Blackberry (formerly "Research In Motion")

[orangetea]

So.... I might be asking the obvious but when Apple buys Blackberry, the latter's product will not be excluded from the Chinese procurement list? Or the combined entity will be headquartered Canada?

Yes that crossed my mind too.
It will become a subsidiary, unless some kind of arrangement.
Well if they do, time to divest bbry on such acquisition.

[CityFarmer]

It is really unconventional. Will the company corporate customers like it? The company share price is hovering around US$10 presently. The price was around US$60-70 during its heyday in 2011...

(not vested)

BlackBerry launches square-screen Passport in turnaround push

TORONTO — BlackBerry launched an unconventional new smartphone dubbed the Passport today (Sept 24) as it embarked on what may be the most critical phase of its long turnaround push.

At simultaneous events in Toronto, London and Dubai, BlackBerry showed off the device, which is the size and shape of a closed passport, with a large square touchscreen as well as a keyboard. The Passport comes to market as the phones of BlackBerry’s rivals converge on a single profile, with tall, rectangular screens and smooth corners.

Users can type on the Passport’s keyboard to enter text, or swipe lightly across it to navigate through the phone.

BlackBerry recently concluded a three-year restructuring process, and it is now up to Chief Executive John Chen to prove that the company’s new devices and services are capable of generating sustainable new streams of revenue and returning it to profit.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/blackber...round-push

[CityFarmer]

Blackberry CEO sees fewer new devices, focus on profitability

TORONTO — BlackBerry, which has completed the first phase of its two-year turnaround plan, is now focused on profitability and will not spread itself thin by attempting to launch too many new devices, its chief executive said.

Mr John Chen, who took the reins at the struggling mobile technology company in November 2013, has moved rapidly to try to get the one-time investor darling back on track. The company has sold assets, struck partnerships to lower manufacturing costs and broaden app offerings, and raised cash via the sale of real estate holdings in its hometown of Waterloo, Ontario.

“Once we turn this company to profitability again, I will do everything I can to never lose money ever again,” Mr Chen told Reuters in an interview this week. “That is definitely something I am very focused on doing.”
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/blackber...fitability

[CityFarmer]

It seems John Chen has approached the right parties in China...

BlackBerry seeks partnerships to expand in China

BEIJING — BlackBerry chief executive officer John Chen said he was interested in partnerships to expand in China — the world’s largest smartphone market — after meeting the heads of Xiaomi and Lenovo.

BlackBerry’s strengths in security, encryption and privacy are in demand in the country and there may be opportunities for agreements on technology licensing, distribution or manufacturing, said Mr Chen on Monday in Beijing, where he was attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit.

During the summit, Mr Chen said he had met Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun and Lenovo’s head Yang Yuanqing. These meetings with China’s two largest smartphone vendors come at a time when BlackBerry is trying to return to growth, after declining phone shipments dragged it to net losses in each of the past three years.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/blackber...pand-china

[orangetea]

https://tradeup.blackberry.com/en/us/web/passport.html

http://www.businessinsider.sg/blackberry...h-2014-11/

Only in the US and Canada...
=================================

BlackBerry Will Pay iPhone Owners Up To $550 To Switch
Matt Rosoff Tech Nov. 25, 2014, 7:38 AM

john chen blackberry chief

Jin Lee/Bloomberg

How much are iPhone users worth to BlackBerry? Try $550 apiece.

If you’re willing to trade in your iPhone 6 o to a Passport on ShopBlackberry.com or Amazon, BlackBerry will give you up to $400 in trade-in value, plus an extra $150 “top up” for U.S. residents. Canadian residents get an extra $200 Canadian. The Phone has to be working, but otherwise it looks like the restrictions are pretty loose.

Older iPhones are worth less on trade-in — the iPhone 4 is the least valuable at $90. But the top up applies regardless.

The deal kicks off December 1. Details are here.

What do you say, iPhone owners? Is this enough to get you to switch?

[CityFarmer]

Wait a minute...C$850 million to the company for enterprise service? The biggest software customer of the company?

