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BlackBerry OS 7 Smartphones Approved for U.S. Department of Defense Networks

Susan — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:59:41 +0000

This is great news for RIM and BlackBerry devices. OS 7 has just been announced as approved for the U.S. Department of Defense as in the U.S. Army and Defense Information Systems Agency. There are four different OS 7 devices approved. Check out the Press Release…

Here’s the Press Release:

RIM Announces Approval of BlackBerry 7 Smartphones for U.S. Department of Defense Networks

DISA Mission Partner Conference, Tampa, FL - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced DoD-wide approval for the use of BlackBerry® 7 smartphones. Working with U.S. Army and Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) sponsors and partners, BlackBerry 7 smartphones have undergone successful testing through Army labs leading to a subsequent listing on DISA’s Unified Communications Approved Product List (UCAPL).

The approval allows all DoD customers to use the following BlackBerry 7 smartphones on DoD networks:

BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and 9930 (touch screen with keyboard)

BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810 (touch screen with slide out keyboard)

BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 and 9860 (full screen touch screen)

BlackBerry® Curve™ 9360 (keyboard)

“The Army introduced a wide range of new apps and capabilities for their BlackBerry users last year, and these new BlackBerry 7 smartphones will now enable Army users, and all DoD users, to experience an even greater level of performance on new smartphones that include features such as voice activated universal search, Near Field Communications, Augmented Reality, and Social Feeds 2.0 just to name a few,” said Scott Totzke, SVP, BlackBerry Security Group at RIM. “RIM’s unwavering focus on security and RIM’s achievement of key security certifications including FIPS 140-2 validation and Common Criteria EAL4+ accreditation continue to be very important to many of our DoD and enterprise customers, but leveraging the full power of BlackBerry smartphones is also important as it helps them realize the full potential of their investment in the BlackBerry platform.”

For more information about BlackBerry 7 smartphones and features, please visit: www.blackberry.com/bb7.

RIM Announces Thorsten Heins as the New President and CEO of Research In Motion

Susan — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:38 +0000

The Press Release made it official, and Inside BlackBerry has posted the announcement. Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis step down from their Co-CEO positions as Thorsten Heins steps up to the plate. I know Thorsten must be excited and elated to be taking RIM across the threshold and into a new era.

Today must be a very sad but yet happy time for Research In Motion. While Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis have taken the company through different devices, they have had their share of trials and tribulations, and the time has come for someone new to try and fill the shoes and take RIM into the new era. I’m sad to see them step down, but it’s time for a new outlook and leadership, someone who can keep up with the technology and bring enthusiasm to the team, as well as listen to consumers and employees alike. I respect Mr Balsillie and Lazaridis for the strides they’ve taken, and we congratulate Thorsten Heins on his new position and look forward to the new changes he will bring with RIM.

The announcement from FaceBook and Inside BlackBerry from BlackBerry was somewhat surprising. We all knew something would change but it just seemed so sudden.

From Inside BlackBerry:

”

The Board of Directors of BlackBerry® maker Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that acting on the recommendation of its Co-Chief Executive Officers to implement the succession plan they previously submitted to the Board, it has unanimously named Thorsten Heins as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Heins was also appointed to RIM’s Board. The Board acted after conducting its own due diligence. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Mike Lazaridis, former Co-Chair and Co-CEO, becomes Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of Board’s New Innovation Committee. Jim Balsillie, former Co-CEO, remains a member of the Board. RIM Board Member Barbara Stymiest has been named the independent Board Chair. Prem Watsa, CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings, has also been named to the Board. For more information, please see the official RIM press release.

A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 8 am ET, January 23, 2012, which can be accessed by dialing 1-800-814-4859 (North America), (+1) 416-644-3414 (outside North America) or through your personal computer or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet at www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml.”

Press Release:

Research In Motion Names Thorsten Heins President and CEO

•    Board Acts on Recommendation of Co-CEOs to Implement Succession Plan
•    Mike Lazaridis Named Vice Chair of the Board
•    Jim Balsillie Remains a Director
•    Barbara Stymiest Named Independent Board Chair
•    Prem Watsa Named Independent Director

Waterloo, ON – The Board of Directors of BlackBerry® maker Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that, acting on the recommendation of its Co-Chief Executive Officers to implement the succession plan they previously submitted to the Board, it has unanimously named Thorsten Heins as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Heins was also appointed to RIM’s Board. The Board acted after conducting its own due diligence. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Mike Lazaridis, former Co-Chair and Co-CEO, has become Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of the Board’s new Innovation Committee. As Vice Chair, he will work closely with Mr. Heins to offer strategic counsel, provide a smooth transition and continue to promote the BlackBerry brand worldwide.

Mr. Heins said he looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Lazaridis, globally recognized as a technology pioneer. He said, “Mike created a whole new way of communicating and I look forward to continuing our close collaboration.”

On the transition to CEO by Mr. Heins, Mr. Lazaridis said, “There comes a time in the growth of every successful company when the founders recognize the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the Board and told them that we thought that time was now. With BlackBerry 7 now out, PlayBook 2.0 shipping in February and BlackBerry 10 expected to ship later this year, the company is entering a new phase, and we felt it was time for a new leader to take it through that phase and beyond. Jim, the Board and I all agreed that leader should be Thorsten Heins.”

