02/13, 9:20pm
BlackBerry 10 may borrow from iOS, Android
New shots intercepted from a BlackBerry 10 ad briefing may have given some of the first detailed visuals of the OS. The CrackBerry images showed a device that at once had a shrunken parallel to the PlayBook interface but with traces of similarities to other platforms. It would use an always-up grid of all apps, like the iPhone, but have home screen widgets similar to, if more organized than, Android.
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02/13, 7:25pm
Invite titled "What's Next"
RIM and T-Mobile have reportedly scheduled an event on March 15 to highlight "the latest and greatest T-Mobile BlackBerry technology." The invitation does not shed light on a specific device, however it does highlight BlackBerry OS 7 alongside the vague "What's Next" tagline.
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02/13, 5:25pm
DOJ next to OK Google-Motorola and adds Nortel
The US Department of Justice in a brief said it had approved both Google's acquisition of Motorola, the joint purchase of Nortel patents by Apple, Microsoft, RIM, and others, as well as a similar Novell patent sale. Antitrust regulators in both cases had decided it was "unlikely" that the deals would hurt competition. It was partly reassured by Apple, Google, and Microsoft all promising to license standards-based patents based on FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) terms.
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02/13, 4:50pm
BlackBerry PlayBook 10, docks seen early
A Czech sighting in backrooms at BlackBerry DevCon Europe has claimed to show not just upcoming accessories for the PlayBook but the rumored 10-inch PlayBook. BlackBerryCzech claimed to have seen one within several feet but was denied a chance at a photo. The design was supposedly working and left open a chance the new version might show either at Mobile World Congress this month or, more likely, DevCon Americas in May.
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02/13, 4:30pm
RIM extends free PlayBook offer, adds dev types
RIM has just revealed it will expand its free PlayBook promotion for Android developers by two weeks. What's more, it has expanded the offer to Native C/C++, HTML5, Adobe AIR, and Qt developers. The offer was due to end on Monday, but was extended due to the overwhelming interest, RIM said.
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02/13, 4:00pm
RIM director Martin justifies slow turnaround
RIM director Roger Martin in an unusual interview with the Globe and Mail defended RIM's decision to hold for years before bringing in a new CEO. He saw there being no option for an outside CEO until RIM had groomed one from the inside, with outsiders being "morons from the outside" who would inevitably gut the BlackBerry designer. Martin went so far as to liken the departing Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis to the late Steve Jobs, insisting that only the two were talented enough and that RIM couldn't afforded an involuntarily exodus.
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02/08, 7:50pm
DOJ may OK Google-Motorola with conditions
The Department of Justice is leaning towards approving Google's takeover of Motorola, insiders leaked Wednesday. It wasn't clear what the motivating reasons were in the Wall Street Journal tip, but the approval could be publicized as soon as next week. Regulators would mostly be watching to see if Google abused the patents it would get with Motorola to attack competitors.
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02/07, 7:50am
RIM talks App World growth relative to rivals
RIM's Developer Relations VP Alec Saunders made aggressive claims about the state of BlackBerry App World at his company's DevCon Europe keynote on Tuesday morning. He contended that the store was the second-most profitable mobile app store after Apple's own and that Android lagged behind significantly. Along with having more overall paid downloads than the normally larger Google shop, BlackBerry titles typically made about 40 percent more revenue than their paid Android counterparts.
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02/06, 4:15pm
Samsung tracks close behind, takes full year
In terms of shipments, Apple was the top smartphone vendor in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to a new IDC report. The company shipped roughly 37 million phones, giving it a 23.5 percent marketshare. Close behind was Samsung, which took a 22.8 percent share with 36 million phones. Nokia, Research in Motion, and HTC rounded out the top five, but trailing behind with shares of 12.4, 8.2, and 6.5 percent, respectively.
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02/06, 2:25pm
Halliburton defects from BlackBerry to iOS
RIM has taken one of its largest, more conspicuous blows as a leaked e-mail and subsequent confirmation have revealed on Monday that Halliburton is switching from the BlackBerry to the iPhone. After "significant research," according to an AppleInsider copy of the memo, the controversial energy giant has told staff that it will transition from the BlackBerry to the iPhone, described at first as a one-year transition but now described as two. Apple's platform had superior features, controls, and app development security, Halliburton said.
