Jan 14
Covering one of the world’s largest tech shows using only a BlackBerry may sound like an absurd idea. But after six days of using a Z30, Tim Moynihan gained a newfound admiration for the phone.
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Nov 24
Its no secret that the smartphones that BlackBerry released this year, the ones that were supposed to turn its fortunes around, haven’t been able to make a significant mark in the global smartphone market up till now. The first device to come with its new BlackBerry 10 platform was the Z10, released back in January. BlackBerry followed it up with the Q10, then the Q5 and most recently its very first phablet, the Z30. Sales haven’t been great and most retailers have significantly cut prices to clear out inventory. Verizon and AT&T too have done something along the same lines, Big Red now offers the BlackBerry Z10 free while AT&T wants $0.49 for it, though both require customers to sign a two year contract.
Originally, when it was released back in January, the Z10 cost $199 on contract. A few months down the line, the price was discounted to $99 on contract. Even that didn’t seem to have done the trick, because both carriers are now giving it away for virtually nothing, all that the customer needs to do is commit to a two year contract, which they would have to had to do even if they paid the full $199 for the device. While AT&T and Verizon look to clear their inventory of the device, they’re still sticking with the ailing Canadian manufacturer. T-Mobile has already stopped selling BlackBerry devices in its retail stores across the U.S.
Verizon And AT&T Offer BlackBerry Z10 Virtually Free On Contract original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Nov 15
Four days back, we did talk about BlackBerry 10.2.1 purported screenshots that dropped hints concerning Google Play Store access. Well, it seems that the BlackBerry OS 10.2.1.1055 has been leaked in its entirety, where it will cater for two different models of smartphones from the Canadian company – namely the BlackBerry Z10 and the BlackBerry Z30. So far, there was a similar operating system for the BlackBerry Q10 and BlackBerry Q5, but it was not the same case for the Z versions which did not feature radios or autoloaders. Good thing that with the leaked version of the BlackBerry OS 10.2.1.1055, all of that would have changed – and for the better, I might add.
Do expect a bunch of new updates to accompany the BlackBerry OS 10.2.1.1055 leak, where one of them would also mean you can down load APK files directly onto the device without having to walk through a tightrope. Needless to say, one should always pay extra attention and be careful with such updates especially since this is a leak, so it would be highly advisable for you to perform a full backup of your device via BlackBerry Link prior to the installation of the operating system. After all, you can never quite tell just when will Murhpy strike, can you?
BlackBerry OS 10.2.1.1055 For Z10 And Z30 Leaked original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Sep 29
Inside look at BlackBerry reveals failed ‘SMS 2.0’ push, qualms over Z10 launch
Posted in: Today's Chili
We’re familiar with much of BlackBerry’s history, but there are a few unanswered questions: why did Jim Balsillie resign his board position, for example? And why did the Z10 launch ahead of Q10, to disastrous results? Thankfully, The Globe and Mail has addressed some of these mysteries through a detailed exposé. We now know that Balsillie left the board after BlackBerry axed an “SMS 2.0” plan that would have replaced carriers’ text services with BlackBerry Messenger. Thorsten Heins wanted the company to remain focused on hardware, according to the newspaper. As for the Z10? Heins reportedly prioritized the all-touch phone over the objections of board members like Mike Lazaridis, who saw the Q10’s keyboard as necessary for standing out in a crowded market. There’s even more to the story than these two revelations, so you’ll want to visit the source link if you’re wondering just how BlackBerry ended up in such dire straits.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Source: The Globe and Mail
Sep 29
It has been possible to snag an unlocked BlackBerry Q10 or Z10 in the US for a while if you’ve been willing to search around, but you now won’t have to. BlackBerry has quietly begun selling unrestricted GSM variants of the two smartphones through its US site at prices of $449 for a Z10 and $549 for a Q10. Either device remains LTE-capable, and both should play nicely with AT&T and T-Mobile. The direct sales aren’t likely to attract many converts, but they should help American fans who may have a tough time finding a BlackBerry in stores.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Via: N4BB
Source: ShopBlackBerry.com
Sep 29
After Near-$1B Inventory Write-Down, BlackBerry Starts Selling Unlocked Smartphones Direct To U.S. Buyers
Posted in: Today's Chili
Well that was quick: Not long after T-Mobile announced it would stop carrying BlackBerry hardware in its retail stores (but continue selling them online), the Canadian smartphone maker has revealed a new direct selling model that it likely hopes will shore up that retail channel loss. BlackBerry now offers unlocked Q10 and Z10 smartphones via its own site, for $549.00 and $449.00 respectively.
Those may not be quite bargain basement prices, but they’re cheap enough compared to other unlocked flagship phones from manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, Sony and HTC, and the move is almost certainly tied to BlackBerry’s near-$1 billion write-down on hardware inventory reported last quarter.
The massive write-down was blamed almost entirely on poor performance of the Z10, the BlackBerry 10 flagship device launched last January by the beleaguered BlackBerry, and the first smartphone to be powered by its brand-new operating system. The Z10 was clearly not the rousing success its creators hoped it would be, and the write-down plus the $449 outright price now on offer via its site reflect the fact that there are probably tons of these things just sitting around burning precious and expensive warehouse space.
