BB - BlackBerry

[txlaw]

Economist on the company formerly known as RIM:

 

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21571183-last-new-operating-system-and-new-name-too-bounceback-or-byebye

[Parsad]

Incidentally, alot of stores are already sold out of their alottment of Blackberrys in Canada.  It also seems as though many are on the waiting list for the Q10, which is the one with the physical keyboard.  This may end up being a pretty good turnaround story for Prem and Blackberry.  Going to be tough, but maybe they'll develop the cult-like following Apple used to have when Windows and PC's were dominating.  Cheers! 

[cwericb]

Perhaps people are underestimating the Z/Q-10 and are looking at it simply as a smart phone while overlooking the fact that it is a platform on which Blackberry will be able to build future QNX links to many features and options that other Phones may not be able to access.

 

Those who put down Blackberry as a dieing company and question the value of their phones and QNX might want to look a little closer while keeping in mind that QNX is owned by Blackberry.

 

http://www.qnx.com/

 

Also it is interesting to note that they are hiring. Might not QNX itself become BB main focus in future?

[Guest wellmont]

James Faucette  of Pacific Crest, who carries an underperform rating on the stock, wrote in his note Wednesday that BlackBerry "seems to be following a strategy of deliberate scarcity for the Z10, similar to what other manufacturers have done in recent high-profile launches."

 

“Using normal rates of decay and early results in the United Kingdom, we estimate the Z10 will be on a quarterly run rate of approximately 100,000 to 150,000 there exiting the February quarter,” he writes. “The United Kingdom has accounted for approximately 10% of BlackBerry sales over the past few years, which implies global demand of roughly 1 million to 1.5 million units per quarter which we believe would be a disappointment. Further, we would note that given the Z10’s high price point, we believe the U.K. could end being a higher percentage of the global market for the Z10 than for BlackBerry overall.”

 

Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley likewise remains skeptical on both the stock and the progress of the Z10 to date.

 

Our U.K. store surveys post the recent launch of the Z10 smartphone indicated solid initial sales,” he writes. “However, limited initial supply was cited as the reason for early post-launch stock-outs at some carrier stores versus overwhelming demand. In fact, our surveys indicated most stores received less than 15 units and sold a majority of these units over a two- to three-day period, leading to initial stock-outs at a few stores and low inventory levels at others. While we are impressed with the features of the new BB10 OS and Z10 smartphone, we believe BlackBerry has only closed the gap with more mature smartphone OS platforms and offers limited differentiating services or features to win back customers from more mature ecosystems.”

[Guest valueInv]

James Faucette  of Pacific Crest, who carries an underperform rating on the stock, wrote in his note Wednesday that BlackBerry "seems to be following a strategy of deliberate scarcity for the Z10, similar to what other manufacturers have done in recent high-profile launches."

 

“Using normal rates of decay and early results in the United Kingdom, we estimate the Z10 will be on a quarterly run rate of approximately 100,000 to 150,000 there exiting the February quarter,” he writes. “The United Kingdom has accounted for approximately 10% of BlackBerry sales over the past few years, which implies global demand of roughly 1 million to 1.5 million units per quarter which we believe would be a disappointment. Further, we would note that given the Z10’s high price point, we believe the U.K. could end being a higher percentage of the global market for the Z10 than for BlackBerry overall.”

 

Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley likewise remains skeptical on both the stock and the progress of the Z10 to date.

 

Our U.K. store surveys post the recent launch of the Z10 smartphone indicated solid initial sales,” he writes. “However, limited initial supply was cited as the reason for early post-launch stock-outs at some carrier stores versus overwhelming demand. In fact, our surveys indicated most stores received less than 15 units and sold a majority of these units over a two- to three-day period, leading to initial stock-outs at a few stores and low inventory levels at others. While we are impressed with the features of the new BB10 OS and Z10 smartphone, we believe BlackBerry has only closed the gap with more mature smartphone OS platforms and offers limited differentiating services or features to win back customers from more mature ecosystems.”

 

Yeah, Surface "sold out" also. A month later it was a different story.

 

BTW, Thorstein is making glowing comments in the Canada launch.

[Guest wellmont]

 

BTW, Thorstein is making glowing comments in the Canada launch.

