thorsten heins

BlackBerry co-founder Lazaridis to retire May 1

BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis, who left the co-CEO role just over a year ago, will retire from his current position on the board effective May 1.

After hastily giving up the co-CEO position amid shareholder pressure, Lazardis has served as vice chair and a director of BlackBerry. Last week, he launched a $100 million fund, Quantum Valley Investments, to work on commercial applications for breakthroughs in quantum science.

"With the launch of BlackBerry 10, I believe I have fulfilled my commitment to the board," Lazaridis said today in a press release. "Thorsten and his team did an … Read more

BlackBerry swings to profit, sells 1M Z10 smartphones

BlackBerry swung to a surprising profit in the fiscal fourth quarter amid early signs of progress with its BlackBerry Z10 flagship phone.

For the three months that ended on March 2, the Canadian smartphone manufacturer reported a profit of $98 million, or 19 cents a share, compared with a year-ago loss of $125 million, or 24 cents a share. Excluding items such as its cost-savings program, the company reported an adjusted EPS of 22 cents. Sales, however, fell by 36 percent to $2.68 billion.

More importantly, BlackBerry said it sold 1 million units of the Z10 in the period. … Read more

BlackBerry CEO: Samsung security will never be 'top-notch'

Samsung Electronics will never be able to offer "top-notch platinum" security because of the inherent open nature of Android, according to BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins.

Because Android is open source, it is the most susceptible to attacks such as malware, Heins said yesterday in an interview with CNET in New York City. In comparison, he added, BlackBerry 10 was designed from the ground up to be a secure platform.

"You don't know how many keys you've given to the main door of your house because it's open software," he said about Android. "… Read more

BlackBerry's U.S. launch: Turning point or last gasp?

OK, BlackBerry, it's go time.

After several delays, broken promises, and doomsday prognostications, BlackBerry's next-generation smartphone, the BlackBerry Z10, hits U.S. stores tomorrow.

For a company still eyeing a comeback in the brutally competitive smartphone business, the U.S. launch of the device represents a particularly critical turning point. Despite the BlackBerry falling from grace here, the U.S. is still the device's largest market, representing 20 percent of total subscribers, according to an analyst. A successful launch that attracts old and new users alike could provide BlackBerry with the fuel to turn itself around. But … Read more

BlackBerry has 'exciting' flagship phone planned for holidays

BlackBerry is cooking up something CEO Thorsten Heins says he's "very excited about": another flagship smartphone that may hit during the holidays.

"There's one new product I'm really excited about, but I can't really share it," Heins told CNET in an interview today.

Heins confirmed that the company would have a midtier device later this year, and another "exciting" device for the holidays, although he wasn't 100 percent sure it would hit by year's end. He said there would be three to four BlackBerry 10 devices this fiscal … Read more

BlackBerry Q10 phone may not reach U.S. until May or June

BlackBerry customers in the U.S. awaiting the new Q10 smartphone may have a long wait ahead of them.

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins told the Associated Press this week that the Q10 phone, which offers a traditional physical keyboard, will probably launch eight to 10 weeks after the debut of the virtual keyboard Z10 model. The Z10 is already available in the U.K. and Canada, but likely won't hit the shores of the U.S. until March.

Doing the math, that points to a May or June launch date for the Q10, at least in the U.S. … Read more

Thorsten Heins takes over at RIM

Since taking over as the CEO of Research in Motion in January, Thorsten Heins has opted to go in a different direction than his predecessors. Aside from a few missteps here and there, Heins has been more open, held himself more accountable, and shown an enthusiasm when touting the BlackBerry 10 devices. He spent the first few months cleaning house and swapping in a new management team.

Of course, there's still that bit of old RIM, with the company yet again delaying the launch of BlackBerry 10 until next year. It's a disappointment for many faithful BlackBerry fans … Read more

The 404 1,169: Where we're back in the saddle again (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Did RIM just stage this BlackBerry 10 "leak"?

- Do we need this? Kohler shower head doubles as a wireless speaker.

- Dude builds OSX into old Macintosh Portable, let's talk about RETRO OBSESSION.

- Bionic mannequins spy on shoppers to boost sales.

Bathroom break video: One of the best couples Halloween costumes ever recorded.

Episode 1,169

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RIM CEO: We'll win back users with BlackBerry 10 (Q&A)

*Video depicts existing and developer devices, not unannounced hardware.

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins settles all 6 feet, 7 inches of his lanky frame into the high chair of the hotel conference room where we both sit, slumping down slightly before the camera rolls and the questions fly. (Heins quips that he's short for his family; his son stands 6 feet, 10 inches.)

Heins may speak with an executive's calm, practiced ease, but make no mistake that the next six months for RIM and its chief officer will be anything but easy.

With BlackBerry 10 launching January 30, Heins … Read more