research

Sometimes, trends happen beneath our noses, because our eyes are focused on some distant horizon -- or on this morning's fine YouTube video featuring a cat, a baseball bat, and a bowl of cereal.

So I am grateful to a piece of research conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of a company called TeamViewer, which reveals to me that women would prefer not to have so many physical meetings.

Indeed, apparently womens' preference for online meetings far exceeds that of men.

You might imagine, given that one of TeamViewer's purposes in life is to sell you online-meetings software, … Read more

Ten years from now, range anxiety for electric cars could be a thing of the past.

IBM today announced two partners for a project aimed at building a lithium air battery able to propel an electric car 500 miles. Scientists from Asahi Kasei and Central Glass with expertise in membranes and electrolyte chemistries will join IBM researchers on the initiative.

Called the Battery 500 Project, the goal is to design an "air-breathing" battery that will use oxygen from the air to drive a new type of battery chemical reaction and, in the process, deliver a big jump in … Read more

Research In Motion, struggling to keep its BlackBerrys relevant in the smartphone game, could still make an attractive prize for the right acquirer.

RIM is considering hiring a banker to explore its "strategic alternatives" -- often code word for putting itself on the block -- according to a Bloomberg report today.

The move is in line with CEO Thorsten Heins' recent comments during the last quarterly earnings announcement that he would explore all options for the company, something prior leaders were reluctant to do. For shareholders, it may be their only way to get any kind of return … Read more

Research In Motion has decided to double down on its devices and the upcoming BlackBerry 10. But according to a new report, its former co-CEO and co-chairman had other ideas before he left the company in January.

According to Reuters, citing sources, Jim Balsillie held talks with North American and European carriers prior to his departure from RIM, offering them access to his company's proprietary network. If they had inked a deal, the carriers would have been allowed to route traffic from non-RIM smartphones through the BlackBerry maker's network for a fee. The move, Balsillie reportedly believed, would … Read more

commentary A few months into the gig, Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins has shown he's not afraid to pull the trigger.

On the heels of several high-profile departures, including that of former co-CEO Jim Balsillie, a number of other senior-level executives are also getting shown the door, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

The continued shakeup is badly needed at RIM. As I previously wrote, RIM was mired in a top-heavy company that contributed to its inability to deftly respond to changing trends in the mobile-devices business. On the last quarterly conference call, … Read more

Research In Motion got slapped with a patent lawsuit by NXP Semiconductors, Reuters reported today.

The lawsuit deals with patents that relate to design, data transmission, and other features found on RIM's BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBook tablet, Reuters said.

A RIM representative declined to comment to CNET.

It's just the latest problem for RIM, which last week reported another set of disappointing quarterly results as its BlackBerry continues to cede market share to its competitors. RIM shook up the company's management team and opened the door to explore options, including partnerships, licensing deals, and even a sale, … Read more

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is turning to developers to help it keep its business alive as sales of the once popular smartphone drop sharply.

On Tuesday the company reported that it's been making significant progress in attracting developers to create applications for its BlackBerry Playbook tablet and its upcoming handsets using the BlackBerry 10 software.

In the fiscal fourth quarter of 2011, which it reported last week, the company said that it saw a 21 percent increase in new BlackBerry smartphone apps. And it saw a 240 percent increase in the number of apps created for its Playbook … Read more

The urgency in Research In Motion CEO Thorstein Heins was palpable during the company's first quarterly conference call, suggesting he may be the right man for this job after all.

Even more so than last quarter's mea culpa from former co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, Heins was as forthright as any RIM executive has been. It was a far cry from his comments shortly after taking over as CEO, when he believed RIM was on the right track. It appears after 10 weeks on the jobs, his eyes have opened up to the real problems facing RIM. … Read more

The CEO of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is cutting top brass as the troubled company attempts to regain its footing in the competitive smartphone market, according to a report by The Globe and Mail.

An unnamed source told the publication that executives at the senior vice president and vice president levels were told before the company released quarterly results that they no longer had jobs. Executives in the sales and marketing teams were hit hardest, the unnamed source said.

RIM has steadily been losing market share to competitors such as Apple and companies building devices using the Google Android … Read more