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02/06, 10:35am
NPD Q4 2011 results show iPhone bounce back
The iPhone is now the top-selling cellphone of any kind in the US, the NPD Group determined on Monday. As of the fall, the iPhone 4S was the bestselling device in the field. Apple also managed a clean sweep of the top three, with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS at second and third places.
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02/03, 4:30pm
Canalys Q4 and year-end 2011 shows change of guard
A Canalys wrap-up of 2011 smartphone share painted an overall picture that kept Apple and Google in front, but also provided clearer pictures of Windows Phone. Android was just short of an absolute majority at 48.8 percent, while the iPhone held 19.1 percent. Nokia's Symbian and RIM's BlackBerry still held on to the double digits at 16.4 percent and 10.5 percent each.
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02/03, 2:15pm
Telus phases out all three Wi-Fi PlayBooks
Canadian wireless provider Telus has now deemed that the three Wi-Fi models of the BlackBerry PlayBook seven-inch tablet has reached the end of its life. As such, no returns are being accepted, no new ones are being ordered, and the carrier is clearing them out for the lower price yet, at just $150 CAD for both the 16GB and 32GB versions. The 64GB models are slightly more expensive, at $300.
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02/02, 10:00pm
Promotion runs for two weeks
Research In Motion is currently running a promotion for Android developers, handing out free BlackBerry PlayBooks to devs that submit apps to the BlackBerry App World. The program was announced by RIM's VP of developer relations, Alec Saunders, in a recent Twitter post.
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02/02, 3:55pm
comScore Q4 2011 has Android at 47pc, iPhone 30
The sustained effect of the iPhone 4S launch has kept the iPhone growing at the same pace as Android in the US. Google's platform grew a collective 2.5 points over the fall to 47.3 percent, but Apple nearly matched it with a 2.2 percent hike to 29.6 percent. As with much of the past year, the two were only really drawing from other platforms, with the BlackBerry down nearly three points to 16 percent.
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02/02, 5:40am
RIM launches new ad campaign to boost share
RIM has started a new ad campaign aimed at highlighting the simplicity and workhorse-like nature of its smartphones, focusing on the streamlined strengths of its platform. One of the features that gets renewed emphasis is RIM’s BlackBerry Messenger service, which has helped to make it one of the most popular handsets among teens in the UK. The new spots include phrases such as ‘I’m about action, not distraction’ as well as ‘we need tools, not toys,’ playing on one of the hackneyed criticisms of the iPhone.
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02/01, 1:05pm
BlackBerry 7, 7.1 phones earn government nod
RIM said Wednesday that BlackBerry 7- and 7.1-powered devices have earned a coveted FIPS 140-2 certification. The standard means they can now be used by the US and Canadian governments, as they meet stringent security stipulations as outlined by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA). The current devices that comply include the Bold 9900, 9930, and 9790; the Torch 9850, 9860, and 9810; and the Curve 9350, 9360, 9370, and 9380.
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02/01, 12:25am
LG smartphone team gets 10m in fall 2011
LG had mixed news on Wednesday that showed a possible turnaround of its long-suffering mobile group. Although the company as a whole posted a loss equivalent to $97.7 million, its mobile division turned a slight $10 million profit. Most of the recovery came on the back of the Optimus LTE and its US variant the Nitro HD.
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01/31, 7:25pm
RIM-made BlackBerry London render escapes
RIM's BlackBerry London has been refined in looks ahead of what could be an attempt to return to the US in force. New leaks to CrackBerry have the render of the first BlackBerry 10 phone's expected finished look making it considerably more refined than the very angular, Porsche Design-like look of a dummy unit. A presumably mock screenshot also points to a more refined media player than either on BlackBerry 7 or on the PlayBook.
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01/29, 6:40pm
RIM had prepped Heins for possible CEO spot
RIM's departing co-chief Mike Lazaridis chose an unofficial exit interview this weekend to uncover the amount of preparation for new CEO Thorsten Heins. He explained to The Record that they had started succession plans years ago and that Heins had been kept in mind. He was a "star" already, but he had to prove his worth and take on more roles before he could take on the position.
