[DaSchwantz]

Here's a decent article on the topic:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/equif...204311250.html

[bbjdog]

Laughing material!!!

Congress inquiry about the negligence of personal data. I take the fifth or eighth, what ever the number is! I take it and run with it. lmho

Must we live in a world where smoke screens obscure our vision of a better world?

[rarsen]

Among all the large recent hacks, Equifax affected some 143 million which almost reached half the number of US population, so it has to be a biggy. Let's see how seriously the government and legal system now addresses this...

[FeitaInc]

That said the more I read about Project Treble the more I think BB's "Liscensing secure android"-Project is in trouble.

On a different note, marketing is a powerful tool, and if I worked at VP level at the Googles (hello Mr K), I'd do everything possible to make everybody disregard BB's message whatever may come. (Hopeing it wouldn't )

Somehow I think there's an inverse relationship between how much Google needs BB's expertise, and them just buying BB.

[ZayDub]

That said the more I read about Project Treble the more I think BB's "Liscensing secure android"-Project is in trouble.

On a different note, marketing is a powerful tool, and if I worked at VP level at the Googles (hello Mr K), I'd do everything possible to make everybody disregard BB's message whatever may come. (Hopeing it wouldn't )

Somehow I think there's an inverse relationship between how much Google needs BB's expertise, and them just buying BB.

This is the first I've heard of Project Treble, but this article does a good job explaining it for those who are unaware.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017...roject-treble/

[Corbu]

OT:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-you...one-1505041204

Why You Might Spend a Grand on a Smartphone

On their smartphones for three hours a day or more, many Americans delay upgrades of other big-ticket items so they can buy a better device

Prepare for smartphone sticker shock.

A decade into the smartphone era, Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. are betting they can increase sales by jacking up the price of their flagship products -- bucking the usual downward arc for prices of consumer electronics in the years after introduction.

Apple on Tuesday is expected to unveil a more-advanced iPhone -- also known as the anniversary iPhone, the iPhone 8 or iPhone X -- which analysts predict will carry a starting retail price of about $1,000. That would be about 50% more than the cheapest version of the iPhone 7 Apple introduced last year at $649, and about 30% more than the larger iPhone 7 Plus, at $769. (On Tuesday, Apple also is expected to show off updated versions of those phones with prices similar to last year's models.)

Apple's new iPhone debut follows Samsung's launch last month of its new high-end phone, the Galaxy Note 8, which hits shelves Sept. 15 starting at around $950.

Prices approaching $1,000 are more often associated with durable kitchen appliances than with pocket-size devices people tend to replace every few years. Yet Apple and Samsung think they will be able to sell tens of millions of smartphones at the higher price points, in part because of how vital the devices have become. Many users are willing to pay a premium for a handset that functions as not only a mobile phone, but also a personal computer, a video player, a gaming device, a GPS system, a music player, a reader, a flashlight and a wallet.

U.S. consumers now spend more than three hours a day on average on their mobile devices, according to research firm eMarketer. Patrick Moorhead, president of Moor Insights & Strategy, said people are postponing upgrades to their other gadgets so they have more to spend on their smartphones.

"The utility value of these products is so, so high," said Horace Dediu, an industry analyst at Asymco and a former Nokia Corp. business development executive.

The companies believe their prices are justified to pay for innovations such as longer battery life, larger displays and voice assistants. Apple's newest iPhone is expected to have components that cost about 80% more than the components in the iPhone 7, including an edge-to-edge, organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, display, wireless charging and new sensors, according to brokerage firm Susquehanna International Group.

If consumers take the new price points in stride, Apple and Samsung could widen their advantage over hundreds of smartphone rivals, many struggling to break even. Apple and Samsung claim nearly all the industry's combined annual profits, with about 79% for Apple and 15% for Samsung, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics.

The two are defying the gravity that usually pulls consumer prices downward as innovation wanes and manufacturing costs fall. For example, average prices for TVs and laptops have fallen about 50% from their respective peaks over the past 15 years, to $467 for TVs and $598 for laptops, according to trade group Consumer Technology Association. Average smartphone prices have fallen 32% to $303 in the decade since the iPhone's introduction.

