3 Business today announced the launch of the BlackBerry solution on its network for the first time ever. The company is offering the 3G (HSDPA) -enabled BlackBerry Bold smartphone to 3 Business subscribers, providing small businesses a powerful, stylish smartphone with the industry's leading email and messaging solution as a competitively priced package on the UK's largest 3G network.
The BlackBerry Bold smartphone is available for just £29.79 a month on 3 Business' 900 package, which includes a free handset, 1125 minutes, 150 texts, 2000 3-to-3 minutes and 1GB of data for email and web browsing on BlackBerry Internet Service.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
I Love BlackBerry
A free application "I Love BlackBerry" can be downloaded at EarlySail. It will show your usage during work hours and during nights and weekends. It organizes your daily, weekly, monthly usage for the current period as well as displays long term averages.
To download it, click here.
To download it, click here.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Apple's Co-Founder uses BlackBerry
Lifehacker.com had an interview with Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak lately. In answering one of the questions, he mentioned he had a iPhone and a Blackberry, but not using them for emails. Here is the details:
Lifehacker: What gadgets and software applications do you use on a day-to-day basis?
Steve Wozniak: I have such a crowded life and crowded schedule. When people send me a link with a gadget, I'll look at it and buy it if it looks interesting, but I don't have time to check out everything I'd like to.
I do have a Nixie Tube watch, which I get a lot of benefit from. The biggest benefit in my life comes from my Segway, which I use everywhere I am. If I'm going to San Antonio, for example, I'll load it in the car and just go everywhere with it. The other crucial thing is my Verizon wireless card, which I have to have because hotel Wi-Fi is just so unreliable.
... I have one MacBook Pro, with a 17-inch screen. I got into that and consciously separated myself from having 3, 4, 5 computers in my life, which just became too much. As far as the mobile devices, I've gone through all the different smartphones, all the different gadgets. For a while I was using a Razr for voice and messing with mobile devices, but now I'm traveling with an iPhone and a BlackBerry. I don't use them very much for email, though, unless I'm detained for a long, unexpected stretch. I save answering my email for when I'm going to be in front of my nice, comfortable keyboard.
Lifehacker: What gadgets and software applications do you use on a day-to-day basis?
Steve Wozniak: I have such a crowded life and crowded schedule. When people send me a link with a gadget, I'll look at it and buy it if it looks interesting, but I don't have time to check out everything I'd like to.
I do have a Nixie Tube watch, which I get a lot of benefit from. The biggest benefit in my life comes from my Segway, which I use everywhere I am. If I'm going to San Antonio, for example, I'll load it in the car and just go everywhere with it. The other crucial thing is my Verizon wireless card, which I have to have because hotel Wi-Fi is just so unreliable.
... I have one MacBook Pro, with a 17-inch screen. I got into that and consciously separated myself from having 3, 4, 5 computers in my life, which just became too much. As far as the mobile devices, I've gone through all the different smartphones, all the different gadgets. For a while I was using a Razr for voice and messing with mobile devices, but now I'm traveling with an iPhone and a BlackBerry. I don't use them very much for email, though, unless I'm detained for a long, unexpected stretch. I save answering my email for when I'm going to be in front of my nice, comfortable keyboard.
HP and RIM Forming Partnership
According to Internetnews.com, HP and RIM are expected to announce a significant partnership in May.
An e-mail from HP previewing the announcement stated: "In early May, HP and RIM will announce a new partnership that will help mobile enterprise customers increase service levels, improve productivity and reduce operations costs."
The e-mail went on to say: "With the number of mobile employees rapidly growing, enterprises are looking to ensure productivity and reduce risks. The new joint offerings will span the HP portfolio to enhance and support enterprise mobility."
An e-mail from HP previewing the announcement stated: "In early May, HP and RIM will announce a new partnership that will help mobile enterprise customers increase service levels, improve productivity and reduce operations costs."
The e-mail went on to say: "With the number of mobile employees rapidly growing, enterprises are looking to ensure productivity and reduce risks. The new joint offerings will span the HP portfolio to enhance and support enterprise mobility."
Friday, April 24, 2009
Citigroup Upgraded RIMM
Analyst Jim Suva increased his price target on RIMM to $100 from $66 -- implying an upside of about 45% from the stock's current range.
Synaptics Looking Good
With the boom of iPhone and BlackBerry, one beneficiary is touchscreen technology maker Synaptics Inc. Its technology is used in netbooks, BlackBerry Storm, and G1. For the recent quarter, its revenue increased 28%. Its forecast for next quarter is also higher than the current street's estimate.
