[W Hoa]

Facebook, WhatsApp deal gives BlackBerry Ltd huge boost as takeover confirms messaging will lead next �Internet gold rush� | Financial Post

[BBUK14]

Sorry folks, I need to vent a bit:
I have shown the Z30 to some my colleagues (developer) during the last days and convinced one of them to buy one
But most of the others did not show any interest in this device.
They even didn't want to see features or anything else. They turned the head in the other direction.
Or just plain laughing about BB and the zero-marketshare in USA... and how dead BB is - and how stupid I am...
It's not a problem for me because I like to feel like an alien, but the perception of BB is so bad here in Germany and it's frustrating to see the ignorance.
Then I read an article in the "S�ddeutsche Zeitung" about alternatives to whatsapp (after the facebook deal). The "journalist" mentioned every other IMS - except BBM. I think it's the same reason: BB already stands for dead company, not worth to mention.
BB has a long way to go here. I hope it's different in other countries.
Now I need a coffee...

Premarket up today almost 5% - will be an interesting day.

BlackBerry face a unique challenge, and I'm not convinced they even understand the importance of fixing their image, or at least I'm not sure they believe they can - who knows.

The great thing is that the devices are great, and that people who actually use them are sold. It would be something different if the brand was trashed, AND the products were junk.

I said a while ago that BlackBerry should utilise it's hardcore fans, and offer us discount incentives for converting people to BlackBerry 10 phones. I've personally been responsible for 9 Z10 sales so far to friends, and I'm just one person.

Wouldn't it be great if we got say 25 pounds off our next BlackBerry device for each person we brought to BlackBerry 10? Why not run such a programme for six months and see how it goes? I'd have bought a Z30 by now, and the folks who bought one because of me would be incentivised to promote as well.

The media are NOT going to lead on this. They all bet big on the death of BlackBerry, and it would be a bit embarrassing to turn around and back BlackBerry now.

Word of mouth and underground viral promotion does have value though, and is something we can help with. With some persistence and patience, we can reach a breakout point and THEN the media will follow.

I'm tired of just ranting and doing nothing and that's why I started posting my bootleg BlackBerry ads in here and on the Channel below. Those of us who aren't just wind should share the ones they like through social media, and start posting images and ideas of their own that I and others can share as well.

If you're a fan or a shareholder, I say get angry, BUT GET INVOLVED. We've got a tremendous amount of pent up advertising power in here, and it would be better spent getting the message out there instead of us only complaining in here amongst ourselves.

Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

[OMGitworks]

Who could possibly believe in the efficient markets hypothesis after watching these tech stocks lol? Facebook overspends on WhatsCrap and now BlackBerry is supposedly getting a boost because of BBM, when not a darn thing has actually changed. Were the analysts and investors stupid idiots before, are they now, are is it just obvious that the experts just haven't got a bloody clue?

Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

I think you are partially right. The issue with IM stocks and stocks like Tesla, Netflix, FB or Twitter is that there are no comparables to value things by so they guess. They are momentum stocks with a future but who knows what that future is? Obviously, and I think they are right, WA future is brighter than BBRy's right now. That may not be the case a year from now, but for the moment I think that is undeniable. When WhatsApp gets sold for a crazy price we now know what a willing (and possible stupid) buyer is willing to (over) pay. FB stock is down 2% so the market is saying they don't like what they paid so there is a sliver of market reaction and adjustment.

Only my opinion and it has been for a while, but I think many here are not being realistic about BBM or its value. It may be better, but very few people will switch over. FB + WA is going to deflate and cream BBM on the consumer side.

The george4BB experience accurately reflects public sentiment in my circles as well. People laugh at my BB, I show them, they say nice and then show me their iPhone which does just about everything a phone needs to do and is easy to use and "cool" well sort of. It's everywhere in Boston and NYC where I travel and in all the teenage places I have to take my kids. BBRY and BBM aren't even on their radar. BBRY is dead to them. BBM may well be "better" than WA but that alone won't win the battle.

We can all think we are smarter than the market or the consumer and know what is "best" but the numbers don't lie. BBM may be 5-8 times better but WA has 5-8 times more active users. Somebody just paid 4 times more for WA than all of BBRY is worth right now.

If Chen and Co have new, better BBM or enterprise numbers, then they need to get them out, NOW!!! Otherwise BBM will be marginalized and forgotten int eh consumer market, just like the handsets are right now.

