-based RIM up $3.70 to close at $134.34 yesterday on the Toronto Stock Exchange, just pennies short of a fresh all-time high of $134.98 set earlier in the day. The stock was at about $49 a year ago.

"This is game changing,'' said RIM co- chief executive Jim Balsillie, who made the announcement in New York with SAP executives.

Balsillie said it should "transform'' productivity and is expected to be as significant as Blackberry's secure, push e-mail that RIM pioneered about a decade ago.

SAP's business management software is called SAP Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and is already used on other mobile devices, including the BlackBerry, through a browser. But this new software allows business employees to be even more mobile with information directly on the device.

It will allow business information, such as sales reports, purchase orders, contact information and customer records all to be readily available on the BlackBerry, just like e-mail.

Bill McDermott, president and chief executive of SAP Americas and Asia Pacific Japan, said all of that information will be "sitting on your hip'' in the BlackBerry.

"How about embodying your entire mobile, professional activities onto your hand-held device without being tethered to a land line or to a PC,'' McDermott said at a news conference that was broadcast via the internet.

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[jcollins]

RIM launches $150M BlackBerry ventures fund

May 12, 2008
RECORD STAFF
Local
Posted 8:55 a.m.

Research In Motion Ltd. is joining forces with Thomson Reuters to launch a $150-million venture capital fund aimed at new mobile applications for smartphones like the BlackBerry.

RIM's popular smartphone has lent its name to the fund, which has been dubbed the BlackBerry Partners Fund. JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners will jointly manage the fund. In a statement released earlier today, the fund was described as platform "agnostic" meaning it's not geared toward the BlackBerry exclusively.

The two companies behind the fund are aiming to encourage the development of the next wave of applications for smartphones including mobile banking applications, social networking features and mapping tools.

"The mobile world has evolved well beyond phone calls and simple messaging to require more empowering and liberating solutions," RIM's co-chief executive officer Jim Balsillie said in the release.

To view the news release, click here. (http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2008/12/c7300.html)

RIM also announced today that it is launching a new BlackBerry device called the BlackBerry Bold. The smartphone is being billed as the first to support "tri-band HSDPA networks." In other words, this means that information downloaded to a device can be transmitted at three different speeds.

To view the BlackBerry Bold news release and see the new phone, click here. (http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=854809&k=rim)

The launch of the new smartphone comes just days after a company analyst predicted the company would release four new smartphones by the end of the year. Most technophiles have been speculating about the launch of a BlackBerry flip phone, rumoured to be called the KickStart. A photo of RIM's supposed new flip phone leaked onto the Internet recently, causing a flurry of speculation.

For full details on the venture fund and new BlackBerry launch, please read tomorrow's print edition of The Record.

[jcollins]

http://www.marketwire.com/library/20080512-500RIMjpg.jpg

I really like the look of the new phone. Seems a bit more stylish (not that the others aren't) and could appeal to more consumer users, as opposed to businesses. Similar target to the new flip phone maybe?

[jcollins]

Faster, smarter BlackBerry called 'revolutionary'

May 13, 2008
Matt Walcoff
RECORD STAFF



Research In Motion Ltd. has unveiled its first BlackBerry designed for a speedy third-generation cellular network, assuring investors its new-product pipeline is on track.

The BlackBerry Bold will work on the High-Speed Downlink Packet Access network, which will allow it to download data much faster than the previously fastest BlackBerrys could. The new device works on Wi-Fi networks as well. Matching the specs of Apple's iPhone, it also has twice as fast a processor and twice as sharp a display as the BlackBerry Curve, the model released last year.

"It's both revolutionary and evolutionary," Mike Lazaridis, RIM's co-chief executive officer, told analysts at an Orlando, Fla., trade show yesterday.

"It's evolutionary in building on what already works. . . . It's revolutionary in terms of it goes to 3G and much higher performance."

RIM has also improved the software on the Bold, making the web browser easier to use and allowing users to synchronize the device with the iTunes music library on their home computer.

RIM was able to cram these new features in a smartphone thanks to innovations in battery life, Lazaridis said.

Data communication on 3G networks is notoriously draining on batteries, which is one reason Apple has yet to release a 3G iPhone. RIM researchers have invented a technology called "fast dormancy," which allows the Bold to quickly conserve power when alternating among features, he said.

Product designers borrowed from the shapes of cars and guitars, Lazaridis said. The horizontal lines on the Bold's keyboard allude to the frets on the neck of a guitar, he said.

The company said the Bold should be available this summer.

It did not indicate what countries and carriers will get the phone first.

In a note to clients, analyst Mike Abramsky of RBC Capital Markets wrote he expects AT&T and Rogers to begin selling the Bold in July or August for at least $349.