Analyst Increases RIMM Target Price
Blackmont analyst Lawrence Rhee acknowlodged that BlackBerry outsales iPhone in the recent quarter. He increased his RIMM target price from $75 to $90.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Blackberry outsales iPhone
Apple released its Q2 result yesterday. It sounds all good. But the comparison with RIM on phone sales shows a different picture.
Here is the numbers:
Here is the numbers:
| Current Quarter | Last Quarter | Last Last Quarter | |
| RIM BalckBerry | 7.8 million | 6.7 million | 6.1 million |
| Apple iPhone | 3.79 million | 4.36 million | 6.9 million |
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Traveling the world with BlackBerry Storm
The Vodafone blog gave 49 reasons why BlackBerry Storm is the ideal gadget for world travelers.
Here are the top ten:
1. Time saving - Find, share, listen, play, download, read... what doesn't the BlackBerry Storm smartphone do? Not a lot. Navigate and find places, shops, restaurants and even local attractions. With the 3.2MP camera you can share all your photos and videos taken from where ever you are. Listen to your favourite music, watch your favourite movies, download your emails, read your ebooks - is there anything missing here?
2. Great for business, great for Joe Public too - BlackBerry smartphones are excellent for email, corporate network access and snycronizing, its always been the perfect business travel companion... the Storm however lifts the BlackBerry smartphone to the next level. Not convinced? Read on to find out more!
3. Make and receive calls in over 220 countries - Whatever else it does, you want an international cell phone that delivers when it comes to making and receiving calls. The quadband GSM device will keep you connected.
4. Email anywhere - Send and receive email in over 90 countries. Email setup is simple, and lets you forward your webmail to the Storm or receive your corporate email - a must-have for every business traveler!
5. Lost? - Pretty likely in a foreign country. The Storm removes that worry. Know where you are, wherever you are with BlackBerry Maps.
6. Find your nearest - Hospitals, restaurants, gas stations, you name it. The Storm will pinpoint your exact location and tell you where the nearest restaurant is. It'll even give you the address, telephone number, and website address.
7. Navigate - Using GPS technology, the Storm lets you follow the on-screen display and spoken instructions to navigate your way around a new city. And the good news is you can choose to navigate on foot as well as by car.
8. Internet browsing - So you don't have the hassle of finding an internet café to email friends and family, check your Facebook profile or book your next flight or hotel online. It's all there already on the device.
9. Take photos - Think you're the next Ansell Adams or Annie Leibovitz? Now you don't even need to carry a separate camera. The Storm carries a 3.2 mega-pixel onboard digital camera with auto flash, auto focus, 2x digital zoom, that'll let you capture every moment of your trip.
10. Text Messaging - Addicted to those little 160-character messages? No problem. You'll love how easy it is to send texts, with the Storm's full QWERTY keyboard in landscape or SureType in portrait mode.
Here are the top ten:
1. Time saving - Find, share, listen, play, download, read... what doesn't the BlackBerry Storm smartphone do? Not a lot. Navigate and find places, shops, restaurants and even local attractions. With the 3.2MP camera you can share all your photos and videos taken from where ever you are. Listen to your favourite music, watch your favourite movies, download your emails, read your ebooks - is there anything missing here?
2. Great for business, great for Joe Public too - BlackBerry smartphones are excellent for email, corporate network access and snycronizing, its always been the perfect business travel companion... the Storm however lifts the BlackBerry smartphone to the next level. Not convinced? Read on to find out more!
3. Make and receive calls in over 220 countries - Whatever else it does, you want an international cell phone that delivers when it comes to making and receiving calls. The quadband GSM device will keep you connected.
4. Email anywhere - Send and receive email in over 90 countries. Email setup is simple, and lets you forward your webmail to the Storm or receive your corporate email - a must-have for every business traveler!
5. Lost? - Pretty likely in a foreign country. The Storm removes that worry. Know where you are, wherever you are with BlackBerry Maps.
6. Find your nearest - Hospitals, restaurants, gas stations, you name it. The Storm will pinpoint your exact location and tell you where the nearest restaurant is. It'll even give you the address, telephone number, and website address.
7. Navigate - Using GPS technology, the Storm lets you follow the on-screen display and spoken instructions to navigate your way around a new city. And the good news is you can choose to navigate on foot as well as by car.
8. Internet browsing - So you don't have the hassle of finding an internet café to email friends and family, check your Facebook profile or book your next flight or hotel online. It's all there already on the device.
9. Take photos - Think you're the next Ansell Adams or Annie Leibovitz? Now you don't even need to carry a separate camera. The Storm carries a 3.2 mega-pixel onboard digital camera with auto flash, auto focus, 2x digital zoom, that'll let you capture every moment of your trip.