The average iPhone selling price rose about 2.5% to $645 in Apple's fiscal 2016, up from $629 in fiscal 2009. Last year's pricier iPhone 7 Plus with a dual-lens camera outsold its predecessor, the iPhone 6s Plus -- a sign consumers are willing to pay up for performance.

Samsung had to pull the Galaxy Note 7 from shelves last year due to overheating batteries, but the Galaxy S7 model went on to become its top-selling phone ever. Unlike Apple, Samsung, the world's largest phone maker by shipments, also sells hundreds of millions of lower-cost handsets, such as the "Z series" in India, which retails for around $90.

New features on Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 include a dual-lens camera and a mammoth 6.3-inch OLED screen. The Note 8's component costs rose about 20% over the prior year, according to an estimate by IHS Markit, a market researcher.

Many consumers are balking at a $1,000 handset. A recent survey of wireless consumers by Barclay's found only 11% of respondents would spend more than $1,000 on a smartphone, with respondents on average saying they would spend only about $580.

Apple and Samsung have financing plans that can obscure the full cost of new phones. Apple's upgrade program last year offered the iPhone 7 for $32 a month over 24 months -- about $120 more than the retail price but with an extended warranty and the option for an upgrade after a year. Samsung offers a similar, no-interest financing plan.

Wireless carriers, which have largely eliminated phone subsidies in recent years, also offer monthly payment plans

Rivals say the steep price tags could spell opportunity. Juno Cho, head of LG Electronics Inc.'s mobile division, the No. 3 player in the U.S., believes there will be a "sizable number" of consumers who find the pricing of certain premium handsets to be "simply out of reach." He hopes to grab part of Apple and Samsung's combined 60% U.S. market share with lower-priced, feature-rich phones.

Winning over loyal Apple consumers won't be easy, says Don Scott Carpenter, a 47-year-old executive at a nonprofit organization and an Apple die-hard. He upgrades to the newest iPhone every year and said his $179 AT&T bill is still less than he pays a month for cable, TV and internet.

"I won't flinch," he said of higher prices. The phone is "part of life. You keep it with you 22 hours a day."

[La Emperor]

Some Sunday reading regarding AV.

Audi taking responsibility when car is in Level 3 . Interesting approach in covering liabilities.

Audi to take full responsibility in event of autonomous vehicle crash

[bbjdog]

Some Sunday reading regarding AV.

Audi taking responsibility when car is in Level 3 . Interesting approach in covering liabilities.

Audi to take full responsibility in event of autonomous vehicle crash

Thanks mate!

So insurance company pays out for the claim, then the insurance company has to fight it out with Audi for who is at fault. I'm a simple man, and scratching my head about all this. Lol

But I do like their approach to level 1, level 2 and level 3.

[morganplus8]

Well that was a fun last few days.

We learned that a company with scale is no better off than BlackBerry. (See floundering Pfizer for more details)

We learned that security isn't really required as the data that is being protected doesn't have any street value. (If there is no street value (no one pays for it, no patents etc., why would companies have better security departments than BB?)

We learned that prevention through litigation is the solution for companies with weak security. (Include a clause, hire lawyers, rely on our weak Government to not protect us but protect them)

At the same time, it was suggested that big business has better security teams, departments and everything related to security then BlackBerry. (Well, which is it?)

Seems hopeless for the individual if this is the case.



This morning, TD Bank is showing restraint by selling shares in BB, not buying them.

09:43:39 T BB 11.10 0.16 2,400 26,640 79 CIBC 7 TD Sec K
09:43:39 T BB 11.10 0.16 2,000 22,200 1 Anonymous 7 TD Sec K
09:39:09 T BB 11.08 0.14 2,000 22,160 1 Anonymous 79 CIBC K
09:54:51 T BB 11.11 0.17 1,600 17,776 79 CIBC 79 CIBC K
09:43:41 T BB 11.09 0.15 1,600 17,744 85 Scotia 79 CIBC K
09:36:50 T BB 11.07 0.13 1,600 17,712 1 Anonymous 7 TD Sec K
09:45:27 T BB 11.12 0.18 1,300 14,456 79 CIBC 79 CIBC K
09:54:51 T BB 11.11 0.17 1,300 14,443 79 CIBC 79 CIBC K
09:45:25 T BB 11.11 0.17 1,300 14,443 79 CIBC 79 CIBC K
09:39:01 T BB 11.07 0.13 1,300 14,391 1 Anonymous 79 CIBC K
09:33:05 T BB 11.03 0.09 1,000 11,030 85 Scotia 88 Credential K

Thank goodness CIBC came along once again to buy BB stock, the real heros here.

