One of the things BlackBerry has never really had going for it, is a deep games catalog. Now, that isn't about to change in one fell swoop, but things are about to get a lot better at BlackBerry World 2012. RIM's head of gaming, Anders Jeppsson, took to twitter to let the world know about the impressive pile of titles heading to the PlayBook and BlackBerry 10. The biggest names are certainly Jetpack Joyride, from Halfbrick (the studio behind Fruit Ninja), and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Other games in the pipeline include Galaxy on Fire 2 and Star Marine, while Tomb Raider fans can get down with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light starting today. Keep an ear out for more to hit during this week's BBW.

BlackBerry gets its game on at BBW, scores Jetpack Joyride and Sonic originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know the drill -- grab yourself a spoonful of Morton's and get ready for another supposed leak of a gadget. This time around, you're looking at what's claimed as being of Research In Motion's BlackBerry 10 "Development Alpha" devices that will be handed out during next week's BlackBerry Jam -- just like the company promised a month ago. Images of the device first surfaced over at Crackberry's forums and, as the site points out, the touchscreen candy bar seems to share its design DNA with the PlayBook. Keeping in mind that it's likely to remain a testing device for devs, don't bank on it ever hitting store shelves. That said, we're now curious how pivotal a roll RIM's famous tactile keyboards will play on its next-generation phones -- if any. Head over to the sources links below if you'd like to catch more photos from Mr. Blurrycam and extra information in the meantime.

Is this RIM's BlackBerry 10 development device? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 21:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jim Balsillie might be on the outs, but it looks like his once boastful pet-project -- a BlackBerry PlayBook with integrated cellular wireless -- is finally coming to fruition. Per CrackBerry's forums comes the above snap of the Canadian slate donning a SIM card slot, nary a month after we first spotted the company's HSPA+ and LTE tablets pass through the FCC. That also lines up nicely with a previously leaked roadmap, promising a summer arrival. Will the mythical 4G-wielding PlayBook ever make it to market? Or like it's WiMax brother, will it never be given the chance? While you ponder that, more pics await at the source.

BlackBerry PlayBook with '4G' out and about, wants to know where you put its SIM originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zinio finally hits the PlayBook, becomes your Berry own magazine stand originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Research in Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook may be down, but it’s definitely not out. Over a year ago, the company revealed plans to release an LTE-compatible PlayBook as well as a 3G model that will work on HSPA+ networks. Details surrounding these variants have been few and far between, with some assuming they were simply canceled. As it turns out, two tablets from Research in Motion recently passed through the FCC equipped with HSPA+ connectivity and AT&T compatible LTE radios. BGR in January exclusively reported details about RIM’s plans to introduce a new PlayBook tablet around May or June that will be equipped with a 1.5GHz processor, built-in HSPA+ and NFC support.

[Via Engadget]

Read [LTE] Read [HSPA+]

Everybody loves happy endings, so it's with this in mind that we bring you news of the official "sanctioned" arrival of Dolphin Browser within the BlackBerry App World. At version 7.2, this app isn't quite as fresh as its native Android counterpart -- which sits at version 7.5 in the Play Store and offers Sonar voice features -- but it still brings its webzine and gesture-driven mannerisms that many appreciate. As you may recall, this isn't the first time that the Dolphin Browser has graced the App World, but this time around, it was submitted by MoboTap -- so yeah, they know it's in there. If you happen to have a PlayBook and would like to try the alternative browser, be sure to hit up the source link.

Dolphin Browser arrives in BlackBerry App World, now with developer's permission originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HSPA+ BlackBerry Playbook hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following the much delayed BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 update, the tablet finally has a native email client, other PIM apps and a larger selection of apps thanks to its Android player. Research in Motion is now looking to further boost interest in its debut slate, and it has announced the BlackBerry Mini Keyboard for those users looking for a physical keypad option on top of the virtual one. The accessory retails for a lofty $119.99 and is available for pre-order starting today, with shipments going out on March 23rd. The concept of the keyboard is similar to the competition. It includes a multitouch trackpad for browsing, a keyboard for easy input and a battery that last up to 30 days. Unlike the ASUS Transformer Prime, RIM’s accessory does not have a docking feature and is just a carrying case with an integrated Bluetooth keyboard. RIM’s video demonstation follows below.

