Research in Motion (RIM)

Web crashes take a big toll

Judi Hasson — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:29:35 -0400

Everyone, from teenagers constantly on IM to the executives hooked on their BlackBerrys have become dependent on the Internet. Virtually, every enterprise relies on the web to communicate, to transit or find information and to do business in this digital age.

So when there is a glitch or a failure, it seems like a disaster. Everything stops. No one can function. In the past few months, technology companies like Yahoo, Amazon.com and Research in Motion--the company behind the BlackBerry--all have suffered embarrassing technical problems. The New York Times suggests the consequences of such inevitable breakdowns will only loom larger with plans by Internet companies to make us even more dependent.

Companies like Google want us to store not just email online, but also spreadsheets, photo albums, sales data and nearly every other piece of personal and professional information. "That data is supposed to be more accessible than information tucked away in the office computer or filing cabinet," the newspaper said. But the story adds that the problem is that this requires web services to be available around the clock; even the Internet's biggest companies sometimes have trouble making that happen.

For more on our Web addictions:
- check out the New York Times article

Google gets SaaS-y with email security

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:59:56 -0500

It's no secret that enterprise email has historically been a cash cow for companies like Microsoft, IBM and Research in Motion (RIM). Now, it appears that Google is looking to get in on the action as well. The company has rolled out new Postini security email services that will allow enterprises to protect their email using a software as a service (SaaS) product. Google bought Postini last year for $625 million and has been using the company's technology to secure Gmail, Google's free, web-based email service, ever since. Now, however, companies will be able to utilize the same spam filtering, eDiscovery and security tools with their own email servers. The new products are as follows:

Google Message Filtering: Anti-spam and anti-virus email filtering. $3 per user, per year.
Google Message Security: Google Message Filtering plus stronger virus detection, outbound processing and content policy management. $12 per user, per year.
Google Message Discovery: Google Message Security plus one year of email archiving, retention and discovery. $25 per user, per year.

All three solutions are available now, for users of Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise. "The vast majority of enterprise out there that have not deployed Gmail are using Exchange servers, Notes servers and GroupWise servers, etc., [and] now have the ability to deploy some fashion of Google Apps and make it work with their existing infrastructure," said Postini founder and Google director of product management, Scott Petry.

For more on the new products:
- see this eWeek article

BlackBerry OS to get update this year

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:59:59 -0500

Given the rumors that we've been hearing about the forthcoming BlackBerry 9-series, it's no secret that RIM is gearing up for some big changes in the look and feel of its BlackBerry series of smartphones. Up until this point, however, we've heard relatively little on the topic of the BlackBerry OS, which is, admittedly, getting a little long in the tooth. Fear not, BlackBerry fans: at the Lotusphere conference today, RIM announced that they'll be pushing out an update to the BlackBerry OS during the first half of the year. Among the slated improvements: improved HTML and Rich Text support in email, an email search feature, a contact availability feature a la Outlook, IM presence features and support for Microsoft Office documents. If that sounds good to you, check out the press release for the full list of new features.

For more on the update:
- see this press release

A good year for tech stocks

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 06:59:59 -0500

It was a very good year for technology mutual funds in 2007, despite the stock market's roller coaster ride. The funds returned more than 17 percent on average, according to the research firm, Morningstar, and a few tech funds--hold your hats--actually gained 30 percent or more. The top three individual stocks were Apple, Google and Research in Motion. Apple more than doubled in share price. RIM nearly tripled, and if you were lucky enough to get Google, it rose 50 percent to $691 for a single share. It may have been a one-year bump. It certainly will be tough for these companies to meet these levels again in 2008. But if you are a real risk-taker, it may still be a good year to take a chance on the world of technology that is changing every day.

For more on high-tech stocks:
- See this New York Times article

RIM opens BlackBerry retail store

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:59:53 -0500

Unlike many other countries, the United States has few retail outlets dedicated to handsets, as phones are generally sold through the wireless carriers. Sure, Apple sells its iPhone direct to consumers and Nokia sells unlocked GSM phones at its flagship stores but these examples are mere exceptions to the rule. Thus, if you want to try out every model of BlackBerry on the market, you'll have to run around town to your local Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile stores...that is, unless you live in the Detroit metropolitan area. RIM has partnered with Michigan wireless retailer Wireless Giant to open the world's first BlackBerry store, in Farmington Hills, Michigan. At the store, you can buy BlackBerry handsets, accessories and add-ons and can even activate your phone with service from one of the big four. Employees at the store will be trained to offer advice to customers as well as tutorials on how to use the devices. "It's a concept store and we don't know where it'll go from here," said Nadine Stafford, marketing director for Wireless Giant. "There's no (plans for) other stores at this point."

For more on the first BlackBerry retail store:
- see this Detroit News article

Stock market skid hits tech

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:59:59 -0500

The stock market roller coaster hit the tech sector last week. The Nasdaq composite, where many tech stocks are traded, had the worst two days of the bull market. Tech stocks aren't nearly as bad as the housing market, which has been having a very bad year and is taking down the market with it. Nevertheless, it's a stunning development because the tech sector has been relatively immune to pressures from the credit crunch and weak dollar which has hurt Wall Street. Cisco Systems added to the worries when it warned that some big companies were slashing spending. "It's been an immaculate situation for tech names like Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL), Research In Motion (RIMM) and Cisco (CSCO)," said Bernie Schaeffer of Schaeffer's Investment Research. "Now tech stocks are grabbed into the muck with the rest of the market." Google, which had been reaching new highs, ended down last week by $39.10 to $693.84 after briefly dropping nearly $56 a share.