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01/28, 1:30am
RIM to focus on upgrading current BlackBerry users
RIM's new leader Thorsten Heins in further interviews has outlined how he plans to take on competition in the short term. He revealed to Reuters that just 20 percent of BlackBerry owners are using a modern version of the OS, in some cases using BlackBerry 5 or even older. Much of the company's focus would be on getting them to upgrade to new phones, including special carrier deals that could bundle devices together or give carriers phones with bundled apps.
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01/27, 4:25pm
RIM CEO hints BBM may be open to iOS and Android
RIM's new CEO Thorsten Heins has continued his interviewing with hints the company might not be as closed to the possibility of BlackBerry Messenger on other mobile platforms as once thought. He told CrackBerry that he was still committed to the core BlackBerry platform and there weren't immediate plans, but that the company "should never rule this [possibility] out." The company did have staff exploring the possibility, but it would only go ahead if it was logical.
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01/27, 11:10am
ABI says iPhone 4S rise led to Android loss
Apple's record iPhone sales have led to Android shrinking for the first time in its over three-year history, ABI Research estimated Friday. Operating on the belief that next-closest Samsung shipped 33 million smartphones, it had Android's collective share drop from 52.5 percent in the summer to 47 percent this fall. Apart from the iPhone 4S' launch effect, Android had 'sagging midsection' where LG, Motorola, and Sony had been fighting just to become profitable.
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01/27, 7:50am
IHS iSuppli and Strat Analytics show Apple shift
Separate IHS iSuppli and Strategy Analytics studies Friday have backed Apple's rapid return to the top of the smartphone space in the fall. Determining that Samsung had shipped 36 million smartphones, slightly higher than Samsung's preliminary estimates, IHS iSuppli put Apple's 37 million iPhones just on top. Although Samsung nearly quadrupled the amount of smartphones it shipped and moved more year-long, Apple's higher starting point meant it could just double its yearly shipments to stay competitive.
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01/27, 12:15am
RIM CEO willing to try opponents' devices, more
New info trickling out from a CrackBerry interview with new RIM CEO Thorsten Heins may assuage some early fears that he was locked into his predecessors' management style. The new executive made a point not just to use Android, iOS, and other platforms himself but a "whole team" that both looks at the competition and sees what doesn't work. Even his children are involved, he said.
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01/26, 12:45pm
BlackBerry 2012 roadmap exposed in huge detail
An extremely detailed RIM roadmap has leaked to BGR that shows even more than what was shown yesterday. Along with confirming the 1.5GHz, 3G- and NFC-equipped PlayBook refresh, the scoop shows that the BlackBerry Curve 9220 and 9320 will make BlackBerry Messenger a central feature. Both will have a built-in BBM key on the side, making a return to chat a one-button feature.
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01/25, 2:00pm
Sprint to phase out PlayBook, Evo 4G, more
A leaked End-of-Life (EOL) report shared by SprintFeed reveals Sprint will phase out the BlackBerry PlayBook, HTC Evo View 4G, and Evo View 4G before month's end. The shipments to carrier stores will decrease before ceasing altogether. The discontinuation of the two tablets could be an indication Sprint is readying sequels, although only the PlayBook refresh has been hinted at so far.
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01/25, 12:00am
Sony Tablet S and P claim 26pc of UK rival tablets
Sony staked out an odd consolation prize Tuesday for tablet market share. It pointed to GfK data that showed the Tablet S and Tablet P as the most popular Android tablets in the UK at least as of October, the combination of the two amounting to 26 percent of the market. The figure was calculated by value, rather than sheer units, but might have favored Sony even more since the majority Tablet S costs as much or slightly less than the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
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01/24, 12:15pm
RIM may fight back with major hardware updates
RIM's hopes for 2012 might be brighter after a potential roadmap leak. According to a BGR tip, the BlackBerry PlayBook would get an update a year into its life with a 1.5GHz (presumably TI OMAP) processor, 42Mbps HSPA+ 3G, and NFC for tags and payments. It would reportedly ship in May or June.
