3 things that doomed BlackBerry maker RIM

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — As Research In Motion Ltd. tries to reverse its slide, it’s tough to find anyone betting on its ability to recover.

From software developers to Wall Street, RIM’s(US:RIMM) long-term viability is in real doubt since the news last week that its next generation BlackBerry 10 software and devices won’t be available until next year. This could be a near-fatal blow for the pioneering company, as its smartphone competitors continue to leap ahead with new devices for the holiday season. RIM is also laying off 5,000 workers. 

So as many start to analyze where the company went wrong, new business-school case studies are likely in the works. Here’s a look at what some of them might conclude:

1) Doomed by co-chief executives

This column was among the early advocates for investors who asked whether or not RIM’s dual-CEO structure was one of its core problems, and possibly a cause or contributing to its product delays and other issues.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal quoted former executives about RIM’s many missteps, including its “split personality in the executive suite,” noting that the offices of the two former co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis were a 10-minute drive apart in Waterloo, Ontario, and that they were each focusing on a different strategy.

Those two executives no longer lead the company but Lazaridis is still on the board. Under its new CEO, Thorsten Heins, RIM continues to pursue his strategy around a whole new operating system, based on software developed by a company it purchased, QNX Software, in 2010.

Heins told investors last week on a conference call that he realized he had “delivered a lot of tough news today,” and highlighted some of RIM’s plans to address its issues, including its job cuts, management changes, and its continuing discussions for strategic opportunities, such as alliances or licensing assets.

“When we come out of this transition period, we want to move forward with a lean and nimble organization that can act quickly and is aligned with our growth opportunities,” Heins said.

2) Developing yet another system

After Apple Inc. (US:AAPL) began to become a serious leader with the iPhone and its iOS software, app store and developer ecosystem, Google Inc. (US:GOOG) followed suit with its Android software and a more open approach to software developers, and it also quickly garnered support.

Even as it became clear that RIM was going to have to compete with Microsoft Corp.(US:MSFT) and the now-defunct Palm Inc. for the No. 3 slot in smartphones, it continued to back its plans to develop a whole new software and hardware system around QNX software, which was not even originally developed for mobile phones. QNX originally was developed as an embedded operating system for automotive entertainment systems.

From:articles.marketwatch.com

RIM says first BlackBerry 10 device will not have a physical keyboard

TORONTO — The first BlackBerry device running Research In Motion Ltd.’s new operating software will not have a physical keyboard, only a touch-screen one.

The BlackBerry 10 software will be offered on devices with physical keyboards in the future, but RIM spokeswomen Rebecca Freiburger declined to say when. RIM is expected to start selling BlackBerry 10 touch-screen devices this year.

 

Many corporate users have stuck with the BlackBerry solely because of its physical keyboard, given a perception that it’s harder to type emails on a touch screen. The BlackBerry 10 system has already been delayed about a year, and with additional delays to get a physical keyboard, those people may not be willing to wait any longer, especially as the iPhone makes greater in-roads in corporate settings. Those users may simply get the new iPhone expected this fall.

RIM’s hopes hang on the BlackBerry 10 system, which is meant to offer the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience customers now demand. The Canadian company is preparing to launch the new software later this year, just as North Americans are abandoning BlackBerrys for iPhones and Android devices.

Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Financial, called it puzzling that RIM isn’t leading with its strength by releasing a keyboard BlackBerry first.

“The physical keyboard is the most dominant item that separates out Research In Motion from its competitors,” Gillis said. “If you are not playing to your historical strengths you may find it more difficult to get traction.”

Gillis said there is a spot in the market for RIM but the company “just got to get it together.”

But Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said BlackBerry 10 is all about touch and closing the gap with Apple, so people should not be surprised that the initial model will have only a touch screen.

“They are going to build a BlackBerry device with a keyboard, but it’s just going to take longer,” Misek said. “Maybe it will come a month or two after, but frankly it might be already too late.”

RIM once dominated the corporate smartphone market but failed to adapt to the emerging “bring your own device” trend, in which employees use their personal iPhones or Android devices for work instead of relying on BlackBerrys issued by their employers. As the movement caught on, the iPhone made the BlackBerry look ancient.

RIM’s future is far from certain as its flagship devices rapidly lose market share to flashier phones. With more than $2 billion in cash, bankruptcy seems unlikely in the near term. But RIM’s U.S. share of the smartphone market fell sharply from 44 percent in 2009 to 10 percent in 2011 according to market researcher NPD Group.

RIM said Wednesday it has started laying off employees as part of a restructuring plan aimed at saving about $1 billion this year.

From:washingtonpost.com

BlackBerry 10 in action

With all the news about Microsoft Surface and Apple's iOS 6, you may have completely forgotten about Research In Motion (RIM). Once, it was the reigning mobile-device king; now, its BlackBerry 10 software is the ailing company's last hope for survival.

CNET sat down with RIM principle architect Gary Klassen — a fancy title for a Grand Poobah of software design — at the BlackBerry Jam developer conference in New York. Klassen treated us to yet another sneak peek of BlackBerry 10, running on the Dev Alpha developer handset. This time, however, RIM allowed us to shoot a quick video of what we saw.

BlackBerry Jam preserves fruits of new GUI flavour enhancements

BlackBerry's rocky road of technology evolution has continued this month with a

UK developer tour event aimed to silence a few critics, preview the forthcoming BlackBerry 10 platform and showcase the Cascades user interface design tool.

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) stated that 500 developers registered to attend the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour event in London last week.

NOTE: BlackBerry 10 is the forthcoming BlackBerry operating system for RIM mobile handheld smartphones and tablets based on the QNX Unix-like real-time operating system for embedded systems, which was acquired by RIM in April 2010.

RIM says it has done nothing less than "transform the developer experience" with BlackBerry 10, creating a platform for developers to use the native (C/C++ with Cascades and QML development) and web (HTML5 with BlackBerry WebWorks) development environments.

Prototyping jam recipe

Each qualified developer received a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device to enable them to test the apps they develop -- see image below.

Out since May 2012 this year, each programmer will also have been pointed to the BlackBerry 10 developer toolkit for native and HTML5 software development.

BlackBerry's call to stop missing out

RESEARCH in Motion (RIM) ­recently introduced its BlackBerry Curve 9320 and BlackBerry Curve 9220, which offer faster speeds, ­enhanced ­functions and longer-­lasting battery life.

RIM Indochina’s managing director Nicholas Horton said in a press ­statement that the new BlackBerry Curve smartphones are a great upgrade for first-time smartphone users as well as existing Curve customers looking for a step-up in speed and functionality.

The two models offer the best keyboards in their class for quick and easy typing. There is even a new dedicated BBM key to bring the power of RIM’s popular mobile social network up in an instant.

Customers can easily interact with their social network contacts in real time. They can post updates on ­multiple social networks ­simultaneously and capture updates from news sources (RSS), social apps and instant messaging apps, all in one ­consolidated view via the new preloaded Social Feeds 2.0 app.

The integrated ­camera includes a flash and supports video ­recording. Pictures taken with the Curve 9320 can be tagged with their ­location, thanks to the the built-in GPS.