heins

RIM: Over 50 carriers testing BlackBerry 10 now

Research In Motion said today that more than 50 carriers are testing its BlackBerry 10 platform, a critical step to getting its next-generation smartphones in the market next year.

RIM reiterated the company's target of releasing its two BlackBerry 10 smartphones in the first quarter of next year.

Carriers need to test the platform and RIM's products before certifying it for use on their networks, a process known as "Lab Entry." The process, which could take anywhere from a week to several weeks and varies depending on carrier partner, is mandatory for any mobile operating system, … Read more

RIM aims to recapture start-up mojo with fresh blood

A year and a half ago, T.A. McCann was working on a BlackBerry version of his contact manager app Gist.

Today, he is running two of Research in Motion's crown jewels -- BlackBerry Messenger and Contacts -- while ensuring that current and upcoming lines of BlackBerrys are properly tied into various social networks.

McCann's rapid advancement through RIM underscores some of the sweeping changes CEO Thorsten Heins has put in place since taking the reins of the company. McCann represents the new guard of leadership, individuals who weren't around to witness the company crater from its … Read more

RIM CEO: Health care, smart-grid markets interested in BB10

If you take CEO Thorsten Heins' word for it, the next Research in Motion operating system -- BlackBerry 10 -- isn't intended just for mobile devices, and is already drawing interest from other industries.

In an interview with CNET, Heins said businesses in the health care and smart-grid fields have already expressed interest in using the operating system. The company likes to tout that QNX, the software BlackBerry 10 is based on, powers a number of different systems, including cars.

Eventually, BlackBerry 10 will power devices and equipment in multiple industries, Heins said. For instance, he said, the auto … Read more

RIM's secret weapon? 80M 'very loyal' customers

It's funny how a company with nearly 80 million subscribers can be considered to be in a death spiral.

But that's exactly where Research In Motion finds itself. On the heels of a disappointing quarterly loss, a warning of further losses ahead, and the delay of its next-generation BlackBerry 10 platform, many are questioning the company's ability to continue to operate. Shareholders voiced their displeasure with the company yesterday even as executives pleaded for patience.

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins, however, believes people are underestimating the company's odds for a revival. His key argument: that base of … Read more

RIM CEO Heins: 'I'm not happy with the situation at RIM'

Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins isn't too pleased with where his company stands at the moment.

"I'm not happy with the situation at RIM either," Heins said in response to a question posed to him by CIO.com in an interview published yesterday. "Who can be happy and satisfied with where we are?"

Such discontent is understandable. Over the last year alone, the company's shares are down nearly 74 percent. The decline is due to investor concern that plummeting BlackBerry sales and major layoffs are signs that even more trouble is on … Read more

RIM's secret weapon is actually pretty cool

It's become fashionable of late to bash Research In Motion and the decline of all things BlackBerry. With the constant delays of BlackBerry 10, the flop that was the PlayBook, odd behavior by executives, sinking valuation and thousands of layoffs, the trash talk isn't without justification.

But as CEO Thorsten Heins recently implored the Canadian press, the one-time northern king of the smartphone realm shouldn't be counted out of the mobile game of thrones just yet. RIM has a secret weapon -- more overlooked than secret, actually -- and truth be told, it's got the potential … Read more

RIM CEO: No, really, we're not in a 'death spiral'

Research In Motion, despite delays in its upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system and continued disastrous financial performance, is just dandy.

That's according to RIM CEO Thorsten Heins, who denied the company was in a "death spiral" and said on a radio interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that "there was nothing wrong with the company as it exists now." The comments were picked up by Reuters.

Heins' comments come amid already high concerns that escalated after the company warned last week that phones running on its next-generation operating system wouldn't hit the market until … Read more

Did RIM just meet its Waterloo? (No, not Waterloo, Ontario)

Where to start? So much went so wrong during Research in Motion's fiscal first quarter that anyone looking for the proverbial silver lining in today's dismal earnings report would go blind.

By now even the most patient RIM investor is likely going to scream bloody murder after this mess of a report which was worse than many expected, if that's possible. The highlights:

The company lost $518 million, or 99 cents a share, compared with net earnings of $695 million, or $1.33 a share, in the same period a year earlier. Wall Street was expecting an &… Read more

Did RIM shelve an idea to license BBM to competitors, carriers?

Research In Motion had at least considered licensing BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) before its chief executive Thorsten Heins shifted focus, according to a new report.

Late last year and early into 2012, RIM's executives were drawing up plans to make BBM available for licensing to device makers and carriers, the Wall Street Journal is reporting today, citing sources. According to the publication, the platform was to be called "SMS 2.0," and would work on both Android and iOS.

To help make that push, RIM last year acquired messaging firm LiveProfile, according to the Journal's sources. The … Read more