[kojita]

I just read this : BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) Announces Accelerated Sale Process to Find Buyer by November

BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) Announces Accelerated Sale Process to Find Buyer by November – Option Data - Historical Option Data

Anybody know this site?

Thanks jeffydude05: here is the link to the WSJ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...852435370.html
Their sources are "people familiar with the matter"

So it seems it spreads: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/0...social%20media

And now the globe and mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...ticle14104944/

BGR has it : .....nahhhhhhhh don't like em!

[jeffydude05]

Similar story in the WSJ...trying to get sold by November.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cgk]

From the WSJ article:

"Our view is that enterprises will further delay implementations and even die-hard consumers will catch wind that BlackBerry is for sale and not commit to the platform," National Bank analyst Kris Thompson said in a note to clients Wednesday. "The longer the strategic review lasts, the uglier BlackBerry's outlook may look."

It is unclear who held the preliminary talks with BlackBerry or its representatives, but private-equity players and possibly some Asian tech companies are expected to at least consider a deal for the company. Any BlackBerry deal will likely include more than one buyer each taking over part of the company, one of the people said.

So the suggestion is that the company could be broken up.

[kojita]

Depends who buys it.

I am Zeeing things. There I Zed it.

[MPLexus301]

Not really surprised. Once a company announces that they are exploring "strategic partnerships" that throws up the flag to potential buyers and customers alike. Nobody wants to buy into a brand that might not be around at the end of the year, so I am sure that the announcement is hurting sales, and evidently, they don't really have any good "partnership" prospects right now.

Very sad. There are a lot of folks here who do not seem willing to face the truth - BB is in very bad shape right now. It is what it is. The good news is that a partnership could end up being very beneficial for the company. If someone like Sony, Amazon or Samsung came along and snatched up the business, it would be pretty remarkable and push BB to a totally new level. However, if it's broken up and sold off in pieces, I don't see that as being favorable for the BlackBerry faithful.

With the growth of the Chinese economy, I wouldn't be surprised to see a China-based tech firm vying for the business, just to get access to BB's assets and subscriber base.

[SK122387]

I like Amazon. I wouldn't hate if they bought BlackBerry. They could finally get in on the smartphone market, with us being able to download their content. They could keep the hardware alive and breathe new life into BlackBerry with its content.

BlackBerry could build Amazon's Kindles, while offering BlackBerry smartphone users the chance to have its shopping, books, movies, etc. on their devices.

In a way, it could be perfect. BlackBerry's strength is in business, with QNX in automotive and other areas... and Amazon's strength is in the consumer market, whether that be Kindle books, Amazon Instant Video, and their whole world of online shopping.

Imagine Amazon Prime Instant Videos being displayed in built-in monitors in cars. Or a notification on your car's display that tells you that your package from Amazon is at your door.

And have you seen Amazon's commercials? The "Smile On The Box" ones are good. Here's a link to it. It's good, and pretty clearly defines Amazon as a company.

[sinsin07]

Damn. If true that's quick. Bad news. Nothing out there right now for Fortune 500 like a Blackberry.

[bobauckland]

Very difficult time to be a BB10 owner.
I really hope this device continues to get updates, otherwise it could end up being another Playbook.

[MPLexus301]

^Very much agreed. Amazon would, IMO, be the perfect partner for BB. A huge library of media and content - one of BB's biggest weaknesses.

[ssbtech]

For a company that has managed in the past three years to build a new OS from the start, two new handsets (with more in the works), an entirely new MDM system and an entirely new set of developer tools, BlackBerry really seems to have no direction or determination.

Send some developers out to the head offices of the big app names, pay for a two week stay at a hotel and build their apps for them. Get apps to the platform.

Trade-in program - Most BlackBerry users I know don't know BlackBerry has a trade-in program. Advertise it, and open it up to iDroid devices. Gets iDroid devices off the street and gets BB10 into the hands of more people.

Stop acting like a struggling big company and start acting like the small company you currently are. Grow from there.