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01/24, 6:55am
Heins faces investor backlash for status quo angle
Following RIM’s the rise of Thorsten Heins to rank of CEO of the troubled maker of BlackBerry smartphones and mobile devices, sentinment from observers was tempered. However, early comments by Heins suggesting that drastic change is not necessary have been seized upon by disgruntled investors who believe they signal a quick demise for new head of the company. While pleased that former co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie had stepped aside, thus removing a potential barrier to the possible sale of the company, not all investors are satisfied that the move is enough to save the embattled Canadian handset maker.
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01/23, 11:10am
Analysis claims Android may take top dev spot
Ovum on Monday predicted based on a developer survey that Android would become more important to developers than iOS by the start of 2013. While Apple would still be the other major platform creator to write for, the research firm saw the momentum in hardware leading to Google taking the edge. Ovum didn't give ratios for how much of a lead it expected.
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01/23, 8:55am
RIM CEO explains strategy in conference call
RIM's newly appointed CEO Thorsten Heins during a conference call discussing his new position made clear there would be a shift in strategy early on. Expanding on hints from earlier, he said the company would be "closer to our consumer bases" than its still primarily enterprise-focused strategy. More of the attention would be in the US, an area that has been a weak point as Android and the iPhone have taken over.
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01/22, 10:00pm
RIM CEOs quit unexpectedly
In a surprise step, RIM confirmed late Sunday that its two CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis would resign from their top positions. The two would stay on as board members and shareholders for the BlackBerry designer, they told the Wall Street Journal early, but would hand over direct leadership to one person, current COO Thorsten Heins. Board member Barbara Stymiest would be promoted to an independent board chairman.
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01/21, 1:15pm
PlayBook 2.0 could have settled schedule
The BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 update could have a firm release date if a rumor late this week bears fruit. While multiple anecdotes of RIM's relayed to BerryReview had pointed to the exact middle of February, the site claimed to have a "very solid source" pointing to February 17 as the upgrade date. The schedule would have the release appearing five weeks after RIM gave its last public preview at CES.
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01/19, 3:30pm
Verizon offers BlackBerry Curve 9370 for sale
Verizon on Thursday began offering the BlackBerry Curve 9370, as expected. The handset supports both Verizon's native CDM as well as world roaming through quad-band GSM for voice as well as GPRS and EDGE data networks. NFC carries over.
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01/19, 4:55am
Kodak seeks Chapter 11 protection
A recent prediction that Kodak was on the verge of bankruptcy has proven true with the iconic American company officially filing for bankruptcy protection. Despite a number of restructuring attempts as well as the sale of patents and a string of patent suits seeking damages, the 130-year old pioneering photographic company was forced to seek protection from creditors. It has also secured $950 million in credit from Citibank while its buys time to sell some of its 1,100 patents, and reposition itself while also maintaining the salaries of its 17,000 employees, reports Reuters.
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01/18, 7:35pm
Study shows iPad still in wide lead on tablet web
Apple's iPad still doesn't have any immediate threat from other tablets if web usage is an indicator, Chitika reckoned on Wednesday. For every 100 iPad web hits, just 2.4 came from the next-closest Amazon Kindle Fire. Its design sibling the BlackBerry PlayBook was next at about 1.8, while the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab families were near-even at 1.6.
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01/18, 3:10pm
iOS edges ahead in corporate network use
A new study from Check Point on Wednesday hints that iOS use may have pushed past the BlackBerry in at least one metric for corporate use. Among the device types connecting to 768 IT pros' networks in the US, 30 percent said the most common was one of Apple's mobile types at 30 percent. Just slightly less, 29 percent, pointed to the BlackBerry as the most common, while only 21 percent were pointing to Android.
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01/18, 7:55am
Nielsen says iPhone 4S halted Android buzz
The sustained effect of the iPhone 4S is triggering a decline in Android's US market share, Nielsen showed Wednesday. Although Android had an average 51.7 percent share for the fall among recent buyers, a month-by-month breakdown by the researchers showed that its share among recent buyers dropped from 61.6 percent in October to 48.7 percent in November as iPhone sales traffic picked up. By December, Android and iOS were near even, at 46.9 and 44.5 percent each.
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01/17, 7:45pm
Samsung denies talk it might buy RIM
Samsung in a denied rumors that it might buy RIM. The Korean company said it hadn't considered buying the BlackBerry creator and was "not interested" in the prospect, representative James Chung told Reuters. He also rejected the most direct claim, that RIM had offered itself to Samsung.