 

yep same thing with Nokia lumias. great initial "demand". You don't get to be CEO these days without being able to SELL.

[cwericb]

It seems that for every negative analyist, you can find a positive one.

See your analyist and raise you one.

It's a little early to be suggesting that the Z10 will be a sales flop don't you think?

[Guest wellmont]

so it's okay to speculate that QNX could be the primary focus of a company that just named itself Blackberry, even though there has never been an ounce of financial disclosure or segment information about QNX (we don't even know if it produces $1 of revenue), but not okay to speculate on the prospects of the Z10? And it seems to be okay by you for Parsad to speculate that Z10 is NOT a flop but not okay for me to speculate that it is a flop? can you not see your own bias and hypocrisy? I disagreed with what Parsad posted but did not attempt to challenge his right to post it. why do you wish to control the discourse on this thread?

[Guest valueInv]

so it's okay to speculate that QNX could be the primary focus of a company that just named itself Blackberry, even though there has never been an ounce of financial disclosure or segment information about QNX (we don't even know if it produces $1 of revenue), but not okay to speculate on the prospects of the Z10? And it seems to be okay by you for Parsad to speculate that Z10 is NOT a flop but not okay for me to speculate that it is a flop? can you not see your own bias and hypocrisy? I disagreed with what Parsad posted but did not attempt to challenge his right to post it. why do you wish to control the discourse on this thread?

 

You're only allowed to speculate about cloud and M2M on this thread. ;D

[cwericb]

so it's okay to speculate that QNX could be the primary focus of a company that just named itself Blackberry, even though there has never been an ounce of financial disclosure or segment information about QNX (we don't even know if it produces $1 of revenue), but not okay to speculate on the prospects of the Z10? And it seems to be okay by you for Parsad to speculate that Z10 is NOT a flop but not okay for me to speculate that it is a flop? can you not see your own bias and hypocrisy? I disagreed with what Parsad posted but did not attempt to challenge his right to post it. why do you wish to control the discourse on this thread?

 

Good Lord, you guys read a lot into my post...

[racemize]

Ars on the BB 10:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/02/review-blackberry-10-is-better-much-better-late-than-never/

 

Overall more positive and encouraging than I expected.

 

TLDR:

 

The good:

Unified inbox displays all notifications at a glance, integrates with almost every service you could need

Gestures get you every which way and only require a thumb

Multitude of accessibility options

Downloadable music, movies, and television shows available right from the phone

Responsive interface

Speedy, up-to-date browser with included Reader mode

Keyboard accuracy is fantastic

 

The bad:

Maps are about as reliable as directions that have been printed out

Voice recognition functionality is sub-par compared to what Google and Apple offer

Time-shift is a neat feature, but the rest of the camera app needs to offer more features

BlackBerry Link is annoying to use and lacks some features for mobile syncing

 

The ugly:

You probably won't find your favorite app in BlackBerry World for quite some time

[Smazz]

 

 

The ugly:

You probably won't find your favorite app in BlackBerry World for quite some time

 

Well considering the overwhelming app that bb owners wanted that was not previously there was Skype - that statement would be incorrect as it has already been announced it will be there. I believe the 2nd most requested was Netflix and I am pretty sure that will be there too though the work arounds are too easy for that

 

 

[fareastwarriors]

Yacktman Cut BlackBerry Stake in Half Before Z10 Debut

 

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-07/yacktman-cut-blackberry-stake-in-half-before-z10-phone-s-debut.html

 

 

Donald Yacktman, whose $21 billion mutual-fund firm was BlackBerry’s fifth-largest investor last year, sold almost half his holdings in the smartphone maker in the weeks before the debut of its ballyhooed BlackBerry 10.

 

Yacktman Asset Management Co. sold 11.4 million BlackBerry in the quarter ended Dec. 31, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, cutting its stake to 12.1 million shares. The move followed a period of aggressive buying during the previous quarter, when the firm “backed up the truck” to buy the stock on the cheap, Yacktman said in an interview.