(not vested)

Vodafone to get C$850 million Canada finance, mainly for BlackBerry

OTTAWA - British mobile phone operator Vodafone Group PLC will get C$850 million ($726 million) in Canadian trade financing to help it buy enterprise services from BlackBerry Ltd , Ottawa said on Tuesday.

Export Development Canada (EDC) said that C$750 million would go to BlackBerry, while the remaining C$100 million was for future procurement from Canadian suppliers.

"Vodafone's global presence makes it a company that Canada's telecom sector has to have a relationship with," EDC Senior Vice-President Carl Burlock said in a statement. REUTERS
http://www.todayonline.com/business/voda...blackberry

[orangetea]

This is not the first time..

http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/04/blackbe...b-devices/

Wait a minute...C$850 million to the company for enterprise service? The biggest software customer of the company?

(not vested)

Vodafone to get C$850 million Canada finance, mainly for BlackBerry

OTTAWA - British mobile phone operator Vodafone Group PLC will get C$850 million ($726 million) in Canadian trade financing to help it buy enterprise services from BlackBerry Ltd , Ottawa said on Tuesday.

Export Development Canada (EDC) said that C$750 million would go to BlackBerry, while the remaining C$100 million was for future procurement from Canadian suppliers.

"Vodafone's global presence makes it a company that Canada's telecom sector has to have a relationship with," EDC Senior Vice-President Carl Burlock said in a statement. REUTERS
http://www.todayonline.com/business/voda...blackberry

[CityFarmer]

It seems Blackberry product still the preference of enterprises, and worthy for huge capex decision...

This is not the first time..

http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/04/blackbe...b-devices/

Wait a minute...C$850 million to the company for enterprise service? The biggest software customer of the company?

(not vested)

Vodafone to get C$850 million Canada finance, mainly for BlackBerry

OTTAWA - British mobile phone operator Vodafone Group PLC will get C$850 million ($726 million) in Canadian trade financing to help it buy enterprise services from BlackBerry Ltd , Ottawa said on Tuesday.

Export Development Canada (EDC) said that C$750 million would go to BlackBerry, while the remaining C$100 million was for future procurement from Canadian suppliers.

"Vodafone's global presence makes it a company that Canada's telecom sector has to have a relationship with," EDC Senior Vice-President Carl Burlock said in a statement. REUTERS
http://www.todayonline.com/business/voda...blackberry

[CityFarmer]

Back to basic for BB phone...

BlackBerry launches Classic keyboard phone

NEW YORK — BlackBerry has unveiled a new phone to win back market share and woo those still using older versions of its physical keyboard devices.

The Canadian mobile technology company said the new device, which bears striking similarities to its once wildly popular Bold and Curve handsets, boasts a larger screen, longer battery life, an expanded app library with access to offerings from Amazon.com’s Android App store, and a browser three times faster than the one on its legacy devices.

“The conversation about BlackBerry has changed in the last year,” chief executive John Chen said as he launched the Classic in Manhattan on Wednesday. “We are here to stay, there is no question about that. Now we have to engineer our growth.”

He said BlackBerry had listened to its fans and brought back the command bar functionality that helped make its legacy phones easy to navigate.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/blackber...oard-phone

[CityFarmer]

The feature fits well into BB system...

BlackBerry works with Boeing on phone that self-destructs

WATERLOO (Ontario) — BlackBerry is working with Boeing co on Boeing’s high-security Android-based smartphone, the Canadian mobile technology company’s chief executive said Friday (Dec 19).

The Boeing Black phone being developed by the Chicago-based aerospace and defence contractor, which is best known for jetliners and fighter planes, can self-destruct if it is tampered with.

The Boeing Black device encrypts calls and is aimed at government agencies and others that need to keep communications and data secure.

“We’re pleased to announce that Boeing is collaborating with BlackBerry to provide a secure mobile solution for Android devices utilising our BES 12 platform,” BlackBerry CEO John Chen said on a conference call held to discuss its quarterly results.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/blackber...-destructs