Jim Balsillie remains a member of the Board. “I agree this is the right time to pass the baton to new leadership, and I have complete confidence in Thorsten, the management team and the company,” he said. “I remain a significant shareholder and a Director and, of course, they will have my full support.”

Mr. Lazaridis said that he decided to move from Co-Chair to Vice Chair of the Board in order to return the public’s focus to what is most important: “the great company we have built, its iconic products, global brand and its talented employees.”

Mr. Lazaridis added, “Thorsten has demonstrated throughout his tenure at RIM that he has the right mix of leadership, relevant industry experience and skills to take the company forward. We have been impressed with his operational skills at both RIM and Siemens. I am so confident in RIM’s future that I intend to purchase an additional $50 million of the company’s shares, as permitted, in the open market.”

Mr. Heins said he believes that RIM has tremendous potential. He joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007 as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering and became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales in August 2011.

“Mike and Jim took a bold step 18 months ago when RIM purchased QNX to shepherd the transformation of the BlackBerry platform for the next decade,” Mr. Heins said. “We are more confident than ever that was the right path. It is Mike and Jim’s continued unwillingness to sacrifice long-term value for short-term gain which has made RIM the great company that it is today. I share that philosophy and am very excited about the company’s future.”

Mr. Heins said that RIM has a strong foundation on which to build. “We have a strong balance sheet with approximately $1.5 billion in cash at the end of the last quarter and negligible debt. We reported revenue of $5.2 billion in our last quarter, up 24% from the prior quarter, and a 35% year-to-year increase in the BlackBerry subscriber base, which is now over 75 million.”

Mr. Heins said, “BlackBerry 7 has been well received. We are very excited about PlayBook 2.0 and BlackBerry 10. The reception of our products at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show was encouraging.”

He continued, “RIM earned its reputation by focusing relentlessly on the customer and delivering unique mobile communications solutions. We intend to build on this heritage to expand BlackBerry’s leadership position.”

Mr. Heins said that RIM has grown quickly. “As with any company that has grown as fast as we have, there have been inevitable growing pains,” he said. “We have learned from those challenges and, I believe, we have and will become a stronger company as a result.

“Going forward, we will continue to focus both on short-term and long-term growth, strategic planning, a customer- and market-based product approach, and flawless execution. We are in the process of recruiting a new Chief Marketing Officer to work closely with our product and sales teams to deliver the most compelling products and services.”

Barbara Stymiest, who formerly served as a member of Royal Bank of Canada’s Group Executive and has been a member of RIM’s Board since 2007, has been named the independent Board Chair. John Richardson, formerly Lead Director, will remain on the Board. Prem Watsa, Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings, also was named to the Board, expanding it to 11 members.

Speaking on behalf of the Board, Ms. Stymiest said: “We believe that Thorsten is the right executive to succeed Mike and Jim. He has 27 years of telecommunications experience, including four years at RIM in senior management positions. As a Board, we have been impressed with his outstanding management skills, his leadership and his accomplishments within the company.”

Ms. Stymiest also expressed the Board’s respect and admiration for Messrs. Lazaridis and Balsillie, the company they built, and the steps they have taken to position RIM for the future.

“They created RIM, nurtured it, and in the process not only built an iconic brand, but literally pioneered the smartphone industry,” she said. “It is Canada’s largest tech company and one of the largest in the world.”

Conference Call and Webcast
A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 8 am ET, January 23, 2012, which can be accessed by dialing 1-800-814-4859 (North America), (+1)416-644-3414 (outside North America) or through your personal computer or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet at www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml. A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 10 am ET by dialing (+1)416-640-1917 and entering passcode 4509630#. A replay of the webcast will be available on your personal computer or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by clicking the link above. This replay will be available until midnight ET, February 6, 2012.

About Thorsten Heins
Thorsten Heins, 54, is a respected business leader with 27 years of broad experience and expertise in wireless networks and consumer electronics devices. Mr. Heins has a global reputation for his organizational and leadership skills and his ability to build successful organizations that deliver on their commitments. Prior to today’s announcement, Mr. Heins was one of RIM’s two Chief Operating Officers and, before that, Senior Vice President for the Handheld Business Unit. He played key roles in the creation of RIM’s product portfolio. Mr. Heins came to RIM in December 2007 from the industrial conglomerate Siemens AG. He joined Siemens in 1984 after graduating from the University of Hannover in his native Germany. At Siemens, Mr. Heins rose through the ranks of R&D customer service, sales and product management positions. After serving as Chief Executive Officer of various business divisions in the communication business, Mr. Heins moved to Chief Technology Officer and member of the Group Board of the Siemens Communications Group. He came to RIM after being impressed by the level of innovation displayed by founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. Mr. Heins is married with a daughter and a son. Away from RIM, he is usually outdoors bicycling, motorcycling, skiing or hiking.

About Barbara Stymiest
Barbara Stymiest has served as a director of RIM since March 2007. She has an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, and an FCA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. Ms. Stymiest joined Royal Bank of Canada in 2004, where she served as a member of RBC’s Group Executive, which is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the company. Prior to that, she held positions as Chief Executive Officer at TSX Group Inc., Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at BMO Nesbitt Burns and Partner of Ernst & Young LLP. Ms. Stymiest is currently a Director of George Weston Limited, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Royal Ontario Museum.

