BlackBerry

Research In Motion users can now text or talk with their BlackBerry Messenger contacts via version 7.

A new voice feature in the latest version allows you to make free phone calls to your BBM contacts over a local Wi-Fi connection. Beyond calling someone initially, you can start off the conversation by texting and then switch to a voice call if needed. You can also tell when your BBM contacts are available for a voice call.

RIM kicked off the new BBM voice calling through the app's beta last month and said the feature received a positive response from … Read more

RIM's stock climbed today in reaction to some rare positive news.

Goldman Sachs analyst Simona Jankowski increased her rating on RIM stock to "Buy" from "Neutral" today after saying that there's a "30 percent chance" the company's BlackBerry 10 smartphones will be successful, the Associated Press reported.

A one-in-three chance isn't all that much to cheer about, but Jankowski's opinion and "Buy" rating were enough to send the stock up more than 6 percent since the start of today's trading.

Goldman Sachs upped its 12-month price … Read more

As if its slumping market share figures aren't enough, Research In Motion has found itself in some legal trouble with Nokia.

A Swedish arbitrator has ruled that RIM is "in breach of contract and is not entitled to manufacture or sell WLAN products without first agreeing [on] royalties with Nokia." If such a royalty agreement is not made, Nokia could have the legal grounds it needs to ban the sale of any BlackBerry devices that violate its patents related to WLAN (wireless local access network) technology.

Reuters was first to report the news.

The trouble between RIM and Nokia … Read more

Shares of Research In Motion, the makers of the BlackBerry, are, by some Thanksgiving miracle, up by a whopping 26 percent this week. Yes, you read that right.

On Monday, shares of RIM were trading on the Nasdaq at $8.69 apiece. Now they're trading at $11.76 per share with no signs of stopping.

Wait, we're talking about RIM, right? The same company that continues to bleed customers and cash like a bad Kung Fu movie? The same company whose outdated BlackBerrys are being tossed aside in favor of iPhones and Androids? And the same company whose … Read more

Here's another signal that might be pointing to a BlackBerry swan song -- the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is ditching the device for Apple's iPhone 5. This is the latest in a growing number of government agencies that have turned their backs on the mobile phone.

The government agency announced its plan in a government filing last week, according to Bloomberg. The reason it gave for dropping the phone is that it is not reliable.

BlackBerry devices have been "failing both at inopportune times and at an unacceptable rate," the NTSB wrote, according to … Read more

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins settles all 6 feet, 7 inches of his lanky frame into the high chair of the hotel conference room where we both sit, slumping down slightly before the camera rolls and the questions fly. (Heins quips that he's short for his family; his son stands 6 feet, 10 inches.)

Heins may speak with an executive's calm, practiced ease, but make no mistake that the next six months for RIM and its chief officer will be anything but easy.

With BlackBerry 10 launching January 30, Heins … Read more

BlackBerry Messenger is adding voice call support, Research In Motion announced today.

Upon downloading the free BlackBerry Messenger update, customers will find that they can place voice calls to other BBM customers whenever they're on a Wi-Fi connection. In order to connect to BlackBerry Voice, customers must already be a BlackBerry service plan customer. According to RIM, the calls can be placed at no charge.

The new feature allows users to switch between talking and texting at will. In addition, RIM says that customers will be able to text message and call at the same time. BlackBerry Voice has … Read more

While worldwide phone sales fell slightly during the third quarter, sales of smartphones are continuing to rise, according to new figures from Gartner.

More than 427 million phones were sold in total during the third quarter, 3 percent down on the same quarter a year ago, Gartner said, but up slightly on the 419 million devices shipped in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, smartphone sales are continuing their upward trajectory compared to feature phones -- 169 million smartphones were sold during the quarter, an increase of 47 percent year-on-year.

Samsung, Nokia and Apple remain the top three vendors by sales for … Read more

After several delays, Research in Motion wants to move quickly in the final stretch before the launch of BlackBerry 10.

RIM said yesterday that it plans to unveil the phones at global launch events on January 30. The company is aiming to make the phones available by February, according to Bloomberg.

RIM doesn't expect the phones to hit the various carriers simultaneously, but the launches should occur within 30 days of the unveiling, Bloomberg reported based on an interview with Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear.

RIM has long delayed the release of BlackBerry 10, which has been talked about … Read more