Perceived Security Threat Has Indian Government Concerned About RIM, Google, And Skype

With all of the concerns recently expressed by Middle Eastern nations about the Blackberry and it's use by spies and terrorists, India has added Google and Skype to the discussions by asking the companies to set up servers in India and allow access to web data, citing fears that the voip services could be misused by militants. Though Google has said it has not been contacted.

"India’s Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said RIM had begun giving India access to its secure data from Wednesday.

“Discussions for technical solutions for further access are continuing and the matter will be reviewed within 60 days,” Chidambaram said in a statement."

A Google spokeswoman based in India said: “We have not received any communication on this issue from the government. If and when we do, we will review and respond.”

According to The Globe and Mail.

United Arab Emirates To Block Blackberry E-mail

The U.A.E. has indicated that it will begin to block Blackberry e-mails and text messages in October, citing security concerns. It's a twist of fortune for Research in Motion who scored a big win when security officials in the US allowed then President Elect Obama to keep his Blackberry but has run a fowl of the Arab states. The issue that the U.A.E. and other countries in the Persian Gulf region are having is that the highly encrypted messages make it difficult for government to monitor communications.  

“The U.A.E. has never been a place that offered much in the way of electronic privacy,” said Jim Krane, author of “City of Gold,” a history of Dubai. “The government makes no secret that it monitors electronic communication, including text messages, phone calls and e-mail. The revelation that secure BlackBerry data is frustratingly out of the government’s reach only confirms this.”

The burning question for me now is how will the stand be viewed by consumers here in the Western world? I would have to think that this is a plus for RIM here, but then again how many of us make our decisions based on such criteria?

Credit: New York Times

Research In Motion Still Hiring

According to the Financial Post, Research in Motion (RIM) has more than 1,250 positions that it needs to fill even with the economy tanking. "Right now, for every engineer who is promoted, RIM is hiring two or three to replace them. Probably in a few more years RIM could do some restructuring but not now." according to an unnamed company insider. "A good technology company will continue to innovate even in bad economic times to take advantage of the rebound," said Joe Campeau, of Richard Ivey School of Business. "If they don't, then everyone else will go past them and they'll burn cash to prevent that from happening." The jobs appear to be spread around the globe but the majority are at the companies head offices in Waterloo, Ontario.

Hawking To Visit Waterloo Research Institute Next Summer

The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics based in Waterloo Ontario has appointed famed physicist Stephen Hawking to the position of distinguished research chair and as such Hawking will make a visit to the institute in the summer of 2009. "Stephen is coming here to do science and interact with the community of researchers at PI and hopefully to come up with new ideas that will push the subject forward," Perimeter director Neil Turok told CBC News.

"The institute's twin focus, on quantum theory and gravity, is very close to my heart and central to explaining the origin of the universe," said Hawking.

"I look forward to building a growing partnership between [Perimeter institute] and our Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, at Cambridge. Our research endeavour is global, and by combining forces I believe we will reap rich rewards."

The institute was founded in 2000 with the help of a $100 million donation from Research in Motion co-founder Mike Lazaridis, who gave an additional $50 million earlier this year.

Apple Sells More Smartphones In Quarter Than RIM

Steve Jobs is reveling in the fact that for the first time since the iPhone was launched it's sales out paced those of Research In Motions Blackberry devices. A report released Thursday by U.K.-based research firm Canalys showed Apple shipped approximately 6.8 million iPhones compared to RIM's 6 million Blackberry devices during the 3rd quarter of '08. Jobs said during a conference call announcing Apple's 3rd quarter results "I'd like to point out [a] remarkable milestone resulting from iPhone's outstanding performance last quarter," he said. "Apple beat RIM." The number gives Apple a 17.3 percent share of the overall 39 million smartphones shipped in the quarter and pushed the company into the number 2 spot behind Nokia who owns 38.9 percent of the market.

Canalys also noted however that RIM showed a year over year increase of 80% and that there were many factors at play. The 3rd quarter was expected to be high for Apple with the release of the iPhone 3G and RIM will likely have had many faithfuls awaiting the arrival of the Blackberry Storm.

CBC Story.

Program TiVo From Your Blackberry

In one of several press releases from Research In Motion yesterday, the Blackberry manufacturer announced a new partnership with TiVo! "TiVo subscribers will soon be able to wirelessly control their TiVo DVRs using a BlackBerry smartphone - anytime, anywhere - and that is a powerful example of how our respective technologies can complement each other to serve our mutual customers," said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO of Research In Motion. The initial offering allows subscribers to both services to discover what's on television and schedule recordings "while away from the living room and on the go." Tom Rogers, CEO and President of TiVo Inc said "RIM and TiVo share a commitment to great user experiences, which cause our products to become seamlessly integrated into the consumer's lifestyle. We also share a vision for the future of mobile entertainment services and we look forward to a variety of future innovations as a result of this relationship." Now if only the Blackberry could control the popcorn maker...

India Demands Research In Motion Assist In Cracking Encrypted Messages

The Government of India is demanding that Research In Motion (RIM) provide it with the company's master encryption key so that it can decrypt suspicious text messages sent via Blackberries. RIM is quoted in the Times of India as saying "The Blackberry security architecture for enterprise customers is purposefully designed to exclude the capability for Research in Motion (RIM) or any third party to read encrypted information under any circumstances," According to this BBC report " The country has only about 115,000 Blackberry customers at the moment, but it is a rapidly growing market." Indian authorities are said to have been reluctant to allow the widespread use of Blackberries in the country for fear that militant and criminal elements will take advantage of the secure system. This is likely a concern in many countries where the government is challenged by threat of violence however the company has a responsibility to it's customers as well, where exactly does it make sense to cross this fine line?