About Prem Watsa
Prem Watsa is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, a financial services holding company whose corporate objective is to achieve a high rate of return on invested capital and build long-term shareholder value, since 1985. He is also Vice President of Hamblin Watsa Investment Counsel Ltd. since 1985. Mr. Watsa formerly served as Vice President of GW Asset Management from 1983 to 1984 and in various positions, ultimately as a Vice President, with Confederation Life Investment Counsel from 1974 to 1983.

About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.RIM.com or www.BlackBerry.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws, including: statements relating to the new role of RIM’s Vice Chair and its new Innovation Committee; the anticipated timing of the launches of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software and BlackBerry 10; Mr. Lazaridis’ intention to purchase additional RIM shares, as permitted, in the open market; RIM’s plans, strategies and expectations going forward; RIM’s intention to recruit a new Chief Marketing Officer; and the anticipated benefits of the Company’s efforts. The terms and phrases “will”, “continue”, “innovating”, “look forward”, “shipping”, “expected”, “entering a new phase”, “committed”, “intend”, “take the company forward”, “potential”, “transformation”, “build”, “expand”, “going forward”, “in the process” and similar terms and phrases are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by RIM in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that RIM believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including but not limited to general economic conditions, product pricing levels and competitive intensity, supply constraints, new product introductions, RIM’s expectations regarding its business, strategy and prospects, RIM’s confidence in the cash flow generation of its business, and applicable regulatory requirements and RIM policies relating to purchases of RIM securities. Many factors could cause RIM’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks relating to RIM’s intellectual property rights; RIM’s ability to enhance current products and develop new products and services in a timely manner at competitive prices; risks related to delays in new product introductions, including the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software and BlackBerry 10; risks related to intense competition, including RIM’s ability to compete in the tablet market; RIM’s ability to manage inventory and asset risk, including its ability to manage BlackBerry PlayBook tablet sell-through programs; risks relating to network disruptions and other business interruptions, including costs, potential liabilities, lost revenue and reputational damage associated with service disruptions; RIM’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits of its cost optimization program and Cost Optimization and Resource Efficiency program; RIM’s reliance on carrier partners, third-party manufacturers, third-party network developers and suppliers, including the suppliers RIM has selected for its BlackBerry 10 smartphones; security risks and risks related to the collection, storage, transmission, use and disclosure of user and personal information; RIM’s ability to successfully maintain and enhance its brand; RIM’s reliance on key personnel; potential charges relating to the impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets on RIM’s balance sheet; RIM’s ability to expand and enhance BlackBerry App World; risks related to third party manufacturers and RIM’s ability to manage its production processes; risks related to RIM’s international operations; risks related to encryption technology; potential defects in RIM’s products; RIM’s ability to manage growth; and difficulties in forecasting RIM’s financial results, particularly over longer periods given the rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, intense competition and short product life cycles that characterize the wireless communications industry. These risk factors and others relating to RIM are discussed in greater detail in the “Risk Factors” section of RIM’s Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F and the “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” section of RIM’s MD&A (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on RIM’s forward-looking statements. RIM has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.

[via: Inside BlackBerry]

RIM Previews BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 at CES 2012

Scott — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:23:08 +0000

RIM just sent out a press release to let us know they’ll be showcasing BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 at CES 2012. The new PlayBook OS will bring the much anticipated native applications for email and contacts, as well social network integration. PlayBook OS 2.0 will also bring an awesome (and much needed) function to BlackBerry Bridge that will allow you to use your BlackBerry smartphones keyboard to control your BlackBerry PlayBook. The update is still on track for release next month (February 2012). Press release is below…

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA–(Marketwire – Jan. 9, 2012) – (CES 2012) – This week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) will be previewing new features of BlackBerry(R) PlayBook(TM) OS 2.0 that will enable customers to stay even more connected and productive in their personal and professional lives.

“BlackBerry PlayBook is already recognized for delivering powerful performance, true multi-tasking, advanced web browsing and HD multimedia in an ultra-portable design,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “With BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 we are building on this strong foundation, as well as leveraging our strengths in communications, social integration and productivity, to allow people to use their BlackBerry PlayBook in new ways throughout the day.”

CES 2012 attendees who visit the BlackBerry booth at CES (South Hall 3 Booth # 30326) will get a sneak peek of upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 functionality including:

Advanced Messaging Experience:

– New unified inbox – a powerful unified inbox within the built-in
messaging app allows users to quickly manage their personal email and
work email accounts as well as the messaging capabilities of popular
social networking sites like Twitter(R), LinkedIn(R) and others – all in
one place.
– Multi-tasking within email – by extending the BlackBerry PlayBook
tablet’s multitasking capabilities to ‘tabbed email’, users are able to
reference one email while they compose another.
– Rich-text email composing and editing – new features within the Messages
app enable users to benefit from full support of fonts, formatting and
editing of email threads, offering a robust email experience similar to
that of a PC or laptop.
– Inbox management tools – allows for powerful inbox search across
multiple email accounts, as well as the ability to set out-of-office
messages and email signatures directly from their tablet.