RIM is likely to follow the Bold with a flip-phone model and an iPhone-like touchscreen smartphone late this year, Abramsky also wrote in his note.

To spread the word about the new device, RIM has launched its first television advertising campaign.

Previous BlackBerry TV ads were bought by carrier partners.

An ad emphasizing the phone's multimedia capabilities and other consumer-friendly features debuted on the U.S. broadcast of My Name Is Earl last Thursday.

News of the Bold's release sent RIM shares zipping; they closed at a record high of $142.25, up $8.90, or 6.7 per cent, on the day.

RIM shares may have been held back before yesterday by rumours and a U.S. magazine report of delays in its product pipeline.

RIM already had momentum, even before the Bold's unveiling, said co-chief executive officer Jim Balsillie. A forthcoming report from a major market-research firm will say the BlackBerry captured one-third to one-half of the Apple iPhone's market share in the first quarter, he said.

Meanwhile, RIM also announced yesterday the creation of a $150-million US venture-capital fund in conjunction with Royal Bank of Canada and media conglomerate Thomson Reuters.

The BlackBerry Partners Fund is to invest in companies that make software for mobile devices, including, but not exclusively, the BlackBerry.

"We want the target investees to work with the BlackBerry environment, but by no means do they have to be limited to the BlackBerry," Balsillie said. "It's open to all mobile platforms."

It is common for large high-tech companies to dabble in venture capitalism. Other companies that have launched funding arms include Telus, BCE Inc., Intel Corp., IBM and Apple Inc., which last month announced it was backing a $100-million "iFund" that will invest in makers of iPhone software.

The BlackBerry Partners Fund will be managed independently from RIM, with RBC Venture Partners and JLA Ventures making the decisions, they said.

mwalcoff@therecord.com

Wow...Initially I thought this would be a pretty nice smartphone. Now, after reading all of this, I love it!
Great features.

It'll be interesting to see sales of this vs. the iPhone when they both arrive.

[Duke-Of-Waterloo]

RIM unveils new office complex


http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/7019/rimuniversitynorthfieldhb8.jpg
(Image from The Record, May 14, 2008)

May 14, 2008
By Matt Walcoff, RECORD STAFF

-Waterloo, ON-

Research In Motion Ltd. revealed plans yesterday for a new office campus that could allow it to hire thousands more employees in Waterloo.

RIM representatives showed residents of the Eastbridge neighbourhood images of a development that will include at least two, and likely around four, office buildings, plus a training centre and a parking garage.

The first office building, on which construction should begin in the next few weeks, will be four storeys tall and cover 185,035 square feet. Up to 1,200 RIM employees could work in the new building, scheduled to open in the middle of next year.

The parking garage and training centre should also open next year, according to information RIM provided to residents.

In the second phase, RIM is likely to build another four-storey office building, which, like the first one, will front University Avenue near RIM Park. RIM has yet to receive the necessary approvals from the City of Waterloo, including a building-height variance. The company needs permission to build higher than 18 metres .

RIM has no time frame for the second phase or for subsequent phases, in which RIM would develop the rear of the 15-hectare property it bought from Dalsa Corp. last year. A speculative drawing displayed at an information session yesterday showed two four-storey office buildings, somewhat smaller than the one to be built this year, on the south side of an east-west road bisecting the property.

While RIM has not decided exactly what to do with the rear of the property, company representatives assured nearby homeowners that any buildings there will be at least 90 metres from the nearest home and no more than 28 metres tall.

RIM also says it will use landscape features to shield Breakwater Crescent backyards from the parking lot and new buildings on RIM's side of the property line.

Renderings of the first building show a sharp-edged, partially glass-panelled structure that looks far more sophisticated than the typical occupant of suburban office parks or, for that matter, RIM's own rather utilitarian buildings near the University of Waterloo.

The building will also be environmentally and pedestrian-friendly, built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards and surrounded by native species in the landscaping.

The building permit for the structure's shell, issued last month, quotes an estimated value of $30 million.

RIM's development will require additional capacity at the pumping station across the street. Glenn Scheels of planning firm GSP Group Inc. said he did not know whether RIM or the city will have to pay for that work.

Since introducing the BlackBerry in 1999, RIM has steadily bought or leased properties around its original home base on Phillip Street. As of March 1, it occupied 1.2 million square feet in 22 buildings near UW and in north Waterloo.

But the fast-growing company is pressed for space. It is building new offices in Mississauga and a new customer-support centre in Halifax.

RIM also bought a large plot on Can-Amera Parkway in Cambridge last year.

Nearly 5,800 of RIM's about 8,400 employees work in Waterloo.

[HAMRetrofit]

Why not put some of that RIM in Uptown Waterloo in a new tallest skyscraper.

