At the risk of opening up myself to more ridicule. The latest update to BB10 out yesterday, downloaded and installed last night. Tres cool... Love some of the new features of the hub, the ability to seamlessly install native (non ported) Android apps, etc, etc.. Haven't had much chance yet to try everything but this thing, Z10, just rocks... I know it had a rocky beginning from an acceptance point of view but I can not for the life of me understand how someone who gave it a fair chance could not love the way it just works.
Battery life problems seem to be gone, no hangups, lockups, etc..
Stock has recovered to $11.+, I had sold a good % of mine for a tidy profit, bought a small amount more at $6.50 so despite what you guys seem to think
this is good all round.. On my overall investment over the past 1.5 yrs+ I'm up approx. 28%, not too shabby.
Now where do we go from here? My feeling is that BB will go a similar way to the way IBM did in the past, away from a hardware centric company to more of a services/solutions/security company. Not that I think they will get completely away from hardware but for that partner more with cheaper cost suppliers like IBM did with Lenovo.
Here is a list of the newest features..
***************************************************
BlackBerry OS 10.2.1 includes hundreds of new enhancements and refinements that will make the things you do every day faster and easier:
•Customize Pinch Gesture to Filter BlackBerry® Hub - BlackBerry Hub lets you access all your messages and notifications in one place. A new feature lets you instantly filter the message list in the Hub. You can customize the Hub to show only Unread Messages, Flagged Messages, Draft Messages, Meeting Invites, Sent Messages or Level 1 Alerts. Once the filter criterion is set, you can simply activate it with a pinch gesture on the Hub's message list.
•Simplified Phone Experience - The phone includes a new incoming call screen that lets you swipe to the left to answer or swipe right to ignore a call. New intuitive icons allow you to instantly silence the call, or send a Reply Now response through BBM™, SMS or email that you can't answer the phone right away. You can choose from a list of standard automated responses or respond with a personalized note.
•SMS and Email Groups - You can now create SMS and email groups for more efficient broadcast communications.
•Actionable Lock Screen Notifications - You can now "Tap to open" a message that appears on the lock screen, letting you respond to an important message much quicker or to check messages more discreetly.
•Picture Password for Quick Unlocking - You can quickly unlock your phone using a combination of a picture and a number (0-9) of your choice, which you place at a particular point on the image. When you try to unlock the phone, the picture will appear along with a grid of random numbers. To unlock, simply drag the grid so the number you selected overlays the particular point on the image.
•Customizable Quick Settings Menu - You can now customize what appears on the Settings menu, which includes features such as being able to quickly change the Brightness of the smartphone's display, toggle various network connections, and access the built-in flashlight. The Settings menu also includes a toggle that lets you instantly switch between your Personal and Work perimeter.
•Offline Browser Reading Mode - You can now save the current web page you're on for later viewing, even if you are offline or without an Internet connection.
•Preferred Contact Sync - You can now choose the sync source for your Contacts ensuring you always have the most up-to-date contact details. When adding a new contact you can designate which sources you want the contact info to sync with, such as the corporate address book, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.
•Device and Battery Monitor - A new and improved device monitor provides you with essential details on battery usage, the impact of installed apps on battery life and memory usage and storage, as well as CPU stats.
•Automatic Software Updates - OS updates can be set to happen automatically over a Wi-Fi® connection to help ensure you're always benefiting from the latest and best possible customer experience.
•Enterprise Features - When combined with BES10 version 10.2, enterprise customers will gain additional security features and IT policies for when more granular controls are required, such as for regulated industries and for organizations that work with sensitive data. For more information about BES10, please visit BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 - BES 10 - Mobile Device Management - - US.
•FM Radio - If you have a BlackBerry® Z30, BlackBerry® Q10 or BlackBerry® Q5 smartphone, the new software update unlocks the built-in FM radio in those handsets. You can listen to local FM stations, which does not require any network connection.
LOL, selective reporting by techvibe.... The tech version of the World Weekly News or the National Enquirer rags...
FYI, BB is remaking itself into a software and services company, hardware will become a much smaller % of both revenues and profits, that should be obvious.