I purchased BBRY (10,000) at the open thinking this week the stock might go up.

Now, should BlackBerry get out of security all together if it is so difficult for big companies to secure simple personal data? What hope would BB have if these companies can't contain simple data? Yeah right.

[FeitaInc]

Well.. SPHS is rising, so I guess that's something.

[morganplus8]

Well.. SPHS is rising, so I guess that's something.

The real news is Apple, tomorrow they will introduce last years technology and break the Internet doing so. I hear they are going to have a dual SIM phone by 2025.

[masterful]

LOL Morgan "dual sim"

[rarsen]

Is it a game of Dumb versus Dumbest, have they started to smoke the strong stuff real early -- alarming screw-ups !!!

Equifax blames open-source software for its record-breaking security breach: Report | ZDNet

We tested Equifax's data breach checker — and it's basically useless | ZDNet

“If you're an American with a credit history -- and at least 143 million are -- you probably already know your Equifax data, including at least your name, social security number, birthdate, and home address, may have been stolen.
According to an unsubstantiated report by equity research firm Baird, citing no evidence, the blame falls on the open-source server framework, Apache Struts. In fact, several headlines -- some of which have since been retracted -- all source a single quote by a non-technical analyst from an Equifax source.
Not only is that troubling journalistically, it's problematic from a technical point of view. In case you haven't noticed, Equifax appears to be utterly and completely clueless about their own technology. Equifax's own data breach detector isn't just useless: it's untrustworthy.
Adding insult to injury, the credit agency's advice and support site looks, at first glance, to be a bogus, phishing-type site: "equifaxsecurity2017.com." That domain name screams fake. And what does it ask for if you go there? The last six figures of your social security number and last name. In other words, exactly the kind of information a hacker might ask for.
Equifax's technical expertise, it has been shown, is less than acceptable.”

[Corbu]

Thanks for the laugh, Morgan.

I'm not sure I'll be able to sleept tonight, with all the exciting news coming tomorrow:
https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...s-1000-dollars

They have also just invented the "no home button"! Man are they good.

[anon(9100201)]

Is it a game of Dumb versus Dumbest, have they started to smoke the strong stuff real early -- alarming screw-ups !!!

Equifax blames open-source software for its record-breaking security breach: Report | ZDNet

We tested Equifax's data breach checker — and it's basically useless | ZDNet

“If you're an American with a credit history -- and at least 143 million are -- you probably already know your Equifax data, including at least your name, social security number, birthdate, and home address, may have been stolen.
According to an unsubstantiated report by equity research firm Baird, citing no evidence, the blame falls on the open-source server framework, Apache Struts. In fact, several headlines -- some of which have since been retracted -- all source a single quote by a non-technical analyst from an Equifax source.
Not only is that troubling journalistically, it's problematic from a technical point of view. In case you haven't noticed, Equifax appears to be utterly and completely clueless about their own technology. Equifax's own data breach detector isn't just useless: it's untrustworthy.
Adding insult to injury, the credit agency's advice and support site looks, at first glance, to be a bogus, phishing-type site: "equifaxsecurity2017.com." That domain name screams fake. And what does it ask for if you go there? The last six figures of your social security number and last name. In other words, exactly the kind of information a hacker might ask for.
Equifax's technical expertise, it has been shown, is less than acceptable.”

I hope automakers learn their lesson that free open source software is not free at all in the end and that license payments for "non-open-source" software like QNX could be the most cheap way to go in the end



Posted via CB10

[morganplus8]

Thanks for the laugh, Morgan.

I'm not sure I'll be able to sleept tonight, with all the exciting news coming tomorrow:
https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...s-1000-dollars

They have also just invented the "no home button"! Man are they good.

Sorry about that, I'm super bored with BB right now. No news for months but I bought the stock anyway, go figure.