 

 

[txlaw]

Blackberry adds two new directors to board:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/07/us-blackberry-board-idUSBRE91611E20130207

 

From Bloomberg BusinessWeek:

 

Mr. Richard J. Lynch, Dick served as Executive Vice President of Enterprisewide Strategic Technology Initiatives at Verizon Communications Inc. from 2010 to August 2011. Mr. Lynch served as an Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of Verizon Communications Inc., since July 16, 2007. He served as Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Cellco Partnership, Inc. (formerly Verizon Wireless Capital LLC) from April 2000 to August 2007.

 

http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=1132502&ticker=VZ

 

Mr. Bert Nordberg has been an Executive Vice President at Ericsson S.P.A. since April 2004. Mr. Nordberg served as the Chief Executive Officer of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB at Sony Corporation until May 16, 2012 and served as its President since October 15, 2009 until May 2012. He served as a Co-President of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB from September 1, 2009 to October 15, 2009. He served as an Executive Vice President & the Head of Group Function Sales & Marketing of Ericsson since 2004. He served as the Head of Ericsson Silicon Valley since 2008.

 

http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=1092473&ticker=ERIC

[Guest valueInv]

 

 

The ugly:

You probably won't find your favorite app in BlackBerry World for quite some time

 

Well considering the overwhelming app that bb owners wanted that was not previously there was Skype - that statement would be incorrect as it has already been announced it will be there. I believe the 2nd most requested was Netflix and I am pretty sure that will be there too though the work arounds are too easy for that

 

Here ya go:

 

http://gigaom.com/2013/02/07/that-skype-for-blackberry-10-app-itll-be-an-old-android-port/

 

Remember, Skype is owned by MSFT which is competing for 3rd place with BB.

[Guest valueInv]

Japan out:

 

http://venturebeat.com/2013/02/07/the-blackberry-is-dead-in-japan/

[Guest valueInv]

The third place the RIM is battling for looks very lucrative:

 

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/02/06/apple-samsung-profit-share/

 

;)

[Guest wellmont]

 

 

The ugly:

You probably won't find your favorite app in BlackBerry World for quite some time

 

Well considering the overwhelming app that bb owners wanted that was not previously there was Skype - that statement would be incorrect as it has already been announced it will be there. I believe the 2nd most requested was Netflix and I am pretty sure that will be there too though the work arounds are too easy for that

 

Here ya go:

 

http://gigaom.com/2013/02/07/that-skype-for-blackberry-10-app-itll-be-an-old-android-port/

 

Remember, Skype is owned by MSFT which is competing for 3rd place with BB.

 

neither google nor msft have any incentive whatsoever to try to prop up this platform with decent apps. nice find.

[Guest wellmont]

bad timing? this will be announced about the same time z10 becomes available in the USA.

 

http://bgr.com/2013/01/22/samsung-galaxy-s-iv-release-date-rumor-2-301691/

[Smazz]

 

 

The ugly:

You probably won't find your favorite app in BlackBerry World for quite some time

 

Well considering the overwhelming app that bb owners wanted that was not previously there was Skype - that statement would be incorrect as it has already been announced it will be there. I believe the 2nd most requested was Netflix and I am pretty sure that will be there too though the work arounds are too easy for that

 

Here ya go:

 

http://gigaom.com/2013/02/07/that-skype-for-blackberry-10-app-itll-be-an-old-android-port/

 

Remember, Skype is owned by MSFT which is competing for 3rd place with BB.

 

Thanks

 for making it so easy for me.this right from skype support Page you posted.  Awesome so it will be there who cares who wrote it or what platform it was for. I don't know if you guys know much about skype but there really isn't a lot to it and it's not program that is at all rich in the least. Its just voip lol.

Personally I think Skype is way over rated.most people worth attracting to your product are old enough to have their own phone.

If you have a new BlackBerry smartphone powered by the BlackBerry 10 platform, you will soon be able to download and run Skype on these devices. We are working closely with BlackBerry to ensure the Skype for Android app runs great in the BlackBerry 10 environment

[Guest valueInv]

 

 

The ugly:

You probably won't find your favorite app in BlackBerry World for quite some time

 

Well considering the overwhelming app that bb owners wanted that was not previously there was Skype - that statement would be incorrect as it has already been announced it will be there. I believe the 2nd most requested was Netflix and I am pretty sure that will be there too though the work arounds are too easy for that

 

Here ya go:

 

http://gigaom.com/2013/02/07/that-skype-for-blackberry-10-app-itll-be-an-old-android-port/

 

Remember, Skype is owned by MSFT which is competing for 3rd place with BB.