10. Text Messaging - Addicted to those little 160-character messages? No problem. You'll love how easy it is to send texts, with the Storm's full QWERTY keyboard in landscape or SureType in portrait mode.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Zacks.com Likes RIM
RIM is ranked as #2 buy stock at Zacks.com. Here is what they say about RIM.
As you probably remember, the company beat expectations 2 weeks ago and the stock soared in response. Since then, 23 analysts have raised their fiscal 2010 profit projections. Eight analysts also upped their fiscal 2011 forecasts.
To understand why this happened, it is important to realize that prior to RIMM's report, earnings estimates had been trending down. In fact, the trends suggested the company would miss expectations. There were fears that the recession was hurting Blackberry sales. (Not to mention the ongoing competitive threat from the iPhone and a growing number of alternatives from other manufacturers.)
Research in Motion calmed these fears with better-than-expected profits, good sales of new, higher-end handsets and record levels of net new subscribers. The combination of this bullish news and the expectations for a bearish report caused the stock to rally and analysts to raise their forecasts.
Though you may be worried about having missed the big move in RIMM, positive earnings estimate revisions tend to lead to outperformance over a period of 1-3 months. This means that the stock could continue to rise, or at least generate a better return than the overall market. Furthermore, our telecom analyst, David Weissman, thinks the stock deserves to trade at $70 per share - a premium to current price.
As you probably remember, the company beat expectations 2 weeks ago and the stock soared in response. Since then, 23 analysts have raised their fiscal 2010 profit projections. Eight analysts also upped their fiscal 2011 forecasts.
To understand why this happened, it is important to realize that prior to RIMM's report, earnings estimates had been trending down. In fact, the trends suggested the company would miss expectations. There were fears that the recession was hurting Blackberry sales. (Not to mention the ongoing competitive threat from the iPhone and a growing number of alternatives from other manufacturers.)
Research in Motion calmed these fears with better-than-expected profits, good sales of new, higher-end handsets and record levels of net new subscribers. The combination of this bullish news and the expectations for a bearish report caused the stock to rally and analysts to raise their forecasts.
Though you may be worried about having missed the big move in RIMM, positive earnings estimate revisions tend to lead to outperformance over a period of 1-3 months. This means that the stock could continue to rise, or at least generate a better return than the overall market. Furthermore, our telecom analyst, David Weissman, thinks the stock deserves to trade at $70 per share - a premium to current price.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A Look at BlackBerry App World
RIM launched the "App World" earlier this month for their Blackberry smartphone in hopes of capitalizing on the success of Apple's App Store. Users can download the update for free on their compatible phones, but it requires a PayPal account to pay for apps. Many popular iPhone applications are already appearing in the store and it offers a new marketplace for mobile developers.
The store currently boasts around 1000 applications, in comparison to Apple’s store offering around 15,000, but RIM clearly hopes to appeal to similar developers with a pricing model starting at $3 for paid applications. In a slight improvement over the Apple app store, RIM will offer developers 80% of the app revenue, in comparison to Apple’s 70%.
The store currently boasts around 1000 applications, in comparison to Apple’s store offering around 15,000, but RIM clearly hopes to appeal to similar developers with a pricing model starting at $3 for paid applications. In a slight improvement over the Apple app store, RIM will offer developers 80% of the app revenue, in comparison to Apple’s 70%.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Nokia Is Catching Up on Touch Screen
According to an article from thestreet.com, Nokia has finally embraced the touchscreen movement. The Finnish phone titan has plans to introduce three devices that feature big touchscreens and so-called Qwerty keypads.
One of the new models to be rolled out over the next 12 months has a 4.2-inch touchscreen and a "hidden slide-out keyboard," and is considered a mobile Internet device or tablet. The device is targeted for introduction in the fourth quarter before Christmas.
The second device is called project Nautilus, and it apparently emphasizes a very slim touchscreen design. A sensor is used to extend or withdraw the keyboard into the phone. The keypad is said to be ultrathin, but when it slides out the Qwerty keys rise for easier typing. The first Nautilus phone isn't due for another year.
One of the new models to be rolled out over the next 12 months has a 4.2-inch touchscreen and a "hidden slide-out keyboard," and is considered a mobile Internet device or tablet. The device is targeted for introduction in the fourth quarter before Christmas.
The second device is called project Nautilus, and it apparently emphasizes a very slim touchscreen design. A sensor is used to extend or withdraw the keyboard into the phone. The keypad is said to be ultrathin, but when it slides out the Qwerty keys rise for easier typing. The first Nautilus phone isn't due for another year.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
How many people is RIM employed now?
RIM's Annual Report is now available after it announced its financial result on April 7. In the report, it described the composition of employees as follows:
As of February 28, 2009, RIM had approximately 12,800 full-time employees:
approximately 5,100 in R&D;
approximately 1,600 in sales, marketing and business development;
approximately 1,600 in customer care and technical support;
approximately 1,900 in manufacturing;
approximately 2,600 in administration.