Deep Integration of Social Relationships:

– Innovative people-centric calendar – in addition to standard calendar
features that help users plan and organize their day, the powerful
built-in Calendar app provides the unique ability for users to view
their calendar by who they are meeting with that day and review valuable
information about that contact. Information is consolidated
automatically from social networking sites about that contact and/or
their company.
– Relationship-centric contacts app – more than just an address book, the
new built-in Contacts app serves as a social hub – merging and
consolidating information from multiple sources (including email and
social channels) into one contact file for each person in their address
book. Each contact file includes information such as recent status
updates, conversations, related news articles and mutual contacts that
are kept up-to-date automatically.

Making Your BlackBerry Smartphone and Tablet a Powerful Pair:

– Remote control for the BlackBerry PlayBook – new BlackBerry(R)
Bridge(TM) features allow a user’s BlackBerry(R) smartphone to act as a
keyboard and mouse for their BlackBerry PlayBook – effectively providing
a wireless remote control for their tablet. Perfect for pausing a movie
when a BlackBerry PlayBook is plugged in to a TV with an HDMI
connection, or for using the tactile QWERTY keyboard on a BlackBerry
smartphone to compose a message or document on the BlackBerry PlayBook.
– Opening content on the BlackBerry PlayBook – BlackBerry Bridge allows
you to take documents, emails, multimedia files and web pages found on
your smartphone and open them quickly and directly on the BlackBerry
PlayBook so you can use the larger high resolution display for an
optimized viewing and editing experience.

Improved Mobile Productivity:

– Updated document editing capabilities – updated Documents To Go(R)
functionality makes it easier for users to create and edit documents
while on the go. Improvements include: enhanced support for the virtual
keyboard, the ability to view and update embedded charts and chart
sheets within spreadsheets, a new formula wizard with over 100 functions
as well as the ability to edit presentations including text, bullets and
formatting.
– Print To Go application – this app allows users to wirelessly “print”
from their laptop or PC directly to their BlackBerry PlayBook over Wi-
Fi(R). A digital printout is created on the BlackBerry PlayBook so that
users can view, sort and manage their digital printouts as though they
were physical sheets of paper. The Print To Go app is the perfect way to
consolidate info from various related sources like a hotel web
confirmation, an airline boarding pass email, the show event schedule or
even a map of the destination city and make them available for quick
access on the go.
– Increased control and manageability of corporate data – the combination
of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and
BlackBerry Balance will help to overcome many barriers to widespread
tablet deployment, including device manageability and the ability to
secure, manage and control confidential corporate information on the
device. Plus BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 supports dedicated shelf space
inside the BlackBerry(R) App World(TM) storefront to allow IT
departments to control distribution of enterprise applications and to
make those approved enterprise applications easily available to the
organization’s end users.

New Apps and Content:

– Your favorite apps plus thousands more – many exciting new applications
built for the BlackBerry PlayBook will be made available on BlackBerry
App World with the availability of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0. From
gaming and lifestyle to business and productivity, RIM is showcasing
some of the latest apps available for the BlackBerry PlayBook at CES
2012 including Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Groupon, Thomson Reuters,
Zinio and many more.
– Video store – a catalog of thousands of movies and TV shows will be
available through the integrated BlackBerry Video Storefront(i) with new
releases to be made available for purchase or rent the same day they
come out on DVD. Users will be able to begin watching media as soon as
they start to download the file, so users won’t have to wait for the
entire file to transfer before they can enjoy great entertainment on the
tablet’s high resolution display, or on an HDTV via the BlackBerry
PlayBook tablet’s HDMI output.
– Enhanced web browsing – the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 browser also
includes a new reading view, which is designed to make web sites even
easier to enjoy by eliminating page clutter at the touch of a button.
What’s left is a cleaner format that is great for reading online news
articles, blog posts, or websites that contain heavy amounts of text.
Availability

The BlackBerry(R) PlayBook OS 2.0 software update will be available as a free download for all BlackBerry PlayBook users and is expected to be available in February 2012.

(i) BlackBerry Video Store will initially be available in the United States. Support for other countries is expected to be added later this year.

RIM officially unveils BlackBerry OS 7.1 at CES 2012

Scott — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:16:27 +0000

RIM has kicked off CES 2012 with the announcement of BlackBerry 7.1 OS. BlackBerry 7.1 brings the same look and feel of BlackBerry 7, but bring NFC via BlackBerry Tags, Mobile Hotspot, and an FM Radio for the new Curve models. It is expected OS will begin rolling out over the next little bit from major carriers. The full press release is below…

Press Release:

RIM Showcases New BlackBerry 7.1 OS at CES 2012
New BBM, BlackBerry Traffic and BlackBerry Travel Updates Also Released

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA–(Marketwire – Jan. 9, 2012) – (CES 2012) – A wide range of software improvements await BlackBerry(R) 7 smartphone customers at the BlackBerry(R) booth (South Hall 3 Booth # 30326) at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2012). Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) is showcasing the new BlackBerry(R) 7.1 OS as well as updates to the BBM(TM) (BlackBerry(R) Messenger), BlackBerry(R) Traffic(TM) and BlackBerry(R) Travel(TM) apps. The new OS and app updates make seizing and sharing the moment even easier.

BlackBerry 7.1 will begin rolling out from carriers around the world beginning today and over the coming weeks(1). The new releases of BBM, BlackBerry Traffic and BlackBerry Travel will be available on BlackBerry(R) App World(TM) beginning today.

