03/07, 12:40pm
iPhone still most popular device
Apple grew its share among US smartphone owners during the last quarter to 41.6 percent, according to new comScore data. Data polled between October and January shows that Apple advanced 1 percentage point. The company's main rival, Samsung, grew ownership by 1.3 points, but remained firmly in second place at 26.7 percent. LG's share rose just 0.3 points to 6.9 percent, presumably on the back of the G2 and the Google-branded Nexus 5.
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03/05, 7:50am
Increase in BlackBerry trade-ins countered by mass exodus from platform
A recent promotion from T-Mobile offering credit towards another device when trading in a BlackBerry smartphone has apparently caused an exodus of users to other platforms. A report claims that the two-week promotion has led to 15 times the normal amount of BlackBerry devices being traded in, and that 94 percent of these users are using the credit to switch to a non-Blackberry device.
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02/25, 12:16pm
Q20 going back to BlackBerry's roots, Z3 specific to Indonesia
At the Barcelona Mobile World Congress, BlackBerry today announced a pair of devices, with one specific to the Indonesian marketplace. Highlighting the event was the new BlackBerry Q20, a device that the company says will "deliver its full and distinctive QWERTY experience on BlackBerry 10." Also unveiled was the BlackBerry Z3, an all-touch five-inch model customized with local apps and content for Indonesian customers.
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02/24, 4:02pm
BlackBerry QNX may be faster, more accessible than aging Windows software
According to sources familiar with the matter, the Ford Motor Company will migrate its next-generation in-car Sync away from Microsoft's Windows. In its place will be beleagured BlackBerry's QNX at the core of the car's in-dash system. QNX will be less expensive than Windows, and will reportedly boost the speed of the next iteration of Sync.
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02/24, 11:54am
New release supports all features as other mobile implementations
The BlackBerry Messenger cross-platform communications suite will be available for Windows Phone sometime this summer. The upcoming release was noted on the official BlackBerry blog earlier today, with confirmation that the app for Windows Phone will retain the same functionality as it has on Android, BlackBerry 10, and Apple's iOS. No specific release date was noted, but the app will continue to be free.
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02/19, 8:51pm
Increased offer only applies to the purchase of a new BlackBerry Q10, Z10
In a slight nod towards BlackBerry CEO John Chen's "outrage" at T-Mobile's $200 trade-in offer for BlackBerry handset users, the wireless carrier has offered an additional $50 trade-in value towards another BlackBerry phone. The previous offer of $200 for the trade-in towards any other manufacturer's handset still stands, however.
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02/19, 5:32am
BlackBerry updates BBM app to work with Android 2.3
BlackBerry has opened up BBM for Android to users of older devices. BlackBerry Messenger can now be downloaded and used on smartphones and tablets running Android 2.3 or later, though the older version of the mobile operating system will not have access to new additions to the app, such as BBM Voice, BBM Channels, and Glympse real-time location sharing.
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02/18, 8:38pm
Sternly penned blog post rebukes T-Mobile for 'anti-BlackBerry' offer
In the wake of a T-Mobile promotion offering BlackBerry phone users the iPhone 5s with no money down, BlackBerry chairman John Chen has taken umbrage. Chen has written a blog post slamming the carrier over its "anti-BlackBerry" effort, saying that BlackBerry users who defended the company drew "a sharp contrast with the behavior of our long-time business partner."
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02/17, 10:56am
BlackBerry Z3 could be first device from partnership with Foxconn
The first image of what could be BlackBerry's next smartphone has reportedly leaked. The render for the codenamed "Jakarta" device, thought to be shipping under the BlackBerry Z3 name, and though it does not have a hardware keyboard, it could possibly be the first device under the company's new partnership with manufacturer Foxconn.
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02/13, 12:24pm
Free voice calls between BBM users reaches non-BlackBerry OS devices
BlackBerry is rolling out a number of changes to its BlackBerry Messenger app for iOS and Android, as the app reaches version 2.0. BBM Voice and BBM Channels, two features already in use by BlackBerry device owners, are included in the update along with Dropbox integration, and a collection of smaller updates to the app.
