[bungaboy]

I haven't used any apostrophes in this one...


Attachment 260838

On another topic, I was a bit surprised that the news of good initial sticker sales did absolutely nothing to the SP. That being said, I'm hoping the stock dives a bit next week as well so that we can buy some more at a nice discount. Fingers crossed next ER will have great BBM news and great Z3 sales. The stronger these are, the easier enterprise sales will get. No one likes a loser; everyone loves a winner.

Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

It would be nice to add the Z3 Jakarta image (thinly veiled) as well.

[Corbu]

Fairly long article but since this is the weekend, I suspect I can paste this.

Pretty good read with some interesting bits.

Chen travelling the world to promote BlackBerry

WATERLOO — BlackBerry chief executive officer John Chen is living out of a suitcase as he executes an ambitious recovery plan for the once-leading smartphone maker that lost $5.9 billion US in its most recent fiscal year.

Chen is flying around the world meeting with business and government customers as he engages in what he calls "high-touch marketing." The electrical engineer and former chief executive of Sybase Inc. is currently on a tour to meet 40 BlackBerry customers. It ends in New York City for interviews with reporters and analysts.

"The problem is, I really don't mind travelling and meeting with people and all that, but there are physical limitations," Chen said recently during a meeting with reporters after the release of the company's fourth-quarter financial results.

"I am living hotel to hotel to hotel, it is like packing and unpacking, packing and unpacking," he said. "This week I have been in so many places I don't even remember."

Next week, Chen flies to Indonesia for the official launch of the Jakarta Z3 — the new large touch-screen smartphone BlackBerry produced in partnership with Taiwan-based Foxconn for the Indonesian market.

Typically, Chen and his team fly into a city for breakfast briefings with chief executives, chief information officers and executive officers to talk about risk management, mobile-data security, identity management and identity security.

"We are focusing on that around the world," he said.

Chen said the biggest challenge he has faced since taking over the reins as chief executive at BlackBerry last November was the need to make multiple changes at the same time.

"There are so many things that need to be fixed, kind of in parallel, otherwise it takes too long to fix everything sequentially," he said.

The speed and depth of the changes Chen initiated underscore how far BlackBerry had fallen in the competitive smartphone market, and how dire the situation was.

Five years ago, BlackBerry had 20,000 employees worldwide and about a 20 per cent share of the global smartphone market. The payroll is dropping close to 7,000 and the company's market share is less than two per cent.

Former BlackBerry chief executive Thorsten Heins announced the latest round of job cuts last September — 4,500 jobs or 40 per cent of BlackBerry's remaining workforce. When Chen took over two months later, there was no turning back on the workforce reductions.

"The reality of the mathematics when I came in, in November, only left me one choice — to let that project complete," Chen said. "But I also realize that you can not ever cut yourself to glory."

The layoffs are one of the most difficult parts of the turnaround plan, Chen said.

"I fully understand why employees have been very negatively affected, and the morale is obviously not as high as I would like," he said. "I do believe people are getting back to work, which is a good thing. I think they are trying really hard to stay focused."

The last of the layoffs are scheduled to occur by the end of May, and will leave BlackBerry with a global workforce of 7,000. Since the latest round of layoffs started last September, 1,140 BlackBerry employees have been let go in Waterloo Region.

The company won't say how many people it will employ in the region when the layoffs are done. At its peak, it had about 10,000 employees in the region, working out of about 15 buildings in Waterloo and Cambridge.

The local job cuts include the layoff in mid-March of 120 employees in the wireless technology group. In its day, this group of electrical engineers and coders was among the top wireless tech teams in the world. They designed and built the phones and operating systems that made Research In Motion — renamed BlackBerry early last year — world famous for its security and speed.

There was talk last December that Marvell Technology Group, one of the world's biggest makers of computer chips, was going to buy the wireless technology unit. Chen confirmed a deal was proposed but it fell through for reasons that he won't disclose.

Chen said BlackBerry has the patents and technology developed by the group and can use both whenever needed. It no longer is necessary to have engineers in-house producing that kind of technology, he said.

"At one time this got to be a leading function, but today there is technology out there that is already designed into a chip set."

That's the approach BlackBerry is taking with the Jakarta Z3 and its partnership with Foxconn. Foxconn used existing technology and built a new phone priced for less than $200 for emerging markets. After its release in Indonesia next week, the phone will be rolled out later this year in Thailand and India.