This has to be the slowest period we have ever been subject to. Then there is Apple, old tech coming and the world is excited.

I have this theory about Apple's success, they achieved it not by ever being leading edge tech., but the opposite, they kept their face camera at 2MP for years after all others had moved on so that women, their primary business group, would look better in selfies. I think I'm the only one with this theory though.

Now, we are moving up today, imagine if BlackBerry were to start their share buyback program now ....................... there I go again, sorry.

[world traveler and former ceo]

Sorry about that, I'm super bored with BB right now. No news for months but I bought the stock anyway, go figure.

This has to be the slowest period we have ever been subject to. Then there is Apple, old tech coming and the world is excited.

I have this theory about Apple's success, they achieved it not by ever being leading edge tech., but the opposite, they kept their face camera at 2MP for years after all others had moved on so that women, their primary business group, would look better in selfies. I think I'm the only one with this theory though.

Now, we are moving up today, imagine if BlackBerry were to start their share buyback program now ....................... there I go again, sorry.

Therein lies the frustration with BlackBerry.... they had momentum prior to last quarter... stock could be easily in the high teens, if they could just execute!! ... promising elements like QNX, radar, world class security, etc... struggling to scale up fast enough and monetize, while others cashing in.

... what news will CEO chen have this quarter for long suffering investors?....

He will either surprise on the upside and with guidance, thereby restoring credibility in the vision....and in his transformation of BlackBerry....or they will miss guidance again and lose more credibility with investors... IP wins can only help to an extent.... they need to grow main segments of their business and show revenue and profit growth....and market share gains via new key customers and partnerships....

Next quarter should be insightful...

Posted via CB10

[FeitaInc]

supposedly Google is thinking about buying HTC (only the mobile devices business).

[world traveler and former ceo]

supposedly Google is thinking about buying HTC (only the mobile devices business).

Everywhere around BlackBerry (whatsapp, Nokia phones,, etc.)....multi- billion dollar deals.....meanwhile at BlackBerry.... (wheels spinning)..... sounds of silence...

Posted via CB10

[bbjdog]

NEWS FLASH!!!!

Tech breaking technology being introduced tomorrow and I have the first picture of it!

[masterful]

it didn't take long:

http://globalnews.ca/news/3735982/cl...ration-clause/

[anon(9100201)]

Therein lies the frustration with BlackBerry.... they had momentum prior to last quarter... stock could be easily in the high teens, if they could just execute!! ... promising elements like QNX, radar, world class security, etc... struggling to scale up fast enough and monetize, while others cashing in.

... what news will CEO chen have this quarter for long suffering investors?....

He will either surprise on the upside and with guidance, thereby restoring credibility in the vision....and in his transformation of BlackBerry....or they will miss guidance again and lose more credibility with investors... IP wins can only help to an extent.... they need to grow main segments of their business and show revenue and profit growth....and market share gains via new key customers and partnerships....

Next quarter should be insightful...

Posted via CB10

Do not hold your breath for any meaningful news at ER. Given John Chen's track record there is a high possibility that they will just announce so lala numbers without any news or information what they have been doing in the last months besides issuing some blog posts or holding some webinars

Posted via CB10

[La Emperor]

FWIW: I guess the market is liking the streamlined safety guidelines for AV in the US.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2017...cle-guidelines

[morganplus8]

Is everybody as excited as I'm not about Apple's big launch today?

On another topic, TD Bank is negative 30,000 shares so far so it is interesting that we are drifting higher against a "no buyback program".

As for the TA on this one, it is shaping up for a fantastic rally on good news. If we can hear something nice from BB, we could race to 52 week highs as all of the negative trade has worked itself out of the stock. Our first stop looks like the 50-EMA just above us today, $ 9.30/shr anyone? Clearing the 50-EMA and the 50-DMA are the requirements to go much higher here and we need to do this on volume.

Let's sit back now and enjoy a nostalgic walk down high tech memory lane with Apple's answer to yesterday's technology. Peace everyone.

PS. I just missed out on getting a KeyOne with Dual Sim two days ago, darn it.

[Corbu]

Let's sit back now and enjoy a nostalgic walk down high tech memory lane with Apple's answer to yesterday's technology. Peace everyone.

LOL!!!

Thanks, M.