UPDATE: Blackberry Messenger coming to your Android this summer

Hot off the heels of the BlackBerry Live developer’s conference that happened today a version of BlackBerry Messenger for Android and iOS has been announced. Later this summer, the new service will be offered free of charge.

The BlackBerry Messenger, BBM for short, is considered very popular and handy tool among BlackBerry users and has often been praised for its safety and reliability. As of this summer, there will be a version of BBM ported over for iOS and Android, with planned updates for advanced features such as group chat, split screen and channels.
As a provider of business solutions, Blackberry is especially keen on security and this would be a driving point that would help score points with users across the different operating systems. However, will Blackberry and BBM have what it takes to take on established services such as Whatsapp? Only time will tell.
What do you think? Is this something that will sway you away from Whatsapp and similar messaging apps?
UPDATE on June 6th, 2013: 
Confirmation of the date that Blackberry Messenger will be arriving to Android and iOS devices has dropped on T-Mobile UK's twitter page. Users of both operating systems can look forward (?!) to trying out the popular messenging service on June 27th, so just three weeks away.

Users will need to be running Android 4.0 and higher or iOS 6.0 to be able to use Blackberry Messenger on their device. While it's been a long time in coming, the once ridiculously popular messenging application that was unique to Blackberry devices faces strong competition against the likes of Whatsapp and Viber.

BlackBerry shares plunge more than 28% on poor earnings report

TORONTO — Shares of BlackBerry plunged more than 28 per cent in early trading after the smartphone maker's latest results fell short of analyst expectations and it warned that further losses were likely to come next quarter.
The Waterloo, Ont.-based company posted a first-quarter loss of US$84 million, 16 cents per share for the three months ended June 1, improved from a loss of $518 million or 99 cents per share a year ago.
But the adjusted loss from continuing operations was $67 million, or 13 cents per share, deeper than predictions of six cents per share profit, according to a poll of analysts by Thomson Reuters.
The company's shares fell $4.24 to $10.81 shortly after trading began on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
BlackBerry also said it has scrapped plans to offer an operating system update to its PlayBook tablet, signalling that the company plans to eventually clear the sales flop from its products entirely.
Missing from the results were specific sales figures for its new smartphone models, and subscribers fell by 4 million to 72 million, though the company says it will no longer provide them because they don't accurately reflect its business model.
The company says it shipped 6.8 million phones in the quarter a 13 per cent increase from a quarter earlier when its BlackBerry Z10 touchscreen phone sales were just getting underway.Revenue increased to $3.07 billion, up from $2.81 billion a year ago.
“During the first quarter, we continued to focus our efforts on the global roll out of the BlackBerry 10 platform,” chief executive Thorsten Heins said in a release.
The results were particularly weak in Latin America where the company says “foreign currency restrictions” in Venezuela negatively affected service revenues by $72 million.
Heins said he expects BlackBerry will book an operating loss in its second-quarter earnings results, due to heightened competition in the smartphone industry.
“The company will also continue to implement the cost savings and process-improving initiatives it started last year,” he added.

BlackBerry increases revenues by 15pc but makes loss of $84m

Shipments up 13 per cent from the previous three months, but subscriber numbers down again as manufacturer predicts another loss in the coming quarter 

BlackBerry saw its revenues rise to $3.1 billion (£2.03 billion), but also made a loss of $84 million (£55.1 million) in the first three months of this year.

Reporting its Q1 financial results for the three months to June 1, revenue was up 15 per cent sequentially and nine per cent annually, while the loss was in comparison to the $94 million (£61.7 million) profit made in the previous quarter.

BlackBerry shipped 6.8 million smartphones, up 13 per cent from the previous three month period. From this, it shipped 2.72 million BlackBerry 10 smartphones, up from the one million shipped in the previous quarter. It also shipped 100,000 PlayBook tablets this quarter.

In the previous quarter, BlackBerry reported that subscriber numbers had fallen from 79 million to 76 million. However it these results, the manufacturer did not reveal numbers.

In Europe, Blackberry’s revenues were $1.34 billion (£879 million), up from $1.23 billion (£807 million) in the previous quarter. This made up 43.7 per cent of the manufacturer’s revenues in the three months, but was down from 45.8 per cent in the previous quarter.

BlackBerry said it expects to make an operating loss in the current quarter. Throughout the remainder of its financial year, it said it will continue to invest in BlackBerry 10 smartphone launches, and the roll out of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, to continue to establish the new platform in the market.

It added it will also invest resources to evolve BlackBerry Messenger into a leading cross-platform mobile social messaging application, and launch other revenue initiatives associated with new services and emerging mobile computing opportunities.