********************************************************
The data comes from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, though a couple of things should be noted: the sample size for the survey was a modest 500 people, and it's important to note that the study refers to consumers only, not enterprises, and new activations only, not existing devices in the market
So what is it that BB did to you? I left IBM not necessarily by choice either, but have no where near your hate on for my former employer..
I worked for them on contract. I don't hate them but they are DOA. They have 12 months before Fairfax tires of feeding them cash to keep them afloat.
John Chen is paying back all his cronies with a huge amount of Fairfax's cash and then they will laugh all the way to the bank just like Heins.
Software company? Because the massive <not> pile of apps they wrote are so successfull? Because I am sure they can convince either Android or Apple to switch to BB10?
LOL, selective reporting by techvibe.... The tech version of the World Weekly News or the National Enquirer rags...
********************************************************
The data comes from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, though a couple of things should be noted: the sample size for the survey was a modest 500 people, and it's important to note that the study refers to consumers only, not enterprises, and new activations only, not existing devices in the market
There is no denying the market share loss in the US consumer market. It is not 0% but it's not great. It is too bad because the BB10 software and devices are really quite good.
But I don't think you understand the new direction of BlackBerry very well. Go read the Citron report from January for a bit of a clue.
They have a pretty substantial cash pile and Chen expects to be profitable again by Q1 FY 2016 which starts just about 12 months from now (Q4 FY 2014 ends at the end of this month). So Fairfax shouldn't have to support them in 12 months as you say.
Go do some research on John Chen. If anyone can make something of BlackBerry it's this guy. But stop thinking solely of hardware.
They have a pretty substantial cash pile and Chen expects to be profitable again by Q1 FY 2016 which starts just about 12 months from now (Q4 FY 2014 ends at the end of this month). So Fairfax shouldn't have to support them in 12 months as you say.
Uh no they don't. They lost 4.4 billion last quarter. 6 months at best unless Fairfax comes up with more.
While the company said it ended the quarter on Nov. 30 with $3.2-billion in cash and equivalents, more than half of that came in the door last month, from the tax refund and the $1-billion raised in a convertible debenture financing after the auction ended with no deal. Without those two big wads of cash, the company would have ended the quarter with $1.5-billion in cash, down $1.1-billion since the end of the second quarter.
And there is another 600 million in debt bought by other companies.
I'm this will lead the turnaround though:
The company now has more than 80,000 enterprise customers, down from more than 250,000 at its peak due to intense competition from upstart device management firms.
Less is more right?
Better yet, those 80,000 customers? Well, they're getting it for free. Yep a real revenue generator there.
Buried in its third-quarter financial statements, the company revealed for the first time that it has provided its customers “with free upgrades and free trial arrangements until the end of this calendar year” since launching the BES 10. “No material revenue has yet been recognized from BES 10 but the company expects to see gradual revenue contributions beginning in fiscal 2015.” Translation: those 30,000 enterprise users on the new system aren’t paying for it yet.
When was the last time you voluntarily paid for a free app? What kind of conversion rate do you think they will get from BES10? Trust me, that 80,000 is not going to go up once it's not free.
"Uh no they don't. They lost 4.4 billion last quarter. 6 months at best unless Fairfax comes up with more."
How much did their cash position drop last quarter? Don't mix up what I said please. In my opinion there should be enough cash in place now to see them to Q1 FY2016 (13 months) with all the restructuring. If Chen can turn a profit by then they should have a future.
Chen has made it clear that there will be no further writeoffs to the scale seen in Q3 FY2014 in the future. Most of those write offs had to do with the investments needed in hardware to launch the BB10 devices which did not sell as well as was planned for. If you look at the new structure those risks are greatly reduced going forward with the partnership with Foxconn. The old BB lived or died by the success of hardware sales, the new BB is different.
Read the January Citron report for an interpretation of the new BlackBerry. Citron is a firm that typically shorts stocks and rarely goes long. They recently went long on BBRY.
"6 months at best unless Fairfax comes up with more."
So is it 12 months or 6?
The article linked to said BB burned $400M of it's cash pile last quarter. At the end of that quarter it reported the cash pile was $3.2B. Do the math... it doesn't come out to 12 months or 6 months.
Even if you take out the worst case debt increase of $1B that's still $2.2B positive cash which still buys 5-6 quarters at a burn rate of $400M. I say worst case because they have the option of just converting it all to BBRY shares at I think $9 or so.
