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Plummeting Share Prices Could Leave RIM Vulnerable to Takeover

Alex Castle — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:20:45 -0500

Research In Motion, maker of the Blackberry, is in a bad way. The recent economic crisis has seen their stock fall from $148 to $60 in just 4 months, Reuters reports, leaving the company on shaky footing.

At the same time, Microsoft is looking to strengthen its presence in the handheld market, an arena recently invaded by two of the Redmond giant’s key rivals: Apple and Google. There have been rumors of Microsoft’s interest in RIM for years, but the Blackberry maker’s present financial situation has renewed and reinvigorated talk of a Microsoft takeover.

Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Adams has said “RIM is a massive strategic fit [for Microsoft]. I’m fairly certain they have a standing offer to buy them at $50.”

It’s unknown how strongly the co-CEOs of RIM would oppose such a deal. If they resisted strongly, it’s considered unlikely that Microsoft would attempt a hostile takeover.

RIM Introduces Its First Flip Phone, Tries to Expand in Consumer Market

Tom Edwards — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:31:11 -0500

At this week’s CTIA trade show in San Francisco, Research in Motion, developer of the BlackBerry, announced the release of its first flip-design phone. Based on the candy-bar-style Pearl, the Pearl Flip 8220 will include a 240x320 primary display, a camera, music and video capabilities, and Wi-Fi. Like the Pearl, the Pearl Flip has been designed for the consumer market. Instead of a full keyboard, the device includes two letters on each key and also has a trackball, similar to the Pearl’s. T-Mobile will be the exclusive carrier of the Pearl Flip in the United States. Although no street price or relapse date were provided at the show. It is widely expected that the Flip will be available by the holiday season.

BlackBerry 8820

Tom Edwards — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:11:05 -0500

Ostensibly designed for business users who can’t have a cameraphone in the workplace, the BlackBerry 8820 is, in fact, a consumer-friendly device that includes one major upgrade over its predecessor, the 8800: Wi-Fi. And while this addition allows for speedier web browsing and better connections in spotty coverage areas, it comes with one major caveat—AT&T has chosen to allow Wi-Fi to carry only data, not voice, so VoIP, isn’t a possibility. That said, the inclusion of Wi-Fi is welcomed, particularly because RIM has made searching for and logging onto a network so simple.

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