[OMGitworks]

Looks like another wild ride today, hopefully in the RIGHT direction.

Time will tell!

Very true but I'd be worried that even with the Third Point and now WA news, BBRY sits just about where it was a week ago. Absorbing all that great news and getting back to just even isn't going to make for a great run. Its also still down for the last month and 6 months. The 3 month chart does look more promising but I'd still be very concerned that BBRY can't rally and hold on the back of all of this positive news.

Mr Chen, gives the market something to be positive about. If you don't, Mr. Loeb and Third Point are going to be all over you. They are activists. If you aren't worried that he is going to start yelling and screaming for more rapid change and likely a way to spin off BBM you should be. As always JMHO.............

[BBUK14]

Well, I partially agree with you back lol. You are right: BlackBerry is off the radar. BlackBerry and BBM are not the same thing though when it comes to perception. Most people simply don't know about it, or don't want to bother with an app that all their friends don't already have.

The magic number in my view is 3. If you get a circle of three friends using BBM, they will use it over WhatsCrap, and will bring in a fourth and so on.

There was always going to be an overlap period in which people use both. This is where BBM can slaughter WhatsApp because it's the far superior app. The find your friends feature is a great move and will gain traction with every new user.

Just because someone downloads BBM and then deletes it it doesn't mean they won't download it again if their friends are using it.

It will take all of 2014 for BBM to really penetrate and build a proper user base. In my view, the reason that the market (and often BlackBerry management up to now) don't know what to do or think about IM is that they haven't got a clue about youth and general culture and behaviour. A sociologist would probably be a better stock advisor in this area than a regular market guy. Steve Jobs understood both.

Anyway, I don't think we need despair. People aren't in love with WhatsApp. They just have it and use it because it's there and others have it. It's not a very lovable app.

What we can do, to help BlackBerry and the SP, and ourselves and our bank accounts, is be better, more aggressive activists for BBM in this crucial period...

Post our bootleg ads, make your own, tweet your love for BBM, etc. Get BBM in people faces - get it some attention - make people curious. Even post BBM is Best on WhatsApps twitter thing (you can tell I don't use Twitter perhaps)...any WhatsApp v BBM stuff is bad for WhatsApp and good for BBM, because the two aren't even close in regards to quality. make some noise and let's get the market and the media following us, instead of the other way around.

Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

[BThunderW]

Interesting, my Facebook feed is buzzing with people switching from WhatsApp. Got few more people onto BBM. Though I should note that general knowledge still seems to be that Blackberry will be gone soon.

[_dimi_]

Quite simply, yes 100's millions of people are wrong very often. This is how you get bubbles.

You never make money by following the herd. You make money by leading the herd!

Posted via CB10

In that case.. follow me!! ;-)

Posted via CB10

[leafs123]

Well, I partially agree with you back lol. You are right: BlackBerry is off the radar. BlackBerry and BBM are not the same thing though when it comes to perception. Most people simply don't know about it, or don't want to bother with an app that all their friends don't already have.

Disagree, the same argument can be said about BB10. It is great but not many know how good it is and will not bother with it because of BB's perception and because their friends have much "cooler" phones.

[plasmid_boy]

Quite simply, yes 100's millions of people are wrong very often. This is how you get bubbles.

You never make money by following the herd. You make money by leading the herd!

Posted via CB10

I agree. I would go further and say that most people are wrong most of the time.

[jake simmons3]

So just out of curiosity what percentage of BBRY do you think is owned by funds and institutions now

[georg4BB]

The media are NOT going to lead on this. They all bet big on the death of BlackBerry, and it would be a bit embarrassing to turn around and back BlackBerry now.
...
I'm tired of just ranting and doing nothing and that's why I started posting my bootleg BlackBerry ads in here and on the Channel below. Those of us who aren't just wind should share the ones they like through social media, and start posting images and ideas of their own that I and others can share as well.

You are so right.

Therefore I just wrote an email to this journalist who didn't mention BBM in the list of IMS. Very friendly and repectful of course. And she already answered that the list might not have been complete. And she thanked for the information and she will do some investigation about BBM and maybe will write an additional article. I provided her additional information about BBM and hope she will look at it. Its a small step, I know, but maybe it helps BB a bit.

Cheers.