Read

How would you change Amazon's Kindle Fire? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Research In Motion released its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, the device had its fair share of problems. RIM promised an operating system update that would address these problems but the launch was delayed by several months. A new report from N4BB claims the official release of the PlayBook 2.0 update is set for February 21st, just over a week later than the company initially planned. The PlayBook OS 2.0 update will include native email, calendar and contacts apps, but unfortunately native BBM will remain absent from the tablet and can only be accessed through BlackBerry Bridge.
Read

Apple has argued on multiple occasions that Samsung builds mobile products that ”blatantly imitate the appearance of Apple’s products to capitalize on Apple’s success.” Courts seem to disagree for the most part, with only a pair of injunctions having been issued despite dozens of complaints Apple has filed around the world. There are some areas where Samsung does seem to take pages out of Apple’s playbook, however — Samsung’s new anti-iPhone ad strategy is somewhat reminiscent of Apple’s famous “I’m a Mac” campaign, for example — and market research firm Allied Business Intelligence may have uncovered another one this week. Read on for more.

ABI recently performed a teardown on Samsung’s latest flagship phone, the Galaxy Nexus, and the firm analyzed the components found within the handset. Among them was a new version of Samsung’s LTE chipset that is estimated to cost half as much as the chip it replaces.

“The Samsung Galaxy Nexus modem is constructed with the combination of a Via Telecom CDMA/EVDO Rev. A integrated circuit and a Samsung LTE baseband integrated circuit,” the firm wrote in its report. “This combination is now common for Samsung’s Verizon phones, but the Galaxy Nexus sports a new version of the LTE baseband chip. The new chip is estimated at nearly half the cost of the prior chip’s $23 price tag.”

One area where the competition has been unable to keep pace with Apple is profit, and the company’s record-setting holiday quarter was thanks largely in part to the huge margins it enjoys on iPhone sales. Asymco’s Horace Dediu estimates that Apple took in approximately 75% of mobile phone industry profits last quarter despite accounting for just 9% of global cell phone shipments, or an estimated 23.5% of all smartphone channel sales.

Whether or not Samsung’s mobile devices are “copycats” as Apple claims is up to the courts of the world to decide, but Samsung would be wise to follow Apple’s lead where margins are concerned. Samsung shipped about as many smartphones as Apple during the holiday quarter, but the $2.32 billion in operating profit it took in from its mobile business pales in comparison to Apple’s mobile profits.

Making significant cuts to component costs while still managing to sell 4G devices at premium prices could help the South Korea-based vendor hold its ground in the first quarter while the world awaits the launch of its next-generation flagship smartphone, the quad-core Galaxy S III.

The BlackBerry PlayBook blues got you down? Fujitsu thinks you should consider riding the Android train to work. The company today announced the awkwardly named Stylistic M350/CA2 Android tablet, a seven-inch enterprise-focused slate aimed at folks looking for a sales terminal, catalog displayer or e-reader. The Stylistic has a WSVGA display and a battery that should give you around six hours on a charge. You can pick one of these guys up in mid-February, if you're in Japan. An equally exciting press release can be found after the jump.

Continue reading Fujitsu announces Stylistic Android tablet for taking care of business, working overtime

Fujitsu announces Stylistic Android tablet for taking care of business, working overtime originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All of new RIM CEO Thorsten Heins' fresh ideas will apparently still be revealed to the company's board in a couple of weeks, but he's already dropped some gems in interviews with the Wall Street Journal and Reuters (update: and Bloomberg). First item on the agenda? Getting current users upgraded to the latest and greatest BlackBerry hardware. Citing internal statistics that indicate 80- to 90- percent of the company's customer base aren't running BlackBerry 7 hardware yet, it will work closely with US carriers to promote upgrades until the new BB10 devices hit later this year. There's no word on what the carrier deals include, but he hinted at device or preloaded app bundles. He also promised an LTE version of the PlayBook would arrive this spring, with LTE connected handsets also planned for the BlackBerry 10 lineup. Is that enough to turn around RIM's fortunes in the US, where he acknowledged the company is "a turnaround candidate"? We'll find out, but as obvious as the need to placate the already BBM-addicted may be, execution of the plan is everything.

Shocker! New RIM CEO targets existing BlackBerry users for upgrades originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We reported on RIM’s 2012 release schedule earlier this week and now we’re back to paint a more complete picture with RIM’s full 2012 roadmap, which is loaded with information. The deck provides details on everything from the company’s upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook with built-in 3G, to the new Curve lineup including the BlackBerry Curve 9220 and BlackBerry Curve 9320, to new features like Wi-Fi media server sharing and more. From the calendar in the document, it looks like the first BlackBerry 10 smartphone, codenamed London, is currently scheduled for release in late September, but could be pushed to October based on the roadmap, which is a long way off considering we’re looking a a relatively slow three quarters leading up to BlackBerry 10. We’ve dropped 15 slides from this massive deck into a gallery, so check out all of the images below!

