BlackBerry: still alive

Do you hear that? It's the sound of millions of BlackBerry users across the United States breathing a sigh of relief as news broke that there would be no BlackBerry shutdown--for now, anyway. As the legal battle between NTP and Research in Motion came to a head in court today, U.S. District Judge James Spencer said he wouldn't impose an immediate injunction and expected to rule on damages before releasing an order related to the injunction. Spencer also scolded both companies like two misbehaved school children for not reaching a settlement on their own. "In plain words, the case should have been settled, but it hasn't, so I have to deal with that reality." Meanwhile, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a final rejection of one of the five NTP-held patents involved in the suit. Ugh. Can this thing get any uglier? To stay on top of it all, check out our special coverage of the BlackBerry vs. NTP catfight for the latest news, reviews, and more.