 

Thanks

for making it so easy for me.this right from skype support Page you posted.  Awesome so it will be there who cares who wrote it or what platform it was for. I don't know if you guys know much about skype but there really isn't a lot to it and it's not program that is at all rich in the least. Its just voip lol.

Personally I think Skype is way over rated.most people worth attracting to your product are old enough to have their own phone.

If you have a new BlackBerry smartphone powered by the BlackBerry 10 platform, you will soon be able to download and run Skype on these devices. We are working closely with BlackBerry to ensure the Skype for Android app runs great in the BlackBerry 10 environment

 

Skype uses a proprietary protocol. If you think it's easy, write a Skype client a post your code here.

[Smazz]

 

 

The ugly:

You probably won't find your favorite app in BlackBerry World for quite some time

 

Well considering the overwhelming app that bb owners wanted that was not previously there was Skype - that statement would be incorrect as it has already been announced it will be there. I believe the 2nd most requested was Netflix and I am pretty sure that will be there too though the work arounds are too easy for that

 

Here ya go:

 

http://gigaom.com/2013/02/07/that-skype-for-blackberry-10-app-itll-be-an-old-android-port/

 

Remember, Skype is owned by MSFT which is competing for 3rd place with BB.

 

Thanks

for making it so easy for me.this right from skype support Page you posted.  Awesome so it will be there who cares who wrote it or what platform it was for. I don't know if you guys know much about skype but there really isn't a lot to it and it's not program that is at all rich in the least. Its just voip lol.

Personally I think Skype is way over rated.most people worth attracting to your product are old enough to have their own phone.

If you have a new BlackBerry smartphone powered by the BlackBerry 10 platform, you will soon be able to download and run Skype on these devices. We are working closely with BlackBerry to ensure the Skype for Android app runs great in the BlackBerry 10 environment

 

Skype uses a proprietary protocol. If you think it's easy, write a Skype client a post your code here.

Maybe you should quit while you are getting further behind. My comment was about the ui of skype not as much the writing of code qnd you do know there are more than a few viop with video free on the net free for the playbook as a matter of fact and I am no even talking about the native video chat i am talking about voip apps which give you your own free local # to take qnd receive calls and no I'm not talking Google voice. However the point you tried to push was that there would be no skype on 10 and I proved, thanks to you., there is but you're trying for a symbolic victory and if that will make you feel better than take hold of any belief you want. I'll stay with working with the facts.

[valueorama]

A small positive news: Solavei Leads Market As First U.S. Wireless service provider to Offer Blackberry z10

http://bgr.com/2013/02/11/blackberry-z10-release-solavei-unlimited-324516/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBoyGeniusReport+%28BGR+|+Boy+Genius+Report%29

 

One big negative news : Home Depot is switching to Iphone from Blackberry.

 

http://bgr.com/2013/02/11/blackberry-iphone-home-depot-324480/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBoyGeniusReport+%28BGR+|+Boy+Genius+Report%29

 

 

[valueorama]

Z10 has the same internals as a Galaxy S III. How about that?

In my opinion it is not bad. I thought due to delays, BB had to honor some old contracts from 2011/2010.

 

http://bgr.com/2013/02/12/blackberry-z10-teardown-galaxy-s-iii-325405/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBoyGeniusReport+%28BGR+|+Boy+Genius+Report%29

[Guest wellmont]

yes this confirms that it is 12 months behind. gs4 is coming out same time z10 is. :)

 

and one point. the story doesn't tell the full tale.  the international version of gs3 has a quad core processor. the z10 is a dual core processor. (it's good to make your own arm chips :) )

 

The international S III version has Samsung's Exynos 4 Quad system on a chip (SoC) containing a 1.4 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 central processing unit (CPU) and an ARM Mali-400 MP graphics processing unit (GPU).[73] According to Samsung, the Exynos 4 Quad doubles the performance of the Exynos 4 Dual used on the S II, while using 20 percent less power.[74]