“BlackBerry 7 delivered a next-generation platform for our customers around the world and the range of software updates announced today build upon the strengths of that platform to further enhance the mobile experience and make life easier, from managing daily tasks to planning big adventures,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

Life Is Better Shared

The BlackBerry 7.1 OS incorporates a new feature called BlackBerry(R) Tag that can change the way BlackBerry users share information and content. By simply tapping their NFC enabled BlackBerry(R) smartphone against another NFC enabled BlackBerry smartphone, users can make sharing easier than ever. They can instantly invite a friend to BBM, exchange contact information, documents, URLs, photos and other multimedia content, and they can also pair their BlackBerry smartphone with an NFC enabled Bluetooth(R) device.

Support for BlackBerry Tag is just one of a number of enhancements in the updated BBM app (version 6.1) being released today. Additional features allow users to personalize their experience even more with support for animated avatars (animated GIFs)(2), a dozen new and fun emoticons to spice up conversations, and the ability to customize chat bubbles with different colors. In addition, the new BBM app allows users to add customized personal messages of up to 160 characters in their online Profile, more than double the length supported in previous versions. Users can also now set the picture for their BBM avatar directly from the camera app – simply snap a picture and select “Set as BBM Display Picture” from the menu.

Make Things Happen

With BlackBerry 7.1, users can be productive from virtually anywhere. They can now turn their BlackBerry smartphone into a mobile hotspot that can be shared by up to 5 Wi-Fi(R) -enabled devices, including laptops and tablets(3). The 7.1 update also supports carrier implemented Wi-Fi calling services (UMA/GAN where available), allowing users to make Wi-Fi calls from their BlackBerry smartphone that don’t eat into their airtime minutes.

Getting to any location is now so much easier with the new BlackBerry Traffic (version 3.0), a free app from RIM that is being released today. BlackBerry Traffic determines a user’s estimated time of arrival (ETA) based on current traffic conditions, and now includes hands-free turn-by-turn voice guidance.

Planning, booking, managing, and sharing travel activities are also easier than ever thanks to the updated BlackBerry Travel app that is being released today. The new version adds support for contextual deals, such as offers for hotels and car rentals, or for arranging limo services to and from the airport. BlackBerry Travel can automatically keep track of a user’s bookings and schedule and quickly notify them if their flight is delayed or cancelled, and can then help them find a new flight right away. The automatic trip scanning feature pulls the travel details into the app, allowing the user to see all their travel updates in one place.

Seize the Moment

Sometimes it’s nice when someone (or something) does the thinking for you. The Universal Search capability has again been enhanced to help users find what they are looking for. It now includes an auto-suggest feature that intelligently filters Bing(R) search results to offer users a variety of relevant Web sites based on their search terms.

Love a good deal? Now finding and taking advantage of them is so much easier thanks to BlackBerry(R) Maps – an essential app that comes preinstalled on BlackBerry smartphones and has been enhanced in the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update. When users launch the new BlackBerry Maps application they can discover special offers, coupons, and discounts from nearby vendors. Users can immediately act on the deals presented to them by clicking to call the vendor or clicking to get the best route to the location where the deal is offered(4).

Customers with a BlackBerry Curve 9360 or 9380 smartphone will find a nice surprise with the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update in the form of an FM radio. The FM radio circuitry is already built in to the Curve 9360 and 9380 models and BlackBerry 7.1 provides users with a new app that allows them to tune in and enjoy local FM radio stations. Listening to the FM radio does not require a data plan or use data services.

For more information about the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update, visit www.blackberry.com/bb7. For more information and to download the new versions of BBM, BlackBerry Traffic and BlackBerry Travel visit BlackBerry App World at www.blackberry.com/appworld.

1. The BlackBerry 7.1 OS update is subject to carrier certification. Please
check for availability with your service provider.
2. The animated avatar feature is supported on BlackBerry smartphones
running OS 5.0 and higher.
3. Mobile hotspot feature requires BlackBerry 7.1 and may require an
additional data plan. Please check with your service provider.
4. Please check with your service provider for availability of this
feature.

RIM announces BlackBerry 10 Smartphones Won’t Arrive Until Mid-2012

Scott — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:29:29 +0000

During RIM’s earnings call yesterday, a big bomb was dropped when the two CEO’s announced that the first BlackBerry 10 (formally BBX) smartphone won’t launch until mid-2012. While we had always hoped for an early launch in the beginning of next year, RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said they are waiting for a certain chipset for their BB10 smartphone, that will allow LTE, efficiency and battery. It is rumored that RIM will launch 5 new BlackBerry 10 smartphones, but it looks like we’re all stuck with BlackBerry 7 smartphones until Mid-2012…

Research In Motion Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2012 Results

Scott — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:21:54 +0000

Research In Motion Limited (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.

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.

Conference Call and Webcast

A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 5 pm ET, December 15, 2011, which can be accessed by dialing 1-800-814-4859 (North America), (+1)416-644-3415 (outside North America) or through your personal computer or BlackBerry(R) PlayBook(TM) tablet at www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml. A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 7 pm ET by dialing (+1)416-640-1917 and entering passcode 4466493#. A replay of the webcast will be available on your personal computer or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by clicking the link above. This replay will be available until midnight ET, December 29, 2011.