RIM To Launch Touch-Screen Device?

According to the CBC, a Wall Street Journal Report yesterday has Research In Motion (RIM) launching a new touch-screen version of it's popular Blackberry device by the third quarter of '08. "The device, known as Thunder, will be sold exclusively in the U.S. through Verizon Wireless and Vodaphone PLC abroad, according to the Journal, which cited sources familiar with the matter." writes the CBC. On Monday RIM announced it's latest device the Blackberry Bold which uses third-generation wireless technology and improved Wi-Fi capability but has the same familiar qwerty keypad. Shares of the company closed up $1.60 to $140.99 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Thursday. This and the rumors of a next gen iPhone make those of us who might be contemplating a smart phone want to hold on just a little longer...

RIM, RBC and Thomson Reuters Create $150 Million BlackBerry Partners Fund

Research in Motion (RIM), Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), and Thomson Reuters have announced the creation of a $150 Million venture capital fund, to invest in mobile applications and services for the BlackBerry and other mobile platforms. "The mobile world has evolved well beyond phone calls and simple messaging to require more empowering and liberating solutions that connect people to everything that matters most to them, wherever and whenever they want," said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO, Research In Motion. "RIM, RBC and Thomson Reuters share the common belief that mobile applications and services will propel the industry forward and the BlackBerry Partners Fund is being formed to help fuel innovation and activity in the mobile ecosystem." John Albright, Managing Partner of JLA Ventures who will co-manage the fund says "Whether it's access to corporate data or the latest craze in mobile entertainment, we want to fund companies that are forerunners in driving adoption and further enriching the mobile experience."

Consumer Market Getting Hooked On The Crackberry?

It appears as though the Blackberry is not just for business anymore. Research In Motion (RIM) has announced that it had a great 4th quarter beating all predictions, and co-CEO Jim Balsillie attributes much of the success to the consumer market. 2.2 million new customers, an increase in consumer-focused devices, such as the Pearl, and a partnership with Facebook Inc. have put smiles on the faces of RIM investors particularly when it was thought that the iPhone would put a crimp in Blackberry sales. Over 1 million Blackberry owners have downloaded an application that allows them to update their Facebook pages and this points squarely at the acceptance of the device on the consumer side. Check out the Globe and Mail article here.

Apple Sets Sights On RIM's Business

Apple announced yesterday that it was adding "push" e-mail (where e-mail is automatically directed to the phone) to the iPhone in June. This is obviously a move to make a play in the mobile corporate e-mail space where Blackberry maker Research In Motion (RIM) is largely uncontested. "Apple is moving much more aggressively toward RIM's space than RIM is moving toward Apple," California-based technology consultant Rob Enderle is quoted as saying in this CBC article. "It takes away RIM's expansion opportunity, but it doesn't necessarily displace them." Enderle also says. In a direct shot at RIM, Steve Jobs is quoted as saying "Every e-mail message that's sent to a RIM device or from a RIM device goes through a [network operations centre] up in Canada,'' and "That provides a single point of failure, but also provides a very interesting security situation.'' I wonder how the market will react to this development? By the way Steve, we're not so bad up here in Canada! Just what are you implying anyway?

RIM opens BlackBerry Store

Research In Motion has opened it's first BlackBerry branded store in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The Waterloo Ontario based cellphone producers plans to sell BlackBerry handsets, accessories and software, as well as service plans from all the major U.S. providers. The move is not unique to the industry but it's a growing trend that has the providers taking notice. "If you're Verizon and you're carrying the BlackBerry today, when you see one of these exclusive stores, obviously you're not going to be too thrilled about that," said retail consultant David Ian Gray in a National Post interview. According to the CBC "RIM is said to be earning around $10 per BlackBerry customer from Canadian cellphone providers" perhaps this is why the move was made in the US and not home in Canada?

Research in Motion signs deal in China - Market reacts

Apple is not the only smartphone manufacturer that is seeing dollar signs these days. Research in Motion (RIM) and Alcatel-Lucent announced yesterday that they've signed an agreement to distribute BlackBerry smartphones in China. The stock market reacted by driving RIM shares up 8% and Alcatel-Lucent up by 4%. "This strategic partnership perfectly matches Alcatel-Lucent's global presence and strength in the Chinese market with the global awareness and popularity of RIM's BlackBerry brand," said Frederic Rose, president of Alcatel-Lucent's Asia Pacific activities.

Microsoft to buy Research in Motion?

Research in Motion (RIM), the Canadian manufacturer of the Blackberry hand held device is the rumored target of a buyout by Microsoft. The stock markets reacted to the rumors by briefly pushing RIM stock to record highs. The Globe and Mail's reportonbusiness.com has the complete story.

AT&T scores another mobile device

The dual-mode BlackBerry 8820 was announced Tuesday by Research In Motion Ltd. Named "dual-mode" because it works with both the EDGE/GPRS/GSM cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity for data access and voice support. The Wi-Fi connectivity will allow users to connect off of the cellular network, at home through 802.11 a/b/g wireless networks, and through Wi-Fi hotspots. The 8820 is RIM's first dual-mode BlackBerry, and it's said to be the slimmest Blackberry to date. "The BlackBerry 8820 is an extraordinary business phone for people who really care about mobile communications and productivity. It features all the renowned power and usability of the BlackBerry platform with executive class styling and unprecedented connectivity features, including cellular, Wi-Fi and built-in GPS," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM.The phone will be available in the US through AT&T, a Canadian carry is yet to be announced. As the news broke RIM shares climbed $4.19 to $240.29 on the TSX.