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  • RIM Takeover: Microsoft, Nokia and Amazon Are Interested

    Bosses of Microsoft and Nokia have carried out several discussions in the recent months with the Canadians from RIM (Research in Motion), the manufacturer of BlackBerry phones, in an attempt to build extensive partnerships regarding the future of RIM, company whose shares have reached the minimum value of the last eight years.

    Amazon was also interested in the RIM takeover, but Canadians are determined to reject all the bids, following the idea that they can solve the company problems on their own.

    Discussions status is unknown, but the fact that this kind of discussions took place highlights the severity of the problems faced lately by RIM.

    The company posted results below expectations in Q4, while RIM shares are trading now at a value of more than four times less than 12 months ago.

    Currently, RIM capitalization is 2.83 times the annual income, the figure being the lowest among all players in the telecommunications industry with a value of over $ 1 billion.

    RIM is facing lately with a lot of problems, the company announcing recently that it will delay the launch of its latest BlackBerry handsets.

    In addition, BlackBerry smartphones have steadily lost market share against its competitors, Apple’s iPhone or terminals equipped with Android.

    RIM has failed on the tablets market too. Its 7-inch Playbook tablet launched this year by the Canadian company, recorded sales well below expectations. In order to counter this fail, the device was gradually reduced in pricing from about $ 500 to about $ 200, another fact proving the delicate situation faced by the Canadians at RIM.

  • RIM Launches Blackberry Bold 9790 and Blackberry Curve 9380

    Canadian smartphone manufacturer Research In Motion has announced today in Jakarta two new models from the series running the new operating system Blackberry 7. The new smartphones, BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380, will be offering a unique design and an impressive suite of features.

    BlackBerry Bold 9790
    The new model from Bold family does not differ very much from the previous 9900. The only difference worth mentioning is its design. BlackBerry Bold 9790 has embossed buttons over the QWERTY keyboard, while the device’s back looks very much like BlackBerry Torch 9850. The new Bold presents – like the BlackBerry 9900 – a touchscreen in addition to the physical QWERTY keyboard.

    BlackBerry Bold 9790 has a 1GHz processor, NFC support and an internal memory of 8GB, which can be easily expanded with a microSD card.

    BlackBerry Curve 9380
    Curve series has always been designed for customers who want an affordable and powerful BlackBerry device and the new model does not disappoint. BlackBerry Curve 9380 is very similar to BlackBerry Storm, being the first device in Curve series with a 3.2-inch touchscreen. The new Curve presents a lot of social media applications preinstalled, such as Twitter, Facebook, BlackBerry Messenger or Social Feeds.

    BlackBerry Curve 9380 is expected to have a 5-megapixel camera and a 800GHz processor with 1GB of storing memory.

    Rumors inside RIM say that their brand new BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 will be available globally in the next few weeks, but they didn’t disclose any pricing details.

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  • Blackberry Wants to Help the British Police

    BlackBerry maker RIM offered to help the police in Great Britain to identify the protesters in the main cities of the Kingdom, after several days of violence that produced, on Tuesday, the first victim.

    "We think at those who have suffered from violence this weekend in London. I contacted the authorities and we want to help in any way we can," told for The Inquirer Patrick Spence, manager at RIM.

    His statements come after, during the day, it has been speculated that the wave of violent protests in London has been organized through BlackBerry Messenger network, known as BBM, present on BlackBerry smartphones. RIM declined to specify exactly how will cooperate with British authorities.

    London violence broke out during the night of Saturday, in response to the deadly shooting of a man by police. Several other protests have erupted since then in several UK cities, which resulted in approximately 450 arrests. The number could reach several thousands if RIM agrees to provide incriminating information to police.

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  • RIM Unveils New Blackberrys: Torch 9810, Torch 9860 and Bold 9900

    Canadian manufacturer Research in Motion has introduced on Wednesday three new Blackberry models: Torch 9810, Torch 9860 and Bold 9900.

    The new phones, along with an upgrade of Bold unveiled just few days ago, are part of what the Canadian company calls "the biggest global launch of the company”. This way, RIM is trying to regain its market share in the U.S., the region where the company lost ground to Apple's iPhone and to the numerous models with Google Android.