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02/11, 7:39am
Andrew Bocking exits BlackBerry in latest executive change
The Executive Vice President in control of BBM at BlackBerry has left the company. The reasons behind the high-level departure of Andrew Bocking from the company are unclear, with some debate as to whether he was fired from his position by management at the phone manufacturer, or if he left on his own accord to a new opportunity at another company.
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01/30, 10:52pm
Also gaining ground on Samsung in US; BlackBerry falls to zero percent
The latest report from the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) panel shows Apple retook its lead in US smartphone marketshare against the combined forces of Android competitors following the release of new iPhone models in October. The figures, which cover the last quarter of 2013, show that iOS outsold Android by 48 percent to 46 percent, Apple outsold rival Samsung 48 to 31 percent, and that BlackBerry has officially fallen to zero percent marketshare.
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01/29, 2:21pm
Scribd's $9 monthly e-book subscription service available for Kindle Fire tablets
E-book subscription service Scribd is entering the Kindle Fire market with a Kindle-specific version of its already existing app for iOS, Android and web service. Available for $9 per month, Scribd's Kindle version offers unlimited monthly access, and users can share and embed books onto websites. Scribd is connected with publishing house HarperCollins, and holds a catalog of titles from independent publishers.
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01/27, 9:31am
Over 75 percent of market in some countries
As a platform, Android phones retook the top position in US smartphone sales during the last quarter, climbing to 50.6 percent of the market, according to new Kantar research data. iOS took 43.9 percent; Windows Phone devices were a distant third at 4.3 percent. In Europe, Android held a 68.6 percent share across the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, leaving iOS at 18.5 percent, and Windows Phone at 10.3 percent. The numbers skewed on country-to-country basis, however; in Italy, for instance, Windows Phone grabbed 17.1 percent over iOS' 12.8 percent.
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01/23, 3:25pm
Press release misinterpreted, devices to be used already on hand
News sites, including this one, seized upon a press release issued by the Department of Defense alluding to it using 80,000 BlackBerry devices for unclassified work. A clarifying statement from the Pentagon has denied any new purchases from the Waterloo manufacturer, and explaining that the 80,000 devices it noted using are already in the hands of the military, and are not, in fact, new purchases.
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01/21, 6:20pm
Three million square feet of buildings to be put up for sale
In what may be the beginning of a turnaround for the Canadian cellphone maker, Blackberry has seen a resurgence in its stock price from a reported Pentagon order of 80,000 devices. Additionally, the company is strategically divesting the majority of its Canadian real estate through both a sale and lease-back to Blackberry, as well as outright sale of its empty properties.
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01/16, 1:03pm
Samsung advances to 26 percent
US iPhone ownership leapt to 42 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013, up from 35 percent a year ago, according to new NPD figures. Samsung phones also advanced, but from 22 percent to roughly 26 percent. LG was the only other major manufacturer to see a gain, inching ahead slightly to 8 percent. Motorola and HTC both fell under the 10 percent mark, and BlackBerry ownership shrank even further to 2 percent.
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01/12, 5:29pm
BlackBerry's Chen says company will stick with keyboards
John Chen, CEO of struggling Canadian smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry, has reaffirmed the company's commitment to devices sporting hardware devices. Speaking with Bloomberg last week, Chen said that the company's devices will "predominantly" have physical keyboards going forward, signaling that the company will stick with the productivity-oriented design feature for which it is best known. Chen's comments do leave open the possibility that BlackBerry will continue to release devices that are all-touchscreen affairs, as it did last year with the BlackBerry Z10.
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01/10, 8:49pm
New CEO will remain on the job until company's fortunes turn around
The man named as interim head of BlackBerry will be staying on the job for a bit longer. CEO John S. Chen, who took the job in November following the ouster of Thorsten Heins and collapse of the sale of the company, will keep the title of CEO until the company is "back on solid financial footing."
