RIM

Inside BlackBerry for Business

Research in Motion has been on a bit of a tear when it comes to their online presence.  Within the last month they’ve updated the BlackBerry.com homepagelaunched the Inside Blackberry Help Blog, created the BlackBerry Connection Podcast, and, now they have launched the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog.

This blog will deliver insights from RIM subject matter experts about product information, best practices, and tips and tricks for business use of BlackBerry. It will also provide insights from RIM on small & medium business, healthcare, field and professional services’ use of BlackBerry, and discuss what’s new in mobility for these verticals.

Check out the BlackBerry for Business blog over at bizblog.blackberry.com…

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BlackBerry Tablet

For those of you that didn’t know, Research in Motion is rumored to be working on a BlackBerry Tablet.  Details on the device have been sketchy thus far but RIM has snatched the domain name BlackPad.com.  We just learned today that RIM has also recently filed a trademark application for the term SurfBook.  Personally, I like SurfBook a little better… It clearly tells you what the device does and it doesn’t immediately make you think that it is RIM’s version of the iPad.

[Via TabletUnleashed]

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RIM

Press Release

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today reported second quarter results for the three months ended August 28, 2010 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP).

Highlights:

  • Revenue grew 31% over the same quarter last year to $4.62 billion
  • Earnings per share in the second quarter increased 76% to $1.46 over the second quarter last year1
  • BlackBerry® smartphone shipments grew more than 45% over the same quarter last year to 12.1 million and RIM has shipped approximately 115 million BlackBerry smartphones to date
  • BlackBerry subscriber account base grew approximately 56% over the prior year to over 50 million

Q2 Results:
Revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 was $4.62 billion, up 9% from $4.24 billion in the previous quarter and up 31% from $3.53 billion in the same quarter of last year. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 79% for devices, 17% for service, 1% for software and 3% for other revenue. During the quarter, RIM shipped approximately 12.1 million devices.

Approximately 4.5 million net new BlackBerry® subscriber accounts were added in the quarter. At the end of the quarter, the total BlackBerry subscriber account base was over 50 million.

“RIM set another new record in the quarter by shipping over 12 million BlackBerry smartphones. This accomplishment and RIM’s solid financial results during the second quarter were driven by effective business execution and strong demand for RIM’s portfolio of BlackBerry smartphones and services in markets around the world,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “We expect a continuation of this momentum in the third quarter as we extend the rollout of new products including the BlackBerry Torch into additional markets and benefit from heavy promotional activities and increasing customer demand as we head into the holiday buying season.”

The Company’s net income for the quarter was $796.7 million, or $1.46 per share diluted, compared with net income of $768.9 million, or $1.38 per share diluted, in the prior quarter and net income of $475.6 million, or $0.83 per share diluted, in the same quarter last year. The impact of Q2 share repurchases on second quarter fiscal 2011 earnings per share was approximately $0.02 per share.

The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $2.03 billion as at August 28, 2010, compared to $3.27 billion at the end of the previous quarter, a decrease of $1.24 billion from the prior quarter. Cash flow from operations in Q2 was approximately $938 million. Uses of cash included common share repurchases of approximately $1.5 billion, business acquisitions of approximately $320 million, capital expenditures of approximately $200 million and intangible asset purchases of approximately $100 million.

Q3 Outlook
Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2011 ending November 27, 2010 is expected to be in the range of $5.30-$5.55 billion. Gross margin for Q3 is expected to be approximately 42%. Net subscriber account additions in the third quarter are expected to be in the range of 5.0-5.4 million. Earnings per share for the third quarter are expected to be in the range of $1.62-$1.70 per share diluted.

Conference Call and Webcast
A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 5 pm ET, September 16, 2010, which can be accessed by dialing 800-814-4859 (North America), 416-644-3414 (outside North America). The replay of the company’s Q2 conference call can be accessed after 7 pm ET, September 16, 2010 until midnight ET, September 30, 2010. It can be accessed by dialing 416-640-1917 and entering passcode 4310309#. The conference call will also appear on the RIM website live at 5 pm ET and will be archived at http://www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml.