BlackBerry president and CEO Thorsten Heins (pictured) said: “During the first quarter, we continued to focus our efforts on the global roll out of the BlackBerry 10 platform. We are still in the early stages of this launch, but already, the BlackBerry 10 platform and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 are proving themselves to customers to be very secure, flexible and dynamic mobile computing solutions.

“Over the next three quarters, we will be increasing our investments to support the roll out of new products and services, and to demonstrate that BlackBerry has established itself as a leading and vibrant player in next  generation mobile computing solutions for both consumer and enterprise customers.”

RIM BlackBerry Q5

The Q5 is made for young BlackBerry wannabes. It comes with the same-as-Q10 3.1-inch 768x768 pixels screen, slower 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 5-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front-facing one, full QWERTY keyboard and just 8GB of internal storage (that can further expanded with microSD cards).

RIM BLACKBERRY Q5 SPECIFICATIONS

DISPLAY

• Screen size: 3.1 inch (101.60 mm)
• Resolution: Other - 768 X 768
• Type: Super AMOLED
• Touch screen: Multi-touch (Capactive)

SIZE & WEIGHT

• Height: 120.0 mm (4.84 inch)
• Width: 66.0 mm (2.68 inch)
• Depth: 10.8 mm (0.47 inch)
• Weight: 120.0 g

CONNECTIVITY & WIRELESS

• Wi-Fi: Yes (802.11b/g/n)
• Wi-Fi Encryption: WEP, WPA, WPA2
• Bluetooth 3.0
• Computer Sync supported: Yes

CAMERA

• Resolution: 5.0 megapixels
• Camera Features:
  • Records video
  • Auto focus
  • Digital zoom
  • Flash
  • Contact pictures
  • Geo-tagging (location)
• Secondary Camera: Yes 2.0 megapixels

OTHER FEATURES

• Flight Mode: Yes
• NFC or RFID payment: Yes
• TTY / TDD: Yes
• TV-out: Yes

HARDWARE

• CPU: 1200 MHz
• RAM: 2048 MB
• USB: 2.0 [Mass Storage Device, Charging]
• microUSB

BATTERY & POWER

• Battery type: Li-ion
• Capacity: 2180 mAh

Windows Phone market share now in third place worldwide as BlackBerry slips

According to new market share numbers from IDC, the International Data Corporation, Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system is now in third place worldwide. It snatches the position previously held by BlackBerry which is now in fourth place; or in other words, the land of mediocrity.

This past quarter, IDC reports that Windows Phone accounted for 3.2 percent of worldwide phone shipments. BlackBerry accounted for 2.9 percent. That’s pretty sad for a company that practically dominated the industry not too many years ago. Windows Phone growth is slow, but hey, at least it’s growth. In fact, it’s better than what IDC predicted. Behind BlackBerry is Linux with 1 percent market share and Symbian with 0.6 percent.

Meanwhile Android and iOS continue to run the world. Combined, they add up to 92.3 percent of the market share. Android, of course, has a wide lead internationally, claiming 75 percent of all smartphones sold last quarter, leaving iOS with the remainder of 17.3 percent.

Symbian actually saw the greatest decline percentage-wise. In the first quarter of 2012 (the year-ago quarter) it held at 6.8 percent share. Technically, Windows Phone actually saw the most growth by percentage, because it grew 133 percent. However that’s only moving from 2 percent to 3.2 percent. The biggest overall leap made was by Android — from 59.1 percent to 75 percent. Though iOS shipment volume increased, market share decreased from 23 percent to 17.3 percent.

Canalys: BlackBerry and Windows Phone lacking top apps

This something Windows Phone and BlackBerry users don’t want to admit – their beloved platforms are lacking some important apps (and few awesome games). The sheer number of apps doesn’t matter much if you can’t have what’s popular out there (presuming that popularity also includes some quality).

According to Canalys‘ report, of the top 50 free and top 50 paid apps in Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store in the US, just 34% are available in either the Windows Phone store or BlackBerry World. This is despite “substantial efforts” from Microsoft and BlackBerry to improve their positions.

The picture can be made “a little more optimistic” by taking into account apps that are specific to a particular ecosystem, or where similar alternatives are available (think – utility apps).

However, the conclusion is that the “presence of clear gaps in their inventories cannot and should not be masked.” Canalys’ Tim Shepherd goes on to add that the availability of key apps is a “factor in motivating consumers’ initial mobile device purchasing decisions, and it will only become more so.”

As a reminder, the Windows Phone Marketplace has recently surpasses 145,000 apps, while BlackBerry has managed to pass the 120,000 mark. But does it matter?

BlackBerry CEO says iPhone UI is old, lacking innovation

Speaking to The Australian Financial Review, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins was very outspoken about BlackBerry 10 and its place in the smartphone market.