[BergerKing]

Well, from what I have read. You have to do this deal in a T-Mobile store . . . where they don't stock BlackBerry phones anymore. So, guess what? The pushy salespeople will push an Android or iPhone on you for that $200 discount.

Some deal!

Just sharing the story. There are reasons I don't do business with T-Mobile, and that just added to it.

[Superfly_FR]

So, it wasn't a surprise to me that when the WhatsApp announcement came out that BlackBerry shares got a bit of a jolt, running as much as 8% after hours on Wednesday and now currently poking around 4% up pre-market on Thursday. The reasoning behind this is that WhatsApp backhandedly put a valuation on the company's BBM app. The valuation works out to about $42/user. BBM has over 80 million users - roughly 1/6th of WhatsApp, which would (performing a back of the napkin valuation) put a value of around 2.5 billion on BBM.

BlackBerry Ltd (BBRY) news: BlackBerry's Newfound $2.5-Billion Baby - Seeking Alpha

[bungaboy]

Just sharing the story. There are reasons I don't do business with T-Mobile, and that just added to it.

I know that BK. I wasn't being critical of you. Wasn't trying to shoot the messenger. LoL

Just being critical of T-Mobile's sleazy moves.

[Mr BBRY]

We can all think we are smarter than the market or the consumer and know what is "best" but the numbers don't lie. BBM may be 5-8 times better but WA has 5-8 times more active users. Somebody just paid 4 times more for WA than all of BBRY is worth right now.

If Chen and Co have new, better BBM or enterprise numbers, then they need to get them out, NOW!!! Otherwise BBM will be marginalized and forgotten int eh consumer market, just like the handsets are right now.

Very true, OMG. The devastated public perception will be the hardest to overcome. BlackBerry and Chen need to do everything they can to at least start that reversal process. Chen has made all the right moves to start to change that, but the market needs proof. It may be a long time before that happens, but shares will be MUCH higher valued by that time. Right now, failure is baked into the current SP. The market and media, and therefore public, are not going to change their mind until some concrete earnings numbers are produced that show that BlackBerry has stabilized their business and is not bleeding cash. From there, its going to be all about the forward guidance during earnings calls. Once a profit is shown, the domino effect will set in, and the vast public (and enterprise clients) will see that BlackBerry is not dead, and consider its products.

[BBUK14]

You are so right.

Therefore I just wrote an email to this journalist who didn't mention BBM in the list of IMS. Very friendly and repectful of course. And she already answered that the list might not have been complete. And she thanked for the information and she will do some investigation about BBM and maybe will write an additional article. I provided her additional information about BBM and hope she will look at it. Its a small step, I know, but maybe it helps BB a bit.

Cheers.

Excellent. It's funny - human nature really - that most people (including all of us) will easily complain about stuff, but seldom do anything about it even if it's easy and even if we have the power to do so.

I'm not optimistic that many will join me in spreading these little bootleg Go BBM ads around, you I'll keep it up and keep posting for those who are interested. We have enough people in here, placed in enough different locations, to make a very real impact. We can DEFINITELY get BBM into people's attention spans if more than a few of us get involved. Just post a pic, tweet one, or do what you did and make a call. Well done mate.

I'd love to see more people join the Bootleg BlackBerry Marketing campaign lol and share their stuff as well. Why the hell not? It's far more fun than watching the ticker and the media comments and complaining (which I also do at times), and it actually has value.

Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

[Andy_bb_king]

TA expert please! Hasn't BBRY just hit triple bottom at around $9? Isn't this extremely bullish?

Posted via CB10

[swaxolez]

If only they could release video communications and all of the other features from BBM to iOS and Android this rocket would take off. God I hope BB is working around the clock to make this happen soon - real soon. Please BB don't drop the ball on this - you've been given another chance IMO. You used to be the king of smartphones and instant messaging. You lost one but still have a hold of the other. Don't screw this up.

[jake simmons3]

If only they could release video communications and all of the other features from BBM to iOS and Android this rocket would take off. God I hope BB is working around the clock to make this happen soon - real soon. Please BB don't drop the ball on this - you've been given another chance IMO. You used to be the king of smartphones and instant messaging. You lost one but still have a hold of the other. Don't screw this up.

I want to see it on Desktop before i see video but hey if Video and desktop come soon ill be happy

[OMGitworks]

I want to see it on Desktop before i see video but hey if Video and desktop come soon ill be happy

As I posted, I want to see or hear SOMETHING, ANYTHING. BBMx is going to get lapped if we just keep cruising along at this moderate pace.