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RIM To Announce 2nd Quarter Fiscal 2011 Results After The Market Close Later Today

Research in Motion is going to report 2nd Quarter Fiscal 2011 Results later today, Sept. 16th, after the close of the market.  It has been a rough 3 months since RIM’s last quarterly earnings call.  RIM’s stock price (RIMM) is down 25% and the launch of the BlackBerry Torch along with RIM’s new BlackBerry 6 operating system has been meager at best.

A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 5 pm ET, which can be accessed by dialing 800-814-4859 or by logging on atwww.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml. A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 7 pm by dialing 416-640-1917 and entering passcode 4310309#. This replay will be available until midnight ET September 30, 2010.

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BlackBerry Connection Podcast

Research in Motion is clearly trying to reach out to consumers and have started doing their own official BlackBerry Connection Podcast. They really shouldn’t have…  I mean, really, they shouldn’t have.  It is arguably the cheesiest piece of marketing ever.

Get tips and tricks, information about the latest BlackBerry® smartphones and accessories, and killer app reviews. Maybe even learn some cool secrets. The BlackBerry Connection Podcast is about fun and the best ways to use your BlackBerry smartphone.

The BlackBerry Connection Podcast, technically, is a podcast because of the way that it is delivered, however, it is essentially a commercial that is so bad, you have to wonder if RIM intentionally made it this bad just so people would talk about it.  I am guessing that they did.

Episode one is all about getting music on your BlackBerry.  Check it out if you must, but, you will probably watch it twice just to confirm that it is as truly is awful as you thought it was.

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Inside BlackBerry Help Blog

It looks like Research in Motion has wrapped an entire website around its popular @BlackBerryHelp Twitter account for those times when 140 characters just isn’t enough to get your BlackBerry question across.  It’s called the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog and RIM has this to say about it…

With the incredible response we have had from posts on the Inside BlackBerry blog, we have decided it is time to add a new blog to the family. As a bit of background, we’ve been running @BlackBerryHelp on Twitter for over a year and the BlackBerry Support Forums since 2008. Through both of these channels, we have been given the opportunity to talk directly to our customers, discovering what you want to learn about and finding out what questions you have about your BlackBerry smartphone. But sometimes 140 characters just isn’t enough, and not all of you are inclined to join a forum to ask a question to your peers This blog will have helpful how-to’s, tips and tricks on making the most of your BlackBerry® smartphone and more great posts from our expert support staff. Overall, we want to give you another avenue to connect, learn and discover everything BlackBerry!

[Thanks to everyone that sent this in]

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Sprint BlackBerry Curve 3G

Verizon won’t be the only CDMA carrier getting the BlackBerry Curve 3G this month.  The BlackBerry 9330 will hit Sprint on September 26th, however, Sprint’s BlackBerry Curve 3G will cost $50 on a 2-year contract after a mail-in rebate, $20 more than on Verizon.

[Press Release]

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Verizon BlackBerry Curve 3G

In a press release today, Research in Motion and Verizon Wireless have officially announced the BlackBerry Curve 3G.  The device will be available in business sales channels beginning Sept. 16 and in Stores in the coming weeks.  The BlackBerry Curve 3G 9330 will set you back $29.99 on a two year plan after a $100 mail-in rebate.

Unless you just have to have a new BlackBerry immediately, I’d suggest that you hold off for few weeks after the Curve 3G lands in Verizon stores.  Something tells me that you will find this device online at places like Amazon for under $30 bucks without a mail-in rebate as soon as they start to carry it.

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RIM Billboard Traffic Patents

Research in Motion has filed a pair(1)(2) of patent applications that detail a mechanism for dynamically serving targeted ads in billboards based on traffic patterns.

By taking a page out of Google’s book and measuring the relative position of GPS-equipped phones (or using traditional sensors should that fail), RIM wants to create digital billboards that automatically add details the slower traffic gets.

Something about this just reminds me of the all the billboards that marketed directly to the people walking by them after scanning their retina in the Minority Report.

[Via Engadget Mobile]

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