Chris Wade, the intrepid dev behind the DingleBerry PlayBook hack, has turned his attention to new device. One that occupies the exact opposite end of the size spectrum -- the MOTOACTV. The man started poking around inside the Android-powered sports watch, actually tearing it open and splaying its innards across his palm for all of us to see. Under the hood he discovered an OMAP 3630 clocked at 600MHz and 256MB of RAM. Then he put the whole thing back together and the real fun began. Wade managed root the underlying Gingerbread platform and turn it from a GPS tracker to 1.6-inch tablet by sideloading the stock Honeycomb launcher. Wade even managed to bless the tiny device with Market access, allowing him to install a certain title featuring a flock of furious fowl. You'll find a few more photos in the gallery below and a video of the hacked up sports watch cum micro-tablet after the break. If you're looking to create your own super-charge Android wristwear hit up the source link for instructions from the so-called "bad boy of IT."

Continue reading MOTOACTV torn down and rooted, turned into a tablet for ants

MOTOACTV torn down and rooted, turned into a tablet for ants originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Dec 2011 19:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Poor RIM. Nothing's going right for it: the PlayBook is killing it, its next generation of mobile phones is severely delayed, and now, someone's run off with $1.7 million of its stock. More »

Research In Motion on Thursday reported earnings for the third quarter of fiscal 2012. The struggling smartphone vendor announced earlier this month that it would miss its third-quarter guidance of between $5.3 billion and $5.6 billion in revenue, and it said EPS would likely be in line with the low end of its earlier guidance. The numbers are now in, and RIM pulled in $5.2 billion last quarter while recording earnings of $1.27 per share, or $667 million, beating its lowered guidance. RIM shipped 14.1 million smartphones in the third quarter, in line with its guidance of between 13.5 million and 14.5 million units, and sell-through came in below expectations at 13 million units. Net income dropped to $285 million from $911 million in the same quarter last year, and the vendor’s fourth-quarter guidance was worse than expected. Read on for more.

“RIM continues to have strong technology, unique service capabilities and a large installed base of customers, and we are more determined than ever to capitalize on our strengths to overcome the recent execution challenges surrounding product launches and the resulting financial performance,” the company’s co-CEOs said in a joint statement. “As part of our commitment to improving our performance to better meet the expectations of shareholders and customers, we continue to evaluate ways to improve in several areas of the Company’s operations. It may take some time to realize the benefits of these efforts and the platform transition that we are undertaking, but we continue to believe that RIM has the right set of strengths and capabilities to maintain a leading role in the mobile communications industry.”

RIM’s global subscriber base grew to nearly 75 million customers during the quarter, up more than 30% over the same quarter last year.

The lack of interest in RIM’s debut tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook, has finally come to a head — RIM took a charge of $485 million related to unsold PlayBook inventory in the third fiscal quarter. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company only sold 150,000 PlayBook tablets into sales channels last quarter after selling 500,000 units in the first quarter and 200,000 in the second.

During the second quarter, RIM total cash and cash equivalents dropped from $2.9 billion to $1.4 billion due in large part to $780 million spent on Nortel patents. At the end of the third fiscal quarter, RIM’s available cash was up sequentially to $1.5 billion.

In the fourth fiscal quarter, RIM has forecast EPS of between $0.80 and $0.95 compared to the Street’s earlier $1.08 consensus, and the vendor anticipates revenue of between $4.6 billion and $4.98 billion compared to Wall Street’s $5.12 billion. Shares of RIM stock dropped 7% in after-hours trading on the news.

The company expects to ship between 11 and 12 million BlackBerry smartphones in the fourth fiscal quarter, and its full press release follows below.

RESEARCH IN MOTION REPORTS THIRD QUARTER FISCAL 2012 RESULTS

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM)(TSX: RIM), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today reported third quarter results for the three months ended November 26, 2011 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated).