RIM Releases BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing 2.0

Scott — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:35:15 +0000

Free application, popular with business users, dials conference call numbers and passwords automatically

Research In Motion (RIM) today makes it even easier for customers to manage conference calls on their BlackBerry® smartphone with the release of BlackBerry® Mobile Conferencing version 2.0. This innovative and popular free app includes a number of enhancements, such as the ability to automatically turn an email thread into a conference call using the user’s conference bridge details.

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing automates tedious and error prone tasks such as dialing into a conference call that could include multiple main numbers, a conference ID and other codes, with a simple one-click “Join Now” prompt, as well as the ability to quickly reconnect if dropped from a conference call. The app also integrates with the BlackBerry® Calendar allowing users to quickly and easily schedule and join conference calls directly from within the Calendar. Users can download BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing on BlackBerry® App World™, and organizations can automatically push the app to their users through BlackBerry® Enterprise Server.

“BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing is an essential app for anyone who sets up or joins conference calls,” said Tom Goguen, vice president, collaboration and social networking at Research In Motion. “This latest version of BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing includes a number of enhancements such as the ability to turn any email thread into a conference call automatically, making it even easier for BlackBerry users to get things done.”

New features of BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing version 2.0 include:

Turn An Email Thread into a Conference Call – BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing helps users instantly schedule a conference call from an email thread, with just a few clicks. The sender and recipients of the email are included as meeting attendees, the email subject becomes the user’s meeting subject and part of the email message is automatically copied into the invite for reference. Users can also add conference call details from a stored profile.
Automatic Detection of Conference Call Details – Conference call information found in meeting invites in any calendar on the user’s BlackBerry smartphone is automatically recognized and set up for easy dial-in at the appointed time, helping the user stay organized and on time. In version 2, the engine that recognizes conference call details has been enhanced for improved accuracy.
Conference Call ID – Users can more easily keep track of the conference calls they’ve participated in. When the user joins a conference call, the meeting subject appears as the caller ID in the BlackBerry phone app. When the call is completed, the meeting subject appears in the user’s call log.
Conference Profiles Increased to 10 – Users can instantly add preset conference call details to almost any meeting they schedule by selecting from up to ten stored profiles.
Private Moderator Codes – Users can also keep moderator codes private. Invites sent using a preset conference profile include just the information participants need to join the call. If conference information found in a meeting invite is the user’s, the app accesses the stored profile to dial the user in as the moderator. The feature allows a meeting organizer to leave out the moderator code in an invite for privacy, without sacrificing the convenience of “Join Now” as the moderator, when the call arises.

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing can detect conference call details from most popular conferencing systems on the market and supports BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry® 5 OS or higher. It is now available for download for users in North America on BlackBerry App World at http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/46253. For more information, please visit blackberry.com/mobileconferencing.

RIM Announces Third Quarter Provision Related To PlayBook Inventory and Confirms Commitment to Tablet Market; Provides Update to Q3 and Fiscal 2012 Guidance

Scott — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:00:36 +0000

Research In Motion Announces Third Quarter Provision Related To PlayBook Inventory and Confirms Commitment to Tablet Market; Provides Update to Q3 and Fiscal 2012 Guidance

Research In Motion Limited (RIM), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today announced that it would record a pre-tax provision in the third quarter of fiscal 2012 of approximately $485 million, $360 million after tax, related to its inventory valuation of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The charge is expected to be predominantly non-cash. All figures in this release are in U.S. Dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated.

As previously disclosed, RIM has a high level of BlackBerry PlayBook inventory. The Company now believes that an increase in promotional activity is required to drive sell-through to end customers. This is due to several factors, including recent shifts in the competitive dynamics of the tablet market and a delay in the release of the PlayBook OS 2.0 software. As a result, RIM will record a provision that reflects the current market environment and allows it to expand upon the aggressive level of promotional activity recently employed by the Company in order to drive PlayBook adoption around the world.

Based on the positive response to the promotions that are underway in select markets, RIM believes this strategy will accelerate adoption of its QNX-based platform by consumers and enterprises, as well as help to drive the development of a vibrant application ecosystem in advance of its next generation BlackBerry smartphones. RIM sold into the channels approximately 150,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets in the third quarter and sell-through to end customers, based on RIM’s internal data, was higher than this amount. Since the launch of the new promotions across consumer and enterprise channels in the United States and Canada late in the third quarter, the Company has seen a significant increase in demand for the PlayBook. Both consumer and enterprise customers who purchase a new BlackBerry PlayBook at the current promotional pricing, along with existing PlayBook customers, will be able to upgrade to the enhanced PlayBook OS 2.0 software at no additional charge when it becomes available in February 2012.

“RIM is committed to the BlackBerry PlayBook and believes the tablet market is still in its infancy. Although a number of factors have led to the need for an inventory provision in the third quarter, we believe the PlayBook, which will be further enhanced with the upcoming PlayBook OS 2.0 software, is a compelling tablet for consumers that also offers unique security and manageability features for the enterprise,” said Mike Lazaridis, Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “Early results from recent PlayBook promotions indicate a significant increase in demand across most channels. We look forward to continuing to grow the installed base of PlayBook users and to attracting more and more developers to expand the volume of applications, content and services that leverage the power of the industry leading QNX-based platform.”