BlackBerry continues to make terrible mistakes and focus their efforts in the wrong areas. They announced that they're going to release a version of BBM for Android Gingerbread. Why waste resources producing an app for a shrinking segment? Gingerbread now exists on ~ 20% of the market. But then again, that's still ten times bigger then BB's market share so maybe they're on to something...
I tend to go with your last thought. That's a large chunk of people. Why not do a port of the BBM software for that? It's not a full rewrite. If you declare it is for Android users and then ignore 20% of the group that's pretty lame.
Just because BGR declares it a terrible mistake doesn't mean it is. By all his accounts BlackBerry should be long gone by now.
Comments
Sell high
Whats tougher, making a profit in Rim shares or grinding $100/hr at Woodbine
Difference is I already made profit.... You? >:D
BlackBerry Z10 Prices Drop to $49 Amid Weak Sales - WSJ.com
I think what they need is a corporate name change. Should solve all their problems. Oh, wait...
Yup
BlackBerry could cut workforce by 40%: report | CTV Kitchener News
Yup. Their stock trading was halted this afternoon also.
BlackBerry to cut 4,500 jobs - Business - CBC News
Interestingly, BB is suposed to release BBM for the Galaxy and iOS this weekend.
The iPhone 5C Can Now Be Yours for Just $45 | TIME.com
Battery life problems seem to be gone, no hangups, lockups, etc..
Stock has recovered to $11.+, I had sold a good % of mine for a tidy profit, bought a small amount more at $6.50 so despite what you guys seem to think
this is good all round.. On my overall investment over the past 1.5 yrs+ I'm up approx. 28%, not too shabby.
Now where do we go from here? My feeling is that BB will go a similar way to the way IBM did in the past, away from a hardware centric company to more of a services/solutions/security company. Not that I think they will get completely away from hardware but for that partner more with cheaper cost suppliers like IBM did with Lenovo.
Here is a list of the newest features..
***************************************************
BlackBerry OS 10.2.1 includes hundreds of new enhancements and refinements that will make the things you do every day faster and easier:
•Customize Pinch Gesture to Filter BlackBerry® Hub - BlackBerry Hub lets you access all your messages and notifications in one place. A new feature lets you instantly filter the message list in the Hub. You can customize the Hub to show only Unread Messages, Flagged Messages, Draft Messages, Meeting Invites, Sent Messages or Level 1 Alerts. Once the filter criterion is set, you can simply activate it with a pinch gesture on the Hub's message list.
•Simplified Phone Experience - The phone includes a new incoming call screen that lets you swipe to the left to answer or swipe right to ignore a call. New intuitive icons allow you to instantly silence the call, or send a Reply Now response through BBM™, SMS or email that you can't answer the phone right away. You can choose from a list of standard automated responses or respond with a personalized note.
•SMS and Email Groups - You can now create SMS and email groups for more efficient broadcast communications.
•Actionable Lock Screen Notifications - You can now "Tap to open" a message that appears on the lock screen, letting you respond to an important message much quicker or to check messages more discreetly.
•Picture Password for Quick Unlocking - You can quickly unlock your phone using a combination of a picture and a number (0-9) of your choice, which you place at a particular point on the image. When you try to unlock the phone, the picture will appear along with a grid of random numbers. To unlock, simply drag the grid so the number you selected overlays the particular point on the image.
•Customizable Quick Settings Menu - You can now customize what appears on the Settings menu, which includes features such as being able to quickly change the Brightness of the smartphone's display, toggle various network connections, and access the built-in flashlight. The Settings menu also includes a toggle that lets you instantly switch between your Personal and Work perimeter.
•Offline Browser Reading Mode - You can now save the current web page you're on for later viewing, even if you are offline or without an Internet connection.
•Preferred Contact Sync - You can now choose the sync source for your Contacts ensuring you always have the most up-to-date contact details. When adding a new contact you can designate which sources you want the contact info to sync with, such as the corporate address book, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.
•Device and Battery Monitor - A new and improved device monitor provides you with essential details on battery usage, the impact of installed apps on battery life and memory usage and storage, as well as CPU stats.