    The three terminals with touchscreen that are running on BlackBerry OS 7, have improved screens and 1.2 GHz Qualcomm processor – which is actually the most powerful  in a Canadian phone. This will be launched globally by the end of August.

    The browser of the new phones is up to 40% faster than that running on the oldest Torch model.

    The much coveted BlackBerry Torch 9810, also known as the Torch 2, has also appeared today on AT&T site, the largest mobile network in the United States. The device runs the new BlackBerry OS 7 and supports ultra-fast 4G connectivity.

    Information on the official AT&T website in connection with the device with removable keyboard shows a significant improvement of the hardware part compared to the first Torch. Blackberry Torch 9810 has a 1.2 GHz processor, 8GB of internal memory (the ability to expand its storage up to 32GB) and 4G support, which offers the fastest Internet connection speeds for smartphones.

    Regarding the software, the model will run, as expected, the BlackBerry operating system 7.

    BlackBerry Torch 9810 will be available "soon" in AT&T.

    RIM shipped 13.2 million phones in three months that ended in May, the first drop in sales since mid-2007.

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  • RIM Fires 2000 Employees and Announces Two New Smartphones

    Research in Motion, the company producing Blackberry devices, has announced yesterday that is to fire 2000 employees. The measure taken by RIM represents another proof of the delicate situation of the Canadian company. RIM has also announced yesterday on Twitter that today will post new about the two Blackberry smartphones running on the OS 7.

    Personnel cuts, which amount less than 10% of the total number of employees, has decreased the number of employees from Research in Motion to about 17,000 workers. The main reason for the dismissals remains the disappointing sales and the loss of a significant segment of customers who switched to Apple or Android devices.

    RIM said that these redundancies are, however, part of a program of internal reorganization, in order to focus the company’s direction on future projects. The program of "costs optimization" will focus on meeting the strategic plan to become again a serious trademark on the smartphone market.

    The current objective of the Canadian company is to launch 7 Blackberry smartphones, running on the OS 7, by the end of the year and it seems that two of them are about to be launched sooner as expected.

    Research in Motion has announced on their official Twitter page that will post, on Tuesday, details about the new Blackberry devices running on OS 7. The tweet in cause said “You got it! New Blackberry devices are coming with our new OS Blackberry 7!” The other message posted on Blackberry’s official Facebook page was saying the same thing, but in a more enigmatic way.

    These two messages have put on fire the company's fans community in Canada and started a stream of rumors on the sites of specialty. However, one thing is certain: the new Bold and Torch smartphones are on the horizon, most likely the models BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9810.

    Stay connected on www.smartphone.biz-news.com for the latest details of the BlackBerry 7 smartphones.

  • Nokia, At the Lowest Rate in 14 Years, on a Growing Market

    Nokia mobile phone market share dropped from 30.6% to 25.1%, reaching its lowest level since 1997, selling in the first quarter of 2011 107.6 million units, according to a study made by the research firm Gartner.

    At the same time, Samsung’s sales increased from 64.9 to 68.8 million units, and the producer has a market share of 16.1%.

    The list is completed by LG, which has sold in the first quarter of 2011 27.2 million mobile phones, representing 7.6% of market.

    Apple is ranked four in the mobile phones top, but also in the operating system top, with 16.9 million iPhones sold worldwide, double value than in the first quarter of last year. The company’s market share, both in smartphones and operating systems, increased from 2.3% to 3.9%.

    The sales of the Canadians from Research In Motion, the Blackberry manufacturer, have increased in the same period from 10.8 to 13 million units, the company having a market share of 3%.

    In the operating systems, Android has become the most popular platform in the world, increasing its last year market share from 9.6% to 36%.

    The market share of Symbian, at which Nokia will renounce in favor of Windows Mobile, has decreased in the last year from 44.2% to 27.4%.

    In total, in the first quarter of 2011 were sold 427.9 million mobile phones, an increase with 19% over the number recorded in the first three months of 2010. Gartner says that, despite this 19-percent increase in sales, would have been sold even more smartphones, but several companies have announced the launch of new terminals for the current quarter, and many customers have waited them and haven’t bought any phone in the first three months of the year.