For more on the stock market and tech:
- see USA Today article

RIM announces SMB management solution

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:59:58 -0500

Picture a BlackBerry user and what do you see? A suit-and-tie sort of guy, possibly an exec, who is undoubtedly the employee of a Fortune 500 company. While that profile might be spot on at the moment, RIM is hoping that the next few years will see more overall-wearing produce store owners and small-town real estate brokers hopping on the BlackBerry bandwagon as well.

To that end, the Canadian company has announced BlackBerry Professional Software, an integrated management suite designed from the ground up for small and medium-sized businesses. BlackBerry Professional is meant to be a SMB counterpart the RIM's enterprise-sized BlackBerry Enterprise Server and is intended to be fully-scalable; you can even easily upgrade to BlackBerry Enterprise Server if your business grows beyond 30 mobile employees. BlackBerry Professional provides SMB admins with a set of easy-to-use tools--including wizards, installation and configuration applets--for managing policy, security and custom applications for a mobile fleet. Best of all, it doesn't require a separate server like RIM's enterprise-class solution: BlackBerry Professional Software can be installed directly on your email server. "The SMB market is a very large market that sees the value of mobility even more than the large enterprises do," Alan Panezic, RIM's Vice President of product software management, told DailyTechRag last week. "They're really just looking for core functionality--what they're telling us is 'let us grow with the solution.'" BlackBerry Professional Software is available now; the five user bundle goes for $499 while the 10 user bundle will set you back $849.

For more on BlackBerry Professional Software:
- see this press release

Facebook sells stake, partners with RIM

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Call it a sign of the times: Microsoft has announced that it has acquired a 1.6 percent stake in social networking service Facebook for $240 million--a deal that values the website at $15 billion. Microsoft will now sell Internet ads across the Facebook platform outside the U.S., expanding a marketing alliance first launched last year.

The news followed hours after Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz's keynote appearance at the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment event in San Francisco (photos), where he announced the debut of Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones, a mobile social networking software application developed in collaboration with device maker Research In Motion. According to RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridus, who joined Moskovitz onstage at CTIA, Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones leverages the push-based BlackBerry system architecture with the open Facebook Platform--the app will make its carrier debut via an exclusive deal with T-Mobile.

"Mobile is the next frontier in social networking," Moskovitz said. Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones enables Facebook users to send and view messages, photos and related content on a mobile device--it automatically pushes notifications to the BlackBerry device, allowing users to upload photos complete with captions and tags. The app also enables users to send event invites, manage photo albums and manage their Facebook status away from the PC.

Facebook and Research In Motion inaugurated their collaboration about six months earlier. "Within two days, we had our first working prototype, and we realized we were really on to something," Lazaridus said Thursday. "We realized that with two open platforms, we could start intimately linking them together."

According to Moskovitz, Facebook now boasts an active membership close to 50 million--after crunching numbers in the Microsoft deal, each of those members is worth roughly $300. It is also the most trafficked photo site on the web, housing close to four billion images. -Jason

For more on Facebook:
- see a photo slideshow of Moskovitz's keynote
- and read this New York Times article

AT&T gets BlackBerry 8310

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

The BlackBerry might just be the businessman's best friend but one thing is for sure: these little devices aren't nearly as loyal as the average pooch. We've already seen RIM's WiFi-enabled BlackBerry Curve 8320 on the T-Mobile network and now it looks like it's AT&T's turn with the 8310--the GPS variant. You know the drill: GPS, A2DP/AVRCP, 320x240 display, 2-megapixel camera, microSD expansion slot and Bluetooth 2.0. It's a shame that they didn't manage to pack WiFi in there as well but as you probably know, that's how these things work with RIM. These puppies are available now from AT&T in red and titanium flavors for $199 after 2-year service agreement and mail-in rebate.

For more on the new Curve:
- see this press release
- and see some early reviews of the device

BlackBerry 9-series rumors surface

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

So, you're the preeminent vendor of smartphones for the suit and tie set, with millions of businessmen at your beck and call. What do you do next? Why, develop a next-generation version of your flagship device, of course. Rumors are starting to surface that RIM's 9-series BlackBerry line could show up as early as next year. Though nothing is confirmed yet, the usually reliable Boy Genius Report claims to have the scoop on the phone. If BGR is right, we can expect 3G HSDPA, an upgraded 600Mhz processor (I still remember the days when a 600Mhz CPU was considered fast in a PC) and a built-in backup/restore function. BGR seems pretty jazzed up about this one, claiming that the 3G/600Mhz combo will allow for simultaneous voice and data, not to mention faster speeds when browsing the Internet and performing other basic tasks. BGR is guessing that we'll see this one early next year, so keep your fingers crossed, BlackBerry fans.

For more on the rumored BlackBerry 9-series:
- see this report from the Boy Genius Report

Though it should go without saying, the BlackBerry pictured above is the 8820, not the 9-series