Chen's reputation as a turnaround wizard was cemented by his performance at Sybase. The software company was losing money when he took over as CEO. It reported profits for 55 consecutive quarters before he left.

If Chen is able to engineer a similar turnaround at BlackBerry, the company will look very different in the future. In Chen's words, it will be focused on software, services and messaging. To get there, it must first return to its roots for at least two years to generate much-needed revenue to finance the turnaround and transition.

The company will soon do a limited production run of the Bold smartphone, which operates on the older BlackBerry 7 operating system. With its keyboard and a "utility belt" that includes a track pad, cut-and-paste, send and refresh buttons, it was among BlackBerry's most popular products.

Corporate and government customers asked for it and Chen is responding. The plan is simple enough — keep those customers happy with the return of the Bold until BlackBerry brings out a new phone that will provide what they are looking for.

The new phone, dubbed the Classic, is slated to be unveiled in November. It will be a marriage of the Bold's hardware with the software advantages of the newer BlackBerry 10 system, which has a superior web browser and multimedia offerings.

Chen made it clear that the production run for the Bold and introduction of the Classic should not be interpreted as a wholesale return to the smartphone business. Hardware and handsets will be part of the equation for at least two years, but after that it is anyone's guess.

"I hope it's not confusing to others that all of a sudden, 90 days later, I shift gears," Chen said. "It is nothing to do with that. I mean software and services going forward are still going to be where the growth engine is going to come from, and messaging."

When Chen refers to software, he is talking about QNX software. QNX, an Ottawa-based company acquired by BlackBerry in April 2010, has an operating system that is touted as being the most reliable in the world. It is used in mission-critical applications such as nuclear power plants.

The auto industry has emerged as a big and growing market for the software. It is now used in more than half of all new cars. In the emerging world of connected and smart cars, the software monitors the location of vehicles, tells owners when maintenance and repairs are needed and powers infotainment systems, among other things.

Chen wants to expand the reach of QNX software into the medical field, and any market that needs machine-to-machine interactions.

Generating revenue and profit from BlackBerry's popular BBM messaging system is another priority for Chen. BBM has more than 85 million users, who each send or read 11.5 messages a day on average.

Chen plans to monetize BBM by selling specially designed emoticons called stickers and offering sponsored channels that will allow advertisers to connect with users. A pack of stickers can be downloaded for $1.99 at the BBM Shop.

"If you measure by revenue in the next couple, two or three years, I think QNX will be a bigger operation than BBM," Chen said. "Because the connected car world seems to be taking a lot of momentum."

As part of cost-cutting, BlackBerry dismantled its enterprise sales teams. Chen is rebuilding the sales force, with teams set up to focus on government, financial, defence, security and corporate sectors. In the future, a sales team devoted to the medical sector will be organized.

"I won't rule anything out, but since our aspirations for the long term are going to be machine-to-machine interactions, software has to be a really huge part going forward," Chen said.

In the meantime, there will be lots of packing and unpacking as Chen travels the world to convince existing and prospective customers to go with BlackBerry.

"There will be one day when the map and the market will tell us which way to go," he said. "I can assure you, for me, it's not a religion. It's business."

Chen travelling the world to promote BlackBerry

And a nice weekend to all!

[TimJohnSmith]

I haven't used any apostrophes in this one...


Attachment 260838

On another topic, I was a bit surprised that the news of good initial sticker sales did absolutely nothing to the SP. That being said, I'm hoping the stock dives a bit next week as well so that we can buy some more at a nice discount. Fingers crossed next ER will have great BBM news and great Z3 sales. The stronger these are, the easier enterprise sales will get. No one likes a loser; everyone loves a winner.

Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

How about "This is your NEW BlackBerry"? Though adding the Z3 image makes sense.

Tim Smith from my Z10 on Rogers

[BBUK14]

How about "This is your NEW BlackBerry"? Though adding the Z3 image makes sense.

Tim Smith from my Z10 on Rogers

Well, the problem with that was that most people don't have a new BlackBerry, and don't think they want one. I just did this one to address the misconception that BlackBerry 10 is the same, deathly slow browsing phone that people think of when they remember the BlackBerry they owned before they left for Apple and Android.

Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

[jxnb]

Corbu - You have an amazing knack for finding great articles. I especially appreciate your link above to "Chen Traveling World." Bravo.

Posted via CB10

[Corbu]

Corbu - You have an amazing knack for finding great articles. I especially appreciate your link above to "Chen Traveling World." Bravo.

Thanks jxnb! Much appreciated. I must say I like this one as well. While you find thousands of entries regurgitating the John Legere farce, for example, as well as other biased platitudes, you don't find too many basic, factual stories.

As a shareholder, I want (or would like) to know what is in JC's head. I find that though we spend hours wondering about the SP and stuff, we don't get enough of those "from the horse's mouth" pieces which give us some background and a better feel for the overall picture. As well as some interesting bits of information, as in this case.

BTW, Thailand and India coming after Indonesia for the Z3? That sounds good.

[cgk]

Have we got full specs for Z3 ?

sent from my bright red Nexus 5

[sidhuk]

The stickers look much better on larger tablet screen.
Have a great weekend Gang.

[early2bed]

This is not your old Blackberry

Situation 1 - Never had a Blackberry so this means nothing to me.
Situation 2 - Had a Blackberry that I didn't like and you fixed the crappy parts? Good for you.
Situation 3 - Have a Blackberry that I like and you made some big changes. Will I like it as much?

[jxnb]

Corbu -- I agree with you about the scarcity of stories with facts -- and depth. I think the story you quoted/linked above is remarkable for several reasons. First, it shows that Chen is carrying out a highly effective strategy that he himself described as having done right after assuming leadership of Sybase -- that is, he is traveling broadly to talk directly to corporate, government, and other leaders whose cooperation is essential for BBRY's survival. This obviously worked back then and I'm sure it is working now. Second, he's talking, listening, and strategizing in motion. He is not committing BBRY to playing out a series of pre-defined moves. Instead, he is reading the board, so to speak, at each move and playing it out accordingly. And this board has many players, not just two as in chess. He is revealing to more and more people that he is a brilliant strategist and competitor. Third, he is dogged. He seems ready to unleash a nearly unlimited amount of energy once he has determined the correct strategy and direction.

Finally, in all that I have read about him, he seems to consistently do everything possible to maximize the odds at each step of the way. Got a bad hand? Make your best move and move on, over and over again until it all turns out the way you want in the end. The vast majority of us can be so easily derailed by bad surprises or our own mistakes. He, on the other hand, just keeps re-assessing, strategizing, and then pouring a huge amount of intellectual and physical energy into whatever seems most likely to maximize the odds. This article underscores all of this.

A lot of the reason I've kept and continued building my BBRY stake is because of Chen's leadership. All I can ask as a shareholder is that he try to maximize the odds. I don't recall seeing someone doing this so effectively and relentlessly.

Thanks jxnb! Much appreciated. I must say I like this one as well. While you find thousands of entries regurgitating the John Legere farce, for example, as well as other biased platitudes, you don't find too many basic, factual stories.

As a shareholder, I want (or would like) to know what is in JC's head. I find that though we spend hours wondering about the SP and stuff, we don't get enough of those "from the horse's mouth" pieces which give us some background and a better feel for the overall picture. As well as some interesting bits of information, as in this case.

BTW, Thailand and India coming after Indonesia for the Z3? That sounds good.

[Corbu]

I could not have said it any better, jxnb!

I happen to share your point of view. He is indeed reading the board and reassessing. The return of the belt, as well as of BB7 might be an example of such a scenario. The customers want them? He gives it to them, at least as an interim measure. It makes business sense. He is trying to fight many fires at once and, quite frankly, I can't ask for anything more than someone who is willing to reconsider his positions, adapt and press forward with conviction. Granted, there is much to be done yet but, like you, I think he may well be up to the task. He seems to be working relentlessly, as you point out. He is well connected and seems to be getting it... If he applies the same method and the same relentlessness to his execution, I think we should see better days ahead. I am obviously worried on the revenue side for the next 6 months but we shall see. And it may well be that the market has already discounted for that fact. I still have some strong reservations about the marketing side but I trust that things will settle themselves in due time. If we can all see some obvious weaknesses, I am positive that JC and his team can see them as well.

