Editor’s Note: Related tickers: BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)
Director Says BlackBerry Can Survive as ‘Niche’ Player (WSJ)
One of the members of BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) -1.11% board committee tasked with exploring strategic alternatives said the company can compete as a “niche company” in the smartphone business, but said there are “subsets” that should be sold off. In an interview in Stockholm, newly-elected BlackBerry director Bert Nordberg said the board is aware of the value the company has created in areas like the enterprise business, hardware functionality and secure communications. It was the first interview with a BlackBerry board member since the strategic review was announced earlier in August.
BBM for Android gets a sign-up page (Phandroid)
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) originally promised us that their Android and iOS messaging apps — affectionately known as Blackberry Messenger or BBM — would be coming to us by the end of summer. By our Gregorian calendar, summer ends September 21st, and we’re quickly approaching that date. With that, it’s natural that we start seeing and hearing more and more about the arrival of the premium chat service. Samsung has oddly been the biggest megaphone for hype, with the company curiously hyping the service up in South Africa as it will eventually launch in their apps store.
BlackBerry Messenger still popular (BermudaSun)
Bermuda’s two mobile phone carriers both believe that BlackBerry Messenger will be a popular hit for Android and iPhone users. On Wednesday, the Bermuda Sun reported on local BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) users who said they were not interested in switching to Android or iPhones with the BBM app. Shane Mora, marketing manager for Digicel Bermuda, told the Bermuda Sun “Digicel Bermuda has always had a sizeable BlackBerry customer base and still does. Many people that are now using other smartphone platforms likely started with BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) as their first instant messaging app.
BlackBerry India MD: “I will categorically say that we’re not up for sale” (Berryreview)
There seems to be a bit of double talk going on from BlackBerrys managing director in India, Sunil Lalvani. He went on to say to the India Times that “I will categorically say that we’re not up for sale, but we’re up for evaluating strategic alternatives which could include a possible sale.” He went on to say this to assure jittery corporate users in India that it will be business “as usual.” He stated that the “Strategic Options” announcement had “a little bit effect on sentiments in the market because people started assuming that we are up for sale.”
Morgan Stanley delays BlackBerry upgrades (BizJournals)
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has delayed upgrading its employees to BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)’s latest BlackBerry 10 smartphones over concerns that the Canadian technology company won’t back the phones long term. Bloomberg reported that Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) instead has opted to keep using the BlackBerry 7 devices because it wants an assurance from BlackBerry that it will get support. The BlackBerry 7 system was introduced in 2011, Bloomberg said.
