What Has RIM Fucked Up Today

Research in Motion reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of 80 cents a share, on $4.17 billion in revenue. Analysts expected earnings of 90 cents a share on revenue of $4.5 billion.

RIM said it shipped 10.6 million BlackBerry phones and 200,000 Playbook tablets in the second quarter. [F]orecasts were for 11.8 million phones and 562,000 tablets, according to MarketWatch.

Mark Gongloff, MarketBeat: http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/09/15/research-in-motion-whiffs-earnings-stock-drops/

Note: 100% of Research In Motion’s CEO workforce remain employed and comfortably compensated. So there’s that.

Granted, there are “mays” and “could be’s” here:

…the device codenamed the BlackBerry Colt is going to the first smartphone from the Canadian company to be powered by a QNX-based operating system. They’re still working out all sorts of kinks, but sales are slumping on current smartphones….

However, [RIM fans] could be very disappointed when the Colt eventually appears. It turns out that “the integration of BES/BIS email/calendar is proving difficult,” wrote Peter Misek, an analyst from Jefferies & Company. “We think a QNX phone without these would be a disaster,” but this is sounding more and more likely with each passing day. No support of BlackBerry Enterprise Server would be huge, rendering the phone virtually unusuable by many corporate customers. And corporate/enterprise is RIM’s bread and butter.

Michael Kwan, Mobile Mag: http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/09/12/blackberry-colt-with-qnx-being-rushed-to-market-without-bes/

This web page uses ActiveX controls that work only in Microsoft Internet Explorer. To ensure that BlackBerry App World is correctly downloaded to your BlackBerry, this site is not designed to work with any other Internet browsers. If you cannot use Internet Explorer, you may be able to download the software directly to your BlackBerry smartphone.

Well played, RIM, well played…

Via Daring Fireball

Jaguar Financial stirred attention Tuesday with a call to RIM demanding dramatic action. It wanted the BlackBerry maker to form a task group from four to five of its seven independent directors to investigate the possibility of selling the company off to someone else or else selling its patents.

“Investor fund urges RIM to sell itself off or sell patents”, Electronista: http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/09/06/jaguar.wants.rim.to.sell.itself.or.patented.tech/

“This is fun! We’re changing the world! We’re transforming the way people work!

Mike Lazaridis, June 16: http://www.minyanville.com/dailyfeed/2011/06/17/rims-co-ceos-congratulate-each

“The status quo is not acceptable, the company cannot sit still,” he said. “It is time for transformational change.”

— Jaguar Financial CEO Vic Alboini: http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/09/06/jaguar.wants.rim.to.sell.itself.or.patented.tech/

RIM will issue a software update to the BlackBerry PlayBook in September that adds native e-mail and BlackBerry Messenger support, Bloomberg reports.

When the PlayBook launched in April, reviewers criticized the tablet for not having basic functions such as e-mail, calendar, and RIM’s popular BBM. Those features […] were promised to arrive this summer.

April, May, June, July, August, September: that’s gonna be a pretty full inbox on first launch.

RIM declined to comment.

Insert obvious “PlayBook not having mail to comment with” joke here.

Steve Kovach, Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/rim-adding-e-mail-and-bbm-to-playbook-in-september-2011-8

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd is close to rolling out its own music streaming service that will work across its mobile devices, according to three people familiar with its plans.

That would be all the CEOs and one of the two COOs; one of them must be on holidays.

The new service is likely part of an attempt by RIM to beef up its BlackBerry Messenger service as it seeks to compete with the mobile media platform strengths of rival Apple Inc and of Google Inc’s Android.

RIM is currently in late- stage negotiations with the major labels which including Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group, Sony Corp’s Sony Music, Warner Music Group and EMI Group. The new service is expected to be announced by Labor Day in the United States, Sept. 5.

A spokesperson for RIM was not immediately available.

Forgot to take his BlackBerry with his PlayBook, I guess…

Financial Post: http://business.financialpost.com/2011/08/18/rim-near-blackberry-music-service-launch-sources/

Actually, calling it a service is a bit of a misnomer. It’s an app that users will need to download from the App World store. Once installed, users select 50 songs. They can then invite friends to download the app and create a sort of “music network” between them. This lets them not only share their 50 songs, but see and play the songs others in their network have.