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01/06, 5:09am
Motorola, LG, HTC suffer setbacks
Apple and Samsung increased their shares of the US smartphone market based on unverified shipment data in the September-November period versus June-August, new ComScore data shows. Apple advanced 0.5 points to 41.2 percent, maintaining overall control; Samsung, though, gained 1.7 points to hit 26 percent, narrowing the gap. In distant third was Motorola, down 0.2 points to 6.7 percent. LG dropped the same amount to 6.5 percent, but swapped places with HTC, which dipped a full point to 6.4 percent.
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01/03, 2:37pm
Typo Keyboard allegedly infringes design
BlackBerry has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Ryan Seacrest's startup Typo Products, calling foul over the company's physical-keyboard accessory for iPhones. The Waterloo-based company claims the Typo accessory infringes an existing patent related to the iconic keyboard design that has adorned most BlackBerry models throughout the past five years.
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01/02, 3:51pm
Keys to depart exactly one year after joining BlackBerry
Singer Alicia Keys will be ending her tenure at BlackBerry on January 30th, exactly one year after becoming the smartphone manufacturer's global creative director during the launch of the Z10. The announcement of Keys' removal comes not long after the company lost a number of high-level executives in a management reshuffle, and after BlackBerry announced a quarterly loss of $4.4 billion.
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12/30, 10:58am
Exec boasts of strong finances
BlackBerry's new CEO, John Chen, has spoken out against the company's critics and reiterated his turnaround plan, according to a commentary posted by CNBC. Despite a $4.4 billion loss in the third quarter, the executive argues that BlackBerry is "strong financially, technologically savvy, and well-positioned for the future."
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12/26, 1:30am
Lazaridis will not bid for BlackBerry
BlackBerry co-founder Michael Lazaridis has reduced his stake in the troubled smartphone maker and no longer intends to make a bid to purchase the company. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Lazaridis disclosed in a regulatory filing that his combined stake with another co-founder is now less than five percent, down from eight percent in October of this year. As of Tuesday, Lazaridis's stake in the company sits at about 4.99 percent.
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12/24, 10:21am
Apple, Microsoft among Rockstar partners
The Rockstar Consortium -- a collection of companies including Apple, BlackBerry, Ericsson, Sony, and Microsoft -- is planning to sell a portion of the $4.5 billion in patents it bought from Nortel Networks in 2011, sources tell Bloomberg. Rockstar is allegedly already in talks with potential buyers. Three of the sources indicate that this is because it hasn't had much success with large licensing deals.
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12/22, 10:08pm
BlackBerry Z30 spotted at FCC using AT&T frequencies
BlackBerry could be bringing the Z30 smartphone to AT&T in the future, according to an FCC filing. The listing spotted by Berry Review appears to show the device, with a 5-inch 1280x720 Super AMOLED display, dual-core 1.7GHz processor, and 2GB of RAM, as sporting radios on AT&T bands, strongly suggesting that the more-powerful flagship device could launch in the US as an alternative to Verizon.
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12/20, 11:07am
Over half of BlackBerry loss stems from asset writedowns
BlackBerry has suffered a loss of $4.4 billion for the third quarter, worse than the $965 million lost in the previous quarter and the $114 million lost in Q3 2012, the company has revealed. At the same time as the tremendous loss, the company revealed it has signed a new five-year partnership with Foxconn to create new BlackBerry devices.
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12/20, 7:22am
BBM voice, video calls still being worked on
BlackBerry is still working on adding voice and video calling to BlackBerry Messenger for iOS and Android, the company has revealed. The free calling over voice and video will be making its way to the app during 2014, along with a number of other additions, such as BBM Channels and what the company claims to be faster and easier sharing of content and locations.
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12/18, 12:14pm
LG G Pro Lite is first to have BBM preinstalled
BlackBerry Messenger will be preinstalled on the LG G Pro Lite in the future, BlackBerry has revealed. The BBM client for Android will first appear on the smartphone as a standard pre-install and via the LG App Manager under the new bundling agreement and will also be installed on to a number of other LG smartphones, though LG has yet to reveal what hardware will carry it.
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11/26, 2:35pm
BlackBerry Messenger to be preinstalled on some Android smartphones
BlackBerry is rolling out its social network-style content feeds to BlackBerry OS devices today. The announcement that BBM Channels is leaving beta comes at the same time as reports that the company has struck deals with a number of Android smartphone producers to have the messaging platform preinstalled on devices.