Updated Third Quarter Fiscal 2012 Guidance and Outlook

While the Company is still in the process of finalizing its third quarter financial results, the Company shipped approximately 14.1 million BlackBerry smartphones in the third quarter ended November 26, 2011 which was in line with previous guidance of between 13.5-14.5 million. Adjusted revenue in the third quarter, excluding a charge against revenue of approximately $50 million related to the service outage that occurred in the quarter, is expected to be slightly lower than the previously guided range of $5.3-5.6 billion, reflecting product mix and the impact of PlayBook sell-through programs in the quarter. Gross margin is expected to be in line with previous guidance of approximately 37%. Excluding the PlayBook provision and the outage related impact described above, RIM expects adjusted diluted earnings per share in the third quarter to be at the low to mid point of the $1.20-$1.40 per share range it previously guided. The Company’s cash balance at the end of the quarter increased by approximately $80 million to approximately $1.5 billion. The Company is still in the process of finalizing its fourth quarter outlook, and based on preliminary estimates, RIM expects unit shipments in the fourth quarter to be below third quarter levels. The lower expected shipments in the fourth quarter are due to several factors including lower than expected sell-through in the third quarter and RIM’s current view of fourth quarter demand. The Company no longer expects to meet its full year adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance of $5.25-6.00.

Note: Adjusted diluted earnings per share and adjusted revenue do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and thus are not comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that the use of adjusted diluted earnings per share and adjusted revenue 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 RIM’s use of non-GAAP financial measures in the context of RIM’s GAAP results. A reconciliation of adjusted diluted earnings per share and adjusted revenue to GAAP diluted earnings per share and GAAP revenue will be included when RIM releases its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 on December 15, 2011.

Q3 Results Conference Call Details

RIM will be reporting results for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 on December 15, 2011 after the close of the market. The Company will discuss today’s announcement, third quarter fiscal 2012 results, and the outlook for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 on a conference call and live webcast beginning at 5 pm ET, December 15, 2011. The call can be accessed by dialing 1-800-814-4859 or at www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml. A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 7 pm by dialing 1-416-640-1917 and entering passcode 4466493#. A replay of the webcast will be available clicking the link above. The replay will be available until midnight ET December 29, 2011. The conference call will also appear on the RIM website live at 5 pm ET and will be archived at http://www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml.

About Research In Motion (RIM)
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

RIM Announces BlackBerry Mobile Fusion – The Next Generation Enterprise Mobility Solution for BlackBerry, Android and iOS Smartphones and Tablets

Scott — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:56:56 +0000

RIM Announces BlackBerry Mobile Fusion-The Next Generation Enterprise Mobility Solution for BlackBerry, Android and iOS Smartphones and Tablets

Simplifies Management of Smartphones and Tablets for Business and Government

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion – the Company’s next-generation enterprise mobility solution and RIM’s entry into the multi-platform Mobile Device Management (MDM) marketplace. Building on years of leading enterprise mobility management solutions from RIM, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will simplify the management of smartphones and tablets running BlackBerry®, Google® Android® and Apple® iOS® operating systems.

“We are pleased to introduce BlackBerry Mobile Fusion – RIM’s next generation enterprise mobility solution – to make it easier for our business and government customers to manage the diversity of devices in their operations today,” said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management and Marketing at Research In Motion. “BlackBerry Mobile Fusion brings together our industry-leading BlackBerry Enterprise Server technology for BlackBerry devices with mobile device management capabilities for iOS and Android devices, all managed from one web-based console. It provides the necessary management capabilities to allow IT departments to confidently oversee the use of both company-owned and employee-owned mobile devices within their organizations.”

RIM is the leading provider of enterprise mobility solutions with over 90 percent of the Fortune 500 provisioning BlackBerry devices today. The enterprise market for smartphones and tablets continues to grow in both the company-provisioned and employee-owned (Bring Your Own Device or BYOD) categories. BYOD in particular has led to an increase in the diversity of mobile devices in use in the enterprise and new challenges for CIOs and IT departments as they struggle to manage and control wireless access to confidential company information on the corporate network. This has resulted in increased demand for mobile device management solutions.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion brings together the market-leading BlackBerry® Enterprise Server (version 5.0.3) for BlackBerry smartphones; new management capabilities for BlackBerry PlayBook tablets built on BlackBerry Enterprise Server technology; and mobile device management for smartphones and tablets running Android and iOS operating systems.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will provide the following mobile device management capabilities for all supported mobile devices*:

• Asset management

• Configuration management

• Security and policy definition and management

• Secure and protect lost or stolen devices (remote lock, wipe)

• User- and group-based administration

• Multiple device per user capable

• Application and software management

• Connectivity management (Wi-Fi®, VPN, certificate)

• Centralized console

• High scalability

BlackBerry smartphones will continue to benefit from the many advantages of the end-to-end BlackBerry solution including the same advanced IT management, security and control available with BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which is part of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. These advanced features include BlackBerry® Balance™ technology supporting the use of a single device for both work and personal purposes without compromising the organization’s need to secure, manage and control confidential information; over 500 IT policies; over-the-air app and software installation and management; high availability; and much more. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will also introduce new self-service functionality for employees to secure lost or stolen BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is currently in early beta testing with select enterprise customers. RIM is now accepting customer nominations for the closed beta program which will start in January, and general availability is expected in late March.