RIM have finally outdone iTunes Ping for sheer utility…

Antony Bruno, Billboard: http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/digital-and-mobile/blackberry-music-service-additional-details-1005324162.story

• A full-fledged rollout is planned for the first three territories later this fall.

If by “territories” they mean Yukon, Nunavut, and the great NWT, they might have a chance.

• RIM is negotiating global licenses with the music companies, and expects to launch in other territories in 2012; the big idea is to piggyback on the success of RIM’s BlackBerry Messenger service, which has more than 45 million users worldwide.

Problem is, all those business users who have BBM foisted on them will be limited by company policy to corporate theme songs only. Maybe that’s the 50 songs right there.

• Subscribers won’t be able to export their music to PCs or other hardware, with the exception of RIM’s much-maligned PlayBook tablet.

Device lock in has never failed.

Peter Kafka, All Things D: http://allthingsd.com/20110820/blackberry-music-5-a-month-50-songs/

The BlackBerry Torch 9850 marks RIM’s third attempt at a touchscreen-only phone with no keyboard. Though you might think of it as a Storm 3, RIM’s gone with the newer (and arguably less infamous) Torch brand for this one. The 9850 isn’t anything like the first Torch 9800, and aside from nearly identical guts on the inside it’s far different from that device’s followup, the 9810. So, just what is this new mysterious BlackBerry about, and where does it fit in the lineup?

Jacob Schulman, This Is My Next: http://thisismynext.com/2011/08/19/blackberry-torch-9850-review/

That’s a good question, as anyone buying an iPad2 after the iPad1 knows well… Names, and lack of consumer confusion, matter; building a brand identity, and continuity, counts. What came after the G3? The G4. The G5. Simple, clear. Apple isn’t perfect, but this harkens right back to the Performa days, except RIM doesn’t have a returning hero CEO to sort out its problems for it.

So, what do you get for that $150 hoser tax?

T-Mobile on Wednesday finally announced the imminent launch of its Bold 9900 variant, which will become available on August 31st for a whopping $299.99 with a new two-year contract. What’s more, that price is after a $50 mail-in rebate, so subscribers looking to nab the latest flagship out of Waterloo, Ontario will have to part with $350 to do so.

Zac Epstein, BGR: http://www.bgr.com/2011/08/17/most-expensive-blackberry-bold-9900-yet-hits-t-mobile-on-august-31st-for-300/ via @daringfireball and many, many others.

Also, refurbished iPhone 3GSs are FREE in both the US and Canada; in what way is the Bold better than a two-and-a-half year old 3GS for a $350 premium? (For what it’s worth, the Bold 9900 is $149 on 3Y contract up here in Hoserland. Yeah, we’re a bit above par, apparently quite a bit.)

UPDATE: The crazy continues. On Telus in BC, here are some interesting options:

• iPhone 3GS
  • No contract: $549
  • 3Y contract: $0 (yes, zero)
• iPhone 4
  • No contract: $649
  • 3Y contract: $159 
• BlackBerry Bold 9900
  • No contract $629
  • 1Y contract $579
  • 2Y contract $529
  • 3Y contract
  • $349 $149 promo

http://www.telusmobility.com/en/BC/phones/index.shtml

Research In Motion’s tablet hopes were dealt another blow as Sprint Nextel said it canceled plans to sell a version of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet on its speedier network.

The decision means the device hasn’t yet found any support from the three largest U.S. wireless carriers, which includes AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Without their backing, RIM will have to bear the burden of sales and marketing support for the device, as well as application development.

Greg Bensinger, The Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2011/08/12/research-in-motion-sprint-says-no-thanks-to-playbook/

No US cell network support? ‘Tis but a scratch!

Time Inc. pledged itself to tablets in a big way on Wednesday with plans to bring its entire magazine catalog to tablets. All 21 of its publications should be available in tablet form by the end of 2011. Every publication will be available on the iPad, on the HP TouchPad, as well as on Android tablets through Android Market and the Next Issue Media news hub.

Barnes & Noble Nook Color owners will also get the publisher’s four core magazines, Fortune,People, Sports Illustrated, and Time itself, on their mini tablets later in August. Conspicuously absent is any mention of the BlackBerry PlayBook, which is the same size as the Nook.

Electronista: http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/08/03/time.inc.serves.all.mags.most.tablets.by.end.2011/ (via @getwired)

Weird: Fortune could be called “professional grade”, so you’d think it would be tailor-made for the PlayBook.