I'll keep searching for such stories, that is for sure. They are a nice change of pace from the standard rehashed bashing that is all too common on the Net. Cheers,

PS: Sorry for polluting the blog with my posts today - as I seem to be on a roll - but a light just went on and it occurred to me that this article had been published in The Record... Not in the G&M, certainly not in the WSJ... Shame on most large outlets to be more concerned about spreading their gospel than some facts, as if most readers could not make up their own mind. I just sent Terry Pender, the author of that article, a quick word to thank him for a job well done. We are not looking for anything extraordinary, simply unbiased information. Whether it is good or bad. I believe we can then take it from there. /rant

[Corbu]

On the matter of the Z3 and Indonesia

Does anyone here know how Blackberry sells its products in Indonesia, aside from its own Website, probably? Does it have its own stores (I doubt it)? Kiosks? Does it deal through the providers, as in North America and Europe? Any other set-up?

Thanks.

[garnok]

On the matter of the Z3 and Indonesia

Does anyone here know how Blackberry sells its products in Indonesia, aside from its own Website, probably? Does it have its own stores (I doubt it)? Kiosks? Does it deal through the providers, as in North America and Europe? Any other set-up?

Thanks.

BB have their own store...BlackBerry experience store and BlackBerry expert center (after sales service) it is being located in several large shopping mall in indonesia...being run and owned by their distributor partner

most people in indonesia using prepaid carrier plan, and buy the phone in full price unlocked...and if you have credit card you can buy the phone with zero percent interest for 6 - 12 months installment (only apple and samsung phone offer 12 -24 zero pecent interrest)

[Corbu]

BB have their own store...BlackBerry experience store and BlackBerry expert center (after sales service) it is being located in several large shopping mall in indonesia...being run and owned by their distributor partner

most people in indonesia using prepaid carrier plan, and buy the phone in full price in retailer store....but if you have credit card you can buy the phone with zero percent interest for 6 - 12 months installment (only apple and samsung phone offer 12 -24 zero pecent interrest)

Thanks, garnok. Much appreciated.

If you can and feel like doing so , I think most of us here would be curious to get your impressions about the launch of the Z3, if you are located in Indonesia. Nothing beats hearing from someone who is on the ground!

[cgk]

Thanks, garnok. Much appreciated.

If you can and feel like doing so , I think most of us here would be curious to get your impressions about the launch of the Z3, if you are located in Indonesia. Nothing beats hearing from someone who is on the ground!

check out the article on the front page as well if you want a view from Indonesia - plenty of people from there chiming in.

[garnok]

Thanks, garnok. Much appreciated.

If you can and feel like doing so , I think most of us here would be curious to get your impressions about the launch of the Z3, if you are located in Indonesia. Nothing beats hearing from someone who is on the ground!

it is very quite...there are no ads, or marketing push from BlackBerry...

and their store are almost empty...if you compare it before BBM cross platform (it hurt them a lot in indonesia) and from recent report their marketshare are dropped significantly from 3rd position in 3Q2013 selling more than 300.000, to 6th position 4Q2013 and only selling 180.000 phone

Z3 have potential for BB to gain their customer back, but they need to focus and not making any mistake...marketing push for Z3, price and specs need to be competitive(price need to be lower than $180 , around Rp 1.999.000 sweet spot phone price for indonesian) , and they need to convince local app developer and popular app developer to make it available on their store.

[Corbu]

it is very quite...there are no ads, or marketing push from BlackBerry...

and their store are almost empty...if you compare it before BBM cross platform (it hurt them a lot in indonesia) and from recent report their marketshare are dropped significantly from 3rd position in 3Q2013 selling more than 300.000, to 6th position 4Q2013 and only selling 180.000 phone

Z3 have potential for BB to gain their customer back, but they need to focus and not making any mistake...marketing push for Z3, price and specs need to be competitive, and they need to convince local app developer and popular app developer to make it available on their store.

Thanks for that, garnok. Will be interesting to see if you notice any change over the next few weeks, as I suspect that they haven't really started anything specifically related to the Z3 yet. Cheers,

[cgk]

BlackBerry has contacted us to let us know they will not be launching the Z3 next week in Indonesia. There has been some confusion with the report TheRecord has put out, but unfortunately, that launch date has not been moved up. The closest thing we have officially is what CEO John Chen said in the last BlackBerry earnings call land that is a May launch.