    Smartphone sales have doubled up in the period mentioned, to 100.8 million units, according to the source.

  • RIM Recalls 1,000 Playbooks for Repairs

    Research In Motion (RIM), the manufacturer of the popular Blackberry phones, has recalled from the market 1,000 copies of the new-released tablet, PlaybBook, because of problems with the operating system that could pose difficulties in the initial installation of the gadget, writes Reuters, citing overseas media.

    Even if it didn’t pass so much time from the launching of the BlackBerry tablet, it seems that they have been a little rushed. Although sales were not great in the first days or the PlayBook was not a revelation to most users, the gadget is now available worldwide.

    The problem is as follows: RIM factory called back about 1,000 tablets that would have some problems that cannot be solved with a simple firmware update. Through a press release in which are filled the series of all the 935 damaged BlackBerry PlayBook, RIM has defined very well the extent of the problem.

    Even so, BlackBerry phone manufacturer announced in a statement posted on CrackBerry.com that the most affected devices were in stores and have not yet reached the customers. "The company is working to remedy the defects," said RIM.

    According to information published in the weekend by Engadget, the damaged tablets were distributed through the network of Staples stores.

    RIM is facing major challenges to maintain its market share, after the strong competition from Apple and Android devices. The new PlayBook tablet would have to alleviate the competitive pressure, but the gadget has been coolly received by the analysts in this field.

  • Google Android Reaches #2 Spot among Smartphone Platforms

    comScore has released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending November 2010. After several months of strong growth, Google Android captured the #2 ranking among smartphone platforms with 26.0 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers.

    The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers and smartphone operating system platforms in the U.S. according to their share of current mobile subscribers ages 13 and older, and reviewed the most popular activities and content accessed via the subscriber’s primary mobile phone. The November report found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 24.5 percent market share, while RIM led among smartphone platforms with 33.5 percent market share.

    OEM Market Share

    For the three month average period ending in November, 234 million Americans ages 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 24.5 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, up 0.9 percentage points from the three month period ending in August. LG ranked second with 20.9 percent share, followed by Motorola (17.0 percent), RIM (8.8 percent) and Nokia (7.2 percent).

    Smartphone Platform Market Share

    According to the report, 61.5 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in November, up 10 percent from the preceding three-month period, as RIM led with 33.5 percent market share of smartphones. After several months of strong growth, Google Android captured the #2 ranking among smartphone platforms in November with 26.0 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers. Apple accounted for 25.0 percent of smartphone subscribers (up 0.8 percentage points), followed by Microsoft with 9.0 percent and Palm with 3.9 percent.

    Mobile Content Usage

    comScore finds that in November, 67.1 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device, up 0.5 percentage points versus the prior three month period, while browsers were used by 35.3 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers (up 0.8 percentage points). Subscribers who used downloaded applications comprised 33.4 percent of the mobile audience, representing an increase of 1.1 percentage points. Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 1.0 percentage points, representing 23.5 percent of mobile subscribers. Playing games attracted 22.6 percent of the mobile audience while listening to music attracted 15.0 percent.

     

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  • Apple Takes the Lead in the US Smartphone Market with a 26% Share

    In Q3 2010, the worldwide smartphone market grew an impressive 95% over the same quarter a year ago to 80.9 million shipped units, according to Canalys.

    Nokia retained its leadership position, albeit by a diminished margin, with a 33% share of the market. Apple’s healthy performance this quarter saw it achieve a 17% share worldwide, a little ahead of RIM, which held a 15% share this quarter.

    In the world’s largest smart phone market, the US, Apple ousted RIM from the top spot, seizing a 26% share as iPhone shipments continued unabated. RIM has also launched its latest generation smart phone, the Torch, though it only saw half a quarter’s shipments in the US.

    But the plethora of smart phones running the Open Handset Alliance’s (OHA’s) Android platform meant that Canalys’ final published country-level data shows that it took the lead in the US market by operating system, with a 44% share.