Heins touted BlackBerry’s new OS, mentioning that the company has seen a fair amount of early adopters who have switched from another platform to BlackBerry 10 OS. BlackBerry may not be winning by a long shot, but it enticign customers to leave iOS and Android. Heins notes that the release of several high-profile devices has loosened Apple’s grip on the smartphone market and Apple has been slow to overhaul iOS.

“Apple did a fantastic job in bringing touch devices to market … They did a fantastic job with the user interface, they are a design icon. There is a reason why they were so successful, and we actually have to admit this and respect that,” Mr Heins said.

“History repeats itself again I guess … the rate of innovation is so high in our industry that if you don’t innovate at that speed you can be replaced pretty quickly. The user interface on the iPhone, with all due respect for what this invention was all about is now five years old.”

This statement will no doubt cause a stir, especially since BlackBerry is on the death watch listof many analysts. So what do you think? Is iOS old and musty?

RIM co-founder Mike Lazaridis stepping down from BlackBerry

RIM co-founder Mike Lazaridis is stepping down from his positions at BlackBerry. After Thorsten Heins took over as CEO, Lazaridis stayed on at BlackBerry as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors and a Director for the company.

“With the launch of BlackBerry 10, I believe I have fulfilled my commitment to the Board,” Lazaridis said. “Thorsten and his team did an excellent job in completing BlackBerry 10. We have a great deal of which to be proud. I believe I am leaving the company in good hands. I remain a huge fan of BlackBerry and, of course, wish the company and its people well.”

Lazaridis will be leaving BlackBerry effective  May 1st to focus on his newest venture, Quantum Valley Investments.

BlackBerry earns $98 million, loses 3 million subscribers in Q4 2013

BlackBerry reported its Q4 2013 earnings today and surprised Wall Street with a surprise profit of $98 million, or $0.19 per share diluted for the quarter. This is a significant improvement from the same quarter last year when the company reported a loss of $118 million. “We have implemented numerous changes at BlackBerry over the past year and those changes have resulted in the Company returning to profitability in the fourth quarter,” said BlackBerry President and CEO Thorsten Heins.

Despite making a profit this quarter, BlackBerry’s quarterly revenue of $2.7 billion missed Wall Street’s estimate of $2.8 billion. The company is also losing subscribers at an alarming rate, dropping from 79 million last quarter to 76 million this quarter. BlackBerry also announced that it sold 6 million BlackBerry smartphones, 1 million of which were Z10 handsets, and about 370,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

Android And iPhone Owners Can Experience BlackBerry 10 With Live Demo

If you’re an Android or iPhone user who is interested in checking out BlackBerry’s new BlackBerry 10 OS, a new live web demo is now available that turns your smartphone into a temporary BB10 device. By pointing your mobile browser to BlackBerry.com/glimpse, users can take a tour of the new OS, checking out the BlackBerry Hub, the BlackBerry Keyboard, BBM with Screen Share, and Time Shift Mode.

The demo is nothing that intensive, but does give users a feel of what living with the BlackBerry 10 OS is like. The BlackBerry 10 OS has been released to nominal fanfare, and is still catching criticisms as it struggles to come into its own in a market saturated by Android and iOS devices.

So if you are considering dumping your Android or iPhone handset for BlackBerry 10, check out this demo for a taste of what you may be getting into.

BlackBerry 10 Jam kicks off in Belgrade, Serbia

Today I’m attending BlackBerry’s developer event in Belgrade, Serbia, which is organized by the company’s Balkan developer network. Even though the Canadian company was losing market share in the last few years, they’re eager to tell everyone they’re a different company now, one that has a brand new platform to compete in today’s market.

We had a chance to watch the live demo of select BlackBerry 10 features, including the sexy-new UI called Flow with the “Peak” preview capability, TimeShift camera mode (licensed from Scalado, as far as I’ve understood) and the BlackBerry Hub all-in-one messaging/alert center. The company’s representative also reminded us that their platform is more secure than anything else on the market, and has even got certification from the German government.

As developers are looking beyond “two default platforms,” iOS and Android, BlackBerry is looking to attract them to its eco-system. And so does Microsoft, and the Canadian company is doing its best to make it as easy as possible for developers to choose BlackBerry 10 over (or in addition to) Windows Phone.

To that end, BlackBerry is investing a ton of resources to help developers not only port existing mobile apps to BlackBerry 10 but also make brand-new apps. In that sense, individuals and companies looking to make applications for the platform can visit dedicated forums, ask assistance from BlackBerry tech centers, get training and certification, as well as app exposure if their “work” uses all of the elements of the platform.