For more information, visit www.blackberry.com/mobilefusion.

* Device security, manageability and controls will continue to vary according to the inherent capabilities of the individual device operating systems.

About Research In Motion

Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

RIM introduces the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and Curve 9380

Scott — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:04:32 +0000

Early this morning a press release came out from RIM introducing two new BlackBerry 7 smartphones, the Bold 9790 and Curve 9380. The new Bold 9790 brings the familiar design of the popular Bold 9700 and 9780 smartphones, and updates it with a high-resolution touchscreen, 1GHz processor, and 8GB on on-board memory. While the new Curve 9380 is the first all touch Blackberry in the Curve family, and brings a high-resolution 3.2″ touchscreen and 5.0MP camera. Both devices are also pre-loaded with BlackBerry 7 OS. The Bold 9790 and Curve 9380 smartphones are expected to be available all over the world from various companies within the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more details on that…

Research In Motion Expands BlackBerry 7 Portfolio with the New BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 Smartphones

Jakarta, Indonesia and Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced two new smartphones based on the BlackBerry® 7 operating system (OS) – the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9790 and BlackBerry® Curve™ 9380.

The new smartphones offer impressively slim and stylish designs with enhanced communications, multimedia, productivity and social connectivity features. The BlackBerry Bold 9790 is both powerful and compact, offering users a fully loaded, high performance smartphone with the dual benefits of a high resolution touch display and a highly tactile keyboard. The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is the first-ever BlackBerry® Curve™ smartphone with a touch display. It continues to deliver the powerful social experiences, ease-of-use and smaller handset size that distinguish the BlackBerry Curve family, while also offering Curve users the choice of a larger display and an all-touch design.

“We are very excited to expand the BlackBerry 7 portfolio with the new BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380,” said Carlo Chiarello, Senior Vice President, Handheld Product Management at Research In Motion. “BlackBerry smartphones offer a uniquely refined mobile communications experience that people love and we think many customers will be thrilled by the faster performance, beautiful touch displays and compact designs available with these new BlackBerry 7 based models.”

BlackBerry Bold 9790 Smartphone with Touch Display and Keyboard
True to the BlackBerry Bold brand, the new BlackBerry Bold 9790 smartphone is powerful, full-featured and built with premium materials and finishes. It combines a high-resolution and highly responsive touch display with a highly tactile keyboard and a precise optical trackpad, but comes in a narrow design that is easy to carry and exceptionally comfortable to hold. With the BlackBerry 7 OS and powerful 1 GHz processor, the BlackBerry Bold 9790 delivers fast, smooth performance for browsing the web, running apps, working with documents, and enjoying multimedia. It includes 8GB of onboard memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB of additional storage.

All-Touch BlackBerry Curve 9380 Smartphone
The finely crafted BlackBerry Curve 9380 is the first all-touch smartphone in the BlackBerry Curve family. It features a highly responsive and brilliant 3.2” high resolution display and comes with preinstalled social networking apps, including BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger), Facebook®, Twitter™ and Social Feeds apps, that offer a fun, easy and smoothly integrated mobile experience. This compact and stylish handset also features a 5MP camera with flash and video recording, allowing users to easily capture and share their favorite moments with family, friends and colleagues.

Powerful BlackBerry 7 OS
The BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 are both powered by the new BlackBerry 7 OS, which delivers a faster and richer user experience with improved browsing, voice-activated searches, and support for Augmented Reality and NFC (Near Field Communications). It also includes the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, and comes with a variety of personal and productivity apps out of the box.

BlackBerry 7 also introduces an enhanced browser that provides a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience. The browser includes a new JIT (just in time) JavaScript compiler to improve the load time speed of web pages and it offers optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences. The popular universal search capability has also been enhanced with support for voice-activated search, so users can simply speak to begin searching their device and the web for information.

The BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 smartphones include built-in support for Augmented Reality and NFC, allowing users to connect with the world around them in fresh new ways. With the Wikitude Augmented Reality application, users can find nearby BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) contacts in real-time, read reviews on restaurants close to them, or get the story behind an interesting landmark and points of interest. NFC also enables many new and exciting capabilities, including the ability to make mobile payments, pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone.

BlackBerry 7 includes a number of preinstalled applications and integrated functionality for increasing productivity and easy sharing and collaboration right out of the box. The Premium version of Documents To Go is included free of charge, offering users powerful document editing features as well as a native PDF document viewer. BlackBerry® Protect is pre-loaded*, offering customers the peace of mind that personal data can be backed up and secured in the cloud. BlackBerry® Balance is integrated in BlackBerry 7, allowing users to enjoy the full BlackBerry smartphone experience for both work and personal purposes without compromising the IT department’s need for advanced security and IT controls. The Social Feeds (2.0) app has been extended to capture updates from media and favorites all in one consolidated view. The Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones (2.0) app introduces features like Facebook chat and BBM integration that makes it easier for users to connect with their Facebook friends in real time.

Availability
The BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 smartphones will begin to be available from various carriers around the world over the coming weeks. Availability dates for specific devices from specific carriers will be announced in conjunction with RIM’s partners.