BlackBerry’s decision to price the Q10 slightly higher might be due to a marginally better reception for the keyboard-sporting design. Having reviewed both devices, the Q10 was definitely the better of the two by a wide margin, if only for basic advantages like longer battery life.
While the pricing and U.S.-only availability of these unlocked devices doesn’t scream “fire sale” just yet, it is worth noting that this is a similar strategy to the one BlackBerry took (back when it was still RIM) with the PlayBook tablet, another big hardware miss for the company. Based on that example, if you’re looking for an unlocked GSM BlackBerry smartphone (unclear why you would be), it’s probably better to wait a little while and watch the company deeply discount both the Z10 and the Q10 in time for the holiday shopping season.
There’s no sign of the Q5 in the direct sales channel just yet. And BlackBerry’s Z30, a new smartphone similar to the Z10 with a built-in bigger battery and larger, lower-pixel density display went on sale in many markets recently, so it also isn’t listed as one of the phones you can buy unlocked from BlackBerry. The company likely won’t have made the same mistake of producing lots of inventory for that device, given the Z10′s track record and the low-key launch it enjoyed, but it’s totally possible those could end up on BlackBerry’s virtual store shelves too, if that’s something you’re into.
Sep 28
BlackBerry recently announced that it has sold 3.7 million smartphones in the second fiscal quarter of 2013, majority of these devices were running legacy OS. What this means is that the company’s BB10 powered devices haven’t had a strong quarter, despite the fact that they were the ones supposed to turn things around for BlackBerry. The company needs to sell more units and now it has started to directly sell the GSM unlocked models of BlackBerry Z10 and the Q10 through its website. At this point in time, the units are only directly being sold and shipped to U.S. addresses.
An unlocked GSM BlackBerry Z10 can be purchased directly from the company for $449, whereas the Q10 is accompanied by a price tag of $549. As previously mentioned, these are unlocked versions and will be compatible with GSM networks in the U.S. as well as in other countries around the globe. BlackBerry has made a return to direct sales after quite some time. In the past one could purchase a number of GSM BlackBerry devices through the company’s website. It remains to be seen if this additional sales channel will help the company, though it won’t be enough on its own to fix all of the problems the company is facing.
BlackBerry Beings Direct Online Sales Of Z10 And Q10 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Sep 27
BlackBerry loses a billion dollars in three months, blames it on failed Z10
Posted in: Today's Chili
BlackBerry has just reported a $935 million hit in Q2 due entirely to what it’s calling a “Z10 Inventory Charge” — in other words, a loss associated with creating a stock of flagship handsets that subsequently failed to sell. Echoing Microsoft’s catastrophic write-down due to unsold Surface RT inventory, this single loss was enough to wipe out much of the company’s quarterly revenue of $1.6 billion. When added to a further loss due to corporate restructuring, it resulted in a final GAAP loss for BlackBerry of $965 million. It’s hard to gauge exactly how many of the newer BB 10 handsets (namely the Z10 and Q10) sold during the quarter, but BlackBerry admits that “most” of the 3.7 million units that reached end users were older BlackBerry 7 devices, so the figures can’t be pretty. For his part, Thorsten Heins says he’s “very disappointed” with the results, but he claims the company saw growth in enterprise server (BES 10) customers and he insists there’s still a future in that side of the business — a future that could soon belong to someone else.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Source: MarketWired
Sep 20
Bad news from BlackBerry: 4,500 jobs to be cut, expected Q2 net operating loss of over $950 million
Posted in: Today's Chili
Things haven’t been going well at BlackBerry for awhile, what with lackluster adoption of BB10 and the hardware running it, and rumors that massive layoffs are coming before the end of the year. Today, the company confirmed the latter rumor, announcing that it will lay off around 4,500 employees as a part of a plan to reduce its operating expenditures by half over the next year. The plan’s necessitated by an expected Q2 2014 net operating loss of almost one billion (955-995 million) dollars, driven primarily by the lackluster sale of its BB10 phones — the company will take a pre-tax charge of $930-960 million which can be attributed mostly to the failure of the Z10 to sell. BlackBerry expects revenue for Q2 to be $1.6 billion, which is roughly half of the $3.1 billion it pulled in last quarter.
Needless to say, the financial outlook for the company isn’t good, and some changes are in order. In the near term, the Z10 will be priced “ to make it available to a broader, entry-level audience,” leaving the Z30 as BlackBerry’s all-touch flagship. To try to turn things around in the long term, the company’s going to refocus on its enterprise offerings and will reduce its device portfolio from six devices to four, with two high end and two entry level phones. And, don’t get it twisted, the days of BlackBerry courting mainstream consumers is all but over — its future phones will be aimed at the “enterprise and prosumers.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Sep 19
If the Z10 looked something like Blackberry was trying to build an iPhone copy to house its BB10 platform, the just announced Z30 would be the BB10 Galaxy S4 or HTC One. After holding it for a few minutes, I’m convinced it’s something I wouldn’t mind holding for at least a few minutes more.
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