[bigbbrybeliever]

I hear people talking about how the Blackberry brand is damaged and how smaller BBM user group comparing to WA, bla, bla ....
Yes, all those are true! BUT that is why we can buy BB stock at current price, $9.50! That is the very reason people like me who are buying BB's stock while never touching FB, NFLX or other internet stocks because we believe that one day, thing will change. We may hear the same people who said that BB was dead, will talk about how great the BB phone is and how wonderful the BBM is and bla, bla....
Well, guess what, at that time, when you want to buy the BB stock, it will be 10 or 20 times today's price.

[OMGitworks]

BlackBerry Ltd (BBRY) news: BlackBerry's Newfound $2.5-Billion Baby - Seeking Alpha

Seriously flawed premise. You can't extrapolate as that article suggests. Not all users are valued equally. If we believe the market and BBRY's market cap, the deal added about 250M in value to BBRY, not 2.5B.

I guess it's only a zero between friends.

This is good news for BBRY and BBM in the short run, but let's be realistic about it.....

[BBNation]

BB needs to realize that it owns the jewel, just need to bank on it. Spend $$s to make it better, market it before it repeats what happened to hardware. Hedge fund managers are there so I am sure they will make PW to push Chen for that. Looking at acquisitions in 12 months including MDM, hardware, patents, messaging, BB is worth more than $20 billion but it is all up to how BB tells that market

[morganplus8]

TA expert please! Hasn't BBRY just hit triple bottom at around $9? Isn't this extremely bullish?

Posted via CB10

That is a very weak triple bottom, you normally need a decent rally and failure between bottoms and BBRY is really being saved by news from other events right now. We are lucky to have found support at $ 9.00/shr.

Here is my take on the chart:



I see us moving sideways for a couple of more days until we make contact with what I believe wil be our long lasting uptrend line. We are so close to testing this line and would have at lower prices if we hadn't been a part of "other" news. Come back to this chart early next week to see if we find support at my uptrend line. This line mirrors the 50-dma which is very bullish for the long term and it projects us to much higher highs in the months ahead as we move toward the top of this channel.

[Corbu]

Just two tidbits of information regarding the deal:

If this one is more anecdotal:
BBC News - Facebook to buy messaging app WhatsApp for $19bn

Mr Zuckerberg said the prospect of a deal was first floated just 11 days ago.

I find this one more "worrisome":
BBC News - WhatsApp - is it worth it?

The most authoritative piece on why the sums add up has come from Jim Goetz at the venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, who gives us four numbers that tell the story. The 450 million active users - a number reached "faster than any other company in history". The number of engineers - 32 - in an extremely lean workforce. The one note affixed to a founder's desk that reads "No Ads! No Games! No Gimmicks!" And the $0 spent on marketing by a firm that has grown by word of mouth.

How many engineers is the BBM team made up of? Has BBRY really been operating in a lean and efficient manner, over the last few years? I wonder and I worry. Obviously, this is pure speculation on my part and I know nothing. Just sharing some random thoughts...

But I am slightly irked by the fact that a team of 32 engineers was able to accomplish so much while BBRY was coasting along.

I must say CrackBerryKevin's point of view resonates with me:

Insanity!

Kinda makes me angry. We were extremely vocal about BlackBerry taking BBM multi-platform YEARS ago, long before WhatsApp even had 50 users. It's a good lesson. Servicing user needs is more important than protecting your ego. The demand was there big time for an all-platform messenger. BBM had it done. WhatsApp copied them feature by feature over the years. Heck, the first versions of WhatsApp were SO bare bones compared to where BBM was at when WhatsApp launched. But WhatsApp's lack of features compared to BBM at launch didn't compare to what WhatsApp provided.... basic cross platform messaging that wasn't SMS reliant.

$16 Billion is just crazy money though. Facebook could have bought BB for that a few times over. Makes Instagram look like a STEAL, too. 16 Instagrams or 1 WhatsApp. And $16 Billion just seems like too big of a pay day for an app that systematically ripped off BBM feature for feature. I mean, shame on BBM for not going multi-platform sooner as they should have. But shame on the world for being so bat **** out of whack.

In any event, it's all water under the bridge by now... I am anxious for some hard news from JC&Co.