[myfaceisonfire]

That would be nice, I could walk to work :)
Unfortunately sprawling suburban office complexes are the norm for tech companies. Don't ask me why, i have no idea. I can't think of a single tech firm that has a nice big office tower akin to something a bank or an insurance company would build/lease.

Google
http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/googleplex.jpg

MS
http://www.math.org/informs/microsoft.jpg

Oracle (slightly better)
http://www.richp.com/pics/aerial-09-04-02/09-04-02_flying23.jpg

Cisco
http://www.southbaymobilization.org/calendar/images/2006/06.0421.AerialMapOf_CiscoArea.jpg

IBM
http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/51098212.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1939847EC77F5F8D1CE69D3488DBB9DDE48A40A659CEC4C8CB6

[HAMRetrofit]

^ that is some scary shit

Almost like they are organizing themselves like the Napoleonic Army for an attack.

[MolsonExport]

RIM unveils new office complex


http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/7019/rimuniversitynorthfieldhb8.jpg
(Image from The Record, May 14, 2008)

May 14, 2008
By Matt Walcoff, RECORD STAFF

-Waterloo, ON-

Research In Motion Ltd. revealed plans yesterday for a new office campus that could allow it to hire thousands more employees in Waterloo.

RIM representatives showed residents of the Eastbridge neighbourhood images of a development that will include at least two, and likely around four, office buildings, plus a training centre and a parking garage.

The first office building, on which construction should begin in the next few weeks, will be four storeys tall and cover 185,035 square feet. Up to 1,200 RIM employees could work in the new building, scheduled to open in the middle of next year.

The parking garage and training centre should also open next year, according to information RIM provided to residents.

In the second phase, RIM is likely to build another four-storey office building, which, like the first one, will front University Avenue near RIM Park. RIM has yet to receive the necessary approvals from the City of Waterloo, including a building-height variance. The company needs permission to build higher than 18 metres .

RIM has no time frame for the second phase or for subsequent phases, in which RIM would develop the rear of the 15-hectare property it bought from Dalsa Corp. last year. A speculative drawing displayed at an information session yesterday showed two four-storey office buildings, somewhat smaller than the one to be built this year, on the south side of an east-west road bisecting the property.

While RIM has not decided exactly what to do with the rear of the property, company representatives assured nearby homeowners that any buildings there will be at least 90 metres from the nearest home and no more than 28 metres tall.

RIM also says it will use landscape features to shield Breakwater Crescent backyards from the parking lot and new buildings on RIM's side of the property line.

Renderings of the first building show a sharp-edged, partially glass-panelled structure that looks far more sophisticated than the typical occupant of suburban office parks or, for that matter, RIM's own rather utilitarian buildings near the University of Waterloo.

The building will also be environmentally and pedestrian-friendly, built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards and surrounded by native species in the landscaping.

The building permit for the structure's shell, issued last month, quotes an estimated value of $30 million.

RIM's development will require additional capacity at the pumping station across the street. Glenn Scheels of planning firm GSP Group Inc. said he did not know whether RIM or the city will have to pay for that work.

Since introducing the BlackBerry in 1999, RIM has steadily bought or leased properties around its original home base on Phillip Street. As of March 1, it occupied 1.2 million square feet in 22 buildings near UW and in north Waterloo.

But the fast-growing company is pressed for space. It is building new offices in Mississauga and a new customer-support centre in Halifax.

RIM also bought a large plot on Can-Amera Parkway in Cambridge last year.

Nearly 5,800 of RIM's about 8,400 employees work in Waterloo.

http://www.qshine.org/2006/img/RIM_blue.jpg
http://www.qshine.org/2006/index.html

:banana:

[jcollins]

RIM buys former Spheral building

July 08, 2008
Michael Hammond
RECORD STAFF

CAMBRIDGE

Research In Motion has purchased the former Spheral Solar Power building on Reuter Drive.

It paid $16.3 million for the property.

The 193,000-square-foot plant, which cost $100 million to build and equip in 2003-04, has largely sat idle in recent months. Former owner ATS Automation Tooling Systems decided to shut down the Spheral division last year as part of its restructuring.

The sale of the 6.6-hectare (16.4-acre) property, which closed May 14, is the latest in a string of moves the Waterloo BlackBerry maker has made to prepare for growth.

Last year, RIM brought 15 hectares (37 acres) of land in Waterloo, near University Avenue and Northfield Drive, from Dalsa Corp. for $11.6 million. The first four-storey building on the site will have 185,000 square feet of office space and could accommodate up to 1,200 people.

Last spring, RIM bought a large parcel of land off of the Can-Amera Parkway in Cambridge from Mattamy Homes for $3.8 million.

RIM houses most of its of 5,000-plus local workers in 21 buildings along Phillip and Columbia streets in Waterloo.