Highlights:

– Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 24% from last quarter — BlackBerry smartphone shipments of 14.1 million, up 33% from Q2 — GAAP net income of $265 million or $0.51 per share diluted; adjusted net income of $667 million or $1.27 per share diluted — Subscribers up 35% year-over-year to almost 75 million — Cash flow from operations of approximately $895 million — Total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments of $1.5 billion

Q3 Results:

Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 was $5.2 billion, up 24% from $4.2 billion in the previous quarter and down 6% from $5.5 billion in the same quarter of last year. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 79% for hardware, 19% for service and 2% for software and other revenue. During the quarter, RIM shipped approximately 14.1 million BlackBerry smartphones and approximately 150,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

“Despite the challenges faced in the third quarter, the BlackBerry subscriber base grew to almost 75 million customers around the world. In addition, RIM launched a range of new BlackBerry 7 based smartphones globally and introduced holiday promotions that helped drive growth in the installed base of BlackBerry PlayBook users,” said Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, Co-CEOs at Research In Motion. “RIM continues to have strong technology, unique service capabilities and a large installed base of customers, and we are more determined than ever to capitalize on our strengths to overcome the recent execution challenges surrounding product launches and the resulting financial performance. As part of our commitment to improving our performance to better meet the expectations of shareholders and customers, we continue to evaluate ways to improve in several areas of the Company’s operations. It may take some time to realize the benefits of these efforts and the platform transition that we are undertaking, but we continue to believe that RIM has the right set of strengths and capabilities to maintain a leading role in the mobile communications industry.”

The Company’s GAAP net income for the quarter was $265 million, or $0.51 per share diluted, compared with GAAP net income of $329 million, or $0.63 per share diluted, in the prior quarter and GAAP net income of $911 million, or $1.74 per share diluted, in the same quarter last year. Adjusted net income for the third quarter was $667 million, or $1.27 per share diluted. Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share exclude the impact of pre-tax charges of $54 million ($40 million after tax) to revenue related to the service interruption experienced in the third quarter, $485 million ($356 million after tax) for the PlayBook inventory provision taken in the third quarter and $7 million ($6 million after tax) for the Company’s cost optimization program that was implemented in the second quarter of fiscal 2012. These charges and their related impacts on GAAP net income and diluted earnings per share are summarized in the table below.

View data

Reconciliation of GAAP revenue and net income to adjusted revenue and net income (United States dollars, in millions except per share data) For the quarter ended November 26, 2011 —————————————- Revenue Net Income Diluted EPS (before (net of (net of taxes) income tax) income tax) —————————————- As reported $ 5,169 $ 265 $ 0.51 Adjustments: PlayBook Inventory Provision(1) – 356 0.68 Cost Optimization Program(2) – 6 0.01 Q3 Service Interruption(3) 54 40 0.07 —————————————- Adjusted $ 5,223 $ 667 $ 1.27 —————————————- —————————————

Note: Adjusted revenue, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and thus are not comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that the presentation of adjusted revenue, adjusted net income, and adjusted diluted earnings per share enables the Company and its shareholders to better assess RIM’s operating results relative to its operating results in prior periods and improves the comparability of the information presented. Investors should consider these non-GAAP financial measures in the context of RIM’s GAAP results.

(1) During the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company recorded a pre-tax provision of approximately $485 million, $356 million after tax, related to its inventory valuation of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The charge was predominantly non-cash.

(2) Cost of sales, research and development, and selling, marketing and administration expenses included approximately $7 million in total pre-tax charges, $6 million after tax, during the third quarter of fiscal 2012 related to the cost optimization program to streamline operations across the Company. Included in the cost of sales, research and development, and selling, marketing and administration expenses for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 were approximately $1 million, $3 million, and $3 million, respectively, of pre-tax charges related to the cost optimization program.

(3) During the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company experienced a service interruption which resulted in the loss of service revenue and the payment of service credits in the quarter totalling approximately $54 million, $40 million after tax, related to the interruption in the availability of the Company’s network.

The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $1.5 billion as at November 26, 2011, compared to $1.4 billion at the end of the previous quarter, an increase of $87 million from the prior quarter. Cash flow from operations was approximately $895 million and uses of cash included strategic purchases of intellectual property assets of approximately $375 million, and property, plant and equipment expenditures of approximately $205 million.

Q4 Outlook

Revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 ending March 3, 2012 is expected to be in the range of $4.6-$4.9 billion. Gross margin percentage for the fourth quarter is expected to be approximately 38%. BlackBerry smartphone shipments are expected to be between 11 million and 12 million units. Earnings per share for the fourth quarter is expected to be in the range of $0.80-$0.95.