BlackBerry Z3 Launching In May In Indonesia [UPDATED] - N4BB

[Corbu]

BlackBerry Z3 Launching In May In Indonesia [UPDATED] - N4BB

We stand corrected.

Indeed, to avoid any confusion, from the latest Earnings Call's transcript:

"After signing our partnership with Foxconn, we executed delivery quickly. In just four months. Jakarta was designed, tested and delivered, including having a carrier arrangement. So I'm extremely proud of the ability, the speed of both team executing. Training for our distribution channel for this particular device in Indonesia will start late April. The product will then be in stores shortly after that and available nationwide in Indonesia. And the PR launch will follow that and I plan to be there in person."

[Superfly_FR]

Hi gang!
Just a weekend thought.
Let's not play the guy (Chen) as the only motor here. It's a team, with attack, field and defense players. Chen is the coach - a brilliant coach IMHO - and makes the lines move together.

What I mean by this obscure analogy is that we shouldn't personalize BlackBerry to a single person, neither for the good or bad. It's a team, in combat formation: let's remind nothing is possible without their collective strong commitment.

Heins may have exaggerated a little in that direction, at times heads were falling as leaves in the autumn.
I know there's still layoffs to come (I also believe they are less systematic and better negotiated) but, M. Chen, you tend to use "I" as the symbol of BlackBerry. I've noticed that from the day you've made your very first public statement.

Don't forget the guys, once in a while.

Posted via CB10

[BanffMoose]

Hi gang!
Just a weekend thought.
Let's not play the guy (Chen) as the only motor here. It's a team, with attack, field and defense players. Chen is the coach - a brilliant coach IMHO - and makes the lines move together.

What I mean by this obscure analogy is that we shouldn't personalize BlackBerry to a single person, neither for the good or bad. It's a team, in combat formation: let's remind nothing is possible without their collective strong commitment.

But it's so hard given the firm's history of only being able to do one major thing at a time...

2 Co-CEOs and 14,000 employees and they seemed to only be able to choose one of three final options: a) push out BB10, b) sell BBM as SMS 2.0, or c) China play? Then...

1 new CEO plus new, handpicked C-Suite, and they couldn't devise a viable Plan B if carrier partners fail to push their wares? Learn to control your story and price cuts weren't options? Cut staff and attempts to "sell" the company should?ve been plan D, E, or F.

Personally, all of 2013, tells me that Hein's BlackBerry didn't truly understand who their customers really were and their unique issues. Hopefully Chen is conducting his own study. He definitely seems to be doing better than the old guys though.

[TimJohnSmith]

Well, the problem with that was that most people don't have a new BlackBerry, and don't think they want one. I just did this one to address the misconception that BlackBerry 10 is the same, deathly slow browsing phone that people think of when they remember the BlackBerry they owned before they left for Apple and Android.

Join the Cause @ BlackBerry Bootleg Marketing Channel - C003483F4

Could not combining the three into a running ad be effective? "Not going anywhere ", "not your old BlackBerry ", and "your new blackberry ".

Tim Smith from my Z10 on Rogers

[Bacon Munchers]

Another example of how on top of security that Microsoft is:


http://www.cnet.com/news/5-year-old-...ft-researcher/

A boy works out how to get into his dad's Xbox Live account without a password. Microsoft not only plugs the flaw but appoints Kristoffer Von Hassel as a security researcher.


Maybe BES should include managing game consoles.

[Corbu]

OT but on the "Security does not matter" theme...

BBC News - Power plants put at risk by security bugs

QNX anyone?

[jxnb]

Hey, SuperFly -

Point well taken. Thanks for keeping the discussion grounded.

Hi gang!
Just a weekend thought.
Let's not play the guy (Chen) as the only motor here. It's a team, with attack, field and defense players. Chen is the coach - a brilliant coach IMHO - and makes the lines move together.

What I mean by this obscure analogy is that we shouldn't personalize BlackBerry to a single person, neither for the good or bad. It's a team, in combat formation: let's remind nothing is possible without their collective strong commitment.

Heins may have exaggerated a little in that direction, at times heads were falling as leaves in the autumn.
I know there's still layoffs to come (I also believe they are less systematic and better negotiated) but, M. Chen, you tend to use "I" as the symbol of BlackBerry. I've noticed that from the day you've made your very first public statement.

Don't forget the guys, once in a while.

Posted via CB10

Posted via CB10