As AAR reported in this article previously, RIM is going to hire 3K to reach around 15K. It seems 1K are hired. Another 2K to go.
As of February 28, 2009, RIM had approximately 12,800 full-time employees:
approximately 5,100 in R&D;
approximately 1,600 in sales, marketing and business development;
approximately 1,600 in customer care and technical support;
approximately 1,900 in manufacturing;
approximately 2,600 in administration.
As AAR reported in this article previously, RIM is going to hire 3K to reach around 15K. It seems 1K are hired. Another 2K to go.
Monday, April 6, 2009
BlackBerry Storm Now Available in UAE
Etisalat and Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced the highly anticipated BlackBerry Storm 9500 smartphone, featuring a unique "clickable" touch-screen, to customers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The revolutionary BlackBerry Storm smartphone from Etisalat is priced as low as AED72 (approx US$20) per month and is available across all Etisalat Business Centres and retail outlets nationwide. Etisalat customers will also benefit from a three-month free promotion on the Domestic Unlimited package for BlackBerry Internet Service, which gives unlimited access to Internet, email and mobile applications such as Facebook®, MSN, and MySpace.
Full Release.
The revolutionary BlackBerry Storm smartphone from Etisalat is priced as low as AED72 (approx US$20) per month and is available across all Etisalat Business Centres and retail outlets nationwide. Etisalat customers will also benefit from a three-month free promotion on the Domestic Unlimited package for BlackBerry Internet Service, which gives unlimited access to Internet, email and mobile applications such as Facebook®, MSN, and MySpace.
Full Release.
BlackBerry Storm launched in Malaysia
Celcom (Malaysia) Berhad and Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced the BlackBery Storm, the world's first "clickable" touch-screen smartphone, to the Malayasian market. Distinguished with the GSMA's Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough award at Mobile World Congress 2009, its innovative SurePress touch-screen responds like a physical keyboard by actually depressing ever so slightly when pressed and it supports single-touch, multi-touch and gestures for intuitive and efficient application navigation.
Full Release.
Full Release.
Friday, April 3, 2009
A Bunch of Upgrades for RIM
Deutsche Bank upgraded Research In Motion to hold from sell.Price target increased from $30 to $56, a 86% increase.
Cowen & Co. upgraded Research In Motion from Underperform to Neutral.
Credit Suisse upgraded Research In Motion from Underperform to Neutral. The firm also raised its price target by 65% from $37 to $61.
CIBC World Mkts upgraded RIM to Sector Outperform from Sector Perform.
BMO Capital Markets upgraded RIM to Outperform from Market Perform.
Cowen & Co. upgraded Research In Motion from Underperform to Neutral.
Credit Suisse upgraded Research In Motion from Underperform to Neutral. The firm also raised its price target by 65% from $37 to $61.
CIBC World Mkts upgraded RIM to Sector Outperform from Sector Perform.
BMO Capital Markets upgraded RIM to Outperform from Market Perform.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
RIM Leaning to Consumers
During the earning conference call, RIM's CEO says 70% of new subscriber adds were non-enterprise. Consumers are now half of total BlackBerry subscriber base.
RIM's Financial Result
Earnings jumped nearly 26% at $518.2 million, or 90 cents a share -- higher than Wall Street's estimates.
Gross margins for the quarter came in at 40%.
Revenue rose nearly 25% to $3.46 billion for the quarter. The company says it shipped 7.8 million smart-phone units during that time.
Analysts were expecting earnings of 84 cents a share on revenue of $3.41 billion, according to consensus estimates from FactSet Research.
For the current quarter, RIM said it expects earnings of 88 cents to 97 cents a share -- analysts were expecting earnings of 82 cents a share for the period. Revenue is expected to come in around $3.3 billion to $3.5 billion, compared with the $3.37 billion predicted by Wall Street.
The company said gross margins for the first quarter are expected to come in between 43% to 44%.
Gross margins for the quarter came in at 40%.
Revenue rose nearly 25% to $3.46 billion for the quarter. The company says it shipped 7.8 million smart-phone units during that time.
Analysts were expecting earnings of 84 cents a share on revenue of $3.41 billion, according to consensus estimates from FactSet Research.
For the current quarter, RIM said it expects earnings of 88 cents to 97 cents a share -- analysts were expecting earnings of 82 cents a share for the period. Revenue is expected to come in around $3.3 billion to $3.5 billion, compared with the $3.37 billion predicted by Wall Street.
The company said gross margins for the first quarter are expected to come in between 43% to 44%.
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