    As well as the positive picture in the US, Canalys’ detailed country level smart phone research has consistently highlighted the importance of, and differences in, ‘emerging markets’. For example, in what are now being called the ‘BRIIC’ countries (Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia and mainland China), smart phone shipments increased by 112% year-on-year, faster than the market overall, and each country individually saw strong growth. Nokia was the leading vendor in all five BRIIC markets in Q3 2010, benefiting from its global reach and channel relationships.

    According to Canalys, once again this quarter, it was devices running the Android platform that proved the greatest driver of growth in the worldwide market, up 1,309% year-on-year from 1.4 million in Q3 2009 to more than 20.0 million units in Q3 2010, forming a quarter of the market share. “With Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson all delivering large numbers of Android devices, and with focused efforts from many other vendors, such as LG, Huawei and Acer, yielding promising volumes, the platform continues to gather momentum in markets around the world,2 said Canalys Senior Analyst Pete Cunningham.

    Driven by Nokia, the Symbian Foundation retained its position as the leading smart phone OS vendor worldwide. Of the 56 named countries that Canalys tracks, it is still the number one OS vendor in 37 of them because of Nokia’s dominance, plus in Japan, where its position is supported by Fujitsu and Sharp. According to the report, the launch of Nokia’s new range of Symbian devices, particularly the N8, will give a boost to its holiday season shipments, and the outlook into 2011 remains positive as Nokia aims to push Symbian devices further into the mid-tier of the market to attract mass-market volumes.

    Devices running Microsoft’s OS accounted for just 3% of worldwide smart phone shipments in Q3 2010, though with the launch of Windows Phone 7 devices, the outlook for the fourth quarter and beyond is significantly improved. “Windows Phone 7 is streets ahead of earlier iterations and provides a vastly improved user experience that will pleasantly surprise many people when they come to use it. The integration of Microsoft service assets, such as Xbox Live, Bing, Zune and Office, greatly strengthens the proposition and we are confident that the initial array of products will perform well,” said Chris Jones, Canalys Principal Analyst.

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  • Gartner: Android to Become No. 2 Worldwide Mobile OS in 2010

    The worldwide mobile operating system market will be dominated by Symbian and Android, as the two OSs will account for 59.8 percent of mobile OS sales by 2014, according to Gartner.

    The research firm predicts that Symbian will remain at the top of Gartner’s worldwide OS ranking due to Nokia‘s volume and the push into more mass market price points. However, by the end of the forecast period, the No. 1 spot will be contested with Android, which will be at a very similar share level.

    According to Gartner, communication service providers’ marketing and vendor support for Android-based smartphones will drive the platform to become the second-largest platform, following Symbian, by year-end 2010. This is almost two years earlier than Gartner predicted a year ago.

    "The worldwide mobile OS market is dominated by four players: Symbian, Android, Research In Motion and iOS," said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner.

    "Launches of updated operating systems — such as Apple iOS 4, BlackBerry OS 6, Symbian 3 and Symbian 4, and Windows Phone 7 — will help maintain strong growth in smartphones in 2H10 and 2011 and spur innovation. However, we believe that market share in the OS space will consolidate around a few key OS providers that have the most support from CSPs and developers and strong brand awareness with consumer and enterprise customers," she said.

    Gartner expects manufacturers such as Samsung to launch many new budget Android devices in 2H10 that will drive Android into mass market segments. Other players, such as Sony Ericsson, LG and Motorola, will follow a similar strategy. This trend should help Android become the top OS in North America by the end of 2010.

    "CSPs and mobile device manufacturers alike will need to revisit their platform strategies and balance the need to pursue platforms with the highest current demand against the need to maintain differentiation with unique devices," Cozza said. "CSPs will likely reduce the number of platforms they offer, to reduce their support costs and clarify their propositions to market."

    Gartner predicts that by 2014, open-source platforms will continue to dominate more than 60 percent of the market for smartphones. Single-source platforms, such as Apple’s iOS and Research In Motion’s OS, will increase in unit terms, but their growth rate will be below market average and not enough to sustain share increase. Windows Phone will be relegated to sixth place behind MeeGo in Gartner’s worldwide OS ranking by 2014.

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