•Automatic Software Updates - OS updates can be set to happen automatically over a Wi-Fi® connection to help ensure you're always benefiting from the latest and best possible customer experience.
•Enterprise Features - When combined with BES10 version 10.2, enterprise customers will gain additional security features and IT policies for when more granular controls are required, such as for regulated industries and for organizations that work with sensitive data. For more information about BES10, please visit BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 - BES 10 - Mobile Device Management - - US.
•FM Radio - If you have a BlackBerry® Z30, BlackBerry® Q10 or BlackBerry® Q5 smartphone, the new software update unlocks the built-in FM radio in those handsets. You can listen to local FM stations, which does not require any network connection.
Even better than IOS or Android do..;)
UT Oh... I see Moose peeking...
....in 1960
Sent from my Huawei-U8687 using Tapatalk
Horrible app.
FYI, BB is remaking itself into a software and services company, hardware will become a much smaller % of both revenues and profits, that should be obvious.
********************************************************
The data comes from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, though a couple of things should be noted: the sample size for the survey was a modest 500 people, and it's important to note that the study refers to consumers only, not enterprises, and new activations only, not existing devices in the market
So what is it that BB did to you? I left IBM not necessarily by choice either, but have no where near your hate on for my former employer..
John Chen is paying back all his cronies with a huge amount of Fairfax's cash and then they will laugh all the way to the bank just like Heins.
Software company? Because the massive <not> pile of apps they wrote are so successfull? Because I am sure they can convince either Android or Apple to switch to BB10?
So you are saying they are off by what, 20-30%?
But I don't think you understand the new direction of BlackBerry very well. Go read the Citron report from January for a bit of a clue.
They have a pretty substantial cash pile and Chen expects to be profitable again by Q1 FY 2016 which starts just about 12 months from now (Q4 FY 2014 ends at the end of this month). So Fairfax shouldn't have to support them in 12 months as you say.
Go do some research on John Chen. If anyone can make something of BlackBerry it's this guy. But stop thinking solely of hardware.
Why I hate my Z10....
'Why I hate BlackBerry Z10 EVEN MORE!' | CrackBerry.com
When even BGR posts a positive article about BB that quite an accomplishment...
BlackBerry 10 Browser Test: BlackBerry beats iPhone, Android | BGR
Uh no they don't. They lost 4.4 billion last quarter. 6 months at best unless Fairfax comes up with more.
BlackBerry War Chest Gets Bigger, but It's Still Burning Cash - Canada Real Time - WSJ
And there is another 600 million in debt bought by other companies.
I'm this will lead the turnaround though:
Less is more right?
Better yet, those 80,000 customers? Well, they're getting it for free. Yep a real revenue generator there.
When was the last time you voluntarily paid for a free app? What kind of conversion rate do you think they will get from BES10? Trust me, that 80,000 is not going to go up once it's not free.
How much did their cash position drop last quarter? Don't mix up what I said please. In my opinion there should be enough cash in place now to see them to Q1 FY2016 (13 months) with all the restructuring. If Chen can turn a profit by then they should have a future.
Chen has made it clear that there will be no further writeoffs to the scale seen in Q3 FY2014 in the future. Most of those write offs had to do with the investments needed in hardware to launch the BB10 devices which did not sell as well as was planned for. If you look at the new structure those risks are greatly reduced going forward with the partnership with Foxconn. The old BB lived or died by the success of hardware sales, the new BB is different.
Read the January Citron report for an interpretation of the new BlackBerry. Citron is a firm that typically shorts stocks and rarely goes long. They recently went long on BBRY.
"6 months at best unless Fairfax comes up with more."
So is it 12 months or 6?
The article linked to said BB burned $400M of it's cash pile last quarter. At the end of that quarter it reported the cash pile was $3.2B. Do the math... it doesn't come out to 12 months or 6 months.
Even if you take out the worst case debt increase of $1B that's still $2.2B positive cash which still buys 5-6 quarters at a burn rate of $400M. I say worst case because they have the option of just converting it all to BBRY shares at I think $9 or so.
Just because BGR declares it a terrible mistake doesn't mean it is. By all his accounts BlackBerry should be long gone by now.
The great thing about Chen's predictions for profitability in 5 quarters is that it doesn't really matter if he's wrong, does it?