Heins has managed to bring BlackBerry this far, time to step aside and bring someone in to actually grow the company now.

[MPLexus301]

^Too late for that at this point. Nobody will commit to do anything with/for the platform until the strategic direction is resolved.

[ljfong]

Thorsten is getting all giddy for his $55 million dollar payout along with the rest of the C suits.

[Javid Gozalov]

Oh lord, just imagine having the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 on each and every amazon front page.

Would be bloody glorious, imagine the spike of sales!!

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[MPLexus301]

I have no intel or sense that Amazon is a contender...their name was just mentioned with several other BB rumors a year or so ago. Really though, when you think about it, I think it would be the perfect marriage. BB has hardware and software, and Amazon needs both, but has a huge media and content library. They also have the money to put into R&D to build BB up. Not to mention that Amazon is one of the largest names in the tech space, and that alone would probably send top devs to BB10 in a heartbeat.

[ssbtech]

^Too late for that at this point. Nobody will commit to do anything with/for the platform until the strategic direction is resolved.

That's why I said BBRY should fly developers to the big app brands and build the app for them. No commitment from the big app brands.

I know people think you need 100 developers to build an app, but realistically one or two will do. BlackBerry could crank out a few dozen top apps in a matter of weeks if they had any drive or determination.

I don't understand how fragmented this company's direction is. New phone still in development, cross platform BBM, 10.2 in the works and now they want to throw in the towel and sell.

I really don't want to go back to using my old Sanyo flip phone but that's looking like reality at this point.

[SK122387]

If Amazon/BlackBerry really wanted to make a splash, they could announce the buyout and also have Amazon Instant Video, a native Kindle app, and their shopping app ready for immediate download in BlackBerry World.

They could give BlackBerry users a three month free trial of Amazon Prime (they currently offer a 1 month free trial), as a nice Welcoming gift. I dunno, an Amazon/BlackBerry duo sounds more ideal than any other combo I can think of.

Amazon also is huge in the U.S., where BlackBerry so desperately needs good press. A strong partner in the U.S. that has shown that they listen to consumers could only help BlackBerry.


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[Tariq Nasir]

Microsoft would be a good option too. Combined with the Nokia acquisition, they would be within striking distance of Apple's global market share (13 percent vs 8)

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[ssbtech]

Microsoft would be a good option too. Combined with the Nokia acquisition, they would be within striking distance of Apple's global market share (13 percent vs 8)

Microsoft would pick BlackBerry apart and kill off BB10 and QNX by November next year.

[pseudo7]

I seem to remember the webOS guys having the same pipe dream of seeing their platform purchased by Amazon...

[berklon]

No major company is going to buy Blackberry and keep BB10 alive.

No point hoping that Amazon or Sony, etc. will bring life to BB10 - it's not going to happen.

[kojita]

A sale could be going private right?

I am Zeeing things. There I Zed it.

[crackfinder]

I guess T-Mobile no longer stocking the Z10 and Q10 at their brick and mortar stores was partly a sign of things to come.

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[crackfinder]

I guess T-Mobile no longer stocking the Z10 and Q10 at their brick and mortar stores was partly a sign of things to come.

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We will see if other carriers follow suit.

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[anon(1005582)]

I hope that Blackberry sells off its hardware business but keeps it software business. Also spinning off BBM wouldn't be a bad idea. This way they can get out of the hardware business (which causes them to lose money) and retain the part of their business that they know. They need to do something similar to IBM but with a niche focus on b2b products in the communication field.

I still believe that there is a lot of potential for BBM and the software aspect of Blackberry. For one, they should create a BBM desktop app and expand it's capabilities. I for one do not like the calendar and email experience on ios or android. BB could create a Hub (email), calendar, and contact app for ios and android. These three apps would communicate with each similar to the current BB10 integration.

[bobauckland]

What happens now is anyone's guess.
If BlackBerry is sold who is going to want to support a free cross platform messenger like bbm?
Either it will be monetised or dropped completely, difficult to actually get anyone to move from whatsapp to bbm when it may be dead in weeks.

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