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11/25, 10:34am
CFO Budulka replaced by SVP Yersh, CMO and COO yet to be replaced
BlackBerry has made another set of executive-level changes, with three more members of management being pushed out from their positions. The reorganization, which sees the loss of the CFO, COO, and CMO at the phone manufacturer, comes three weeks after previous CEO Thorsten Heins was let go and replaced by interim CEO John Chen.
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11/19, 12:43pm
Stainless steel and leather casing covers relatively unchanged Z10
Porsche Design has put its rumored BlackBerry smartphone on sale in the United Kingdom, one aimed at mobile phone users looking for a premium and rare device. Just like the BlackBerry P'9981, the P'9982 is available to purchase through London's Harrods department store at a price of £1,500 ($2,400) off-contract.
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11/15, 11:00pm
Company has 90,000 employees, most currently on BlackBerry
Like many federal agencies and other large businesses, Pfizer - one of the world's largest pharmaceutical manufacturers with unprecedented influence in the healthcare industry - has asked its employees to transition away from BlackBerry phones and towards their choice of iOS or Android products instead. The company, in a memo announcing the change, said the transition was due to BlackBerry's "volatile state" and advised employees to make the change as soon as contracts allow.
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11/15, 5:32am
Minor bug fixes included within updated BlackBerry Messenger app
Just as promised by the company yesterday, BlackBerry has updated BBM for iOS, allowing it to be run on iPads and iPods. At the same time, BlackBerry Messenger receives a number of bug fixes relating to the Android version, with both versions also gaining more options for sharing and connecting with other users on the service.
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11/14, 5:26am
Updated app brings BBM to iPads without cellular connection
BlackBerry Messenger will be coming out for Wi-Fi versions of the iPad within the next 24 hours. The messaging service, already available on iPhones and cellular iPads as well as Android smartphones, will spread to the tablet as the existing app gets updated, though there apparently will not be a tablet-specific version of the app.
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11/12, 12:15pm
No planned support for Google Play on BlackBerry devices
The Google Play store will not be available to BlackBerry users in the future, the phone producer has confirmed. A spokesperson for BlackBerry has outright denied a rumor that the Android app store would be heading to the platform, a rumor started by relatively convincing photographs of Google Play shown running on a BlackBerry Z10.
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11/10, 7:58pm
Photographs suggest possible Android store on BlackBerry device
The Google Play store could be making an appearance in BlackBerry OS 10.2.1, if new photographs are to be believed. Recently surfaced images appear to show the store running on a BlackBerry Z10, which if true could suggest that owners of recent BlackBerry 10 devices may have more options than BlackBerry World to install their apps from in future.
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11/08, 5:15pm
Tech giants considered picking off parts of BlackBerry
BlackBerry's board of directors rejected Apple, Microsoft, Lenovo, and other tech players' expressed interest in acquiring parts of the struggling Canadian phone maker's operations, according to a new report from Reuters. The news comes days after BlackBerry abandoned its plans to put itself up for sale and dismissed Thorsten Heins from his role as chief executive. The report is the first indicating that Apple was interested in securing portions of BlackBerry, as the iPhone maker was not regularly mentioned among potential suitors for the company.
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11/06, 9:25am
Android still clearly in lead
Apple and the iPhone's share of the US smartphone market increased sequentially from 39.9 percent to 40.6 percent in the September quarter, according to new comScore figures. The growth is believed to have been spurred by the release of the iPhone 5s and 5c on September 20th; although the devices would've been on sale for just 10 days in the quarter, Apple typically sees a surge of early adopters during any iPhone launch.
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11/06, 7:04am
National security concerns over telecoms infrastructure nixed buyout plans
Lenovo could have bought ailing smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry, but was denied by the Canadian government. Alleged interference of inter-company discussions by Ottawa government officials made it clear to BlackBerry executives that a takeover by a Chinese company would not proceed, due to potential national security concerns.