But that’s not all. The company also gave away more than 12,000 Dev Alpha BlackBerry 10 devices, 20,000+ Playbooks, and 7,000+ Z10 Limited Edition devices to developers to help them test their apps. All this produced impressive results, driving the app count from 20 in June 2012 to more than 100,000 apps in April 2013!

Finally, we were also able to get a hint about BlackBerry’s future plans, which go beyond mobile and include not only computing devices but also (connected) cars and other in-house appliances.

As I’m finishing this text, the company’s Aaron Ardiri is giving as an overview of developer tools. The launch break will follow, after which we’re off to developer sessions…

83 percent of Americans don’t know BlackBerry 10 even launched

Well, RIM’s not off to a good start with the launch of the BlackBerry 10 operating system and new BlackBerry Z10 phone. Let’s be real though: did anyone actually think BlackBerry 10 was going to be RIM’s total saving grace? While it’s a definite step up from the BlackBerry models we’ve come to loathe, the problem RIM is having is that no one seems to give a damn, at least according to recent polls.

MKM Partners researched BlackBerry 10 by the numbers and found, well, some pretty bad ones. When asked the question, “Are you aware that BlackBerry 10 was launched in Canada and Europe in late January 2013?” 82.6 percent of respondents said “No.” To be fair, Americans are being asked about a Canadian and European launch, but for nearly 83 percent of them to not know anything about RIM’s new flagship product months after a pretty large debut is still pretty sad.

Additionally, The Wall Street Journal reported that over 50 percent of BlackBerry Z10 buyers ended up returning it, which would mean returns are outnumbering sales. This is a claim RIM later denied, stating that return rates are on par with other smartphones.

Another poll indicated that 71.4 percent of participants said they would never buy a BlackBerry compared to 31.3 percent saying the same about Android and 19.7 percent saying that about an iPhone.

After all this I think it’s safe to say RIM has a real problem on its hands. Even with BlackBerry 10, the platform has failed to stay relevant in the eyes of consumers. What’s next will either be imminent doom or a miraculous turnaround.

Canada to Recieve BlackBerry Q10 on May 1st

RIM, it’s a nasty word we just don’t use anymore. The newly rebranded company, now going by BlackBerry, is releasing its keyboard touting, BlackBerry 10 OS running smartphone in Canada on May 1st of this year. Canadian carriers such as Rogers Wireless, Bell Mobility and Telus will be selling the Q10, which will retail for $199 CSD with the signing of a three-year contract. The Q10 will also be available through participating brick and mortar retailers such as Future Shop and Walmart Canada.

BlackBerry unveiled two BlackBerry 10 smartphones back in January of this year, theZ10 and the Q10. The difference between the two is a QWERTY keyboard, a piece of BlackBerry’s past that will grace the Q10. The Z10 was released in the U.S. and Canada in early February.

BlackBerry claims to have shipped 1 million Z10 units worldwide — not a bad start for the company, but not the best either. With Apple and Google dominating the smartphone app ecosystem with their iOS and Android offerings, BlackBerry is having a hard time penetrating the consumer mind with 83% of Americans ignorant about the release of BlackBerry 10. TheZ10 is accounting for 5.3% of BlackBerry traffic currently, which is a step in the right direction. The release of the Q10 could propel the company into the limelight however if it is adopted by traditional BlackBerry consumers, who are mostly business and enterprise users.

What do you think about BlackBerry’s new operating system and handset offerings? Is BlackBerry doomed, or can it compete against Android and iOS? Let us know your thoughts.

BlackBerry CEO suddenly thinks tablets should be easier to use

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins made some odd comments about tablets today at the BlackBerry Live conference. They’re odd because just last month he seemingly would have disagreed with what he is now saying.

“The industry got stuck on the term ‘tablets’,” Heins told CNET, before adding a stance for the company. “We want to create something that’s easier to use.” His plan is to make the tablet essentially a paper weight unless it’s paired with a mobile phone — in this case, a BlackBerry — to act as a brain.

That completely contradicts his view from last month, when he essentially claimed that tablets would be dead in the water within five years. “We believe in a single element of mobile computing: one on your hip,” he said. Even that seems to be a contradiction as well, since BlackBerry released the BlackBerry Playbook a couple of years ago… which is a tablet. It was a failure of a tablet though, so perhaps the company was bitter about tablets because they have scarred themselves with a flop.

While it seems Heins has reversed his views from last month today, it doesn’t look like that means BlackBerry will be coming out with another tablet any time soon. The focus has been mainly on mobile phone hardware and the BlackBerry 10 OS. ”The pure hardware play isn’t making a lot of sense today,” Heins remarked, but later added, “We’re interested in the future of tablets, whatever that is.”