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01/17, 2:40pm
RIM said optimistic in hoping for Samsung takeover
A contentious rumor Tuesday alleges that RIM has been trying to get a buyout offer from Samsung. The "trusted sources" for BGR had the company talking to anyone interested in buying some or all of the BlackBerry maker, but co-CEO Jim Balsillie was reportedly "going hard" for a Samsung deal. Samsung might want the company for adding enterprise-grade services and expanding or replacing ChatON with the more tightly integrated BlackBerry Messenger.
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01/16, 6:20pm
RIM schedule has broad BlackBerry, PlayBook plans
A purported roadmap for RIM's top-level 2012 strategy may have been uncovered on Monday. As portrayed by N4BB, RIM would have a "3G+" (likely HSPA+) version of the existing BlackBerry PlayBook design due for its one-year anniversary in April. The previously hinted-at 10-inch PlayBook would be coming with LTE for 4G, it said, but wouldn't arrive until December.
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01/14, 8:30pm
We check out QNX in a Porsche at CES 2012
A side section of RIM's booth at CES 2012 was dedicated to showing off the results of QNX's work in car dash technology since it was bought by RIM. Custom-modifying a Porsche 911's dash and center stack, QNX showed Electronista an interface very heavily inspired by the QNX-based BlackBerry PlayBook but tailored just to the environment of a car. It not only controlled phone calls (including VoIP), music playback, and navigation, but also Internet access and even an app platform.
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01/13, 9:45pm
RIM claims fix in 2.0, no known exploitation
Researchers from the Intrepidus Group, a provider of mobile application and device security services, has identified a potential security breach with the RIM BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The problem exists in the BlackBerry Bridge operation between the PlayBook and a BlackBerry smartphone. The exploit could allow an attacker to listen in on communications between the devices and intercept e-mail, calendar events, and other transmitted sensitive information.
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01/12, 2:20pm
Verizon wants every smartphone to be LE in 2012
Virtually every Verizon smartphone in 2012 will be an LTE-based 4G device, hardware marketing associate director Keith Lampron said in a discussion Wednesday. It would now be a "hard requirement" for nearly all devices, he explained to CNET. Only push-to-talk phones and, presumably, basic feature phones would be exempt from the 4G demand.
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01/11, 7:15pm
We try PlayBook 2.0 at CES
RIM gave the media its first access to its BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 firmware at CES, and we've given it a test to see whether there's promise yet. Read ahead for a look at the firmware and whether it might help RIM recover its ailing position in tablets.
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01/09, 9:45am
HTC, RIM lose ground
While down slightly from a September survey, iPhone demand remained unusually high in December, according to new ChangeWave Research poll data. Of people planning to buy a smartphone in the next 90 days, 54 percent in the most recent survey said they were aiming to get an iPhone. While the number is down from 65 percent in September, ChangeWave remarks that Apple has never held such solid control more than two months after a major product release; the iPhone 4S shipped in mid-October.
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01/06, 12:20pm
Analyst shows iPhone 4S holding off rivals
The iPhone 4S held off the Galaxy Nexus for the top spot in smartphones on Verizon, Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley found through channel checks. Apple's newest phone still had the top sales spot on every major US carrier that sells it in December, keeping the first Android 4.0 phone at second place. As before, the only carrier where Apple didn't lead was T-Mobile, where it doesn't participate.
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01/05, 10:50am
RIM may axe Colt and Milan as chances slim
RIM may have slashed two out of the three BlackBerry 10 phones it was planning to launch this year, a rumor emerging Thursday said. The Colt and Milan were said by BGR to have been dropped, leaving just the touch-only London. The Milan may not have even been a BB10 phone, instead being a BlackBerry 7 QWERTY slider that carriers didn't want given how similar it would have been to the Torch 9810.
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01/04, 3:40pm
Kodak readying Chapter 11 filing as precaution
Kodak is drafting Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings in the event it can't sell patents in the next few weeks, insiders asserted Wednesday. The proposed plan seen by the Wall Street Journal would see the camera legend possibly enter bankruptcy later this month or in early February. The reorganization would see it get $1 billion of debtor-in-possession funding and sell its entire library of 1,100 patents through a bankruptcy auction rather than a typical process.
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