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11/04, 3:50pm
Heins' replacement promises to rebuild
BlackBerry's new interim CEO John Chen said on Monday that the company will not be shutting down its handset production unit. This after the company let go of Thorsten Heins as CEO earlier today. Chen's comments came in the midst of an interview with Reuters, and the incoming CEO says that he believes both that BlackBerry can be rescued and that he has the skill set for it.
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11/04, 10:07am
BlackBerry to drop Heins, raise $1B
BlackBerry has announced that it will drop plans to sell itself and instead replace its CEO and raise $1 billion from investors. The struggling Canadian smartphone maker will sell convertible debt notes to a group of investors, according to The Globe and Mail, with Fairfax Holdings, which initially tried to take BlackBerry private, being among those investors. CEO Thorsten Heins will be ousted after nearly two years on the job, and John S. Chen has stepped into the interim CEO position.
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11/01, 7:02pm
Qualcomm may team with equity firm on BlackBerry buy
Qualcomm may be in talks to partner with Cerberus Capital Management to enter a bid to take over struggling Canadian smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry. A report in The Wall Street Journal pegs the chipmaking giant and the private equity firm as latest parties to be considering a takeover of BlackBerry, which has been stuck in a downward spiral in the face of tough competition from Apple and manufacturers of devices running Google's Android operating system. The deal would lash Qualcomm tighter to one of its customers, as BlackBerry already relies on Qualcomm to supply chips that go into its underperforming smartphones.
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10/31, 7:50pm
Apple, Microsoft part of 'Rockstar' patent holding company
The patent "supergroup" Rockstar that includes Apple, Microsoft, Blackberry, Ericsson, and Sony is suing Google, Samsung, and Huawei over seven patents. The patents were purchased at auction by Rockstar, and involve technologies that helps to pair Internet search terms with advertising related to the search.
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10/31, 6:43pm
Windows Phone climbs to four percent as Android dominates
Google's Android platform continues to dominate the worldwide smartphone market, according to new figures from Strategy Analytics that put Android at 81.3 percent of the global smartphone market. Android and Apple's iOS platform together account for nearly 95 percent of smartphones shipped worldwide, though Apple's share has declined year over year. One beneficiary of Apple's slippage may have been Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, which has seen a year-over-year increase.
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10/28, 8:18am
Audio and video calls coming within months, BBM Channels also due
BlackBerry Messenger for Android and iPhone will have voice and video calling in the future, according to a company executive. The extra communication options for the app comes at the same time as the phone manufacturer removes the queue from the app, allowing anyone that has downloaded it access without having to wait any longer.
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10/26, 2:05pm
SAP doesn't see BlackBerry as strategic fit
The chief financial officer of SAP has dismissed the idea of the German business software group buying BlackBerry. Werner Brandt made the statement to a European magazine this week, according to Reuters, saying that acquiring BlackBerry would not fit in with the company's vision, as SAP does not have any gaps that need filling with regard to mobile solutions. Along with Google, Samsung, and others, SAP was seen by some as a potential bidder to buy some or all of BlackBerry.
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10/24, 1:33pm
iOS bug, fake Google Play reviews mar BBM app launch
BlackBerry's second attempt at launching its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) app for Android and iOS has run into issues again, after a promising start. Suspicious reviews on Google Play are suggesting some form of review shilling is taking place, and the phone manufacturer is also looking towards fixing an issue found in the iOS version of its messaging client.
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10/23, 12:19pm
BlackBerry OS update brings Priority Hub, BBM Video
BlackBerry on Wednesday announced that BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2 would begin rolling out to customers this week through carriers in Europe, Canada, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific. Owners of the BlackBerry Z10, Q10, and Q5 will begin seeing the update as a download possibility in the very near future. The new operating system version brings multiple new features, including improvements to the on-screen keyboard for the Z10. The update has been available on the larger-screened Z30 since that device launched in September.
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10/23, 5:38am
Majority of BBM downloads on iOS, users still waiting for access
BlackBerry Messenger has been downloaded more than 10 million times in its first 24 hours of availability. The app for Android and iOS, free on both platforms, is said by the company to be the top free app in more than 75 countries, including the US, UK, and Canada, which BlackBerry calls one of the "best single-day openings for a mobile app to date."
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