The former Spheral plant property, which backs onto Highway 401 and extends to Royal Oak Road, was originally supposed to have two buildings. It has lots of room for future expansion, said John Whitney, regional president of DTZ Barnicke, which specializes in commercial real estate.

"RIM felt they had a need and looked at the surplus land and thought this was a good fit," said Whitney, who handled the deal.

RIM did not respond to requests for comment about its plans for the Reuter Drive property.

RIM also has plans to expand its presence in Mississauga and Ottawa. A spokesperson for Melloul Blamey Construction previously said it was the lead contractor for RIM's expansion project in Mississauga. That $54-million project includes two new office towers. RIM also has 7.3 hectares (18 acres) of land in Ottawa slated for future growth.

ATS first announced that it had sold its Spheral property in mid-June when it released its fourth-quarter financial results. The company expects to log a $3-million gain on the deal.

Whitney said he first became involved with the property last year when ATS withdrew its initial public offering for its Photowatt solar division, which included Spheral.

The property was never put on the market, Whitney said.

The Spheral building once manufactured thin-film flexible solar cells. It has 35,000 square feet of office space.

Crews continue to work at the building as the plant's equipment is dismantled and removed.

mhammond@therecord.com

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[jcollins]

I know it's been rumored for quite a while, but RIM officially released it's Blackberry flip phone. Should be a HUGE hit on the consumer scene...


BlackBerry's Pearl Flip first in fold . . . to fold over

September 10, 2008
Matt Walcoff
RECORD STAFF

WATERLOO

http://media.therecord.com/images/e6/da/a31b5ce84fcdbf4218534f3624c7.jpeg

Research In Motion Ltd. today will move into the territory of the world's cellphone giants by unveiling its first flip phone, a folding version of its popular BlackBerry Pearl smartphone.

Like the open-faced Pearl released in 2006, the Pearl Flip 8220 combines support for secure e-mail with hardware and software multimedia features, such as a two-megapixel camera. Uniquely for a BlackBerry, the new phone shrinks to a few inches when closed.

The Pearl Flip, also unofficially known by the code name Kickstart, may drastically increase RIM's customer base, RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky told clients in a note yesterday.

Assuming the Pearl Flip sells for less than $100 with a data plan, RIM could sell five million to seven million of the handsets in the first year and even more in fiscal year 2010, he said. RIM sold 13.8 million phones overall in the year ending March 1.

"Kickstart is well positioned to become a 'must-have' consumer handset," Abramsky wrote.

The potential market for flip phones is massive; they account for half of the phones sold in the U.S., RIM's largest market. A summer RBC survey found 13 per cent of respondents would buy a BlackBerry flip phone, and 85 per cent of them would be first-time BlackBerry buyers.

With a strong position in high-end business smartphones, RIM needs to look toward the broader market to continue growing, said Ken Dulaney, an analyst with U.S. research firm Gartner.

"About two years ago, we put down a list of things RIM needed to do to be another Nokia," Dulaney said, referring to the Finnish cellphone giant. "One of the key things they needed to do was have more phone models."

"RIM has now moved into being a global cellphone supplier that is going to challenge all the majors," he said

RIM, whose sales doubled last year, has been preparing for continued massive expansion. It has recently added contract manufacturing sites in the Czech Republic and Texas to complement its three existing manufacturing locations and plans to add three more sites by February.

According to a Gartner report released Monday, RIM held 17.4 per cent of worldwide smartphone market share last quarter, up from 8.9 per cent in the second quarter of last year.

RIM remains likely to release a touch-screen BlackBerry by year's end and may also soon unveil a model with a sliding keyboard, Abramsky wrote.

The Pearl Flip is to go on sale in the fall. Unlike the full-keyboard BlackBerry Bold that went on sale last month, the Pearl Flip 8220 will not run on the speedy, third-generation HSDPA network. It will support EDGE networks like the one operated by Rogers, as well as Wi-Fi.

mwalcoff@therecord.com

[myfaceisonfire]

This is a very nice phone. My girlfriend has had her eyes on it for a while and I suspect that there may be many others in the same boat. I think there are a lot of people out there who are curious about what all this BlackBerry fuss is about and a cheap non-blackberryesque flip may be just what it takes to introduce them.

[jcollins]

This is a very nice phone. My girlfriend has had her eyes on it for a while and I suspect that there may be many others in the same boat. I think there are a lot of people out there who are curious about what all this BlackBerry fuss is about and a cheap non-blackberryesque flip may be just what it takes to introduce them.

I agree with you, I've known more than a handful of people who liked what the blackberry had to offer, but the only thing holding them back was the physical shape of it, opting for a smaller phone, now with this, the market should be there for RIM to take!

[MolsonExport]

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

Duplcate post, but here is some dancing bananas for ya.